Chattanoga Film Festival organizers today announced the first wave of movies that will be screened at the fourth annual event April 6-9. The list includes "Dave Made a Maze," The New Radical" "S Is for Stanley" and the world premiere of actor/director Graham Skipper's sci-fi romance "Sequence Break," which will all be screened on opening night.
The festival has added or expanded some elements for this year, as well. These include a cat circus, which will complement the Istanbul-set kitty-cat documentary "Kedi," a return of 2016 festival favorites "Everything Is Terrible" and the festival's traditional appearance from writer, film critic and comedian Joe Bob Briggs, and a retirement party for legendary cult filmmaker Uwe Boll, who will preside over the party and host a hand-chosen screening of one of his favorite films.
"As a lifelong cinephile I can confidently say I think we've constructed one of the most incredible and eclectic lineups of any American film festival this year," said festival executive director and film programmer Chris Dortch II
"Add in a CFF keynote speech by the partners of Company X, the newly formed entity founded by SpectreVision's Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah, Josh C. Waller and Lisa Whalen, our traditional CFF Secret Screenings - including a special workshop and secret screening presented by boutique production company Snowfort Pictures, live podcast recordings and cast-filled special screenings. Then remind yourself that this is only the first WAVE, and I think you'll start to see what we've got on our hands here this year.
"We think this is nothing short than one of the coolest and purest celebrations of movie love in the country. To say we're proud parents is an understatement. We hope our audience will love this year as much as we love them."
For more information, visit chattfilmfest.org.
Opening Night Films
Director: Bill Waterson
Dave is an artist who has trouble completing anything. He builds a fort in his living room out of pure frustration, only to wind up trapped by the fantastical pitfalls, booby traps, and critters of his own creation.
"The New Radical"
Director: Adam Bhala Lough
Millennial radicals use dangerous technology to attack the system and become embroled in a high-stakes game with world authorities in the midst of a dramatically changing political landscape.
"S Is For Stanley"
Director: Alex Infascelli
"S Is For Stanley" is the story of Emilio D'Alessandro, Stanley Kubrick's personal driver. Despite their apparently opposite personalities, a friendship developed that lasted through 30 years of their lives.
"Sequence Break" (world premiere)
Director: Graham Skipper
This is a surreal sci-fi romance about a beautiful young woman and strange metaphysical forces that threaten the reality of a reclusive video arcade technician, resulting in bizarre biomechanical mutations and a shocking self-realization.
"Dayveon"
Director: Amman Abbasi
In the wake of his older brother's death, 13-year-old Dayveon falls in with a local gang, he becomes drawn to the camaraderie and violence of their world.
"On the Sly: In Search of the Family Stone"
Director: Michael Rubenstone
Director and super-fan Michael Rubenstone sets out in search of long-time reclusive funk legend, Sly Stone.
Director: Sarah Adina Smith
A mountain man on the run from authorities survives the winter by breaking into people's empty vacation homes. He has reoccurring dreams of being lost at sea... only to find that he is the man lost at sea. He is one man in two bodies. This is the story of how he split in two.
"My Entire High School is Sinking into the Sea"
Director: Dash Shaw
An earthquake causes a high school to float into the sea, where it slowly sinks like a shipwreck in this animated film which features the voices of Jason Schwartzman, Lena Dunham, Reggie Watts, Maya Rudolph and Susan Sarandon.
"Bitch"
Director: Marianna Palka
The is a tale of a woman (Marianna Palka) who snaps under crushing life pressures and assumes the psyche of a vicious dog. Her philandering, absentee husband (Jason Ritter) is forced to become reacquainted with his four children and sister-in-law (Jaime King) as they attempt to keep the family together during this bizarre crisis.
"American Genre Film Archive Presents: The Dragon Lives Again"
Director: Kei Law
Bruce Lee is dead! Long live Bruce Lee! Not even slightly inconvenienced by the lack of an actual living Bruce Lee, opportunistic producers unleashed a late '70s tidal wave of Brucesploitation movies starring martial artists with names like Bruce Li, Bruce Le and Bruce Leong. As the trend reached peak saturation, the gimmicks (and titles) got weirder: "Bruce Lee vs. Supermen, Bruce Lee vs. The Clones of Bruce Lee," and the notorious "Bruce Lee vs. Gay Power."
This is lawless, fearless, out-of-control genre filmmaking at its best. Expect wacky slapstick, weird sex jokes, and genuine Kung Fu fighting set to music stolen from every popular soundtrack of its day.
"The Monster Squad"
Director: Fred Dekker
Among connoisseurs of classic '80s cinema, there's a film many hold so dear that they dare to mention it in the same breath as bona fide classics "Goonies" and "Gremlins." The CFF staff believe that "The Monster Squad," deserves a place in those hallowed cinematic halls. They believe it so strongly, they invited cast members Andrew Gower and Ryan Lambert to attend a special screening.
"Menashe"
Director: Joshua Z. Weinstein
Set within the New York Hasidic community in Borough Park, Brooklyn, "Menashe" follows a kind but hapless grocery store clerk trying to maintain custody of his son Rieven after his wife, Lea, passes away.
"Kedi"
Director: Ceyda Torun
With Acro-Cats cat circus
Following the lives of seven cats in Instanbul - where multitudes of strays roam the streets and have been part of the city's culture for thousands of years - the filmmakers pull off a rare feat and craft a heartwarming and endlessly watchable film in which these brave, resourceful felines are hustlers, lovers and fighters.
"The Void"
Directors: Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski
In the middle of a routine patrol, officer Daniel Carter happens upon a blood-soaked figure limping down a deserted stretch of road. He rushes the young man to a nearby rural hospital staffed by a skeleton crew, only to discover that patients and personnel are transforming into something inhuman.
"Anti-Porno" (Tennessee Premiere)
Director: Sion Sono
In a film Indiewire called a "feminist take on sexuality," Sion weaves the strange tale of fashion star Kioko who is bored in her apartment, waiting for a meeting with Watanabe, a chief-editor who's interviewing her. In the domination and humiliation game between her and her assistant, the roles will slowly invert. Unless it's all fiction.
Directors: Jon Nguyen, Rick Barnes
David Lynch takes us on an intimate journey through the formative years of his life. From his idyllic upbringing in small town America to the dark streets of Philadelphia. Viewers follow Lynch as he traces the events that have helped to shape one of cinema's most enigmatic directors.