With the short Sweat Of His Cow, with a West Coast premiere on June 15, words may come quickly, but more than that is possibly too much to expect. As the film notes read, “This is the story of an impossibly gorgeous doctor lawyer who runs out of gas next to a barn where an impossibly sweaty man is milking a cow. A sexy relationship ensues where they learn that gas is just the beginning, milk is always the end.” A role-bending effort by renowned indie film P.R.—and rancher and animal savior—John Stuart Wildman.
Stigmatized since childhood by her love of the rock band Journey, Maya (producer, writer, and actress Erika Hamilton) finds her voice in a world where she doesn’t always feel “Black enough.” That premise takes us through Out Of Tune, an uncomfortable journey of self-acceptance, making its West Coast premiere June 17. Maya has wrestled with the often narrow boundaries of racial identity from adolescence to adulthood. She wants to be rooted in but not restricted by her Blackness. But instead of being a liberated fangirl, Maya feels boxed in by the Black gaze. So, as she stands on the karaoke stage, the first notes reverberate, and the pressure mounts, will Maya finally stop denying her authentic voice to fit in?
In Frank Kelly’s The Critic, making its world premiere Friday, June 17, a reserved and cosmopolitan hotel critic checks into Coral Gables’ famed Biltmore Hotel for what appears to be just another routine review. However, her stay quickly spirals into an adventure of a lifetime when she meets a charming and mysterious golfer who discovers her true identity and offers her a proposition she cannot refuse. Their reluctant encounter turns into a romantic adventure that ends with an unforgettable stay and a surprising reveal.
“…discovers her true identity and offers her a proposition she cannot refuse.”
The Beauty Bubble Salon & Museum in Joshua Tree is the magical and kitsch-filled brainchild of “hairstorian,” artist, hairstylist, musician, and renowned collector of hair artifacts Jeff Hafler. One of his staff recalls, “he gave my very first hairstyle in fifth grade. That was the first time I can remember feeling beautiful.” Inside The Beauty Bubble, screening Tuesday, June 14, covers a year in the life of this beloved Joshua Tree community member and his roadside attraction as he copes with lockdowns and prepares for a spectacular “hairstorical” exhibition of his hair sculptures at the SFO Museum in San Francisco, where 50 million travelers saw them.
A world-class showcase of new and undiscovered talent that should sit atop the firmament of Los Angeles film festivals, DWF looks back over the last 25 years as Scallon recalls what has changed. “Technology and distribution, obviously,” she says. “Other than that, though, the spirit of the independent filmmaker remains as strong now as in the beginning. And let’s face it—good films start with good stories by great writers with good execution. Since we are not a genre-specific festival, we look to the heart, the voice, the style of a film, and the filmmaker. There is no one specific thing. Any film can become important because if making a hit film was a formula, the studios would have already figured it out. There is always a bit of pixie magic dust that must be there.”
Dances with Films comes to the TCL Chinese Theatre on 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, June 9-19, 2022. For a schedule of screenings and other offerings, visit https://danceswithfilms.com/schedule/.
[…] come to those who take the risk. Writer/director David Schrader goes big in his sci-fi…"The fact is any film can become an important one because if making a hit film was a formula, t… Film Threat, led by founder and filmmaker Chris Gore, and in conjunction with their partner Magical […]