Director of the fete Carl Johnson gave me a preview of the programming, allowing me to compile a trio of flicks you should look out for:
Black and Blue
John Swider directs this gem of generational/familial maturity and responsibility with swiftness and looseness. Starring the great Lance Nichols, Black and Blue is the telling of a young man and his grandfather, dealing with a very recent and tragic death. It's not often we see a wonderfully sentimental, progressive and non-schmaltzy depiction of men comforting one another over grief, so this was a welcome surprise. Lance Nichols delivers the single best point - a monologue about memory and overcoming adversity - at the base of an empty baseball field. I swear, this man can work with just about any character and dialogue (remember Left Behind?). Heartfelt, absolutely.
BLACK and BLUE - Teaser from inDEPTH Media on Vimeo.
How to Sell a Broken Heart
Jonathan Jackson is a local "rebel without a crew", so to speak. His Dvrker: Infinity Room is a stark and clever thriller of aggressive politics and wish-fulfilling fantasy. So, when I heard he was making a short featuring Satan ... Shot and cut (those words were chosen specifically to evoke a violent feeling) with visceral visual purpose, How to Sell a Broken Heart is an imaginative and thematic exercise in playing with "what if?" and setting. New Orleans is home to a bohemian Devil, oozing with sexuality and sneaky wisdom - a combination too dangerous for any one being. It's fun, though I can only dream of what a longer feature would conjure up.
"How To Sell A Broken Heart*" from The Colored Section on Vimeo.
Ripe Figs
Maybe the best short of the bunch (and the only one without a video available online), Artemis Preeshl directs a provocative, engaging and splendid movie where every frame may just be like a painting. Ripe Figs is set in the classically humid plantation era of the deep south, where a Motherly figure is looking after a quiet young woman, who yearns to explore the world and be romanced. Fruits - specifically the age appropriation of them - are used as both an expression of time and of a child coming into womanhood. With a rich color palette and expert timing/pacing, Ripe Figs is heavy with longing and implication, a wealth of content that doesn't come along as often. Thankfully, it has landed in our delighted laps, as if sent from above.