Archived News Releases (2006 George Lindsey UNA Film Festival)

 

2/28/06

 FILM FESTIVAL OFFERS SEVERAL TITLES WITH STRONG 
 SHOALS TIES

FLORENCE – The ninth annual George Lindsey/University of North Alabama Film Festival will showcase more than 100 exciting, entertaining and eye-opening new works by multi-talented filmmakers from all over the world.

In addition to entries received from Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Japan, France, Turkey, Canada and Brazil, this year’s festival – set for Thursday, March 2, through Sunday, March 5, on the UNA campus and locations throughout the Shoals – also features a number of films with direct ties to UNA and the surrounding region.

“This festival is gaining a very positive reputation for quality and professionalism throughout the  filmmaking world,” says Dr. Garry Warren, UNA’s Dean of Information Technologies, who chairs a
festival steering committee made up of UNA educators as well as filmmakers and movie enthusiasts
from across the Shoals.

“It’s encouraging to see that so many first-class films are being produced in this area,” Warren noted. “We’re also thrilled to see that several of the films coming in from outside the Shoals either feature subjects related to this area or showcase filmmaking talent trained here at UNA.”

The festival lineup includes Charles Moore: I Fight With My Camera, a professional documentary detailing the life and work of influential Tuscumbia-born photographer Moore, who captured gripping and timeless images for Life and other magazines during the turbulent civil-rights era of the 1960s. The 27-minute film featuring Moore (who now lives in Florence) will be screened at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at Gas Studios, 109 W. 6th St., Tuscumbia.

“Charles Moore’s photos are credited with helping to quicken the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” says producer-director Dan Love, the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based maker of the film. “Noted historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. said Charles Moore’s photographs transformed the national mood and made the legislation not just necessary, but possible.”

Florence native Deryle Perryman and filmmaking partner Moises Gonzalez, who are based in Albuquerque, N.M., visited the Shoals last year to film interviews and collect archival footage for another professional documentary, Dangerous Highway, tracing the life and musical legacy of mythic Muscle Shoals singer-songwriter-guitarist Eddie Hinton, who died in 1995.

”So much seems to get back to Eddie Hinton – I mean, he played with everybody,” Perryman explained. “He was one of the greatest singers, songwriters and guitar players to come out of here – I wanted to know what happened to him.”

The 107-minute film – which features appearances by Muscle Shoals musicmakers Jerry Wexler, Donnie Fritts, Dick Cooper, Jimmy Johnson, David Hood, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham and many others – will be screened at noon and 3:20 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at FAME  Recording Studios, 603 E. Avalon Ave., Muscle Shoals.

”In addition to our traditional campus venues, we’re taking the festival out into all four cities this year – Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia and Muscle Shoals,” Warren noted. “We’re screening films at locations ranging from FAME studios and local art galleries to the Florence/Lauderdale Public Library and the lounge of the Holiday Inn. We’re showcasing some truly outstanding  films this year, and all of our screenings are presented free of charge.”

Locally made films featured during the festival include UNA faculty member Wayne Sides’ production of The Boy, the Girl, and the Piece of Chocolate, a short film based on a play written by noted poet/playwright Jack Foley of Oakland, Calif. The 10-minute film, which features Shoals actors Keith Rhodes and Jaqueline Mason, will be screened during the 10 a.m. hour Saturday, March 4, at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, 218 N. Wood Ave., Florence.

“In this film, one piece of chocolate opens up an entire relationship in a hilarious expose of couple dynamics,” says producer-director Sides, who teaches art and photography at UNA. “The film was produced in the Shoals using a cast and crew of local talent – about 10 in all. I put together the cast and crew to showcase the enormous amount of talent we have locally.”

UNA alumnus Steve Richerson – best-known to local audiences as magician and eco-entertainer Steve Trash – directed and produced the 8-minute fantasy-comedy The Burglar. In this darkly funny tale of a loser, a beautiful girl and a real magic wand, a burglar (played by UNA alumnus Kyle Weir) finds an unexpected discovery that will grant his every wish. The Burglar will be screened at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at Gas Studios, 109 W. 6th St., Tuscumbia.

“As a magician/illusionist, I’ve toured nationally and internationally – in Japan, Australia, Canada, Greenland and the U.S.A – for more than 20 years,” Richerson remarked. “Filming The Burglar allowed me to consider and think about ideas that I would never be able to address in a magic show. For instance, if you had a real magic wand, what would you do with it? That’s a really interesting question. Would you be self serving? Would you be altruistic? What would you do? I enjoy thinking about things like that, and the answers to that question showed up in the form of a story that became our short movie.”

Madison-based actor and UNA alumnus Danny Vinson serves as host and on-screen narrator for the festival film Fried Green Tomorrows, a professional documentary exploring the effects of Fannie Flagg’s book and film Fried Green Tomatoes on the small town of Juliette, Ga. Vinson most recently appeared in the Oscar-winning 2003 William Faulkner adaptation Two Soldiers and the Oscar-nominated Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, which also features Florence-based actor Dan Beene and previous festival guest Natalie Canerday, who served as one of this year’s judges.

“I had a blast doing Fried Green Tomorrows, and I’m thrilled it’s being screened at the festival,” Vinson says. “I’m especially excited that the filmmakers of Fried Green Tomorrows – along with more than 25 other filmmakers – are coming to the Shoals for the festival. It’s always great to be able to mix and mingle with other filmmakers and enjoy and learn from each other’s work.”

The festival will also screen short works by two student filmmakers from UNA. James Eric Herron directed the student short narrative Embrace (to be screened at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 2, in Banquet Hall A of UNA's Guillot University Center) and a student documentary on The UNA Drumline (to be screened at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at the Lori Davis Gallery, 324 N. Court St., Florence), while fellow UNA student Brandon Loper produced and directed a documentary on the volunteer work at The Help Center in Florence (to be screened at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at the Lori Davis Gallery, 324 N. Court St., Florence) and a student music video called Challenge Surfing (to be screened at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at FAME Recording Studios, 603 E. Avalon Ave., Muscle Shoals).

Other films with Shoals connections include the faculty entry Root Doctor, a short feature produced and directed by Florence native and University of North Carolina at Greensboro film professor Emily Edwards (to be screened during the 10 a.m. hour Saturday, March 4, at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, 218 N. Wood Ave., Florence); the professional short narrative Detour, featuring professional actor, Florence native and UNA alumnus Tim Powell (to be screened at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at the Keynote Room, 310 N. Pine St., Florence); and the professional music video Won’t It Be!, directed by Huntsville filmmaker and UNA alumnus Jim Torres (to be screened at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at FAME Recording Studios, 603 E. Avalon Ave., Muscle Shoals).

In addition to free daily film screenings, this year’s festival features a number of free workshops and panels for filmmakers and movie fans, an all-star awards party set for 7 p.m. Friday, March 3, at the Keynote Room (featuring live music by the Decoys and Jason Isbell of the Drive-By Truckers) and the regional premiere of the feature film When I Find the Ocean (written, directed and produced by UNA alumnus Tonya S. Holly) the evening of Saturday, March 4, at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center in Florence. The film stars Lee Majors, Diane Ladd, Bernie Casey, Amy Redford, Richard Tyson, Graham Greene, Natalie Canerday, Lily Matland Holly and festival founder George Lindsey.

Admission to the Friday-night festival awards party is $10 for general admission and $8 for students. Tickets are available in advance at the UNA Bookstore on campus, the Lori Davis Gallery in downtown Florence and ColdWater Books in downtown Tuscumbia. Admission to the When I Find the Ocean black-tie premiere (which includes dinner and a closing concert by rock ’n’ roll legend Little Richard) is $150 general admission and $500 for VIP tickets. Tickets are available at Cypress Moon Studios at Muscle Shoals Sound, 1000 Alabama Ave., Sheffield.

For complete details and updates, visit the festival’s website at www.lindseyfilmfest.com , or call
(256) 765-4592. For details on the "When I Find the Ocean" premiere, call Cypress Moon Studios at
(256) 381-5745, or visit www.cypressmoonproduction.com.

 

 

FILM FESTIVAL WORKSHOPS INCLUDE STRIBLING MOVIE DISCUSSION AND A JOURNEY “BEFORE THE BEANIE … AND BEYOND”

 FLORENCE, Alabama – This year’s George Lindsey University of North Alabama Film Festival offers a wide variety of free educational workshops and panel discussions related to the art, history and appreciation of movies and moviemaking. 

The festival’s first program looks at the film version of a classic literary work by one of UNA’s best-known graduates, Pulitzer Prize-winning author T.S. Stribling.  “Birthright: The Book, the Movie and the Rumble – What T.S. Stribling and Oscar Micheaux Did Right” will take place from 6-8:45 p.m. Thursday, March 2, in the Performance Center of the Guillot University Center on the UNA campus. The event is free and open to the public.

The evening includes a screening of Birthright, renowned African-American filmmaker Micheaux’s 1939 movie adaptation of Stribling’s powerful Southern novel. The post-screening discussion – moderated by Dr. A. Edward Foote, of UNA’s Department of Communications and Theatre – will feature Florence businessman Tom Rogers, executive producer of When I Find the Ocean; Marie Thompson, an international public-relations professional; artist Tommy Thompson; Dr. Ken Vickers, a history professor at Martin Methodist College; Niki Foote, a recent graduate of Radford University; and UNA film students Darcelle Hall, Brian Jones and Shenique Monique Milton.

Programs set for Friday, March 3, include “Before the Beanie and Beyond: The Versatile Career of George Lindsey,” set for 1:30-3 p.m. at the Wilson High School Auditorium, 7601 Highway 17 (Chisholm Road), Florence.  The program – which is free and open to the public – will feature a special appearance by festival founder Lindsey, a UNA alumnus best known for his role as lovable gas-station attendant Goober Pyle on TV’s classic sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show. Moderated by film and music journalist Terry Pace, a member of the festival’s steering committee, “Before the Beanie and Beyond” will include clips from Lindsey’s many non-Mayberry film and television roles, including memorable performances in the films Ensign Pulver, The Aristocats, Snowball Express, Charley and the Angel, Robin Hood and The Rescuers as well as his classic guest appearances on TV series ranging from The Twilight Zone, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea to Gunsmoke, M*A*S*H and Love, American Style.

Lindsey will also answer questions from the audience and talk about his latest screen role in writer-director-producer Tonya S. Holly’s new feature film, When I Find the Ocean.  The film’s regional premiere will take place as the festival’s gala event the evening of Saturday, March 4, at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center in Florence. Tickets for the premiere are $150 and available at Cypress Moon Studios at Muscle Shoals Sound, 1000 Alabama Ave., Sheffield, AL. For details, visit www.cypressmoonproduction.com or call the studio at 381-5745.

The festival itself begins Thursday, March 2, and continues through the final screening of the winning films Sunday, March 5. Winners will be announced during the annual festival awards show, set for 7 p.m. Friday, March 3, at the Keynote Room, 310 N. Pine St., downtown Florence. Tickets for that event are $10 for adults and $8 for students. Advance tickets are available at the UNA Bookstore on campus, Lori Davis Gallery in downtown Florence and ColdWater Books in downtown Tuscumbia.

In addition to the Stribling and Lindsey programs, the daily schedule of free festival panels and workshops also includes:

 “Filmmaking and Economic Development: Are Filmmaking Jobs Coming to the Shoals?” – 10-10:50 a.m. Friday, March 3, Room 207, Guillot University Center, UNA campus, Florence. Dr. Jim Couch, Professor David Black and Dr. Doug Barrett, all of the UNA College of Business, join actor-producer Steve Viall of the Sheffield-based Z1 Productions. Moderated by Bill Matthews, planning and economic-development consultant. (Free and open to the public)

 “Ethics and Entertainment: What is the Proper Role of Ethics in the Entertainment Industry?” – 10-10:50 a.m. Friday, March 3, Room 200, Guillot University Center, UNA campus, Florence. A discussion led by Professor Malik Khan, assistant of professor of business law, and Dr. Janet McMullen, associate professor of radio, television and film, both of UNA. (Free and open to the public)

 “A Film Scoring Experiment with UNA Students and ‘Name That Tune’: Walking Through Songs and Movie Scores” – 11-11:50 a.m. Friday, March 3, Performance Center, Guillot University Center, UNA campus, Florence. Presented by Lloyd Jones, performer, guitarist, arranger and orchestrator. Introduced by Dr. Jimmy Simpson, chair of the UNA Department of Music. (Free and open to the public)

 “Covering Show Biz: A Journalists’ Roundtable” – 9-10 a.m., Saturday, March 4, Keynote Room, 310 N. Pine St., downtown Florence. Join editors, publishers, writers and publicists from Hollywood and the Shoals (including representatives of Moving Pictures magazine) for a look at both the glamour and hard work involved in covering the entertainment industry. (Free and open to the public) 

 “Muscle Shoals, Memphis and the Man in Black: A Look at Local Links to Walk the Line” – 10-11:30 a.m., Saturday, March 4, Keynote Room, 310 N. Pine St., downtown Florence. A panel discussion of the Oscar-nominated movie drama based on the life of Johnny Cash, featuring actor Danny Vinson (who played the Texarkana Concert Emcee), plus music producer/publisher and Big River Broadcasting president Jerry Phillips (whose father, Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, was a character in the film) and singer, songwriter and longtime Cash friend Donnie Fritts. Clips will also be shown of Florence-based actor Dan Beene (who plays June Carter's father, Ezra Carter) and festival favorite Natalie Canerday (who served as one of this year's final judges). Moderated by Terry Pace. (Free and open to the public)

 “Moving to the Music: A Visual History of the Muscle Shoals Recording Industry” – 2-2:45 p.m. Saturday, March 4, FAME Recording Studios, 603 E. Avalon Ave., Muscle Shoals. A collection of film, video and audio clips celebrating the Muscle Shoals recording industry and the world-famous “Muscle Shoals sound.” Introduced by Rodney Hall, president of FAME Music Publishing and a member of the Muscle Shoals Music Association’s board of directors. (Free and open to the public)    

 

2/14/06

FESTIVAL AWARDS PARTY CELEBRATES FINE FILMS, FUNKY MUSIC

FLORENCE, Ala. – Tickets are now on sale for a star-studded awards party honoring winners in the 2006 George Lindsey University of North Alabama Film Festival.

The ninth annual festival – set for Thursday, March 2, through Sunday, March 5 – will showcase a select lineup of 106 student, faculty and professional films from around the world. Competitive categories range from short subjects and full-length features to animated works, music videos and documentaries.

Awards will be presented starting at 7 p.m. Friday, March 3, during a celebration of this year’s festival films and the world-famous “Muscle Shoals sound.” The party will take place at the Keynote Room, 310 N. Pine St., downtown Florence.

“The awards show has become a celebration not just of the films and filmmakers attending the festival, but an evening of true Shoals music, food, and hospitality,” says Jayne Jackson, who co-chairs the festival’s awards-show committee with Bonnie Coats. “It's a casual evening that guarantees a good time.”

In addition to the presentation of the festival’s annual Golden Lion Awards, the party will include heavy hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar featuring wine and beer, plus live music by Muscle Shoals’
legendary rock-and-soul band, The Decoys, and Muscle Shoals singer, songwriter and guitarist Jason Isbell, best-known as a member of the Shoals-bred renegade rock band, Drive-By Truckers.

Awards will be presented by festival founder Lindsey, a UNA alumnus whose screen career ranges from television’s classic “Andy Griffith Show” to his current role as host of Turner South’s “Liars & Legends,” as well as cast members from “When I Find the Ocean,” a feature film shot in the Shoals last year. Each award presentation will be accompanied by clips from the top films in each category.

“There will be just enough of the winnings films screened to whet your appetite to want to experience the whole festival,” added Jackson, event coordinator in UNA’s Office of University Events. “We'll have an intergenerational range of both music and film throughout. We truly have something for everyone.”

Admission to the awards party is $10 for adults and $8 for students. Tickets are available in advance at the University Bookstore on campus, the Lori Davis Gallery in downtown Florence or Cold Water Books in downtown Tuscumbia.

Other 2006 festival events include daily film screenings, a wide variety of workshops and panels, plus the gala premiere of “When I Find the Ocean” the evening of Saturday, March 4, at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center in Florence. The film – directed, written and produced by UNA alumnus Tonya S. Holly – stars Lee Majors, Diane Ladd, Amy Redford, Bernie Casey, Graham Greene, Richard Tyson, Natalie Canerday, Lindsey and Lily Matland Holly. Tickets for the premiere (which includes dinner as well as a concert by rock ’n’ roll legend Little Richard) are $150 and $500.

“We’re showing more films this year than ever before, and we’re expecting more filmmakers to attend than ever before,” Lindsey says. “The premiere of Tonya’s movie, the birth of a homegrown film industry in the Shoals, and the presence of many of the fine actors in her cast just adds an extra dimension to the whole experience. It’s going to be an outstanding festival.”

For details on the awards party or other festival events, call the festival office at (256) 765-4592 or visit www.lindseyfilmfest.com. For more information on the “When I Find the Ocean” premiere, call Cypress Moon Studios at (256) 381-5745, or visit www.cypressmoonproduction.com.


1/26/06

GEORGE LINDSEY UNA FILM FESTIVAL TO SCREEN RECORD NUMBER OF ENTRIES

FLORENCE – The ninth annual George Lindsey UNA Film Festival will showcase a record number of films created by some of today's top cinematic talents.

Festival organizers have announced that a record number of student and professional works will be screened when the festival returns to UNA – Lindsey's college alma mater – from Thursday, March 2, through Sunday, March 5. Titles accepted for screening were selected from more than 200 features, documentaries, short films and music videos submitted during the preliminary judging phase of this year's screen competition.

In terms of quantity and quality, we're overwhelmed by this amazing response," said Dr. Garry Warren, UNA's Dean of Information Technologies, who chairs a steering committee of educators, regional filmmakers and film enthusiasts who plan and present the annual festival.

We received entries this year from all over the country and a number of nations around the world," Warren added. "We have everything from clever comedies and moving dramas to thought-provoking documentaries and several impressive student works that show a high level of artistry. It's going to be an unforgettable weekend for filmmakers or anyone who appreciates the art of filmmaking."

The university-based festival was founded in 1997 by veteran stage and screen entertainer Lindsey, who envisioned a Southeastern showcase for independent filmmakers as well as educational opportunities for film students and up-and-coming screen artists. In addition to daily screenings, the festival features workshops, panel discussions and opportunities for one-on-one interaction with experienced film professionals.

"If something like this had existed when I was in school, I wouldn't have had to go to New York to learn my craft," says Lindsey, whose screen credits include his classic comedic role as Goober on television's long-running "Andy Griffith Show" to Broadway plays, feature films and memorable guest roles on "The Twilight Zone," "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour," "Gunsmoke" and "M*A*S*H."

This year's Lindsey festival judges (who determine winners, runners-up and honorable mentions in the final phase of the competition) include three highly respected names from the world of filmmaking and film studies:

–– Versatile character actress Natalie Canerday, who played the struggling single mother of young Frank Wheatley (Lucas Black) in Billy Bob Thornton's Oscar-winning "Sling Blade" and the mother of future rocket scientist Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal) in "October Sky." She was most recently seen in the Golden Globe winner "Walk the Line."

–– Independent filmmaker and renowned Hollywood makeup-effects artist Robert Hall ("Angel," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), who earned the Lindsey festival's 2004 Best of Show Award for his critically acclaimed feature "Lightning Bug." His recent effects credits include the Golden Globe winner "Lackawanna Blues."

–– Author, movie critic and screen historian Michael H. Price, film critic of the Fort Worth Business News and former director of the Fort Worth Film Festival. Price's books include "Human Monsters," the "Forgotten Horrors" series and "Spawn of Skull Island," the definitive account of the making of the original 1933 classic "King Kong."

This year's Lindsey festival will feature a star-studded awards show beginning at 7:00 p.m. Friday, March 3, at the Keynote Room in downtown Florence. The celebration will feature the annual presentation of the festival's coveted Golden Lion Awards as well as live Muscle Shoals music by singer-songwriter- guitarist Jason Isbell (best-known as a member of the renegade rock band Drive-By Truckers) and the high-powered rock-and-soul group The Decoys (made of Muscle Shoals musical favorites Scott Boyer, Kelvin Holly, N.C. Thurman, David Hood and Mike Dillon).

A special feature of the 2006 festivities will be the world premiere of "When I Find the Ocean," a feature film written, directed and produced in the Muscle Shoals area last year by UNA alumnus Tonya S. Holly. The gala evening – set for Saturday, March 4, at the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Conference Center in Florence – will feature a black-tie dinner, the first regional screening of Holly's film (which stars Lee Majors, Diane Ladd, Amy Redford, Bernie Casey, Richard Tyson, Graham Greene and Lily Matland Holly) and a closing concert by legendary rock 'n' roll artist Little Richard.

Festival screenings, panels and workshops are presented free of charge. Tickets for the Friday night awards show (which includes heavy hors d'oeurves) are $10 per person and will be available at the University Bookstore on campus, the Lori Davis Gallery in downtown Florence and Cold Water Books in downtown Tuscumbia. Tickets for the black-tie premiere of "When I Find the Ocean" are $150 per person and available at Cypress Moon Studios at Muscle Shoals Sound in Sheffield.

For complete details and updates, visit the festival's website at www.lindseyfilmfest.com , or call (256)765-4592. For details on the "When I Find the Ocean" premiere, call Cypress Moon Studios at (256)381-5745, or visit www.cypressmoonproduction.com .