The 37th Annual USA Film Festival – Dallas, Texas – April 19-26 – Angelika Film Center – Dallas
Ticket Information—A complete schedule of all Festival events may be obtained by calling the Festival office at 214-821-FILM. Advance tickets are available through Ticketmaster . Tickets for the community outreach program are $8 (all shows).
PREMIERES AND PROGRAMS
OPENING NIGHT (2 programs)
ROCKING THE BOAT: A MUSICAL CONVERSATION AND JOURNEY
A 50TH ANNIVERSARY SALUTE TO DELBERT MCCLINTON
THE DOCS ROCK
Thursday, April 19 7:00pm
Fifty years ago, Delbert McClinton’s aunt entered him in a talent show in Cocoa Beach, Florida, marking his first public performance, and he hasn’t stopped playing for us since. Every year for the past twelve, the Grammy Award-winning roots/rock/blues musician leases a cruise ship, loads it up with fans and fellow musicians, and rocks out for 16 hours a day, for seven straight days. Part documentary, concert film and home-movie, filmmaker Jay Curlee provides viewers with a backstage pass to the event, combining live performance footage of McClinton, Marcia Ball, Terry Allen, Stephen Bruton (who also narrates) and many others, with interviews and stories from Delbert and the folks who know him. Going beyond the cruise event, Rocking the Boat provides an intimate look at the astounding career of a Texas music legend who has always forged his own path. At age 66 and still performing in his prime, when McClinton sings over the closing credits “I’m where I wanna be, sittin’ here watchin’ the rain,” there is no question that he is indeed. 115 mins. In attendance: director Jay Curlee, producers Susan James, Lewis Stephens and Page Hite, Delbert McClinton with special guests Marcia Ball, Stephen Bruton and Mingo Fishtrap.
SOME GREAT SHORT FILMS and TWO BIG-TIME BILLS
SALUTE TO BILL BUTLER AND BILL PLYMPTON
Thursday, April 19 7:00pm
Ever wonder why short films don’t get the respect they deserve? Especially when a short film-maker has even greater story-telling challenges? So do we, so this year we proudly feature some of our favorites (and finalists) on Opening Night and pay tribute to two master artists – One who works frequently in the short format, former political cartoonist and animator Bill Plympton, and legendary cinematographer Bill Butler. Known for his feature film work with some of contemporary cinema’s most prominent directors, Butler has supported numerous first-time filmmakers (including Fort Worth’s Bill Paxton) and has lent his services (pro bono) to the short work Zombie Prom.
The screening line-up of short films to be presented includes Bill Plympton’s darkly funny mystery SHUT-EYE HOTEL where people check in but they don’t check out; Stewart Schill’s hilarious I HATE MUSICALS featuring a musicals-hating, quintessential hot-shot SOB lawyer who wakes one day to find he can no longer speak, but only sing whenever he opens his mouth; and Vince Marcello’s sublimely fabulous comedy ZOMBIE PROM (with lensing by Bill Butler), a rollicking musical homage to 50’s high school musicals, toxic waste, small town mores, duck-and-cover films, horror comics and zombies. (And did we mention that it features RuPaul as the High School Principal, Ms. Strict? “A nuclear holocaust is no excuse for a runny meringue” she tells the Home Ec class.)
The program will also feature a film-clip compilation of some of Bill Butler’s work as cinematographer, and will be followed by an on-stage Q&A;session with filmmakers Vince Marcello and Bill Butler. 90 mins total program run time. In attendance: Director Vince Marcello and cinematographer Bill Butler. Co-presented with the Video Association of Dallas.
TRIBUTE TO BILL BUTLER
The cinematographer behind such landmark films as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Conversation, Grease, Jaws and more, Bill Butler has been nominated for an Academy Award, multiple Emmys, and worked with some of the greatest directors in contemporary cinema (Milos Forman, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, William Friedkin, Jack Nicholson, John Badham, Philip Kaufman to name just a few) – many making their feature film debuts.
SALUTE TO BILL PLYMPTON
Twenty years ago, the USA Film Festival screened Plympton’s first solo short film, Your Face. Last year, his short Guide Dog won the Animation prize in the USAFF’s Academy-qualified Short Film Competition. In this program, we present Shut-Eye Hotel, a finalist in this year’s competition, and salute Plympton as an artist who has consistently expanded audiences’ notions of what animation can do. His pencil-sketch style, outrageous sense of humor and utter indifference to the laws of physics, has made him one of the most popular animators of our generation, lending his vision to MTV and memorable TV spots as well as such unforgettable shorts as How to Kiss, 25 Ways to Quit Smoking and The Exciting Life of a Tree as well as the insanely entertaining features The Tune and I Married a Strange Person.
AMERICAN SCARY
THE DOCS ROCK
Saturday, April 21 5:00pm
Note: This film is not just for comic-book geeks and horror film fans – but for everybody who loves movies, and some of the most beloved and hammy ghouls who made watching films on TV so much more fun. Director John Hudgens and writer Sandy Clark’s amusing look at TV horror show hosts, from A. Ghastlee Ghoul to Zacherley, who have haunted the American airwaves for years, is a thoroughly entertaining, nostalgic trip through a unique locale in the American pop culture landscape. Especially in horror-host mecca Cleveland, Ohio, where it seems to be Halloween all year long. Including interviews with horror host pioneers Vampira, Ghoulardi (father of director Paul Thomas Anderson), Penny Dreadful, modern keepers of the genre Joseph Fotinos (in Austin), Billy Hull (Fox Movie Channel), and countless others, as well as writer Neil Gaiman, actor Tim Conway and movie critic and historian Leonard Maltin. Despite
THE AX (LE COUPERET)
TRIBUTE TO DONALD E. WESTLAKE
Friday, April 20 7:00pm
Recently, Leonard Maltin noted what a shame it was that a new film by distinguished director Costa-Gavras (Missing, Amen, Z) couldn’t find distribution in the U.S. We couldn’t agree more, and hereby rectify that wrong by presenting it here as Dallas audiences’ only chance to see it on the big screen – and with renowned writer Donald E. Westlake in attendance. Based on Westlake’s juicy 1997 satirical book (“a novel of excruciating brilliance,” NY Times), this French-made adaptation is a delicious mix of everything you want it to be—dark, hilarious, and so expertly made that you will be rooting for the murderer to prevail! You see, business can be murder – especially for Bruno (José Garcia), a paper executive who’s been out of work for the past two years. Watching his family life growing more strained while an inferior competitor lands a job he covets, Bruno realizes that the only way he can get another job is by literally eliminating the competition. Bruno soon begins tracking down his most qualified peers in a series of misadventures that brings a whole new meaning to the term “headhunting” in this laugh-out-loud brilliant morality tale. (Watch for director John Landis’ cameo in the police station scene.) In French with English subtitles. 122 mins. In attendance: writer Donald E. Westlake.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (LA BELLE ET LA BETE)
50TH ANNIVERSARY SALUTE TO JANUS FILMS
Sunday, April 23 3:00pm
Jean Cocteau has been called the first poet to take the art of cinema seriously, and his first feature, 1946’s La belle et la bête marks a perfect fusion of those two art forms. His hauntingly beautiful adaptation of the classic fairy tale stars Cocteau’s muse Jean Marais as the accursed Beast and Josette Day as the lovely young woman who can help him transform back into a prince. More than six decades after its release, the film’s influential look, score, and visual poetry continues to impact contemporary movies and demands to be seen on the BIG SCREEN. The USA Film Festival proudly presents this restored 35mm print in honor of the 50th anniversary of Janus Films, the world-renowned influential art-house distributor which brought seminal films from Federico Fellini, François Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman, Agnes Varda, Luis Buñuel, David Lean, and other major international filmmakers of the 20th century to American audiences.
SIGN UP TO WIN 14 LBS OF PURE JOY
As part of the Festival’s Salute to Janus Films, our friends there have donated Essential Art House: 50 Years of Janus Films, the expansive collectors’ box set featuring 50 classic films on DVD and a lavishly illustrated hardcover book that tells the story of Janus Films (featuring an essay by film historian Peter Cowe; a tribute by Martin Scorsese; and notes on each of the 50 films). Festival-goers may SIGN-UP FOR A CHANCE TO WIN the commemorative box set (retail value = $850) in the theater lobby throughout the festival! (USAFF members are automatically entered to win.)
Because there can be only one winner, Janus Films is pleased to extend a special offer exclusively to USA Film Festival patrons. To purchase your own box set at the Festival’s special discount cost of $550 (representing a $300 discount off the retail price), go to http://www.janusfilms.com and use the special code “USFF” when checking out.
BORN AGAIN
THE DOCS ROCK
Wednesday, April 25 7:00pm
For some people, it is hard enough just to tell your family that you are gay. Imagine the hurdles if you are filmmaker Markie Hancock: she grew up in central Pennsylvania in the 1970’s in a strict, born-again Evangelical Christian family where faith was the primary guiding force in the lives of Hancock and her two brothers, providing their greatest joy. During college and in her early twenties, while spending time in Berlin, Hancock began to experience doubts about her sexuality and a faith that would not tolerate her as a lesbian. This amazing chronicle examines the three very different paths taken by Hancock and her brothers, and the ultimate impact of the Evangelical faith on the Hancock family—their interpersonal relationships as siblings and with their parents (who do not understand or approve). This may be one of the best films made about divided families, a divided nation and a divided self, who despite the odds, emerges whole. For lesbian, gay and straight audiences alike. 70 mins. In attendance: director Markie Hancock.
BUG
GREAT DIRECTOR TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM FRIEDKIN
The program will be preceded by a film clip compilation tribute
Tuesday, April 24 7:00pm
Academy Award-winner William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) probes the blurry lines between paranoia and nightmarish reality in this mind-bending psychological thriller. Based on the acclaimed off-Broadway play by Tracy Letts (who also wrote the screenplay), the film stars Ashley Judd as Agnes, a lonely waitress with a tragic past. Suffering from anxiety and living in fear of her abusive, recently paroled ex-boyfriend Jerry (Harry Connick, Jr.), Agnes rooms in a run-down motel, locked away from life’s problems. When she meets Peter (Michael Shannon, who performed the role on stage), an enigmatic, eccentric drifter, she begins a mutually-dependent relationship. Both leads are terrific in this study of isolation and paranoia. The “bug problem” comes when Peter tells Agnes that he is a war veteran, infected by an Army experiment, sought by the government and takes steps to combat the situation (covering the room in tin foil and cutting himself). While not for the faint of heart, like many of Friedkin’s classics, Bug is powerful and provocative great filmmaking—even if you wind up watching part of it through your fingers. 102 mins. In attendance: director William Friedkin.
THE CLINTON 12
THE DOCS ROCK
Sunday, April 22 5:00pm
One of the most important moments in the Civil Rights movement is a story that most people today have never heard. Keith McDaniel’s incredibly well-crafted film documents the largely forgotten story of the first public high school in the South to begin integration after the landmark Supreme Court decision Brown vs. the Board of Education. In the Fall of 1956, twelve black teenagers were compelled to attend the all white high school in the small town of Clinton, Tennessee. In the process, they were exposed to the horrors of bigotry and racism in the Old South (including mob violence and a hate-fueled bombing of the school), much of it manufactured by professional agitators sent to the town to exploit the situation. Through interviews with 11 of the original 12 students, and with others involved in the events (including white students who helped keep the peace), as well as seldom-seen archival footage and interviews, a surprising picture of a Southern town emerges – the determination of a largely white community that stood shoulder to shoulder to confront bigotry and fear, and uphold the law. Keith McDaniel has done an invaluable service in documenting this important part of our history, making it a must-see for Americans of all ages. 88 mins. Narrated by James Earl Jones. In attendance: director Keith McDaniel. Co-presented with the South Dallas Cultural Center and Black Cinematheque Dallas.
CRAZY LOVE
THE DOCS ROCK
Wednesday, April 25 7:00pm
“After the incident with Linda, of course I did not call her for a while.” That’s Burt Pugach referring to his throwing lye in love-of-his-life Linda’s face and blinding her in a fit of jealousy. Dan Klores’ (co-directed with Fisher Stevens) riveting documentary of New Yorkers Linda Riss’ and Burt Pugach’s obsessive love story is one of the most unbelievable, stranger-than-fiction tales of our time. The vivacious and beautiful 21-year-old Linda first met the older, well-to-do Burt in the late ‘50s and romance ensued. However, when nice-girl Linda learned that Burt was married and broke off the relationship, Burt’s world spiraled out of control. The subsequent “incident” and trial were splashed across the newspapers and culminated with Burt going to prison. One would think that would be the end of this story, but it isn’t in this alternately funny, romantic, disturbing and jaw-dropping saga. Once you meet Burt and Linda (both interviewed extensively), you will never forget them, as they (and we) explore the razor-thin line between love and hate through this amazing portrait. 91 mins. In attendance: director Dan Klores.
THE FAR SIDE OF JERICHO
Tuesday, April 24 7:00pm
Tim Hunter’s early feature work (Tex, River’s Edge), marked him as an interesting new filmmaker, and he has gone on to become one of the most sought-after directors in television. We figure that anybody who has the guts to make a Western nowadays (currently considered a distinctly noncommercial genre), deserves to have their film screened – especially when it is this much fun. From the first line spoken—“Ladies, they’re hanging your husbands at noon”—the film never lets up. The three bank-robber husbands (and brothers) mentioned are indeed hanged and the three new widows (played by Suzanne Andrews, Judith Burnett and Lissa Negrin, also the film’s producers), must figure out how to elude the greedy town sheriff (Patrick Bergin) and vengeful banker (Lawrence Pressman) who believe the ladies know the location of the hidden loot. The unlikely trio – Maxine, a trail-hardened gal with dead-eye aim; Claire, an ex-Boston school teacher who drowns her unhappiness in alcohol; and Bridget, an ex-dancehall girl – who weren’t particularly friendly before, must now hit the road together to save their lives. Like all good westerns, this one has a final confrontation where debts are paid, secrets revealed and conflicts resolved – but it is the journey that proves the most fun in this pistol-packing good time that is part homage to the genre and part modern film noir. 104 mins. In attendance: director Tim Hunter, Judith Burnett and Lissa Negrin.
FORFEIT
TEXAS FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE
Monday, April 23 7:00pm
When Frank O’Neal (Billy Burke) drops back into the life of his high school sweetheart, Karen (ER’s Sherry Stringfield), after a 17-year absence, he swears he’s a changed man –- after all, he was only a troubled teen when he killed his abusive father so long ago. Since then, he’s been working as a guard for an armored car company, and has found religion in the form of a fire-and-brimstone spouting TV preacher (Gregory Itzin, the Tony-nominated veteran character actor who plays the duplicitous President Logan on 24). It soon becomes clear that while both have some secrets, Frank’s are quite sinister, and so are his motives in this cagey, provocative, and surprising thriller-with-a-twist by director Andrew Shea and actor-screenwriter John Rafter Lee. Also featuring Wayne Knight (Seinfeld). 84 mins. In attendance: director Andrew Shea and Gregory Itzin.
GHOST TOWN: 24 HOURS IN TERLINGUA
TEXAS FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE/THE DOCS ROCK/HOW WE LIVE
Sunday, April 22 5:00pm
Ever have a fantasy about chucking it all for a simpler life? Meet the inhabitants of two American Southwest “towns” who have done just that. Near the Rio Grande, in the Chihuahua Desert, you’ll find Terlingua, Texas – or as one resident calls it, “the town where misfits fit in.” Once a thriving mining town and center for commerce, it is now a ghost town. It’s far from dead, though – these days it’s the home of artists, eccentrics, and assorted characters, all looking for spiritual freedom and an escape from the rat race. Here homes are made in abandoned buses, an old dynamite shack, even a teepee, and residents are listed in the phonebook by their single-word nicknames. Director Chris Elley spends 24-hours with the people of Terlingua to see why life has never been better. Narrated by James McMurtry. Screening with Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa. 20 mins. In attendance: director Chris Elley and some of Terlingua’s residents!
HAVE YOU SEEN ANDY?
THE DOCS ROCK
Saturday, April 21 5:00pm
On a hot summer day in August 1976, ten-year-old Andy Puglisi was playing with dozens of other kids at the Higgins Memorial Pool in Lawrence, Massachusetts, when suddenly he disappeared. Twenty-two years later, filmmaker Melanie Perkins, Andy’s childhood friend, began her search for answers in this still unsolved case. In the process, she discovers new, disturbing evidence – chiefly, that there were at least five “known pedophiles” at the public pool that day – and a number of leads and suspects never investigated by the police. (To this day, the main suspect has never been questioned by the police.) Through painstaking research and persistence, Perkins helps Andy’s friends and family find closure.
UPDATE: The primary suspect in the case (currently in jail for another case), is scheduled for a decision regarding his release on April 17; Melanie Perkins plans to attend the hearing and will provide our audiences with an update at her screening. 80 mins. In attendance: director Melanie Perkins.
IN THE PIT (EN EL HOYO)
THE DOCS ROCK
Sunday, April 22 3:00pm
According to Mexican legend, for every bridge being built, the devil asks for one soul as guarantee for the bridge’s durability. In Juan Carlos Rulfo’s documentary, In the Pit, the legend takes on mammoth proportions. The film follows the workers on a single construction crew of the Second Deck of Mexico City’s Periferico Freeway – more than 10.5 miles of elevated asphalt rising above working class neighborhoods – a major urban project set to transform Mexico City. Shot between 2003 and 2005, the filmmakers introduce us to some of the anonymous workers on the seemingly endless project—Chavelo, a man of few words; El Grande, who never stops talking; El Guapo, a hopeless romantic with “no time for love.” In inviting us to witness their unbelievable working conditions, the noise (a virtual symphony of jackhammers, crunching iron, screeching machinery) and to follow some of the workers into their homes, they make it impossible to traverse the freeway without thinking of the people who built it. Brutal and intense, this is one of the best portraits of working men in the culture. 84 mins. In attendance: executive producer Eugenia Montiel. Presented in partnership with The Mexico Institute.
JACK TAYLOR OF BEVERLY HILLS
THE DOCS ROCK
Saturday, April 21 5:00pm
These days, Hollywood stylists rule the red carpet, and what stars are wearing is often just as important as what they’re starring in. Before Versace and Gaultier there was Jack Taylor, clothier to the stars for some 60 years. Having dressed the likes of Cary Grant, Jackie Gleason, members of the Rat Pack, and scores of other celebs, his custom-made suits have stood the test of time as enduring symbols of fashion and pure class. (Young Hollywood fans include Jason Schwartzman, interviewed for the film, along with scores of venerable celebs.) Filmmaker Cecile Leroy Beaulieu delves into the colorful life and philosophy of this enduring shaper of fashion, now in his 90s, as he prepares to finally retire, marking the end of an era in which Hollywood celebs looked as fabulous as we wanted them to be. 72 mins. In attendance: director Cecile Leroy Beaulieu.
JUMP!
Tuesday April 24 7:00pm
Photographer Philippe Halsman became one of the most sought after celebrity portrait artists of his generation, creating memorable images of famous personalities (Salvador Dali), often jumping in midair for Life magazine. Before coming to the U.S., however, Halsman suffered a terrible fate. Set in 1928 Austria during the rise of National Socialism, writer/director Joshua Sinclair (Cry, the Beloved Country) brings us the true story chronicling what was considered by many to be the first trial of a Jew by a National Socialist (Nazi) government. Philippe Halsman (Ben Silverstone) and his bullying father Morduch (Heinz Hoenig) share a troubled relationship, which turns increasingly sour as the two embark upon a hiking tour in Austria. Morduch is more interested in flirting with local barmaid Anna (Sybil Danning) than spending time with his son, and Philippe becomes more withdrawn as the weekend wears on. When Morduch is found murdered on the trail, Philippe is charged and convicted of the crime. Is the assumption of guilt based on strong evidence, or on the Halsman family’s Jewish faith? In defending his client, Philippe’s passionate lawyer, Richard Pressburger (Patrick Swayze), has a daunting task before him: to convince the government and people of Austria of both Philippe’s innocence and their own prejudices against the Jewish people. 102 mins. In attendance: director Joshua Sinclair, Patrick Swayze and Sybil Danning.
MAD BAD
TEXAS FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE
Monday, April 23 7:00pm
After serving a ten-year sentence for the murder of his father, Justin DeMeer (Denton B. Everett) is released from prison into a world he has never known as an adult. He tries to rebuild his life and repair the damaged relationship with his younger sister, Hayden (singer/songwriter Landon Dunning). When Hayden’s recording career is in jeopardy due to financial struggles, Justin makes a decision to help her using some of the skills he picked up in prison to steal expensive cars. Unfortunately, the car he steals has a large drug stash belonging to a deranged rockabilly drug dealer named Gino (Vincent Riverside). Justin passes the drugs to some unsuspecting mid-level dealers and it isn’t long before Gino starts to trace them back to the source, exacting revenge along the way. Featuring great music, this slick-looking film was produced in Dallas by Roll Dallas Roll. 93 mins. Filmmakers in attendance.
MIDNIGHT CLEAR
TEXAS FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE
Friday, April 20 7:00pm
’Twas the night before Christmas in a Southwest city, and for five lonely strangers spread across town, it’s the most depressing time of year. Lefty (Stephen Baldwin), a divorced, jobless and evicted man will also lose the opportunity to see his daughter if his situation doesn’t change; Eva (K Callan), an older woman estranged from her family, contemplates suicide; Youth Church Pastor Mark (Richard Fancy), takes his reluctant teens for a night of bad caroling for shut-ins; Mary (Mary Thornton), a young mother, and her son become stranded at a convenience store when their car breaks down, spending the evening with bored owner Kirk (Kirk Woller). Throughout the day and night, these characters will randomly cross paths, changing fates along the way. Based on the short story by Jerry B. Jenkins and shot exclusively in the Dallas area, the film also features Victoria Jackson (SNL), and Richard Riehle (Office Space). 102 mins. In attendance: director Dallas Jenkins, Stephen Baldwin, K Callan, and other cast and crew.
MOJAVE PHONE BOOTH
Saturday, April 21 7:00pm
In the middle of the Mojave desert rests a true phenomenon: an abandoned phone booth, riddled with bullet holes, graffiti, its windows broken, but otherwise functioning. In 1960 Pacific Bell put up the booth, miles from the interstate. In the 1990s, due to folklore and internet chat, it became a cult destination, with tourists from around the world visiting in the hope of catching an incoming call. Veteran film and television director John Putch’s comedy/drama follows the stories of four disparate working class people in Las Vegas who visit the phone booth to talk with the mysterious Greta and share their lonely despair in a world where we are supposedly more “connected” than ever before. Beth (Annabeth Gish) is having problems with her love life seeing two men (Tim, played by Kevin Rahm of “Judging Amy,” who wants to pursue a real relationship, and casual lover Darrell, played by Larry Poindexter); Mary (Tinarie Van Wyk Loots), who has been fired from a job she hated, reaches out to “realtor” friend Rachel (Jacleen Haber) only to learn that is not her true profession; casino worker Alex (Christine Elise McCarthy) is having problems with her lover Glory (Joy Gohring), who believes aliens have invaded her body; and Richard (Robert Romanus) is falling apart because his wife has left him. In Putch’s sure hands, we root for each of these lost souls to find hope and happiness. Also featuring Steve Guttenberg, Missi Pyle, David DeLuise. 88 mins. In attendance: director John Putch and Kevin Rahm.
OFF THE GRID: LIFE ON THE MESA
THE DOCS ROCK/HOW WE LIVE
Sunday, April 22 5:00pm
What do a group of teenage runaways, war veterans, and various social drop-outs have in common? In this case, they’re all inhabitants of the Mesa, a 16-square-mile patch of hardscrabble earth that’s 25 miles away from the nearest town – as well as running water and electricity. As one Mesa inhabitant says, “We don’t dial 911; We dial 357” (Magnum, that is). Yes, there are a whole lot of guns here, and time and date don’t matter much in this harsh desert world. Sibling filmmakers Jeremy and Randy Stulberg gained surprising access to this insular community to document the lives of some of the 400 philosophers and disenfranchised, disenchanted souls living at a bizarre crossroads of utopian ideals and post-apocalyptic nightmares, redefining the meaning of community in the modern world. Screening with Ghost Town: 24 Hours in Terlingua. 64 mins. In attendance: Jeremy Stulberg.
So how did a film described as “two guys go into the woods and nothing happens” end up on so many critics’ top-ten lists? (“A Must See” Manohla Dargis, NY Times; “Exquisite…achingly beautiful” Robert Koehler, Variety) Viewers smart enough to take the time to find out will not be disappointed by this haunting portrait of people and place in our increasingly noisy, chaotic world. Two old friends, Kurt (Will Oldham, aka indie rocker Bonnie Prince Billy) and Mark (Daniel London), reunite after some time for a weekend camping trip in the Cascade mountain range, east of Portland, Oregon. For Mark, the weekend outing represents a welcome escape from the pressure of his imminent fatherhood; for Kurt, it is part of a long series of rootless, carefree adventures. As they search for the hot springs remembered from past trips, the two friends, who were once so much alike and who now lead completely opposite lives, reconnect while at the same time tacitly acknowledging that they will probably never see each other again. Funny, sad and thought-provoking, this hypnotic film will stay with you long after the credits end. 83 mins. In attendance: Producer Jay Van Hoy.
NATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION
ACADEMY-QUALIFIED
Sunday, April 22 7:00pm
Join our National Jurors, including actress/producer Denise Crosby and actress/writer Mary Jo Pehl, for announcements and screening presentations of this year’s winning short films in the categories of Animation, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Experimental and more. Meet the Grand Prize winner (who is notified the day prior and flown to Dallas for the show) as he or she presents the winning entry and receives the cash award. USAFF prize winners who have gone on to big careers after winning this competition include Billy Bob Thornton, Alexander Payne, Todd Haynes, Jessica Yu, last year’s Academy Award winner Ari Sandel, and many others.
SHOW BUSINESS: THE ROAD TO BROADWAY
THE DOCS ROCK
Sunday, April 22 5:00pm
Every June in New York a new season of musicals begins and, as one producer puts it, “It’s all about the Tony Awards for musicals.” And by any measure, the 2003-04 Broadway season was one of the most exciting, filled with upsets (“Avenue Q” bested the mega-budget “Wicked”), controversy (Rosie O’Donnell and Boy George’s failed “Taboo”), a show the beat the odds, at least momentarily (the earnest “Caroline, or Change” actually made it to Broadway despite its perceived lack of commercial appeal), and where the audiences prevailed over the critics (while critics yawned, “Wicked” became a popular sensation). How she managed it, we don’t know, but Dori Berinstein’s richly entertaining film follows these four shows from their early behind-the-scenes preparation (writing songs, shooting rehearsals, cast members developing character/costume, writers, directors, choreographers, producers and investors talking about their hopes, fears and problems) all the way to their Tony nominations and award show Big Night, to what happens after the hubbub. Berinstein’s access to the backstage stories and other players (seven important New York critics and columnists even allowed her to film their not-for-publication dinner discussions and predictions about the evolving shows and season) is nothing short of stunning, and a must-see for all theater-lovers and for anyone interested in the artistic process and the business of the arts. Also featuring interviews with iconic theater figures including writer William Goldman (whose 1969 book “The Season” inspired this film), Alan Cumming, and others. 102 mins. In attendance: director Dori Berinstein.
STEEL TOES
Friday, April 20 7:00pm
Award-winning playwright David Gow makes his directing and screenwriting debut with this harrowing tale of redemption inspired by the beating of a friend. Academy Award nominee David Strathairn portrays Danny Dunkleman, a liberal Jewish attorney appointed by the court to represent Mike Downey (Andrew Walker, in a breakthrough performance), a Neo-Nazi skinhead on trial for the racially motivated assault of an East Indian immigrant who dies from his wounds. An intense and fiery relationship develops between these two men as they explore their emotional and intellectual differences, as both must learn to have faith in someone he once considered to be “The Enemy.” A provocative exploration of racial and religious intolerance in our society. 90 mins. In attendance: director David Gow and Andrew Walker.
THE STEPFATHER
20th Anniversary screening/Tribute to Donald E. Westlake
Saturday, April 21 7:00pm
“Wait a minute…who am I here?” You can’t really blame Jerry Blake (Lost star Terry O’Quinn) for getting confused – after all, he’s only been “Jerry” for as long as he’s been married to widow Susan (Shelley Hack) and stepfather to her daughter Stephanie (Jill Schoelen). He likes to marry single moms, you see, and provide a strong shoulder to cry on. He’s a family values kind of guy. But eventually, his family disappoints him. So he starts lining up a new family to marry into. And then he kills the old one. Audiences and critics alike were spellbound in 1987 by this electrifying thriller, thanks to screenwriter Donald E. Westlake’s witty commentary on suburban blandness and to a knockout lead performance by O’Quinn, whose outwardly bland character provides a new definition of “the banality of evil.” Two decades later, The Stepfather remains provocative and terrifying with one of the most chilling opening scenes ever. Also starring Shelley Hack and Jill Schoelen. 89 mins. In attendance: writer Donald E. Westlake. Audience members will receive a complimentary copy of Mr. Westlake’s new book, “What’s so funny?” (Limited supply available; First come-first served at showtime only.)
SUBDIVIDED
Sunday, April 22 3:00pm
TEXAS FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE/THE DOCS ROCK/HOW WE LIVE
For decades, the suburbs were seen as American oases, the ideal places to buy a home and start a family, far removed from crime and urban decay. So why is it so many subdivisions seem to be sterile, empty, and decaying from the inside out? Director Dean Terry’s Subdivided takes an eye-opening look at modern living in Middle America and finds that while the idea of “community” may be an afterthought in the suburbs, it’s flourishing surprisingly well in the big cities, where enclaves such as Dallas’ own Little Forest Hills suggest that suburbs can still be hip and eclectic. Featuring interviews with architects, urban planners, and other experts, and featuring gorgeous aerial photography, this thought-provoking and beautiful film is worth a look, no matter where you live. Screening with United Gates of America. 49 mins. In attendance: director Dean Terry.
THE UNFORESEEN
TEXAS FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE/THE DOCS ROCK/HOW WE LIVE
Monday, April 23 7:00pm
Just as the film An Inconvenient Truth has global appeal, U.S. audiences everywhere should see The Unforeseen, and perhaps Dallas’ audiences especially. Environmental sustainability in a development-driven society is a universal concern observed locally and with lyrical beauty in Laura Dunn’s directorial debut documentary. Centering on the development of Circle R Ranch in southwest Travis County, the staggering rise and fall of its developer Gary Bradley (interviewed to strong effect in the film), and Austin’s Barton Springs community’s struggle to keep its unique natural geography safe and unpaved in the face of encroaching suburban sprawl. A cinematic contemplation of human greed and people and place versus “progress,” this dynamic film blends stunning visuals with archival footage of Austin’s counterculture movement, revealing interviews with local residents, environmentalists and scientists, testimonials from such Texas legends as Ann Richards and Willie Nelson and off-camera interviews with developers and their lobbyists. KLBJ Radio’s Cactus Pryor called Barton Springs “a microcosm of the world in which we live.” The same could be said for Laura Dunn’s must-see film. Produced by Robert Redford (also interviewed in the film) and Terrence Malick. 93 mins. In attendance: director Laura Dunn.
UNITED GATES OF AMERICA
THE DOCS ROCK/HOW WE LIVE
Sunday, April 22 3:00pm
In California, 40% of new homes are built in walled or gated communities. What goes on there, and what are these residents seeking in these insular communities? New York Times reporter Chris LeDuff spends one month in the gated community of Canyon Lake, California, a haven for white, upper-middle class families who have fled the cities for peace of mind (or “a little bit of paradise” as one resident calls it) to find out. Hidden amongst the golf courses, swimming pools, and immaculate landscaping are the same gossipers, disaffected teens, and desperate housewives, as well as skinheads, drug dealers, and even a porn producer. A thought-provoking journey, United Gates of America asks the question: When you try to escape the world at large, are you locking it out, or yourself in? Screening with Subdivided. 60 mins.
A VERY SERIOUS PERSON
SALUTE TO CHARLES BUSCH
Sunday, April 22 7:00pm
Mrs. A (Polly Bergen) and her precocious, 13-year-old movie-obsessed grandson Gil (P.J. Verhoest) are heading to the Jersey shore to spend a last summer together. Mrs. A’s failing health requires that she hire a private nurse – and their summer together will change all of their lives. Jan (Charles Busch) is the no-nonsense Scandinavian nurse who believes people are entitled to “five minutes of happiness, one or two times a year.” Busch’s debut as a filmmaker features a witty, warm and intelligent screenplay (written by Busch and Carl Andress) and delicious performances from veterans Busch and Bergen, newcomer Verhoest, Andress, and stage legends Dana Ivey and Julie Halston. The program will be preceded by a film clip compilation of some favorite Charles Busch stage and screen personae. 110 mins total program time. In attendance: Charles Busch and Carl Andress.
WAITRESS
REMEMBERING ADRIENNE SHELLY
Wednesday, April 25 7:00pm
The late Adrienne Shelly’s third film as director, a romantic comedy, features unhappily married Jenna (Keri Russell), a waitress at Joe’s Diner. Jenna also happens to be a “pie genius,” naming her original creations after the events and emotions of her days, and dreaming of parlaying her unique skill into a new life for herself away from her loutish jerk of a husband, Earl (Jeremy Sisto). When Jenna discovers that she is pregnant, she immediately bakes an “I Don’t Want Earl’s Baby” pie and feels trapped by poverty and weakness. Everything changes, however, when she meets the handsome new Ob-Gyn in town (Nathan Fillion), and discovers her surprising willingness to take a chance to find happiness. Featuring stand-out performances by brilliant scene-stealer Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Shelly as Jenna’s wise-cracking fellow waitresses. 104 mins. In attendance: Cheryl Hines.
Dedication—Adrienne was a great friend to the Festival, visiting many times with her films and serving as a Juror for the National Short Film & Video Competition. We proudly present her final film and dedicate this year’s festival in her memory.
WHO GETS TO CALL IT ART?
THE DOCS ROCK
Sunday, April 22 7:00pm
This wild ride through the fascinating world of the 1960s New York modern art scene never received a release date in Dallas, and it should have. Art lovers rejoice—the USAFF presents your opportunity to see the film and talk with the award-winning filmmaker about ten amazing years when American artists challenged everything and forever changed the world of art. The film includes never-before-seen footage of artists such as Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein; archival sequences with Willem de Kooning, David Smith, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg; along with exclusive interviews with Frank Stella, David Hockney, Ellsworth Kelly, John Chamberlain and James Rosenquist among many others, while exploring one of the most creatively free and fertile periods of American Art as seen through the eyes of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s first modern art curator, Henry Geldzahler. A brilliant curator of great daring and taste, Geldzahler reveled in the hip, downtown art scene of the time, befriending and championing numerous artists who would become the icons of the era. In 1969, he single-handedly curated the largest exhibit of modern art ever shown at the blockbuster “New York Painting and Sculpture 1940-1970,” which featured a plethora of American artists, including those who created and defined Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Color Fielding and Minimalism. Henry Geldzahler died in 1994, but his legacy as one of the great curators of the 20th Century and an expander of the boundaries of the art world is eternal. Featuring music of the period by The Velvet Underground, CAN, Eric Dophy and the Monks. 80 mins. In attendance: director Peter Rosen.
SPECIAL TRIBUTES
GREAT DIRECTOR TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM FRIEDKIN
Tuesday, April 24, 7:00pm with screening of BUG
Oscar-winner William Friedkin is nearly impossible to pin down as a filmmaker, with a distinguished body of work that includes action thrillers (The French Connection, To Live and Die in L.A., The Hunted, Sorcerer), supernatural horror (The Exorcist, The Guardian), two controversial classics of queer cinema (Cruising, The Boys in the Band), and even a Harold Pinter adaptation (The Birthday Party). The USA Film Festival proudly honors the energetic and unpredictable Friedkin with the 2007 Great Director Tribute, featuring the regional premiere of his latest film, Bug. (But don’t let the title fool you – the taut, suspenseful film is closer in spirit to The Birthday Party than to The Exorcist.) Friedkin began his career as an award-winning documentary filmmaker, and that touch of gritty reality highlights much of his work, even when he’s shooting a showdown with the devil. Coming up through the ranks of TV’s Golden Age, Friedkin became an essential player in the Hollywood revolution of the 1970s alongside Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg, and Scorsese, and his daring and artistry continues to keep audiences and critics alike on the edge of their seats.
TRIBUTE TO DONALD E. WESTLAKE
Saturday, April 21, 7:00pm with screening of THE STEPFATHER
Literary lion Donald E. Westlake has become one of the movies’ few full-service writers: He creates great original screenplays (The Stepfather), brilliantly adapts other authors (The Grifters), and writes his own award-winning novels that become the basis of great films (The Ax, Point Blank). The author of more than 100 books (published under a dizzying array of pseudonyms as well as under his own name), Westlake is a master of crime and caper fiction whose fans include Stephen King (who named his alter ego Richard Bachman after Westlake’s pen name Richard Stark) and Jean-Luc Godard (whose Made in U.S.A. is based on Westlake/Stark’s novel “The Jugger”). Westlake will present two films at the USA Film Festival: Costa-Gavras’ dark comedy The Ax, based on Westlake’s novel, about an unemployed executive who goes to great extremes to eliminate his competition for a plum job; and a special 20th anniversary screening of the cult classic The Stepfather (not available on DVD!), featuring a chillingly witty performance by “Lost’s” Terry O’Quinn as a family values–obsessed everyman with a penchant for murdering wives and children who fail to live up to his rigorous standards of suburban perfection.
SALUTE TO CHARLES BUSCH
Sunday, April 22, 7:00pm with screening of A VERY SERIOUS PERSON
Outrageous off-Broadway legend Charles Busch has thrilled audiences as the writer and female lead of the hilarious “Psycho Beach Party” and “Die, Mommie, Die!” (both turned into films) as well as “The Lady in Question and “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom”, in addition to his work as a Tony-nominated playwright (“The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife”). With his latest film, A Very Serious Person, Busch enters new territory: He directs and, shockingly, portrays a man. Setting aside his prodigious collection of wigs, Busch plays Jan, a Scandinavian nurse assigned to look after Mrs. A (Polly Bergen). Over the course of a summer, Jan will have a lasting impact on his patient and on her precocious, 13 year-old movie–obsessed grandson (P.J. Verhoest). Join Charles Busch – whose latest play, “Our Leading Lady”, is currently onstage in New York – as he discusses his life in the theater from the underground to Broadway; turning his plays into films; and co-writing, directing, and starring in his first original screenplay.
CLOSING NIGHT (3 programs)
BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE
SALUTE TO AUGUST SCHELLENBERG
Thursday, April 26 7:00pm
Executive producers Dick Wolf and Tom Thayer, with adaptation by Daniel Giat (from Dee Brown’s excellent best seller), bring one of the most important chapters in American history to life in this profoundly powerful film that explores the catastrophic impact of Westward expansion on Native American culture. Set in 1876 in the aftermath of the Sioux victory over General Custer at Little Big Horn, the film intertwines the differing perspective of three characters—Charles Eastman (Adam Beach, Flags of Our Fathers) a young Dartmouth-educated Sioux doctor held up a living proof of the alleged success of assimilation; Sitting Bull (Dallas’ own August Schellenberg, The New World), the proud Lakota chief who refuses to submit to U.S. government policies designed to strip his people of their identity, dignity and sacred land; and Senator Henry Dawes (Aidan Quinn, “Empire Falls”), who was one of the architects of the government policy on Indian affairs. The assassination of Sitting Bull followed by the massacre of hundreds of Indian men, women and children by the 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee Creek on December 29, 1890 ended hopes for a peaceful solution in the most tragic and shameful way imaginable. 127 mins. In attendance: executive producer Tom Thayer, screenwriter Dan Giat, and August Schellenberg.
August Schellenberg is one of America’s most recognizable faces. In addition to Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, his film credits include The New World, Free Willy, Black Robe, along with numerous notable television and stage performances in the U.S. and his native Canada.
HOME OF THE BRAVE
SALUTE TO IRWIN WINKLER
Thursday, April 26 7:00pm
Give Irwin Winkler credit for having the courage to make a film about the current war at a time when Americans desperately want it to be over, and giving voice to the stories of the brave soldiers and veterans, and the people closest to them. Shortly after getting the news that they will soon return home from their tour of duty in Iraq, American Soldiers Will (Samuel L. Jackson), Vanessa (Jessica Biel, The Illusionist), Tommy (Brian Presley), and Jamal (Curtis “50 Cent”Jackson), learn that their National Guard unit will be sent on one final humanitarian mission to bring medical supplies to a remote Iraq village. The unit is ambushed, taking casualties, and the surviving troops suffer both physically and psychologically. Upon returning to the United States, each must try to reconcile the events of their tour of duty with their new, changed lives at home. Academy Award-winning director/producer Irwin Winkler (Rocky, Raging Bull, De-Lovely) grippingly reminds us of the full and chilling impact of the horrors of war that do not end on the battlefield. Tony Pierce-Roberts’ cinematography is outstanding, and Sheryl Crow contributes an original song, “Try Not to Remember,” that beautifully honors our veterans. 105 mins. In attendance: director Irwin Winkler and Brian Presley.
HOLLYWOOD DREAMS
SALUTE TO HENRY JAGLOM
Thursday, April 26 7:00pm
The creator behind such off-Hollywood cult classics as Eating, Festival in Cannes, and Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?, maverick Henry Jaglom brings his latest comedy-drama, Hollywood Dreams, to the USA Film Festival. Jaglom is perhaps the most independent filmmaker in the history of independent cinema – he doesn’t just write and direct his movies, he finances and distributes them. In Hollywood Dreams, Jaglom’s absurdist valentine to Los Angeles and the show-biz folks who toil within it – the writer-director has always had a soft spot for neurotic actresses, insecure producers, and wildly eccentric divas of a certain age (all hilariously represented in this smart, funny film.) We meet an aspiring starlet (well played by Tanna Frederick) whose screwball-comedy personality may well be hiding the soul of a Chekhov heroine. The film also stars Justin Kirk (Weeds) as Hollywood’s hottest gay actor, David Proval (The Sopranos), and in a delicious, scene-stealing role, Karen Black. Also dropping by to add to the film’s loopy, self-skewering charm are Eric Roberts, Sally Kirkland and Seymour Cassell. 101 mins. In attendance: director Henry Jaglom and Tanna Frederick.
Official Sponsors of the 37th Annual USA Film Festival include American Airlines, Blockbuster Inc., QUICK, The Independent Film Channel, AMC, Sundance Channel, Time Warner Cable, the Canadian Consulate, Career Link Companies and Texas Monthly. The USA Film Festival is supported, in part, by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.
About the USA Film Festival—One of the oldest, most prestigious film arts organizations in the U.S., the Festival is a Dallas-based 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to the encouragement and recognition of excellence in the film and video arts. The Festival’s year-round programs include KidFilm®, the oldest and largest children’s film festival in the U.S.; Oscar Night® America Dallas; monthly screenings; special tributes, programs and premieres; and the USA Film Festival Week, held each spring.
