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Film Screenings on October 6th-13th
The schedule for the 2011 Driftless Film Festival is now available nd includes 67 films from around the world. Films range in genre from comedy to documentary, including horror, drama, and animated shorts. Filmmakers will be present at Q&A sessions for many of the screenings. Tickets will go on sale Thursday September 29th and will be available online, at festival venues and other community outlets.
The opening night will be held on October 6th in Mineral Point, kicking off a full weekend of
screenings October 7-9th at all six locales: Baraboo, Mineral Point, Platteville, Spring Green, Viroqua
and Richland Center. Bonus screenings have been added in Mineral Point and Platteville on October
10-13th.
The venues for this year's festival are: the Mineral Point Opera House in Mineral Point; the Avalon in
Platteville; the Al Ringling Theatre in Baraboo; the Gard in Spring Green; the Café Optimo in Viroqua;
and the City Auditorum in Richland Center.
Two powerful documentaries showing at the DFF are Where Soldiers Come From and The
Interruptors, both of which examine stories based in the Midwest. In Where Soldiers Come From,
director Heather Courtney returns to her hometown in northern Michigan to examine the lives of
several young men returning from war, documenting how they grow and change from teenagers stuck
in their town to 23-year-old veterans facing the struggles of returning home. The film has screened at
film festivals around the country, but The Driftless Film Festival will mark its premiere showing in
Wisconsin.
From acclaimed director Steve James and bestselling author Alex Kotlowitz, The Interrupters is an
intimate journey into the stubborn persistence of violence in our cities. Shot over the course of a year, it
tells the moving and surprising stories of three “Violence Interrupters” who use their past experiences
on the streets to gain credibility and intervene in conflicts before violence erupts. The film premiered at
the Sundance Film Festival, and is considered a top runner for the 2011 Academy Award for Best
Documentary.
In honor of the rivers and valleys that make the Driftless region what it is, the DFF is presenting a set
of feature films with rivers as their focus: The River Why, Valley Maker, and The Rhythm of the River.
Set on the banks of a wild river, The River Why is the fictional story of 20-year-old Gus Orviston, the
Mozart of fly fishing, (Played by Friday Night Lights star Zach Gilford) who leaves his big city home
to live a secluded life on the banks of a wild river but instead embarks on journey of self-discovery.
However, The River Why is really a love story: the love of a man for the wilderness, and for the
beautiful woman who comes to share it with him.
Part documentary, part personal travelogue, Valley Maker follows the travels of filmmaker Sean Kafer
as he navigates 1600 miles down the Mississippi River, from Prescott, Wisconsin to New Orleans, in a
hand crafted barrel raft.
The Rhythm of the River is a documentary about life along the lower Wisconsin River, originally filmed
for public television. The DFF screening will include 30 minutes not seen on TV.
Twenty other documentaries will be screening at the film festival this year, 14 of which will be making
their Wisconsin premiere.
In addition to these films, there will be a significant number of films produced by Wisconsin directors.
A “Midwest Shorts” program will play in Baraboo on Saturday October 8th at 3pm, showcasing some
extraordinary work of local filmmakers.
The Driftless Film Festival was founded by independent film producer Nick Langholff and actor
Darren Burrows. It's mission is to “not only to bring unique cinema to Driftless residents but to
encourage people from outside the Driftless area to come discover it's many historic theaters and
venues while experiencing one of the most unique and beautiful regions in the Midwest.”
www.driftlessfilmfestival.org |
