March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 50 F

Many world and area premieres on tap for Annapolis Film Fest

The Annapolis Film Festival will host a number of premieres and recently released films when the third annual event takes place, March 26 – 29, 2015. Screenings will take place at five venues throughout historic downtown Annapolis. The Festival offers an incredible lineup of more than 70 of the latest independent features, shorts and documentary films from around the world. Our presenting sponsor for 2015 is Mavenspire, a leader in designing and implementing datacenter solutions for large enterprises and mid-sized businesses.

U.S. Premieres:

Annihilation: The Destruction of Europe’s Jews, Episode Three: The Nazi Machine. Seventy years after the liberation of Auschwitz, directors William Karel and Blanche Finger bring a fresh perspective to the darkest chapter in this ambitious chronological exploration of the Holocaust. The film focuses on the question of how (instead of why) the mass murder of Europe’s Jews was possible. Thirty countries contributed archival footage, including very rare color film of the Warsaw Ghetto in 1939 and scenes of the deportation of German Jews to France in 1940. Part of an eight-episode film series motivated partly by a 2010 French poll that found up to two-thirds of those under 35 had never heard of the massive roundup of Jews in Paris. Friday, March 27, 10:30 am, Asbury United Methodist Church, West Street.

Behind Closed Doors, directed by Audrey Estrougo. Nathalie is a 30-something Parisian with a simple and joyous life. She likes her job, adores her colleagues and is about to move in with the man she loves. But one night, a lift home from a co-worker ends in a terrifying event that changes everything. Saturday, March 28, 9:15 pm, Annapolis Elementary School, Green Street.

Burden of Peace, directed by Joey Boink, follows Guatemala’s first female Attorney General, Claudia Paz y Paz as she battles the system, sacrificing everything to bring justice to those responsible for a devastating civil war in which nearly 200,000 Mayan Indians were systematically massacred. Saturday, March 28, 10:15 am, Asbury United Methodist Church.

MIDNIGHT SUN3_image 1Midnight Sun, directed by Roger Spottiswoode. Director of High Arctic scenes, Brando Quilici. Set among the ice fields of Northern Canada, a young boy defies nature to reunite an abandoned polar bear cub with its mother. Brando Quilici is expected to attend. Sunday, March 29, 12:15 pm, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Auditorium.

Murder of a Movie, directed by Annapolitan, David Ewing, will screen at 4 pm following a 2 pm screening of The President’s Analyst on Saturday, March 28, St. Anne’s Parish House, 199 Duke of Gloucester Street. A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the controversial 1967 political satire, The President’s Analyst. The film begins with a delightful look at director Ted Flicker’s early career in comedy and experimental theater with Chicago’s nascent Second City. Unravel the conspiracy theories with David Ewing’s in-depth look at what happens when the conflicting agendas of Hollywood and the FBI are played out during the turbulent 1960s.

Mid Atlantic Premieres: 

All American High Revisited, directed by Keva Rosenfeld. In 1984, a time of legwarmers, neon and Aqua Net, a young filmmaker sets out to document the life of a typical high school student. This honest and humorous look at 80’s teen life is told through the eyes of a visiting exchange student. Thirty years later, the film’s original subjects return in All American High Revisited to look back at one of the most memorable times in their lives. Saturday, March 28, noon, St. Anne’s Church Parish Hall, 199 Duke of Gloucester Street.

Appropriate Behavior, directed by Desiree Akhavan. Shirin struggles to become an ideal Persian daughter, a politically correct bisexual and a hip young Brooklynite. But she’s not quite Persian enough, not quite gay enough, not quite anything enough. After being dumped by her girlfriend, this endearingly superficial narcissist plots to win back her ex. Saturday, March 28, 7 pm, Annapolis Elementary School, Green Street.

Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi, directed by Neal Broffman, makes its world premiere at the Atlanta Film Festival on March 25 and debuts in Annapolis on March 27 at 2:30 pm repeating on Sunday, March 29 at 3 pm at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, social media speculation transforms a missing college student into a wanted terrorist. Within a matter of hours e-vigilantes control the news as journalists spread the web of lies and suspicion further. Fear, suspicion and accusation rain down in this exclusive and intimate story of the enduring love that unites a family in crisis.

Natalia Dyer in I Believe in UnicornsI Believe in Unicorns, directed by Leah Meyerhoff. Davina is a strong-willed teenage girl who often escapes into a beautifully twisted fantasy life. As the sole caretaker of her disabled mother, she looks for salvation in a new relationship with an older boy. Davina is swept into a whirlwind of romance and adventure, but the enchantment of her new relationship quickly fades when Sterling’s volatile side begins to emerge. Stop motion animation is seamlessly woven into live action in a perfect combination of whimsy and heartbreak. Saturday, March 28, 8.30 pm, Asbury United Methodist Church.

The Outrageous Sophie Tucker, directed by William Gazecki. The last of the Red Hot Mamas, she captivated audiences with her bold, bawdy style and influenced many top performers, notably Bette Midler. Sunday, March 29, 10 am, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Gym. Includes a bagel breakfast.

RED DOT ON THE OCEAN2_image 6Red Dot on the Ocean: The Matt Rutherford Story, directed by Amy Flannery. Annapolitan Matt Rutherford’s death-defying, never-done-before, 27,000 mile, non-stop polar circumnavigation of the Americas in a scrappy 27 foot sailboat. Sunday, March 29, 10 am, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Auditorium.

Runoff, directed by Kimberly Levin. The beauty of the land cannot mask the brutality of a farm town. Matriarch Betty (Joanne Kelly, TV’s Hostages) confronts some harsh realities and meets the challenge when presented with an illegal but well-compensated job offer. Friday, March 27, noon, Asbury United Methodist Church and Sunday, March 29, 1:45 pm, Annapolis Elementary School, Green Street.

Set Fire to the Stars, directed by Andy Goddard. Elijah Wood stars as the neurotic and artistic college professor John M. Brinnin who, in 1950, brings Dylan Thomas (Ceylin Jones) to New York for a now-famous tour, praying he can successfully keep his hell raising hero out of jail long enough to make it to the stage. Saturday, March 28, 3 pm, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Gym.

Annapolis Film Festival adult tickets are $12; senior and student tickets are $8. The four-day Festival Passes are $105 which includes the Opening Night film, After Party, and Best of the Fest on Sunday, March 29th. Four-day student passes are $40. All four-day passes include the Opening Night film, the After Party and unlimited films and panel discussions. One-day festival passes are available for $40.

“The Annapolis Film Festival is gaining a reputation in the film industry for having informed and sophisticated audiences who offer a warm welcome to filmmakers, and we are delighted to be able to bring these premiere films to our audiences, as well as some of the best that have appeared in a number of major festivals across the country,” said Festival Co-Director Patti White.

Festival Passes can be purchased here:

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Check the website for times and locations of all events. Up-to-the-minute changes in schedule can be followed on the AFF Facebook Fanpage (wwwfacebook.com/annapolisfilmfestival) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/annapolisff). For more information subscribe to our weekly e-blast by signing up on the website.

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