As a proud sponsor of this awesome film fest, I’m stoked to share the details! Save the dates and get ready to take flight with the Louisville Film Festival!
The 9th Annual Flyover Film Festival, presented by the Louisville Film Society (LFS), soars into Louisville July 23 – 28 with a treasure trove of films saluting our state’s strong and burgeoning film industry. Screenings over the six nights, each followed by Q&A’s with the filmmakers, will take place at the Kentucky Center Bomhard Theater and Speed Cinema. In addition, opening and closing night after-parties will be held offering artists and audience members the opportunity to meet and celebrate. LFS Board and founding member Gill Holland, who coined the moniker “Flyover Film Festival” said, “We started Flyover to celebrate local film, help stimulate the film economy, and bring nationally renowned cutting edge cinema to Louisville. It was named Flyover to embrace our location between NY and LA, which is often disparaged by the Hollywood elites as the “flyover” region.”
The film scene in Kentucky has literally boomed in the last few years, particularly with the passage of the state’s film tax incentive package. The 2017 festival is a testament to LFS’s original vision to celebrate local film and help stimulate the film economy. Included in this year’s lineup are three narratives that were shot in Kentucky in their entirety, including And Then I Go, Tragedy Girls and Beauty Mark. Each of these films has been accepted into major film festivals including SXSW and Los Angeles. A fourth narrative – Executive Producer Gill Holland’s Most Beautiful Island – won the 2017 Grand Jury Award at SXSW. The three documentaries presented this year also have strong Kentucky roots. Two in the festival lineup were produced by esteemed local filmmakers – Owsley Brown III’s Serenade to Haiti and Peter Byck’s One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts. Fans of acclaimed Louisville chef Edward Lee will enjoy Fermented, which he co-wrote and hosts.
Festival Highlights
Kicking off Flyover Film Festival on Sunday, July 23 in the Bomhard Theatre at Kentucky Center is the feature-length drama And Then I Go, which had its World Premiere as part of the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival. Director Vincent Grashaw shot the film in Louisville using Fern Creek High School for the primary location. In the film, he takes a look at the cruel world of junior high and how the powerful bonds of childhood friendship and search for belonging can become a matter of life or death. An After-Party hosted by 21c Museum Hotel begins at 7:30 p.m. for filmmakers, audience members, and sponsors. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served, and a cash bar will be available.
Three documentaries are up next on the Festival program. On Monday, July 24 at our Taste of Flyover: A 3-course Food and Film Event, ticketed guests will enjoy a pre-screening tasting of Southern-inspired foods including a recipe or two from Chef Edward Lee’s book “Smoke and Pickles” before the Kentucky premieres of Peter Byck’s One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts and Lee’s Fermented. In One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts, Byck follows a pioneering farmer in rural Georgia as he shares his journey from industrialized beef production to sustainable, humane agricultural and environmental stewardship. It’s the perfect compliment to open the show before diving into the pungency of Fermented, directed by Jared Andrukanis. In the feature length documentary, author and chef Lee visits artisans and chefs around the world to understand the ancient process of fermentation and how it’s used in modern times.
On Tuesday the festival moves to Speed Cinema for three Kentucky premieres over a three-night run. Director Owsley Brown III’s feature-length documentary Serenade for Haiti is a poignant testament to resilience, hope and the power of music demonstrated by the faculty and student body of a classical music school that literally rises above the physical devastation and emotional turmoil brought on by a catastrophic earthquake.
Wednesday and Thursday nights include screenings at Speed Cinema of two narrative features, Most Beautiful Island and Tragedy Girls. Winner of SXSW 2017 Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature, Most Beautiful Island, directed by and starring Ana Asensio, is a chilling portrait of an undocumented young woman’s struggle for survival as she finds redemption from a tortured past in a dangerous game. Director Tyler MacIntyre’s Tragedy Girls, filmed in Springfield, Kentucky, is a twist on the slasher genre following two death-obsessed teenage girls who use their online show about real-life tragedies to send their small Midwestern town into frenzy and cement their legacy as modern horror legends.
The Kentucky Premiere of Beauty Mark, shot in the Portland neighborhood of Louisville, closes out Flyover Film Festival on Friday night in the Bomhard. Based on true events, director and writer Harris Doran’s feature is the story of a poverty-stricken mother who must turn to the only person she knows with enough money to help – the man who abused her as a child. The World Premiere of Beauty Mark was at the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival. A public Pre-Screening Reception hosted by festival sponsor Aloft Hotels will take place in the lobby of Aloft, 102 W. Main Street, from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. The Closing Night After-Party for all FFF filmmakers, audience members, sponsors and general public will start at 9:00 p.m. in the lobby of the Kentucky Center. Entertainment includes live performances by local musicians featured during the week’s films, a DJ, and laser light show. Free admission. Cash bar and affordable bites available for purchase from SCENE at The Kentucky Center.
Soozie Eastman, Executive Director of LFS said, “The 2017 Flyover Film Festival is a glimpse into the multifaceted industry that Kentucky filmmaking has become. From complex dramas to gorgeously filmed documentaries examining the intrinsic value arts and food can have in our lives, our festival has a wide range of films that we hope will have a broad appeal to film lovers and shine a light on the incredible visual storytelling we have coming from and connected to our community.”
Individual tickets go on sale Sunday, July 18 at www.louisvillefilmsociety.org. Members of the Louisville Film Society receive discounted tickets to Flyover Film Festival screenings and events as well as programming throughout the year. More information on membership can be found at www.louisvillefilmsociety.org.
Schedule
Sunday, July 23, Bomhard Theatre at Kentucky Center
5:30 p.m. Kentucky Premiere of And Then I Go followed by a Q&A with Director Vincent Grashaw and the film’s lead actor Arman Darbo | Tickets: $7 LFS members, $9 general admission – 7:30 p.m. After-Party hosted by 21c Museum Hotel for ticket holders, VIP’s and sponsors. Light appetizers and cash bar.
Monday, July 24, Bomhard Theatre at Kentucky Center – 5:30 p.m. Taste of Flyover: A 3-course Food and Film Event featuring heavy Southern-inspired bites and recipes featured in Chef Edward Lee’s cookbook “Smoke and Pickles.” 7:00 p.m. Kentucky Premiere of One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts and Fermented followed by Q&A with Chef Edward Lee and Directors Peter Byck and Jonathan Cianfrani. Tickets: $20 LFS members, $25 general admission.
Tuesday July 25, Speed Cinema – 7:00 p.m. Kentucky premiere of feature length documentary Serenade for Haiti followed by Q&A with Director Owsley Brown, III and special guests. Tickets: $7 LFS members, $9 general admission.
Wednesday July 26, Speed Cinema – 7:00 p.m. Kentucky Premiere of Most Beautiful Island followed by Q&A with Director and actress Ana Asensio. Tickets: $7 LFS members, $9 general admission.
Thursday July 27, Speed Cinema – 7:00 p.m. Kentucky Premiere of Tragedy Girls followed by Q&A with Director Tyler MacIntyre. Tickets: $7 LFS members, $9 general admission.
Friday July 28, Bomhard Theatre at Kentucky Center – 5:00 p.m. Beauty Mark Pre-Screening Reception, Aloft Hotel Lobby, 102 W. Main Street. Light appetizers and cash bar with additional small bites for purchase.
7:00 p.m. Kentucky Premier of Beauty Mark followed by Q&A with Director Harris Doran and special guests.
9:00 p.m. After-Party for all FFF filmmakers, audience members, sponsors and general public in the lobby of Kentucky Center. Entertainment includes live performances by local musicians featured during the week’s films, a DJ, and laser light show. Cash bar and affordable bites available for purchase. Tickets $7 LFS members. $9 general admission. Free admission to After-Party.
More on the films.
And Then I Go. World Premiere at 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival. Filmed in Louisville, Kentucky, this full-length drama directed by Vincent Grashaw takes a look into the cruel world of junior high where Edwin suffers in a state of anxiety and alienation alongside his only friend, Flake. Misunderstood and demoralized daily, their fury simmers quietly until an idea for vengeance offers them a terrifying release. Based on the acclaimed novel “Project X” by Jim Shepard, this unflinching look at adolescence explores how the powerful bonds of childhood friendship and search for belonging can become a matter of life or death. Stars Arman Darbo as Edwin and Sawyer Barth as Flake. – 1 hour 35 minutes
Beauty Mark. World Premier at 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival. Shot in the Portland neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. Inspired by true events, director Harris Doran’s full length feature is a heartbreaking tale of how a young mother taking care of her three year old son and her alcoholic mother in a poverty-stricken area of downtown Louisville, finds out the house they’re living in is condemned and must move immediately. With her family being forced out, and only sixty-five dollars to her name, she has to get the money from the only person she knows with any – the man who abused her as a child. Stars Laura Bell Bundy (Lorraine), Auden Thornton, Catherine Curtin (Ruth Ann)and Jeff Kober (Bruce). Music score by Louisville artist Ben Sollee. Website: www.facebook.com/BeautyMarkFilm – 1 hour 27 minutes
Fermented. World Premiere at 2017 Seattle International Film Festival. Look deeper, get a little dirty, and go ahead and find the beauty in rot. In the feature-length documentary Fermented, author and chef Edward Lee goes on a journey to better understand how the ancient process of fermentation is used in modern times by visiting artisans and chefs around the world. Directed by Jonathan Cianfrani, Lee is joined by an all-star cast of characters, including chefs Stuart Brioza and Dominique Crenn, bread mastermind Chad Robertson, craft brewing leader Nick Floyd, and fermentation guru Sandor Katz, to talk, share ideas, and cook with fermentation in mind. Website: http://www.fermentedfilm.com Trailer: https://vimeo.com/215030448 – 1 hour 7 minutes
Most Beautiful Island. World Premiere and winner of 2017 SXSW Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature. Most Beautiful Island is a psychological thriller examining the plight of undocumented female immigrants hoping to make a life in New York City. Shot on Super 16 mm with an intimate, voyeuristic sensibility, Most Beautiful Island chronicles one harrowing day in the life of Luciana, a young immigrant woman struggling to make ends meet while striving to escape her past. As Luciana’s day unfolds, she is whisked physically and emotionally through a series of troublesome and unforeseeable extremes. Before her day is done, she inadvertently finds herself a central participant in a cruel game where lives are placed at risk and psyches are twisted and broken for the perverse entertainment of a privileged few. Directed by Ana Asensio who also stars as Luciana alongside Natasha Romanova as Olga. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBLKI8ZoJ-A – 1 hour 20 minutes
One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts. World premiere and winner of 2017 Cleveland International Film Festival’s Best Documentary Short Film. Director Peter Byck’s follows fourth-generation cattleman Will Harris’s evolution from industrial, commodity cowboy to sustainable, humane food producer. Harris’s work in Georgia shows we can adapt agricultural practices to raise and grow healthy food in harmony with nature. The land that once sustained only a cow/calf operation now is home to cattle, goats, pigs, turkeys, chickens and more and is a testament to the economic and environmental benefits of regenerative food production – boasting healthy soils, thriving farm animals, and a diverse eco-system while creating jobs that are breathing new life into a community forgotten after the industrialization of agriculture. Website: www.soilcarboncowboys.com – 15 minutes
Serenade for Haiti. World Premiere at 2016 DOC NYC. Director Owsley Brown III’s full-length documentary Serenade for Haiti filmed over seven years is a poignant testament to resilience, hope and the power of music. A classical music school in the heart of Port-au-Prince, Haiti thrives despite decades of entrenched poverty and political strife. When a catastrophic earthquake completely destroys the school in 2010, a stunned and devastated faculty and student body must pick up the pieces and find a way to move forward. Website: https://www.serenadeforhaiti.com – 1 hour 10 minutes
Tragedy Girls. World Premiere at 2017 SXSW. Shot in Kentucky, Director Tyler MacIntyre’s Tragedy Girls is a twist on the slasher genre following two death-obsessed teenage girls who use their online show about real-life tragedies to send their small midwestern town into frenzy and cement their legacy as modern horror legends. The story of a high school friendship between two girls who just happen to be sociopath stars Alexandra Shipp as McKayla and Hooper Brianna Hildebrand as Sadie Cunningham along with Kentucky native Josh Hutcherson as Toby Mitchell. Website: www.TragedyGirls.com – 1 hour 38 minutes
Sponsors of the 2017 Flyover Film Festival at the time of this release include: Kentucky Center, Speed Cinema, Aloft Louisville Downtown, 21c Museum Hotel, Republic National Distributing Company, Planet Fitness, Sun Tan City, Rabbit Hole Distilling, Khalil’s, Bella of Louisville, Lunacy Unlimited, 180 Degrees, Heyman Talent, Porter Watkins and Delta Dental.