SCORE: A Film Music Documentary

WITH SPECIAL GUEST, RICHARD.  D WALTER, PHDMUSICAL INSTRUMENT MUSEUM CURATOR FOR UNITED STATES/CANADA

ABOUT THE FILM:

What's Star Wars without John Williams?  Pirates of the Caribbean without Hans Zimmer?  Toy Story without Randy Newman? 

What makes a score unforgettable?  Taking a peek at how composers developed some of the most iconic scores in history, SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY follows the creative struggles of designing a modern soundtrack from scratch, featuring some of cinema’s most recognized names in film music. 

SCORE explores the power and influence of film scores in the modern world while revealing the evolution of sound and how composers assemble music the complements a picture to achieve powerful reactions from worldwide audiences. 

JOINING US FOR OUR POST-FILM DISCUSSION IS RICHARD D. WALTER, PHD, CURATOR OF UNITED STATES/CANADA FOR THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MUSEUM. 

Richard Walter earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology and archaeology from Washington & Lee University and his master’s and PhD degrees in ethnomusicology and folklore from Indiana University.  Throughout his career, he has witnessed the value of sharing live music with local communities, gained knowledge of historical recording technologies at audio archives, and conducted fieldwork across the United States.  A variety of teaching positions encouraged him to adopt new strategies for communicating the value of art and music in peoples’ lives. 

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) represents an ideal intersection where Walter’s interests in material culture, musical traditions, and human interactions from around the world are explored and celebrated every day.  With particular interests in American vernacular music and associated instruments, he is primarily focused on MIM’s North American collections and exhibits. 

A documentary following the exploits of a group of filmmakers as they take their independent feature, Ten 'til Noon (2006), along the film festival circuit, and the politics, pitfalls, triumphs and comic tragedies they encounter along the way.  Full of interviews with important players in the indie world, this is a must see for young filmmakers on what happens when the shooting stops. 

SPOTLIGHT ON... DOCUMENTARIES

Love Between the Covers is a feature-length documentary film about the little-known, surprisingly powerful community of women who read and write romance novels. 

Love stories are universal.  Love stories are powerful.  And so are the women who write them.  While romance novels and their signature covers are ubiquitous around the world, the global community of millions of women who read, write, and love them remains oddly invisible.  Love Between the Covers is the fascinating story of five very different authors who invite us into a vast female community, running a powerhouse industry that’s on the cusp of an irreversible power shift. 

For three years, we follow the lives of five published romance authors and one unpublished newbie as they build their businesses, find and lose loved ones, cope with a tsunami of change in publishing, and earn a living doing what they love—while empowering others to do the same. 

We watch romance authors and readers building communities and friendships that don’t just exist on social media sites, blogs, and message boards, but also transition into the real world.  We accompany authors on trips with their readers, at conferences and special romance events -- and we see them encouraging their readers to become writers themselves. 

SPOTLIGHT ON... Documentaries

January, 2013.  A secretive transfer deal transported two Muslim players into the heart of Israel and the Jewish oriented Beitar Jerusalem F.C., leading to the most racist campaign in Israeli sport.  One season and one football team in crisis, as power, money and politics fuel a club spiraling out of control. 

Post film discussion with Leigh Ann Dolan and Rabbi Micah Caplan from Congregation Or Tzion

SPOTLIGHT ON... WOMEN FILMMAKERS

Ruthie Carmichael (Stefania Owen) makes the best of bad circumstances, pulled along in the wake of the hard luck of her mother Rita (Katie Holmes).  From escaping a bad boyfriend to their car breaking down on the road to going broke, they continually find themselves in search of stability.  When their attempt at settling in a new town hits a stumbling block, and as the shine wears off of the kind strangers who supported them when they had first arrived, even Ruthie struggles to keep it together. 

Based on Annie Weatherwax's 2014 novel, Katie Holmes's feature directorial debut is a sensitive rendering of the Great Recession as told by people who were unprepared for the shortfall and could not have seen it coming.  Owen and Holmes are perfectly matched as they explore a mother-daughter bond crashing against universal teenage themes: growing up under hardship, realizing the imperfections of parents and facing the many little dramas that overwhelm positivity and progress.  Holmes finds in All We Had a stimulating and ultimately enriching coming-of-age drama about a resilient mother and daughter who find strength in each other. 

Post film discussion with Leigh Ann Dolan and local filmmaker Cassandra Nicholson

SPOTLIGHT ON... DOCUMENTARIES

In a world where a bent feather can mean a broken dream, CHICKEN PEOPLE is a real-life “Best in Show,” about chickens.  Every November exotic poultry breeders from across America proceed to Columbus with the goal of winning the title of Grand Champion at the Ohio National Poultry Show.  The film follows the struggles and triumphs of the men, women and the chickens they love, examining the daily lives of the breeders and how they’re shaped by their quest for perfect fowl.  Subjects Brian Knox, Brian Caraker and Shari McCollough struggle to overcome life’s obstacles, not least of which is a nationwide outbreak of the Avian Flu.  Can this put a stop to their dream of “Grand Champion of Show?” 

Post film discussion with Leigh Ann Dolan and documentary filmmaker and Scottsdale Community College film instructor Penelope Price. 

Spotlight on... Women Filmmakers

The danger is palpable as intrepid young filmmaker Nanfu Wang follows maverick activist Ye Haiyan (a.k.a Hooligan Sparrow) and her band of colleagues to Hainan Province in southern China to protest the case of six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal.  Marked as enemies of the state, the activists are under constant government surveillance and face interrogation, harassment, and imprisonment.  Sparrow, who gained notoriety with her advocacy work for sex workers’ rights, continues to champion girls’ and women’s rights and arms herself with the power and reach of social media. 

Filmmaker Wang becomes a target along with Sparrow, as she faces destroyed cameras and intimidation.  Yet she bravely and tenaciously keeps shooting, guerrilla-style, with secret recording devices and hidden-camera glasses, and in the process, she exposes a startling number of undercover security agents on the streets.  Eventually, through smuggling footage out of the country, Wang is able tell the story of her journey with the extraordinary revolutionary Sparrow, her fellow activists, and their seemingly impossible battle for human rights. 

Post film discussion with Leigh Ann Dolan and documentary filmmaker and film instructor at Glendale Community College Stephanie Lucas. 

TRAILER:

Spotlight on... Documentaries

If 18-year old Sonita had a say in things, Michael Jackson would be her father and Rihanna her mother.  She captures her dream of being a famous rapper in her scrapbook.  For the time being, her only fans are the other teenage girls in a Tehran shelter.  There, Sonita, a refugee from Afghanistan, gets counseling for the traumas she has suffered and guidance in shaping her future.  Her family has a very different future planned for her: as a bride she's worth $9,000.  What's more, women aren't allowed to sing in Iran.  How can Sonita still succeed in making her dreams come true? 

Director Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami ends up personally involved in answering that question, reigniting the discussion as to how documentary makers should relate to their subjects.  This is just one of the many unexpected twists in an exciting journey replete with the setbacks and successes of a young women looking for her own path in this Sundance award winning film. 

Post film discussion with Leigh Ann Dolan and documentary filmmaker and Scottsdale Community College film instructor Penelope Price. 

TRAILER:

Spotlight on... Women Filmmakers

The Fits is a psychological portrait of 11-year-old Toni (Royalty Hightower)—a tomboy assimilating to a tight-knit dance team in Cincinnati’s West End.  Enamored by the power and confidence of this strong community of girls, Toni eagerly absorbs routines, masters drills, and even pierces her own ears to fit in.  When a mysterious outbreak of fainting spells plagues the team, Toni’s desire for acceptance is twisted. 

The Fits was Written, Produced & Directed by Anna Rose Holmer.  The film premiered at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival as part of the Venice Biennale Cinema College showcase and was an official selection of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. 

Post film discussion with Leigh Ann Dolan and local filmmaker Cassandra Nicholson

Spotlight on... Documentaries

Harry Benson: Shoot First charts the illustrious career of the renowned photographer who initially rose to fame alongside The Beatles, having been assigned to cover their inaugural trip to the United States in 1964.  With unprecedented “behind the scenes” access, Benson captured some of the most vibrant and intimate portraits ever taken of the most popular band in history.  His extensive portfolio includes iconic images of Winston Churchill, Bobby Fischer, Muhammad Ali, Greta Garbo, Michael Jackson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Robert F. Kennedy assassination, and his work has appeared in publications including Life, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.  Now 86, workaholic Benson has no intention of stopping. 

The Phoenix Film Festival is a program under the 501(c)3 non-profit organization Phoenix Film Foundation, and is a sibling of the Phoenix Film Society, the International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival, IFP/Phoenix, the Arizona Student Film Festival and the Phoenix Critics Circle.  Our mission is to support and develop the artistic appreciation, educational opportunities and growth of independent film within Arizona.  The Foundation's primary functions through its programs are to promote the exhibition of independent films and conduct educational programs that teach the art of filmmaking