AIFF 2017: Last Day, Lots To See

A quick rundown of events/films:

Arctic Daughter - haven't seen it the link gets you a description.  Sounds like a video memoir of a woman who grew up in the Arctic.

Short Docs 2 has some very good films.  One of my favorites is "He Who Dances On Wood."  "Hairat" was by the same film maker and is an eerie short about a man who feeds the hyenas.  "Unwelcome' is narrated by a Syrian boy who lives as a refugee in Greece and the film maker (Ida Theresa Myklebost) has been here all week and I expect she'll be there for this showing.  "Family Rewritten" is about a teen in foster care and is 'in competition.'  I have video of Myklebost and Family director Yasmin Mistry here.  Bear in the Bedroom is an unexpected (by me, of course)  film that lets us into another person's life as he sees it.

Keep Talking was shown first at the museum the day before the festival officially began.  It's an interesting doc about the attempts to revive the Alutiiq language in Kodiak.

Best of the Fest Shorts - They haven't said which ones will be in this program.  This will probably be a sneak preview of the award winners in this category.   My favorite short was Game  But there were a bunch of good ones:  8 A.M., Toby, Cold Storage, 7 Beds, Yochi, and The Geneva Convention to name a few.

Aerial Films - "best aerial films from around the globe" Based on Alaska Aerial Media's website, we're talking drones here.

My comments continue below the schedule.

Sunday, December 10

12:00pm

Arctic Daughter   AK Exp Large

12:30pm

Short Docs 2: Against the Grain   AK Exp SmallLIMITED

2:00pm

Keep Talking and Shaawatke'e's Birth AK Exp Large

2:30pm

Best of Fest Shorts   AK Exp Small

4:00pm

Aerial Films Showcase  AK Exa Large

4:15pm

Shorts to Features: The Ins and Outs of Indie Filmmaking  AK Exp Port View Eoom

6:00pm

Awards Celebration LIMITED

8:00pm

Audience Award Winner  Williwaw 601 F StLIMITEDAward Winner Award Winner 

Shorts to Features is a panel discussion.  Getting to hear film makers talk about their craft  always gives me lots to think about.

Awards Ceremony - I plan to blog live as they announce the winners.  Should be sometime around 6:30 - 7:00 pm but I'll just keep updating posts and give you a heads up.  Better yet, join folks at Williwaw and see it yourself.  I toyed with live-streaming on Youtube, but my first attempts today to make that happen haven't been successful.  I don't think I have time to figure it all out before 7pm tomorrow.

Best of the Fest - They'll be showing some of the top films, including audience choice awards.  But they only have three slots - so we'll see Best Feature winner, Best Doc winner, and an audience favorite, either a doc or a feature.

The winners should be announced by 7pm - 730pm.  You can check my blog, the AIFF website, or come down to the Williwaw (601 F Street - The old Coventnat House Building) around 7:30 and then pick your theater.

If you haven't seen any films yet this year - I'd recommend the best of the fest shorts at 2:30 in the AK Experience Theater.

AIFF 2017: Lots of Films - Saturday Suggestions

There's way too much for me to cover today.  Click on the colored bars for more description of the films and the locations.

Family Films is free and it's animated films.  It's kid friendly, but not just for kids.  I might go see that program.  It's at Loussac.

Check It was the Gay-la documentary.

The Music in Film panel is for film makers, but people interested in film might want to go too.

"Join special guest, Liz Storm, and other industry professionals to discuss music licensing for film, copyrights, and distribution royalties."

Pale Blue Dot is a great Indian film.  I posted a homework assignment for it last week, but after watching it, you don't need to know the Hindu legend before hand.  But you might want to read about it afterward.
I did a second Pale Blue Dot post just now with video capturing people's reaction as they came out of the theater after seeing the movie last week.

More comments below the schedule.

Saturday, December 9

12:00pm

Family Films Check It 

12:30pm

Catching Sight of Thelma & Louise LIMITED

1:00pm

Partners in Healing LIMITEDMusic in Film Panel presented by AKIMI 

2:00pm

Tribal Justice plus AKPM Hosted Discussion LIMITED

2:30pm

Pale Blue Dot LIMITED

3:00pm

Between Earth and Sky + Mega Tsunami LIMITEDJourneys to Adaka, Old Harbor New Hope LIMITED

5:00pm

Over the River LIMITEDActors of Sound 

5:15pm

Life Hack LIMITED

7:00pm

Drive-In: CANCELLED Animation 2 AlphaGo The Laplace's Demon 

8:30pm

What if It Works? 

9:00pm

Chasing the Blues LIMITEDShorts on the Edge Late Night Lounge at Tequila 61 LIMITED

Between Earth and Sky is a documentary about climate change featuring Alaska.

Over the River is an Italian documentary about the town of Caselle in Pittare,, and how the young are leaving and the old oral traditions are dying.  

 I talked to   film maker Vanina Lappa via Skype  which you can see here.  

Life Hack was an interesting feature about two people whose lives are disrupted when people hack their phone and computer.  

I'll go see Animation 2 - though at Animation 1 last night computer problems marred the program and we didn't really get to see a couple of films, at least not the way we should have.  This one is also in the E Street Theater so I hope they change computers or whatever it is they need to do.  It was my first time in the theater and it's a good venue - if the films show right.  

AlphaGo is a riveting documentary about a human (the best go player in the world) playing against a new computer program (AlphaGo).  It follows the model of sporting event documentaries as we see the preparation (of the AlphaGo team anyway, not of the Korean champion) and then get nail biting coverage of each game.  It was well done.  A strong contender for best documentary.

What If It Works? is a fun feature.  The synopsis sounds a little strange, but it worked well due in part to strong actors playing interesting characters.  He's OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and she's got multiple personalities.  It takes place in Australia.  

Shorts on the Edge  is the same program as opening night.  

As I'm writing this I'm realizing that I've seen a lot of films this week with two full days left.  

A warning for Sunday evening.  I've live blogged the Awards Galas for the last couple of years.  I might even try to set up a live YouTube feed this year.  Though I've never done that before and I'm not sure I can pull it off between now and then.  But look out for the announcements.  

AIFF2017: Pale Blue Dot - Audience Reaction

I saw "Pale Blue Dot" last week and it plays again

Today (Saturday, Dec. 9) at 

2:30pm in the 

Alaska Exp Theater. 

 I think I'd rank it right after "The Drawer Boy" among the best features that I've seen.

It takes place in rural India and middle aged man, happily married with a son he loves, gets distracted by the idea of death after several friends and relatives die unexpectedly.  I communicated with the director Girish Mohite via Facebook before the festival.  He told me it was based on a Hindu legend and was about death and the meaning of life.  I was a little concerned about it being too abstract and esoteric, but it turned out to be a charming movie with interesting characters.  It's also a way to take a 90 minute trip to rural India.

 I posted about the legend and included the trailer last week.


Girish had asked to tell him how it was received, so I asked audience members if they would talk about it as they came out of the theater.  Here's what they said:

A Break From Movies - Watch Live on YouTube US National Boys Under 18 Soccer Championship

I got notice of this game and live presentation because I know someone on the Washington State team.  It starts about now.  You can watch it here.  Or below.

2017 National League - 18U Boys - 

Field 2- 4pm - Day 2 - 

Washington Premier 00 vs. NCFC Elite 

Here's a link to the US Soccer Youth website.    [UPDATE 2pm (Alaska time):  The game ended in a 1-1 tie.  It seemed to be raining pretty hard most of the game, which should have given the Washington team an advantage since they often play in cold rain.]]

I would mention that there is criticism of soccer programs in the US because they are relatively expensive and require a lot of parent participation particularly for driving to games.  The concern is that lower income kids - particularly immigrants from countries with soccer traditions - are kept out of the professional soccer pipeline in the US.  

AIFF 2017: On Tap For Friday

Hard decisions again.

Martini Matinee offers a good selection of shorts:  Brainstorm, Cigare, Baggage, Conspiracy PIE, Second to None, Gator Aide, Happy End, and Game.

Game is probably my favorite narrative short.  But Brainstorm is very well done too.

You can link to each program by clicking on the colored bars.

I haven't seen any Animation yet this festival, so I'm looking forward to that since I've already seen Painless, one of the features in competition.  The director, Jordon Horowitz, will be there to answer questions.  Here he is Wednesday night telling me about the film.

[Sorry,the titles in the movie disappeared.  I'll try to figure out why and fix it.] Friday, December 8

2:00pm

Martini Matinee 

5:00pm

Short Docs 1: Stories of Redemption LIMITEDDim The Flourescents 

6:00pm

Half Life in Fukushima LIMITED

7:00pm

Shorts: Love and Pain 

7:45pm

Animation at Night Painless 

9:00pm

A to B Rollerski Late Night Lounge: Alaskana Party 

9:45pm

Muse LIMITED

The director of AtoB Rollerski was here earlier in the week.  I'm not sure if she's still here.  Her film is about a Latvian Olympian who roller skis from Arctic to Baja.  

Muse is a feature about an artist whose muse expects a lot..

AIFF 2017: Thursday Options

Here's what Thursday's program looks like - some hard choices to make.

Thursday, December 7

6:00pm

Don't Come Back from the Moon LIMITED AK Exp theater LargeShorts: Global Village   LIMITED E Street Theater

6:15pm

Made in Alaska: Shorts LIMITED AK Exp Small

7:45pm

Voyage of the Southern Sun LIMITEDE Street Theater

8:00pm

Gay-La Movie : Check It LIMITEDAK Exp Large

8:15pm

Short Docs 3: Compelling Characters LIMITED AK Exp Small

Firs Choice, the first three.  Haven't seen the Feature (Don't Come Back...), click on the pink/purple bar and get the description.
Global Village Shorts has some great shorts ranging from funny to sad to inspirational.  You can't go wrong with this group.  The benefit of shorts is that if you don't like one film, it will be over soon and you get another chance.  There's a comedic look at the problems of adultery (7 Beds - Spain), and then Pastries (Italian) looks at how stereotypes and tender egos lead to problems.  Real Men Don't Cry  is a father/son ice hockey story from Spain.  Yochi (Belize) is a bit of an advocacy film, but done well, brothers, poverty, the how the  international trafficking in wild birds exploits poverty.  Good story, well done.  Good Luck Orlo (Slovenia/Croatia) was the one that was a little hard to follow, yet it was well done.  Here's a link to the film's website which clarifies things.  And The Geneva Convention (France) was probably my favorite.  A group of teens ready to attack one guy, and the mediators.  Well done.
Obviously, I really like the Global Village program.  I don't think you can go wrong with that one.

Click on the colored bars above for more info on the films.

I haven't seen the Short Docs 3 program, but I know there are good films there and it's probably where I'll be at 8:15.