VTFF2018 Schedule

Posted by Vidlings & Tapeheads on Monday, June 25, 2018

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VIDLINGS & TAPEHEADS FILM FESTIVAL 2018

Ant Hall & Ghost Light | 2320 Caniff Avenue, Hamtramck, MI 48212


FRIDAY, JULY 27TH, 2018


VTFF Kickoff / Man In Camo Premiere • Doors 7:00PM TICKETS $5

MAN IN CAMO banner
VTFF2018 Trailer \(o0o)/

Cosmic Dental Associates of Clifton, NJ (2:30) Directed by J.P. Chan | Special Selection

Since 1998, Cosmic Dental Associates of Clifton, NJ has been the leading astro-dentistry practice in the Tri-State area.

Man in Camo (feature) Directed by Ethan Minsker 8:00PM (facebook) Special Selection | Michigan Premiere

A close look at the life of visual artist, writer, and filmmaker Ethan Minsker and his drive to create and crusade the making of art.


Opening Night Party • 10:00PM TICKETS $5

Raychel G. + Detroit Mixo (ADZKN MUSIC) 10:30PM (website)

Raychel creatively works to embody and instill the notion of each unique person’s ability to heal using dynamic storytelling with poetry, visual art, and feeding one’s inner fire. While actively bringing back traditions of her culture and honoring her ancestors, her creative healing work builds connections with many layers of communities worldwide.

Kesswa 11:15PM (website)

Kesswa is a Detroit-based afro-surrealist soul singer.

Nique Love Rhodes & The NLR Experience 12:00AM (website)

Nique Love Rhodes is a hip-hop artist/performer, record producer, from Detroit, Michigan. Backed by her band The NLR Experience, her interactive shows fuse hip-hop music with soul, rock, and jazz to provide social commentary, spread Detroit love to all, and keep bodies rocking. This is sonically captured in her most recent project, a live album titled The NLR Experience.


SATURDAY, JULY 28TH, 2018


Morning Kickoff • Doors 11:30AM

Detroit Bureau of Sound (Zac Brunell) 12:00PM (website)

Zac Brunell is a multi-instrumentalist, concert producer, and Director of the Detroit Bureau of Sound. Zac uses contemporary classical, experimental, and avant-garde music to create unique experiences for the ears and eyes, one of which was described as “sounding as raw as mating bull elephants” (Lansing City Pulse on “X is for Xenakis”, 2013). A classically trained percussionist and pianist, Zac is a graduate of the Michigan State University College of Music and is currently Production Manager with the award-winning ensemble New Music Detroit.

Made in Michigan Program • 12:30PM TICKETS $5

VTFF2018 Made in Michigan Program
89 mins, followed by Q&A

The Sampler (3:32) Directed by Emily Biernott (website)

A feeble butcher’s assistant gets revenge on a disgruntled customer.

Famous in Michigan (17:45) Directed by Nick Rasmussen (website)

An aging painter has one last art show to try and make it big before it’s too late.

Community Patrol (13:01) Directed by Andrew James (website)

A Detroit minister rallies the community to shut down a drug house in an inspiring display of collective action.

Healing Venom (1:33) Directed by Giuliana Cascardo (website)

An animated interview with Alicia Gbur; a Michigan photographer, musician, and beekeeper.

Bitter Symmetry (8:27) Directed by Margarita Grishina (website)

A desperate wife attempts to evoke the emotions of her distant husband by bombarding him with terrible news.

IT’S DAVE (7:58) Directed by Benjamin Armes

Jim’s normal life deteriorates into a nightmare that he has no control of. Literally.

The Likes and Dislikes of Marj Bagley (14:00) Directed by Taylor Stanton (website)

A family recreates itself using stop-motion animation. The film tells the lifelong struggle of Marj, the matriarch of the Bagley clan, to find happiness.

Small Arms (22:20) Directed by Arman Cole (website)

A bullied college student in Northern Michigan pursues shooting lessons with an ex-militia member in an effort to prove his manhood.

Dirt Room 2:30PM (website)

Dirt Room’s blend of electronics and electroacoustic processing makes up the contemporary soundscape where the ensemble defies genre over hypnotic rhythms and textures, balanced by the raw energy of their live performance.

Documentary Program • 3:00PM TICKETS $5

VTFF2018 Documentary Program
74 mins, followed by Q&A

“on the rink” (10:02, USA) Directed by Benjamin Buxton (website)

There’s nothing like a good skate.

Taobao (4:14, China) Directed by Noah Sheldon (website)

One model develops a unique way to keep on top of her work in a world of very fast fashion.

For A Better Life (9:33, USA) Directed by Yasmin Mistry (website)

Sold for $100 at the age of 5, Fekri suffers through years of abuse before moving into a group home where he finds support, mentorship, and eventual forgiveness towards the family which sold him.

Where Are You From (4:00, China/USA) Directed by Cecilia Hua (website)

In a world where western values dominate, coming to America as a “Parachute Kid” makes the filmmaker feel ashamed of her “Chinese” and “foreign” identity.

Ex Nihilo (8:20, Finland) Directed by Timo Wright

An experimental short documentary about life, death and our attempts to control them.

Do I Have Boobs Now? (6:42, Canada) Directed by Milena Salazar & Joella Cabalu

A trans activist’s journey challenging social media censorship policies.

Strawberries Will Save The World (5:57, USA) Directed by Yoko Okumura

Yuko Okumura is a strawberry enthusiast with big plans to show the world the power that strawberries hold and the happiness they can bring to humanity.

Pocket-Sized Feminism (4:22, USA) Directed by Valerie Schenkman

“This house is for wallpaper women. What good is wallpaper that speaks?” Women speak out about women’s rights, or human rights.

EMPATHY (a digital love letter) (7:53, USA) Directed by Qiyue Sun (website)

A hilarious short essay documentary about a messy break-up, an attempt to concretize emotion and evoke empathy from a writer’s approach.

Death Metal Grandma (12:40, USA) Directed by Leah Galant (facebook)

DEATH METAL GRANDMA follows 97 year old Holocaust survivor Inge Ginsberg’s final attempt at being recognized as a Death Metal Singer by auditioning for America’s Got Talent. Inge redefines what it means to grow old and reminds us it’s never too late to try anything.

TRUE BLUE 4:40PM

Alternative pop rock gems with a lo-fi charm.

Fiction Program • 5:15PM TICKETS $5

VTFF2018 Fiction Program
89 mins, followed by Q&A

BLACKBIRD (5:37, UK) Directed by Daniela Pasquini (website)

Ever jumped through hoops for what you thought was the perfect job? A Playfully Absurd take on the Post-Grad Employment Crisis: Temping.

The Duel (5:07, USA) Directed by Amanda Barnes & David Speck

Two grizzled gunfighters meet for a duel in the Old West.

Juan Gabriel is Dead (14:49, Mexico) Directed by Tavo Ruiz (facebook)

On the day famous mexican singer JUAN GABRIEL dies, best friends Beto and Daniel will redefine their friendship.

GET ACTION (7:45, USA) Directed by Elaine Strutz (website)

A woman’s attempt to cheer up her grieving friend goes wrong when she drags her out onto the unpredictable streets of Brooklyn.

Frank Embree (7:35, USA) Directed by Skinner Myers (website)

Frank Embree. 9:55AM. Fayette, Missouri. July 22nd, 1899.

Night (9:30, USA) Directed by Joosje Duk (website)

When Sue’s cousin Genelva visits her from Suriname, they want to go out to a fancy club with Sue’s two best friends. But after having an unpleasant encounter with the club’s bouncer at the door, the course of their night changes completely.

One in Hundreds (8:57, UK) Directed by Mark Towers (website)

Daisy explains to her brother the many-universe interpretation of quantum physics, and he thinks it’s utterly ridiculous… in quite a lot of them.

My Loyal Audience (12:23, USA) Directed by Megan Seely (website)

A socially insecure teenage girl begins to suspect that her most personal, embarrassing thoughts may not be as private as she had hoped.

Little Wonder (2:46, USA) Directed by Jojo Carlman (website)

A refreshing take on puppet sexuality and some vague meditation on the loneliness of death.

Apocalypse (14:02, Poland) Directed by Justyna Mytnik

Susie and Maurice live together in a tower block infested with surreal pigeons. A baby pigeon advises them to look into each other’s eyes,or else they will die. The girl believes the bird, but her boyfriend wants to kill it. A dark fairy tale about loneliness.

Mixtape Listening & Pizza Party 7:10PM

Seraphine Collective VTFF2018 Mixtape

Vidlings & Tapeheads Film Festival is partnering with the Seraphine Collective to bring musicians/music creators together with filmmakers through a digital mixtape featuring local and regional songs.

Pizza provided by Amicci’s Pizza!!

Animation Program • 8:00PM TICKETS $5

VTFF2018 Animation Program
102 mins, followed by Q&A

Big Booom (3:59, Russia) Directed by Marat Narimanov (website)

The history of the universe told in just 4 minutes.

Gravity, Our Frenemy (3:35, USA) Directed by John Akre (website)

Is gravity a force that we should trust, or is it out to get us?

toward hands (6:40, Japan) Directed by Ryoya USUHA (website)

In a vast, simple world, where do they come from, and what are they protecting?

stroke (4:59, USA) Directed by Jiani Zhao/Emanuele Romano

One day in a hospital room, an old man recall his experience of having a stroke in his home.

Railment (9:43, Japan) Directed by Shunsaku Hayashi (website)

In a continuous scenery, his physical movement stays in the same position. The speed of the continuity and his movement have accelerated and gradually cause a distortion.

Meeting MacGuffin (9:58, USA) Directed by Catya Plate (website)

The struggle for water has never been this animated!

Don’t Think of a Pink Elephant (7:20, UK) Directed by Suraya Raja

Layla fights daily against compulsions and urges, until challenged to face her darkest fears.

Maybe It’s Me (6:08, UK) Directed by Dimitris Simou (website)

In Maybe It’s Me an animator tries to recreate his childhood memories.

Pure White (3:00, Germany) Directed by Sven Windszus

An anatomy model awakens in a seemingly perfect world and converses with her creator in an attempt to find answers.

Ascribed Achievements (4:20, Iran) Directed by Samaneh Shojaei

Fate is breakable.

Beth’s three o’clock with Dr. Harlow (2:06, USA) Directed by Emma Penaz Eisner

Beth discloses a recent dream to her analyst. A vivid study of casual brutality and failed empathy, this surrealistic film intermixes stop motion animation with live action sequences.

Nocturne (5:19, Germany) Directed by Anne Breymann (website)

At night the forest creatures gather to gamble, putting their innermost at stake.

My Other Half (3:02, USA) Directed by Chantal Feitosa (website)

Living between the United States and Brazil, a white mother and her biracial daughter share very different views on what it means to shape and preserve identity across family generations.

Agua Viva (6:48, USA) Directed by Alexa Lim Haas

A Chinese manicurist in Miami attempts to describe feelings she doesn’t have the words for.

Airport (10:35, Croatia/Switzerland) Directed by Michaela Müller (website)

In a modern day airport, the flow of passengers is broken by sudden irregularities.

The Burden (14:15, Sweden) Directed by Niki Lindroth von Bahr (website)

An animated musical with apocalyptic undertones.

Closing Night Party • 10:30PM TICKETS $5

Sara Marie Barron 10:30PM (website)

Sara Marie Barron can bring your guard down. We can tend to block our emotions from bubbling to the surface, but the compositions and powerful performances of this Detroit-based singer/songwriter are an invitation, an assurance, that allowing even just for 4-5 minutes of vulnerability can be revitalizing. With formative influences like Carole King, Etta James and Billie Holiday, this young vocalist and songwriter is distinctly able to channel the evocative poignancy and poetry of a certain kind of soul music.

Girl Fight 11:30PM (website)

Girl Fight is an energetic feminist punk duo influenced by the riot grrrl movement of the early 90s. With garage simplicity, the band draws their sound from acts such as Bikini Kill, The Stooges, The Cramps and Mudhoney.

Prude Boys 12:30AM (website)

“When the sandy shores of a zombie beach party meet the salty lawlessness of a vintage wild west shoot-out, you would likely find yourself galloping within the Tarantino-lite dreamworld crafted by the […] garage pop threesome Prude Boys.” —Audiofemme


SUNDAY, JULY 29TH, 2018


Filmmakers & VIPs only | Award Ceremony Brunch & Excursion


ARTISTS

VTFF2018 Artists

Taurus Burns (instagram)

A passion for painting and artistic growth led Taurus Burns to Detroit in 1998 to study Fine Arts at the College for Creative Studies. Since graduating, Taurus has repeatedly been listed as one of Detroit’s “Best Artists”. Taurus has painted several murals in Metro Detroit, illustrated children’s books, given painting demonstrations and artist talks, and showcased the work of other talented artists in several popular exhibits, while continually developing his unique blend of narrative urban realism.

Alana Carlson

Alana Carlson grew up in Oakland Township, MI on 8 acres of beautiful, forested mosquito farm. There were horses next door to feed apples to, and a gaggle of geese to chase out of the yard most days. She now resides and makes artwork in Ferndale, MI across the street from the curling club.

Alana earned her BFA (2003; Concentration – Painting) from Kendall College of Art & Design in Grand Rapids.

Katherine Marty

I have been working with collage since 2011. I am largely self-taught. I don’t have a website, but you can always wave at me from across the street.

Catya Plate (website)

Catya Plate, born in Barcelona, Spain, and raised in Germany, is a Brooklyn based award winning multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker. Her sculptures, paintings, drawings, installations and animated films, explore the ephemeral nature of existence by creating an alternative universe, which exposes, among other things, humanity’s impact on the environment. Catya is a Fulbright Alumna and has been exhibiting internationally since the mid-1980’s. Her work is in public and private collections worldwide, like the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art Library in New York City. Articles and reviews about her films and projects have appeared in Film Threat, BOOM!Film Reviews, The New York Times, The Independent, and others. In 2009, she created Clothespin Freak Productions to bring her “Clothespin Freaks” characters to life through stop-motion animation short films. In 2012, her first film “The Reading”, was awarded Best Animated Film at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival. Her second film “Hanging By A Thread”, screened at over 22 film festivals in the US and abroad, like the Academy Award-qualifying St. Louis International Film Festival and won 9 awards. “Meeting MacGuffin”, the sequel of “Hanging By A Thread” and second in a trilogy of shorts was completed in February 2017 and is currently making its rounds in the international film festival circuit with over 30 festival screenings so far. “Meeting MacGuffin” has won several awards, among them the Grand Prize for Best Animated Short at the Academy-Award qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival-Vortex in October 2017.

Sarah Rayburn

Sarah Rayburn is a collage artist and art framer based in Hamtramck, Michigan. Her work primarily focuses on action and color, and she is a maximalist in both regards.

Emily Vastbinder (website) | (instagram)

Emily G. Vastbinder grew up in Ferndale, Michigan, and has had an interest in the arts as far back as she can remember. In Jr. High School she took classes from Detroit’s Young Artists and Company. During High School she attended three years at Oak Park’s Center for Advanced Studies and the Arts (C.A.S.A.), studying Multi-Media Art, Sculpture, Dance, and Japanese language. Also during High School, she studied one year of Fashion Design at the Oakland Technical Center. The summer before her senior year of High School, she attended a two-week long Image Transfer Workshop at the University of Michigan. During those two weeks, she took a trip to Detroit’s Heidelberg Project, where Tyree Guyton himself allowed her to paint a big blue polka dot in the middle of Heidelberg Street!

She graduated Ferndale High School a National Honors Society member and was awarded a CCS AOE Scholarship. In 2002, she received her BFA from Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. Since then, she continues to live and work in the Detroit area. She had a solo show in 2011. She featured in a duo show in 2013. She has also participated in a number of group shows.

Vastbinder is primarily a painter but often explores other media. In her recent work, the traditions of both landscape and still life painting are in contrast with the unconventional elements she includes in each piece. Further, the rough subjects contradict their refined surfaces. For her, among other things, art making has revealed a playfulness with dichotomies.

Colin Wilson (facebook) | (instagram)

Art Apocrypha is an ongoing project by artist Colin Wilson to resurrect forgotten and mistreated works of art found in thrift stores, garage sales, even the trash–anywhere it’s clear they’re no longer wanted. When he works on a new piece, the goal is to add to, rather than distract or detract from the existing material. This means matching the original medium, style, color palette, and lighting to create a piece that feels more collaborative than dismissive of the original work. This often leads to subtle scenes you have to look at twice before you spot any alterations. His work often features blended themes of horror, the occult, myth, nature, fantasy and humor. This project began in 2012, and to date it has produced over 75 pieces of art that were once on the edge of oblivion, which now find new purpose as Art Apocrypha.


VTFF2018 Combined Pixel Posters