Films to look for at the Newark Film Festival

The 4th Annual Newark Film Festival is here with with an impressive 28 films to get excited about.  This is the festival's largest line-up yet, and to keep film-goers  from being too overwhelmed we've highlighted a few, many with local talent, some with mass appeal, and two classics.

American Teen
PG-13, Documentary

Straight from it’s hit showing at the Sundance Film Festival, “American Teen” is the featured film of the Newark Film Festival’s Opening Night, sponsored by The Community News.

American Teen follows the lives of four teenagers - a jock, the popular girl, the artsy girl and the geek - in one small town in Indiana through their senior year of high school. We see the insecurities, the cliques, the jealousies, the first loves and heartbreaks, and the struggle to make profound decisions about the future.

Filming daily for ten months, filmmaker Nanette Burstein developed a deep understanding of her subjects. The result is a film that goes beyond these initial stereotypes of high school to render complex young people trying to find their way into adulthood.

With extraordinary intimacy and a great deal of humor, this opening night feature captures the pressures of growing up that come from peers, parents and themselves.

Electile Dysfunction
Featuring a Q&A with WDEL’s Al Mascitti
Not Rated, documentary

It’s no coincidence that this “serious critique of a political system that is spiraling into irrelevance” premieres at the Newark Film Festival in an election year.

The documentary, directed by Pennsylvania resident Joe Barber, deals with public disapproval of politics and the cynicism and distrust that hallmark the election process. 

“The unholy alliance of special interest money and public policy has produced government that is perceived to be out of touch with the reality of everyday citizens and unresponsive to their needs,” writes Barry Schlecker, Newark Film Festival co-producer.

It surveys a broad cross-section of political elites, consultants, celebrities, and insiders to provide a critical analytical expose that is a must for individuals in search of answers as to how we got here and where we go from here.  "Electile Dysfunction" is a must see for anyone concerned about the future of democracy.

Leaf
Featuring a Q&A with filmmaker, Tim Carr
Not Rated, drama

Does anyone remember Quarterback Ryan Leaf, the highly touted first round NFL draft pick of 1998, chosen right behind Peyton Manning?  Newark filmmaker Tim Carr does in this semi-biographical documentary, starring Carr as the worst first round pick in history.

The San Diego Charges grabbed Leaf in the first round as the second overall pick with a signing bonus of $12 million.  Questions about his ability to lead a team with maturity arose with Leaf proclaiming he would take some friends to Las Vegas and “celebrate madly.”

“I wanted to do a sports story with an indy flair,” said Carr. Peyton Manning is going to get his big film one day and Carr wanted to show a cautionary tale of the underside, he said.

Carr gained 32 pounds for his role as Leaf, worked with Quartbacks to “get the spiral right,” and broke a few ribs while filming.

After winning the first two games in 1998 Leaf collapsed with a dreadful loss to Kansas City and an infamous screaming match with a local reporter that ended in a beer thrown and a public apology.

Leaf never accepted the responsibilities of being a leader, constantly quarreling with seemingly anyone around him, and injury benched him for the 1999 season.  He was cut after 2000 and finished his career as a low-ranked backup in Dallas in 2001 before disappearing from the NFL altogether, his career considered the worst in the history of the NFL.

Carr said he had to cut so much out of the movie because it was so unbelievable and he couldn’t verify it with a second source. 

“Truth really is stranger than fiction.”

No Denying
Mature, documentary

This compelling documentary, by Middletown Resident Steve Gonzer, features interviews with Delawareans who were eyewitnesses to the events of the Holocaust.

The documentary is a passion project by Gonzer, 56, who has been a member The Halina Wind Preston Holocaust Education Committee for 20 years.  Since 1989 the committee has brought survivors to talk at school.  Gonzer thought it important to have a record of these experiences and took on the project.

“I would like everybody to see this,” said Gonzer.  Following the Ken Burns style of long form documentary, the project cut thousands of hours into a four-disc DVD collection.  The film “No Denying” is a compilation of those interviews, all from Delawareans who played a role in the historical events.

The interviews were conducted over a period of nearly 20 years. The first interview was in 1989 and the last in 2008. All the individuals featured in this film have at least one thing in common- they were witnesses to genocide.  Many of these individuals never shared their experiences prior to being interviewed for this project, not even with their family.

Offering many mid-day performances, schools are encouraged to schedule class trips, and free tickets are available for educational purposes by contacting Barry Schlecker, 656-5555.

The Red Balloon / White Mane Double Feature
Short Film

“You haven’t seen ‘The Red Balloon’?” my fellow film classmates asked. “That’s like not seeing ‘The Godfather.” 

The 1956 classic is one of the most revered short films of all time, following a six-year-old boy and his best friend, a giant red balloon.  The French film has nearly zero dialogue but portrays emotion and friendship better than most films with million dollar budgets. 

Oh yeah, it also received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, making it the only short ever given an Oscar for a feature category.  And yes, I did get see it eventually.

White Mane, another French classic, is about French cowboys who corral wild horses, but the one that they can’t master is their leader, White Mane.  Dazzling black and white photography and hair-raising stunts and action lead to its stunning climax.  Winner of the Cannes Grand Prix for short film and presented in a new English translation, faithful to the original French voiceover and dialogue, spoken by Peter Strauss.

Young at Heart
PG, documentary

The New England senior citizen chorus “Young@Heart” performs covers of songs by everyone from The Clash to Coldplay and hip-hop songs.  Stephen Walker's family friendly documentary is a funny and unexpectedly moving testament to the simple things these seniors value: old friendships, new challenges and a little time in the spotlight.

All Along
PG-13, comedy-drama

All Along stars local filmmaker, Bill Page as Richard Harrison.  With a loving wife, a reliable job and two typically rambunctious teenagers Harrison experiences an unlikely mid-life crisis when he turns 40 and descends into daydreams before coming back to reality with hilarious results. Also co-starring Salesianum graduate Charlie McDermott as Tom Harrison. This is Delawareans second chance to catch this film, previously shown in June at The Grand Opera House.