Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved to the South Padre Island Film Festival.
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL
LAST YEAR'S (2006) SPIFF LINE-UP
The 2006 South Padre Island Film Festival will present the following features:
The Trouble with Dee Dee (81 min./USA/Producer: Bob Brown, Michael Meiners/Director: Michael Meiners) – A big-hearted, eccentric socialite, with a knack for pulling off hopelessly wild adventures, struggles when she finds herself disowned by her millionaire father and abandoned by her teenage son.
Kisses and Caroms (83 min./USA/Producer: Michael Hutchinson, Jay Beeber, Vince Rocca/Director: Vince Rocca) – A young woman arranges a threesome in order to prove to her ex-boyfriend, the manager of a billiard pro shop, that she’s his dream girl, but, blinded by his libido, he decides that they should just remain friends.
The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah (95 min./USA/Producer: Brian Elliott, Chris Hansen/Director: Chris Hansen) – A middle-class father and husband believes he is a messiah (not THE messiah, mind you), but he must raise money for a large rally to announce this calling to his hometown and — he hopes — to learn his special purpose from God.
Slipdream (85 min./USA/Producer: Matthew Spiegelman, Sam Siegel/Director: Marc Grant) – In a modern-day parable of "Jack and the Beanstalk,” a street-smart Los Angeles pot dealer trades his father’s gold watch for some magical seeds, unleashing psychic forces that lead him to a beautiful but tormented violinist under the sadistic care of a pill-pushing psychiatrist.
Dumpster (64 min./USA/Producer: Jim Daniels/Director: John Rice) – A scavenging janitor, employed at an elite university, discovers a muddled college student dwelling in the dumpster behind his frat house, and their subsequent late-night meetings help them both overcome the stress and confusion of their daily lives.
Dark Remains (90 min./USA/Producer: Laurence Avenet-Bradley/Director: Brian Avenet-Bradley) – Following their daughter’s brutal murder, a grieving young couple escapes Atlanta to find solace in the mountains, where their recovery is interrupted by violent entities with tragic histories of their own.
The Range (85 min./USA/Director: Dean J. Augustin) – KHYI, one of the last independent FM radio stations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, tantalizes loyal listeners with OKOM, or “Our Kind of Music” – Hard Country.
Art From the Streets (73 min./USA/Producer: Layton Blaylock/Director: Layton Blaylock) – A unique Austin-based organization assists homeless individuals in envisioning, creating, and selling their artwork; this documentary invites viewers to track several of these artists, from their living situations to their weekly art classes.
Of Good Courage (62 min./USA/Producer: David Perry, David Wayne Brown/Director: David Perry, David Wayne Brown) – In February 2003, a rural Texas county responds to the tragic Space Shuttle Columbia disaster with compassion, strength, and dignity.
Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea (71 min./USA/Producer: Christopher Metzler/Director: Christopher Metzler, Jeff Springer) – Narrated by John Waters, this off-kilter film explores the friendly, eccentric residents along the shores of Southern California’s newest ecological timebomb - from Hungarian revolutionaries and Christian nudists to land sharks and dead fish.
Between Iraq and a Hard Place (65 min./Producer: Rex Pratt, James Pratt/Director: Rex Pratt) – Narrated by Martin Sheen and filmed partially in Iraq during battle, this documentary reveals the heartbreak, courage, passion, and trauma that US Marines face during firefights, attacks, and daily patrols and upon their return home.
Life Is a Dream in Cinema: Pola Negri (88 min./USA/Producer: Heidi Hutter/Director: Mariusz Kotowski) – This in-depth documentary examines the life and work of the legendary actress Pola Negri, once Rudolph Valentino’s lover and the first European star to emigrate to America, paving the way for foreign stars like Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich.
Blood, Sweat & Gears (88 min./USA/Producer: Jason Edwards/Director: Jason Edwards) – America’s top bike fabricators, including Billy Lane and his generous pals, tour the country’s motorcycle rally circuit to salute the men and women of our US Armed Forces.
The 2006 South Padre Island Film Festival will present the following short films:
And Now a Word from Our Sponsors (9 min./USA/Producer: Jennifer Niemeyer, Shane English/Director: Wojciech Lorenc) – A young man's quest for a condom turns strangely surreal as he’s bombarded by an army of supermarket sellers soliciting their products; if he doesn’t outsmart them on time, he will lose his chance with a beautiful girl waiting in his apartment.
Playtown (24 min./USA/Producer: Shane Barbanel/Director: Shane Barbanel) – While his pals search for love, lust, and compatibility in Hollywood, a young filmmaker tries to cure his insomnia by embarking upon a sexual odyssey that brings him face to face with success, disgrace, and self-respect.
The Day of the Grackle (15 min./USA/Producer: Michael Berry, Michael Butler Murray, Rod Weber/Director: Michael Berry) – A mild-mannered man’s world is invaded by a ferocious, territorial bird, thrusting him into an escalating, action-filled battle that inadvertently transforms his life into something far beyond his dreams.
Casual Fridays (10 min./Canada/Producer: Kyle Bornais/Director: John Barnard) – When office workers take their casual Fridays too far, Hawaiian shirts make way for sexual harassment and volleyball.
Dear Sweet Emma (5 min./USA/Producer: Loraine Cernak/Director: John Cernak) –As the search is given up for Emma's latest husband, Tucker, a private look reveals that Emma, the sweetest angel and most favorite citizen of Fishtickle, has a secret and uncontrollable dark side.
The Honeyfields (22 min./USA/Producer: Genn Feliciano/Director: Matt Gordon) – Two young brothers, raised in rural California by a bitter grandmother, spend their lazy summer days fighting for imaginary glory within their beloved wheatfields near home, until the older boy falls for a local girl, driving a wedge between the brothers and leading to their final battle in the fields.
Caught in Paint (6 min./USA/Producer: Rita Blitt/Director: Rita Blitt) – During one creative session, artist Rita Blitt painted on transparent surfaces while members of the David Parsons Dance Company imitated her strokes in mid-air and photographer Lois Greenfield shot dynamic stills of the entire process.
Beach Drive: Public Rights and Private Property (28 min./USA/Producer: Jessica Schoenbaechler /Director: Jessica Schoenbaechler) – In Surfside, Texas, severe coastal erosion has caused private property to illegally obstruct public beaches, disrupting the lives of homeowners, vacationers, surfers, environmentalists, and legislators.
South Central Farmers (7 min./USA/Producer: Ross Guidici/Director: Ross Guidici) – Since 1992, a 14-acre property in South Central Los Angeles has been used as a community garden; today, a wealthy land developer has acquired the property and is threatening to kick out 350 low-income families, who farm the land to feed their kin and stay off welfare.
Back to Life (27 min./USA/Producer: Nora Donaghy, Tracy Wilson/Director: Samantha Reynolds) – Using the art of taxidermy as a backdrop, Samantha Reynolds examines the human-animal bond, particularly regarding pets, and demonstrates how animals can positively affect our lives.
Rucker (12 min./USA/Producer: Anna Dewell-Bussart/Director: Anna Dewell-Bussart) – Bill Rucker, a resilient Texas-based motorcycle shop owner and scuba instructor, lives out his dream in the wake of diversity.
The Beehive (37 min./USA/Producer: Robert Sickels/Director: Robert Sickels) – In 2002, three women from a fifth-generation farming family opened up The Beehive, the first high-end hair salon in Walla Walla, Washington, just beyond the middle of nowhere; they were highly successful until the national press, wealthy wine aficionados, and Corporate America began to “discover” the sleepy little town.
Tales of Times Square (10 min./USA/Producer: Sue Romweber/Director: Paul Stone) – A gritty glance at the last bastion of honky-tonk New York, this film explores the underbelly of Times Square’s seedy past and the sex industries that thrived there in the 1970s before the neighborhood was sanitized.
LAST YEAR'S FESTIVAL WINNERS!
Best Feature: The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah, a clever mockumentary about a middle-class family man who believes he is a modern-day savior, produced in Waco, Texas, by Brian Elliott and Chris Hansen and directed by Hansen.
Best Short: And Now a Word from Our Sponsors..., a comedy about a young man’s surreal trip through the supermarket, produced by Jennifer Niemeyer and directed by Wojciech Lorenc.
Writer's Bootcamp / Final Draft Best Screenplay Award : was given to Kisses & Caroms, a romantic comedy about men, women, sex, and billiards, written by Vince Rocca and Michael Hutchinson.
In addition, the programming staff awarded their four favorite features, including
Best Comedy Feature: The Trouble with Dee Dee, the tale of a big-hearted, eccentric socialite, produced by Bob Brown and Michael Meiners and directed by Meiners;
Best Documentary Feature: Art From the Streets, an exploration of an Austin-based organization that supports homeless artists, produced and directed by Layton Blaylock;
Best Drama Feature: Dumpster, the story of an unlikely friendship between a janitor and a college student, produced by Jim Ray Daniels and directed by John Rice
Best Horror Feature: Dark Remains, a thriller about a haunted, grieving couple, produced by Laurence Avenet-Bradley and directed by Brian Avenet-Bradley.
The programmers also honored three short films;
Best Comedy Short: The Day of the Grackle, an escalating battle between a mild-mannered man and a ferocious bird, produced by Michael Berry, Michael Butler Murray, and Rod Weber and directed by Berry;
Best Documentary Short: Back to Life, an examination of taxidermy and the human-animal bond, produced by Nora Donaghy and Tracy Wilson and directed by Samantha Reynolds; and
Best Drama Short: The Honeyfields, the tragic story of two young brothers during one lazy summer in rural California, produced by Genn Feliciano and directed by Matthew Gordon.
On Sunday night, SPIFF’s Festival Co-Directors, Laura and Daniel Martone, publicly lauded David Perry and David Wayne Brown, the producing/directing team behind Of Good Courage, with the SPIFFY Impact Award, an honor that distinguishes the film with the most humanitarian purpose and influence. With tender reverence, Of Good Courage depicts how the residents of a rural Texas county responded to the tragic Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in February 2003 with compassion, strength, and dignity. According to Brown, the filmmakers intend to donate all proceeds made from the distribution of the 60-minute documentary to the Sabine County Memorial Committee, which commemorates the seven deceased astronauts as well as the helicopter pilot and forest service worker that died during the recovery efforts.
