The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce the selection of “A Crooked Somebody” as the closing night movie of the 2018 showcase. Special guests Rich Sommer and Andrew Zilch will participate in a post-screening conversation with the audience.
In “A Crooked Somebody,” Sommer stars as Michael, an attention-seeking psychic medium. When Michael is kidnapped by a desperate man, he uses the situation to boost his career and a dangerous dance ensues. Ed Harris, Joanne Froggat, Clifton Collins Jr, and Amy Madigan co-star in this inventive thriller full of twists and turns.
“A Crooked Somebody” will screen at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 24 at the Fargo Theatre. Audiences are invited to attend the entire closing night showcase, which begins at 7:00 p.m. and includes the presentation of several award-winning short subjects prior to “A Crooked Somebody.”
Tickets are available now at the Fargo Theatre box office.
The Fargo Film Festival invites you to All-Star Bowl in Moorhead on Thursday, March 22, 2018 at 9:30 p.m.
Following the local premiere of “Ruin Me” at the Fargo Theatre, filmmakers, festival guests, and volunteers will gather to swap stories, make new friends, and roll a few strikes (and maybe a few gutterballs).
The all-ages event costs ten dollars, which includes shoe rental and all you care to bowl.
The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce Short Stories, a showcase of acclaimed short films on Wednesday, March 21.
While not frequently found onscreen in American cinemas, short format films are audience favorites and a calling card of the festival experience. Thriving within the restrictions of limited runtime and humble budgets, short film artists tell compelling stories and introduce unforgettable characters.
The FFF’s Short Stories showcase offers a diverse slate of programming including animation, narrative, and documentary films.
The evening begins with the animated “Catherine” by Britt Raes, followed by Ted M. Larson Award-recipient Mike Scholtz’s “Kinderchomper” and Isabelle Sophie Aroue’s “Paulette in Paris.”
Filmmakers from three of the films will be present to answer questions from the audience. Additional highlights include “Just Go!,” an action-packed film inspired by the true story of a young man who lost both of his legs in a childhood accident. When thieves snatch a woman’s purse, the young man pursues them in a breathless chase featuring unforgettable stunt work.
The showcase will culminate with the FM premiere of “Last Dance at Johnson’s Barn,” a touching tribute to a North Dakota institution.
Since 1952, generations of families have attended dances at Johnson’s Barn. The barn is an icon on the prairie — so integral to the community fabric that scarcely a family in the region can’t trace a courtship or marriage back to the barn. But when farm owner Brian Johnson falls ill, he and his family face a heartbreaking decision.
The Short Stories showcase will screen on Wednesday, March 21, 2018 beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Fargo Theatre. Tickets are now available at the Fargo Theatre box office.
The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce the lineup of lunch panels for 2018.
All lunch panels take place at noon at Dempsey’s Public House on Broadway, just a few steps from the Fargo Theatre. Tickets for individual lunch panels are ten dollars each and supply is limited.
The panels include:
Thursday, March 22nd Acting for the Silver Screen, moderated by Matt Olien.
Panelists include actors Marcienne Dwyer from “Ruin Me,” Paul Bailey from “A Jerry Amongst Jerrys” and Bates Wilder from “Tater Tot and Patton.”
Friday, March 23rd Writing the Narrative Feature, moderated by Tom Brandau.
Panelists include Andrew Zilch (“A Crooked Somebody”), Andrew Kightlinger (“Tater Tot and Patton”), Trysta Bissett (“Ruin Me”), and Preston DeFrancis (“Ruin Me”).
Saturday, March 24th Women in Film: Indies and Industry, moderated by Trina Spaeth.
Panelists include Trysta Bissett (“Ruin Me”), Emily Sheskin (“JessZilla”), Marcienne Dwyer (“Ruin Me”), Amber Johnson (“Lady Lillian”) and Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson (“Hus”).
Mike Scholtz will receive the 2018 Ted M. Larson Award from the Fargo Film Festival.
The award represents the festival’s highest honor, and is given to an individual whose commitment to cinema demonstrates outstanding, longtime contributions to one or more of the following areas: film education, film production, film culture, and film criticism and history.
Mike is a Wrenshall, Minnesota-based filmmaker who produces videos and TV spots for Hailey Sault, a healthcare marketing firm in Duluth.
Mike’s documentary work has screened at film festivals, movie theatres, and venues around the world including SXSW, Slamdance, the Banff Mountain Film Festival, the National Geographic Society, the Explorer’s Club and the Fargo Film Festival.
Mike’s love of film was cemented by trips to Weld Hall at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where an unforgettable character named Ted Larson hosted the Summer Cinema Series on Monday evenings. Mike went on to study film with Ted as a teaching and office assistant.
After college, Mike began making films of his own. His first documentary was about a silent film pioneer from Casselton, North Dakota who had the audacity to be a woman in an industry dominated by men. Broadcast on Prairie Public Television in 1998, “The Angela Murray Gibson Experience” featured an extensive interview with Ted Larson about the role of women in the
development of cinema.
To his neverending delight, all of Mike’s films have screened at the Fargo Theatre. “Wild Bill’s Run” followed the leader of an ill-fated Arctic snowmobile expedition who later turned to a life of crime. “Wicker Kittens” explored the world of competitive jigsaw puzzling. And “Lost Conquest” tackled the widespread myth that Viking warriors invaded the state of Minnesota on at least two separate occasions.
In 2004, Mike helped a group of friends convert a 90-year-old barn into a movie theatre where they launched the Free Range Film Festival. The festival continues to screen independent films
every summer to a dedicated audience in the heart of northeastern Minnesota’s organic farm country.
His latest film, “Kinderchomper,” profiles a mild-mannered artist from Minnesota who leads a double life as a villainous professional wrestler in Japan known for eating babies. The movie premieres at the 2018 Fargo Film Festival on Wednesday, March 21st at 7:00 p.m.
The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce a unique addition to its educational programming with a workshop designed to assist aspiring actors in navigating the industry.
The Business of Acting with Alison Becker will be held on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. in the Prairie Rose Room at the Radisson Fargo. General admission is $20 and student admission is $15.
In this two-hour intensive workshop, actress Alison Becker will take you through the do’s and don’ts of becoming a working actor. With more than 15 years of experience in the industry, Alison will offer a wealth of knowledge to those interested in diving into acting. This is not a class on acting technique; this is a big picture framework for how to get into the business — from getting an agent to booking jobs. Alison will walk you through the steps you should take to make a living as an actor.
Bring your questions, your enthusiasm, and a notebook – you’re gonna want to write some things down!
Recommended for ages 16 and up. Alison Becker is a writer/comedian/actor/producer whom you’ve seen in countless shows over the years. She is perhaps best known for playing Shauna Malwae-Tweep on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation.”
Alison’s work has since spanned hundreds of television shows, movies, internet videos, commercials, live comedy shows, and more. She has appeared on FX’s “The League,” HBO’s “The Newsroom” from Aaron Sorkin, Fox’s “New Girl”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Kroll Show,” “Lucifer,” and many, many more.
She is also an impressive force as a content creator. Alison has produced pilots for TruTV and My Damn Channel, and she is currently developing three feature scripts. 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.
You can see her on the new Fox show “LA to Vegas” and the new Netflix series “Best Worst Weekend Ever.”
Alison’s short film “Control” will screen as a part of the 2018 Fargo Film Festival.
Workshop tickets go on sale Friday, February 16 at 11:00 a.m.
Advance tickets available for in-person purchase at the Fargo Theatre box office. At-door ticket sales dependent on availability.
The 2-Minute Movie Contest returns to the Fargo Film Festival on Friday, March 23, 2018.
Admission is two dollars.
Submissions to the 2-Minute Movie Contest remain open until Tuesday, February 13, 2018.
Moviemakers may submit only one film for consideration, and there is no guarantee of exhibition.
Entrants can email a link to a downloadable Vimeo file with “FFF18 2-Minute Movie Contest” to gregcarlson1[at]gmail.com by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, February 13, 2018.
Total running time for entries may not exceed 120 seconds, including any credits, and all moviemakers must provide a title for their movie.
The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce the official selections and category winners for 2018. Congratulations to all the moviemakers for their remarkable achievements.
Animation Winner: World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts (Don Hertzfeldt)
Honorable Mention: Negative Space (Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter)
Honorable Mention: Wicked Girl (Ayce Kartal)
Official Selections
Agent 327: Operation Barbershop (Hjalti Hjalmarsson and Colin Levy)
Beautiful Like Elsewhere (Elise Simard)
The Burden (Niki Lindroth von Bahr)
Catherine (Britt Raes)
Corky (Ty Primosch)
E-delivery (Young Gul Cho)
Elizabeth Sees (Val Magarian)
Glorious Victory (Will Kim)
Hate for Sale (Anna Eijsbouts)
Hope (Michael Scherrer)
Outside (Laura Norris)
Purple Dreams (Murat Sayginer)
Tough (Jennifer Zheng)
Documentary Feature Winner: Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George’s Creators (Ema Ryan Yamazaki)
Honorable Mention: Supergirl (Jessie Auritt)
Official Selections
Brimstone and Glory (Viktor Jakovleski)
The Girl Down Loch Anzi (Alice Schmid)
New Chefs on the Block (Dustin Harrison-Atlas)
Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much (C.J. Wallis)
Rodents of Unusual Size (Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler, and Jeff Springer)
Documentary Short Winner: Trophy (Inder Nirwan)
Honorable Mention: Jesszilla (Emily Sheskin)
Official Selections
Being Roosevelt (Samuel Sprynczynatyk)
Care in Chaos (Lindsay Beyerstein and Martyna Starosta)
Standing Rock: The Cleanup Story That Never Made the News (James Kambeitz and Karen Van Fossan)
Kinderchomper (Mike Scholtz)
Last Dance at Johnson’s Barn (Clay Haskell)
Mott Haven (Kyle Morrison)
Perception: From Prison to Purpose (Jonathan Reed)
Ragman: A Hobo’s Story Untold (Cy Dodson)
Three Boats (Irina Patkanian)
The Trees Around You (Jacob Wise)
Woody’s Order! (Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, and Jeremy Newberger)
Experimental
Winner: The Velvet Abstract (James Hughes)
Honorable Mention: Genesis (Abtin Mozafari)
Official Selections
Antigone (George Nicholas)
Circles of Confusion (Jason Britski)
A Dialogue of Dissonance (Kalpana Subramanian)
Images (Denny Dey)
Nurse Me (Kezia Barnett)
Structures of Nature (Martin Gerigk)
Narrative Feature Winner: Sami Blood (Amanda Kernell)
Honorable Mention: A Crooked Somebody (Trevor White)
Official Selections Bernard and Huey (Dan Mirvish)
Dark Blue Girl (Mascha Schilinski)
Everything Beautiful Is Far Away (Pete Ohs and Andrea Sisson)
Interlude (Bernard Tanguy)
Lane 1974 (S.J. Chiro)
November (Rainer Sarnet)
Ruin Me (Preston DeFrancis)
Tater Tot and Patton (Andrew Kightlinger)
You Go to My Head (Dimitri de Clercq)
Narrative Short Winner: Confection (Ed Rigg)
Honorable Mention: Lost Face (Sean Meehan)
Honorable Mention: Red Light (Toma Waszarow)
Official Selections
Alzhaimour (Pierre Van de Kerckhove)
At the End of the Cul-De-Sac (Paul Trillo)
Beast (Christopher Sferazza)
Comme Les Roses (K. S. McMullen)
Control (Kimmy Gatewood)
Dead Air (Luke Agias)
The Devil Is in the Details (Fabien Gorgeart)
Do No Harm (Marielle Woods)
Fry Day (Laura Moss)
Girl Meets Roach (Christopher Zatta)
Girl of My Dreams (Johnny Wilson)
I Promised Her Life (Robert Nazar Arjoyan)
The Jar (Careton Rodgers)
Just Go! (Pavel Gumennikov)
Lady Lillian (Amber Johnson)
Lawman (Matthew Gentile)
Man with Beard (Abie Axen)
No Reservations (Trevor Carroll)
Odd Job Man (Marianne Blicher)
Partner (Giorgini Antoine)
Play Rewind Play (Stephanie Clattenburg)
Rag Dolls (Kristin and Justin Schaack)
Real Artists (Cameo Wood)
Retouch (Kaveh Mazaheri)
Speak (Laura Seay)
Spinosaurus (Tessa Hoffe)
Vigil (Heather and Chris King)
Vìré (Hugo Rousselin )
Wintry Spring (Mohamed Kamel)
Official Selections
It’s Just a Gun (Brian Robau)
A Jerry Amongst Jerrys (Scott Piggott)
KCLOC (Ninaad Kulkarni)
Neemkomok (Douglas Cushnie)
Paulette in Paris (Isabelle Sophie Arouë)
Peacekeeper (Tyler Knutt)
Ruthless (Chris Pender)
St. John’s Maple Syrup (Ian Fritz and Conor Murphy)
Trial by Fire (Alec Holland)
Umbra (Mark Jones)
When We Listen (Amr Moustafa)
Whipping Boy (Michael Robinson)
Invited Work
Hús (Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson)
#Takemeanywhere (Ronkko Labeouf, Shia Labeouf, Nastja Ronkko, and Luke Turner)
Your Date Is Here (Todd Spence and Zak White)
