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Thank you to everyone who helped make the 29th James River Film Fest one for the books! To the Volunteers, guests, attendees, friends, and family. You helped make this year, and every year, a reality.
We look forward to seeing you all in the coming months for other programs and of course, next spring, for our 30th JRFF!
-JRFS
A Full Festival Pass for entry into all events can be purchased at any event for $40. Good for all events, Non-transferable
Interested in volunteering for an event? Free t-shirt and event entry included! Please email: vilma@jamesriverfilm.org for more info!
THURSDAY, April 20
Visual Arts Center, Auditorium, 8 pm, $8
EARTH (SOIL/ZEMLYA)('30, USSR, 70 min.) with the Vulgar Bulgars!
One of the silent cinema's masterpieces, from Ukrainian-born director Alexander Dovzhenko, is a lyrical meditation on family, life, and death as a group of peasants form a "collective" over the objections of the big landowners. The authorities denounced it as "counter-revolutionary" and deleted scenes, but it remains Dovzhenko's loving tribute to his native Ukraine. The Vulgar Bulgars will play "kletzmer" music before the screening at 7:30 pm! Approx. RT 90 min.
FRIDAY, April 21
Richmond Main Public Library, 1:00 pm, Free
SURREALIST SANDWICH
Two films by Surrealist director Luis Bunuel--Un Chien Andalou/ Andalusian Dog ('29), co-written with Salvador Dali and considered the ultimate Surrealist manifesto, and Simon of the Desert ('65), rarely screened; loosely based on St. Simeon Stylites, an ascetic pole sitter of the 5th century who is tempted by all manner of Satan's trickery, ultimately finding himself on the dance floor of a 1960's NY disco. Approx. RT 80 min.
Richmond Main Public Library, 2:30 pm, Free
WOMEN FILMMAKERS
Early feminism of the silent era-- Alice Guy's Making an American Citizen (1912), on domestic abuse, and Lois Weber's restored Shoes (1916), depicting pay inequality and poverty as the young heroine trades her honor for a new pair of needed shoes. Jump ahead a century for two animated shorts by past JRFF guests, Karen Aqua's Twist of Fate and Martha Colburn's Dolls v. Dictators. Approx. RT 90 min.
Grace St. Theater, 7:30 pm, $8
SILENT MUSIC REVIVAL presents: HOTEL X plays "CITY SYMPHONIES."
The long-running Richmond ensemble Hotel X celebrates 30 years and performs to a selection of "city symphony" shorts, including Charles Sheeler's/ Paul Strand's Manhatta ('21), Joris Ivens' Rain ('29), and Jean Vigo's Apropos de Nice ('30)--featuring new original compositions by band members Tim Harding, Carter Blough, and Chris Vasi! Plus, a special visit by guitarist/ composer guest Gary Lucas. Approx. RT 75 min.
Paid Parking available at VCU deck on corner of Broad & Harrison St.
Grace St. Theater, 9 pm, $8
REWIND & PLAY (dir: Alain Gomis), 2022, France/Germany, 65 mins.
In December 1969 jazz pianist/composer Thelonious Monk ended his European tour with a performance at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. Before the show, he agreed to appear and perform on a French TV station and be interviewed by Henri Renaud. The interview revealed a disconnect--Renaud's approach to Monk and his music subtly revealed the casual racism and exploitation of the music industry at large. A fascinating behind-the-scenes look with rarely seen footage of a jazz giant, directed by Alain Gomis.
SATURDAY, April 22
Byrd Theatre, 11:00 am, $8
SPOTLIGHT on THE GOOD ROAD w/ co-host Craig Martin
Craig Martin, co-host of the PBS docu-series, THE GOOD ROAD, screens two episodes of regional interest, "Virginia Balance" and "Holy River"; the first concerns the quest for recognition by the Monacan Nation and the historic site, Rassawek; the latter, the effort to sustain sturgeon reproduction in the James and highlights the work of the James River Association.
Byrd Theatre, 1:30 pm, $8
ALLIANCE (2022) w/ director Susan Donnelly and director of photography Ted Salins
Escaping from a tyrannical Czar in 1882, forty-three Russian Jewish families landed in NJ's pine barrens and sandy soil. There, they exchanged persecution for a new set of skills and a social experiment--forming a cooperative, agricultural-based community--the Alliance Colony. Director Susan Donnelly's great-grandfather was one of the original Alliance settlers. Q & A after with the director and cinematographer. RT 80 min.
Byrd Theatre, 4 pm, $8
THE ALBUM (scr/dir: Kevin Hosmann, 2022)
Remember when a record's cover art was a big part of why you bought it? Celebrate National Vinyl Day with a screening of The Album, an independent documentary about the record industry from the POV of dozens of art directors and photographers. Hear the stories of the artists/designers who created the most memorable art in the music industry's history--from Abbey Road to Dark Side of the Moon to Nevermind. (thanks to Jim Bland and Heather Waters for helping us land this program!) RT 90 min.
Byrd Theatre, 6:00 pm, $8
Richmond Music Video SHOWCASE PART 1
SPOTLIGHT on GOOD DAY RVA! w/ producer Chris Damon & crew
Witness the long-awaited return of Good Day RVA as they project a selection of their iconic, city-inspired music videos on the Byrd's big silver screen!
Richmond Music Video SHOWCASE PART 2 7:30 pm,
Richmond Music Scene ARCHIVES
A sampler of Richmond's music scene since the whole MTV thing happened--then & now, celebrating all genres and styles--featuring videos from Poison, GWAR, Plunky & Oneness, Single Bullet Theory, Seymores, and more!
Byrd Theatre, 9 pm $15/ 2 for $25
TOO MUCH JOHNSON w/ guitarist/composer GARY LUCAS
Special guest composer/ guitarist Gary Lucas plays to Orson Welles' lost/ restored cult film oddity, TOO MUCH JOHNSON, starring Joseph Cotten, a Petersburg, VA native. Lucas (Captain Beefheart/ Gods & Monsters) is a five-time guest and part of our extended festival family. Orson Welles (Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil, Lady from Shanghai) had intended to use Too Much Johnson as part of a multi-media theatrical presentation. Still, it didn't pan out--the film was lost, found, and supposedly destroyed at Welles' Spanish villa in a fire. But in recent years, a copy surfaced. The film is an homage to the silent cinema: from Harold Lloyd's cliff-hanging stunts in American comedies to the sinister Fantomas in France, with nods to the Soviets and the German Expressionists. A Wellesian farce and a cult curio! Approx. RT 75 min.
SUNDAY, APRIL 23
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Leslie Cheek Theater, 1:00 pm, $8
THE BLACK PRESS: SOLDIERS WITHOUT SWORDS ('98)
An illuminating look at the history of the African-American-produced newspaper, which flourished in hundreds of markets nationwide, including Richmond's. More than just a news source, it was part of African-Americans' push for community, racial and social equality. Exhaustively researched and narrated by actor Joe Morton, the film includes rare footage from inside the black newspaper industry. Directed/produced: Stanley Nelson, RT 86 min.
VMFA, Leslie Cheek Theater, 3:30 pm, $8
SILENT MUSIC REVIVAL presents SUN V SET & the Films of MAYA DEREN
Experience the films of avant-garde filmmaker Maya Deren--Meshes of the Afternoon ('43), At Land ('44), The Very Eye of Night ('58)--with live music by RVA's Sun V Set. Deren was a seminal figure of the American avant-garde through the 1940s-50s, and not only pioneered the experimental "trance" film but with her background in choreography, the dance film as well. Sun V Set's recent single is "LA Electric," and a new EP is forthcoming. Approx. RT 75 min.
About the Guests:
Gary Lucas, a NY-based guitarist/composer, was a member of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, formed Gods & Monsters in 1989, toured extensively worldwide playing scores of film and music festivals, and recorded 50 albums in a variety of genres, either as a soloist or collaborator--including Leonard Bernstein, Jeff Buckley, John Cale, Nick Cave, Lou Reed; and worked w/ DJ Spooky, John Zorn, Nona Hendryx, and Allen Ginsberg. His 2021 CD, The Essential Gary Lucas, spans 40 years--a body of work covering psychedelic rock, film scores, classical, jazz, electronic, blues, Chinese pop, Hungarian folk, and raga. Rollingstone calls Lucas "One of the best and most original guitarists in America." Mr. Lucas previously appeared here in 2003, 2006, 2011, and 2018. Mr. Lucas performs Sat: April 22 at 9 pm to Orson Welles' cult curio, Too Much Johnson.
Hotel X is a Richmond Afrodelic funk group founded in 1992 that has "hosted" countless talented cohorts over the years, hence the name. The band has recorded nine albums, toured extensively, and via a repertoire of jazz, funk, Cuban, Brazilian, and Jamaican, found themselves at the source-Africa-with numerous musical collaborations evolving. Often featured in sound bites on NPR, Hotel X also collaborated with JRFF in 2006 and 2010. Hotel X is Tim Harding, alto sax/ Tyler Donnelly, tenor sax/ Chris Vasi, guitar/ Charles Hunter, keyboards/ Carter Blough, bass/ Hunter Duke, drums/ Jeff Morris, percussion/ James McDonald, percussion/ Mike Reitz, percussion. See and hear Hotel X do "city symphony" films Friday, April 21, at 7:30 pm, at Grace Street Theater.
Susan Donnelly is director/producer of Alliance, educated at Harvard and Tufts, and is currently Art Director for the D.C. Independent Film Forum. She has worked with the National Geographic and Discovery Channels and the American Film Institute; she is a past recipient of the Randy Goldman scholarship from Women in Film and Video.Ms. Donnelly screens her feature film, Alliance, Saturday, April 22, at 1:30 pm.
Sun V Set features the musical expressions of:
Linnea Morgan, vocals, guitar, violin
Ethan Kuhn, bass
Ethan Johnstone, drums, production
Describe their sound as "love songs for the elements"; their recent single is "LA Electric", w/ a new EP soon. Sun V Set performs at VMFA Sunday, April 23, at 3:30 pm with films by Maya Deren.
Ted Salins was educated at VCU and Pratt and teaches film production/film studies at Randolph-Macon College and Bright Point Community College. He's director of photography/ editor on Alliance, screening Sat., April 22, at 1:30 pm at the Byrd.
Good Day RVA is a non-profit collective of filmmakers/ artists showcasing RVA's diverse music scene, cultural history, and beauty. Founded in 2012 by Chris Damon, Evan Hoffman, Will Weaver, and Matt Conan, Good Day's central focus is RVA Live Music--original videos pairing local musicians and iconic locations that match their sound and aesthetic. Join us as Chris Damon and crew screen Live Music videos at the Byrd Theatre on Saturday, April 22, at 6 pm.
The Good Road is an inspiring and popular PBS-TV documentary series co-hosted by Craig Martin and Earl Bridges, who travel the world seeking "do-gooders and change makers" addressing global humanitarian issues. Join Mr. Martin as he screens two episodes focusing on the James River region Saturday, April 22, at 11:00 am, at The Byrd.
The Seymores are a Richmond-originated band of 1993-1998 with VCU roots, who have recently reformed--current lineup:
David Fera, guitar, vocals
Joe Nio, guitar, vocals
EJ Herczyk, bass
Steve Pletch, drums
Ricky Tubb, keyboards, guitar, engineer
They play live at The Byrd Saturday, April 22, w/ Richmond Music Videos!
Vulgar Bulgars is a Richmond-based quartet who have played together variously for 20 years, sharing a passion for performing and a love for soulful Kletzmer music. They are
Ben Grondahl, clarinet
Ezra Freeman, bass
CJ Alicea, drums
Kassia Arbadi, fiddle.
Hear them live at the VisArts Center on Thursday, April, at 7:30 pm before a screening of Ukrainian director Alexander Dovzhenko's Earth ('30).
Venues:
Byrd Theatre, 2908 W. Cary Street
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard
Visual Arts Center, 1812 W. Main Street
Grace Street Theater, 934 W. Grace Street
Richmond Main Public Library, 101 E. Franklin Street
Festival Committee:
Coleman Jennings, Michael Jones, Vilma Jones (illustration/ volunteers), Jameson Price, Laney Sullivan, Steven Warrick (layout)
Special thanks:
Gary Lucas, Hotel X, Sun V Set, Seymores, Vulgar Bulgars, Susan Donnelly, Richmond Public Library, Good Day RVA, VCU's Dept. of Photography & Film, Plan 9, Trent Nicholas & VMFA staff, NY Deli, VisArts, Byrd Theatre & staff, Le Lew & Grace St. Theater, WRIR, VPM, Style Weekly, Don Harrison, Jerry Williams, Heather Waters & RIFF, Brent Baldwin, Craig Martin & Good Road, Richmond Free Press, Kevin Hosmann, Alyssa Salomon, John Venable, Zooom Printing, Grasshopper Film, VA Film Office, Linden Row Inn, Adventures in T-Shirt Land, the advertisers, donors, & volunteers!
~~~
Produced and directed by Susan Donnelly and filmed by Ted Salins, ALLIANCE aims to capture the unique story of the first successful Jewish farming community in the United States, the Alliance Colony. Founded in 1882, the Alliance Colony was a first-time social experiment, bringing persecuted Russian Jews to the United States to form an agricultural-based community. ALLIANCE is a unique and inspiring true story—a story of bravery, immigration, resilience, and family.
Be sure to check out ALLIANCE at this year’s JRFF, Saturday April 22, 2023 at they Byrd Theatre, 1;30PM - $8.
Hang around after for a Q&A with the Director and Cinematographer!
It's with sadness but with fond memories that we're posting a clip from Television frontman Tom Verlaine's visit to the 7th James River Film Festival in 2000. Tipped off by Steve Wilson that Verlaine was touring with a package of vintage avant-garde films, we soon got in touch with him--by telephone!--and he agreed to come down, but we'd have to fly his accompanist, Jimmy Rip, in from LA. The night they got in after our other programs were finished, they asked to go out to hear some live music, so we took them to Jimmy's, the now-defunct jazz club at Broad and Meadow, where they marveled at the low cost of the drinks!
On Sunday, April 16th, at the Byrd Theater, the performance was packed and Verlaine went off with his loopy guitar solos backed by session guitarist Rip, they played to Star of the Sea (Man Ray), Fall of the House of Usher (Watson & Webber), The Life & Death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra (Florey & Vorkapich), Emak Bakia (Man Ray), They Caught the Ferry (Dreyer), Autumn Mist (Kirsanoff), and Ballet Mechanique (Leger). At the end, the applause rained down, and Verlaine humbly stood and acknowledged the crowd, urged on by Rip.
Tom, we barely knew ye, but we thank you and will forever remember you!
-Michael Jones
via Gary Lucas
”TOO MUCH: Just confirmed, on Sat. April 22nd I am returning for my fifth appearance performing in Richmond Virginia at the fantastic JAMES RIVER FILM FESTIVAL with my live score accompanying Orson Welles's 1938 silent surrealist farce "TOO MUCH JOHNSON". This will take place at Richmond's sumptuous art-deco palace The Byrd Theatre and I am so looking forward to performing there again. My last appearance playing with this film was sold-out at the Noorderzon Festival in Groningen Netherlands recently, and I am keen to play with the film again! I'm told by festival organizer Mike Jones that one of Orson Welles's favorite Mercury Theater players, Joseph Cotten, the star of this madcap film, is buried nearby — so a trip to his final resting place is de rigeur.”
More about "Too Much Johnson": http://garylucas.com/www/tmj/tmj.shtml
photo by Phil Mango
Full festival line up will be announced in the coming months. We hope to see you all at this year’s James River Film Festival!
Thank you, everyone, for coming out and supporting the filmmakers! We had a fantastic crowd and a wonderful evening. Be sure to come back next year!
A special thank you to our Jurors, Our Guest Judge Kevin McNeer, the VMFA, the VFO, and everyone who helped make this year a success.
The Winners of this year’s prizes are listed below. Filmmakers, we will be in touch!
In Order of Appearance:
Coffee and Yellow Roses - Paul L. Hugins, Arlington, VA - $400
On My Mind - Walker Moore, Richmond, VA 8:58 - $400
5 Stages of Romantic Relationships - Adam Rosenburg, Richmond, VA $400
Rings - Colin Earner, Richmond, VA - $400
The Kathryn Stephens VA Filmmaker Award - $200
Two Lines - Walker Moore, Richmond, VA
People’s Choice Award - $200
On My Mind - Walker Moore, Richmond, VA
Advance tickets can be purchased here
28th JAMES RIVER SHOWCASE
FINALISTS SCREENING & AWARDS PRESENTATION
JANUARY 13, 2023
Leslie Cheek Theater, VMFA
PROGRAM:
Garlic Party - Rose Vincelli Gustine, Brooklyn, NY 15:45
Bye Bye Lullaby - Sonali Gulati/ Rohan Gulati, Richmond, VA 4:42
Post Comedy - Via Bia, Arlington, VA/ LA, CA 8:30
Coffee and Yellow Roses - Paul L. Hugins, Arlington, VA 15:24
On My Mind - Walker Moore, Richmond, VA 8:58
INTERMISSION:
Two Lines - Walker Moore, Richmond, VA 8:48
A Moment of Your Time - Adam Lapallo, Richmond, VA 19:40
5 Stages of Romantic Relationships - Adam Rosenburg, Richmond, VA 1:26
Rings - Colin Earner, Richmond, VA 16:46
The Young Women Are Not Getting Along - Maddy Wade, Richmond, VA 5:13
non-screened honorable mentions:
Poplars - Matthew Garrison
Break - William Fields
AWARDS PRESENTATION: $2,000 in prizes! Plus the Kathryn Stephens VA Filmmaker Award & People's Choice Awards!
KEVIN McNEER, born in Richmond, and this year's awards judge, attended the Moscow Film School, and has directed several documentaries, including Stalin Thought of You (2009) , winner at the Tel Aviv Film Festival, Frame-by-Frame (2019), on the making of the stop-action film Hoffmannaiada in production for decades, and On One Day of the Days of God (2015), about the vanishing traditional life on the Yemen island of Soqotra.
2023 JAMES RIVER SHORT FILM SHOWCASE JURORS:
CARYL BURTNER is an award-winning conceptual artist whose movie-loving mother took her to see her first movie, "The Snow Queen", at the age of two. Thousands of films later, and despite a growing collection of ticket stubs, she still screens avidly.
TOM CAMPAGNOLI watched Moby Dick and Hitchcock movies with his father as a boy, and later was manager/projectionist at Richmond's repertory Biograph Theatre. He was Kosmo in the RVA animated epic, Futuropolis and is recently retired from UR libraries.
KEVIN DOWNS is a screenwriter, and producer/director of numerous commercial shorts--including music videos for Lost Highway and Epic Records. Educated at VCU and NYU he currently teaches screenwriting and film production/ history courses.
KEN HOPSON oversees The Workshop at VCU Libraries, which supports and collaborates with academic research and design through emerging media technologies. His personal narrative is a loose adaptation of an unscripted true story.
COLEMAN JENNINGS is a graduate of VCU's Mass Comm department and a member of the James River Film Society, overseeing the Society's various programming and tech needs. An avid rock climber, he also collects "found" Super-8 home movies.
ASHLEY KISTLER is a graduate of VCU's SOA, and has curated at the VMFA, the Visual Arts Center, and was director of the beloved Anderson Gallery at VCU. She recently edited a book on the gallery's collection and is active in the RVA arts scene.
JERE KITTLE is an award-winning photographer, artist and filmmaker based in Richmond, educated at VCU. She was a finalist in the London Int'l. Super-8 Festival: Straight 8, and the Phillips Collection "American Moments", in Washington, DC in 2015.
RAASA LEELA DE MONTEBELLO is an award winning filmmaker and actress who divides her time between NYC and Ashland. A NYU film grad, she currently freelance edits and directs; her films have been won several awards at RVA's 48 Hr Film Projects.
JAMESON PRICE is a Richmond musician and activist and a member of the James River Film Society central program committee. He has curated the Silent Music Revival programs at various RVA venues for the past 16 years.
TODD STARKWEATHER holds a PhD in English,University of Illinois-Chicago, where he studied film theory. He has taught literature, writing and film studies at various universities in the past twenty years, and currently teaches English in middle school.
SPECIAL THANKS to finalists judge Kevin McNeer, the jurors, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The Showcase is sponsored annually by the Virginia Film Office and the James River Film Society, a non-profit organization. www.jamesriverfilm.org
SILENT MUSIC REVIVAL (holiday edition!)
“Reviving the craft of live music to Silent Cinema”
Featuring:
A Collection of Holiday Shorts (1913-1932)
Live Score by:
Paint On It
https://paintonit.band/
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16th
7:30PM:Doors • 8PM: Start
at Basic City Beer Co.
https://www.basiccitybeer.com
212 W 6TH STREET. RICHMOND, VA.
(in old town manchester)
Plenty of parking (there's a parking lot!)
Basic City also has FOOD w/ DogTown Billy Pie brick-fired pizza
•DONATION$ GREATLY APPRECIATED•
James River Film Society & Grimalkin Records @grimalkin.records
presents:
SILENT MUSIC REVIVAL
reviving the craft of live music to silent cinema
featuring:
“From Morn to Midnight” (1920)
Cashier who embezzles money from a bank and goes on a desperate search for the meaning of life in a nightmarish metropolis.
w/ Live Score by:
(Eli)zabeth Owens
@eli.zabeth.owens
Playing with the languages of folk, romance, soundscape, avant-garde and glitch, their music results in a timeless yet cuttingly fresh brand of art rock unlike anything you’ll hear today.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22nd
7:30PM:Doors • 8PM: Start
@ Basic City Beer Co
@basiccitybeerco_rva
(in old town manchester)
•DONATION$ GREATLY APPRECIATED•