2021 Festival News

The year 2000 was kind of a fabulous year for film. At least as I remember it. I had all the time in the world and watched practically everything that came out and I could see in Ann Arbor that year. It was the year Christopher Nolan’s Memento blew everyone’s mind with it’s trippy innovative timeline and super intense acting, High Fidelity was the romantic comedy of the moment,  Kenneth Lonergan broke onto the indie film scene with You Can Count on Me and won at Sundance and peak Coen Brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou? came out with a killer soundtrack. Yet, what I remember most about that year is a small Taiwanese film called Yi Yi (A One and a Two). Nothing particularly spectacular happens in this film and it’s almost 3 hours long. But I had never before felt so immersed in a film before. I had never before felt such a strong pull to not want to leave the world Edward Yang had created and wanted a film to keep going. Twenty years later it’s still one of the best films I have ever seen. 

To encounter a film directed and obviously influenced by Edward Yang twenty years later was delightful. Having it be directed by someone living on a completely different continent, who would have been 15 years old when this film came out put a huge smile on my face. The twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri place their film in Lagos, Nigeria and completely immerse the viewer in its environment that by the end of the film not only do you feel like you know these characters, but also this place, and this world. If Ebert was right, and film is an empathy machine, I think the best way to make full use of film as a medium is to watch films from and immerse yourself in places you have never seen before. If you have never seen a film from Nigeria, Eyimofe (This is My Desire) is a very good place to start!

Chloé Zhao’s historic win along with the rest of the awards Nomadland picked up on movie’s biggest night made me think of a couple of the films we have coming up as part of this year’s 18th Indy Film Fest. Like Nomadland, both of these features have a fictional story that’s surrounded by and mixed with many unexpected true-life stories from non-actors mostly portraying themselves during filming.

First off we’ve got Uisenma Borchu’s film Schwarze Milch [Black Milk] which tells the story of a woman returning from Germany to visit her nomadic family in Mongolia. She struggles to connect with her sister especially after decades — most of their life — apart. While it shares the gorgeous outdoor views in a land filled (though sparsely) with true nomads, this is definitely no Nomadland. Intimate scenes within the yurts as well as the rough and occasionally graphic reality of living in isolation make this much more of an Indy Film Fest film. Inspired partially by the personal story of the writer/director, it goes in dreamlike directions as it deals with what it means to be a woman in different cultures. The director joined our World Cinema Features programmer Ana Barbir this past weekend for a great conversation about the film and her life which is included during its April 29 – May 6 run at our festival.

Our other close to authentic nomadic feature is Teddy, Out of Tune. With a piano strapped to the back of his truck, a street musician named Teddy drives 2,000 miles north to Canada on an emotional mission to spread his mother’s ashes. Along the way he encounters a peculiar mix of friends and strangers that allow him to share more about his complicated history with mental health and abuse. A nod to the film’s mix of the true and the fictional, we’ve paired this film with the short Introduction To Genre: An Introduction.

If shorts are more your speed, our Going Places Shorts Block might be right up your alley. These 8 stories include traveling to find the right place to settle down for a life or a conversation, some short car rides across unexpected routes, and an epic true journey to reunite with a dying father with a hearty crustacean as a passenger. Like almost all our shorts they’re available anywhere in the US from April 29 – May 19.

For Indy Film Fest and other film festivals, a big part of the experience is being able to discuss movies with other folks who have been attending the festival. There is also the element of being able to meet filmmakers in person at audience Q&As, panels, parties, and just wandering around the venue.

I have been attending the festival since 2005. Several of us who have been going to the festival for a while have made meaningful connections, even friendships, over the years. Other than getting involved with the festival as a volunteer, I’ve interviewed filmmakers, and even built up my own network of filmmakers and film fest enthusiasts on social media.

Even though we won’t be in person other than our drive-in movies Thursday nights, I encourage all who love independent films to watch what they can and when they can between April 29 to May 19. There will still be Q&As, albeit virtually, and we will still be talking about the films on the Indy Film Fest’s social media, including on this website.

We are also already starting to plan an in-person festival for 2022 (with safety as a priority), and possibly other in-person events between now and next spring, to be determined.

While I don’t pretend to know what will happen with mainstream theaters, I am fairly confident that as long as there are independent filmmakers who want to tell their stories — especially if they’re a little out of the mainstream — and audiences who want to see and talk about those films, eventually we will want to see each other in person again.

As a cisgender, white, heterosexual woman, I won’t claim true understanding outside my individual bubble of lived experience. I do, however, feel it’s important to see stories from differing perspectives to expand our awareness of humanity as a whole. It is also important for people to see themselves represented in film and media. In mainstream film, trans stories are hard to find and when one appears, the parts are often played by cisgender individuals. This festival season we have been privileged to receive three submissions by filmmakers who believe in presenting strong trans narratives in documentary and fiction.

Being Sascha is a fascinating exploration of gender identity and expression from the viewpoint of Sascha who is trans non-binary. Sascha reveals the pathway to realizing their identity and also their experience in society as a person who does not present as “obviously” a boy or a girl.

A central theme in this documentary short is the importance of visibility. The more one sees others like themselves, the freer they feel to accept and show the world who they are. Through visibility, these differences can become more normalized in society. Sascha also poses the question, just because a person visually presents one way, do we really know who they are and how they identify? Sascha has a strong voice and is a cool and insightful human. This documentary is a must-see and I dare you to come away from it without some expansion in your thinking. On top of having winning content, this film is shot in such an artful way with a score to match.

Being Sascha is paired with the documentary feature, Mom & M, a slice of life of a modern American family. We are introduced to Elise, a social media influencer, Nikki, an MFA student and writer, and their adopted daughter, Sansa, who is battling leukemia. As they deal with Sansa’s illness, Nikki comes out as transgender. Nikki and Elise have real, honest conversations about what these experiences and changes mean for their family, individual identities, and show us the strength that can be found in one’s chosen family.

Juliet, an American Spectrum short within the Growing Up Block (this short is only available in Indiana) tells the story of Serena, a shy trans teen who is preparing to try out to play the lead in her high school’s production of Romeo and Juliet. This story is a tender, intimate look into Serena’s experience with constant bullying, the lack of acceptance and understanding by her peers, and finding the strength to pursue her dreams despite these challenges. Fantastic cinematography and a direct focus on the character and her perspective allow the viewer to feel along with Serena.

I am excited for you to experience these stories and I hope you will see yourself in some of the narratives presented in this year’s festival.

Have you ever had weird thoughts? Sure, who hasn’t? But here is something you may never have thought about: What if your hairdryer had thoughts? What if it really liked you? And wanted to right your wrongs? What if it not only figured out how to think, but how to move? Well, wonder no more. Indy Film Fest’s 2021 edition has a French film that asks (and answers) all of these questions: Chorus Girl. But that’s not all. While we are on the subject of inanimate objects come to life, what if a strawberry was aware of all the animals trying to eat it? Check out a local Indiana short called Berry’s Voyage.

It’s been an interesting year-plus, right? Well, don’t worry; we at the Indy Film Fest got ya. We have a number of shorts and features that will likely make you laugh…or, at the very least, put a smile on your face! (Quite a few can be found in our comedy shorts block, Seeing the Humor in It, but there are many to be found elsewhere as well!)

To start, I’d like to introduce you to one of the ones that made me laugh the most, courtesy of two foul-mouthed old women! Meet Gramma & Ginga: The Movie! This documentary short is about two sisters who accidentally found internet stardom a few years back due to their antics and their foul mouths which their family rightfully found hilarious. If you had never heard of these delightful women like I hadn’t, I can guarantee you will be both shocked and endlessly entertained by the things they say! (They’re goals, let’s be honest.)

Next, another documentary short. This one, called Snowy, is about a pet turtle who knows nothing but his sad, lonely tank and his caretaker who does the best he can to care for him. I know, I know…this can’t POSSIBLY be a comedy, right? Right. But, I’d argue that it’s charming as all get out and is one of the documentary shorts that made me smile the whole way through. (Uncle Larry means well and wants the best for Snowy, I promise!) Trust me on this one. The end scene is everything.

Finally, I want to showcase a mockumentary that comes to us from the land down under. Introduction to Genre: An Introduction is as ridiculous as the name suggests. The short is all about nine different film genres, in just the most over-the-top and reductive ways. I dare you not to laugh, especially when they get a genre you’re particularly fond of.

If those aren’t enough for you, I totally get it. But, fear not! When speaking with the other Indy Film Fest programmers, I was given a handful of other gems to recommend. For US narratives, we have Inspector Ike, David, Paco, Wendy/Gigi, and My Dinner with Werner. If you’re more a fan of the world cinema selections, you might try Sticker. Or, if like me, you’re a big fan of documentaries, I assure you that Workhorse Queen and Hockey 24: A Film by Canada will absolutely put you in a good mood when you finish watching them!

Now, go forth and enjoy yourself!

Most of us Hoosiers in Indiana know that there is a lot of German heritage in our state. Lots of towns throughout the state have a German festival or some kind of Oktoberfest. But have you heard of Strassenfest? No? Oh my are you in for a treat. Let one of this year’s Indiana documentary features, Strassenfest and the Area’s Reemerging German Culture, be your guide.

Travel with me down to Jasper in southern Indiana. This documentary brings you in gently with Strassenfest in full swing. There’s beer and brats. There’s lederhosen and maypoles. Then bam! You are hit with the amazing German culture they have. The festival is huge, the German language had such a dominant presence in the community for so long, and did someone mention nuns and like a legit monastery?

This doc brings you so much! Never has the idea, there’s more than corn in Indiana, been more true than in this fantastic doc. You won’t want to miss it at this year’s festival.

I’m so pumped about Strassenfest and the Area’s Reemerging German Culture! So much so I’ve already started planning my trip to next year’s Strassenfest. Who’s with me? I’ll make sure to rent an extra big airbnb just in case.