The 4th annual New England Underground Film Festival, taking place October 11, 2014, has announced its lineup and schedule. From the official press release:
The New England Underground Film Festival, a celebration of the best of underground cinema, will have its fourth annual presentation on October 11 at the Wilde Auditorium in the University of Hartford’s Gray Conference Center. The event will be held from 12:00pm to 6:00pm; general admission is $10 and students with school ID can pay $5.
Programmed by Phil Hall, contributing editor for the prestigious online resource Film Threat (www.filmthreat.com) and author of the books The History of Independent Cinema and The Greatest Bad Movies of All Time, the festival will include films from three Connecticut-based filmmakers: Woodbury’s Daniel Kuriakose, New Haven’s Michael Finnegan and Fairfield’s Samuel B. Russell.
The University of Hartford’s Gray Conference Center is located at 200 Bloomfield Ave, West Hartford, CT ; the telephone number is (860) 768-4951 and the website is www.grayconferencecenter.com.
The festival schedule is as follows:
12:00 pm – Introduction
12:10 pm – To Touch a Nerve (directed by Michael Finnegan, Connecticut) – A documentary portrait of Mike Jenkins, a poet and AIDS awareness activist based in New Britain, Connecticut.
12:25 pm – Bottles (directed by Daniel Kuriakose, Connecticut) – Atelepathic doctor who uses donated memories to heal his patients realizes he lacks the emotional stability to perform his work.
12:35 pm – We’re Goners Relax It’s Fine (directed by Samuel B.Russell, Connecticut) – A young girl must pass through a magical forest filled with bizarre creatures to confront the singing volcano who threatens to destroy her home.
12:55 pm – Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution (directed by Matthew VanDyke, New York) – A documentary focusing on two frontline participants in Syria’s ongoing civil war: a young rebel leader and a female photojournalist.
1:10 pm – Raising Matty Christian (directed by Christian de Rezendes, Rhode Island) – A biographical documentary on the life of a disabled youth’s rise to national prominence as a versatile athlete.
2:40 pm – Intermission
2:55 pm – Boomer’s Story – A Celebration of Ry Cooder (directed by Pete Bell, New York) – Phil Cook and the Guitarheels pay tribute to an iconic album from the legendary Ry Cooder.
3:15 pm – Alone (directed by Bryan Casey, Rhode Island) – A homeless woman struggles to maintain her dignity and safety while trying to keep friends and family from knowing of her dire situation.
3:45 pm – Deflower (directed by Mike Frazier, Rhode Island) – A teenage girl rebounds from the breakup with her boyfriend with a zealous goal to lose her virginity.
4:10 pm – Transsexuals from Space (directed by Brina Healy, Rhode Island) – A cheerful send-up of the low-budget/high-camp sci-fi extravaganzas of the 1950s.
4:35 pm – The Lives of Hamilton Fish (directed by Rachel Mason) – An original musical that focuses on two men named Hamilton Fish that died on the same day in 1936: an esteemed statesman and a serial killer.
