Red Rock Film Fest gains more recognition with film releases

Poster from 2014 Red Rock
opener "Watchers of the Sky".

A film festival is about premieres, and the Red Rock Film Festival had plenty at its festival in November. Several films from Red Rock opened in theaters after their premieres at Red Rock, and some such as "Little Hope was Arson" took as long as an entire year before being released to theaters.

"Little Hope" won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature at Red Rock in 2013 and along with Red Rock alum "Old Fashioned", "Iuda" ("Judas",) and  "Watchers of the Sky" are on the tail end of their theatrical run or can now be seen on Amazon Instant Video.

Directed by Theo Love, "Little Hope" dives into the Bible Belt controversy where 10 churches were burned to the ground in five weeks, igniting the largest criminal investigation in East Texas history.

Neil Genzlinger of the New York Times said "Theo Love, presents the people in the story as they are, without passing judgment and without apology, whether they are investigators or pastors or just ordinary folks caught up in the inexplicable."

Another documentary "Watchers of the Sky" opened last year's festival as a Headliner and won the In Spirit for Freedom Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival and won the Editing Award and Special Jury Prize for "use of animation" at last year's Sundance Film Festival.

The feature film director Edet Belzberg brings viewers across time and continents from Nuremberg to Rwanda, from Darfur to Syria as it uncovers the forgotten life of Raphael Lemkin, the inventor of the word ‘genocide,’ and how justice finally met the crimes made against humanity.

Andrey Bogatyrev's "Judas" was the fiction feature that opened the 2014 and won Aleksey Shevchenkov the Best Actor award at the Moscow International Film Festival for his portrayal of Judas Iscariot. The film brings up the centuries old question "Was Judas a traitor or an instrument of God?"

Both "Watchers" and "Judas' received much praise at the Red Rock Film Festival and another of the most popular films at the Festival was "Old Fashioned" which had a brief run on Valentines Day in Salt Lake. With no nudity, sex, profanity, or major violence audiences may be perplexed at the PG-13 rating for 'thematic material'.

Festival director Matt Marxteyn said, "The ratings system makes no sense anymore. Action films, including some with Steve McQueen and even the sequels to the original "Planet of the Apes" were all rated G and made for adults! Most of our films are made for adults and would be rated G or PG — several independent films are — it's the distributers that are under the delusion that people only want to see R-rated films, and the reality is most people just don't care."

Rik Swartzwelder's "Old Fashioned" may only seem 'controversial' to theater goers because it's about a former frat boy and a free-spirited woman who attempt the impossible: an 'old-fashioned' courtship in contemporary America.

Passing its record already for submissions, both professional and student filmmakers may apply for the next festival at https://filmfreeway.com/festival/RedRockFilmFestival. The last deadline is May 31 and entry fees are $27 to $75 depending on length of film and how early they submit. The actual festival is scheduled for November 2-8, 2015 in Festival City. More information is available at www.redrockfilmfestival.com or by calling 435-705-5555.

Filmmakers line up to enter the Red Rock Film Festival

Before the Red Rock Film Festival even announced their call for entries for their 9th Annual Festival, more than 300 filmmakers had already submitted, not including locals and students. The festival is a grass-roots organization that has added different categories over the years including the Aglet Awards for micro-budget films, Featurettes for mid-length films, Short-Shorts for films 5 minutes and under and Easter Eggs for its featured  artists.

In 2010, the Red Rock Film Festival received 701 entries; but the next few years the entries dropped in half, until last year when they suddenly were on the rise again.

Festival director, Marxteyn said "In the 2014 season we had a huge increase in foreign film and I believe it is because we happened to program several foreign films in the years before. As a niche festival that looks for films with a message, filmmakers sometimes worry if they fit until they see the diversity that is accepted."

Several former filmmakers also recommend the Red Rock Film Festival such as Jim Blumetti who had an Industry screening with his film "The Key" and told his friend M. Legend Brown.

Brown said "A friend told me that it was an amazing experience and what a great hospitality for filmmakers and a growing environment."

Sonja Isabella submitted her film "Mighty Benjamin Little" and is her first year entering into festivals as a director.

She said, "It had been recommended to me by fellow film students that had taken part in prior years and really enjoyed the experience. I hope that my film will qualify as it highlights the perseverance of the human spirit and the good in people, despite trials and tribulations. I appreciate festivals like yours, that strive to provide a showcase for new filmmakers that have a hard time getting noticed at large venues.

The festival is also accepting applications for film previewers who have experience in the film and the performing art. Interested parties can ask for an application by email at revolunteer@ophilia.com. Filmmakers who would like to enter the 9th Annual Red Rock Film Festival can submit at filmfreeway.com/festival/RedRockFilmFestival. Entry fees vary depending on length. More information is available at the festival's website at www.redrockfilmfestival.com.

Fantasy, Horror, Bible, Romance, Sci-Fi among selections at 2014 Red Rock Film Fest

The Red Rock Film Festival selections have been known for dark heavy dramas and political documentaries as well as diversity. This year the latter is no exception. The festival has announced 89 films from 21 countries and filmed in 43 countries in practically every genre.

Festival director, Marxteyn said "488 films were submitted to the festival this year with a huge increase in foreign film."

This year the festival has moved to a new home in Cedar City as it plans a new festival for Washington County. Main St. in Cedar is covered with lamp post banners as it anticipates the 8th year for the Red Rock Film Festival that appears to have something for everyone, even horror.

"We normally don't take any horror or sci-fi; but this year's real life horror and trippy sci-fi fits right into the film festival scheme."

Adrian Chiarella's "Touch" is a mild ghost story that appears in the festival's "Zion Flix: Before the Screaming Starts" program. According to the program guide, this shorts program "examines the human psyche that leads up to horrific acts."

Jaebin Han's "Selfish People" places horror in the real world. As a proxy driver for drunk drivers, Eu-sul, takes a drunken lady named Se-rim home, and finds out that she is reported missing three days later. The story turns thriller when Eu-sul, by chance, gets in Se-rim’s car again to find a mysterious guy in the car.

Continuing the festival's tradition of films from Spain is Jos Man's "The Only Man", a classic zombie story with a twist. Imagine an intelligent zombie battling a disease epidemic, scolding the free loader zombie with no consciousness.

The darkest film of the set appears to be Lance R. Marshall's "The Demon Deep in Oklahoma". Both the director and lead actress are scheduled to appear in Cedar in this psycho-sexual tale where their characters Wes and Katie live in their remote childhood home that sits in the middle of nowhere in Southeastern Oklahoma full of bad memories. When their friend Tommy comes to visit, Katie's insistence that there is a demon in the house shakes up secrets between the three.

If you like Sci-fi with a heavy dose of the experimental, Benjamin Ross Hayden's
"Agophobia" will definitely conjure up Shin'ya Tsukamoto's "Tetsuo, the Iron Man". Michael Van Ostade's "Songs from the Outside" crosses the line as a young filmmaker inspired by Spielberg seems to cross paths with his subject an entrepreneur who finds a strange object that lands in his backyard.

Mark Moliterni's "My Buddy" in the Collegiate Shorts program is about Manny Rey, an old man living alone in an empty house and connects to the outside world through TV until he orders WIN an android that has been programmed for maximum working efficiency who is curious to human's mutual laughter in watching a sit-com.

The highlights of the festival are definitely in keeping with the tradition of the festival. Opening night films "Watchers of the Sky" and "Judas" will keep Red Rock regulars in line.

Edet Belzberg's "Watchers of the Sky" is a definite Oscar contender in the documentary feature category. The film examines the cycle of violence, and the world’s response as director Edet Belzberg brings viewers into traditionally inaccessible places and dives into the tragedies from Nuremberg, Rwanda, Darfur and Syria. Edet uncovers the forgotten life of Raphael Lemkin, the inventor of the word ‘genocide’ that eventually brought justice to some of the world's darkest war crimes.

The year of the Bible continues with Russian cinema and Andrey Bogatyrev's "Judas", the story of the jealous relationships between Judas and Jesus Christ.

Festival previewer and actor Deborah Geffner said  calls the film "Riveting. Perfect."

She said "I'm so glad I got to see this film. It's a disturbing retelling of Jesus's story… this man starts out a beggar and whiner, a liar, untrustworthy, clearly a man who has seen and done a great deal of evil. The paradox is that he comes to see and understand Jesus more clearly than any of his followers."

The festival is open to all ages and runs November 12-15, 2014 at the Heritage Center in Cedar City. Tickets range from $5 section C seating for one Red Grid screening to a four-day Cinematic Pass for $250 that includes section A eating, access to all screenings, workshops, parties, events, breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Tickets are now on sale at the Heritage Center on 105 N. 100 E. or online at www.rrff.eventbrite.com or by calling 435.705.5555.