20 MILES WEST OF PHOENIX

Twenty miles west of Phoenix stands a monument built in the desert by sun worshipers. This is the story of Phoenix Trotter Park.

(World Premiere)

Dir. Michael Pearson

USA/2012/2 min.

“25″

Follow a quirky young woman who is overcome by nostalgia for her past life. Alone, she explores an imaginary world about a little prince who comforts her in her attempts to find herself in a new place. A non-linear narrative that combines video with 2D animation.

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Chia-Chi Lee

School of Visual Arts

Taiwan/2012/9 min.

“A HOUSE, A HOME” BY ALIALUJAH CHOIR

An artistic young man ventures outside his subterranean home and finds a mysterious counterpart who helps him reconcile his past. Featuring Portland Cello Project.

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Daniel Fickle

Two Penguins Productions

USA/2012/7 min.

Twopenguins.com

ANDREW BIRD: FEVER YEAR

Filmed during culminating months of the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s most rigorous year of touring, Andrew Bird crosses the December finish line in his hometown of Chicago – feverish and on crutches from an onstage injury. Is he suffering hazards from chasing the ghost of inspiration? Or merely transforming into a different kind of animal “perfectly adapted to the music hall?” FEVER YEAR is the first to capture Bird’s precarious multi-instrumental looping technique and features live performances at Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater.

(Tucson Premiere) (Kick Off Night)

Dir. Xan Aranda

Kartemquin Films

USA/2011/80 min.

feveryear.com

ARTHUR AND THE BUNNIES

Arthur and the Bunnies is an absurdist dark comedy about a man whose life takes a turn for the worse when he starts vomiting bunnies.

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Dana Turken

USA/2012/19 min.

arthurandthebunnies.com

BAD BRAINS: A BAND IN DC

Bad Brains are one of the most important and influential American bands still working today. They melded punk and reggae into an innovative style that has yet to be copied. Their impact and influence can be heard in groups like Beastie Boys, No Doubt, Nirvana, Jane’s Addiction and countless more. Despite the troubles of an eccentric front man they have stayed together for 30 years without ever reaching the level of success so many think they deserve. Using rare archival footage and original comic illustrations the film re-constructs Bad Brains’ rich and complicated history.

The Closing Night film is the Arizona Premiere of Bad Brains: A Band In DC. The rock doc utilizes rare archival footage and original comic illustrations to re-construct the band’s rich and complicated history. The Bad Brains, who melded punk and reggae, are one of the most important and influential American bands still working today. Featuring interviews and appearance by many artists who were influenced by the band like the Beastie Boys, Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), Henry Rollins and Ian MacKaye of Fugazi. Both Centerpiece and Closing Night are at the Century El Con 20 theater.

(Arizona Premiere) (Closing Night Film)

Dir. Mandy Stein & Benjamen Logan

Plain Jane Productions

USA/2012/104 min.

www.facebook.com/BadBrainsDocumentary

BIG EASY EXPRESS

3 bands, 6 cities, 1 train, and thousands of miles of track…the BIG EASY EXPRESS documents a cinematic musical journey. Directed by renowned filmmaker Emmett Malloy (THE WHITE STRIPES UNDER GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS) this incredible new film captures nothing less than history in the making.

Indie folk heroes Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Tennessee’s Old Crow Medicine Show, and Britain’s acclaimed Mumford & Sons, climbed aboard a beautiful vintage train in California, setting out for New Orleans, Louisiana on a “tour of dreams”. The resulting film from this journey is nothing short of magical.

Part road movie and part concert film, BIG EASY EXPRESS bears witness to the birth of a new musical era. With poignancy and beauty, Malloy documents these incredible musicians as they ride the rails and wow the crowds, from Oakland… to New Orleans.

So climb on board for a vibrant, raucous railway adventure. Filled with joyous crowds, late night laughter, endless music…and a train that was bound for glory.

(Tucson Premiere)

Dir. Emmett Malloy

Gathr Films

USA/2012/67 min

www.bigeasyexpress.com

BRING ON THE MOUNTAIN

This is the story of Danko Jones. Where success comes with time and effort. Where the reward is hard sought, and luck has nothing to do with victory. A story where the band fights hard and strong. The tale of two guys who are so in love with with the music they are making that they have gone through every step possible. A rock ‘n roll saga that tells of heart, commitment, hope, determination and ultimately, glory.

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Jason and Josh Diamond

Bad Taste Records AB

CANADA/2012/89 min.

www.dankojones.com/bring-on-the-mountain

“CALI REX”

Cali Rex is a surreal short film for the songs Calidonia and Sideburnasaurus Rex from Noah Engh’s album ‘My Black Gunner’. Take it as simply an abstract indie music video, or absorb the nuances of the recurring themes and deceptively story to decide if he’s dreaming, lost in the desert, or just a drunkard?

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. David Urbanic

Hyde Park Records

USA/2012/6 min.

daveurbanic.com

CHASING HOME

When their father goes missing, the Stamper siblings come together for the first time in years to find him. Their journey takes them to unexpected places and forces them to confront their feelings about their father and each other.

Jesse, Henry, and Violet Stamper are three siblings who have gone their separate ways. Jesse’s a reporter in Chicago, Henry’s a derelict, and Violet remained at home to help their father, Bruce, run the family motel. But when Bruce suddenly disappears, the siblings are inexorably drawn back together to assist in the search. As they embark on a journey through the places they used to know so well, they rediscover long-simmering conflicts between them – and long-standing bonds, too. In the end, their search becomes less about finding Bruce than about finding each other. But fate has one more surprise in store for them.

(West Coast Premiere)

Dir. Keith Boynton

Crazy Lake Pictures

USA/2012/84 min.

crazylakepictures.com

DARWIN

Darwin is a documentary film about an isolated community at the end of a weathered road in Death Valley, California. Propelled from society by tragic turns, the people of Darwin (population 35) must now find ways to coexist in a place without a government, a church, jobs, or children. The near-ghost town’s survival depends on a fragile, gravity-fed waterline that descends from the mountains where top secret military base is stationed. The film tells the story of a uniquely American place and yet a place that is unique even within America.

(Arizona Premiere)

Dir. Nick Brandestini

SWITZERLAND/2011/88min.

www.darwindoc.com

DEAD MAN’S BURDEN

In the contentious wake of the Civil War, a divided country tries to reunite by forging a future in the West. For one homesteader, that future is cut short by a bullet. Now his lawman son returns home to discover a sister that thinks him dead and an injustice waiting to be righted. A classic western, DEAD MAN’S BURDEN explores post-civil war era allegiances in the western frontier, divisions created by modern progress, and family rifts that struggle to resolve themselves in an unforgiving landscape.

(Tucson Premiere)

Dir. Jared Moshe

Stick! Pictures

USA/2012/90 min.

deadmansburden.com

DOUBLE OR NOTHING

Clark and Becca leave a bar after a night out with friends. When a homeless man approaches them on the street, Clark gets an idea. Adam Brody, Louisa Krause and Keith David star in this dark comedy by master playwright Neil LaBute.

(Arizona Premiere)

Dir. Nathaniel Krause

Producers. Andrew Carlberg and Josiah Bultema

USA/2011/10 min.

doubleornothingfilm.com

FANFARE FOR MARCHING BAND

Saturated colors, euphoric music, and ecstatic dance choreography fail to engage an immobilized public. FANFARE for MARCHING BAND follows the antics of a ragtag musical militia, as they embark on an inept invasion through a parallel universe where their exuberant music is out of sync and unheard. Reflecting on today’s lean economic times, this music and dance film features choreography by Peter Carpenter and performances by the circus punk marching band Mucca Pazza, who stage musical ACTIONS for JOY at various inappropriate locations around the city of Chicago.

(Southwest Premiere)

Hairless Films, Mucca Pazza & Peter Carpenter Productions

Dir. Danièle Wilmouth

USA/2012/16 min.

www.facebook.com/fanfareformarchingband

GIVE ME THE BANJO

If any musical instrument can be said to be quintessentially American, it is the banjo. Even in its construction, it tells a story of cultural exchange: the banjo is a drum with strings, a symbolic blending of African and European musical identities. Brought to the New World in the memories and traditions of enslaved Africans, repeatedly re-invented by African and European-Americans, the banjo has shaped most American musical forms: the minstrel show (the dominant popular entertainment in the US in the 19th century), ragtime and early jazz, old-time folk and the folk revival, as well as blues, bluegrass, country, and new hybrids yet to be labeled.

Give Me The Banjo, narrated by Steve Martin, is a musical odyssey through 300 years of American history and culture, featuring contemporary banjo masters such as Pete Seeger, Earl Scruggs, Bela Fleck, Mike Seeger, Sonny Osborn, in interviews and performances, combined with rare archival footage, stills, recordings and first-hand narratives.

(Arizona Premiere)

Dir. Marc Fields

Knockabout Media

USA/2011/83 min.

www.thebanjoproject.org

THE HISTORY OF FUTURE FOLK

Future Folk is an acoustic-music duo consisting of General Trius and the Mighty Kevin from a distant planet in outer space called Hondo. They currently live and perform on Earth and the bands escapades are the subject of a feature film, “The History of Future Folk”.

Hondo! (that’s how they say ‘hello’ on their home planet) The story goes that Trius joined the Hondonian Army at a young age and quickly rose to the rank of General. During his military career, circumstances conspired to see him stranded on Earth. Soon after landing,Trius heard music for the first time and immediately fell in love. Soon after he started playing the banjo and decided that he liked it quite fine here on Earth. Kevin was sent to Earth to complete Trius’ mission but befell to the lures of music and woman, just like Trius.

Since they relocated to Earth, the two have taken up music as their main vocation, playing at venues in and around New York City for over six years. In addition to attracting the attention of the police, their acoustical antics became worth of a this feature indie musical comedy.

The History of Future Folk, a quirky sci-fi indie comedy by co-directors — New York based Jeremy Kipp Walker (It’s Kind of a Funny Story starring Zach Galifianakis and Half Nelson starring Ryan Gosling) and J. Anderson Mitchell — is this year’s Centerpiece film for TFMF 12. The southwest premiere tells a tale of two men from outer space (the planet Hondo! to be exact) and the acoustical antics which led to comic mayhem and the eventual salvation of the human race.

(Southwest Premiere) (Centerpiece Film)

Dir. Jeremy Kipp Walker & J. Anderson Mitchell

CTR Film Project

USA/2012/85 min.

futurefolk.com

“THE LIGHT THAT DIED IN MY ARMS” BY TEN MINUTE TURNS

New York is a thousand miles of wire away…

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Alan Foreman

Alan Foreman Animation

USA/2012/2 min.

thelightthatdied.com

“LOST HIGHWAY” BY BARRY JAMES

Depicts a spiritual journey paralleled with a physical one, using only surreal imagery, unusual locations and of course the music.

(World Premiere)

Dir. Alan Williams

Barry James Music

USA/2011/6 min.

MANUAL FOR BORED GIRLS

Two girlfriends are home alone on a boring summer evening.

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Jesus Plaza

Mailuki Films

Spain/2011/4 min.

www.jesusplaza.com

MINOR/MAJOR: THE TV ON THE RADIO TOUR DOCUMENTARY

This documentary is a portrait of the band, TV on the Radio as they transition from indie darlings to a major label success. They struggle to come to terms with the business side of the music business while trying to maintain artistic integrity. Also, there are some amazing songs and live performances.

(Arizona Premiere)

Dir. Chioke Nassor

Real Human Films

USA/2012/30 min.

www.chiokenassor.com

“MONSTER” BY THE MISSION CREEPS

Creepy plastic surgery gone wrong. Tucson’s The Mission Creeps deliver menacing, haunting rock and roll with a message of perceived beauty and the true ugliness that dwells within.

(World Premiere)

Dir. Gene Torres

Old Pueblo Productions

USA/2011/5 min.

missioncreeps.com/

MY FATHER AND THE MAN IN BLACK

An intense personal adventure with universal themes that features one of the twentieth-century’s greatest music icons, ‘My Father and The Man In Black’ presents the untold story of ‘bad boy’ Johnny Cash, his talented but troubled manager, Saul Holiff, and a son searching for clues to his father’s suicide in the shadow of a legend. Before there was Johnny and June, there was Johnny and Saul.

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Jonathan Holiff

New Chapter Productions

CANADA/2012/90min.

www.Johnny-and-Saul.com

PAVILION

Max leaves his lakeside town to live with his father on the fringe of suburban Arizona. Both fever dream and quiet trip, PAVILION creates a deep and ethereal world, showing us an innocent way of life coming apart at the seams, constructing an indelible image of the enigma of youth. One of ten films selected for IFP’s 2011 Narrative Lab, PAVILION was also selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 2011 Emerging Visions Workshop.

With cinematography by Chris Dapkins (The Swell Season), and original score by Sam Prekop of the Sea and Cake.

(Arizona Premiere)

Dir. Tim Sutton

Van Riper Archives Productions

USA/2011/70 min.

www.pavilionfilm.com

PEDAZOS DE MI “PIECES OF ME”

A post undergrad student struggles to find herself as an artist as she tries to get into grad school.

(World Premiere)

Dir. Roman Arriola

One-17 Productions

USA/2012/8 min.

PITCH BLACK HEIST

Liam (Liam Cunningham) and Michael (Michael Fassbender) are professional safe crackers who meet on a simple job to relieve an office safe from its contents. The catch is a light activated alarm system impelling the men to embark on a pitch black heist.

(Arizona Premiere)

Dir. John Maclean

DMC Film

UK/2011/13 min.

www.facebook.com/pitchblackheist

ROBIN

Robin Langridge is a musician who was once signed to iconic record labels such as Polydor and Atlantic. Sadly, though relatively successful, Robin’s music career never brought him enough money to support his growing family, leading him to become a taxi driver: a job that has lasted him over 20 years. This short profile examines some of the reasons behind his career choices.

(World Premiere)

Dir. Asheq Akhtar

UK/2011/6 min.

asheq.co.uk

SAY WHAT YOU WANT

A short artist biopic on Anthony Nigro, a musician whose struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder led him on a whirlwind journey through the independent music scene.

(World Premiere)

Dir. Stephanie Lucas and Josh Kasselman

Limitrophe Films

USA/2012/8 min.

limitrophefilms.com

“STILL A KID (AT HEART)” BY VIBE

As Tucson duo VIBE reminisces about their childhood, they run into a group of kids who show them that being an adult isn’t everything.

(US Premiere)

Dir. Brad Wong

Genesis Music Video and Motion Picture

USA/2011/5 min.

www.facebook.com/genesismusicvideo

STRUTTER

An aspiring rocker loses his band and his girl but gains the friendship of his idol in this sweet and humanistic comedy. Features original score by J Mascis of Dinosaur jr.

The Opening Night film is the Southwest Premiere of Strutter by the critically acclaimed filmmaking duo of Allison Anders (Grace of My Heart, Mi Vida Loca) and Kurt Voss (Border Radio, Sugar Town). This sweet and humanistic comedy about an aspiring musician is their third film collaboration. The movie features an incredible original music score from J. Mascis of Dinosaur jr. and cameos from Victoria Williams and two time TFMF alumni Jessica von Rabbit of Gram Rabbit. The filmmakers will be in attendance for a Q&A after the premiere at The Loft Cinema.

(Southwest Premiere) (Opening Night Film)

Dir. Allison Anders & Kurt Voss

French Fan Club Films

USA/2012/86 min.

www.facebook.com/strutterthemovie

“SURE AS THE WEATHER” BY AMOS THE TRANSPARENT

Life may have it’s ups and downs, but time moves on. One take music video from Canadian indie rockers Amos the Transparent.

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Gavin Michael Booth

Mimetic Entertainment, Inc.

CAN/2011/4 min.

Mimeticonline.com

SURE AS THE WEATHER: MAKING A MUSIC VIDEO

Behind the scenes featurette on the making of the one take music video, “Sure As The Weather” by Amos the Transparent.

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Gavin Michael Booth

Mimetic Entertainment, Inc.

CAN/2011/14 min.

Mimeticonline.com

THE BALLAD OF DANKO JONES

In the high-pressure world of Rock and Roll sometimes a wrong move can turn deadly. The boys have made a crucial error in their latest mission. They are left with no choice but to go on the run and start a chain of events that will have them fighting for their lives. They will stop at nothing to climb all the way to the top to destroy The Outfit and the employers they once served. Ralph Macchio, Selma Blair, Elijah Wood, and Jena Malone also star in this engaging action short.

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Jason and Josh Diamond

Bad Taste Records AB

CANADA/2012/23 min.

www.dankojones.com

TRACES

Two women meet hitch-hiking on a desert highway with the secrets of their troubled pasts trailing close behind.

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Joseph Culp

Lone Spy Productions

USA/2011/19 min.

www.facebook.com/pages/Traces/404829516225449

TROPHIES

In a deserted city, one little boy rides through the empty streets, all alone, longing for companionship. One day, a little girl rides by and all his dreams come true, until a tragedy changes everything.

(World Premiere)

Dir. Marc Hansen

USA/2011/4 min.

UNWIELDY BEAST

A delightful story about a musician that wanted to play his piano in the streets of San Francisco. You’ll be surprised how he did it.

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Brandon Loper

Loper Co.

USA/2011/6 min.

unwieldybeast.com

VINYL

VINYL is based on Mike Peter’s (80‘s Irish rock band The Alarm) true rock and roll hoax of 2004. Washed-up rocker, Johnny Jones, hoodwinks top record labels, radio DJs and the entire rock music world by releasing his new pop punk single under a fictitious teenage band’s name. Now he just needs to teach this rowdy bunch of kids what true punk spirit is all about.

(Southwest Premiere)

Dir. Sara Sugarman

H2O Motion Pictures

UK/2012/90 min.

vinyl-themovie.com

VOICE OVER

The story of a man fighting to survive in the extreme situations that are actually the same.

(Special Presentation)

Dir. Martin Rosete

Kamel Films

Spain/2012/10 min.

www.voice-over.es/en