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2012 Films
Feature
Set in a stunning background of colorful landscapes, Go Ganges! captures the danger, joy and significance of the mighty Ganges River when two explorers attempt to travel its length by any means possible. The adventurers provide a colorful testimony to the distress the river endures, and why it merits reprieve as an irreplaceable emblem.
The director of BWFF 2011 audience favorite, “Truck Farm” turns his camera skyward to take a look at what we're missing when we can't see the stars above. A fabulous soundtrack, and a great combination of documentation and animation make “The City Dark” a engaging look at a serious topic. “The City Dark” earned the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature at the Environmental Film Festival at Yale, Best Documentary at the Hardacre Film Festival and Best Professional Documentary at the Real to Reel Festival.
When a terminally-ill young man decides he isn't going to have any more treatments and heads on a journey "somewhere West," he discovers it's the friends he makes on the road who give his final days meaning. Visually stunning, "Somewhere West" follow Ian on a 3,000-mile journey from the wilds of Upper Peninsula Michigan to the West Coast. Along the way, he meets fellow travelers who become his rag-tag family. Touching, funny and quietly big-hearted, "Somewhere West" is a beautifully crafted narrative.
This is the strange but true story of Wild Bill Cooper, who led a ragtag crew of mechanics, ranchers and photographers on an attempted 1972 journey from Forest Lake, Minn to Moscow. After the expedition returned, Cooper was accused of leading a massive drug smuggling operation known as the “Marijuana Air Force,” and was named one of America' Ten Most Wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service. A wily outdoorsman, Cooper disappeared, and even today his whereabouts remain a mystery.
Documentary
An intimate look at a year in the life of singer, songwriter and violinist Andrew Bird.
If you had only minutes to leave your home, what possessions would you take? “Packed” interviews people who had to escape their Colorado homes in advance of a 2010 wildfire, people who were forced to ask themselves “What do I need? What do I love?”
Cory Mann navigates the path between his work as a modern-day entrepreneur and his Tlingit roots in this documentary, shot in Mann's at times beautiful and at times funky Alaska home. For much of the year, Mann runs his Internet sales business, but for a month each year he travels to fish camp to smoke salmon. Filled with humor and insight, "Smokin' Fish" explores what it means to be Native American in today's world.
Prisoner of Her Past tells the haunting story of a secret childhood trauma resurfacing in a childhood Holocaust survivor, sixty years later, to unravel the life of Sonia Reich. The film follows her son, Chicago Tribune jazz critic Howard Reich, as he journeys across the United States and Eastern Europe to uncover why his mother believes the world is conspiring to kill her.
Coalwood, West Virginia is best known as the hometown of Howard Hickam, whose memoir “Rocket Boys” was the basis of the movie “October Sky.” This documentary tells the story of the company town of Coalwood through the stories of Coalwood residents.
The up-and-down journey of a group of Chicago artists who create a permanent living and working space within the city they love.
A look at the life, work, and legacy of the late Dan Terry, who spent more than three decades in Afghanistan. In August 2010, Dan was among 10 humanitarian aid workers assassinated in Afghanistan. Eastern Mennonite University film students, intrigued by Dan's commitment and humility, embarked on their own journey to understand the story. Through interviews, Dan's photography, and their own artwork and video journals, the students discover the startling power of sustained commitment and what Dan called "fierce" love.
This documentary tells of a journey of planting hope in the West Bank of Palestine during a five-day 120-mile ultra marathon as a group of runners travel the countryside planting olive trees – and understanding across cultures.
This documentary tells the story of a Chicago area medical team that was in Haiti when the catastrophic 2010 earthquake struck. This film is a story of heroism and making a difference through they words of people who were there.
Short
This whimsical and heartfelt animated film explores how the filmmaker reconnected with his late father – on a pogo stick.
This silent film explores one woman's shocking reaction to committing a terrible crime.
In this beautifully shot, evocative film, the fairy tale character Snow White finds herself in a modern-day dark world where evil is more horrifying than anything the Evil Queen could ever have imagined.
A light-hearted look at the mysterious disappearance of the Big Bad Wolf from the campus of Fairytale University, where fairy tale characters come to get their education.
In this tongue-in-cheek homage to film noir, an unscrupulous museum curator gets more than she bargained for in her quest for a mysterious Egyptian dagger.
A man on the brink of committing suicide is magically given the ability to see the world in an entirely new way.
In 1987, a young boy with a large, visible birthmark suffers from classmates' taunts until he finds new confidence – with the help of a most unlikely partner.
In this animated film, red-neck “critics” Jeff Twiller and Randy J. Johnson discuss the 1981 film, “The Pit,” shot in Beaver Dam, Wis. (This film contains adult language)
The story of 1938 St. Paul, Minn. Soap Box Derby Champ Joe Garelick, who went on to be a B-24 gunner in World War II and later a successful inventor and entrepreneur. Winner of the Best Film by Emerging Filmmaker Award at the Moving Pictures Minnesota’s Greatest Generation Film Festival and shown on Twin Cities Public Television.
This animated film offers a unique perspective on the circle of life.
Beautifully shot on location in the Spanish Civil War ghost town of Belchite, Spain, this retelling of the narcissus myth tells the story of a photographer obsessed by the fantastic ruins – and himself.
This short offers a tantalizing peek behind the scenes during “Hamlet” produced at Washburn's StageNorth theater.
The story of how The Little Free Library movement, the brainchild of Wisconsinites Rick Brooks and Todd Bol, has spread throughout the world creating community by sharing the written word.
Two cups of coffee and two distinct journeys have a fateful collision. Raidho was completed as part of the 48 Film Project in Minneapolis MN. It was nominated for four awards, Best Film, Best Emerging Film, Best Emerging Director, and Best Cinematography. It won Best Emerging Film and was number four in the overall competition.
Both Kjell and Per will be in attendence to speak about their film.
A moving narrative exploring the difficult relationship between a blue-collar father and his 30-something artist son as they both face life transitions.
A tale of infatuation and loss when a man falls for a beautiful woman.
Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when one partner just can't let go and the other has definitely moved on.
Men of two different faiths discuss the spiritual importance of water in this film coming to the Big Water Film Festival from Lebanon.
The lengths to which one crazy junkboarder will go to find the perfect run down the hill – snow or no snow.