2020 Best Of Covid Edition Film: Lady M

Lady M by Tammy Riley Smith

London 
Running Time: 12 minutes
From 2018
Dark Comedy

Hell hath no fury like an older woman scorned
An ageing actress summons the spirit of Lady Macbeth in order to win the part in an upcoming production. The actress, Margot Collins, played Lady Macbeth to great acclaiming her youth. Now in her fifties, she is largely forgotten, struggling for auditions, let alone parts. But when a theatre company announces its intention to stage Macbeth, Margot is determined to land the eponymous role once more ...

At the auditions it is a younger actress, Chloe, who commands the attention of the director, Richard, but he remembers Margot's inspirational performance and agrees to hear her read. It soon becomes clear, however, that Margot has no chance of starring opposite Brad, a hot TV star, twenty years her junior - and is instead offered the art of one of the witches...

But one should never underestimate the spirit of the play to conjure black magic, to summon mishaps and mischief, nor the power of a formidable older woman to get what she wants ...

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Director's Bio:

Tammy Riley-Smith is an award-winning writer-director.

She started her career in the mid 90’s as Development Executive at Working Title Films, working on a slate of films, including Elizabeth, Bean and Plunkett & Macleane.

She wrote and directed Ain’t Misbehavin’, which won the Kodak Short Film Prize, screened at 11 international film festivals including Cannes and was released theatrically with The Dish.

She won WFTV’s Directing Change Award in 2003 and worked as Trainee Director to John Madden on Proof, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins.

Tammy’s debut feature film, Delicious, starring Louise Brealey and Sheila Hancock, premiered in competition at Busan International Film Festival and, after a successful festival run, secured an international release in 2014.

She is currently attached to direct her second feature, The Phoenix, a UK/Australian co-production, produced by Jane Wright and Jane Hawley (Counterpoint). 

Director's Statement:

Numerous studies in recent years have revealed the depressing extent of gender inequality in the film, television and theatre industries, and the woeful prospects for actresses over 40. The few actresses who do find work after middle age tend to play mothers, wives, spinsters or decrepit hags. Meryl Streep, one of those few older actresses still permitted to access interesting roles, recently revealed that she was offered the part of a witch three times in the space of a year.

Lady M, a film about the trials of an ageing actress to secure a relevant role, isn't just a great script, but a metaphor for an underrepresented demographic. Margot’s experience of the world is unpredictable, unresponsive and not always benevolent, one that many older women might identify with. The ability to control one’s environment or the ravages of time seem impossible. In other narratives Margot may have been portrayed as a victim to be pitied, a self-deluded tragic character or a nuisance to be ignored. Here, however, Margot refuses to be beaten. She is a force of nature with a burning ambition to succeed and, like Shakespeare’s iconic heroine, Lady Macbeth, she summons the strength and will to control and shape her own future.

Traditionally in stories, strong, ambitious women have got their comeuppance or fallen apart, but Margot is here literally to steal the show – and in doing so challenges society’s view of older women and what they can be. The experiences of women past middle age, which are so complex, so multi faceted and relevant must no longer be erased from the art form. The stories of these generations of women are a crucial part of the fabric of our Society, of our cultural legacy - and must be told.

2020 Best Of Covid Edition Film: Control

Control by Alison Becker and Kimmy Gatewood

California 
Running Time: 14 minutes
From 2018
Dark Comedy

In this shockingly dark but utterly poignant comedy from Alison Becker and Kimmy Gatewood, a depressed woman contemplates ending her life, if she could just get everything in order first.

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Director's Bio:

Kimmy is a director, writer, & comedian best known as 1/3 of the acclaimed musical comedy trio The Apple Sisters. She produced and directed the feature documentary, Nerdcore Rising, which premiered at the South By Southwest Film Festival. She has since made a splash in the digital world having directed and produced for Dreamworks, Nerdist, Youtube's Comedy Week, Jash/Video Podcast Network, Maker Studios. AwesomenessTV, Yahoo!, Vevo, Awestruck, and hulu. She most recently directed a live-action comedy series “Hyperlinked” for Youtube Red/Disney that explores the world of girls and coding. She also directed Rachel Bloom (Golden Globe Award winning “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) in a video for Vanity Fair’s first Founders Fair entitled “LadyBoss.” Other directing projects include “Not Safe with Nikki Glaser” on Comedy Central, the Comedy Central digital series “Junketeers,” “Drumpf vs. Bernie” for Fusion & her series “Milk Factory” for Awestruck, As an actress Kimmy has been seen on Conan, “The B in Apartment 23,” ”Comedy Bang! Bang!,” “The Smosh Movie,” “Jersey Boys,” “Bad Judge,” “Epic Rap Battles of History” and the Netflix series, “GLOW” executive produced by Jenji Kohan. When she isn't acting, directing, or producing, Gatewood has a love for music, she sings and plays the guitar & trombone to her 4 year old daughter.

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Alison Becker is a writer/comedian/actor/producer who played Shauna Malwae-Tweep, the longest running guest star on NBC's "Parks and Recreation." Alison first gained popularity as one of the pranksters on MTV's hidden camera show "Boiling Points," and she has since appeared on countless television shows, including Showtime’s "Californication," FX’s "The League," HBO's "The Newsroom" from Aaron Sorkin, "New Girl" on FOX, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Kroll Show,” “Lucifer,” and many, many more. You may also know her Xandra Dent from Adult Swim's “Newsreaders.” Alison has written for and appeared in Yahoo's "Sketchy," and she has starred in some of the most popular web series ever made, including "Dating Rules from My Future Self”, College Humor’s Batman series and ESPN’s "Mayne Street" with Kenny Mayne. Becker is also a popular face in many classic videos from Funny or Die and Above Average. You may remember her from her hosting days on Fuel TV's "The Daily Habit," several shows on Fuse, and as the VJ of the weekly "Top 20 Countdown" on Vh1. Becker just produced a pilot for TruTV, and she is currently developing a feature script at Red Hour. She has been involved with the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre for over 15 years, and she has been a member of four house teams, both improv and sketch. Alison graduated from Georgetown University, cum laude, and she is a member of the high IQ society Mensa.

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Statement:

Control is a live action dark comedy about a woman who is metaphorically at the edge of a cliff of her own making and trying to control her plummet to the ground. We discover a woman at her darkest hour unable to release herself from her compulsion. And despite everything she does, the harsh truth is that nature is chaotic and unpredictable.

I see this as a tragedy with bursts of comedy where even during the character’s darkest time, she can’t help but try to make everything perfect, as shown in the ending shot where she straightens a bottle of windex before blowing her brains out.

Since there is no dialogue, the score of the movie is created by the sounds in the room: the hum of the air purifier, the scribble of a pen, and the clack of the keyboard. We are in the room with Alison as she contemplates and drowns in her thoughts. The sounds begin a slow, measured tempo of a woman on brink in control of her emotions to the cacophony of sound as she manically and precisely puts together a binder.

The writer and I had many discussions about the ending and ultimately decided that the character needed to go through with the act in order to feel complete. It not only represents the true lack of control despite our best efforts, but also that she ultimately followed through and is released from her own demons. Plus there is an adorable dog.

2020 Best Of Covid Edition Film: Hero in Limbo

Hero in Limbo by Van Campbell III

Milwaukee
Running Time: 9 minutes
From 2015
African American/ Experimental/ Drama

A man failing to connect to life, goes into a self induced trip to get a part of himself back, through emotion, metaphor, and triumph.

Director's Bio:

Van Campbell III, winner of "Best Wisconsin Film" at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival in 2013 for Mason Jelly Jar, and in 2015 for Hero in Limbo.

2020 Best Of Covid Edition Film: Crash

Crash by Yinan Wang
Wisconsin 
Running Time: 8 minutes
From 2018
Drama/Asian 

One night, after Alex’s company is taken away by Young, the best friend, and co-owner, Alex dialed Young’s number and was told Young is having dinner with his wife. Alex is overwhelmed and driven crazy. He refused to sign the letter of assignment and decided to end up his life in a car accident. However, he didn’t get what he wanted.

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Director's Bio:

Yinan Wang, documentary photographer and film maker, was born in Beijing. His works document minorities who live in China, and America. 

Beginning as a cinematographer, Yinan worked on the films, Kalagutage and Salt Well Naxi People which document the day to day lives and cultures of Indigenous peoples of China. In his work for these films, he undertook multiple trips to Yunnan, Tibet, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 

After years of frontline film-making, Yinan returned to school and studied Film, Video, Animation and New Genre at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. In school period, he learned and explored different forms of art, and finished his first feature documentary Yen Ching with the help of Professor Dick Blau and Professor Cecelia Condit. Now he is working on a documentary film about his mom and grandfather he had never met.

2020 Best Of Covid Edition Film: The Phantom Limb

The Phantom Limb by Mark G.E.

Milwaukee
Running Time: 19 minutes

From 1994
Drama/Film Noir

The Phantom Limb was the very first film screened at the festival in 1994.

Phantom Limb the noir tale of a man who, after committing murder, cuts off his arm only to find himself finding it harder to tell what is real and what is imagined. Original soundtrack by John Kruth. 

Director's Bio:

"Mark G. E.'s best work lies in his visual ideas... like Monty Python on magic mushrooms."

-Dave Lurhssen - Shepherd Express

Bio:

At twelve years old, Mark G. E. got his first camera and has been making movies ever since. Tending to work in the short film genre, Mark has always been intrigued by tales of irony. His style is at times romanticized German expressionism (Fritz Lang, Carl Theodore Dreyer) & American noir (Orson Welles), usually coming from a conceptual art approach. To date Mark has made over 300 movies.

Visually, Mark is inspired by films from the twenties and early thirties such as Vampyre, Pandoras Box and Battleship Potemkin, "because they show the strings." His writing interests have always been along the lines of Poe, Gorey, Grimm, Kafka and Serling. Though, much of his taste may be on the dark side, he has always maintained a love of the absurdly witty. His interest in the human condition led him to obtaining a Ph.D. in Psychology.

"I am most intrigued by the strangely beautiful. In works like Dark House, Visual Catalog and The Unfortunate Gift, I have spent the last few years exploring the lyricism in suffering," says Mark, "It seems that through holding close the darkness of the human condition, one can discover the hope that exists therein."

2020 Best Of Covid Edition film: Hoan Alone

Hoan Alone by Aaron Johnson
Wisconsin (Milwaukee Premiere)

Running Time: 9 minutes
From 2018
Documentary/Animation

Milwaukee’s Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge is the crown over Summerfest and has become one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. But it’s also a popular site for suicides. This animated documentary explores the issues of the bridge and suicide through three intimate interviews. Follow animator, Aaron Johnson, as he shares the stories of Dave, John, and Mary.

Director's Bio

After graduating from Columbia College Chicago in 1998, Aaron has gone on to a 20 year career in animation. Outside of his daytime professional work, Aaron has remained active in his independent film-making pursuits. Johnson has been recognized nationally for his independent animation including awards for animated television commercials.

2019 Festival Winners!

This has been another extraordinary year, thank you filmmakers, you make us a better film festival. 


I want to thank those that helped make this past weekend a success, first to the Fox Bay Cinema Grill for giving us home, and we'll be there next September as well. The Voices Heard committee, LaRheatra Re-Ree Cole, Van Campbell, and Nelson Tony Oliveras, Voices Heard is changing into more of a cultural event and expanding in ways we didn't imagine 5 years ago. And I also want to thank A-tone Bishop for partnering with Voices Heard and bringing in poets, Kerric Stephens and Adwoa Asentu. We have an idea of a more collaborative project next year that we'll announce soon. 

Also Stacy Scherer Callies who has done our program for 9 years, she does a fantastic job putting everything together and handling last minute changes as well, plus I want to tank Whitney Salgado our poster artist for the past three years, and next year. This year we experimented with her selling her art work in the lobby and she made enough sales to make it possible that we'll do it again next year. 

We need to thank our volunteers, Stephanie Sager, Jeff Holub, Julia Teeguarden and April Jordan, and Glen Popple for his hard work being the content manager. Our photographer, Kathryn Wash, our MC's Moe Pull and Anieya Jasline Walker, also Robert Arthur for spearheading the panel on Entertainment law and getting Peter Strand and Bryan Kroes to join in and making it an informative discussion. 

Thanks to our judges, Jozef K. Richards, Suzanne Jurva, Lance Miller, Tracey Bea Thomas, A-tone Bishop, Natasha Nafrini, Paulina Bugembe and Temeceka CeCe Harris who did an impossible job scoring all the films, and to William Quirmbach who has been with the festival for 10 years. His help running the ticket sales makes this event go smoothly. Thank you all again, now to start next year's festival.