2009

DOCUMENTARY

AFTER THE ISLAND
World Premiere
Saturday, 3:30pm
35 Below
Allen is a drug-slinging hustler. Rosalyn is a heroin-addicted shoplifter. Their lives are so entangled in the correctional system that it's hard to remember where they went wrong. But for these two petty criminals getting out of New York City's Rikers Island is another chance to finally turn their lives around. It won't be easy. 'After the Island' offers a gritty glimpse of the challenges facing ex-offenders as they try to re-enter society. Co-Director/Editor/Cinematographer: Brett Sigler, Todd Dayton

BONECRUSHER
North Carolina Premiere
Friday, 4:30 pm
35 Below
An intimate account of the love between a father and son and the powerful bond they share that is put to the test. It is also a stark journey to the coal fields of Dante, VA where a tight-knit community of miners face life with a toughness and camaraderie as enduring as the earth itself. Director/Producer: Michael Fountain Co-Producer: Michael Angelella Editor: Barbara Ballow, Mike Gehman Cinematographer: Tom Inskeep

DIEU EST AMERICAN (GOD IS AMERICAN)
U.S. Premiere
Saturday, 7pm
Fine Arts Theatre - Upper
God is American, and he was born in the USA! The people of Tanna, an island in the archipelago of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean, have invented a new religion. They pray to the American flag and adore John Frum, an American prophet whom they are waiting to return. Director/Producer/Writer: Richard Martin-Jordan Editor: Alistair Creaser

FOOD FIGHT
Saturday, 3:30pm
Asheville Community Theatre
A fascinating look at how American agricultural policy and food culture developed in the 20th century, and how the California food movement rebelled against big agribusiness to launch the local organic food movement. Director/Producer: Chris Taylor Producer: Mark Rossen Executive Producer: Alan Siegel Co-Producer: Jennifer Raikes, Miranda Yousef Editor: Miranda Yousef Animator: Mark Fearing Cinematographer: Pete Fuszard

FOWL PLAY: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE INCREDIBLE EDIBLE EGG
World Premiere
Saturday, 1pm
Asheville Community Theatre
A group of animal advocates discuss humanity's relationship with animals as they work to expose the hidden cruelty of the American egg industry. Fowl Play connects the dots between consumers and the practices they support, and leaves viewers with a groundbreaking message of personal change and community outreach. Director/Editor/Cinematographer: Adam Durand

GOLDEN SIDE OF THE TRACKS
World Premiere
Friday, 1:30pm
35 Below
Henry Flagler, oil tycoon and hotel/railroad magnate founded Miami in the 1890s. In order to build his railroad and hotels, he created 'Colored Town' (later renamed Overtown) to fulfill his labor needs. It was one of the only places that African-Americans and Bahamians could live, facing extreme poverty, exploitation and constant racist attacks. Yet it blossomed as a major cultural center and a bustling center of black commerce. Golden Tracks chronicles Overtown's rise as well its near destruction when the interstate expressway was built through the heart of the community. Director/Producer: David Weintraub Cast: Marvin Dunn

GRANDMOTHER TO GRANDMOTHER: NEW YORK TO TANZANIA
Friday, 4pm
Asheville Community Theatre
Introduces two projects, one in the South Bronx and one in Tanzania, in which grandmothers are stepping in to raise their grandchildren who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS, drugs, and violence. Children who were at risk are now thriving; grandmothers who felt hopeless are beginning to hope again. When some grandmothers and their grandchildren from the Bronx travel to Africa to meet their Tanzanian counterparts, there is instant recognition and a clear sense that 'sisterhood is powerful.' Co-Director/Co-Producer/Editor: John Ankele Cinematographer: Nicholas Blair

HOME GROWN
North Carolina Premiere
Saturday, 1pm
Asheville Community Theatre
The inspiring true story of a family “living off the grid” in the heart of urban Pasadena, California. They harvest over 6,000 pounds of produce on less than a quarter of an acre, while running a popular website that is known around the world. The film is an intimate human portrait of what it’s like to live like “Little House on the Prairie” in the 21st Century. With music by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason (known for their haunting theme in Ken Burns Civil War series) Homegrown is ultimately a family story. It's about what lead them to where they are today, what changed them and what keeps them together. Director/Producer/Editor: Robert McFalls Cinematographer: Arthur Yee

MOUNTAIN DAN: CHAINSAW ARTIST
World Premiere
Friday, 1:30pm
Asheville Community Theatre
'Mountain Dan' Smathers didn't realize his gift until later in life, but now he's using it to the fullest. Dan is a chainsaw artist, cutting bears, eagles, and just about anything else you can think of. His extraordinary talents and genuine zest for life will inspire you. This is a look at what lead Dan to discover his gift and how he's using it today; and who knows, it may inspire you to find yours. Producer: Katey Selix Cinematographer: Chris Coyne Cast: Dan Smathers

PIER
Friday, 9pm
Asheville Community Theatre
Ocean Crest pier overlooks the Atlantic Ocean on North Carolina’s Oak Island. A haven for hardcore pier fisherman, retirees, transients and tourists, Pier captures thoughts and images from a single day in the life of a classic American scene. Director: Paul Bonesteel Editor: Evan Schafer Producers: Matthew Gellert, Paul Bonesteel

RACHEL IS
World Premiere
Friday, 6:30pm
Asheville Community Theatre
In her feature directorial debut, Charlotte Glynn moves home to chronicle her sister Rachel's last year in school. Rachel is mentally retarded, and the resulting film moves past the safety of political correctness and into the most intimate and honest moments in their family's life. Rachel – mysterious, funny, and difficult – challenges her mother on a daily basis, forcing her to make tough choices about her daughter's future. Along the way Charlotte documents the tug of war between parent and child, while struggling to come to terms with her only sibling's disability. Director/Producer: Charlotte Glynn Producer: Henry Simonds Editor: Brian Cassidy Cinematographer: Edwin Martinez

ROCATERRANIA
Friday, 9pm
Asheville Community Theatre
Rocaterrania is a tiny nation of eastern European immigrants who purchased a tract of land along the Canadian border - just north of the Adirondack Mountains in New York - after growing restless with America’s notions of “democracy.” Over the next six decades, Rocaterrania saw two revolutions and the rise and fall of a succession of czars, dictators, and presidents among a cast of characters vaguely resembling Russian historical figures. But, as the film reveals, each change in government reflects a deeper meaning for Renaldo, an outsider who struggled to escape an emotionally abusive family and searched for freedom within a real nation threatened by forces of conformity. Director/Producer/Editor/Cinematographer: Brett Ingram

TANTRIC TOURISTS
North Carolina Premiere
Saturday, 5:30pm
35 Below
Often resembling a mockumentary, this very cinematic documentary is touching and informative. A feelgood film about a 60 year old New Yorker who takes a group of people to India thinking that she can understand and explain the 'Indian culture' (as if there is only one) after only one visit herself. Director/Producer/Writer/Editor/ Cinematographer: Alexander Snelling Producer: Kirsty Allison

THE NEW SUDAN
Saturday, 6pm
Asheville Community Theatre
After 20 years of terror-filled nights, there is dawn in Southern Sudan. The people of the land peek out from the doorways of their huts. They ask each other, “Will the sun stay? Will there be morning tomorrow and the next day?” The long war is over. Southern Sudan becomes New Sudan. Peace treaties are inked and enemies shake hands, but other wars still rage. The war of awakening hope against the habit of despair. The war of new alliances against decades of mistrust. The war of joyful homecoming against the lack of homes remaining. Above all, it is a war for the human heart against the heart of darkness. Director/Executive Producer/Cast: Coury Deeb Director/Co-Director/Cinematographer/Editor: William H. Wallace II Associate Producer: Tyler Deeb

THE WORLD OF VIJA VETRA
North Carolina Premiere
Friday, 10pm
35 Below
A documentary about life, told through a portrait of an 84 year old world renowned dancer Vija Vetra. It's a world from the perspective of a devoted dancer, an artist who lived and worked on five continents. A connection between her spirituality and her hard life helps us understand the universal meaning of life. Director/Producer/Writer/Editor/Cinematographer: Aleksandar Kostic

WHAT’S “ORGANIC” ABOUT ORGANIC?
Saturday, 12:30pm
35 Below
A headfirst dive into the challenges that arise when a grassroots agricultural movement evolves into a booming international market. The organic dairy industry’s access to pasture issue and the consolidation of the organic marketplace illustrate the conflicts that result when organic agricultural principles are compromised to fit within the industrial food system. The film provides insight for certification systems taking root across our society – from green building to fair trade – showing the pitfalls that can arise when idealism is formalized into a label. Director/Producer: Shelley Rogers Producer: Emily Triantaphyllis Co-Producer: Beth Morrissey Editor: Emily Paine

The Asheville Film Festival is produced by the City of Asheville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department in conjunction with the Asheville Film Festival Committee.
Phone: (828) 259-5800 Fax: (828) 259-5606