stakeout
best friends stakeout parties for laughs - and to avoid going to them; until one builds up the courage to go inside herself - an act that will change their relationship forever. shorts program two

ekki mukk (not a peep)

stakeout

strum strum

leaning toward solace

the mary jane project with q&a

nbn trio
nbn (nora barton, billie howard, and nomi epstein) explores sonic textures through weaving together acoustic cello, violin, and the insides of the piano, with found sound, and/or percussive instruments. performance integrates multimedia elements of video projections, and light installations.

nbn trio tumblr.

the last song before the war
the last song before the war

the last song before the war chronicles the world’s most remote music festival -- the 2011 festival of the desert -- in timbuktu, mali. the outstanding film, the last song before the war, reveals how northern mali was tragically overtaken by radical islamic fighters who quickly outlawed music, forcing the people and festival into exile. in 2012, former qaddafi fighters flooded back into mali and along with militant islamic fighters imposed sharia law in timbuktu and northern mali. since the conflict began, over 500,000 people -- including the festival staff and musicians -- have been forced to flee. the fate of the twelve-year-old festival is now in question. with world-renowned malian, tuareg, west african, and world musicians, the last song before the war makes burning man look as fake as disney world.

with q & a sahel calling trailer

sahel calling is an interactive, musical project to raise awareness about the refugees, internally-displaced persons and the people living in the conflict-affected areas of mali and the sahel.

the rolling stones rock and roll circus
the rolling stones rock and roll circus

long considered the "holy grail" of rock films, this two-day event features circus fire- eaters, acrobats and clowns alongside extraordinary live performances by the
who, jethro tull, taj mahal, marianne faithfull, the dirty mac band (john lennon, eric clapton, mitch mitchell & keith richards), yoko ono and the rolling stones. “ as david dalton so aptly put it, “...for a brief moment it seemed that rock ‘n’ roll would inherit the earth.”

with q & a

manual cinema
“lula del ray” is a multidisciplinary stage performance from the chicago-based collective manual cinema. the unfathomably sophisticated production combines shadow puppets, live actors, three overhead projectors, foley sounds and a live band soundtrack for an unforgettable and touching cinematic experience unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

#postmodern
an existential, satirical, sci-fi, pop-musical based on the theories of ray kurzweil and other futurists. this trippy sundance film festival selection will make you look differently at that smartphone in your hand… among other things. shorts program 2

leaning toward solace
the mary jane project
stakeout
strum, strum

time, again
flamenco dancer/choreographer defne enç and filmmaker alonso j. lujan stage a stark and sensual movement of abandonment in this simple, elegant piece. shorts program one

nous ne serons plus jamais seuls (we will never be alone)

no love song

over home: love songs from madison county

heat leisure

the wild 'n' tender dane sturgeon
having self-released one righteous folk-rock record in 1967 and promptly forgotten by history, dane sturgeon’s music has recently been revived by crate diggers and is now being reissued on yoga records. director adam ridley shows sturgoen’s rebel spirit still intact today - growing weed and living in a trailer with his thai wife. in search of blind joe death - the saga of john fahey

feature documentary, directed by james cullingham, 58 min, canada/usa/france
the brilliant, curious career of steel-string demigod john fahey (1939-2001), the “father of american primitive guitar," haunts our history. his body of work hangs in the halls of american genius somewhere between john coltrane and walt whitman. this riveting film explores how fahey stretched every boundary of our musical traditions. after he transcended his essential delta blues influences, he remixed appalachian bluegrass, brazilian, classical, indian, new orleans jazz, musique concrète, and gothic industrial ambient music. awestruck witnesses to this complex, wounded soul include pete townshend, thurston moore of sonic youth, joey burns of calexico, chris funk of the decemberists and barry hansen aka dr. demento.

stray dawg
short documentary, directed by sean dunne, 15 min, usa
director sean dunne (american juggalo) documents jonny corndawg, a prolific underground country singer, on tour with his friends in the band dawes. corndawg, who has become obsessed with running, is determined to compete in the surf city marathon.

sado tempest
welsh-born, japan-based director john williams’ (firefly dreams, starfish hotel) reworking of “the tempest” mixes japanese rock, dystopian fantasy, noh masks, and the weird ominous black-rock ocean-pounded volcanic landscapes of sado island. singer jun 'juntoku' tokushima (yoji tanaka from real-life rock band jitterbug) arrives on the island, exiled to this brutal prison, then he escapes into the deep jungle interior where he meets a hunted, magelike exile omuro (hirotaro honda). juntoku is intrigued by the ancient demon songs of the island. the film grows stranger when madwoman miranda (noriko eguchi) repeatedly chants enigmatic demon-inspired lines of poetry or a song - one juntoku begins to put into music. art is out of phaze

john michael thomas, music video, 7 min., usa

ascap music cafe presented by goose island beer co.

with goose island homemade brews & homemade turntables.

food & giveaways!

feat. music by clear plastic masks, minor characters, and guest dj’s

some girls - live in texas '78
some girls - live in texas '78

filmed on 16 mm during the rolling stones 1978 us tour, soon after the release of some girls, many consider this tour concert at the will rogers memorial center in fort worth texas on july 18, 1978 to be one of the stones very best filmed performances.

ears mix-off
ok, calm down...it's not wwf...no one's gonna get hit with a metal folding chair... or will they ?

are you a mixer or producer and ready for a fun challenge? show us your stuff.... mix some tracks and win some great prizes!

in addition to great prizes, winners will also earn mad bragging rights! we are providing you with five different songs in five different music categories to choose from....

rock-- pop-- r&b – hip hop – jazz

you get to choose which of the five songs you would like to mix... or try your hand at several...or mix all five! at the playback party entries will be played anonymously and only the winners names will be announced. your mix will be judged and voted on by your comrades at the playback party on saturday april 20th. you must be present to be eligible to win.

ears is a great group of people, dedicated to learning and teaching about the thing they love most, sound! ears members range from the very best professionals in the industry, to students and home studio enthusiasts. so come join the fun, meet great people, and dig deep. this is about giving it your all.

get more info and download tracks on the ears website.

http://www.ears-chicago.org/mix-off/mix_off.html

el ultimo elvis (the last elvis)
el Último elvis (the last elvis)

life is generally crummy for buenos aires elvis impersonator carlos gutierrez (first-time actor john mcinerny). his family life is a shambles, his factory job sucks – about the only good times are when, proud in a rhinestone jumpsuit, he’s onstage channeling e - belting out “an american trilogy,” “suspicious minds,” or “you were always on my mind.” when an accident forces him to take responsibility for his daughter lisa marie (sic), the story moves into father and daughter bonding territory, but it reaches deeper and becomes a character study of a man who devotes his life to reaching his dream. first time director armando bo (screenplay for biutiful) has created a bluesy, heartbreaking, focused film featuring mcinerny’s immensely strong central performance. fábula (fable)

agustin falco, 13 min. argentina

while mowing the lawn, a young man and his dog are distracted by a beautiful girl playing her guitar, the landowner’s daughter. a distressed horse and a shared ipod set in motion an impossible love.

the films of john anderson

director john anderson and special guests will discuss his past and present work, including the 2012 film, the beach boys: doin' it again (2012), brian wilson presents smile (2005), and his newest liverpool to memphis, featuring joey molland has it's world premiere at cimmfest. mr. anderson is an emmy-winning and grammy-nominated editor, director and executive producer, whose work has aired on pbs, a&e, mtv, vh1, showtime, cinemax, hbo, fox, abc, nbc, cbs, muchmusic, the bbc and elsewhere around the world.

frank haney, assistant director on brian wilson presents smile live , and co-writer for the beach boys: doin' it again, will moderate the event.

watch the joey molland: liverpool to memphis trailer...

i am not a rockstar w/ live performance
i am not a rock star

a portrait of piano prodigy marika bournaki, that follows the young canadian woman over the course of eight years as she grows from age 12 to 20. wnd with her stunning piano performances, bournaki’s life unfolds on screen, revealing both the rewards and costs of a life dedicated to music. followed by a special short performance with star marika bournaki.
with q&a solo, piano - nyc

short doc, anthony sherin (usa) (5 min.)

an abandoned piano on a city street gives the curious pause and the talented an audience on a cold winter’s day near discarded christmas trees. some even measure it to bring it home. the elegance of its juxtaposition, and the brevity of its public life.

wygrany (the winner)
wygrany (the winner)

oliver, a poland-born chicago-raised concert pianist, faces emotional turmoil when he returns to poland for a highly anticipated performance. he walks off the stage without playing a note - and then finds himself stranded in warsaw. a random meeting with a horse-playing math professor points him toward personal and artistic freedom. beautifully filmed in warsaw, chicago, and baden baden, it is a low-key, charming meditation on the cost of competition in the artistic world. oliver finds himself in the cage created when business and creative demands collide. frank, the professor with a knack for picking the ponies, helps oliver escape the cage, while in turn oliver helps frank confront his own demons. the characters are well-sketched, particularly frank, and the performances are strong but understated. the unusual plot turns are plausible because the pace is unforced, including the romantic scenes, which are handled with a hint of mystery. oh yeah, there's an elvis motif happening, too!

how to eat your watermelon in white company (and enjoy it)
how to eat your watermelon in white company and enjoy it (2003)

joe angio's biographical doc about melvin van peebles, iconoclastic director of sweet sweetback's badasssss song, takes us deep into his life and times. van peebles, ex-aviator, trailblazing movie director and novelist, wall street trader, father and firebrand, the man who opened the door for american black cinema in hollywood would subsequently be shut out.

killer mike "reagan"
greenwich village: music that defined a generation

feature documentary, directed by laura archibald, 92 min, canada
for the first time, the greatest singer-songwriters, authors, and performers from greenwich village reflect on how they collectively became the voice of a generation. through poignant interviews, rare archival footage and new live performances, greenwich village: music that defined a generation tells a story about community, courage and most importantly – music.

kid color & atmosphere strut
cimmfest teams up with the whistler to present kid color and joe carsello, delivering a night of candy for your ears and eyes 80s style.

black bananas "it's cool"
apocalypse: a bill callahan tour film

feature documentary, directed by hanly banks, 60 min, usa
houston-based hanly banks’ experimental documentary captures the underground creativity of 46-year-old bill callahan on tour in support of 2011's apocalypse. his lo-fi sound filled with twang and reverb offers a noirish take on americana. her film of callahan and his band (guitarist matt kinsey and drummer neal morgan) neatly stitches together different performances with scenes from the road. a rare glimpse into - and out from - the tour van windows of an important american songwriter.

magnetic reconnection

short documentary, directed by kyle armstrong, 12 min, usa
in this compelling short documentary, kyle armstrong uses strong visual content coupled with the dynamic score of jim o’rourke and voice over by will oldham (matewan, wendy and lucy) to engage the subject of decay and juxtapose the beauty of the aurora borealis.

cimmfest and closed sessions present: the closed sessions showcase featuring treated crew

on april 19th, closed sessions will join with cimmfest to host a special night of music and film. taking place at the double door, the event will include a special presentation of closed sessions documentaries, accompanied by performances from artists affiliated with the closed sessions label.

the event will highlight the intersection of music and film, and focus on the art of storytelling as it exists in both mediums.

performances by:

treated crew, juice, showyousuck, alex wiley.

proceeds to benefit kuumba lynx

takeo, a percussionist with down syndrome
despite having been born with down syndrome, takeo found a passion at an early age for listening to and playing music, specifically beating the drum. in this touching documentary consisting largely of home videos, takeo travels from his home in japan to senegal, reminding everyone he meets (and lucky viewers of this film) of the eternal power of music to transcend language, geography and disability.

with q&a
director: takashi tokida old man and the bird
music video, directed by katie kapuza, 3 min, usa.

bonzo terks (w/ visual artist theo darst)
by pushing the boundaries of composition and improvising together cohesively, bonzo terks excels in unique, original and creative music. it is jazz with a startling youthful energy but make no mistake, the sound is grown-up, sophisticated, unwavering. harboring members that explore spontaneous composition, free jazz, ambient & textural music, noise, tape manipulations, the quartet takes an unconventional approach to creating their unique brand of music. joining the quartet will be theo darst on visuals.

the ancestor
six strings meltdown

feature documentary, directed by sam epstein, 104 min, england/usa
this 2010 meltdown festival concert film from london was for its curator richard thompson “an opportunity to show off some of my favorite artists.” like james master of the telecaster’ burton (“hello mary lou,” and yes “mystery train”); martin simpson (“in the pines”); the ventures’ nokie edwards (“walk don’t run” and yes “wipeout”); motown legend dennis coffey (wah wah on “cloud 9”); and john etheridge (mingus's “goodbye pork pie hat”). with vocalist christine collister, jay bellerose on drums and bassist jerry scheff, thompson adds a blistering “jealous words” and “ghosts in the wind.” cimmfest debut film.

in search of blind joe death: the saga of john fahey
the brilliant, curious career of steel-string demigod john fahey (1939-2001), the “father of american primitive guitar," haunts our history. his body of work hangs in the halls of american genius somewhere between john coltrane and walt whitman. this riveting film explores how fahey stretched every boundary of our musical traditions. after he transcended his essential delta blues influences, he remixed appalachian bluegrass, brazilian, classical, indian, new orleans jazz, musique concrète, and gothic industrial ambient music. awestruck witnesses to this complex, wounded soul include pete townshend, thurston moore of sonic youth, joey burns of calexico, chris funk of the decemberists and barry hansen aka dr. demento. stray dawg

short documentary, directed by sean dunne, 15 min, usa
director sean dunne (american juggalo) documents modern country musician jonny corndawg (of the band dawes) as he tours the california coast on his motorcycle and prepares to run a marathon.

the wild 'n' tender dane sturgeon

short documentary, directed by adam ridley, 15 min, usa
having self-released one righteous folk-rock record in 1967 and promptly forgotten by history, dane sturgeon’s music has recently been revived by crate diggers and is now being reissued on yoga records. director adam ridley shows sturgoen’s rebel spirit still intact today - growing weed and living in a trailer with his thai wife.

sacrificial youth
sacrificial youth is a hardcore punk musical that tells the story of tj, a teenager caught at the crossroads. when a multi-national corporation hatches an evil plot of biblical proportions to destroy the scene, tj is forced to accept his fate as the chosen one to stand up and fight back.this the second feature film by the folks who brought you the acclaimed documentary you weren't there - a history of chicago punk 1977-1984.

with q & a wax trax!, a trailer for the upcoming documentary film directed by joe losurdo and christina tillman about the legendary chicago record label.

and with

what up little kid, music video, directed by ramiro castro jr., 4 min. usa

unconscious therapy
unconscious therapy
house is a feeling”...one that got its start by blending genres and unifying races at unforgettable warehouse shows. featuring artists who made their name in house and shape what it is today (colette, derrick carter, mark farina and more), unconscious therapy tells the whole house story and keeps the feeling going. it’s an homage to a form of music that chicago has proudly called its own.

with q & a diplo

music video, 4 min, usa

very extremely dangerous
very extremely dangerous

reaching down into the american cultural garbage dump, irish director paul duane and author robert gordon (it came from memphis) scoop up a glittering discarded subject. they follow a messy wild period as jerry mcgill, a once menacing 1970s memphis fringe-dweller with one hit record and a career in crime, now 70 and with lung cancer, attempts an insanely improbable musical comeback. like a car crash you can’t look away from, mcgill abuses his fiancé, friends and every substance (pig tranquilizer, anyone?) he can get his hands on. must-see true southern gothic horror with no happy ending.

doctor bucketman
for street drumming you need at least three buckets: one to sit on, one to play, and one to put the money in. spain's master street drummer explains how he was once in a very tight financial spot that left him without a drum set, so he started playing on paint buckets, pots and pans. but what filled his bucket was worth far more than money. el gran rio (the mighty river)

rubén plataneo, 92 min, argentinaguinea

malk de koijn "en gang" ("a long time ago")

a man travels back in time, through past memories of being young, careless and free.

no hay nadie allá afuera (no one outside)

feature documentary, directed by haroldo fajardo, 62 min, mexico

gerardo, a 17 year-old boy, wastes his days rehearsing with his rock band, wandering the streets, skipping school, and longing for the beautiful andrea. home is a place to avoid, because, as everywhere, there is no one outside and nothing is happening here.

go go bizkitt! "jump!"

music video, directed by matt stone, 2 min, usa

tremor low - "kingmaker"

music video, directed by the perez brothers, 4 min, usa

what up little kid
sacrificial youth
sacrificial youth is a hardcore punk musical that tells the story of tj, a teenager caught at the crossroads. when a multi-national corporation hatches an evil plot of biblical proportions to destroy the scene, tj is forced to accept his fate as the chosen one to stand up and fight back.this the second feature film by the folks who brought you the acclaimed documentary you weren't there - a history of chicago punk 1977-1984.
feature fiction, directed by joe losurdo, 80 min, usa
with q & a

and with

wax trax!
a trailer for the upcoming documentary film directed by joe losurdo and christina tillman about the legendary chicago record label, 5 min, usa

aka doc pomus
aka doc pomus

the life of doc pomus (jerome felder 1925-1991) is one of american music’s great untold stories. paralyzed with polio as a child, he reinvented himself as a blues singer and emerged as a brilliant songwriter of the early rock and roll era, writing “save the last dance for me,” “this magic moment,” “a teenager in love,” “viva las vegas,” and dozens of other hits. like a faded postcard from the lost magic kingdom of the brill building, packed with incomparable music and rare archival photos, a.k.a. doc pomus has interviews with dr. john, ben e. king, joan osborne, shawn colvin, dion, leiber and stoller, b.b. king, as well as doc’s private journals read by his close friend lou reed.

with q & a

aktar aktar / alma negra / bongonya / the stockyards

aktar aktar sound like a tightrope act of modern american/british rock swinging over a safety net of the classics.

alma negra is the ultimate marriage of local garage and metal.

space ravaged and cosmic conquering, bongonya is psychedelic punk rock groove-a-thon with riffs up the ass!

the stockyards are high energy, socially-conscious punk straight from the garage; hungry, angry and dying for a drink, ready to scream their guts out and play until someone breaks.

boom box kids
a bro-mantic comedy set to the harmonious groove of the 90's.
boy band front-men curtis and jayke must put aside their own solo ambitions lest they tear the band apart. forever. discoverdale

feature fiction, directed by george kane, 81 min, uk
just when irish comedy rockers dead cat bounce are feeling like a band without a purpose, singer james whalmsey stumbles upon something shocking: his biological father might be none other than whitesnake frontman david coverdale! this hilarious spoof documentary follows the band as they travel on a shoestring budget across europe to deliver the news to coverdale himself and verify their rightful hair metal roots.

twelve foot ninja "mother sky"

music video, directed by steve mackay, 5 min, australia

twelve foot ninja "mother sky"
discoverdale

feature fiction, directed by george kane, 81 min, uk
just when irish comedy rockers dead cat bounce are feeling like a band without a purpose, singer james whalmsey stumbles upon something shocking: his biological father might be none other than whitesnake frontman david coverdale! this hilarious spoof documentary follows the band as they travel on a shoestring budget across europe to deliver the news to coverdale himself and verify their rightful hair metal roots.

boom box kids

short fiction, directed by taylor gledhill, 22 min, usa
a bro-mantic comedy set to the harmonious groove of the 90's. boy band front-men curtis and jayke must put aside their own solo ambitions lest they tear the band apart. forever.

narcizas (narcissus)

narcissus (from greek narkissos) shares the root nark- with narcosis and narcotic. all these words have the same origin in the verb narkaō – to intoxicate through a strong smell.

in the modern interpretation of the antique myth teodore is a handsome and multiply gifted string quartet cello player, who knows his own value. he draws people in, but ends up hurting them, yet he is impossible to resist. teodore abandons his family, career, and friends in his quest for a true challenge. he has yet to find out that his greatest confrontation will be with himself.

with q & a dalila (delilah)
short fiction, directed by paola marino, 7 min, canada

in her fourth operatic interpretation at cimmfest with celebrated soprano lauren segal, director paola marino (special jury prize winner cimmfest 2009) delivers a beautiful story of seduction and betrayal in her rendition of the aria "mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" from camille saint-saens' opera samson et dalila. through this song, dalila tries to seduce samson and discover the secret of his strength.

true blues
true blues
it all begins with a seemingly simple question: what is the blues? combining interviews and concert footage, director daniel patinkin lets the most well-known modern day bluesmen and women give heartfelt answers...about how the blues makes them feel, what the blues means to our country, and how they carry on the legacy of such greats each time they take the stage.

with q & a

join star corey harris for night of live music at rosa's lounge, following the film at 8pm.

musical chairs
musical chairs is a story about love, strength, resilience - and ballroom dancing! armando ortiz and mia franklin meet at a dance studio where mia is an instructor and armando a handyman who trades odd jobs in exchange for dance lessons. after mia is in an accident that leaves her without use of her legs, armando stays by her side, and convinces mia and others from her rehab to sign up for the “wheelchair ballroom dance competition.” directed by award- winning-filmmaker susan seidelman (desperately seeking susan) musical chairs is a film full of life and love - and the transformative power of music. linger and fade

music video, directed by simon pietro de domenico, 5 min, usa/italy

odd obsession foreign film series + impala sound champions djs
cimmfest + odd obsession foreign flm series + the impala sound champions team up to celebrate 4/20! with a night of dub & dancehall music featuring reggae based film rockers ('78) & more.

mucca pazza "boss taurus"
the source family

feature documentary, directed by maria demopoulos and jodi wille, 98 min, usa
the source family's popular celebrity-hangout restaurant, utopian commune, rock band, and beautiful women made them the darlings of hollywood's sunset strip; but their outsider ideals and controversial spiritual leader father yod instigated local authorities. they fled to hawaii, leading to their dramatic demise, but yod’s spirit lives on.

muddy waters and the rolling stones at the checkerboard lounge, chicago 1981
muddy waters and the rolling stones at the checkerboard lounge, chicago 1981

chicago blues played a seminal role on the stones early sound (so much so that they recorded at chess studios in 1964). on november 22, 1981, during their us tour, the rolling stones paid a visit to chicago's south side to watch muddy waters perform at the legendary checkerboard lounge. before too long mick, keith, ronnie, and ian stewart joined muddy on stage, as does the equally legendary junior wells, buddy guy and lefty dizz.

no love song
when ex-lovers are forced together to record, paula (rosanna arquette, after hours, pulp fiction, the whole nine yards) must knock some sense into the duo so they can all move on with their lives. shorts program one

nous ne serons plus jamais seuls (we will never be alone)

time, again

over home: love songs from madison county

heat leisure

harana
harana

filipino-american classical guitarist florante aguilar returns to the philippines and rediscovers the music of harana – an abandoned tradition of filipino men with guitars serenading under windows to women. he finds three of the last surviving harana practitioners - a farmer, a fisherman and a tricycle driver. taken by their golden voices, aguilar asks them to travel with him to perform and record their songs. after triumphant live performances in the small villages and concert halls, they record the first authentic harana album in the last fifty years. with a treasure trove of beautiful filipino music, the film rekindles a connection with the past before it is lost, and shows a side of the philippines rarely seen on screen.

with q & a we got it made

music video, austin kase, 4 min, usa.

i got the blues in austin
as the rolling stones prepare to play austin, chris jagger, broadcaster & brother of the legendary mick, joins local radio host john peyton and visits austin's legendary surviving blues artists, including: the late pinetop perkins, lavelle white, jimmie ray vaughan and hubert sumlin. the film culminates with a heart-warming jam session between pinetop perkins & the rolling sessions backstage. i got the blues in austin allows audiences to spend intimate moments with the last of a blues generation in austin like no other. get yer ya-ya's out! (2009)

short doc, albert maysles, bradley kaplan, ian marciewicz, 28min, usa
sponsored by: apkco
a spellbinding film diary of five songs performed at madison square garden during the stones’ 1969 u.s. tour, a photo shoot featuring mick, charlie, and a donkey, a mixing session at olympic studios, backstage tête-à-têtes between keith, jimi hendrix and mick taylor, and a heliport summit meeting before the debacle at altamont.

with q & a

placebo
an ageing couple manage to keep the magic in their relationship in a way only o. henry could tell (if della had bought jim a guitar once played by eric clapton instead of a watch chain!) the ballad of hugh, marco difelice, 68 min, canada.

the ballad of hugh
if every film project is built on a dream, then inside first-time director marco difelice’s ballad of hugh is another quixotic dream. hugh oliver, an 82-year-old toronto musician with a sweet mid-range baritone voice reminiscent of ringo starr and a sheaf-full of mid-tempo songs, dreams of pop stardom. difelice sets out to realize that goal by booking a recording session to cut hugh’s songs.

with q & a

director marco difelice; starring hugh oliver placebo

sarah evans, 11 min, uk
an ageing couple manage to keep the magic in their relationship in a way only o. henry could tell (if della had bought jim a guitar once played by eric clapton instead of a watch chain!)

bloodshot showcase: lydia loveless/luke winslow-king
luke winslow-king is irresistible americana, a vibrant amalgam of blues, counrty and folk, with an anything-is-possible attitude that could’ve only come from the languid streets of new orleans. the dynamic singer-songwriter/guitarist’s latest album, the coming tide, is out april 26 on bloodshot. blessed with a commanding and defiant voice, lydia loveless, in her early 20’s still, sings songs about the kind of heartache usually reserved for someone working on her third marriage. mixing her family’s country roots with her exploration into the punk scene has resulted in sound best

sonoi (w/visuals created by joy whalen)
sonoi creates an experimental pop sound defined by clean melodic lines and a wandering, ethereal imagery. they strike an intriguing balance between strange and spacious soundscapes and folk-inspired pop. created from that encounter are smart, sophisticated and magnetic exercises in ambience. accompanying visuals are created by joy whalen.

provinces & matthew shelton

a synesthete’s dream, matthew shelton’s various musical projects range in styles from folk to jazz to afrobeat. all illustrate an incredible attention to detail, nothing so better demonstrated than by his gorgeous, handmade lightboxes which will be featured as well. shelton’s subdued, wry musings bring a refreshing viewpoint to whichever genre he tackles.

brandon seyferth’s new project, provinces has only recorded a handful of demos thus far, but has instant likeability with a rainy day in chicago kind of feel,  true urban americana.

last shop standing
last shop standing

feature documentary, directed by pip piper, 50 min, uk
official record store day 2013 film
inspired by graham jones’s eponymous book, last shop standing takes the audience behind the counter to explore why independent record shops are disappearing in the uk. it charts their rise and fall through interviews with shop owners, music industry leaders, and musicians like paul weller, johnny marr, norman cook, billy bragg, nerina pallot, richard hawley and clint boon. all testify how these shops were more than just retail outlets - but essential parts of the culture, places for musicians and music fans to get together and discover great new music.
support your local and your international record stores on record stor day april 20! rebel, rebel, rebel

short documentary, directed by kyle schneider, 25 min, usa
an aspiring dj's rise to fame, despite incompetence and peer rejection, culminating in a counseling session with bobcat goldthwait.

fallin' for you

music video, directed by ursula ellis, 5 min.

captcha showcase: onyou / songs for gods / aru+bbjr / windbreaker
from the always cool captcha records comes an experimental showcase starting with windbreaker, an upbeat synth-heavy dance band from detroit, followed by aural resuscitation unit (aru), which sounds like a future where machines dance, and you think you like it. bbjr is a song explorer with a pack full of instruments, and plunges into free jazz, drone, noise and outsider sounds with an adventurous ear. shape shoppe residents songs for gods material is heavily based around loops, mpc chops, auditory hallucinations, higher states of consciousness, poly-rhythms, and funk. finish off with the slow burn of onyou, a throbbing instrumental experiment that leaves you just a little mutated.

the rolling stones: charlie is my darling - ireland, 1965
the rolling stones charlie is my darling - ireland 1965 - abkco films (2012)

newly discovered, never-before-seen-footage has been woven into this intimate, behind-the-scenes diary of early life on the road with the stones. shot just weeks after their single “satisfaction” hit number one on the charts, it features their first professionally filmed concert. charlie is my darling - ireland 1965 captures the band before they became legends. when the lads still wore those cool mod jackets.

with q & a

rolling like a stone

the starting point for the film is an 8mm amateur home movie from 1965, where mick jagger, keith richards and brian jones from the rolling stones attends an after-concert party with local musicians and pop fans. for some the party never ends. immortalized on a forgotten home movie, the party-goers try, forty years later, to make sense of these memories, and the eternal question of 'what could have been?'

two
a lady in a blue dress pulls a part of herself out of an aging piano that both entraps and intrigues her. featuring an original interpretation of liszt's piano transcription of j.s. bach's fugue bwv 543 in a minor by pianist njo kong kie. viva viva

feature documentary, directed by carolina pfister, 100 min, usa
in this intimate portrait of punk in urban brazil, filmmaker carolina pfister takes us from the slums to the city center of sao paulo to evoke the harsh realities of urban life in south america, and the role of punk in creating a culture of creative resistance. pfister was born in switzerland to brazilian parents who were fleeing dictatorship. she moved to the us after spending years in brazil and was first introduced to punk and diy ethics. it took her 10 years to make this film, which she shot, produced, and edited.

crystal bright & the silver hands/summer girlfriends/teenage rage
singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist crystal bright's music defies easy categorization: a little bit carnival, burlesque, and fairy tale, bright’s theatrical voice and reedy accordion lead the way for a bizarre mélange of styles including polka, gypsy folk, old french parlor songs, cabaret, and a touch of latin flair.

pop quintet summer girlfriends have an alarming knack for classic hooks, evoking the island twang of look blue go purple’s classic new zealand sound, the band brings the party.

teenage rage dishes up some jangly, low-fi indie folk with a mix of playful lyrics sung with a sense of urgency.

discoverdale
discoverdale

just when irish comedy rockers dead cat bounce are feeling like a band without a purpose, singer james whalmsey stumbles upon something shocking: his biological father might be none other than whitesnake frontman david coverdale! this hilarious spoof documentary follows the band as they travel on a shoestring budget across europe to deliver the news to coverdale himself and verify their rightful hair metal roots. boom box kids

short fiction, directed by taylor gledhill, 22 min, usa
a bro-mantic comedy set to the harmonious groove of the 90's. boy band front-men curtis and jayke must put aside their own solo ambitions lest they tear the band apart. forever.

twelve foot ninja "mother sky"

music video, directed by steve mackay, 5 min, australia

plume giant "we got it made"
harana: the search for the lost art of serenade

feature documentary, directed by benito bautista, 103m, philippines
filipino-american classical guitarist florante aguilar returns to the philippines and rediscovers the music of harana – an abandoned tradition of filipino men with guitars serenading under windows to women. he finds three of the last harana practitioners - a farmer, a fisherman and a tricycle driver. aguilar asks them to travel with him to perform and record their songs. after triumphant live performances in small villages and concert halls, they record the first authentic harana album in 50 years. with its beautiful filipino music, the film rekindles a connection with the past before it is lost, and shows a side of the philippines rarely seen on screen.

old man and the bird
music by john wesley harding and megan reilly takeo, a percussionist with down syndrome
feature documentary, directed by takashi tokida, 76 min, japan

labyrinth
ravi shankar, tenth decade in concert: live in escondido

cinematographer and director kozlowski brings a personal perspective to his film of 91-year-old sitar master ravi shankar performing in southern california in october 2011. kozlowski, who has himself studied the sitar with ravi since 1978, lets the master’s raw, powerful performance leave its lasting impression. this film is a testament to this great artist simply unable to stop making his transformative music.

wrong blood

music video, directed by shanti masud & sigrid bouaziz, 4 min, france

diplo "set it off"
unconscious therapy

feature documentary, directed by steven harnell, 90 min, usa
“house is a feeling”...one that started by blending genres and unifying races at unforgettable warehouse shows. featuring artists who made their name in house and shape what it is today - colette, derrick carter, mark farina and others - unconscious therapy tells the whole house story and keeps the feeling going. an homage to the important music genre that chicago proudly calls its own.

the punk syndrome
the punk syndrome

this is what punk used to be about - buck the system and do it loud! it follows four finnish musicians with intellectual disabilities who form the punk band pertti kurikan nimipäivät. pertti, kari, toni and sami rehearse, record and tour in fine punk fashion. the band sings about themes common to both the punk and the disabled community – condescension, discrimination, systemic corruption, and independence. the punk syndrome won two jussi awards (the finnish equivalent to the oscars) in february 2013. krs one: brooklyn to the bronx

short, seth "brimstone127" schere, jerry kober, jacob schere, joshua moise, 7 min, usa

the acclaimed hip hop artist laments about his discovery of the medium and the freedom of art, music and living without material baggage.

last song before the war panel

from the bustling streets of mali’s capital of bamako to the dunes of the sahara desert, “the last song before the war” takes the audience on a journey to the most remote music festival in the world, the festival in the desert. the famed three-day event features prominent musicians from around the world with malian, tuareg, and west african artists.

after years of living in peace, mali has taken a tragic turn for the worst. as of january 2012, former qaddafi fighters who are flooding back into mali with the aim of forming an independent tuareg state of azawad and have fueled a new rebellion.

the panel follows the film and features the filmmakers kiley kraskousks, andrea papitto, and leola calzolai-stewart, as well as alisa baum of the old town school of folk music, who has traveled to mali for the festival and brought many malian musicians to chicago. also appearing will be abou ansar, a member of the kel ansar tribe and special advisor to "the last song before the war" film crew. last song before the war

musik asktir (music is love)
the music expressed on a painted body. joey molland: liverpool to memphis

feature documentary, directed by john anderson, 56 min.

like his fellow liverpool natives the beatles, joey molland grew up on american rhythm and blues. in 1969, at the age of 22, he co-founded badfinger, whose first four singles became international top ten hits. joey would go on to perform and record with george harrison, john lennon and many others.

as he prepares for the release of his new cd, recorded in memphis, badfinger's only surviving member looks back on his remarkable life and career.

q&a with director john anderson and joey molland from badfinger

watch the trailer...

my father and the man in black
this is an act of personal archeology by writer/director jonathan holiff about his father saul holiff, who managed johnny cash during his crazed pill-fueled 1960s jags, triumphs at folsom and san quentin, wedding to june carter, and his conversion in the early 1970s to old-time religion. mixing found footage, creative re-enactments and poignant voice-over narration, it is also a catharsis for its maker, and engrossing journalism to boot.

with q & a be it ever so humble, there's no place

short fiction, directed by anthony ladesich, 8 min, usa
using found recordings created in 1959 by cb embree, an early beatnick friend of director anthony ladesich’s (cimmfest 2012 alumn) humble is the story of the “ghost of kansas city” and the death of kansas city jazz, starring jazz legend bobby watson.

the mystery in old bathbath
legendary underground musicians, inventors, puppeteers and hurricane katrina survivors quintron & ms. pussycat (director panacea theriac), debut their most ambitious project yet, the mystery of old bathbath. this long-form psychedelic puppet film is the ultimate realization of their ongoing series, trixie and the treetrunks, that originally aired on vice’s vbs channel. tuning the pulse

short documentary, directed by ashkan soltani, 26 min, usa
tuning the pulse offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at notoriously reclusive cult musician jandek. director ashkan soltani gains unprecedented access to jandek’s creative process as he guides his makeshift band through their single rehearsal and the resulting performance. the veil is lifted - but the mystery of jandek remains.

the stranger

short fiction, directed by edgars legzdins & philip stone, 14 min, usa
a hallucinatory horror series ripped from the twisted mind of cult musician and flower-based painter, edgars legzdins. son of latvia’s famous folk musician alberts legzdins, edgars’ brings a klaus kinski-like intensity to the stranger as he stars in every role filming himself with an outdated cell phone camera.

with q & a

i dream the video: a short film by univore

short fiction, directed by nicholas flandro, 5 min, usa
created exclusively for cimmfest, i dream the video is a surreal journey through the psyche of one man, played by former robert de niro stand-in marco casale, who is convinced that he creates videos through his dreams. in this liminal state he discovers several answers - only one of which is real.

with q & a

jagoff "americon idle"
greenwich village: music that defined a generation

feature documentary, directed by laura archibald, 92 min, canada
for the first time, the greatest singer-songwriters, authors, and performers from greenwich village reflect on how they collectively became the voice of a generation. through poignant interviews, rare archival footage and new live performances, greenwich village: music that defined a generation tells a story about community, courage and most importantly – music.

with

killer mike: reagan

music video, directed by daniel garcia, harry teitelman, 4 min, usa

the shadow gang: josh lamb spins the world of immersive interactive technology for music and film.

the shadow gang is a new breed of entertainment studio that creates original media experiences using ‘galahad,’ the studio’s proprietary, turnkey multi-platform distribution engine. with galahad, the shadow gang helps content owners to expand distribution channels, build and engage new audiences, and realize new revenue potential. the shadow gang not only builds interactive, multi-platform experiences for partners in film, television, music, publishing, gaming, major branding and more, the studio also develops and produces original content across genres, platforms, and devices. this is the next wave, you really want to see this!

wrong blood
ravi shankar, tenth decade in concert: live in escondido

cinematographer and director kozlowski brings a personal perspective to his film of 91-year-old sitar master ravi shankar performing in southern california in october 2011. kozlowski, who has himself studied the sitar with ravi since 1978, lets the master’s raw, powerful performance leave its lasting impression. this film is a testament to this great artist simply unable to stop making his transformative music.

labyrinth

music video, directed by shanti masud, 4 min, france

shorts program 2
featureing two short films from the sigur ros valtari mystery film experiment

ekki mukk (not a peep) directed by nick abrahams, 10 min., uk

a magical walk through the british countryside, where a man who has lost his way meets a lonely snail. featuring aidan gillen (the wire, game of thrones) and the voice of cult folk singer shirley collins, as well as a haunting soundtrack by icelandic rockers sigur ros. part of the sigur ros valtari mystery film experiment.

stakeout directed by kit pongetti, 12 min., usa
best friends stakeout parties for laughs - and to avoid going to them; until one builds up the courage to go inside herself - an act that will change their relationship forever.

strum, strum directed by paul wong sean, a timid traveler, meets spunky lisa in a hostel. the two connect through shared songs and a guitar. but sean can’t get past his shyness and express his real feelings before it’s time for lisa to leave with her too-cool boyfriend, leaving sean alone once again. a last minute burst of courage salvages a friendship out of an otherwise lost love.

leaning toward solace directed by floria sigismondi, 12 min., usa
sara (elle fanning the curious case of benjamin button, super 8, déjà vu) graces the desolate landscape of this dreamy end of her father’s (john hawkes deadwood, winter’s bone, lincoln) life. part of the sigur ros valtari mystery film experiment.

the mary jane project directed by cinnamon alexandra triano, 30 min., usa
a cathartic story about mary jane, told to her niece (director cinnamon alexandra triano) through phone conversations, old photographs, and 8mm home movies, set to a sound track mary jane recorded from the radio on her reel-to-reel tape recorder of her favorite music—played back in its 40-year-old, off-speed, wobbly glory. also adding their voices are her vietnam vet boyfriend, best friend, older sister, and younger brother.
q&a with director cinnamon alexandra triano

#postmodern directed by jillian mayer, 12 min., usa
an existential, satirical, sci-fi, pop-musical based on the theories of ray kurzweil and other futurists. this trippy sundance film festival selection will make you look differently at that smartphone in your hand… among other things. q&a

viva viva
in this intimate portrayal of punk in urban brazil, filmmaker carolina pfister takes us from the slums to the city center of sao paulo. also a portrait of sao paulo, this film evokes the harsh realities of urban life in south america, and the role of punk in creating a culture of creative resistance. pfister was born in switzerland to brazilian parents fleeing dictatorship. she moved to the us after spending many years in brazil and was introduced to punk and diy ethics. it took her ten years to make this film, which she shot, produced, and edited. two

short fiction, directed by elif isikozlu, 7 min, canada
a lady in a blue dress pulls a part of herself out of an aging piano that both entraps and intrigues her. featuring an original interpretation of liszt's piano transcription of j.s. bach's fugue bwv 543 in a minor by pianist njo kong kie.

los wild ones
los wild ones

reb kennedy is hard working irishman who grew up a punk rocker in dubland in the seventies. he moves to san fransisco and begins booking old rockabilly bands, but it’s not enough for him, there just isn’t enough energy in the old guys. he finds what he’s been looking for, high energy rockabilly, in la played by young mexicans. he records luis and the wild teens and omar and the string poppers and wild records is born. reb runs the wild the only way he knows, with total control, passion for the music and love for the musicians. his relentless dedication to the honesty and integrity of the music, as well as to the most mundane jobs keeps the label rolling along. the recordings are raw and powerful, just what reb needs to create a thriving rockabilly scene in the mexican community. great music, great hair and cool cars, that’s the life.

the stranger

the stranger is a hallucinatory horror series ripped from the minds of underground musician and flower-based painter edgars legzdins, editor philip t. stone and jemo jemo. son of latvia’s famous folk musician, alberts legzdins, edgars brings a kinski-like intensity to the stranger, starring in every role and filming himself with an outdated cell phone camera. the mystery of old bathbath

feature fiction, directed by quintron and ms. pussycat, 45 min, usa
legendary underground musicians, inventors, puppeteers and hurricane katrina survivors quintron & ms. pussycat (director panacea theriac) debut their most ambitious project yet: the mystery of old bathbath. this long-form psychedelic puppet film is the ultimate realization of their ongoing series trixie and the treetrunks which originally aired on the online television network, vbs.tv.

i dream the video: a short film by univore

short fiction, directed by nicholas flandro, 5 min, usa
created exclusively for cimmfest, "i dream the video" is a surreal journey through the psyche of one man, played by former robert de niro stand-in marco casale, who is convinced that he creates videos through his dreams. in this liminal state he discovers several answers - only one of which is real.

tuning the pulse

short documentary, directed by ashkan soltani, 26 min, usa
tuning the pulse offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at notoriously reclusive cult musician jandek. director ashkan soltani gains unprecedented access to jandek’s creative process as he guides his makeshift band through their single rehearsal and the resulting performance. the veil is lifted - but the mystery of jandek remains.

wax trax!: the iconic punk and industrial label's soiree musicale!

come hang out with julia nash, daughter of wax trax! records co-founder jim nash. listen to some tunes, watch some video, and talk about all the great times, great music and creative insanity that = wax trax! records. julia has invited a bunch of the wax trax! "family" including vocalist / musician chris connelly of revolting cocks & ministry; ken waagner, director of promotions / rocket scientist for wax trax! records; sean joyce, who started working at wax trax! records' store at the age of 16 and then toured with some of their most major artists such as ministry; reid hyams, owner of chicago trax recording (wax trax! homebase recording studio) and co-president of ears.

hank cochran: livin' for a song
hank “the legend” cochran, who died at 74 in 2010, wrote country ballads so perfectly shaped and cadenced you hardly believe they were written at all. artists who’ve recorded his songs include willie nelson, patsy cline, elvis costello, merle haggard, burl ives, george jones, loretta lynn, brad paisley, johnny paycheck, ray price, linda ronstadt, and george strait. his hits include "i fall to pieces," "a 11, " "make the world go away," "a little bitty tear," "the chair," and "don't touch me." this impossibly stuffed tribute film barely scratches the surface of his art – but it sure tries. dillon hodges "bullet for a broken heart

music video, directed by brandon faris, 4 min, usa

terrible spaceship/ autoredacted/ twin peaks/ slushy
this will be fun! slushy plays fuzzed-out infectious bubblegum pop a little sloppy and a little loud. twin peaks gets a little heavier, with their lo-fi garage infused pop. twin peaks sound like a confident band who are on the rise. terrible spaceships rediscovers media from the past and resuscitating it into a modern music and video multimedia experience - it's apocalyptic swing, baby! utilizing samples and live instrumentation for their original scores, terrible spaceship’s “invaders: 1938" has been described by the chicago tribune as "equally influenced by danny elfman, portishead and orson and h.g. welles. autoredacted, a live scoring piece by paul giallorenzo + bethany schmitt consists of digitally transferred and edited footage originally captured on 16mm film, scored live with synthesizer and electronics.

recording the world: chicago's giants of live sound

get insight into the world behind the music as ears and cimmcon bring you chicago’s giants of live sound.

timothy powell was born with a microphone in his hand, and has been recording since he was 12. with his mighty metro mobile recording truck he has been bringing you wxrt live concerts since 1979. among countless others, he has recorded live such greats as the rolling stones, dhamba 8, paul mccartney and ringo star.

danny leake owns a cd mastering laboratory, urban guerilla engineers. a 42-year-veteran master engineer, he is front of house for stevie wonder, the police, willie nelson, lupe fiasco, aretha franklin and on and on. in just the last year danny has worked in the uk at isle of wight and the queens diamond jubilee celebration, summerfest in osaka, japan, and bannaroo in tennessee.

hudson fair specializes in classical music recording. a grammy winning music producer and engineer, he spends his time recording and making live broadcasts at wfmt, recording at the ravinia festival martin theatre, and working out of his european operations base in krakow, poland. in february 2013, he was named tube and tape supremo by fluffy package records and tapes foundation. still a proponent of analog tape, he is working each week with vacuum tube equipment and tube microphones.

ravi shankar, tenth decade in concert: live in escondido
ravi shankar, tenth decade in concert: live in escondido

cinematographer and director kozlowski brings a personal perspective to his film of 91-year-old sitar master ravi shankar performing in southern california in october 2011. kozlowski, who has himself studied the sitar with ravi since 1978, lets the master’s raw, powerful performance leave its lasting impression. this film is a testament to this great artist simply unable to stop making his transformative music. labyrinth

music video, directed by shanti masud, 4 min, france

wrong blood

music video, directed by shanti masud & sigrid bouaziz, 4 min, france

stones in exile
the stones in exile in the spring of 1971, the rolling stones reluctantly departed the uk to take up residence in france. keith richards settled in a villa and this became the venue for the recording of much of the band’s masterpiece exile on main street. ""stones in exile"" tells the story in the band’s own words and through extensive archive footage of their time away from england and the creation of this extraordinary double album, which many regard as the rolling stones’ finest achievement. rolling stones music videos: child of the moon, jumping jack flash, we love you, 2000 light years, have you seen your mother baby, i've got you babe, etc.

slaughter nick for president
slaughter nick for president

in chaos theory, the “butterfly effect” is when a tiny change in one place triggers huge differences somewhere else. when washed-up canadian actor rob stewart finds out the astonishing news that nick slaughter, his character on the long-forgotten show “tropical heat” (1991-1993), was the poster boy for the tsunami of social change that hit serbia, he goes there to find out why. maybe a show with a cheesy detective wearing a ponytail and a hawaiian shirt can’t really change the world, but this film grapples with the political upheavals during an era of mass non-violent serbian protests leading to slobodan milosevic’s downfall. i am tom moody

short fiction, directed by ainslie henderson, 7 min., usa
in this beautiful animation, tom argues with his younger self about why he’s not a rock star today. a classic artist’s dilemma of fear and self-judgment.

krs one: brooklyn to the bronx
the acclaimed hip hop artist laments about his discovery of the medium and the freedom of art, music and living without material baggage. the punk syndrome

feature documentary, directed by jukka kärkkäinen, j-p passi, 85 min, finland
this is what punk used to be about - buck the system and do it loud! it follows four finnish musicians with intellectual disabilities who form the punk band pertti kurikan nimipäivät. pertti, kari, toni and sami rehearse, record and tour in fine punk fashion. the band sings about themes common to both the punk and the disabled community – condescension, discrimination, systemic corruption, and independence. the punk syndrome won two jussi awards (the finnish equivalent to the oscars) in february 2013.

nous ne serons plus jamais seuls (we will never be alone again)
a look at love, ecstasy, and disappointment in the paris club scene through black-and-white images of the night and the morning after. five friends wander a desolate landscape to once again find the rising sun in this homage to the silent cinema. shorts program one

no love song

time, again

over home: love songs from madison county

heat leisure

legend haz it & mz. diggy dulche
opening is mz. diggy dulche, an ethiopian-american producer and rap artist with a dulcet voice using clever r&b, soul & reggae samples to help deliver her positive rhymes.

legend haz it is a 7-piece hip-hop band with soul, jazz and r&b influenced grooves, blazing trumpet and trombone solos topped with the witty lyricism. this band’s live performance should not be missed.

get yer ya-ya's out!
a spellbinding film diary of five songs performed at madison square gardens during the rolling stones’ 1969 u.s. tour, a photo shoot featuring mick, charlie, and a donkey, a mixing session at olympic studios, backstage tête-à-têtes between keith, jimi hendrix and mick taylor, and a heliport summit meeting before altamont.
with q&a i got the blues in austin

feature documentary, directed by richard jemigan, 45 min, usa
as the stones prepare to play in austin texas, chris jagger, broadcaster and mick’s brother, joins local radio host john peyton to visit legendary austin blues artists including the late pinetop perkins, lavelle white, jimmie ray vaughan and hubert sumlin. the film ends with a heart-warming jam session between pinetop perkins and the rolling sessions backstage.

the funky meters / greyboy allstars / jc brooks & the uptown sound / panel
this all-star funkafied show will be preceded by a co-presented cimmfest multimedia panel on music composition for film in the lobby of the congress.

formed during an informal jam during the 1989 new orleans jazz and heritage festival, art neville, george porter jr., and russel batiste jr., founded what would be the core of the funky meter. in their 31-year history, the meters have grooved their way around the globe. their trademark sound blends funk, blues, and dance grooves with a new orleans vibe.

on april 16th, the greyboy allstars will release their fourth studio album, inland emperor, their first in six years. it has been 20 years since the greyboy allstars—frequenters of the scene surrounding the `70s soul-and-funkspinning dj greyboy—formed in san diego, with their producer and label owner as a namesake.

jc brooks & the uptown sound has attracted a true-blue grassroots following. since unleashing their bloodshot records debut “want more” (“a lively set of gritty old-school soul and funk injected with raw garage-rock aggression” - kexp), they’ve barnstormed north america and europe relentlessly, while burning up npr and aaa radio with their stomping cover of wilco’s “i am trying to break your heart.”

houdan the mystic "sleeping or worse"
dead man rockin' - john harrelson's life in music

feature documentary, directed by michael monteleone, 77 min, usa two of his former high school garage bandmates, michael monteleone and roger tessier, take full measure of irascible john harrelson, now 62, a claremont, california based rock 'n' roll and blues musician who never achieved any measurable popular success. fierce live performances attest to harrelson’s gritty chops. witnesses to his lived-the-blues passion include ben harper, friends, and his ex-wife. the filmmakers use harrelson’s hard-fought life as a kind of meditation on the meaning of success and achievement.

esperando el tsunami (waiting for the tsunami)
esperando el tsunami (waiting for the tsunami)
a visually and aurally intoxicating work of art, esperando el tsunami is french filmmaker vincent moon’s (la faute des fleurs) stunning collaboration with argentinian “transfolk” duo lulacruza as they journey across columbia. it doesn’t seem filmed as much as torn from a shaman’s fevered trance dream, this visual tone poem strews its opulent riches like gifts -- alejandra ortiz’s out-of-this-world chanted songs, indigenous music, field-recordings, natural soundscapes and sights. trópico exótico (exotic tropical)
directed by viviana gómez echeverry, 22 min., columbia
emilio has a band that is finally taking off. violeta, his ex-girlfriend and true love, suddenly comes back one night, shaking things up, but giving another chance to rekindle their relationship. with his love back and his music on the upswing, emilio feels like he is finally happy, but destiny plays a dirty card that will change their lives forever.

dance of the queer tide faeries
three modern day sprites congregate by the sea. in an attempt to preserve the picture-perfect horizon, they paint a backdrop for their colorful dance number. and you belong
feature documentary, directed by julia ostertag, 86 min, germany

la voce di rosa (rosa's voice) with live performance by the sicilian jazz project
italian folk singer rosa balistreri (1927-1990), called the “sicilian billie holiday,” receives fitting treatment in nello correale’s poignant la voce di rosa. famous in italy for the fierce dignity and power of her singing, balistreri’s protest songs grew from her stark, hardscrabble sicilian origins. the astonishing archival shots of sicily evoke italian neo-realist masters such as de sica and rossellini. it is sicily itself singing through rosa balistreri, this is the voice of a people and of a land. screening is followed by a special performance by the sicilian jazz ensemble honoring rosa through her music.

with

q&a

director: nello correale

with

performance: the sicilian jazz project
featuring roberto occhipinti and dominic mancuso

michael occhipinti’s sicilian jazz project has been dazzling audiences world-wide with its intriguing mix of sicilian folk material and the best elements of modern jazz, world music, funk, blues, and chamber music. in this special presentation at cimmfest, the sicilian jazz project celebrates the music of rosa balistreri.

read lanny grilly's interview with roberto occhipinti. performance: the sicilian jazz project
featuring roberto occhipinti and dominic mancuso

michael occhipinti’s sicilian jazz project has been dazzling audiences world-wide with its intriguing mix of sicilian folk material and the best elements of modern jazz, world music, funk, blues, and chamber music. in this special presentation at cimmfest, the sicilian jazz project celebrates the music of rosa balistreri. film: la voce di rosa (rosa’s voice)
director nello correale will be in attendance

twenty years have passed since the death of rosa balistreri, the legendary singer who personified the soul of sicilian folk music. her musical legacy is a collection of passionate, life-affirming songs that continue on in the repertoires of contemporary italian folk artists. the film la voce di rosa weaves period footage with contemporary performances as it follows actress donatella finocchiaro as she retraces rosa’s life in order to gain an understanding of the woman she is about to play in a film.

sister spit
the raucous, rowdy performance gang sister spit, brings a van-load of queer-centric brilliance! don’t miss this multimedia explosion of taste-makers, novelists, luminaries, chanteuses, performance artists, poets and filmmakers. sister spit debuts their first publication this year, published by the legendary city lights. ali liebegott, eileen myles, and michelle tea star.

moha
the jesus lizard: last

feature documentary, directed by tony ciarrocchi, 60 min, usa
chicago immortals the jesus lizard take the metro stage to perform quite possibly their last show ever on new year’s eve 2009.

new atlantis showcase: brainstorms with jason ajemian & dana carter, tricks by marc riordan and frank rosaly, and edward ricart + john herndon w/video by joe jeffers
from new atlantis records comes a collection of musicians whose genre defining styles reach across the mind eye’s in these electric audio/ visual pairings.

brainstorms pairs visual artist dana carter's cosmic sunlight animations with freakadelic song seamstress jason ajemian's musical blueprints for breath process orchestration, weaving together a hypnotic aural visual experience mirroring the slowness of the natural world.

acclaimed chicago pianist marc riordan (tres hongos, wishgift), whose style has been dubbed "intriguing and highly eclectic” by critics, pairs with renowned percussionist frank rosaly, in an improvised live scoring of experimental films by up and coming chicago filmmakers.

the mighty john herndon (tortoise, isotope 217, exploding star orchestra) and ohio-based electric guitarist edward ricart (hyrrokkin, matta gawa) unleash a dynamic, free improvised set of burners, featuring contributions from special guests, and live video manipulations by joe jeffers.

don't play us cheap
don't play us cheap (1973)

the long-awaited follow up to sweetback, an adaptation of van peebles' own broadway musical, the film follows a pair of extraterrestrials, a devil and imp to be exact, who assume human form and attempt to crash and burn a harlem house party. they aren't quite prepared for the resistance they meet from the locals however. made during the high blaxploitation era, it was the final film van peebles made until the bush administration.

tuning the pulse
tuning the pulse offers a rare, behind the scenes look into the creative process of notoriously reclusive cult musician, jandek. director ashkan soltani gains unprecedented access to jandek as he guides his makeshift band through their single rehearsal and the resulting performance. the veil is lifted, but the mystery remains. the mystery of old bathbath

feature fiction, directed by quintron and ms. pussycat, 45 min, usa
legendary underground musicians, inventors, puppeteers and hurricane katrina survivors quintron & ms. pussycat (director panacea theriac) debut their most ambitious project yet: the mystery of old bathbath. this long-form psychedelic puppet film is the ultimate realization of their ongoing series trixie and the treetrunks which originally aired on the online television network, vbs.tv.

i dream the video: a short film by univore

short fiction, directed by nicholas flandro, 5 min, usa
created exclusively for cimmfest, "i dream the video" is a surreal journey through the psyche of one man, played by former robert de niro stand-in marco casale, who is convinced that he creates videos through his dreams. in this liminal state he discovers several answers - only one of which is real.

the stranger

short fiction, directed by edgars legzdins, philip t. stone, 14 min, usa
a hallucinatory horror series ripped from the twisted mind of cult musician and flower-based painter, edgars legzdins. son of latvia’s famous folk musician alberts legzdins, edgars’ brings a klaus kinski-like intensity to the stranger as he stars in every role filming himself with an outdated cell phone camera.

fabula (fable)
fábula (fable)
while mowing the lawn, a young man and his dog are distracted by a beautiful girl playing her guitar, the landowner’s daughter. a distressed horse and a shared ipod set in motion an impossible love. el último elvis (the last elvis)

feature fiction, directed by armando bo, 90 min, argentina/usa
life is generally crummy for buenos aires elvis impersonator carlos gutierrez (first-time actor john mcinerny). his family life is a shambles, his factory job sucks – about the only good times are when, proud in a rhinestone jumpsuit, he’s onstage channeling e - belting out “an american trilogy,” “suspicious minds,” or “you were always on my mind.” when an accident forces him to take responsibility for his daughter lisa marie (sic), the story moves into father and daughter bonding territory, but it reaches deeper and becomes a character study of a man who devotes his life to reaching his dream. first time director armando bo (screenplay for biutiful) has created a bluesy, heartbreaking, focused film featuring mcinerny’s immensely strong central performance.

peaches does herself
peaches does herself

outrageously sexual sets and choreography are stunning backdrops for the toronto-born, berlin-based techno-punk songstress peaches who wrote, directed and starred in this transgressive 'anti-jukebox' rock opera. a collaboration with berlin’s cutting-edge hebbel am ufer theater, this is the story of a young woman who, inspired by a 65-year-old stripper, begins to make sexually forthright music. her popularity grows and she becomes what her fans expect her to be: transsexual. she falls in love with a beautiful she-male, but gets her heart broken and then ventures on a path of self-discovery. beware of exploding penises. beehive

music video, usa, 5 min., justin crowell

billy branch: evolution of the blues

grammy-nominated artist billy branch leads us on a historic tour of the living heritage that is the blues.

having worked with legends like willie dixon, muddy waters, junior wells, albert king and so many others, few are as qualified to perform and talk about this vast history. also with guitarist dan corelli, this is truly a rare opportunity to listen to the stories, learn the history and hear one of the greatest harmonica players ever to play the blues. blaise barton of ears moderates.

branch adds to an already impressive night at rosa’s with guy davis, corey harris and a later show with sugar blue to follow. corey harris

vitek/new constellations/a light sleeper
a light sleeper brings a sweeping classical slant to live-looping and improvisation, allowing them to not so much defy genre as politely brush it aside. new constellations is a slithery instrumental band from chicago that combines ethiopiques-inspired melodies, afro-cuban rhythms, ambient textures and american roots music. vitek is driven by its electric piano with a soulful vocal delivery, filled out with horns and gives you upbeat, foot-tapping head-bobbing pop. you will dance. vitek also premieres his new music video "sunbird.”

music licensing: know your right on music rights

music licensing; this is why i play guitar! well...maybe not, but getting the right licensing deal can keep you doing what you love to do. learn what you need to know about getting your music into film, or getting music into your film. our panel of experts know the ins and outs of licensing music for tv, film, commercials and more, and will fill you in on the best ways to get the most out of your deal.

rob gillis currently runs waterdog music and the gillis & brill music management firms, where he oversees publishing and film placement. his past management positions include triad magazine & radio; the dharma, mobile fidelity, and waterdog record labels; the 2nd hand tunes and dog ear retail chains, audiophile dealer music direct, mastering studio alien soundscapes. www. waterdogmusic.com

dean anderson , a musician and editor, founded music + pictures in 1990. with a staff of eight composers, music and pictures provides original compositions to the broadcast and film industries, as well as commercial spot work for ad agencies. the company’s work can be heard in tv shows like “law and order”, “a&e biography”, and “access hollywood”, and commercials ranging from adidas to zappos!

jim romano has been a producer, performer, record label head, and creative director for more than 20 years. most recently, he has built an extensive and unique collection of indie rock, hip hop and electronica music available for licensing through his company, revolution 9. along with countless song placements in advertising, tv and the internet, revolution 9 has provided music in advertising campaigns for hundreds of films such as “hangover 2”, “bridesmaids”, “hansel and gretal”, “frankenweenie” to name a few. www.rev9.biz/credits

hillel frankel is the ceo of the entertainment law office, pc. he’s on the advisory council for the midwest independent film festival (miff), and the vice chair of chicago international movies and music festival (cimmfest). he represents honky tonk tv, invisible records, movietrax inc., numero group, premonition records, silver wrapper productions, esntion records, novo records, and o.i.e records. he’s also the governor of the chicago chapter board for the recording academy (grammy organization).

sound culture day party featuring magic carpet & the sound culture dj’s

apocalypse: a bill callahan tour film
houston-based hanly banks’ experimental documentary captures the underground creativity of 46-year-old bill callahan on tour in support of 2011's apocalypse. his lo-fi sound filled with twang and reverb offers a noirish take on americana. her film of callahan and his band (guitarist matt kinsey and drummer neal morgan) neatly stitches together different performances with scenes from the road. a rare glimpse into - and out from - the tour van windows of an important american songwriter. magnetic reconnection

short documentary, directed by kyle armstrong, 12 min, usa
in this compelling short documentary, kyle armstrong uses strong visual content coupled with the dynamic score of jim o’rourke and voice over by will oldham (matewan, wendy and lucy) to engage the subject of decay and juxtapose the beauty of the aurora borealis.

black bananas "it's cool"

music video, directed by brain drain, 3 min, usa

dalila (delilah)
in her fourth operatic interpretation at cimmfest with celebrated soprano lauren segal, director paola marino (special jury prize winner cimmfest 2009) delivers a beautiful story of seduction and betrayal in her rendition of the aria "mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" from camille saint-saens' opera samson et dalila. through this song, dalila tries to seduce samson and discover the secret of his strength. narcizas (narcissus)

brilliant cellist teodore frustrated with his work, his family and the pointlessness of life, leaves his wife, daughter and his work in search of meaning. the only place he find comfort is in the company of his friend tomas and the old man who sells him bottled water. when he meets the talented violinist leja he must draw her in, only to find he is unable to open up with her. he is tormented as much by those needing him as not bring needed.
beautiful mages of water pull you through the darkness that encompasses the characters. this is a beautifully shot picture, with great musical performances and well acted.

shorts program 1
featuring

heat leisure directed by lain carney, 17 min., usa
the band pontiak performs in an open field outside their studio surrounded by horses and mosquitos in 102º heat... and a hot air balloon!

nous ne serons plus jamais seulis (we will never be alone again) directed by yann gonzalez, 10 min., france
a look at love, ecstasy, and disappointment in the paris club scene through black-and-white images of the night and the morning after. five friends wander a desolate landscape to once again find the rising sun in this homage to the silent cinema.

no love song directed by joselito seldera, 15 min., usa
when ex-lovers are forced together to record, paula (rosanna arquette, after hours, pulp fiction, the whole nine yards) must knock some sense into the duo so they can all move on with their lives.

time, again directed by defne enc & alonso j. lujan, 8 min., usa/spain
flamenco dancer/choreographer defne enç and filmmaker alonso j. lujan stage a stark and sensual movement of abandonment in this simple, elegant piece.

over home: love songs from madison county directed by joe cornelius and kim dryden, 40 min., usa
sheila kay adams, a seventh generation ballad singer, is one of the last in her family to remember what it used to be like in madison county in the appalachian mountains of western north carolina. songs carried over from scots-irish lip to ear, as only music and stories can, are preserved and performed as they were 200 years before.

dead man rockin'
dead man rockin' - john harrelson's life in music

two of his former high school garage bandmates, michael monteleone and roger tessier, take full measure of irascible john harrelson, now 62, a claremont, california based rock 'n' roll and blues musician who never achieved any measurable popular success. fierce live performances attest to harrelson’s gritty chops. witnesses to his lived-the-blues passion include ben harper, friends, and his ex-wife. the filmmakers use harrelson’s hard-fought life as a kind of meditation on the meaning of success and achievement.

with q & a houdan the mystic "sleeping or worse"

music video, directed by chris damon and evan hoffman, 6 min, usa

sanctuary
sanctuary

a successful warsaw plastic surgeon jan has a less successful homelife. he and his wife dwell in the same house, but are not together. his daughter left their home and is not in contact. one day jan returns home from a business trip to find his wife dead in the back garden. unable to cope with his daughter’s grief and her resentment, and with his own heartache and guilt, jan uses a trip to a conference in ireland as a pretext to escape. but there’s no escape from memory: a young woman who reminds him of his wife stirs emotions he hardly knows how to deal with. sanctuary is a visual portrayal of the wounds of losing someone whom you loved, but failed.

black metal
a dark drama that follows ian, a husband, father and musician struggling with the guilt and blame of a tragic and senseless murder as he’s cruelly heckled in a grocery store. harry hellfire

feature documentary, directed by jim morrison, 89 min, usa
cruddy, grainy vhs video footage gloriously enhances this bleak masterpiece of the dark end of the american rock ‘n’ roll dream. director jim morrison follows the downward spiral of his high-school-dropout friend harry “guy” biechele, a musician who at 42 is still vigorously in pursuit of heavy metal music. the dude is homeless, living in a tent behind a seaside graveyard in the village of greenport long island, and his guitars have been stolen. after decades of hardships, harry hasn’t stopped seeking refuge from his electric guitar. “guy was as good as clapton or hendrix,” says one friend. this is the perfect cimmfest movie.

with q&a

i dream the video - a short film by univore
created exclusively for cimm fest, "i dream the video" is a surreal journey through the psyche of a man, played by former robert de niro stand-in marco casale, who is convinced he creates videos through his dreams. in this liminal state, he discovers several answers, only one of which is real. univore.com tuning the pulse directed by ashkan soltani, 26 min, usa

the mystery of old bathbath directed by quintron and ms. pussycat, 45 min, usa)

the stranger directed by edgars legzdins & philip stone, 14 min, usa

opening night: a night w/ van dyke parks & richard parks
join us for an intimate evening of live music, film, and conversation with van dyke parks, and his son richard, winner of cimmfest 2012 best short documentary award. special guest, adam leipzig, former president of national geographic film and senior vp of walt disney pictures, will deliver a speech entitled; we're the real game changers: how creative people are transforming the world.

richard will be screening a series of short documentaries centered on his father’s life, and his experience of creating some of the most influential americana music. following the short films there will be a conversation between father and son, moderated by filmmaker and musician, john anderson, and a performance by van dyke with don heffington and players.

american treasure van dyke parks is a composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, author, record label owner and actor. from his debut, “song cycles” (the most elaborate and expensive album ever recorded at the time), to his infamous partnership with brian wilson on beach boy’s “smile,” his championing of caribbean calypso music, to his collaborations with new artists like joanna newsom and rufus wainwright, park’s sonic memory palaces are built equally from the roman coliseums, the great american songbook, carl stalling’s looney toones arrangements and beachfront chalets.

special guest, adam leipzig, is a former president of national geographic films and senior vp disney studios who has overseen more than 25 movies as a producer, executive and distributor, including march of the penguins, dead poets society and honey i shrunk the kids. his new book, inside track for independent filmmakers just premiered at sundance and he publishes the fast growing digital weekly magazine, culturalweekly.com a night with van dyke parks will be opened by tom musick, chicago renowned singer & songwriter, and will feature a special appearance by adam leipzig, film executive and magazine publisher.

yung jake "datamosh"
downloaded

feature documentary, directed by alex winter, 106 min, usa
before itunes, two crazy teens shawn fanning and sean parker had a dream - they believed music should be free. they conjured napster and neutron-bombed the record business. we now dwell in the smoldering digital ruins. laurence lessig calls napster’s destruction “our cultural vietnam.” but by suing these noble lads and ending all the fun, metallica were dicks too. music should be free. except for anyone who tries to get paid for making it? with time capsule footage of tv faces asking “what is this interweb you speak of?” justin timberlake portrayed parker in the social network too, later when he “attached himself” to facebook. both of these guys crashed at wise elder john perry barlow’s cool cyberlibertarian brain pad, and yes the director was bill in bill & ted’s excellent adventure. last song “furies” on soundtrack kills: iggy with praxis. on itunes.

"taparum" (wandering)
wandering

an armenian rock opera of outrageous scale. james aramyan is taken to hospital after a car accident, where doctors transplant his brain into a foreigner named harold. when james’ soul is not accepted into heaven because of the “imperfection” of his brain-missing corpse, he is sent back to earth - where he observes his own funeral. farcical and tragicomic scenes follow one after another as james remains at the intersection between heaven and earth -bewailing the cruel wanderer’s destiny of armenians. meanwhile, harold, now with james’ brain, periodically blurts out insane ideas about his emigrant family and he ends up rejected by both his wife and society. wagner’s valkyrie has nothing on this progressive rock battle between heaven and earth!

archie powell & the exports "job fair"
big star: nothing can hurt me

before rem, the replacements, or the swarms of other wanna be alt rock bands who tried to balance raw emotion with tightly crafted jangle - there were the original dark lords of nihilism, big star. nothing can hurt me time-travels viewers back to 1971 when alex chilton, chris bell, jody stephens and andy hummel formed this band, called "one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock ‘n’ roll." the film tells the origin story of these true pop heroes from their initial limitless horizons, to the dismal sales of their records, and their immeasurable sway over dozens of bands who came later.

melvin van peebles baadasssss awards show w/ live performance by melvin van peebles widlaxative
something of a singular figure in the american cinema, and the american culture industry in general, it’s easy to marvel over the sheer scope of melvin van peebles’ half century of creative work, for one finds within it so many triumphs and achievements, peculiarities and cautionary tales. best known for a trio of films he made in the late 60's and early 70's, melvin van peebles has been much more than an iconoclastic filmmaker; an accomplished parisian novelist, memoirist, reporter, tony award nominated playwright, teacher, musician, stockbroker and these days, graphic novelist, we are faced with someone whose work has never been less than seminal.

cimmfest is proud to honor the lifetime achievements of maverick filmmaker and chicago native, melvin van peebles, in honor of whom we've named the baadasssss award in its inaugural year. the cimmfest lifetime achievement award pays tribute to the outstanding accomplishments of maverick artists that helped to shape and obliterate barriers for today's generation of filmmakers & artists. the melvin van peebles award will be featuring a mvp film retrospective, a q&a with a special guest moderator and a special live musical performance w/ melvin van peebles widlaxative.

melvin van peebles had such a good time working with burnt sugar the arkestra chamber bringing "sweet sweetback's badasssss song:the hood opera" to life in 2010, that he decided to continue the collaboration. after enlisting jared michael nickerson, burnt sugar's bassist & business manager, and members paula henderson, bruce mack and lafrae sci, mvp titled his new band 'widlaxative.' when asked why the title, melvin replied, "why? ...'cause they're a crew of musicians who make sh.. happen and get sh.. done. that's why!"

van peebles will share with us songs he has penned, plus hilarious, tough-assed lessons picked up from his adventures on the road of life. "funk wasn't just invented yesterday," mvp reminds us. his unique narrative and singing style draws his audience into a world of hopes, chuckles and hard knocks. his music ranges from blues to jazz, from r&b to country. ever a student of the human condition, his tunes capture the conversations, internal and external one has paddling through life, trying to keep one's head above water. it is guaranteed to be a spellbinding evening.

melvin van peebles widlaxative

melvin van peebles - storytelling & vocals

bruce mack - keyboards & vocals

michael "mk" kammers - tenor sax & vocals

'moist' paula henderson - bari sax & vocals

jared michael nickerson - electric bass & vocals

lafrae sci - drums

with q & a by richard steele

of

photo ©robin holland / www.robinholland.com

solo, piano - nyc
an abandoned piano on a city street gives the curious pause and the talented an audience on a cold winter’s day near discarded christmas trees. some even measure it with the intention to bring it home. the elegance of its juxtaposition, and the brevity of its public life. i am not a rock star

feature documentary, directed by bobbi jo hart, 86 min, canada
a portrait of piano prodigy marika bournaki, that follows the young canadian woman over the course of eight years as she grows from age 12 to 20. wnd with her stunning piano performances, bournaki’s life unfolds on screen, revealing both the rewards and costs of a life dedicated to music.
followed by a special short performance with star marika bournaki.

big star: nothing can hurt me
big star: nothing can hurt me

before rem, the replacements, or the swarms of other wanna be alt rock bands who tried to balance raw emotion with tightly crafted jangle - there were the original dark lords of nihilism, big star. nothing can hurt me time-travels viewers back to 1971 when alex chilton, chris bell, jody stephens and andy hummel formed this band, called "one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock ‘n’ roll." the film tells the origin story of these true pop heroes from their initial limitless horizons, to the dismal sales of their records, and their immeasurable sway over dozens of bands who came later. archie powell & the exports - "job fair"

music video, directed by kyle dunleavy, 3 min, usa

the morpha three

(feat. members of frisbee/hushdrops/s.lucas & the married men)

perform big star songs at 9:30pm

trópico exótico (exotic tropical)

trópico exótico (exotic tropical)
(dir. viviana gomez) (comumbia) (2012) (21 min.)

emilio has a band that is finally taking off. violeta, his ex-girlfriend and true love, suddenly comes back one night, shaking things up, but giving another chance to rekindle their relationship. with his love back and his music on the upswing, emilio feels like he is finally happy, but destiny plays a dirty card that will change their lives forever. esperando el tsunami (waiting for the tsunami)

feature documentary, directed by vincent moon, 79 min, argentina
a visually sensuous and aurally intoxicating work of art, esperando el tsunami is french filmmaker vincent moon’s (la faute des fleurs) stunning collaboration with argentinian “transfolk” duo luna cruz as they journey across columbia. it doesn’t seem filmed as much as torn from a shaman’s fevered trance, this visual tone poem strews its opulent riches like thoughtless gifts -- alejandra ortiz’s out-of-this-world chanted songs, indigenous music, raps recorded in street-stalls, field-recordings, natural soundscapes and sights.

sympathy for the devil
in 1968, auteur god jean-luc godard captured the stones in the midst of making beggars banquet. cameras rolled as they recorded their soon-to-become anthemic "sympathy for the devil" in london’s olympic studio. beginning as a ballad, the track gradually acquired its world-famous pulsating
 groove. juxtaposed against godardian themes of revolution and democracy, the film is a brilliant portrait of the creative process at its most collaborative and arousing.

go go bizkitt "jump!"
no hay nadie allá afuera (no one outside)

feature documentary, directed by haroldo fajardo, 62 min, mexico
gerardo, a 17 year-old boy, wastes his days rehearsing with his rock band, wandering the streets, skipping school, and longing for the beautiful andrea. home is a place to avoid, because, as everywhere, there is no one outside and nothing is happening here.

tremor low - "kingmaker"

music video, directed by the perez brothers, 4 min, usa

malk de koijn "en gang" ("a long time ago")

music video, directed by kira richards hansen, 4 min, denmark

be it ever so humble, there's no place

using found recordings created in 1959 by cb embree, an early beatnick friend of (cimmfest 2012 alumn) director anthony ladesich’s father. “humble” is the story of the “ghost of kansas city” and the death of kansas city jazz, starring jazz legend bobby watson.

my father and the man in black

feature documentary, directed by jonathan holiff, 90 min, canada

this is an act of personal archeology by writer/director jonathan holiff about his father saul holiff, who managed johnny cash during his crazed pill-fueled 1960s jags, triumphs at folsom and san quentin, wedding to june carter, and his conversion in the early 1970s to old-time religion. mixing found footage, creative re-enactments and poignant voice-over narration, it is also a catharsis for its maker, and engrossing journalism to boot.

ladies and gentlemen: the rolling stones
ladies and gentleman: the rolling stones

the legendary rolling stones concert film shot over four nights in texas during the exile on main street tour in 1972. this is one of the finest rolling stones concerts ever captured on film.

corey harris & guy davis
corey harris began as a new orleans street singer. educated as an anthropologist, harris has curated and cultivated the rural delta blues, and infused it with music from new orleans to the caribbean to africa. his music helped raise the flag of acoustic guitar blues in the mid-1990s. corey continues to preserve and pass on the blues as a macarthur fellow. he is featured in the world premiere screening of true blues at cimmfest on saturday, april 20 at 6 pm at the logan theater.

son of actors ruby dee and ossie davis, gravel-voiced acoustic bluesman guy davis’ music is steeped in mississippi delta tradition. ian anderson of jethro tull once said “hearing guy is like coming home again.” davis’ latest album, juba dance, is out this spring on dixiefrog records. american blues and reggae musician

billy branch: “evolution of the blues” panel.

mission to lars
mission to lars

a superbly-paced improbable quest film, mission to lars surreally juxtaposes a quiet metallica-drummer-lars-ulrich-obsessed man named tom spicer from bristol england with the frenzy and spectacle of metallica arena concerts aswirl with hordes of head-banging metal fans. to “meet lars,” tom, who is learning disabled, road-trips in a camper with his two london-based younger siblings -- journalist kate and filmmaker william -- to los angeles, las vegas, sacramento and, finally, anaheim. heart-crushingly beautiful, tom’s fear, shyness, tentative steps and joy result in a film almost too feel-good to be true. only those carved from marble will shun tears. with many cups of tea.

necronomica

kyle bogart & cliff bogart, 17 min, usa

a hilarious domestic metal drama, where black metal bandmates, borknarg and absu, learn that friendship is "the foundation of any truly evil band."

human skab
human scab is a testament to the alternately empowering and crippling effect of one man’s determination to stubbornly follow his lifelong vision. having established a cult following for his lo-fi band the human skab at the tender age of 8 in 1986, this documentary, created by longtime bandmates brett woods and frank gunderson, depicts anti-hero travis roberts’ note-for-note attempt to recreate the music of his childhood, over 20 years later - this time as a ptsd-scarred soldier returning from the war in afghanistan.

with q & a

fallin' for you
last shop standing

feature documentary, directed by pip piper, 50 min, uk
official record store day 2013 film
inspired by graham jones’s eponymous book, last shop standing takes the audience behind the counter to explore why independent record shops are disappearing in the uk. it charts their rise and fall through interviews with shop owners, music industry leaders, and musicians like paul weller, johnny marr, norman cook, billy bragg, nerina pallot, richard hawley and clint boon. all testify how these shops were more than just retail outlets - but essential parts of the culture, places for musicians and music fans to get together and discover great new music.
support your local and your international record stores on record stor day april 20!

rebel, rebel, rebel

short documentary, directed by kyle schneider, 25 min, usa
>an aspiring dj's rise to fame, despite incompetence and peer rejection, culminating in a counseling session with bobcat goldthwait.

and you belong
and you belong

now berlin-based, the queer electro hip hop act scream club met in a porn shop in olympia, washington in 2002. director julia ostertag chronicles the duo of cindy wonderful and sarah adorable with archival musical videos and new interviews. their songs, artistic music videos, and energetic stage shows have won a cult-like, world-wide following. a fascinating document about the new queer empowerment and the larger queer music underground scene inspired by scream club.

with q & a

director julia ostertag

co-producer jürgen brüning

soundmix by spok

dance of the queer tide faeries
music video, directed by nadia oussenko, 7 min, usa
three modern day sprites congregate by the sea. in an attempt to preserve the picture-perfect horizon, they paint a backdrop for their colorful dance number.

art is out of phaze

art is out of phaze is the debut music video/narrative short from chris harrington and the launch of virtual ch, the mixed media rock trio. “phaze” launches the virtual ch vision of three bandmates, all versions of chris harrington, who conspire together to control the airwaves. the virtual ch trio performs and conspires together with the aid of their interdemensional communication devise. with the launch of “phaze,” chris harrington has realized his 2007 vision to triplicate himself on stage with the aid of two life size video screens.

sado tempest

welsh-born, japan-based director john williams’ (firefly dreams, starfish hotel) reworking of “the tempest” mixes japanese rock, dystopian fantasy, noh masks, and the weird ominous black-rock ocean-pounded volcanic landscapes of sado island. singer jun 'juntoku' tokushima (yoji tanaka from real-life rock band jitterbug) arrives on the island, exiled to this brutal prison, then he escapes into the deep jungle interior where he meets a hunted, magelike exile omuro (hirotaro honda). juntoku is intrigued by the ancient demon songs of the island. the film grows stranger when madwoman miranda (noriko eguchi) repeatedly chants enigmatic demon-inspired lines of poetry or a song - one juntoku begins to put into music.
feature fiction, directed by john williams, 95 min, japan/hong kong/uk

leaning toward solace
sara (elle fanning the curious case of benjamin button, super 8, déjà vu) graces the desolate landscape of this dreamy end of her father’s (john hawkes deadwood, winter’s bone, lincoln) life. part of the sigur ros valtari mystery film experiment. shorts program two

ekki mukk (not a peep)

stakeout

strum strum

the mary jane project w/q&a

#postmodern

closing night: the source family

the source family's popular celebrity-hangout restaurant, utopian commune, rock band, and beautiful women made them the darlings of hollywood's sunset strip; but their outsider ideals and controversial spiritual leader father yod instigated local authorities. they fled to hawaii, leading to their dramatic demise, but yod’s spirit lives on.

q&a with co-director jodi wille mucca pazza "boss taurus"

music video, directed by jim newberry, 4 min. usa

martin atkins keynote address

live performance by joey molland of badfinger.

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before itunes, two crazy teens shawn fanning and sean parker had a dream - they believed music should be free. they conjured napster and neutron-bombed the record business. we now dwell in the smoldering digital ruins. laurence lessig calls napster’s destruction “our cultural vietnam.” but by suing these noble lads and ending all the fun, metallica were dicks too. music should be free. except for anyone who tries to get paid for making it? with time capsule footage of tv faces asking “what is this interweb you speak of?” justin timberlake portrayed parker in the social network too, later when he “attached himself” to facebook. both of these guys crashed at wise elder john perry barlow’s cool cyberlibertarian brain pad, and yes the director was bill in bill & ted’s excellent adventure. last song “furies” on soundtrack kills: iggy with praxis. on itunes.

q&a after the film with executive producer warren cohen.

datamosh

music video, directed by yung jake, 5 min, usa

sweet sweetback's baadasssss song
now considered among the most consequential films in the history of african-american cinema, sweet sweetback's baadasssss song was credited by variety as creating the blaxploitation genre. dreamt up during a self-pleasuring reverie by a california freeway side, influenced by the black nationalism currents, and “the sixties” la psychedelia, the film was paid for in part by bill cosby and starring director melvin van peebles (and his son).
this is a picaresque story of an african american man in flight from white authority after being framed by crooked cops. sweetback, a sex worker, becomes his employer’s patsy. in exchange, the police turn a blind eye. while being taken in by the cops - sweetback is handcuffed to an actual black revolutionary. when the cops beat this dude, sweetback saves the man. he then has a socio-political awakening. he attempts to flee mostly on foot, and goes to mexico.

the jesus lizard: last
the jesus lizard performs, quite possibly, their last show ever at the metro, chicago on new year’s eve 2009. moha

short film, directed by hassan amejal, 9 min. usa

moha, a young muslim, struggles to balance his faith with his love of punk music. frustration and isolation is overcome through music.

over home: love songs from madison county
sheila kay adams, a seventh generation ballad singer, is one of the last in her family to remember what it used to be like in madison county in the appalachian mountains of western north carolina. songs carried over from scots-irish lip to ear, as only music and stories can, are preserved and performed as they were 200 years before. shorts program one

nous ne serons plus jamais seuls (we will never be alone)

no love song

time, again

heat leisure

tremor low "kingmaker"
no hay nadie allá afuera (no one outside)

feature documentary, directed by haroldo fajardo, 62 min, mexico
gerardo, a 17 year-old boy, wastes his days rehearsing with his rock band, wandering the streets, skipping school, and longing for the beautiful andrea. home is a place to avoid, because, as everywhere, there is no one outside and nothing is happening here.

go go bizkitt "jump!"

music video, directed by kira richards hansen, 4 min, denmark

malk de koijn "en gang" ("a long time ago")

music video, directed by kira richards hansen, 4 min, denmark

ekki mukk (not a peep)
a magical walk through the british countryside, where a man who has lost his way meets a lonely snail. featuring aidan gillen (the wire/game of thrones) and the voice of cult folk singer shirley collins, as well as a haunting soundtrack by icelandic rockers sigur ros. part of the sigur ros valtari mystery film experiment. shorts program two

stakeout

strum strum

leaning toward solace

the mary jane project w/q&a

#postmodern

haroula rose "free to be me"
musicwood

feature documentary, directed by maxine trump, 81 min, usa/madagascar
don’t let its bland title fool you – the generic-sounding musicwood tackles almost too many hot-button issues: natural resource extraction and liquidation, sustainable forestry in old-growth rain forests, the rights of indigenous alaskan tribes, the brutal horror of clear-cut logging, and those pesky literally tree-hugging greenpeace know-it-alls. world-renowned guitar-makers — bob taylor (taylor guitars), chris martin (martin guitars), and dave berryman (gibson guitars) — unite as a group and travel to near primeval southeast alaska to negotiate with the tribes to change the way sitka spruce is logged in the endangered tongass forest before it’s too late for their prize acoustic guitars. steve earle, the antlers, lambchop, yo la tengo, kaki king, turin brakes, and sergius gregory add acoustic performances.

with q&a

necronomica
a hilarious domestic metal drama, where black metal bandmates, borknarg and absu, learn that friendship is "the foundation of any truly evil band." mission to lars

feature documentary, directed by william spicer, 80 min, uk/usa
a superbly-paced improbable quest film, mission to lars surreally juxtaposes a quiet metallica-drummer-lars-ulrich-obsessed man named tom spicer from bristol, england with the frenzy and spectacle of metallica arena concerts aswirl with hordes of head-banging metal fans. to “meet lars,” tom, who is learning disabled, road-trips in a camper with his two london-based younger siblings -- journalist kate and filmmaker william -- to los angeles, las vegas, sacramento and finally, anaheim. heart-crushingly beautiful, tom’s fear, shyness, tentative steps and joy result in a film almost too feel-good to be true. only those carved from marble will shun tears. with many cups of tea.

no hay nadie alla afuera (no one outside)
no hay nadie allá afuera (no one outside)

gerardo, a 17 year-old boy, wastes his days rehearsing with his rock band, wandering the streets, skipping school, and longing for the beautiful andrea. home is a place to avoid, because, as everywhere, there is no one outside and nothing is happening here. go go bizkitt! "jump!"

music video, directed by matt stone, usa, 2 min.

tremor low "kingmaker"

music video, directed by the perez brothers, usa, 4 min.

malk de koijn "en gang" ("a long time ago")

music video, directed by kira richards hansen, denmark, 4 min.

harry hellfire
cruddy, grainy vhs video footage gloriously enhances this bleak masterpiece of the dark end of the american rock ‘n’ roll dream. director jim morrison follows the downward spiral of his high-school-dropout friend harry “guy” biechele, a musician who at 42 is still obsessed with heavy metal music. the dude is homeless, living in a tent behind a seaside graveyard in the village of greenport long island, and his guitars have been stolen. after decades of hardships, harry hasn’t stopped seeking refuge in his electric guitar. “guy was as good as clapton or hendrix,” says one friend. this is the perfect cimmfest movie.

with q & a black metal

short fiction, directed by kat candler, 9 min, usa
a dark drama that follows ian, a husband, father and musician struggling with the guilt and blame of a tragic and senseless murder as he’s cruelly heckled in a grocery store.

everypeople workshop & nate lepine trio
multi-instrumentalist nate lepine has proven himself as one of the most versatile musicians in the chicago music community. aside from his work with the jazz combo, herculaneum, lepine has contributed to the likes of smog, poi dog pondering, and iron & wine. initially an output for co-founder mikel avery’s music, everypeople workshop has grown into an impressive multimedia collective. the collaboratively driven group has seen the completion of four albums (the first-year proceeds of which were donated to other chicago outreach programs), a ballet, and a music festival.

beehive
peaches does herself

feature documentary, directed by peaches, 80 min, germany
outrageously sexual sets and choreography are stunning backdrops for the toronto-born, berlin-based techno-punk songstress peaches who wrote, directed and starred in this transgressive 'anti-jukebox' rock opera. a collaboration with berlin’s cutting-edge hebbel am ufer theater, this is the story of a young woman who, inspired by a 65-year-old stripper, begins to make sexually forthright music. her popularity grows and she becomes what her fans expect her to be: transsexual. she falls in love with a beautiful she-male, but gets her heart broken and then ventures on a path of self-discovery. beware of exploding penises.

the sounds that machines make "linger and fade"
musical chairs

feature fiction, directed by susan seidelman, 104 min, usa
a story about love, strength, resilience - and ballroom dancing! armando ortiz and mia franklin meet at a dance studio where mia is an instructor and armando a handyman who trades odd jobs in exchange for dance lessons. after mia is in an accident that leaves her without use of her legs, armando stays by her side, and convinces mia and others from her rehab to sign up for the “wheelchair ballroom dance competition.” directed by award- winning-filmmaker susan seidelman (desperately seeking susan) musical chairs is a film full of life and love - and the transformative power of music.

greenwich village: music that defined a generation
for the first time, the greatest singer-songwriters, authors, and performers from greenwich village reflect on how they collectively became the voice of a generation. through poignant interviews, rare archival footage and new live performances, greenwich village: music that defined a generation tells a story about community, courage and most importantly – music. killer mike: reagen (mv) and jagoff: americon idle (mv)

dillon hodges "bullet for a broken heart"
hank cochran: livin' for a song

feature documentary, directed by wes pryor, 97 min, usa
hank “the legend” cochran, who died at 74 in 2010, wrote country ballads so perfectly shaped and cadenced you hardly believe they were written at all. many artists recorded his songs including willie nelson, patsy cline, elvis costello, merle haggard, burl ives, george jones, loretta lynn, brad paisley, johnny paycheck, ray price, linda ronstadt, and george strait. his hits include "i fall to pieces," "a 11," "make the world go away," "a little bitty tear," "the chair," and "don't touch me." this impossibly-packed tribute film can barely scratch the surface of cochran’s art – but it sure tries.

film scoring: making music for movies

michael andrews has composed scores for many movies including the cult classic, “donnie darko”, as well as “out cold”, “my suicidal sweetheart”, “unaccompanied minors” and “walk hard:the dewey cox story”.

kenneth hale & robert mcnaughton have scored many films together including “henry: portrait of a serial killer”, “the borrower” and “normal life”.

please join these great composers as well as special guests.

professor bruce sheridan, chair of the film & video department at columbia college chicago, moderates.

matta "release the freq"
la leggenda di kaspar hauser (the legend of kaspar hauser)

feature fiction, directed by davide manuli, 95 min, italy lightning-rod piñata/savant vincent gallo (buffalo ’66, the brown bunny) chews sardinian scenery in italian davide manuli’s wacko black-and-white techno-western twist on werner herzog’s 1974, the enigma of kaspar hauser. on the arid coast, a bleached-blond young man washes up on shore wearing headphones (although this “boy” is played by the topless silvia calderoni). the sheriff (gallo), who anticipated kaspar's arrival, brings the boy home and teaches him how to dj. complete with a pounding soundtrack by french electronic artist vitalic (pascal arbez), this film is either maddeningly idiotic or hypnotic and mesmerizing. all kinds of crazy.

get the money:fund raising, crowd sourcing and grant writing

what’s the difference between a great idea and a great movie? money. the team, kiley kraskousks, andrea papitto, and leola calzolai, that brings “the last song before the war” to cimmfest shares how they crowdsourced and obtained a grant from the national endowment for the arts (nea) to make their film.

martin atkins is the definition of entrepreneurial activity in cultural arts endeavors.his 30+ years in the music business spans across genres and borders and industries. he was a member of public image ltd. and killing joke. he founded industrial supergroup pigface, the damage manual, and murder inc., and has contributed to nine inch nails and ministry. he is the owner of invisible records and mattress factory recording studios (est. 1988). he is the author of “tour:smart”, a syndicated blogger, and teaches at madison media institute, madison, wisconsin. atkins is a producer, drummer, documentary filmmaker, dj, and father of four. whatever the future of music is, you can pretty much bet that he’ll be in the middle of it.

follow me down: portraits of louisiana prison musicians
follow me down: portraits of louisiana prison musicians
"prisons in the american south have incubated our greatest music: gospel, folk, country and - most famously - the blues. georgetown ethnomusicologist benjamin harbert’s spellbinding film weaves together interviews and extraordinary performances of inmate musicians in three louisiana prisons. musicians rap in okra fields, soothe themselves in lockdown with r&b, and create cappella gospel harmonies on the yard. harbert said, “i chose the musicians based on who they were as people, rather than offering a microcosm of the genre typology, and i ended up with gospel, jazz, rap, heavy metal, country, and r&b.”

director, producer benjamin j. harbert
cinematography john slattery
editor christoph green

the mary jane project
a cathartic story about mary jane, told to her niece (director cinnamon alexandra triano) through phone conversations, old photographs, and 8mm home movies, set to a sound track mary jane recorded from the radio on her reel-to-reel tape recorder of her favorite music—played back in its 40-year-old, off-speed, wobbly glory. also adding their voices are vietnam vet boyfriend, best friend, older sister, and younger brother. director cinnamon alexandra triano in attendance.

with q&a shorts program two

ekki mukk (not a peep)

stakeout

strum strum

leaning toward solace

#postmodern

joey molland: liverpool to memphis

like his fellow liverpool natives the beatles, joey molland grew up on american rhythm and blues. in 1969, at the age of 22, he co-founded badfinger, whose first four singles became international top ten hits. joey would go on to perform and record with george harrison, john lennon and many others.

as he prepares for the release of his new cd, recorded in memphis, badfinger's only surviving member looks back on his remarkable life and career.

q&a with director john anderson and joey molland from badfinger

see joey molland perform live on closing night, sunday april 21st at constellation.

watch the trailer...
musik asktir (music is love)

music video, directed by merve tekin, 3 min, turkey

virals, vocals, and volumes: music videos showcase
" virals, vocals, and volumes is a curated selection of new music videos featured at this year's cimm fest. from short vignettes to jarring content. v.v.v. conjures sight and sound vanguards that live through the web and the cinema. these visual archetypes push the boundaries of innovative production amongst an experimental sandbox of filmmakers."

let them know you're alive:film distribution in the 21st century

adam leipzig, former president of national geographic films and senior vp of disney studios, has overseen more than 25 movies as a producer, executive and distributor, including march of the penguins, dead poets society and honey i shrunk the kids. his new book, inside track for independent filmmakers just premiered at sundance and he publishes the fast growing digital weekly magazine, culturalweekly.com

professor david sikich of columbia college and author of “movies and money: lessons from the motion picture marketplace for the 21st century” has 35 years working in the movie industry, helping distribute oscar winners such as “platoon” and “silence of the lambs.” his marketing firm, iltis sikich associates, worked to launch the chicago documentary “hoop dreams”, and propelled the film and its filmmakers to national acclaim.

william schopf is the owner of chicago’s historic music box theatre and music box films, one of the leading distributors of foreign and independent film in north america. music box films distributes 10-15 films per year theatrically, and twice that many to the home entertainment market including most notably for bringing “the girl with the dragon tattoo” trilogy to the us.

julian grant is an award-winning filmmaker, and tenure track professor at columbia college chicago. over the last 20 years he has created motion picture, television and independent feature films for a variety of distributors. currently, he is actively teaching and lecturing about micro-cinema, diy filmmaking as well as consulting and a professional lecturer.

brandon harris is brooklyn-based, cincinnati bred as he traverses the field of american independent film as a critic, programmer, journalist, educator, director and producer. mr. harris is contributing editor at filmmaker magazine and the director of the film, “redlegs”, a new york times critic's pick. his writing has appeared in the daily beast, variety, indiewire, the l magazine and n+1’s occupy gazette.

rebel, rebel, rebel
an aspiring dj's rise to fame, despite incompetence and peer rejection, culminating in a counseling session with bobcat goldthwait. last shop standing

feature documentary, directed by pip piper, 50 min, uk
official record store day 2013 film
inspired by graham jones’s eponymous book, last shop standing takes the audience behind the counter to explore why independent record shops are disappearing in the uk. it charts their rise and fall through interviews with shop owners, music industry leaders, and musicians like paul weller, johnny marr, norman cook, billy bragg, nerina pallot, richard hawley and clint boon. all testify how these shops were more than just retail outlets - but essential parts of the culture, places for musicians and music fans to get together and discover great new music.
support your local and your international record stores on record stor day april 20!

fallin' for you

music video, directed by ursula ellis, 5 min, usa

strum, strum
sean, a timid traveler, meets spunky lisa in a hostel. the two connect through shared songs and a guitar. but sean can’t get past his shyness and express his real feelings before it’s time for lisa to leave with her too-cool boyfriend, leaving sean alone once again. a last minute burst of courage salvages a friendship out of an otherwise lost love. shorts program two

ekki mukk (not a peep)

stakeout

leaning toward solace

the mary jane project with q&a

#postmodern

i am tom moody
in this beautiful animation, tom argues with his younger self about why he’s not a rock star today. a classic artist’s dilemma of fear and self-judgment. slaughter nick for president

feature documentary, directed by rob stewart, liza vespi & marc vespi, 72 min, canada/serbia
in chaos theory, the “butterfly effect” is when a tiny change in one place triggers huge differences somewhere else. when washed-up canadian actor rob stewart finds out the astonishing news that nick slaughter, his character on the long-forgotten show “tropical heat” (1991-1993), was the poster boy for the tsunami of social change that hit serbia, he goes there to find out why. maybe a show with a cheesy detective wearing a ponytail and a hawaiian shirt can’t really change the world, but this film grapples with the political upheavals during an era of mass non-violent serbian protests leading to slobodan milosevic’s downfall.

with q&a

pontiak/rabid rabbit/woodsman
the 3 piece known as the woodsman pumps out swirling layers of sonic psych trance-like grooves. the band says what they connect on most is anything exploratory. rabid rabbit take on an avant edge, touch on dark psychedelic freak-outs with their cerebral bottom end soothing. suffocating left-field stoner sludge and noise. pontiak (thrill jockey) are three brothers from the heart of virginia whose garage-kraut stoner jams might make your head bob while your eyes roll back into your skull. they are performing in support of “heat leisure,” a short film shot at their home / farm / studio.

magnetic reconnection
in this compelling short documentary, kyle armstrong uses strong visual content coupled with the dynamic score of jim o’rourke and voice over by will oldham (matewan, wendy and lucy) to engage the subject of decay and juxtapose the beauty of the aurora borealis. apocalypse: a bill callahan tour film

feature documentary, directed by hanly banks, 60 min, usa
houston-based hanly banks’ experimental documentary captures the underground creativity of 46-year-old bill callahan on tour in support of 2011's apocalypse. his lo-fi sound filled with twang and reverb offers a noirish take on americana. her film of callahan and his band (guitarist matt kinsey and drummer neal morgan) neatly stitches together different performances with scenes from the road. a rare glimpse into - and out from - the tour van windows of an important american songwriter.

black bananas "it's cool"

music video, directed by brain drain, 3 min, usa

musicwood
don’t let its bland title fool you – the generic-sounding musicwood tackles almost too many hot-button issues: natural resource extraction and liquidation, sustainable forestry in old-growth rain forests, the rights of indigenous alaskan tribes, the brutal horror of clear-cut logging, and those pesky greenpeace know-it-alls. world-renowned guitar-makers — chris martin, bob taylor and dave berryman of gibson — travel to near primeval southeast alaska to negotiate with the tribes and change the way sitka spruce is logged in the endangered tongass forest before it’s too late for their acoustic guitars. steve earle, the antlers, lambchop, yo la tengo, kaki king, turin brakes, and sergius gregory add acoustic performances.

with q&a free to be me

music video, directed by haroula rose, 4 min. usa

la permission (the story of a three-day pass)
story of the three day pass
special 35mm projection
melvin van peebles' directorial debut, which despite being french, was the first narrative feature film by an african-american in twenty years when he made it in 1967. harry baird plays turner, a black u.s. army private, who during an initially lonely three-day pass following a promotion meets and begins a brief romance with a white shop clerk (nicole berger). encountering the ugly spectre of racism, even from turner's captain and fellow g.i.'s, the couple struggle to transcend their differences during their friday to monday affair.

with q & a with the original baadasssss melvin van peebles

asphalt, 1929 silent film live scored by yael acher "kat" modiano

asphalt

1929 silent german film produced by erich pommer

film directed by joe may

from her first notes, yael acher “kat” modiano will leave you unsettled, perfect for her spooky project “music for silent cinema”, where she performs a live score of flute, effects and prepared electronics to silent film.

www.modianomusic.net

six string meltdown

six strings. six guitars. one stage. one night. “six string meltdown” is an evocatively caught, transcendent concert film that tenders within its spellbinding guitar pyrotechnics a seemingly incompatible message of the virtues in altruism. richard thompson gets his dream come true as southbank's 2010 meltdown curator to handpick his guitar heroes and host his fellow string slingers for a virtuoso summit: james burton, nokie edwards, dennis coffey, martin simpson, and john etheridge. these “greatest supporting guitar gods” are given the limelight to display their signature skills and join forces with joyous interplay - trading licks, riffs and anecdotes whilst transcending ego.

www.sixstringmeltdown.com the ancestor

music video, keith boynton, 4 min., usa

heat leisure
the band pontiak performs in an open field outside their studio surrounded by horses and mosquitos in 102º heat... and a hot air balloon! shorts program one

nous ne serons plus jamais seuls (we will never be alone)

no love song

time, again

over home: love songs from madison county

el gran rio (the mighty river)
el gran rio (the mighty river)

stowing away by clinging precariously above the propeller of a vietnamese merchant marine ship for the 27 day voyage across the atlantic, aspiring rap artist david dodas bangoura aka black doh flees his native city of conakry in the west african republic of guinea to carve out an uncertain new life in argentina. he records his raps in a mix of french, soussou, and spanish. director rubén plataneo then travels to guinea to play black doh’s cd for local guinean rappers and interview his loving but still skeptical, demanding mother. doctor bucketman

short film, directed by carlos carcas, 14 min, spain

for street drumming you need at least three buckets: one to sit on, one to play, and one to put the money in. spain's master street drummer explains how he was once in a very tight financial spot that left him without a drum set, so he started playing on paint buckets, pots and pans. but what filled his bucket was worth far more than money.