Fargo Film Festival: The Biggest and Best Yet

Filmmakers, actors, award-winning works, more than 100 films

by Kaley Sievert

It’s that time again, when the Fargo Theatre attracts flocks of moviegoers and a variety of directors and actors who have submitted their films to the 16th annual Fargo Film Festival.

Pounds of popcorn will be munched as film fans come to enjoy the beautiful stories that adorn the theatre’s screen. Laughter, sniffles, crunching and applause will come from the darkened auditorium as the movies capture the audience.

On its 90th birthday, the Fargo Theatre hosts the Fargo Film Festival for its 16th year. The Festival will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15, featuring Mike Scholtz’s documentary “Lost Conquest,” and will end March 19, Saturday night with the feature narrative “My Feral Heart” at 7:45 p.m.

Festival co-chair Matt McGregor isn’t sure if it’s the theatre’s 90th birthday or the variety of films that could attract a large crowd, but the festival is hosting a larger than normal group of visiting filmmakers.

“We’re breaking our own festival records in terms of of visiting filmmakers this year,” McGregor said.

Tom Speer, a Festival co-chair, is looking forward to opening night the most.

“It’s the big anticipation and the fact that it’s the theatre’s 90th birthday on that very day,” Speer said. “There will be a few more surprises on opening day and “Lost Conquest” is the opening night film and it’s awesome. It will be a really fun night.”

Speer also anticipates another fun-filled night with the North Dakota-set film “Welcome to Leith” on Friday evening. Last year, the festival screened another North Dakota-themed documentary, “The Overnighters,” and according to Speer, it drew a sizable crowd. He’s curious to see what type of audience the controversial “Welcome to Leith” will bring. “The discussion with the filmmakers will be incredible.”

According to Emily Beck, Execut “Welcome to Leith,” the winner of Best Documentary Feature, is about a community standing together to face a white supremacist trying to take over their town.

Emily Beck, Festival Executive Director, emphasizes uniqueness. “Every Fargo Film Festival has a different personality, a different set of exciting traits as trends in the programming surface. Our jurors do not approach submitted films with these in mind, it is just interesting to see them emerge after all the selections have been made.”

While Tom Speer is looking forward to the opening and closing nights, Co-chair McGregor anticipates great excitement on Friday. “I just straight up love the 2-Minute Movie Contest. It always draws a big crowd and the theatre has a different feeling for that session on Friday night.”

Along with the usual invitation to all local movie lovers, the Fargo Theatre is welcoming directors and actors on an international level.

“The one thing that really jumps out this year is we have so many visiting filmmakers,” Speer said. “We are overwhelmed by how many people wanted to share their films this year.”

The wide variety of visiting filmmakers shines a large spotlight on the theatre, according to Speer. The Fargo Theatre is always hosting different events, including plays, concerts, and of course, films. With the festival around the corner, it brings the theatre a crowd of newcomers and of people who have been away for some time.

“I also love meeting filmmakers from around the world and the film lovers of the surrounding region,” McGregor said.

McGregor said that filmmakers submit their films for a number of reasons. One main reason is they love the opportunity to come to Fargo because of “the novelty of our town in pop culture right now and because of the weather.” Surrounded by a community that loves film, the filmmakers enjoy the hospitable city.

In addition to the array of films and international representation of filmmakers, the festival chairs will be providing opportunities to interact with directors of some films. There will be a few Q&A opportunities, daily lunch panels with different film discussion topics, and a workshop on Saturday, March 19 at 1:30 p.m. in the Spirit Room in downtown Fargo, with filmmaker Mike Forstein, writer and director of the short film “Meat.”

“It will be targeted toward all student filmmakers and will discuss how to approach the film festival circuit and how to approach premieres,” Speer said. “It’s for students who want to go out and have their work shown and don’t know how to do that.”

The workshops and luncheons present one of many reasons why the festival can be important to the community, and according to Executive Director Beck, the festival also provides important funds to keep the Fargo Theatre alive.

“[The Fargo Film Festival] is the Fargo Theatre’s largest annual fundraiser. The festival generates funds to support this nonprofit organization, while furthering our mission to celebrate innovative independent filmmaking and connect these film artists with local audiences,” Beck said. “I believe it is also an important event for the community in general — the Fargo Film Festival offers top-notch entertainment and enriches the cultural fabric of Fargo-Moorhead.”

Narrative Feature

According to Brittney Goodman, the jury chair for narrative feature, this year’s film festival provides a variety of films that take on reality at a new level.

“This year was the year of personal narratives and personal stories and the skills are very naturalistic,” Goodman said. “The acting was like real life, almost like a documentary and we also had some more avant-garde cinematography.”

The category winner for narrative feature is “Wildlike.” Directed by Frank Hall Green, the film has been screened at various festivals and has won over 46 awards.

According to Goodman, it is a “beautiful film with gorgeous cinematography.” The story begins with an adolescent girl (Ella Purnell) who runs away from an abusive home and ends up in the Alaskan wilderness. There the girl runs into a character played by Bruce Greenwood, who reluctantly takes her in.

“Bruce Greenwood is very accomplished but not usually the lead,” Goodman said. However, Greenwood had a recurring role on the TV show “Mad Men,” appeared in “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” in ‘Flight’ with actor Denzel Washington, and in “Thirteen Days,” a movie in which he portrayed John F. Kennedy.

Another film worth seeing is the closing night showcase “My Feral Heart.” The lead role is Stephen Brandon, who plays a man named Luke with Down syndrome. The audience follows Luke on his journey living in a residential facility where he encounters people he needs to help. Brandon and the director, along with other contributors to the film, will be present at the festival to represent this amazing film.

In addition to the adventurous and heart-wrenching films, this category also presents an opportunity to laugh. The Wednesday night feature is “our only true comedy in the category,” Goodman said. Shot in Regina, “The Sabbatical” is directed by Brian Stockton. It’s about an art professor going through a midlife crisis while trying to figure out what to do on his upcoming sabbatical. Playing the lead role is James Whittingham, who is “a hoot.” Both Stockton and Whittingham are natives of Regina and both will be coming to the festival to represent their comedy.

Narrative Short

Ranging from horror and science fiction to dramas and comedies, the narrative short category provides a wide variety of genres for all film lovers to enjoy. According to Tony Tilton, jury chair of narrative short, this category has the biggest number of programmed films. Along with the variety of genres, some films use unique techniques that set them apart.

“One interesting film is done by a protégé of Ridley Scott and the special effects are amazing, with a feature film quality,” Tilton said. “Zero” is about a father and son separated while the planet is losing gravity and everything begins to float upwards.

Tilton also recommends “Meat.” It was regionally produced and directed by workshop presenter Mike Forstein and is about door-to-door meat salesmen and the “seedy underbelly of hustlers and conmen.” Tilton said the film has a lot of character, humor and a bit of drama.

Another funny one is “What’s Eating Dad?” The film is a modern twist on meeting the in-laws while bringing on a pinch of science fiction. The father-in-law ends up being a zombie and everyone in the family treats him as if he has a curable disease.

The narrative short category also has two top films: “Birthday” and “A Walk in Winter.” The first is one of the category’s honorable mentions and has won awards all over the country. A young wife and husband are deeply in love, but the husband has to go to war. When he returns, he is a triple amputee, changing the relationship between the couple and how they live their lives.

“A Walk in Winter” was submitted by actor James Franco. He plays a man who returns to his childhood home in the mountains of Alaska. There he finds deep trauma when he goes back to identify a body found in the mountains. On this journey, Franco’s character learns a long history of his mother’s murder by his father, and he has to face the childhood he left behind.

Student Films

These are by no means a lesser category. According to Karen Olson, student films jury chair, “Many of [the films] would stand up against professional filmmakers.”

In this section, nine or ten different countries are represented. There are four animated films, a couple of documentaries, some narratives in both drama and comedy and even a music video. “This shows that students all over the world are active in filmmaking,” Olson said.

This year’s student film winner is “Olilo,” directed by Ao Li, who recently moved to New York for graduate studies in animation. “Olilo” is animated, with no dialogue. Beautifully drawn, it is the story of a young, introverted woman who is enclosed in a box where she deals with her daily life.

“The first time I saw it I had tears in my eyes,” Olson said.

Olson recommends two honorable mention films. “Family Unit” is a drama about a middle-aged woman serving time in prison, who only has three days to visit with her husband. The director is Zach Marion, who will be receiving the Rusty Casselton award for student filmmaking. Marion actually studied under Casselton so the award has a special meaning, according to Olson.

Another honorable mention is “Jewish Blind Date,” about matchmaking gone wrong. “The humor in it translates really well with the subtitles and has a great sophistication,” Olson said.

Olson cannot hide her excitement about the variety of quality student films that will be screened. She listed several other films worth seeing that tackle serious topics such as feminism and immigration policies within the bureaucracy. In “Where We Stand,” Mormon women fight for their rights within the church; “Welcome” is a drama about a medical doctor fighting to get back into the United States on her visa, after volunteering outside of the country.

Experimental Film

Unique techniques or styles make experimentals stand out from the traditional categories of narrative and documentary films.

“Most of the movies that you are going to see at the Fargo Film Festival are from traditional genres — narrative and documentary,” said Jeff Kasper, jury chair of experimental films. “Movies in these categories generally appeal to a broader audience and fall more in line with what moviegoers typically consume at home, on TV, or at movie theatres. Experimental movies generally break away from those traditions and strive to create an experience that stands out from the norm and often is quite memorable.”

Since experimental films break away from the norm, audiences can find a new way to interpret and experience watching a movie. Kasper likes to watch experimental films as if he is appreciating a piece of art.

“I tend to think of and examine experimental movies as paintings or other works of art, which allows me to generate my own feelings about what I am experiencing,” Kasper said.

The winner of this category, “Double-Blind No. 1” doesn’t follow a script. It’s an example of unique techniques used to create an extraordinary experience. Five visual effects artists selected footage and independently worked with different styles to create their own visual effects shots.

“The shots were edited together with the intention of producing a creative, visually interesting piece with no planned narrative,” according to the filmmakers’ submission.

When Kasper first saw the film, he knew that “Double-Blind No. 1” was setting high standards for the rest of the category. “I knew the rest of the submissions in our category were going to have a run for their money. You don't want to miss this one.”

Documentary Short

A lot of films have an “offbeat tone” according to jury chair Chris Meissner. Meissner listed films such as “American Renaissance,” “The House Is Innocent,” “Gooners,” and “Selling Out” as films with an offbeat feel.

“All [the films] treat their subjects with a little bit of irreverence and humor, while still being serious and thoughtful examinations of the subjects,” Meissner said.

The winner of Best Documentary Short in this category is “The Champion.” The film follows an Iraqi immigrant who had a background in boxing before coming to Chicago as a cab driver. One of the directors, Brett Garamella, will be at the festival.

“His story as well as that of his family is conveyed and it even has a segment that is a documentary version of the “Cash Cab” show,” Meissner said.

An honorable mention short is “The House Is Innocent,” about a house in San Francisco that was the site of a number of grisly murders by an elderly, female serial killer. Although the film recounts the backstory of the murderous events, it focuses on the current owners trying to “transcend the house’s past while at the same time, celebrating it in their own fashion.”

In addition to its interesting tone and character examination, “American Renaissance” is co-directed by Ryan Scafuro. His film “Bending Steel” won him the festival’s Best Documentary Feature and Best in Show a couple of years ago.

Animation

Although they may be short, the animated films have as much variety in styles and techniques as the other categories while being “very involving movies,” said Greg Carlson, jury chair.

Carlson said that honorable mention “The Casebook of Nips & Porkington” is less than three minutes long, but still evokes Disney nostalgia for viewers.

“The quality of the character design and the inventive layout will remind you of classic titles like “The Rescuers” and “101 Dalmatians.”

The winner of the animation category, “Of Shadows and Wings,” debuted at the Locarno International Film Festival. The film is about a young bird feeling her body changing, and how she fights to survive in a community where the size of a bird’s wings seems to be the only thing that matters.

“Of Shadows and Wings” is a thematically complex and meditative work,” Carlson said.

Carlson is especially excited about “Lesley the Pony Has an A+ Day.” This animation title may sound sweet and innocent, but according to Carlson, it doesn’t necessarily fit a PG rating.

“It’s a trippy freak-out that is most certainly not for children,” Carlson said. “Once you see it, you will not be able to stop singing the theme song. And you might have nightmares.”

Documentary Feature

“The films range from post-traumatic stress disorder to a bike trip across the country, to the experiences of foreign teenagers working summer jobs in the U.S.,” said Lisa Faiman, jury chair.

The deliveries of the stories are enhanced by the filmmakers’ perspectives and by editing. “In Transit” and “Welcome to Leith” make the audience members feel as if they are with the filmmakers, said Faiman. The perspectives and editing also bring color and depth to the stories.

Locally produced ‘Bill Brunton: Guitar Maker’ creates a “warm and colorful view of a guitar being created,” and opening night film “Lost Conquest” includes Viking reenactments.

Among the myriad of films playing in this category, Faiman highlighted a few that should make the filmgoers’ lists of movies to watch. The documentary “In Transit” brings the audience aboard the Empire Builder train and introduces them to the passengers and staff.

“‘Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things’ is a “life-changing film,” according to Faiman. She also recommended visiting on Saturday afternoon, when “Virgin Mountain” and “Big Voice,” a film about a choir in California, will be screening. “’Virgin Mountain’ is one of my favorites of the festival.”

Other Events and Opportunities

More than 100 films will screen over five days, including a special showing on Saturday afternoon of New York-based Joe Maggio’s “Supermoto,” made in our community by veteran producer Matt Myers and featuring many local participants before and behind the camera.

Prior to festival kickoff, a special screening of “Night of the Living Dead,” featuring a zombie costume contest, will be held on Friday, March 11, to honor the festival’s 2016 Ted M. Larson Award recipient George A. Romero.

Festival passes and tickets are now on sale at the Fargo Theatre box office. For complete schedule information, visit fargofilmfestival.org.