25th Annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival

Welcome our HSDFF donors and special guests to Viña Morita La Terraza, one of Hot Springs’s most renowned downtown restaurants. Jacob Flores will be performing a unique blend of Latin American, Southern Soul, and R&B music. Open to festival sponsors/donors by invitation only. Greet our opening weekend special guests, and launch the 25th Anniversary Celebration in style! Call (501) 538-0452 for more information. Wine, beer, and light appetizers.

Sponsored by AY Magazine & Arkansas Money and Politics

6:00 PM - Traditional Popcorn & Champagne Toast on Mezzanine Level of the Arlington Hotel

6:30 PM - Doors open

7:00 PM - Welcome by Honorary Co-Chairs Beau Bridges and Louis Gossett, Jr.

Opening Night screening of Command and Control followed by Q&A with the film’s Oscar®-nominated, Emmy®-winning director/producer Robert Kenner (Food, Inc.), best-selling author Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation, Command and Control), along with producer Melissa Robledo and PBS American Experience Producer Mark Samels.  Featured subjects Greg Devlin, a survivor of the explosion, Skip Rutherford, current Dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service (UACS), and Sam Hutto, a dairy farmer who was near the site, will join the Q&A following the screening, along with others who were present the day of the explosion in September 1980 in Damascus, Arkansas.

At the close of the Q&A, Robert Kenner will be presented with the HSDFF Career Achievement Award 2016.

PLEASE NOTE: IN ORDER TO GUARANTEE SEATING, ALL-ACCESS PASSHOLDERS MUST MAKE RESERVATIONS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING NIGHT EVENTS by no later than Friday, September 30 for Opening Night and Saturday, October 8 for Closing Night. Tickets will be for sale at the door only as available. To reserve, please email reservations@hsdfi.org by the deadlines.

D: Robert Kenner | USA | 92 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

A chilling nightmare plays out at a Titan II missile complex in Damascus, Arkansas in September 1980 when a worker accidentally drops a socket, puncturing the fuel tank of an intercontinental ballistic missile carrying the most powerful nuclear warhead in the U.S. arsenal. The incident ignites a series of frantic efforts to avoid a deadly disaster. Command and Control is a white-knuckle telling of this long-hidden story as eyewitness accounts – from the man who dropped the socket, to the man who designed the warhead, to the Secretary of Defense – chronicle nine hours of terror that prevented an explosion 600 times more powerful than Hiroshima.

The Arkansas Times and Mountain Valley Spring Water welcome filmmakers, special guests and festival-goers with the utmost in Southern hospitality. This historic downtown centerpiece will host a night of legendary food and music. McClard’s B-B-Q, known for its world famous ribs (a declared favorite of President Bill Clinton), will provide a sumptuous spread, and acclaimed brass band TwiceSax will perform a mix of originals and classic covers creating a mesmerizing sound that listeners have called “music that gets into your bones and makes you move.” Also performing are local favorites Fun City Chorus. Open bar.

Sponsored by the Arkansas Times

Open to All-Access Passholders, Filmmakers, Sponsors, and Opening Night Ticket holders

D: Adam Nimoy | USA | 111 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

The compelling story of Star Trek’s Mr. Spock and Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played him for nearly fifty years. The film’s focus began as a celebration of the fifty-year anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series, but after Leonard Nimoy passed away in February 2015, his son, director Adam Nimoy, was ready to tell another story: his personal experience growing up with Leonard and Spock. Adam shares not only details on the creation, evolution and universal impact of Mr. Spock, but also about the ups and downs of being the son of a TV icon.

D: Cecilia Aldarondo | USA/Puerto Rico | 77 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

Originating from filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo’s suspicion that there was something ugly lurking in her family’s past, Memories of a Penitent Heart charts her personal excavation of the buried family conflict around her uncle Miguel’s death, and her search for Miguel’s partner Robert a generation later. Dealing with the mistakes of the past and the second chances of the present, Memories of a Penitent Heart is a cautionary tale about the unresolved conflicts wrought by AIDS, and a nuanced exploration of how faith is used and abused in times of crisis.

Filmmaker in attendance

D: Gene Gallerano, David H. Holmes | USA | 19 min

The most famous actor you've never heard of: Austin Pendleton reflects on his life and craft while his A-list peers discuss his vast influence and what it means to be an original in a celebrity-obsessed world. Includes interviews with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, Olympia Dukakis, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Austin Pendleton will be on hand to for talkback with audience. 

Special Guest: Austin Pendleton  

Actor and stage director Austin Pendleton will host a screening of the short Starring Austin Pendleton by filmmakers Gene Gallerano and David H. Holmes about his life and career, a film that also features many of Pendleton’s A-list peers discussing his vast influence and what it means to be an original in a celebrity-obsessed world. The film includes interviews with Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, Olympia Dukakis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, among others.

Following the screening, Austin Pendleton will participate in a Q&A.  

D: Sally Sussman Morina | US/Turkey/United Kingdom | 99 min | English | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

Midnight Return explores the enduring and emotional power of film as seen through the lens of the blockbuster success, Midnight Express. When Billy Hayes, one of the most infamous names of his generation and on whom the picture is based, returns to Turkey thirty years after his daring escape from prison, he faces a country still haunted by the film. Turkey suffered tremendous economic and psychological damage as a result of Midnight Express and more than thirty years later they are still trying to escape the stigma.

Filmmaker and Special Guest Billy Hayes in attendance

D: Vanessa Gould | USA | 93 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

Obit looks into the world of editorial obituaries, via the legendary obit desk at The New York Times. The film invites some of the most essential questions we ask ourselves about life, memory and the inevitable passage of time. What do we choose to remember? What never dies? These skilled writers de-emphasize death, and tell stories of lives lived in extraordinary ways. The process brings uncommon insights – insights only the rare obituary writer could have – into the passage of generations, the astonishing cycle of life, the ebb and flow of time and culture as it appears to accelerate and vanish at the same time.

Filmmaker in attendance

D: Simon J Frith | UK | 58 min | NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Since his first break in Ken Loach's Black Jack (1979), Mike Edmonds has stolen scenes in some of cinema's biggest movies (Return of the Jedi, Harry Potter, Time Bandits) and has worked extensively in theatre, TV and radio. A true “actor's actor” who is also a huge hit with fans, he has met the challenges imposed by achondroplasia (or dwarfism) with his immense talent and a true dedication to the craft. This fascinating and warm-hearted documentary follows Mike from his early life in rural Essex, U.K. (and his dreams of joining the circus) to a life-changing decision to answer an advert for “midgets” in the British show business publication, The Stage. What followed has been a truly remarkable career.

Producer Grant Philpott and Special Guest Mike Edmonds in attendance

D: Mark Jonathan Harris, Oles Sanin | USA/Ukraine | 98 min | Ukrainian with English Subtitles | WORLD PREMIERE

Just days after the 2014 Maidan Revolution in Ukraine that led to the toppling of the country’s leader, President Viktor Yanukovych, the country was invaded by Russia. Ukrainians of all backgrounds rallied to the country’s defense, in the process creating a new sense of Ukrainian nationhood and national identity. Breaking Point depicts these turbulent events, at times heroic, at times tragic, through the eyes of people who lived them – a doctor, a soldier, a children’s theater director, a rabbi, and an investigative reporter.

Filmmaker as well as producer Peter Borisow in attendance

D: Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack | USA | 114 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

The first documentary about Maya Angelou, the iconic writer, poet, performer and activist, who overcame racism and devastating abuse while growing up in the deep south, to become one of American culture’s greatest voices. Rare footage and photos unveil an intimate and often unknown view of her public and personal life with the power of her own words. Reflections and perspectives come from figures such as former President Bill Clinton, whose inauguration she distinguished with a stirring poem, Oprah Winfrey and Louis Gossett, Jr.

Special Guest Louis Gossett, Jr. in attendance

Sponsored by AARP Arkansas 

Be your own little Elephant! Inspired by the film Naledi: A Baby Elephant’s Tale, this two part workshop includes elephant themed mask making and movements. We will begin by screening the trailer of Naledi: A Baby Elephant’s Tale for inspiration. Young artists will  make a unique elephant mask, then with our masks, we will move into a fun and interactive movement workshop where we will “act” like elephants! All ages are welcome to attend (each child under 6 years of age must be accompanied by an adult). This workshop is first come, first served with a maximum of 15 participants. FREE! All materials included. Call (501) 655-0836 for reservations.

D: Maisie Crow | USA | 92 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

What is life like in a place where the anti­-abortion movement has made access to legal abortion almost impossible? Since the ruling in Roe v. Wade over four decades ago, the self-labeled “pro-­life” movement has won significant legal, cultural, and political battles. Now, the stigma of abortion is prolific in the American South, leaving women living in poverty and women of color particularly vulnerable. Set against the backdrop of the fight over the last abortion clinic in Mississippi, Jackson takes a close look inside the issues surrounding abortion.

Filmmaker and Producer Jamie Boyle in attendance

Louis Gossett, Jr. will sign copies of his autobiography An Actor and a Gentleman. Limited copies will be available for sale at the event ($30 tax included), which immediately follows the screening of Maya Angelou and Still I Rise.

D: Ester Gould, Reijer Zwaan | Netherlands/Belgium | 83 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

In 1990, seven young male dancers joined Madonna on her most controversial world tour. Their journey was captured in Truth or Dare. As a self-proclaimed “mother” to her dancers, 6 gay and 1 straight, Madonna used the film to make a stand on gay rights and freedom of expression. The dancers became paragons of pride, inspiring people all over the world to dare to be who you are. Twenty-five years later, the dancers share their own stories about life during and after the tour. What does it take to express yourself?

Special Guest Jose Gutierrez in attendance

Sponsored by Little Rock’s Club Sway

D: Ben Lear | USA | 82 min | SOUTHEAST REGIONAL PREMIERE

Antonio, Juan, and Jarad, all between 14 and 16, face decades in adult prison. To pass the time, they sign up for a screenwriting class, and collectively digest their own lives through the creation of a movie script. What immediately becomes apparent is that while the gravity of the violent crimes of which they are accused haunt every frame, each young man is still simply a teenager. Do they deserve a second chance?  The question is a societal conundrum beyond legislation and data. To their advocates, they're kids. To the system, they're adults. To their victims, they're monsters.

Filmmaker in attendance

D: Nimisha Mukerji | USA/Canada | 82 min | U.S. PREMIERE

Tempest Storm was mistress to both Elvis and JFK, and became an international star on the stage and screen in the 1950s. At the age of 88, she is considered to be the greatest living burlesque dancer, but her success came at great personal cost. Exploring her dramatic rise to fame as an entertainer and her swift fall from grace after an interracial marriage, Tempest Storm bares the heart and soul of an American icon in the telling of her controversial life story.

Filmmaker, Producer Kaitlyn Regehr and Special Guest Tempest Storm in attendance

Transport yourself back in time to circa 1930 when mineral water, gambling, and bootlegging brought visitors from all over the world to Hot Springs. Try your luck at blackjack, craps and roulette alongside filmmakers and noted special guests. Gangster theme costumes are encouraged! Open bar and light appetizers. 

Sponsored by The Gangster Museum of America

Open to All-Access Passholders, Filmmakers, & Sponsors. Limited Special Event Tickets available for purchase.

Meet Tempest Storm and take home a signed photograph of the burlesque icon. The signing follows the screening of the documentary Tempest Storm on Saturday, October 8, beginning at 8:30 PM, also in Arlington Hotel, Mountain Valley Spring Water Cinema 2. 

A pass or admission ticket to the screening will be necessary to join the signing event.

Signed Photo: $25

D: Jon Betz and Taggart Siegel | USA | 94 min | English and Hindi, Spanish with English Subtitles | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Few things on Earth are as miraculous and vital as seeds. Worshipped and treasured since the dawn of humankind. Seed: The Untold Story follows passionate seed keepers protecting our 12,000-year-old food legacy. Over the last century, 94 percent of our seed varieties have disappeared. As biotech chemical companies control the majority of our seeds, farmers, scientists, lawyers, and indigenous seed keepers fight a David and Goliath battle to defend the future of our food. In a harrowing and heartening story, these reluctant heroes rekindle a lost connection to our most treasured resource and revive a culture connected to seeds.

D: Charlene Fisk and Carrie Schrader | USA | 85 min

They were not supposed to be athletes. They were not supposed to get paid to play. They were not supposed to call the shots. But in 1950, 13 amateur women golfers battled society, finances and sometimes even each other to stake their claim on becoming professional sportswomen by creating the Ladies Professional Golf Association (the LPGA). Long overdue, The Founders finally recognizes the unseen efforts, identifying these golfers as true icons of sport and equality. Not just a film for those who frequent the golf course, but for anyone who believes in the transformative power of defying the odds.

D: Jennifer Galvin, Sachi Cunningham | USA | 54 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

Dick Goin and his family have been fed by the Elwha River's salmon since migrating to Washington's Olympic Peninsula during the Dust Bowl. Dick has never forgotten his debt to the fish – who have been steadily disappearing.  A pulp mill worker and master fisherman turned salmon advocate, Dick uses his memories and persistence to battle for the biggest dam removal project in U.S. history in order to reach his ultimate goal: to bring the salmon home. The Memory of Fish is a documentary portrait of one man, the wild salmon he loves and his fight to free a river. Narrated by actress Lili Taylor.

Filmmaker in attendance

D: Alix Blair and Jeremy Lange | USA | 82 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

A multi-dimensional portrait of Iraq War veteran Alex Sutton. Surprisingly fresh in its tone and approach, Sutton’s story unfolds in unexpected ways. Home from three combat tours, Sutton forges a new identity as a farmer in rural North Carolina. He dives into life on the farm with his new love, Jessica, but cannot shake the lingering traumas of war. His stories about battlefield experiences become unmoored from reality, cycling between states of heightened awareness and of “feeling zombified” from a cocktail of prescriptions meant to keep him stable. For us, as for Alex, what to believe about his past is uncertain. The farm becomes a terrain to unearth what is buried, what it truly means to be “the perfect soldier," and where to find the way forward.

D: Deborah Riley Draper | USA | 90 min | SOUTHEAST REGIONAL PREMIERE

Olympic Pride, American Prejudice explores the experiences of 18 African American Olympians who defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to win hearts and medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Set against the strained and turbulent atmosphere of a racially divided America, a country torn between boycotting Hitler’s Olympics and participating in the Third Reich’s grandest affair, the film follows the 16 men and 2 women before, during and after their heroic turn at the Summer Olympic Games in Berlin. Narrated by Blair Underwood.

Filmmaker and Special Guest 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist and Arkansas native Jeff Henderson in attendance

D: Magnet Media | USA | 20 min

Fly with “Barry the Bald Eagle,” the national bird of the United States, as he soars from coast to coast to meet various state birds and learn about their homes.

D: Zeki Basan | Scotland | 10 min

15-year-old Scottish explorer Zeki Basan goes hiking and camping in the high mountains of Yosemite National Park to follow in the footsteps of John Muir, the founder of the Sierra Club.

D: Matt McCormack | USA | 3 min

A fast-motion exploration into creativity, with a refurbished train case.

D: Alec Ernest | USA | 5 min

Eric Merrell is an artist who paints solely by the light of the moon. When night falls in Joshua Tree National Park, the desert takes on a surreal and mysterious beauty.

Magic Man Jimmy Rhodes, a man from a planet much like your own, is making a special stop in Hot Springs this year for the film festival. Mr. Rhodes blends his unique sense of humor with perfect comedic timing for a magic show that is like no other.

D: David Tryhorn | UK | 94 min | WORLD PREMIERE

The powerful story of the rise, fall and eventual redemption of athletic prodigy Danny Harris, exposing the fine line between sports greatness and addiction. Harris was an orphan at 14, Olympic hurdler at 18, crack cocaine addict at 22, world number-one at 25, and finished at 30. Featuring some of the biggest names in track and field including Carl Lewis, Edwin Moses and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Filmmaker and Special Guest Danny Harris in attendance

D: Daphne Matziaraki | USA, Greece | 25 min

A day in the life of a Greek coast guard on the island of Lesbos who is caught in the middle of the biggest refugee crisis in history since WWII.

D: Omar al Dakheel | USA | 19 min

Despite controversy and threats, Muslim singer/songwriter turned spiritual leader Ani Zonneveld takes a stand for justice through activism and a progressive practice of Islam. As one of the world’s only female imams, she advocates for universal human rights and interfaith initiatives within Islam.

D: Javier Barboza | USA, Mexico | 7 min

A human smuggler, also known as a coyote, describes his process and the mechanics of slipping between the Mexico and the U.S. border. He shares the brief moments he’s had with the people who are trying to cross over seeking a better life.

D: Rich Williamson | Canada | 29 min

A Toronto man entangles himself in one of America’s most high-profile police-involved shootings when he comes across a viral cell phone video posted online of a white police officer shooting an unarmed black man in the back as he runs away, ultimately pulling the trigger 8 times.

D: Annie O'Neil | USA, Spain, France | 28 min

Phil wants to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain, but since he is facing Stage 4 cancer in his hometown of Seattle, he builds his own camino in the forest behind his house and ends up walking the same distance (about 500 miles).

D: Lara Stolman | USA | 100 min | WORLD PREMIERE

What would you do if your community gave up on your child? In New Jersey, the parents of one autistic boy take matters into their own hands. Swim Team tells the extraordinary story of the Jersey Hammerheads, a competitive swim team made up of autistic teens from diverse backgrounds, trained with high expectations and zero pity.  The film is a moving exploration of the impact that inclusion, independence, and a life that feels winning can have on the lives of these boys, changing the narrative about what sort of life is possible for those living with autism.  

Filmmaker in attendance

Sponsored by Easterseals Arkansas 

D: Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami | Iran/Germany/Switzerland | 90 min | Farsi and English with English subtitles | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Sonita, an 18-year-old Afghan refugee in Iran, loves Michael Jackson and Rihanna and dreams of becoming a famous rapper. For the time being, her only fans are the other teenage girls in a Tehran shelter. And her family has a very different future planned for her: as a bride, Sonita is worth $9,000. As Sonita poignantly shifts from observer to participant, altering expectations, her story unfolds in an intimate and joyful portrait or creativity and womanhood. The film highlights the rarely seen intricacies and shifting contrasts of Iranian society through the lens of an artist who is defining the next generation.

D: Ben Bowie and Geoffrey Luck | USA/Botswana | 90 min | In English | SOUTHEAST REGIONAL PREMIERE

Naledi: A Baby Elephant's Tale is the incredible, true-life story of a baby elephant born into a rescue camp in the wilderness of Botswana. When Naledi is suddenly orphaned at six weeks of age, it's up to the men who look after her herd to save her and set the direction of her life.  Much more than a nature documentary, the tale of Naledi (which means “star” in Setswana), born on an brilliant starry summer night in 2013, is the fascinating coming of age of an African elephant and the deep bonds that unite humans and animals.

D: Katy Grannan | USA | 98 min | U.S. PREMIERE   

The Nine depicts the hustling desperation of a small community (nicknamed “The Nine”) living the antithesis of the American Dream on Modesto’s South Ninth Street. The film is a rare view into a very real and brutal world where prostitution and addiction are the norm. Yet, told through the child-like voice of Kiki – the film’s narrator and main character – this reality recedes into themes of fantasy, escape, and the possibility that tomorrow will be better. The Nine is not a film about prostitution, poverty, or addiction; instead, it is a quiet and lyrical portrait of an isolated and forgotten community that is yearning to be heard.

Filmmaker and Producer Marc Smolowitz in attendance

Located along historic Park Avenue, DeLuca’s Pizzeria is fast becoming an area-wide destination for foodies. Each pie is handcrafted by owner Anthony Valinoti with locally supplied ingredients. Experience this authentic New York style pizza for yourself alongside filmmakers and friends, and discover for yourself why the name Deluca’s is now on everyone’s lips. Open bar. Sponsored by Deluca’s Pizzeria Napoletana.

Open to All Access Passholders, Filmmakers, & Sponsors

D: Alexandra Gaulupeau | UK | 23 min

Marla Coppolino is on a mission to enlighten people about the plight of the lowly land snail through creative, bizarre and unconventional means.

D: Duncan Skiles | USA | 12 min

A young couple rescues a chicken from a religious ceremony in Brooklyn.

D: Amy Nicholson | USA | 15 min

A couple recounts the various animals they have adopted as pets over the course of their marriage, including a paraplegic possum and a fish that couldn’t swim.

D: Ellen Vloet | Netherlands | 17 min

Since ten-year-old Pien was told that bees are under threat of extinction, she has made it her goal to save them.

D: Taylor Stanton | USA | 12 min

Each June, a small Michigan town is overrun by amphibious insects called fishflies that live for only 24 hours. Determined to make the most of the insects’ short lives, the town celebrates them in an annual carnival, the Bay-Rama Fishfly Festival.

D: Mickey Duzyj | USA, Japan | 18 min

Haru Urara, a Japanese racehorse, became a national icon after enduring a losing streak of epic proportions. Dubbed “The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere,” she was a symbol of perseverance and inspiration during a time of economic crisis.

D: Sarah Race | Canada | 17 min

From their home filled with shelves of metal type and antique printing presses, a Canadian couple produce fine art books that are as much a joy to handle as they are to read.

D: Emilio Bellu | Czech Rep., Italy | 15 min

As the inventor of musical stones, Pinuccio Sciola has turned his village in Sardinia into a visual spectacle and a symphony for the ears.

D: Rongfei Guo | China | 29 min

Fairy Wang may be a working-class girl from rural China, but she thinks she's the next Coco Chanel. Utilizing found objects to make eccentric fashion designs, she becomes an overnight internet celebrity while trying to organize her very first fashion show in her hometown.

D: James Q. Chan | USA | 32 min

Artist Frank Wong’s exquisitely detailed dioramas of the Chinatown of his childhood serve as portals to the past in a rapidly changing San Francisco.

A selection of Arkansas’s best student-created short documentaries. Documentaries include Thirst (Bentonville High School), Feminism PSA (Malvern High School), Somethin' 'Bout Saturdays (Lakeside High School, Hot Springs), We Are BUFFSAR (Harrison Jr. High School), Fort Smith National Historic Site (Cedarville High School), Lakin Hall (Springdale District T.V.), The Gangsters of Hot Springs (Fountain Lake Charter High School, Hot Springs), Bloody Sunday (Central High School and Metropolitan High School, Little Rock), The Danville Bridge Tragedy (Dardanelle High School).

Free and Open to the public

D: Vanessa Gould | USA | 93 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

Obit looks into the world of editorial obituaries, via the legendary obit desk at The New York Times. The film invites some of the most essential questions we ask ourselves about life, memory and the inevitable passage of time. What do we choose to remember? What never dies? These skilled writers de-emphasize death, and tell stories of lives lived in extraordinary ways. The process brings uncommon insights – insights only the rare obituary writer could have – into the passage of generations, the astonishing cycle of life, the ebb and flow of time and culture as it appears to accelerate and vanish at the same time.

D: Tyler Trumbo | USA | 15 min

A boy idolizes his father, who lives a double life as a former frogman and Navy SEAL and is frequently away on secret missions for unknown periods of time, causing anxiety within the family.

D: Yung Chang | Japan | 40 min

A retired police detective patrols Tojinbo Cliffs, a notorious destination for suicides in Japan.

D: Tanja Wol Sorensen | Denmark, Colombia | 29 min

Ruby is a human rights advocate in Colombia who speaks out on behalf of victims of the long-running conflict between government paramilitaries and FARC guerrillas. She lives her life in fear with armed protection and spends most of her days in the back seat of a car.

D: Jordan Bahat | USA | 6 min

A portrait of David "The Bullet" Smith Jr., the world's greatest human cannonball.

D: Adrien Cothier | India, USA | 15 min

Desperately seeking a thrill, a group of teenagers risk their lives surfing the roofs of the old moving trains on the outskirts of Mumbai.

D: Adam Irving | USA | 86 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

The remarkable true story of Darius McCollum, a man with Asperger's syndrome whose overwhelming love of transit has landed him in jail 32 times for the criminal impersonation of NYC subway drivers, conductors, token booth clerks and track repairmen. Although Darius has never damaged any property or hurt anyone in his decades of service, he has spent 23 years in maximum security prison. Darius’s recidivism embodies the criminal justice system’s failure to channel the passions of a harmless, mentally challenged man into a productive career and purposeful life.

D: Jon Crawford | USA | 28 min

Follow veteran mineral explorer, Thomas Nagin, as he travels up the coast of

Peru, then climbing to the active mine of Mundo Nuevo at an elevation of 15,000

ft. in search of the world's finest Pyrite.  Along the way, he uncovers

Peruvian mineral history in Lima, explores the ancient culture of Chan Chan,

and follows the Inca road system to mines in search of beautiful minerals.

D: Elise Conklin | USA | 25 min

The Flint Water Crisis from the perspectives of those who have experienced this tragedy first hand and from activists on the ground working through grass-root organizations to make a difference.

D: Craig Norris | Tanzania, USA | 29 min

Off the coast of Tanzania, the resilient people on the small island of Kokota are living on the front lines of climate change with deforestation and water shortages.

D: Jenna Cavelle | USA | 37 min

The history and current struggles of the Paiute Native Americans who had constructed and managed 60 miles of intricate water irrigation systems in California's Owens Valley for a millennia before the city of Los Angeles stole its largest source of water through modern engineering a century ago.

D: Vivienne Schiffer | USA | 81 min | WORLD PREMIERE

Relocation, Arkansas explores the effect of the Japanese American incarceration experience in Arkansas during WWII on the generation that was born after the camps closed.  It is an unlikely tale of those Japanese Americans who remained behind, and the even more unlikely tale of how a small town Arkansas mayor of Italian descent became a legend in the Japanese American community. With its themes of the complexity and hypocrisy of race relations in America, journeys toward forgiveness and healing, and cross community understanding, Relocation, Arkansas transcends regional and cultural constraints to offer an in depth view of the Japanese American incarceration experience.

Filmmaker in attendance

D: Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching | USA | 101 min | Arabic, Korean and English with English subtitles | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

With the Syrian conflict now in its sixth year, millions continue to be displaced; After Spring powerfully reveals the state of limbo experienced by many. Following two refugee families in transition, and aid workers struggling to maintain standards, life in Zaatari, a camp in Jordan that is the largest for Syrian refugees, is revealed. With no end in sight for the conflict or this refugee crisis, Zaatari’s inhabitants must decide if they can rebuild their lives in a place that was never meant to be permanent.

D: Barry Frechette | USA | 60 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

On August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima. A little known fact is that the estimated 140,000 casualties of that day included 12 American prisoners of war. For decades, many of the families of these 12 Americans were never informed of the fates of their loved ones. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Mr. Shigeaki Mori, himself a hibakusha (A-bomb survivor), the names of these 12 are now included in the Hiroshima Peace Museum, and the relatives have learned the truth. Paper Lanterns documents the story of Mr. Mori and his dream of reaching out to the relatives of these lost U.S. airmen.

Filmmaker in attendance

Preceded by short documentary Journey to Japan

Sponsored by the Hot Springs National Park Sister City Foundation

D: Kye Masino | USA | 10 min

A group of American teenagers travel halfway around the world, sharing insights as they are fully immersed into another culture through the Sister City Program linking Hot Springs, Arkansas, with Hanamaki, Japan.

Filmmaker in attendance  

Precedes Feature Paper Lanterns  

D: Alix Blair and Jeremy Lange | USA | 82 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

A multi-dimensional portrait of Iraq War veteran Alex Sutton. Surprisingly fresh in its tone and approach, Sutton’s story unfolds in unexpected ways. Home from three combat tours, Sutton forges a new identity as a farmer in rural North Carolina. He dives into life on the farm with his new love, Jessica, but cannot shake the lingering traumas of war. His stories about battlefield experiences become unmoored from reality, cycling between states of heightened awareness and of “feeling zombified” from a cocktail of prescriptions meant to keep him stable. For us, as for Alex, what to believe about his past is uncertain. The farm becomes a terrain to unearth what is buried, what it truly means to be “the perfect soldier," and where to find the way forward.

D: Mirai Konishi | Japan/USA | 95 min | English and Japanese with English subtitles

Discover the art of sake. An age-old staple of Japanese culture and cuisine, the fermented rice wine has recently been winning fans all over the world. Kampai! For the Love of Sake journeys from rice paddies in Japan to breweries around the globe as it chronicles three passionate proponents of the increasingly popular beverage: a British ex-pat who has become Japan's first foreign master brewer, an American journalist known as the “Sake Evangelist” and a fifth-generation Japanese brewer determined to shake up the industry. Together, their stories form a fascinating snapshot of how ancient traditions are adapting to the demands of a growing global market.

Sponsored by the Hot Springs National Park Sister City Foundation

D: Mehrdad Oskouei | Iran | 76 min | Persian with English Subtitles | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Starless Dreams follows a group of under 18-year-old Iranian girls taken into care for a variety of reasons, ranging from drug dealing and trafficking, to pick-pocketing and manslaughter. Director Oskouei pursued Iranian authorities for a period of seven years, urging them to allow him access to an imprisoned population, otherwise hidden from view. The result is an incredibly personal film about the dreams, nightmares and hopes of the young women in this all-female facility. Their individual stories reveal a desire to again be free, to lead normal lives, but the fear of what is waiting for them outside the walls is never far from their minds.

Located on Historic Bathhouse Row, the Superior Bathhouse is home to the nation’s only brewery headquartered inside a National Park. Owner and head brewer, Rose Schweikhart, will treat filmmakers and festival guests to a signature keg of Silver Anniversary Stout, brewed with local thermal spring water as an essential ingredient. Superior’s chef will provide food grown by local farmers and produced by area artisans. DJ Courier Coleman will be spinning vinyl. Not to be missed!

Sponsored by Superior Bathhouse Brewery

Open to All Access Passholders, Filmmakers, & Sponsors

D: Varun Bajaj, Adam Dietrich | USA | 32 min

A series of racist acts at the University of Missouri prompts three Mizzou students to pick up cameras and take us inside the student movement that brought down their college president.

D: Donal Mosher, Michael Palmieri | USA | 15 min

Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is home to both the largest outdoor Passion Play in the United States and to an important vote on LGBT rights.

D: AJ Schnack | USA | 14 min

A haunting montage of locations where America's mass shootings have taken place contrasted with the audio of the 911 emergency calls from those tragic events.

D: Margaret Brown | USA | 11 min

After Alabama closed 31 DMVs in 2015,  wiping out access to identification cards in Alabama’s Black Belt, a mobile unit traveled county to county to help register voters.

D: Stephen Maing | USA | 33 min

Stephen Kim was a top level State Department intelligence analyst who went to prison under the Espionage Act. This documentary in two parts recounts the days leading up to his incarceration and his release 11 months later as he contemplates what to do with the beginning of the rest of his life.

D: Grzegorz Szczepaniak | Poland | 29 min

As the “escargot” industry is growing, Polish breeders are exporting their snails to France and beyond. The “snail coin” popularity convinces two friends, Andrzej and Konrad, to start their own farm that will bring them millions.

D: Sara Joe Wolansky | USA | 4 min

Tommy sells humorous “penis shorts” modeled after Michelangelo’s David in order to pay tribute to his favorite work of art.

* mature subject matter

D: Jona Honer | Netherlands | 45 min

Two Dutch brothers start their own hedge fund, based on a formula that allows a computer to trade shares with an automatic algorithm. As initial investors are hesitant to put their money on the line, the brothers must ride the risky roller coaster of the stock market.

D: Chad Howitt | Netherlands | 12 min

Battling against the rise of eReaders, the fall of large bookstore chains, and his own personal obstacles, Josh Spencer opens “The Last Bookstore.”

D: Julia Furer | Switzerland | 20 min

Julian has been living in an old warehouse for twelve years, building harpsichords. When he faces eviction from his live-in workshop, he is confronted with the fact that he has neglected himself as a human being.

D: Pietro Marcello | Italy | 84 min | Italian with English Subtitles | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

Italian director Pietro Marcello’s Lost and Beautiful is a jaw-dropping, Pasolini-influenced melding of Campanian myth with the true story of Tommaso Cestrone, aka the “Angel of Carditello,” the caretaker of an abandoned palace who succumbed to a heart attack during Marcello’s filming. Lost and Beautiful is also an intoxicating work of timeless magical realism – and a fine example of the exhilarating possibilities within today’s realm of cinematic nonfiction. -- LW

D: Tyler Trumbo | USA | 15 min

A boy idolizes his father, who lives a double life as a former frogman and Navy SEAL and is frequently away on secret missions for unknown periods of time, causing anxiety within the family.

D: Yung Chang | Japan | 40 min

A retired police detective patrols Tojinbo Cliffs, a notorious destination for suicides in Japan.

D: Tanja Wol Sorensen | Denmark, Colombia | 29 min

Ruby is a human rights advocate in Colombia who speaks out on behalf of victims of the long-running conflict between government paramilitaries and FARC guerrillas. She lives her life in fear with armed protection and spends most of her days in the back seat of a car.

D: Jordan Bahat | USA | 6 min

A portrait of David "The Bullet" Smith Jr., the world's greatest human cannonball.

D: Adrien Cothier | India, USA | 15 min

Desperately seeking a thrill, a group of teenagers risk their lives surfing the roofs of the old moving trains on the outskirts of Mumbai.

D: Kahane Cooperman | USA | 24 min

A 91-year-old Holocaust survivor donates his violin of 70 years to a local instrument drive, changing the life of a 12-year-old schoolgirl in the nation’s poorest congressional district, and unexpectedly, his own life, too.

D: Julia Furer | Switzerland | 20 min

Julian has been living in an old warehouse for twelve years, building harpsichords. When he faces eviction from his live-in workshop, he is confronted with the fact that he has neglected himself as a human being.

D: Vita Maria Drygas | Poland, Ukraine | 41 min

A piano that was meant to reinforce a barricade in the Ukrainian Euromaidan is rescued by a student of the conservatoire, and it becomes a participant in and symbol of the revolution.

D: Jeremy Ungar, Ivaylo Getov | USA | 17 min

The unique sound and story of the Vocal Vidas, the female a cappella quartet from Santiago de Cuba.

D: Karina Garcia Casanova | Mexico/Canada | 78 min | English, Spanish and French with English subtitles | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Juanicas is an intimate portrait of a Mexican immigrant family affected by mental illness. Using material shot over almost 10 years, filmmaker Karina Garcia Casanova documents her complex relationship with her mother and brother, both suffering from bipolar disorder. She begins filming when Juan, her brother returns to live in Canada after several years in Mexico. At first the camera provides a distance that helps them reconnect with each other, but soon old patterns return. As her brother’s downward spiral unravels, the viewer is taken on a journey as heart-wrenching as it is illuminating.

D: Aslaug Holm | Norway | 95 min | Norwegian with English subtitles | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

Markus and Lukas are brothers, and the sons of the Norwegian filmmaker Aslaug Holm, who over the course of more than eight years has filmed their childhood and youth. Holm’s astute eye manages to reveal the tiny details that sometimes make way for big changes in the brothers’ relationship. Holm's beautiful film views the boys' dreams and expectations with both the tenderness of youth and directness of the adult eye, and follows the brothers straight into the wildness of teenage life.

D: Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching | USA | 101 min | Arabic, Korean and English with English subtitles | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

With the Syrian conflict now in its sixth year, millions continue to be displaced; After Spring powerfully reveals the state of limbo experienced by many. Following two refugee families in transition, and aid workers struggling to maintain standards, life in Zaatari, a camp in Jordan that is the largest for Syrian refugees, is revealed. With no end in sight for the conflict or this refugee crisis, Zaatari’s inhabitants must decide if they can rebuild their lives in a place that was never meant to be permanent.

HSDFF honors all staff, board members, sponsors, and donors from the festival’s twenty-five year history. Happy 25th Birthday, HSDFF! Open bar and light appetizers.

Sponsored by CHI St. Vincent

Open to All Access Passholders, Filmmakers, & Sponsors

D: Gregory Monro | France/USA | 60 min | English and French with English subtitles | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

From his early days, Jerry Lewis – in the line of Chaplin, Keaton and Laurel – had the masses laughing with his visual gags, pantomime sketches and signature slapstick humor. Yet Lewis was far more than just a clown. He was also a groundbreaking filmmaker whose unquenchable curiosity led him to write, produce, stage and direct many of the films he appeared in, resulting in such classics as The Bellboy, The Ladies Man, The Errand Boy, and The Nutty Professor. Lewis broke boundaries with his technical innovations, unique voice and keen visual eye.  American critics and the cultural elite, however, tended to view Lewis as nothing more than a clown, while the French recognized him as a true auteur, giving rise to questions that have perplexed American pop culture for over 50 years: Why do Europeans love Jerry Lewis? Is he just a brash, anything-for-yuk buffoon? Or is he a creative genius? Who is the man behind the clown?

D: Kristoffer Hegnsvad | Denmark/France | 62 min | English | NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Wingsuit base jumping is an extreme sport in which a pilot jumps from high peaks often above cloud level, navigating the way back to earth through forests and past cliff faces at speeds up to 150 mph. Looking for Exits – Conversations with a Wingsuit Artist combines stunning photography with a podcast-inspired conversation with Ellen Brennan who is known within the wingsuit-community as a true artist. She's the fastest flying woman in the world, residing amongst the mountains in Chamonix Mont-Blanc, she spends her days and sometimes nights looking for suitable cliffs (exits) from which she can soar.

Preceded by short documentary Shift

D: Rachael Lincoln, Amelia Rudolph | USA | 11 min

Shift is a wilderness performance in one of the Sierra Nevada's most rugged, remote locations in Yosemite high country. Performed and filmed over two weeks during summer 2015, the dancers and crew traversed nearly 100 miles on foot and danced on the sides of Yosemite's stunning landmarks, including Mount Watkins (elevation 8,500 ft).

Precedes feature Looking for Exits  

D: Craig Atkinson | USA | 75 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Starting on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, as the community grapples with the death of Michael Brown, Do Not Resist offers a stunning look at the current state of policing in America and a glimpse into the future. The film puts viewers in the center of the action – from a ride-along with a South Carolina SWAT team and inside a police training seminar teaching the importance of “righteous violence” to the floor of a congressional hearing on the proliferation of military equipment in small-town police departments – before exploring where controversial new technologies including predictive policing algorithms could lead us next.

D: Daniel Cross | USA/Canada | 106 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

I Am the Blues provides a musical journey through the swamps of the Louisiana Bayou, the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta and moonshine soaked BBQs in the North Mississippi Hill Country, visiting some of the last original blues devils, many in their 80's, still living in the deep south, working without management and touring the Chitlin' Circuit. Let Bobby Rush, Barbara Lynn, Henry Gray, Carol Fran, Lazy Lester, Bilbo Walker, RL Boyce, Jimmy 'Duck' Holmes, Lil Buck Sinegal, LC Ulmer and their friends awaken the blues in all of us.

Filmmaker in attendance

D: Oskari Pastila | Finland | 87 min | Finnish, Japanese and English with English Subtitles | NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Oskari Pastila’s wrestling doc Spandex Sapiens is an odd  cinematic portrait of an even odder man (it doesn’t get much weirder than a fantasy sequence supermarket-to-wrestling ring-to-Ikea parking lot showdown set to a cover of Alphaville’s Big in Japan). The film follows Michael “Starbuck” Majalahti, a Canadian-Finnish wrestler/hard rock singer/sometime actor who heads up Fight Club Finland. (And yes, he is big in Japan.) He’s also the son of a preacher – whose main adversary in the ring is Jessica Love, a standout transgender woman with the killer looks and attitude to match her formidable skills. Jessica also happens to be a young rising star, while the nearly 40-year-old Starbuck is in physical decline. -- LW

A patio carved into the Ouachita Mountains is the perfect spot to celebrate our festival’s 25th year. Sample foods of Latin America in a setting of southern hospitality. Visit with filmmakers and friends under lighted trees while Adam Faucett, known for his powerful, almost operatic voice and intricate finger picking performs on the patio.

Sponsored by Rolando's Nuevo Latino Restaurante

Wine, spirits and appetizers available to All Access Passholders, Filmmakers, & Sponsors. Cash bar margaritas. Cash bar and concert available to the public.

D: Lara Stolman | USA | 100 min | WORLD PREMIERE

What would you do if your community gave up on your child? In New Jersey, the parents of one autistic boy take matters into their own hands. Swim Team tells the extraordinary story of the Jersey Hammerheads, a competitive swim team made up of autistic teens from diverse backgrounds, trained with high expectations and zero pity.  The film is a moving exploration of the impact that inclusion, independence, and a life that feels winning can have on the lives of these boys, changing the narrative about what sort of life is possible for those living with autism.  

Sponsored by Easterseals Arkansas 

Filmmaker in attendance

D: Daphne Matziaraki | USA, Greece | 25 min

A day in the life of a Greek coast guard on the island of Lesbos who is caught in the middle of the biggest refugee crisis in history since WWII.

D: Omar al Dakheel | USA | 19 min

Despite controversy and threats, Muslim singer/songwriter turned spiritual leader Ani Zonneveld takes a stand for justice through activism and a progressive practice of Islam. As one of the world’s only female imams, she advocates for universal human rights and interfaith initiatives within Islam.

D: Javier Barboza | USA, Mexico | 7 min

A human smuggler, also known as a coyote, describes his process and the mechanics of slipping between the Mexico and the U.S. border. He shares the brief moments he’s had with the people who are trying to cross over seeking a better life.

D: Rich Williamson | Canada | 29 min

A Toronto man entangles himself in one of America’s most high-profile police-involved shootings when he comes across a viral cell phone video posted online of a white police officer shooting an unarmed black man in the back as he runs away, ultimately pulling the trigger 8 times.

D: Annie O'Neil | USA, Spain, France | 28 min

Phil wants to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain, but since he is facing Stage 4 cancer in his hometown of Seattle, he builds his own camino in the forest behind his house and ends up walking the same distance (about 500 miles).

D: Grzegorz Szczepaniak | Poland | 29 min

As the “escargot” industry is growing, Polish breeders are exporting their snails to France and beyond. The “snail coin” popularity convinces two friends, Andrzej and Konrad, to start their own farm that will bring them millions.

D: Sara Joe Wolansky | USA | 4 min

Tommy sells humorous “penis shorts” modeled after Michelangelo’s David in order to pay tribute to his favorite work of art.

* mature subject matter

D: Jona Honer | Netherlands | 45 min

Two Dutch brothers start their own hedge fund, based on a formula that allows a computer to trade shares with an automatic algorithm. As initial investors are hesitant to put their money on the line, the brothers must ride the risky roller coaster of the stock market.

D: Chad Howitt | Netherlands | 12 min

Battling against the rise of eReaders, the fall of large bookstore chains, and his own personal obstacles, Josh Spencer opens “The Last Bookstore.”

D: Sherng-Lee Huang, Livia Ungur | USA/Romania | 75 min | Romanian and English with English Subtitles | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Livia Ungur and Sherng-Lee Huang’s Berlinale-premiering Hotel Dallas tells the true story of how the soapy series Dallas – the only American program allowed to be aired in Ceaușescu’s Romania because it served as a cautionary tale on the evil capitalist West (yes, really) – became must-watch TV that influenced an entire generation. It also tells the fuzzier tale of how Livia, who fell in love with Patrick “Bobby Ewing” Duffy as a youngster, and her father Ilie, who fancies himself a wheeler-dealer much like J.R., pursued their Dallas dreams after the fall of the regime. While Ilie built Hotel Dallas (a Southfork replica and a means to embezzle millions in taxes), Livia left for America, eventually deciding to return to her homeland to take her adolescent obsession Duffy on a wild ride through the new – 80s-inspired – Romania. -- LW

D: Sam Pollard | USA | 80 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

On the eve of the civil rights movement, two separate groups of bright-eyed, white college kids set off to Mississippi, the segregated South, in hopes of finding their blues idols Son House and Skip James. Their intersecting stories run parallel to one about the harsh racist realities of 1960s America. Two Trains Runnin’ is a must-see film about hot-button issues – police brutality, racism, civil rights, and the legacy of black country music – that are as urgent today as they were in 1964. Narrated by Common, and featuring new music by Buddy Guy, Lucinda Williams, Chris Thomas King, North Mississippi Allstars and more.

D: Gabe Spitzer and David Terry Fine | USA | 50 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

When University of Arkansas golfer John Daly burst onto the scene in 1991 “gripping it and ripping it” all the way to the top, he wasn’t an easy fit into the world of golf. An immense natural talent, he’s had improbable highs on golf's biggest stages and brutal lows ranging from suspensions and divorces, to rehabs and relapses. Through it all, this "rockstar of golf” has remained legendary to his loyal fans. Hit It Hard is a look back at Daly’s tumultuous career two decades after his glory days, exploring why, despite his myriad of mistakes, he’s still so universally loved. (A 30 for 30 ESPN film.)

D: Aslaug Holm | Norway | 95 min | Norwegian with English subtitles | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

Markus and Lukas are brothers, and the sons of the Norwegian filmmaker Aslaug Holm, who over the course of more than eight years has filmed their childhood and youth. Holm’s astute eye manages to reveal the tiny details that sometimes make way for big changes in the brothers’ relationship. Holm's beautiful film views the boys' dreams and expectations with both the tenderness of youth and directness of the adult eye, and follows the brothers straight into the wildness of teenage life.

D: Tuvi Arbel | Israel | 53 min | Hebrew with English Subtitles | NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

The primary defender of Israeli nature is virtually the only person breaking ground in the talks between Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians. A religious scholar who lives in the territories, Professor Yossi Leshem is waging an uncompromising battle for coexistence between the parties with the aid of birds. Through a project that he initiated, barn owls are used as exterminators in the fields to prevent pollution of the groundwater for everyone. But Prof. Leshem dreams of implementing the project even further in the entire Middle East, enabling the birds of prey to survive instead of becoming extinct while simultaneously bringing together the divided peoples.

D: Amy Hardie | UK | 83 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

Hospice care is rarely associated with singing and laughter, but at Strathcarron, it's different. At this exceptional Scottish hospice center, we follow five remarkable patients who face pain, uncertainty and the possibility of life's end with song and humor. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to help face your own mortality, making the process of dying itself safe, individual, and as gentle as possible. Seven Songs for a Long Life is an intimate story behind our changing relationship with death and those who provide end of life care.

Filmmaker in attendance

Sponsored by Legacy Termite and Pest Control, Inc

D: Matthew Ornstein | USA | 95 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Musician Daryl Davis has an unusual hobby, particularly for a black man. He likes to meet and befriend members of the Ku Klux Klan. In this digital age of personal disconnection, Daryl’s journey takes him cross country, meeting old friends, both former and current Klan members, face-to-face.  And when many of these former Klan members, with his help and support, eventually leave the Klan, Daryl gathers their robes and other artifacts, building an historical collection, piece by piece, person by person, story by story.

Filmmaker in attendance

D: Kenneth A. Carlson | USA | 86 min | WORLD PREMIERE

Welcome to the war-torn Nuba Mountains of Sudan, where Dr. Tom Catena, the only surgeon within 200 miles, does his best to save lives in the midst of carnage and terror, treating as many as 400 patients a day at Mother of Mercy Hospital. He selflessly and courageously serves the needs of a forgotten people, as the region is bombed relentlessly by an indicted war criminal, Omar Al-Bashir. Surrounded by a country at war, living under the constant shadow of aerial bombardment, two things remain constant: Dr. Tom’s faith and his enduring love for the Nuba people.

Filmmaker in attendance

Sponsored by CHI St. Vincent

D: Andrea Kalin | USA/Costa Rica | 71 min | In English and Spanish with English subtitles | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

While visiting an aunt and uncle in the exotic countryside of Costa Rica, a young Southern belle from Alabama accepted a ride on the back of a motorcycle belonging to a charismatic local farmer – a ride that would propel her down narrow mountain roads and into history. The remarkable story of Henrietta Boggs, a Southern belle who takes a life-altering journey through marriage, civil war and audacious democratic reforms to become the First Lady of Costa Rica.

Filmmaker in attendance

D: Adam Sjoberg | China/South Korea/USA | 87 min | Korean with English subtitles

After fleeing his native North Korea to defect to the south, Sun Mu works under his defiant alias meaning “no boundaries,” to criticize the repressive regime. A former propaganda artist, he subverts familiar images which once glorified the leadership, transforming them into satirical political pop art. Offered an unlikely and dangerous solo exhibition in China, the anonymous artist prepares his show undercover, potentially risking his own freedom and safety to expose the truth through art. While he may be physically free of the shackles of North Korea, the evil forces there could overshadow his art and jeopardize his promising career.

Wander down Central Avenue to the acclaimed, historical thermal water Quapaw Bathhouse. A “water bar” will be set up in the south wing of the Quapaw to sample mineral water from local natural springs, along with complimentary beer, wine and finger food. World-renowned guitarist Jason Truby will entertain.

Sponsored by Quapaw Baths & Spa

Open to All Access Passholders, Filmmakers, & Sponsors

D: Kristoffer Hegnsvad | Denmark/France | 62 min | English | NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Wingsuit base jumping is an extreme sport in which a pilot jumps from high peaks often above cloud level, navigating the way back to earth through forests and past cliff faces at speeds up to 150 mph. Looking for Exits – Conversations with a Wingsuit Artist combines stunning photography with a podcast-inspired conversation with Ellen Brennan who is known within the wingsuit-community as a true artist. She's the fastest flying woman in the world, residing amongst the mountains in Chamonix Mont-Blanc, she spends her days and sometimes nights looking for suitable cliffs (exits) from which she can soar.

Preceded by short documentary Shift

D: Rachael Lincoln, Amelia Rudolph | USA | 11 min

Shift is a wilderness performance in one of the Sierra Nevada's most rugged, remote locations in Yosemite high country. Performed and filmed over two weeks during summer 2015, the dancers and crew traversed nearly 100 miles on foot and danced on the sides of Yosemite's stunning landmarks, including Mount Watkins (elevation 8,500 ft).

Precedes feature Looking for Exits  

D: Kahane Cooperman | USA | 24 min

A 91-year-old Holocaust survivor donates his violin of 70 years to a local instrument drive, changing the life of a 12-year-old schoolgirl in the nation’s poorest congressional district, and unexpectedly, his own life, too.

D: Julia Furer | Switzerland | 20 min

Julian has been living in an old warehouse for twelve years, building harpsichords. When he faces eviction from his live-in workshop, he is confronted with the fact that he has neglected himself as a human being.

D: Vita Maria Drygas | Poland, Ukraine | 41 min

A piano that was meant to reinforce a barricade in the Ukrainian Euromaidan is rescued by a student of the conservatoire, and it becomes a participant in and symbol of the revolution.

D: Jeremy Ungar, Ivaylo Getov | USA | 17 min

The unique sound and story of the Vocal Vidas, the female a cappella quartet from Santiago de Cuba.

D: Ben Bowie and Geoffrey Luck | USA/Botswana | 90 min | In English | SOUTHEAST REGIONAL PREMIERE

Naledi: A Baby Elephant's Tale is the incredible, true-life story of a baby elephant born into a rescue camp in the wilderness of Botswana. When Naledi is suddenly orphaned at six weeks of age, it's up to the men who look after her herd to save her and set the direction of her life.  Much more than a nature documentary, the tale of Naledi (which means “star” in Setswana), born on an brilliant starry summer night in 2013, is the fascinating coming of age of an African elephant and the deep bonds that unite humans and animals.

Preceded by short documentary Forgiveness. 

D: Satie Gossett | USA | 26 min

The President of the United States issues an essay contest to the youth of America asking them how they would fix America. An upstart African American young man enters the contest suggesting that the President apologize for America's role in slavery. Forgiveness is a narrative short included for student programming.

Screens before Naledi: A Baby Elephant’s Tale  

Thursday, October 13, 10:00 AM, Arlington Hotel, Mountain Valley Spring Water Cinema 2

D: Ron Najor | USA | 17 min

El Cajon, a county in San Diego, has one of the highest concentrations of Iraqi refugees in America who fled Iraq after the war broke out in 2003. A majority of these Chaldean refugees are of Christian descent and they share their stories as they try to assimilate to life in America.

D: David Freid | USA, Sweden | 9 min

An American-style Wild West theme park in the middle of the Swedish forest doubles as a refugee camp during the winter.

D: Melissa Langer | USA, South Africa | 18 min

In South Africa, a young family of Syrian refugees huddle around a laptop in their one-bedroom apartment, awaiting news from home.

D: Naiara Eizaguirre-Paulos | USA | 18 min

60,000 unaccompanied kids from Central America entered the U.S in 2014 fleeing unprecedented violence, mostly from drug cartels using them as foot soldiers. There are more in New York than in any other state except Texas, many awaiting court rulings that could send them back home.

D: Philip Brink, Marieke van der Velden | Netherlands | 23 min

As European tourists and Middle Eastern refugees converge on the Greek island of Lesbos for contrasting reasons, they are paired up for some enlightening conversations that illustrate what happens when we take time to sit down and talk “with” each other instead of “about” each other.

D: Joshua Seftel | USA | 13 min

13-year-old Zain fled from violence and danger in Pakistan. Now he has six weeks to adapt to New York City and become an “American Boy” before public school starts.

D: Alexandra Gaulupeau | UK | 23 min

Marla Coppolino is on a mission to enlighten people about the plight of the lowly land snail through creative, bizarre and unconventional means.

D: Duncan Skiles | USA | 12 min

A young couple rescues a chicken from a religious ceremony in Brooklyn.

D: Amy Nicholson | USA | 15 min

A couple recounts the various animals they have adopted as pets over the course of their marriage, including a paraplegic possum and a fish that couldn’t swim.

D: Ellen Vloet | Netherlands | 17 min

Since ten-year-old Pien was told that bees are under threat of extinction, she has made it her goal to save them.

D: Taylor Stanton | USA | 12 min

Each June, a small Michigan town is overrun by amphibious insects called fishflies that live for only 24 hours. Determined to make the most of the insects’ short lives, the town celebrates them in an annual carnival, the Bay-Rama Fishfly Festival.

D: Mickey Duzyj | USA, Japan | 18 min

Haru Urara, a Japanese racehorse, became a national icon after enduring a losing streak of epic proportions. Dubbed “The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere,” she was a symbol of perseverance and inspiration during a time of economic crisis.

D: Daniel Koehler | Botswana | 29 min

In Botswana, two young Bushmen struggle to build their futures in the wake of their people's relocation from their ancestral homeland.

D: Erick Stoll & Jarrod Welling-Cann | USA | 16 min

In a historically Black neighborhood of Cincinnati, a family closes shop as new residents roll in on their Segways and craft beer carts.

D: Paul Stone | USA | 20 min

This cinematic portrait of Little Italy explores how a working class neighborhood of tenement buildings transformed into the third most expensive zip code in the United States.

D: Dori Berinstein | USA | 30 min

The final days of the Cafe Edison (aka the Polish Tea Room), the last authentic New York coffee shop in the heart of Time Square, where a new era of hyper-gentrification has begun.

D: Sarah Race | Canada | 17 min

From their home filled with shelves of metal type and antique printing presses, a Canadian couple produce fine art books that are as much a joy to handle as they are to read.

D: Emilio Bellu | Czech Rep., Italy | 15 min

As the inventor of musical stones, Pinuccio Sciola has turned his village in Sardinia into a visual spectacle and a symphony for the ears.

D: Rongfei Guo | China | 29 min

Fairy Wang may be a working-class girl from rural China, but she thinks she's the next Coco Chanel. Utilizing found objects to make eccentric fashion designs, she becomes an overnight internet celebrity while trying to organize her very first fashion show in her hometown.

D: James Q. Chan | USA | 32 min

Artist Frank Wong’s exquisitely detailed dioramas of the Chinatown of his childhood serve as portals to the past in a rapidly changing San Francisco.

D: Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami | Iran/Germany/Switzerland | 90 min | Farsi and English with English subtitles | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Sonita, an 18-year-old Afghan refugee in Iran, loves Michael Jackson and Rihanna and dreams of becoming a famous rapper. For the time being, her only fans are the other teenage girls in a Tehran shelter. And her family has a very different future planned for her: as a bride, Sonita is worth $9,000. As Sonita poignantly shifts from observer to participant, altering expectations, her story unfolds in an intimate and joyful portrait or creativity and womanhood. The film highlights the rarely seen intricacies and shifting contrasts of Iranian society through the lens of an artist who is defining the next generation.

D: James Greeson | USA | 58 min | Arkansas Festival Premiere

In 1933,  Arkansas native Florence Price made music history as the first African-American woman to have her music performed by a major symphony orchestra when the Chicago Symphony played her Symphony in E minor at the Chicago World's Fair. Throughout her life, Price interacted with many important African-American leaders, including W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Kathryn Dunham, and particularly singer Marian Anderson. This film tells the inspirational story of this gifted woman who triumphed over prejudice and preconceptions.

Filmmaker in attendance

Hot Springs Village celebrates HSDFF’s 25th year by inviting filmmakers and festival supporters to mingle in their newly opened downtown Village Discovery Center next door to the Arlington. Emerging artist Sarah Hastings will perform. Wine, beer, and light appetizers. 

Sponsored by Hot Springs Village 

Open to All Access Passholders, Filmmakers, & Sponsors

D: Craig Atkinson | USA | 75 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Starting on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, as the community grapples with the death of Michael Brown, Do Not Resist offers a stunning look at the current state of policing in America and a glimpse into the future. The film puts viewers in the center of the action – from a ride-along with a South Carolina SWAT team and inside a police training seminar teaching the importance of “righteous violence” to the floor of a congressional hearing on the proliferation of military equipment in small-town police departments – before exploring where controversial new technologies including predictive policing algorithms could lead us next.

For more years than we can count, Hot Springs festival supporter Carolyn Taylor has been welcoming visiting filmmakers and special festival guests to her VIP Filmmaker event. Drinks and food provided by some of the best venues Hot Springs has to offer. Mark Ayers will be at the piano. Join us at the Vintage Emporium for this extraordinary event.

Sponsored by The Vintage Emporium

Wine provided by The Wine Rack

Open to All Access Passholders, Filmmakers, & Sponsors

D: Huang Ya-li | Taiwan | 160 min | In Taiwanese with English subtitles | NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Huang Ya-li’s Le Moulin is a trippy time warp of avant-garde filmmaking, in which the style of this Taiwanese director thrillingly mirrors his surrealist subject. The doc’s title refers to “Le Moulin,” a group of Western-leaning poets in 1930s Taiwan that banded together in artistic protest against Japan’s cultural hegemony. From faceless bodies cast in shadow, to grainy historical footage, to the artists’ calligraphy-rendered letters, to images of Picasso's, Huang bombards us with eye-catching visuals that also serve as a tribute to the classic (Western) experimental filmmakers, from Buñuel to Deren. Indeed, every cut of this tour de force leads to a delightful cinephile surprise. COURTESY OF ABLAZE IMAGE LTD. -- LW

D: Jon Betz and Taggart Siegel | USA | 94 min | English and Hindi, Spanish with English Subtitles | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Few things on Earth are as miraculous and vital as seeds. Worshipped and treasured since the dawn of humankind. Seed: The Untold Story follows passionate seed keepers protecting our 12,000-year-old food legacy. Over the last century, 94 percent of our seed varieties have disappeared. As biotech chemical companies control the majority of our seeds, farmers, scientists, lawyers, and indigenous seed keepers fight a David and Goliath battle to defend the future of our food. In a harrowing and heartening story, these reluctant heroes rekindle a lost connection to our most treasured resource and revive a culture connected to seeds.

Join us across the street from the Vintage Emporium in the French Quarter inspired courtyard of Suzanne Tucker's Historic District Antiques. DJ Poebot, voted Arkansas Times's and Sync Magazine's Best DJ of 2015, will be spinning Motown, hip hop, and electronic music late into the night. Open bar.

Sponsored by Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Open to All Access Passholders, Filmmakers, & Sponsors

D: Karina Garcia Casanova | Mexico/Canada | 78 min | English, Spanish and French with English subtitles | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Juanicas is an intimate portrait of a Mexican immigrant family affected by mental illness. Using material shot over almost 10 years, filmmaker Karina Garcia Casanova documents her complex relationship with her mother and brother, both suffering from bipolar disorder. She begins filming when Juan, her brother returns to live in Canada after several years in Mexico. At first the camera provides a distance that helps them reconnect with each other, but soon old patterns return. As her brother’s downward spiral unravels, the viewer is taken on a journey as heart-wrenching as it is illuminating.

D: Charlene Fisk and Carrie Schrader | USA | 85 min

They were not supposed to be athletes. They were not supposed to get paid to play. They were not supposed to call the shots. But in 1950, 13 amateur women golfers battled society, finances and sometimes even each other to stake their claim on becoming professional sportswomen by creating the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Long overdue, The Founders finally recognizes the unseen efforts, identifying these golfers as true icons of sport and equality. Not just a film for those who frequent the golf course, but for anyone who believes in the transformative power of defying the odds.

D: Andreas Zerr | 35 min | Germany | In English | Preview

D: Tuvi Arbel | Israel | 53 min | Hebrew with English Subtitles | NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

The primary defender of Israeli nature is virtually the only person breaking ground in the talks between Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians. A religious scholar who lives in the territories, Professor Yossi Leshem is waging an uncompromising battle for coexistence between the parties with the aid of birds. Through a project that he initiated, barn owls are used as exterminators in the fields to prevent pollution of the groundwater for everyone. But Prof. Leshem dreams of implementing the project even further in the entire Middle East, enabling the birds of prey to survive instead of becoming extinct while simultaneously bringing together the divided peoples.

D: Tyler J. Kelley and Araby Williams | USA | 94 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Bob Griffith sailed into Honolulu Harbor in 1960 and met fellow iconoclast Nancy Hirsch. From that moment, they were wedded to the sea. Steering their 53-foot cutter Awahnee to places no small boat had been before, they spent decades navigating the relentless pull of family and adventure. Combining recent interviews with exquisitely textured archival 16-millimeter film shot by Nancy on location in the 1960s and 1970s, from Antarctica to Polynesia, Following Seas is not only a story of world records and sailing feats, but of a family who truly lived a self-determined life and made the sacrifices their dream demanded.

Filmmakers in attendance

D: Richard Dewey, Timothy Marrinan | USA/UK/Belgium | 88 min | English | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

In the 1970s, performance artist Chris Burden had himself shot, locked up, electrocuted, cut, and crucified. As the 70s progressed, Burden became disillusioned with the expectations and misconceptions based on his art and as the pressure grew, the line between his life and his art blurred. After walking away from his art in the late 70s, Chris Burden was faced with reinventing  himself artistically. Burden follows the creation of new works in the artist’s studio and with access to his personal archive of images, video and audio recordings, stands as the first feature documentary to fully explore the life and work of this seminal artist who often risked his life in the name of art.

D: Brandon Kramer | USA | 90 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

During the recent Great Recession, joblessness exceeded 20 percent east of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C.  City of Trees follows the highly personal stories of Charles, Michael and James, three long-term unemployed D.C. residents struggling to gain employment through “shovel ready” green projects. When stimulus dollars run out, short term idealism clashes with day-to-day survival in the struggle to find a sense of purpose and place in a recovering economy.

Producer Lance Kramer in attendance

D: Daniel Cross | USA/Canada | 106 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

I Am the Blues provides a musical journey through the swamps of the Louisiana Bayou, the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta and moonshine soaked BBQs in the North Mississippi Hill Country, visiting some of the last original blues devils, many in their 80's, still living in the deep south, working without management and touring the Chitlin' Circuit. Let Bobby Rush, Barbara Lynn, Henry Gray, Carol Fran, Lazy Lester, Bilbo Walker, RL Boyce, Jimmy 'Duck' Holmes, Lil Buck Sinegal, LC Ulmer and their friends awaken the blues in all of us.

Filmmaker in attendance

Members of the Red Carpet Donors Circle are invited to join this intimate event with Freda Kelly, personal secretary and fan club president for the Beatles. From the band’s early days, through the 10 years of their explosive ride as the biggest band in music history, Freda was family to the Fab Four. Contact megan.hsdfi@gmail.com to find out more about joining the Red Carpet Circle or RSVP'ing

Members of the Red Carpet Donors Circle welcome

D: Vadim Vitovtsev | Russian Federation | 48 min | Be-bayaga with English subtitles | WORLD PREMIERE

The Central African Republic

Here in the shade of sub-panel rainforests lives a tribe of the shortest people on Earth – the Baka pygmies. As it was hundreds of years ago, the Baka hunt for meat and gather gifts of big trees. They pray to the spirits of the forest and teach their children to respect the forest, to take from it only what is of great need. But little by little their traditional mode is changing under the pressure of the "Big World" culture and the persistent influence of one Baka family’s rebellious teenage son.

Filmmaker in attendance

D: Ferne Pearlstein | USA | 85 min | REGIONAL PREMIERE

The Last Laugh proceeds from the premise that the Holocaust would seem to be an absolutely off-limits topic for comedy. But is it? History shows that even the victims of the Nazi concentration camps themselves used humor as a means of survival and resistance. Still, any use of comedy in connection with this horror risks diminishing the suffering of millions. So where is the line? Mel Brooks, Rob Reiner, Sarah Silverman, David Steinberg and others raise the question that if we make the Holocaust off limits, what are the implications for other controversial subjects – 9/11, AIDS, racism – in a society that prizes freedom of speech?

D: Daniel Raim | USA | 94 min | SOUTHEAST REGIONAL PREMIERE

A fascinating and deeply moving account of the romantic and creative partnership of storyboard artist Harold Michelson and his wife, film researcher Lillian Michelson. Harold and Lillian were a talented couple once considered “the heart of Hollywood.” Although the couple was responsible for some of Hollywood’s most iconic examples of visual storytelling, their contributions remain largely uncredited. Through an engaging mix of love letters, film clips and candid conversations with Harold and Lillian themselves, Danny DeVito, Mel Brooks, Francis Coppola and others, this warm and engaging documentary chronicles a remarkable relationship and two extraordinary careers spanning six decades of movie-making history.

D: Moby Longinotto | USA/UK | 80 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

Jheri Jones, is a 74-year-old transgender divorcee in Bible Belt Mississippi. Reconciled after years of estrangement, and now living with two of her four sons in their trailer park home, Jheri embarks on a new path to reveal her true self to her grandchildren, while her son Trevor begins a surprising journey of his own. Director Moby Longinotto’s incisive, fascinating portrait invites viewers to pull up a seat at the lively dinner table for an intimate, multi-generational look at the unforgettable Joneses, as they come together to deal with unresolved issues, shattered dreams, seething resentments and redefined realities.

Filmmaker and featured subject Jheri Jones in attendance

D: Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens | USA | 95 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

An intimate portrait of Hollywood royalty in all its eccentricities, featuring Debbie Reynolds and her offspring Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher.  Frank, funny and revealing, the project began when Carrie Fisher enlisted her friend, actor and documentarian Fisher Stevens and Stevens’s wife Alexis Bloom, to chronicle the final performances of her mother’s nightclub act. What emerged was an intimate look inside a Hollywood family, enlivened by Carrie Fisher’s sharp wit and brutal honesty, and by Debbie Reynolds’s determination to fly in the face of her own mortality. Bright Lights is an unfailing look at a mother and daughter who are polar opposites but for whom love is clearly a bond, a warm salute to a remarkable pair of women and the people around them.

Special Guest: Todd Fisher

D: Adam Irving | USA | 86 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

The remarkable true story of Darius McCollum, a man with Asperger's syndrome whose overwhelming love of transit has landed him in jail 32 times for the criminal impersonation of NYC subway drivers, conductors, token booth clerks and track repairmen. Although Darius has never damaged any property or hurt anyone in his decades of service, he has spent 23 years in maximum security prison. Darius’s recidivism embodies the criminal justice system’s failure to channel the passions of a harmless, mentally challenged man into a productive career and purposeful life.

The new Hotel Hot Springs welcomes HSDFF to their cosmopolitan lobby bar for happy hour. Mingle with special guest Barry Bostwick prior to the special screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Recharge on plush furniture in an elegant atmosphere. Complimentary light appetizers. Cash bar.

All Access Passholders and Rocky Horror VIP Experience Ticket Holders admitted

Sponsored by The Hotel Hot Springs & Spa

D: Gregory Monro | France/USA | 60 min | English and French with English subtitles | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

From his early days, Jerry Lewis – in the line of Chaplin, Keaton and Laurel – had the masses laughing with his visual gags, pantomime sketches and signature slapstick humor. Yet Lewis was far more than just a clown. He was also a groundbreaking filmmaker whose unquenchable curiosity led him to write, produce, stage and direct many of the films he appeared in, resulting in such classics as The Bellboy, The Ladies Man, The Errand Boy, and The Nutty Professor. Lewis broke boundaries with his technical innovations, unique voice and keen visual eye.  American critics and the cultural elite, however, tended to view Lewis as nothing more than a clown, while the French recognized him as a true auteur, giving rise to questions that have perplexed American pop culture for over 50 years: Why do Europeans love Jerry Lewis? Is he just a brash, anything-for-yuk buffoon? Or is he a creative genius? Who is the man behind the clown?

D: Jim Sharman | USA | 100 min

In this cult classic, sweethearts Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a transvestite scientist. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker (Meat Loaf) and a creepy butler (Richard O'Brien). Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named Rocky. It is definitely not a documentary, but it is the return of an HSDFF tradition.

Special Guest Barry Bostwick in attendance

Sponsored by Little Rock’s Club Sway

D: Adam Sjoberg | China/South Korea/USA | 87 min | Korean with English subtitles

After fleeing his native North Korea to defect to the south, Sun Mu works under his defiant alias meaning “no boundaries,” to criticize the repressive regime. A former propaganda artist, he subverts familiar images which once glorified the leadership, transforming them into satirical political pop art. Offered an unlikely and dangerous solo exhibition in China, the anonymous artist prepares his show undercover, potentially risking his own freedom and safety to expose the truth through art. While he may be physically free of the shackles of North Korea, the evil forces there could overshadow his art and jeopardize his promising career.

D: Gabe Spitzer and David Terry Fine | USA | 50 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

When University of Arkansas golfer John Daly burst onto the scene in 1991 “gripping it and ripping it” all the way to the top, he wasn’t an easy fit into the world of golf. An immense natural talent, he’s had improbable highs on golf's biggest stages and brutal lows ranging from suspensions and divorces, to rehabs and relapses. Through it all, this "rockstar of golf” has remained legendary to his loyal fans. Hit It Hard is a look back at Daly’s tumultuous career two decades after his glory days, exploring why, despite his myriad of mistakes, he’s still so universally loved. (A 30 for 30 ESPN film.)

From the days of silent cinema, music has played a vital role in shaping the emotional impact and storytelling prowess of a primarily visual medium. However, the way music works its magic is often a mystery. Joel C. High’s workshop is for filmmakers and musicians who want to more fully explore the uses of music in all types of media. Areas covered will include creative issues as well as logistical, technical and legal principles surrounding the use of  music to help tell stories. Topics discussed include the licensing of existing music, the creation of new works and the role of a music supervisor in navigating these important issues.

About Joel C. High: Joel is a music supervisor and producer who has worked on over 150 films and television projects and also is chief executive for a company he co-founded in 2006. Over the last decade, he created and supervised the music departments for two of the leading independent studios in the industry, Trimark Pictures and Lionsgate Entertainment.

Free Admission

D: Vadim Vitovtsev | Russian Federation | 48 min | Be-bayaga with English subtitles | WORLD PREMIERE

The Central African Republic. Here in the shade of sub-panel rainforests lives a tribe of the shortest people on Earth – the Baka pygmies. As it was hundreds of years ago, the Baka hunt for meat and gather gifts of big trees. They pray to the spirits of the forest and teach their children to respect the forest, to take from it only what is of great need. But little by little their traditional mode is changing under the pressure of the "Big World" culture and the persistent influence of one Baka family’s rebellious teenage son.

Filmmaker in attendance

D:  Ryan White | UK/USA | 86 min

The story of Freda Kelly, a shy Liverpudlian teenager hired to work for a young local band with ambitions to make it big. As the fame of the Beatles multiplies, Freda bears witness to music and cultural history but never exploits her insider access. Their loyal secretary from beginning to end, after 50 years, Freda finally tells her tales for the first time. One of few documentaries with the support of the living Beatles and featuring original Beatles music, the film offers a unique perspective on the beloved band that changed music forever.

Special Guest: Freda Kelly

Sponsored by the Gooch Family : Don, Dana, Scarlett, Georgia and Corinne 

D: Sam Pollard | USA | 80 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

On the eve of the civil rights movement, two separate groups of bright-eyed, white college kids set off to Mississippi, the segregated South, in hopes of finding their blues idols Son House and Skip James. Their intersecting stories run parallel to one about the harsh racist realities of 1960s America. Two Trains Runnin’ is a must-see film about hot-button issues – police brutality, racism, civil rights, and the legacy of black country music – that are as urgent today as they were in 1964. Narrated by Common, and featuring new music by Buddy Guy, Lucinda Williams, Chris Thomas King, North Mississippi Allstars and more.

D: Ron Howard | USA | 129 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years is based on the first part of The Beatles’ career (1962-1966) – the period in which they toured and captured the world’s acclaim. Ron Howard’s film explores how John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr came together to become this extraordinary phenomenon, “The Beatles.”  It delves into their inner workings – how they made decisions, created their music and built their collective career together – all the while, highlighting The Beatles’ extraordinary and unique musical gifts and their remarkable, complementary personalities. The film will focus on the time period from the early Beatles’ journey in the days of The Cavern Club in Liverpool to their last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966. Contains 30 minutes of remastered footage from the Beatles’ Shea Stadium Concert, not available on non-festival cuts.

Special Guest: Freda Kelly

Sponsored by Triumph Airborne Structures

D: Tyler J. Kelley and Araby Williams | USA | 94 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Bob Griffith sailed into Honolulu Harbor in 1960 and met fellow iconoclast Nancy Hirsch. From that moment, they were wedded to the sea. Steering their 53-foot cutter Awahnee to places no small boat had been before, they spent decades navigating the relentless pull of family and adventure. Combining recent interviews with exquisitely textured archival 16-millimeter film shot by Nancy on location in the 1960s and 1970s, from Antarctica to Polynesia, Following Seas is not only a story of world records and sailing feats, but of a family who truly lived a self-determined life and made the sacrifices their dream demanded.

Filmmakers in attendance

D: Natalie Kottke, Co-Director Erica Sardarian | USA | 90 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

A modern tale of David and Goliath in Crossett, Arkansas, as pastor and community leader David Bouie fights to save his neighbors from the pollution of big business in a company town, as one by one, they are dying. Filmed over a period of 4 years, this investigative film gives a rare look inside one American town where the company rules, but its citizens are insisting on answers.

Filmmaker and featured subjects in attendance

D: Isabella Vincent Chan | USA | 65 min | ARKANSAS PREMIERE

Over an 18 month period, The Big Flip follows the lives of four “flipped” families where the wife is the breadwinner while her husband takes care of home and kids. In a society where the majority of Americans still believe kids are better off with mom at home instead of at work and divorce is 40 percent more likely when the wife is the breadwinner, The Big Flip follows the quest of these flipped families to discover what it takes in these circumstances for love to endure.

Filmmaker and featured subject in attendance

6:15 PM - Doors Open

6:30 PM - Closing Night Awards Ceremony

7:00 PM - Closing Night screening of MY FRIEND ED followed by Q&A with legendary actor Ed Asner and director Sharon Baker, moderated by Asner’s Lou Grant co-star Robert Walden.

At the close of the Q&A, the film My Friend Ed, filmmaker Sharon Baker, and Asner, the film’s subject, will be presented with the Heifer International Spa City Spirit Award.

Screening sponsored by Heifer International

D: Sharon Baker | USA | 56 min | SOUTHEAST REGION PREMIERE

Ed Asner is one of the most celebrated actors of his generation, delighting audiences of all ages, from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Lou Grant to Elf and Up. But he's also an all-American activist who refuses to budge on his ideals, no matter what anyone thinks. Beneath the tough skin of this crotchety 85-year-old crusader lies the heart of a true warrior for justice. My Friend Ed is a funny and poignant exploration of the notion of “hero” versus “celebrity” and the role of this artist as activist.

Filmmaker and Special Guests Ed Asner, Robert Walden in attendance

Screening Sponsored by Heifer International

Screening will be followed by a Q&A with Ed Asner, Robert Walden & Sharon Baker. 25th Annual Closing Night Party immediately following. A tented event with food and open bar at the historic Mountain Valley Spring Water Headquarters. LIVE DELTA BLUES performances by multiple Grammy and Country Music Award-Winning blues artist and “ King of New Orleans Blues” Chris Thomas King with his electric blues band, and Cedell Davis, legendary “Last of the Delta Bluesmen,” backed by  father/son duo Zakk & Big Papa Binns.

AY Magazine and Arkansas Money and Politics welcome filmmakers, special guests and festival-goers to a Closing Night Celebration befitting the festival’s 25th year, in dual adjacent venues. The historic Mountain Valley Spring headquarters will offer magical ambiance, a mouthwatering feast by La Hacienda Hot Springs, and open bar. The nextdoor AY/ AMP Music Pavilion Tent will host Live Delta Blues by multiple Grammy and Country Music Award-Winning blues artist and “King of New Orleans Blues” Chris Thomas King with his electric blues band, and Cedell Davis, legendary “Last of the Delta Bluesmen,” backed by father/son duo Zakk & Big Papa Binns. Dance the night away in salute of our landmark year! 

After Event Party sponsored by AY Magazine and Arkansas Money and Politics

PLEASE NOTE: IN ORDER TO GUARANTEE SEATING FOR CLOSING NIGHT, ALL-ACCESS PASSHOLDERS MUST MAKE RESERVATIONS no later than Saturday, October 8 for Closing Night Event. Tickets will be for sale at the door, if available. To reserve, please email reservations@hsdfi.org by the deadlines.

Open to All-Access Passholders, Filmmakers, Sponsors, and Closing Night Ticket holders

Still want more of the 25th Annual HSDFF? Well, don’t stop now. Dance into the morning hours as the ladies of Foul Play Cabaret skate in full Derby Girl costume. Grab a headband and spandex if you’ve got ‘em and close out the festival's 25th year. Open Bar.

Sponsored by Low Key Arts and Foul Play Cabaret

Open to all festival pass holders 
$5 dollar entry fee to all non-passholders