The 9^th Annual Kansas International Film Festival (http://www.kansasfilm.com) was held September 18-24 in Overland Park, Kansas. The Festival committee selected 54 films for screening. Pressplus1.com, now in its third year of KIFF coverage, finds this the most difficult year for selecting favorites. The winner of the Best Narrative Film and Best Documentary Film, as selected by Festival audiences, will each enjoy a one-week run at the Glenwood Arts Theatre, site of the Festival. Fortunately, the Festival will also feature “Best of the Fest” screenings, showcasing one additional popular film each month through the coming year, in preparation for the Festival's 10^th anniversary next year.

Here is the Press+1 list of top five favorites in each category:

Narrative Films:

1. The Baker (comedy), directed by Gareth Lewis, the story of a hitman turned baker in a Welsh village populated by colorful characters.

2. True North (drama), directed by Steve Hudson, the story of a small fishing boat whose desperate crew engages in smuggling Chinese immigrants;

3. The Other Side of Paradise (comedy), directed by Justin D. Hilliard, a road trip, life journey film as a young photographer travels to her first gallery opening;

4. Play On (drama), directed by David Story, a tale of a professional rugby player who leaves a humiliating defeat in Scotland and learns much about the game and life in Kansas City, Missouri; and

5. In/Significant Others (drama), directed by John Schwert, a thriller about a documentary crew whose interview subjects all become entangled in a murder investigation.

Documentary Films:

1. Begging for Billionaires, directed by Philip Klein, a study of the use of eminent domain to take private property for commercial development;

2. Zombie Girl, directed by Justin Johnson, Aaron Marshall, and Erik Mauck, a look at twelve-year-old Emily Hagins' efforts to write and direct a zombie movie; and

3. Oh My God! It's Harrod Blank! , directed by David Silberberg, a study of the eccentric, creative Harrod Blank, creator and promoter of “art cars.”;

4. The River Ran Red, directed by Dr. J. Michael Hagopian, a study of the Armenian Genocide of 1915;

5. The Good Soldier, directed by Lexy Lovell and Michael Uys, a study of five American soldiers from different wars, telling their stories of what it is to be a good soldier and their efforts for peace.

Written by :

Deborah

 

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed