Fargo Film Festival 2010

By HPR Staff
The Fargo Film Festival celebrates its tenth anniversary with a program of fantastic independent movies covering a wide range of topics and categories. The popular event has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 2001, and festival volunteers and staff have nurtured the program from a small number of mostly regional offerings to a dazzling showcase of world-class talent that regularly includes Academy Award and Emmy-nominated work. The festival continues to grow and evolve, and this year marks a change in the breakdown of category titles: Native American Voices has been renamed Indigenous Voices to reflect the festival’s mission to include greater diversity, in movies made by indigenous populations from all over the world.
The festival’s opening night selections begin on Tuesday, March 2 with a screening of Rob Nilsson’s “Imbued.” Festival Director Margie Bailly is excited about the return of Nilsson, whose work has been a fixture at the festival from the very first year. 

Next on opening night, Patrick Coyle’s “Into Temptation” received strong word-of-mouth when it showed at the Fargo Theatre earlier in the year, and Bailly recognized that it would be perfect fit for the festival.  Besides having well-known actors like Jeremy Sisto and Kristin Chenoweth, Coyle’s thoughtful drama was shot on location in the Twin Cities, and many familiar landmarks are beautifully photographed and incorporated into the film.

Animation

Festival Co-Chair and Animation Chair Greg Carlson maintains that this year’s animated selections are every bit as good as last year’s stellar collection. Carlson notes, “In addition to terrific work from the United States, the animation category has films from Ireland, Estonia, Australia, Canada, and Germany.” The scope of the category’s geographical makeup extends to the styles of the films themselves, which include traditional hand-drawn shorts, 3D computer-animated work, and combinations of live-action and stop-motion.
Animation committee member Richard Vaudrin, a passionate enthusiast of the form, brought “The Secret of Kells” to the festival and was as surprised and delighted as everyone else on the committee when the movie received an Academy Award nomination just one day after the Fargo Film Festival selections were announced. “The Secret of Kells” is one of the festival’s highlights, and was awarded the inaugural Golden Snowflake.  Angela Steffen, a young German animator whose beautiful “Lebensader” was named Best Animation at the festival, will be in attendance, sharing her knowledge of animation with audience members as well as students when she visits local film classes.

Documentary Feature

Just like previous years, the Documentary Feature category saw an emerging theme in some of its most powerful submissions. Category chair Tom Brandau notes that themes dealing with illness and disease are central to some key films, including Best Documentary Feature winner “Under Our Skin.”  Brandau notes that “Under Our Skin,” which was on the initial list of documentaries considered for Academy Award contention even though it did not make the final five, is “a painstakingly produced examination of the debate in the medical community over the causes and treatments of Lyme disease.”
Other films in this category include “A Cruel Wind Blows,” a haunting look at the nightmarish aftermath of Soviet nuclear testing in Kazakhstan during the Cold War, and “Rebuilding Hope,” the story of three Sudanese refugees and their efforts to help their former villages fight poverty and disease.  “Thicker Than Water” deals with a young Minnesota boy’s desire to play hockey while fighting a life-threatening illness. Brandau stresses that although “these films may sound utterly depressing, they’re also uplifting and contain a degree of hope.”

Documentary Short

The Documentary Short category welcomes old friends Mike Hazard and Deb Wallwork back to the festival with “Cold Mountain,” a quirky portrait of eccentric ancient Chinese poet Han Shan. The category winner is “Trip to Hell and Back,” a fascinating conversation with Trip Harting, a former world-class competitive horseman whose personal addictions led him to become one of the biggest crystal-meth dealers in Washington, D.C.
Committee chair Mike Stromenger speaks highly of “Trip to Hell and Back,” saying, “This was the overwhelming favorite of our jury. It has a wonderful narrative hook that keeps you interested right through to the end, building a sense of suspense that I wasn’t expecting. It also features strong production values and very candid interviews with the subject.  It is a great all-around documentary.”

Experimental

Curiosity continues to draw some viewers to the Experimental category, and chair Raymond Rea encourages skeptics to take a chance on the stimulating selections on the program.  Rea speaks enthusiastically about the tendency of experimental filmmakers to merge sound with image, and practically every movie in the Experimental category is a rich treat for the ears as well as the eyes.
Rea says, “Denah Johnston’s ‘Anomie’ won Best Experimental for her well-crafted use of found footage and optical printing to create connections and stories between historically unrelated imagery. Belgium’s digital master Jean Paul Frenay earned an Honorable Mention for ‘Artificial Paradise, Inc.,’ in which he employs morphing and organic digital forms. Mackenzie Mathis’s film “Float” is a perfect example of a visual and sonic slice in time.”
Also featured this year will be a small retrospective of noted experimental filmmaker Diane Bonder’s work. Two of her films will be screened, one from the early period of her moviemaking called “Parole” and a later piece titled “You Are Not from Here.” Rea praises the combination of “meticulous audio with manipulated video” in Bonder’s work and looks forward to seeing it on the big screen.

Indigenous Voices

The Indigenous Voices category winner is the documentary “American Outrage,” an emotionally involving study of the struggle of Carrie and Mary Dann, two Shoshone sisters persecuted by the government over land use and land rights issues in Nevada. Filled with gripping footage of confrontations between the sisters and agents of the Bureau of Land Management, “American Outrage” blends fascinating legal and historical information with a tale of courage and perseverance.

Narrative Feature

Narrative Feature chair Matt Olien cites an exceptionally strong category this year, highlighted by two international films chronicling adventures and hardships seen through the eyes of a child. Best Narrative Feature winner “Tahaan” is a universally appealing depiction of childhood set in a place of ongoing hardship and conflict. “The Gift of Pachamama,” which received an Honorable Mention, uses stunning cinematography in its location photography in Bolivia.
The other honorable mention winner, “McCartney’s Genes,” is an amusing film shot in Austin, Texas, and set in and around that city’s vibrant music culture. Another official selection, “Taylor’s Way,” is a haunting and enigmatic film featuring a remarkable performance from Makinna Ridgway as a young woman trying to find something new in her life after she meets an enigmatic stranger.

Narrative Short

Festival programmer and Narrative Short committee chair Emily Beck says, “the Narrative Short category showcases an eclectic mix of genres, themes and styles.”  Highlights include the category winner “True Beauty This Night,” a quirky romantic comedy and Honorable Mention recipients “Mildred Richards,” an innovative, hilarious and stylish re-creation of noir cinema using an actual radio play, and “Love and Roadkill,” a quiet, beautifully acted and scripted drama.
Beck also mentions that the jury was enthusiastic about “Open Air,” starring well-known performer Lynn Cohen as a woman trying to survive in a war-torn city.

Student

Category chair Kari Miller Arntson enthuses that “Eli Akira Kaufman’s films are a must see.  His ‘California King’ won the category this year. The movie has great chemistry between the leading male and female actors and really connects with the audience. Kaufman’s ‘Winning the Peace’ was also very strong and received an Honorable Mention. Don Hany appears in both films and it was great to see him play two different roles, one a light-hearted charmer and the other a serious role.”
The student category received many strong local entries and Tony Grosz, an Oak Grove high school student, earned an Honorable Mention for his movie “May I Take Your Order?” Originally made for the 48 Hour Film Project, Grosz expanded the charming, funny musical comedy about a pizzeria. Arntson feels that “this category improves every year and it is great to see it advance.”

Festival Schedule Online, Parties, and Awards

The entire festival schedule can be viewed online at fargofilmfestival.org and Fargo Theatre staff members are always happy to answer questions that festival-goers may have.
Festival Co-Chair Tony Tilton is a seasoned veteran as well as a moviemaker. For him, the Fargo Film Festival is a great place to talk to other creative artists. Tilton says, “The networking of fellow filmmakers is one of the main things I enjoy, as we all have our horror stories and our successes. We’re all trying to figure out the next best way to get a film made and seen. All filmmakers bleed for their projects so when they come to our area and encounter a very friendly audience it can be incredibly gratifying.”
The festival has not even started and already Margie Bailly is “humbled, grateful, exhausted, and excited.”  Bailly is once again “astounded by the breadth and depth of the festival. From Academy Award-nominated and stunningly beautiful animation in ‘The Secret of Kells’ to the tragic surprise ending in ‘Trip to Hell and Back’ to the quirky, funky sweetness of ‘McCartney’s Genes’ to the disturbing and compelling issues raised in ‘Under Our Skin,’ this festival is a treasure trove for movie lovers.”
Additionally, the festival would not be the same without some of the special awards that are given, and Bailly, Beck, and festival co-chairs Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson, Carlson, and Tilton are delighted that the Ted M. Larson award will be given to film historian, critic, and educator Tony McRae, who taught at Concordia College for many years. Bailly says, “I’m thrilled that Tony McRae is receiving the Ted M. Larson award this year and am also constantly humbled by and grateful to our extraordinary festival volunteers.” 
Bailly also reminds everyone that the festival offers opportunities to interact with filmmakers, enjoy fantastic food, and learn something at panels and workshops. Festival Co-Chair Kristjansson-Nelson agrees, stating, “one of the strengths of the festival is that it brings to Fargo creative minds from all over the world, which is a great benefit to local film students, aspiring filmmakers and the greater FM community.”
Kristjansson-Nelson is also looking forward to the festivals social events and the 2-Minute Movie Contest on Friday, March 5.  She says, “The 2-Minute Movie Contest is so much fun and always one of the unexpected highlights of the festival. The pre-parties are always fun, and this year we have partnered with Ecce Art + Yoga for two post-parties Friday and Saturday night, which will be a great close to our 10th year.”
She continues, “Fargo has its own unique culture and community, but we’re still fairly isolated from other film communities around the world. The Fargo Film Festival is a bridge to independent film communities worldwide. The local downtown businesses have really rallied in support of the festival, but there are still folks in the area who are missing out. Sometimes I’ll meet people in the community who, after hearing I am involved in festival planning, say, ‘I’ve been meaning to go check out that film festival.’ Well, we’re ten years in, so what are you waiting for? This is the year! I challenge you to join the party: venture downtown, try some amazing local food, meet some filmmakers and see some beautiful films from local and international filmmakers.”

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