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Fayetteville can now add its name to the long list of film festival towns.
Formerly known as the Offshoot Film Festival, the since re-branded Fayetteville Film Festival will take place Sept. 6-10 at locations around the downtown Fayetteville Square. In its eighth year, the fest has broken its record for most films shown at 55 — which includes feature films, documentaries, short films and animated films.
“A lot of festivals are connected to the town they’re in. We wanted to make it very clear we’re connected to the community and the vibe of the downtown area,” said Morgan Hicks, a board member for Fayetteville Film Fest. “The Little Rock film fest isn’t happening this year, so we wanted to really reach out and make it a festival that appeals to Arkansas filmmakers and allow them to explore Fayetteville and our area. “
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Directed by Roger Gastman—a producer of the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop”—“Wall Writers” explores graffiti in its early stages in New York City. The film will open the festival Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 2 p.m.
As many as 150 film submissions from all over the country and the world were reviewed by board members before whittling it down to 55. Most all of the films have some kind of connection to Arkansas, either in theme, location or production staff. The films selected are top notch, Hicks said.
There are 13 film blocks in all throughout the festival, aimed to group relative films together such as sports and athletes, community feature films, music videos and short films, among others. If desired, attendees can attend each and every film showing without having to sacrifice seeing another film thanks to the scheduling.
Full weekend passes for the fest provide priority seating at all films, workshops and VIP parties. They are available for $40 at fayettevillefilmfest.org and single screening tickets are also available, with prices ranging from free to $5.
The films aren’t all, as the week will also feature panel discussions, question and answer sessions with the visiting filmmakers and workshops with industry professionals.
Documentaries will be screened at the Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, located on the downtown square at 1 East Center St. Otherwise, all of the other films will be shown at the University of Arkansas Global Campus Theatre, which is across from the Pryor Center, at 2 East Center St.
A “Red Carpet Street Party” is planned for Thursday, Sept. 8 from 6 to 10 p.m., and will feature local craft beers from festival sponsors McBride Distributing, Damgoode Pies and Fossil Cove Brewing Company. The party will be immediately followed by the screening of the feature comedy “Roman Bickerstaff: The Rise and Fall of an RA” directed by Mathew Foss and filmed on location at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. The film was Foss’s thesis project.
“Roman Bickerstaff” was one of Hicks’s favorite films from the submissions.
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Filmed onsite at University of Central Arkansas in Conway, “Roman Bickerstaff: The Rise and Fall of an RA” is a feature comedy film that follows in the style of Christopher Guest mockumentaries, such as “Spinal Tap.” It will be shown Thursday Sept. 8.
“It’s like ‘The Office’ meets ‘Spinal Tap’ meets all of the Christopher Guest mockumentaries,” she said. “It’s really well done and funny.”
Making its debut at the Fayetteville Film Fest Saturday, Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m., “The Wedding Party” is a feature comedy film that was filmed in one continuous shot over the course of two hours in real time. The story follows a recently heartbroken groomsman who finds himself tasked with running his best friend’s wedding reception after a slew of wedding day disasters begin to emerge.
The film was performed like a live play, said Lauren Harper, a Fayetteville-to-Los Angeles transplant and co-producer for the film.
“It’s pretty crazy,” she said. “We had to rehearse for a month, so everyone knew their exact marks. If anything got messed up we had to restart it. We’re pretty excited for its premiere. I think Fayetteville is an awesome town to start in. It’s got such an artsy vibe to it I think, just from growing up there.”
Another special film for the festival includes the first film of the festival, “Wall Writers.”
Directed by Roger Gastman—a producer of the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop”—the film explores graffiti in its early stages in New York City. With unprecedented access to graffiti artists TAKI 183, CORNBREAD, and a host of other graffiti legends, “Wall Writers” tells the story of underprivileged city kids who formed a new style of notorious street art and self-promotion.
“It’s a fantastic documentary,” Hicks said. “It’s probably my favorite of the docs.”
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Filmed in one seamless two hour take, “Wedding Party” follows a recently heartbroken groomsman who finds himself tasked with running his best friend’s wedding reception after a slew of wedding day disasters begin to emerge. The film will close the festival Saturday, Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Larry Foley, a documentary film professor at the University of Arkansas, will show his Hot Springs-based baseball documentary “The First Boys of Spring” Tuesday Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pryor Center. The documentary tells the story of popularity of baseball teams who did their spring training in Hot Springs, Ark. so they could access the baths. The film was nominated for thee Midwest Emmys.
For more information about Fayetteville Film Festival and the full schedule of films to be shown, visit www.fayettevillefilmfest.org.
