Picture Farm is proud to announce the 2017 edition of the Picture Farm Film Fest, with a program made up of: Global Environment Issues for the Local Audience, Black Voices in Independent Film, Defying Gender Identity Labels and Untold Stories of Struggle & Change from Around The World.
Opening night will feature the New York premiere of “The Memory of Fish” Friday, March 24th at 7:30 pm with a post-screening Q&A with director Jennifer Galvin.
Saturday March 25th we have show three distinct programs:
QUEER CITY begins at 1:30 pm, featuring shorts addressing Defying Gender Identity Labels.
LADIES WITH LENSES presents at 4:30 pm, featuring Films About Women Made By Women.
POSITIVELY BLACK at 7:30 pm with Black Voices in Independent Film.
Each program will be followed by a moderated Q&A session.
Sunday March 26th we will present a shorts program followed by a closing feature:
Kicking off at 2:30 pm, OUR EARTH LIKE NEVER BEFORE with shorts tackling Global Environment Issues for the Local Audience.
At 6:30 pm our closing film “After Spring” will be preceded by “That’s Where War Became Personal For Me”
To reserve a seat, check out the Brown Paper Tickets page…
Massive Thanks to Adorama, Explosion Robinson, Sprout Home, Zio Baffa wines, and Pabst Blue Ribbon who are helping make this festival far more interesting and delicious.
Fest organizer Winnie Cheung answered a few burning questions about the event:
What is the Picture Farm Film Fest?
Picture Farm Film Festival is dedicated towards increasing dialogue within our local community by screening passionate films across all lengths and genres. It is free for filmmakers to submit, and free for those who want to attend.
We will be screening films from local filmmakers from Friday, March 24th through Sunday March 26th. We are honored to open the festival with the New York premiere of “The Memory of Fish” (DIR. Jennifer Galvin) and will be screening “After Spring” (DIR. Ellen Martinez & Stephanie Ching” as our closing film.
What was the selection process?
Each film has been screened at least once and rated by a Picture Farmer. During our judging process, we’ve kept a holistic approach to make sure that the overall style, tone and length of each film worked with one another for well rounded blocks and overall programming. There were also a few films like our opening and closing film that was by invitation.
How many films submitted?
We’ve received over a 200% increase in films from last year by tapping into smaller communities of filmmakers and by keeping our submission fees free. Independent filmmakers often have little money left over for festivals at the ender of their production. Our goal is to provide for them an affordable and nurturing environment to screen and talk about their films with other filmmakers.
How many were chosen?
30 films.
What will the run of show look like? Discussions or Q&As after every film?
Each shorts block is approximately an hour long which is shorter than most traditionally programmed blocks. It was important for us to having the space and time to let these conversations grow. We’ve also invited guest moderators to lead each block. We have Vanessa Haroutunian who helps run Queer/Art with Ira Sachs, members from Cinefemme, Ron Brodie and Dr. Jennifer Galvin. These are all moderators who can speak with personal experience in regards to their respective blocks.
Set topics?
Ladies with Lenses Films about women, films made by women.
Our Earth Like Never Before Global environmental issues for the local audience
Positively Black Black voices in independent film
Queer City Defying gender identity labels
What are the prizes (and/or categories) for the filmmakers?
So far, Explosion Robinson has kindly donated a 4 hour sound design and mix session priced at $1300. Adorama rentals has also gifted us with a $500 gift certificate to a filmmaker of our choice. Since we’re not about giving away awards here at Picture Farm, we will randomly select a filmmaker in attendance before selected screenings. We will also open this opportunity up to all filmmakers who submitted their films to Picture Farm since making the film is already a victory in itself.
Who is this glorious bear?
http://thisgloriousbear.storenvy.com/
My frequent friends/collaborators/conspirators who will be donating a surprise item from their closet to raffle off. Sprout will also be donating some plants to raffle off. I just learned that Verso will be donating a couple of books that we will be raffling off before screenings too.
FULL RUN OF SHOW SCHEDULE
FRIDAY MARCH 24, 2017 OPENING NIGHT
7:30p – The Memory of Fish (New York Premiere) 54:00 min
DIR. Dr. Jennifer Galvin
The Memory of Fish is a documentary portrait of the intertwined lives of Dick Goin and wild fish, and his fight to free a river. Elwha River salmon fed Dick and his family after they migrated to the Olympic Peninsula during the Dust Bowl. He never forgot his debt to the now disappearing fish. We follow Dick—a pulp mill worker and master fisherman—as he uses his memories and persistence to battle for the biggest dam removal project in US history so that the salmon can come home.
Followed by Q&A with Filmmaker, Dr. Jennifer Galvin
SATURDAY MARCH 25, 2017
1:30p – QUEER CITY : Defying Gender Identity Labels
Gaysians
DIR. Vicky Du
Five queer and trans Asian-Americans explore their relationships with their family and culture in this patchwork documentary.
You’re Gonna Be Great
DIR. Joey Barglowski
Two townie loners spend their last day together.
Curmudgeons
DIR. Danny DeVito
A pair of senior citizens have a relationship that shocks both their families in this potty-mouthed, but endearing, comedy.
Reflection
DIR. Aikawa Hazuki
Short film about Tara, a young single mother, who struggles to raise her gender non-conforming son. Increasingly aware of what it means to go against society’s “normal”, Tara finds it difficult to accept who her son wants to be.
A Bad Romance – A Gays Against Guns Valentine
DIR. Paul Rowley
The Bad Romance Between Donald Trump and the NRA
Sometimes, Forever
DIR. Ashley George
Sometimes, Forever is a dreamy exploration of young love & friendship for two young women living in desolate suburbia. Both best friends and experimental lovers, one’s on the fence, one’s completely enveloped in her queerness.
Q&A moderated by Vanessa Haroutunian
Vanessa Haroutunian received her B.A. in Film & Electronic Arts from Bard College and currently works for the non-profit arts organization Queer|Art. She is a video artist, filmmaker, producer and occasional VJ. Her work focuses around ideas of pop and youth culture, identity, and femininity and gender performance. In the past three years she has worked in various production and producing roles on Ira Sachs’s films Love is Strange (2014) and Little Men (2016), Natalia Leite and Alexandra Roxo’s webseries Be Here Nowish (2016) and Katherine Bernard’s short film CRUSH (2016). She has been working closely with Miranda July’s project Joanie4Jackie for the past eight years, and made a documentary on the subject in 2010 called pure&magicalpussypower.
4:30p – LADIES WITH LENSES : Films About Women Made By Women
The Mirror Game
DIR. Tessa Greenberg
A satirical trailer for a film about a world where vanity and impossible standards of beauty are under attack, mirrors are banned, and things get…ugly.
Mistakes Were Made
DIR. Francesca Mirabella
Mistakes Were Made is a dark coming-of-age story, set in a rural landscape. A young girl from a sad home hopes to find solace in the world outside. However, she is met with the familiar in what she discovers.
Tickle
DIR. Çağıl Harmandar
Words frame meaning, bodies frame us.
inFormation
DIR. Joyelle Johnson
Extremist politicians are destroying access to birth control and abortion in all 50 states. These laws disproportionately affect poor women and women of color. This is the shit happening in Louisiana.
Consommé
DIR. Catherine Fordham
A young woman’s fiercest self takes over to fight for her life when she’s attacked.
The Retreat
DIR. Suzi Sadler
A young ceramics artist begins to lose touch with reality when she plunges into solitude on an artist retreat. The deafening silence and mounting paranoia become a menacing force that threatens her sanity. Inanimate objects and mundane details, her only company, torment her as signs of an evil presence luring her to a tragic fate.
Parched Dreams
DIR. Hillary Andujar & Angela Chen
An acid western / low fantasy / horror film about a few twisted characters who, beyond their knowing, have stepped out of society into a sub-hallucinogenic alternate realm. In this strange land, a godforsaken housewife attempts to woo her dull lover, a deranged spell-casting genie wreaks havoc, and an alluring alien haunts a woman’s nightmares.
FIRAQ
DIR. Kalli Zifou
A Syrian couple during their final moments together as they cannot both afford to seek for refuge.
The Lemon Tree
DIR. Amanda Yam
A young girl spends the last few remaining days with her father who suffers from a terminal illness.
Q&A moderated by Cinefemme members
7:30p – POSITIVELY BLACK : Black Voices in Independent Film
Q.U.E.E.N.
DIR. Brittany “B.Monét” Fennell
Q.U.E.E.N. tells the story of a teenage girl with a troubled past who uses writing as her muse to say all the things she is too afraid to say. Through self-discovery and a little bit of courage, Imani faces her biggest fear at a rap battle.
On the Ledge
DIR. Chelsi Bullard
A father and son fight to save a theater that played a part in civil rights, and is one of the last cultural markers in a neighborhood that is rapidly gentrifying.
Miriam
DIR. Andy Fernandez
On October 3rd, 2013, Miriam Carey, along with her infant daughter, arrived by car to Washington, D.C. It is assumed her trip originated the same day in Stamford, Connecticut, however there is no way of knowing for sure. That afternoon, at 2:13PM, she approached a White House security checkpoint. This triggered a chain of events, ultimately ending with her death. Miriam is a retelling of these final moments.
Glance
DIR. Lemia Bodden
Jennifer Walkerson has a pretty banal and isolating life: She can’t connect with her coworkers or relate to her parents, but she gets an instant connection from a prolonged stare from a stranger on a train.
Las Chicas
DIR. Elizabeth Bayne
Las Chicas is a humorous experimental short film about a romantically challenged African American protagonist, “Elizabeth.” When she prepares for a date with the help of her friends, “Mia” and “Erin,” deep seated belief systems are challenged as they struggle to accept what Elizabeth believes is the source of her dating frustrations – her dark skin. This semi-autobiographical short film tackles the issue of colorism in the Los Angeles dating scene with wit and heart.
Syrah
DIR. Mike Holt
Two best friends are just trying to get a quick bite to eat when Siri takes them on an unexpected adventure.
January 20th, 2017 – A Retrospective
DIR. Ron Brodie
Having attended several of the previous inaugurations (Bush in 2005, and Obama in 2009), I decided to attend Trumps 2017 Inauguration along with three other photographers. The goal was to document the temperatures between what was taking place on the National Mall, vs. what would ultimately unfold beyond the checkpoints walls. I spoke with several Trump supporters and caught a variety of heated exchanges. Thought the documentation, I tried to be as unbiased as possible; however, on that day I was inspired by Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” music video released in 1994.
Q&A moderated by Ron Brodie
Ron Brodie is a Jamaican raised culture junkie hailing from the Nation’s Capital, Washington DC. His work is meant to serves as an objective reflection of life and culture whilst growing up in the United States and traveling abroad. Ron Brodie is an independent filmmaker currently residing in Brooklyn, NY.
SUNDAY MARCH 26, 2017
2:30p – OUR EARTH LIKE NEVER BEFORE : Global Environment Issues for the Local Audience
Being Hear
DIR. Palmer Morse & Matthew Mikkelsen
Emmy-Award winning nature sound recordist and acoustic ecologist, Gordon Hempton, works to protect the few remaining quiet places on Earth from noise pollution. Being Hear highlights his quest to preserve silence and the importance of listening to the world around us.
Forget Shorter Showers
DIR. Jordan Brown
Would any sane person think dumpster diving would have stopped Hitler, or that composting would have ended slavery or brought about the eight-hour workday; or that chopping wood and carrying water would have gotten people out of Tsarist prisons; or that dancing around a fire would have helped put in place the Voting Rights Act of 1957 or the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
Then why now, with all the world at stake, do so many people retreat into these entirely personal “solutions”? Why are these solutions not sufficient? But most importantly, what can be done instead to actually stop the murder of the planet?
EDDI
Samsung announces the winners of the Makers Against Drought Challenge – Team EDDI, from New York! The working prototype for the EDDI (Electro Dialysis Desalinator for Irrigation) competed against 500 concepts from 57 countries to win $100K in prizes. Their project uses Samsung ARTIK and the Internet of Things to help solve the California water crisis by addressing issues caused by the salt content in water used for agriculture.
Into the Streets
DIR. Jay Sterrenberg
Over 400,000 people took to the streets of Manhattan as a unified front against climate justice inaction. Diverse perspectives converge as a popular movement unfolds.
Disobedience
DIR. Kelly Nyks
Disobedience is a new film about a new phase of the climate movement: courageous action that is being taken on the front lines of the climate crisis on every continent, led by regular people fed up with the power and pollution of the fossil fuel industry.
Q&A moderated by Dr. Jennifer Galvin
Dr. Jennifer Galvin drives societal progress by turning resources—both human and financial—into social impact. A trusted advisor to public health, environmental science, and social innovation leaders, she builds bridges across sectors to find the common pulse between research, film, entrepreneurial, and philanthropic networks. She’s known for producing human-centered projects and directing investment in people, places, and programs to elevate global health.
6:30 – CLOSING NIGHT : Untold Stories of Struggle & Change from Around The World
That’s Where War Became Personal For Me
DIR. Nick Fitzhugh
Nicole Tung is a 28 year old photojournalist who has already seen more than her share of tragedy. Two of her closest friends and fellow photojournalists died before their time: Her field partner, James Foley, was beheaded in 2014 by ISIS, and her housemate Chris Hondros was killed, along with Tim Hetherington, in a mortar attack just a few miles from where Nicole was taking pictures. And yet, she continues to travel to the most dangerous corners of the world. Nicole’s story is one of resilience and strength, but also questions: hers is not the glamorous life, but the mission of a young woman determined to bear witness to both the trials and the triumphs that arise when entire communities are thrust into conflict.
After Spring
DIR. Ellen Martinez & Ellen Ching
With the Syrian conflict now in its sixth year, millions of people continue to be displaced. AFTER SPRING is the story of what happens next. By following two refugee families in transition and aid workers fighting to keep the camp running, viewers will experience what it is like to live in Zaatari, the largest camp for Syrian refugees. With no end in sight for the conflict or this refugee crisis, everyone must decide if they can rebuild their lives in a place that was never meant to be permanent.