Frame of Mind Brings Independent Films to KERA
Art&Seek, KERA TV, News Releases August 27, 2014 1649FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 27, 2014
DALLAS/FORT WORTH — A stellar collection of homegrown documentaries, feature films and video shorts premieres this September on KERA, the public broadcasting station for North Texas. On Thursday, September 4 at 10 p.m., KERA TV will premiere the first full season of Frame of Mind, a series of Texas-made independent films that showcase diverse styles, genres and stories that are uniquely Texan.
A co-production of KERA’s Art&Seek and the Video Association of Dallas, Frame of Mind includes some of the best works from South by Southwest, the Dallas VideoFest, the Dallas International Film Festival, Chick Flicks from Women In Film Dallas and students at The University of Texas at Arlington.
The 13-episode series features a range of independent films produced by Texas-based amateur and professional filmmakers. From passionate documentary portraits and new forms of narrative storytelling to a beautiful exploration of the San Marcos River, these films provide new visions of Texas. “Filmmaking thrives in Texas. It’s a thrill to showcase it in all its forms,” said Anne Bothwell, director of Art&Seek. “With its long tradition of championing filmmakers, The Video Association is a perfect partner.”
Frame of Mind was created by Suzanne Dooley and Marlis Schmidt in 1991, but the series has been produced by Bart Weiss since 1995. “Suzanne and Marlis had a passion for local independent film and video and took time over and beyond their work to create this show,” Weiss said. “When they both moved out of town I was lucky enough to take this on. This year we have transformed the show from a sporadic event to a definable series and we are so proud of the quality and diversity of the creative work from the independent minds of Texas filmmakers.”
Join us for a watching party at Texas Theater at 9 p.m. on Sept. 4. We’ll celebrate the series and watch the first episode.
The series will run Thursdays at 10 p.m. on KERA TV beginning September 4 and will vary in length. The episodes include:
Episode 1: Swingman
Sept. 4, 2014
Producer and Director: Mark Birnbaum
Firefighter Marshall Allen always said when the Grim Reaper came calling, they would find claw marks on the wall where he fought him to the end. After twice being returned to an adoption agency, Capt. Allen was abused in the foster care system only to be adopted by an abusive family. His severe depression remained undiagnosed despite building rage and hopelessness while he became a Golden Gloves boxer, the first black firefighter in Salt Lake County, Utah, a power lifting champion and a rising star in the Fort Worth Fire Department. Then a freak accident left him physically paralyzed and emotionally cured.
Episode 2: Best Of Texas Show (3 segments)
Sept. 11, 2014
Vincent Valdez: Excerpts for John
Director: Mark and Angela Walley
Two years in the making, this short documentary film captures the creative process of artist Vincent Valdez. Filmmakers Mark and Angela Walley followed Valdez as he created a series of works dedicated to his childhood best friend John Holt Jr., an Army combat medic who died in 2009 after serving in Iraq.
Cielo Lindo
Director: Iris Lopez
At the point of starvation, a homeless young girl copes with hunger and her harsh reality with her imagination.
The Romantic Self-Exiles
Director: Morehshin Allahyari
Video and text by Morehshin Allahyari
Sound design by Ivo Bol
The Romantic Self-Exiles is a new body of work which explores relationships between self and home, presenting the life of those who live in-between, and those who choose self-exile over a homeland in which they are not tolerated or welcome. In addition, it questions the romanticized aspect of such experiences by the self-exiled citizens.
Episode 3: David Lowery
Sept. 18, 2014
Get a look at the many works of Dallas filmmaker David Lowery. From festival introductions (Dallas VideoFest and SXSW) to early works (Some Analogue Lines and My Daily Routine), this episode explores the creative road of David Lowery including his award-winning short Pioneer, the story of a father telling his little boy the most epic bedtime story ever.
Episode 4: Kat Candler
Sept. 25, 2014
This showcase of shorts by Austin-based writer and director Kat Candler features Love Bug, Quarter to Noon and Roberta Wells. Love Bug tells the story of Turtle Thompson and his struggle to ask his bug-loving best friend to the Spring Fling Dance. Quarter to Noon is a story about a worker’s discovery of what’s important in life and escaping to it. Roberta Wells tells the story of a woman with emphysema, who struggles through a Thanksgiving afternoon with her overbearing family, her deteriorating health and her craving for a cigarette.
Episode 5: Greenhill School
Oct. 2, 2014
See a collection of student films from the Greenhill School in Addison, Texas. Features include Life Through the Lens, Seawolf, Zipper, Boom, Silent Night, Just Your Average Joe and Partner. You will be amazed at the sophistication of the work made by high school students.
Life Through the Lens directed by Ryan Kline
Seawolf directed by Caila Pickett and Max Montoya
Zipper directed by Mansi Gaur, Rachel Davis, and Maya Muralidhar.
Boom directed by Brian Broder, Andrew Fields, and Daniel Matyas
Silent Night directed by James Bradford
Just Your Average Joe directed by Jade and Pearl Basinski
Partner directed by James Bradford and Max Montoya
Episode 6: 24-Hour Video Race
Oct. 9, 2014
This episode features a selection of entries from the 2014 Dallas 24 Hour Video Race, a fun competition in which teams of filmmakers have 24 hours to write, shoot, edit and score an original short film. The elements that had to be in all films are: Theme: A dream; Location: A bridge; Prop: A flashlight; and Line of Dialogue: “Call your mother.”
Shorts presented come from Atomic Productions, Team Angelika Productions, Smoking Crayola, Strangers with Cameras and Fix It In Post Productions.
http://www.24hourvideorace.com/
Episode 7: UT Arlington Films
Oct. 16, 2014
See three shorts from The University of Texas at Arlington’s Art + Art History program created by both undergraduate and graduate students: Phone Ghost, Avocados and Helado. Phone Ghost follows the story of Mildred Lane, a widowed retiree coping with the loss of her husband, a strained relationship with her daughter and the prospect of her own looming death. Also, there’s a ghost in her phone. Avocados tells of a business owner who suspects a break in, only to be surprised at the end. Helado is the story of Juan, an undocumented worker, and his daughter Gabriella, facing the hardships of life living in the United States.
Phone Ghost directed by Jean-Patrick Mahoney
Avocados directed by Julie Gould
Helado directed by Gabriel Duran
Episode 8: SXSW Texas Shorts
Oct. 23, 2014
Bringing two of the top shorts at this year’s SXSW Film Texas Shorts, this episode highlights the films Easy and Molly. Easy, by Dallas filmmaker Daniel Laabs, tells of a character study about the relationship between two brothers, one on the verge of becoming an adult and the other becoming a teenager. Molly follows Bryon and his best friend organizing a complicated breakdown after a breakup with his girlfriend Molly.
Easy directed by Daniel Laabs
Molly directed by Craig Elrod
http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/film-lineup
Episode 9: Tomato Republic: Let the Takeover Begin
Oct. 30, 2014
Directors: Jenna Jackson, Anthony Jackson and Whitney Graham-Carter
A flamboyant restaurateur, a good ol’ boy and a political ingénue walk into a small-town contest and compete head to head … to head, for a non-paid mayoral seat of the Tomato Republic. What happens next is anyone’s guess. The only thing that could slow this race down is a freight train. Let the takeover begin.
http://pandrproductions.com/tomato-republic/
Episode 10: Shorts from the Dallas International Film Festival
Nov. 6, 2014
A selection of shorts from this year’s Dallas International Film Festival: Blur, I Was A Teenage Girl and Dig. Blur follows a woman struggling to work on her next commissioned painting, causing her to be pulled into the blurring realities. I Was A Teenage Girl: One night, after an intense breakup, close friends Emma and Jesse have a heartfelt conversation that challenges the boundaries of their friendship in an unexpected way. Dig tells of a young girl making a connection with her father, after watching him dig a hole in their backyard.
Blur directed by Courtney Ware
I Was A Teenage Girl directed by Augustine Frizzell
Dig directed by Toby Halbrooks
http://diff2014.dallasfilm.org/
Episode 11: Yakona: Water Rising
Nov. 13, 2014
Directors: Anlo Sepulveda and Paul Collins
Yakona: Water Rising is a visual experience through the crystal clear waters of the San Marcos River and its headwaters at Spring Lake. Follow the river on an impressionistic journey from its point of view as it flows from source to sea, through the changing seasons, through time and memory. Experience its relationship with the natural world and its interactions with humankind. Through Yakona: Water Rising, the voice of the river calls on humanity’s higher nature, inspiring its protection by revealing its beauty and life-giving spirit.
Episode 12: Women in Film Dallas
Nov. 20, 2014
This episode celebrates 20 years of Women in Film Dallas and is a selection of their successful Chick Flicks series. The show features Duck Food, whichfollows a boy and girl feeding the ducks at the park, while an innocent relationship blossoms. Raspberry Jam is a mystical tale about a man who loses everything on his journey toward hope. The Long Run explores spillover crime and the effects of the war on drugs on the youth of real-life border town Brownsville, Texas.
Duck Food directed by Dewey Taylor
Raspberry Jam directed by Courtney Ware
The Long Run directed by Laura Lilia Treviño and David Garcia
Episode 13: Music Videos
Nov. 27, 2014
A collection of music videos directed by local filmmakers. Music videos include “Duchamp,” a silent music video; “Hold Yourself Up,” by The Polyphonic Spree; “Dog That Bit You,” by the Baptist Generals; “Me Compassionate,” by SOAK; “Lover Come Over,” by Sarah Jaffe; and “Rattler’s Revival,” by Toadies.
Duchamp directed by Sai Selvarajan
Hold Yourself Up and Rattler’s Revival directed by Justin Wilson
Dog That Bit You and Lover Come Over directed by Jason Reimer
Me Compassionate directed by Norry Niven
ABOUT ART&SEEK
Art&Seek introduces you to the North Texans who make art, explores how they do it and helps you connect with it. Reports from the team’s arts journalists air regularly on KERA FM. In addition, more than 3,000 arts groups and their events are represented on Art&Seek’s calendar. Check that out, and more, at ArtandSeek.net. Art&Seek is a service from KERA/North Texas Public Media.
ABOUT VIDEO ASSOCIATION OF DALLAS
The mission of the Video Association is to promote an understanding of video as a creative visual art medium and cultural force in our society, in addition to supporting and advancing the work of Texas artists working in video and the electronic arts. As technology has changed since our inception, the VAD has evolved its mission to include digital video and other digital mediums. Through its programs and information services, the Video Association educates and informs artists, students, educators, critics, video/film producers and an interested public to better understand, appreciate and evaluate the creative possibilities of the video medium, especially in combination with other digital technologies. The VAD also provides a forum for the work of regional video artists, in order to stimulate excellence in their work and provide the opportunity for dialogue and critical discussion.
ABOUT KERA
KERA is a not-for-profit public media organization reaching the fifth-largest population area in the United States through KERA-TV, KERA WORLD, KERA 90.1 FM, KXT 91.7 FM and Art&Seek. For over 50 years, North Texans have turned to KERA as a vibrant destination for community engagement and lifelong learning. KERA produces original multimedia content, carries the best in national and international public television and radio programs, and provides online resources at www.kera.org.
