Welcome to the 10th Annual Crossroads Film Festival!

April 2-5, 2009
4 Days, 70+ Films, Music & Workshops
Jackson, Mississippi

If you think you know Mississippi ... think again! Jackson, Mississippi is the cultural crossroads of the south (hence the name) and is the place where all the good stuff comes together. This is where the music of delta bluesman Robert Johnson and literary innovation runs straight into the home of the international ballet competition to make a vibrant, one-of-a-kind culture full of down-home style and cinematic grace.

We are home to Tennessee Williams, Willie Morris, Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, James Earl Jones, Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman, and some of the world’s greatest historians, photographers, and musicians. We are also home to some real quirky and creative folks, a little southern hospitality, fried catfish, sweet tea, and a film festival to rival the best of them. Come see us and we'll show you a great time.

The Crossroads Film Society is proud to present the 10th Annual Crossroads Film Festival.
Filmmakers from Mississippi and around the world present and compete in the categories of Feature Film, Short, Documentary, Experimental, Foreign, Student, Music Video and Animation. We offer engaging audiences for every film, daily pre- and post-screening parties, a variety of nationally recognized filmmaker workshops and panels, an awards party and more. Each afternoon kicks off with a Meet & Greet Reception for filmmakers, providing multiple opportunities to visit with filmmakers. Each evening ends with music by regional and national recording artists. Screenings begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Regal Parkway Place Theater (Lakeland Dr. @ Airport Rd.) and run through Sunday evening.

2008 Winners

We had a great festival, tornado nothwithstanding!

I will write more later with details but want to post our festival winners!

CONGRATULATIONS to our winning filmmakers for a job well done!!!

• Best Music Video: FashionableCameron McCasland, Director.
• Best Experimental Film: DoxologyMichael Langan, Director.
• Best Animated Film: The Hunger ArtistTom Gibbons, Director.
• Best Student Film: Last Day of DecemberBogdan George Apetri, Director.
• Best Narrative Short: SpiderNash Edgerton, Director.
• Best Documentary Short: Hero, Wings are Not Necessary to FlyAngel Loza, Director.
• Best Documentary Feature: Beyond the CallAdrian Belic, Director.
• Best Narrative Feature: DisappearancesJay Craven, Director.
• Director’s Choice: Of All the ThingsJody Lambert, Director.
• RUMA Award (Most Promising Mississippi Filmmaker): Another Word for FamilyApril Grayson, Director.
• Best Youth Film Entry: What’s UpCurtis Everitt, Director.
• Audience Choice Award (tie):Control - Anton Corbijn, Director. Pretty Ugly People - Tate Taylor, Director.

2008 Accepted Films for the Crossroads Film Festival

Our schedule is up on B-side and within 24-48 hours there will be links to buy tickets for every event or festival passes at any time.

Help us congratulate the hard-working filmmakers

whose films will be showcased at the 2008 Crossroads Film Festival:

Citizen

(southern premiere)
Student
Canada
Director/Producer/Writer: James Darling

Pretty Ugly People

(world premiere)
Feature narrative
California
Director/Writer: Tate Taylor
Producers: Brunson Green, Tate Taylor, Sonya Lunsford, Stanton Scott, Joshua J. Smith

In Between

Short narrative
Poland
Director/Producer/Writer : Jose E. Iglesias Vigil

Kept and Dreamless (Las Mantenidas Sin Suenos)
Feature narrative

Argentina
Directors/Producers/Writers: Vera Fogwill and Martin Desalvo

Oiran Lyrics
Short narrative
Japan
Director/Writer: Ryosuke Ogawa

Control
Feature narrative
United Kingdom
Director: Anton Corbijn
Producers: Anton Corbijn, Orian Williams, Todd Eckert
Writer: Matt Greenhalgh

Kids + Money
Short documentary
California
Director/Producer: Lauren Greenfield

Teary Sockets
Feature narrative
Meridian, Mississippi
Director: Jackson Anderson
Producers: R.S Anderson, Jackson Anderson, Hal “Corky” Kessler
Writers: R.S. Anderson, Jackson Anderson, Kevin Ivey

The Golden Samovar
Short narrative
New York
Director: Philip Chernyak

Iris Moon
Short narrative
Bulgaria
Director/Writer: by Iskra Valtcheva
Producer: Javier Bonafont

Through these Trackless Waters
Experimental
Colorado
Director/Producer/Writer: Elizabeth Henry

The Instrumentalist
Animation
California
Director/Writer: Troy Morgan

February Stars

(world premiere)
Short narrative/Student
Florida
Director: Sean Heyboer
Producer: Megan Morris
Writers: Kevin Akers, Sean Heyboer

Hijo
Short Narrative, 8 minutes
Spain
Director/Writer: Nicolas Melini

The Hunger Artist
Animation
California
Director/Writer/Animator: Tom Gibbons

Maro

(southern premiere)
Short narrative
Oregon
Director/Writer: Roger Tedford
Producers: Michael Tedford, Roger Tedford

Absolute Zero
Short documentary/Experimental
Australia
Director/Writer: Alan Woodruff
Producers: Alan Woodruff, Fabienne Nicholas

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story
Feature Documentary
California
Director/Producer: Jeffrey Schwarz
Writers: Philip Harrison, Jeffrey Schwarz

Called to Shine
Short documentary
Made during the Barefoot Workshops in Clarksdale, MS
Directors/Producers: Amy Benson and Chris Thompson

The Babies Got the Blues
Short documentary
Made during the Barefoot Workshops in Clarksdale, MS
Directors/Producers: Rachel Hamilton and Karen Kohlhaas

Black and Blues
Short documentary
Made during the Barefoot Workshops in Clarksdale, MS
Directors/Producers: Emerson Able and Jenifer Hyde

Crossin All the Boundaries
Short documentary
Made during the Barefoot Workshops in Clarksdale, MS
Directors/producers: Rebecca Parrish and Brooke Bassin

Motherload of Trophies
Short documentary
Made during the Barefoot Workshops in Clarksdale, MS
Directors/Producers: Kristen Daly & Karim Amara

A Mile of Wolves
Short narrative
Laurel, Mississippi
Director: Turner Crumbley
Producers: Turner Crumbley, Eric Roberts, Frances Bordlee
Writers: Turner Crumbley, Paul Jannise, Jason D. Johnson (play)

Whirl

(world premiere)
Experimental
Mize, Mississippi
Director/Producer/Writer: Dick Ford

Bonnington Truce: An Alternative History of Mississippi
Feature documentary
Tennessee
Director : Perry Trest
Producers: Perry Trest and B.L. Young

Before and After Kissing Maria (Antes y Despues de Besar a Maria)
Short narrative
Spain
Director/Producer: Ramon Alos
We Hear Sirens
Short documentary/Experimental
Texas
Director/Producer/Writer: Alex Harder

This Light Rains

(southern premiere)
Short narrative/Student
New York
Director/Writer: Aaron Rabin

Last Day of December
Short narrative/Student
Romania
Director/Producer/Writer: Bogdan George Apetri

Aquarium
Short narrative/Student
New York
Director/Producer: Rob Meyer

Til Death Do Us Part
Animation
California
Director/Producer/Writer: Rick May

Traumalogia
Short narrative
Spain
Director/Writer: Daniel Sanchez Arevalo
Producer: Koldo Zuazua

Fashionable
Music Video
Tennessee
Director: Cameron McCasland

Lloyd Neck
Short narrative/Student
New York
Director: Benedict Campbell
Producer: Maritza Berta

Of All the Things
Feature documentary
California
Director: Jody Lambert
Producer: Taylor Williams

Laffoley’s Odyssey

(world premiere)
Short documentary
California
Director/Writer: Roger Bourdeau
Producer: Elisabeth Fleshler

4960
Short narrative
Sweden
Director Wing-Yee Wu
Producer: Tamas Toro
Writer: Hart Eddy

Ballast
Feature narrative
California
Director/Writer: Lance Hammer
Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh

Solus
Short narrative
New Mexico
Director: Richard Heller
Producers: Benjamin Louis, Katie O’Shausnessy
Writers: Benjamin Louis, Richard Heller

Beyond the Call
Feature documentary
California
Director/Producer: Adrian Belic

Taxi?
Short narrative
Spain
Director/Writer: Telmo Esnal
Producer: Asier Altuna

Made in Japan

(southern premiere)
Short narrative, 6 minutes
Spain
Director/Producer: Ciro Altabas

Bigfoot’s Eulogy
Short narrative/Student
New York
Director/Writer: Stephen Neary

Imagine Me a Hero
Short narrative/Student
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Director/Writer/Producer: Michael Williams

The Sleepy and the Swiss
Short narrative/Student
Louisiana
Directors: Charlie LaVoy, Owen Hornstein III
Producers: Kevin Hughes, Andrew Hutchings, Josh Johnston
Writer: Owen Hornstein III

Spider
Short narrative, 9 minutes
Australia
Director: Nash Edgerton
Producer: Nicole O’Donohue
Writers: Nash Edgerton, David Michael

The Adventures of Baxter & McGuire
Animation
California
Director: Mike Blum
Producers: Eric Kaplan, Mike Blum
Writer: Michael Weithorn

Sick Sex
Short narrative
New York
Director: Justin Nowell
Producer: Todd Barnes
Writers: Justin Nowell, Thomas Nowell

Horsepower
Short narrative
Hawaii
Director: Joel Moffett
Producer: Gregory Hobson

Al Baghdadi
Short narrative
United Kingdom
Director/Writer: Maythem Ridha
Producers: Hank Starrs, Maythem Ridha

Disappearances
Feature narrative
Vermont
Director/Writer: Jay Craven
Producers: Jay Craven, Hathalee Higgs

Swing
Animation
Massachusettes
Director/Producer: Chip Moore
Writers: George Watkins Collier, Frances Collier Moore, Chip Moore

The Second Line
Short narrative
New York
Director/Writer: John Magary
Producers: Myna Joseph, Nelson Kim

My Country
Short narrative
Australia
Director/Writer: Odette Best
Producer: Sally Madgwick

Another Word for Family
Short documentary/Experimental
Oxford, Mississippi
Director/Producer: April Grayson

Freedom’s Call
Feature documentary
New York
Director: Richard Breyer
Producers: Robert Short Jr., George Kilpatrick

Connections
Student
Starkville, Mississippi
Director/Producer/Writer: Stephen Lehman

The Moon and the Sun, An Imagined Conversation
Animation/Short documentary, 28 minutes
New York
Directors: John Canemaker, Peggy Stern
Producer/Writer: Peggy Stern

212
Feature narrative
Director/Writer: Anthony Ng
Producers: Anthony Ng, Mark Biegelman

Procrastination
Animation
Jackson, Mississippi
Director/Producer/Writer: Julie Sparks

Writer’s Block
Short narrative/Student
Jackson, Mississippi
Directors: Morgan Welch, Clay Hardwick
Producer: Clay Hardwick
Writer: Morgan Welch

Fish, But No Cigar!
Animation
Pennsylvania
Directors/Producers: Tara White and Lyn Elliot

god/man/accordion
Short documentary
Texas
Director/Producer: Steve Mims

Glimpse
Experimental/Animation
New York
Director/Producer/Writer: Dustin Grella

Covered Tracks
Short documentary
New York
Director: Nathan Kensinger
Producer: Nathan Kensinger, Meghan O’Hara

City of Cranes
Short documentary
Germany
Director: Eva Weber
Producers: Henry Singer, Samantha Zarzosa

Doxology
Experimental
California
Director/Producer/Writer: Michael Langan

Hero, Wings are Not Necessary to Fly
Short documentary
Spain
Director/Writer: Angel Loza

For the Love of God
Animation
United Kingdom
Director: Joe Tucker
Producer: Raphael Warner
Writers: Joe Tucker, Raphael Warner

Pariah
Short narrative/Student
New York
Director/Writer: Dee Rees

Man Meets Barbara
Feature documentary
California
Director/Producer/Writer: Dieter Weihl

The festival will also include the YOUTH FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE during our day of workshops, April 5, including a special screening of film shorts made by young moviemakers, ages 10-18, including videos made during the Canton Young Filmmakers Workshops 2007 including What’s Up? directed by Curtis Everitt.

also included is

"Take Part," a Mississippi Arts Commission film

about Mississippi Grant recipients.

A film by Kathryn Rodenmeyer

Ruma

Our most prestigious Crossroads Film Festival award is what we fondly call "the RUMA."

The RUMA is named after Ruma Haque. She was an attorney, an arts advocate, a community leader and a friend.

She was president of the Government Law Section of the Mississippi State Bar Association, president of the National Association of County Civil Attorneys, vice president of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, vice president of the Crossroads Film Society and secretary of the Hinds County Bar Association. She also served on the board of directors of the Millsaps Arts and Lecture Series, was a member of the Mississippi Hearts Against AIDS Commission and the Junior League of Jackson.

In June 2002, she died in a car accident. It is our honor to name this award in her memory.

As a yearly tradition, original artwork is commissioned from a Mississippi artist, which we use in advertisements, on our festival badges, festival program cover art and on our website. This year's artist, Anthony DiFatta, was a close friend of Ruma's.

The award, along with the original artwork, will be given to a lucky and talented individual who is chosen to receive "The RUMA Award" for most promising Mississippi Filmmaker.

2008 RUMA Award art and its artist, Anthony DiFatta

About this year's RUMA artwork and our commissioned artist, Anthony DiFatta:

Anthony Di Fatta is a native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi and currently lives in Jackson with his wife, Melissa, and son, Preston.

Tony grew up in the swamps of Southern Louisiana near New Orleans where he fostered an appreciation for Southern music and culture. After being stationed in Southern California with the U.S. Navy and 2 tours in McMurdo Station, Antarctica, he returned to Mississippi to study painting and sculpture at the University of Southern Mississippi.

In 2000, Tony left MCI Worldcom to pursue painting full-time.

His involvement with several non-profit and charity organizations includes such programs as HeArts Against Aids, Habitat for Humanity, Cancer League of Jackson, MS Animal Rescue League and many others. Tony also uses his talents to teach art to adults with mental illness through the Mississippi State Hospital and the Stubbs Homeless Program and has recently published "Images from the Edge," a collection of artwork and creative writing from the Stubbs Program.

2 ad campaigns have featured Anthony, the University of Southern Mississippi and the Jackson Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

He has done paintings for: Jubilee JAM poster, Taste of the Nation, Sante South Wine Festival, Mississippi Heritage Trust, Mississippi Picnic in Central Park NYC, Jackson Zoo, musicians Bobby Rush CD cover, Dorothy Moore CD cover and Eric Matthews CD cover.

Anthony is currently an employee of Mississippi State Hospital where he teaches art to adults with severe mental illness, addiction, and geriatric diseases, such as Alzheimer's. He was also named MSH Employee of the Year for Licensed Clinical Services in 2006.

website: http://www.anthonydifatta.net/
myspace: www.myspace.com/anthonydifatta

Crossroads wants to thank Tony from the bottom of our hearts for this incredible piece of artwork. (You should see it in person!)

15 days and counting!

In 15 days, we are going to welcome our filmmakers, make some new friends and hang out with old ones, screen 70+ incredible films, listen to some killer tunes...in other words, folks, Crossroads Film Festival is going to paint the town RED!

Coming soon: festival schedule, including the schedule for our parties, music and workshops...and who's who of attending filmmakers!

It's in the bag!

One of the highlights of being a chosen filmmaker at the Crossroads Film Festival is our Hospitality Bag. It's just a token of appreciation where we get to say, "Welcome to Jackson, Mississippi Y'all!"

We've got a special goodie in the bag this year generously donated from the Jackson Convention and Visitor's Bureau: a CD full of Mississippi music! Artists such as Pinetop Perkins, Howlin' Wolf, Mississippi Fred McDowell and more.

If you aren't familiar with those artists or have heard of but never actually listened to them, you are in for a treat! We're talking major ear candy.

Thank you to Alex Thomas and the Visitor's Bureau for this kind donation.