Press Release - Omaha Film Festival

Omaha, NE—The Omaha Film Festival today announces the line-up of films selected for the Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, and OFF the Edge Feature Competitions for the 2010 Omaha Film Festival. The Omaha Film Festival sets out to deliver a fresh and innovative cinema arts experience through the exhibition of independent film and the growth of the festival's film education program. Additionally, thirty-nine short films and five out-of-competition feature films will be announced shortly. A complete list of films and show times will be available at www.omahafilmfestival.org.

The Omaha Film Festival will take place March 6th through the 14th, 2010 in Omaha, NE. Kicking off the festival will be a two-day Filmmaking Conference on March 6th and 7th at Creighton University. Panelists for the conference to be announced by mid-February. For the 2010 Omaha Film Festival, 10 Narrative Feature Films, 6 Documentary Feature Films, and 3 OFF the Edge films were selected from over 400 entries submitted from 25 countries, and the selected films will screen from March 9th through March 14th at the Great Escape Stadium 16 Theatres at 7440 Crown Point Avenue.

This year we are proud to continue our relationship with b-side. Log on and create an account and online schedule and interact directly with filmmakers and the festival and rate the films you see.

Tickets will be available soon online at www.omahafilmfestival.org and will be available at the various venues during the festival.

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

Alabama Moon
Eleven year old Moon Blake has spent most of his life hiding out in the forests of Alabama with his father, an anti-government radical who clings to conspiracy theories and trusts no one. His life suddenly changes when the land is sold and his father suddenly dies. He must learn how to make friends, avoid enemies and find his place in the modern world. An adventure for the boy in all of us!
Directed by Tim McCanlies, Written by Watt Key & Kenny McLean
Cast: Jimmy Bennett, Gabriel Basso, Uriah Shelton, Elizabeth Jackson, Clint Howard, John Goodman

Calvin Marshall
Calvin Marshall's childhood dream of playing Major League Baseball is in serious jeopardy as he can't seem to make the Bayford Bisons Junior College team. A poignant comedy about Calvin's deferred dream and the people in his life who want him to succeed.
Written & Directed by Gary Lundgren
Cast: Alex Frost, Michelle Lombardo, Steve Zahn, Jane Adams, Andrew Wilson, Diedrich Bader, Jeremy Sumpter, Abraham Benrubi, Cynthia Watros

Chicago Overcoat
The fates of an aging hitman and a washed up detective become entwined when one last job leads to one last chance to settle an old score.
Directed by Brian Caunter
Written by Josh Staman, John W. Bosher, Brian Caunter, Andrew Dowd
Cast: Frank Vincent, Kathrine Narducci, Mike Starr, Stacy Keach, Armand Assante, Danny Goldring, Tim Gamble

Dear Lemon Lima
While rallying her fellow misfits to compete in their school's Snowstorm Survivor competition, an awkward Alaskan teen discovers her Yup'ik heritage.
Written & Directed by Suzi Yoonessi
Cast: Doug Jones, Allison Scagliotti, Don Stark, Catherine Hicks, Katlyn Carlson

Easier with Practice
On a desperate road trip to promote his as yet unpublished novel, Davy Mitchell's life takes a surprising turn when he is seduced into a phone sex relationship with a mysterious woman named Nicole.
Written & Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez
Cast: Brian Geraghty, Kel O'Neill, Marguerite Moreau, Jeanette Brox, Jenna Gavigan

Get Born
Standing on the edge of a rooftop, Gregory ponders the precariousness of life. He is 20 and feels like a stranger to himself. Twenty-year-old Liv loses her virginity to Ilia, an older Russian army deserter.
Written & Directed by Nicole Palo
Cast: Pierre Lognay, Fleur Lise Heuet, Eric Castex, Fabrice Murgia

In My Sleep
A taut psychological thriller, In My Sleep is about a man who believes he may have murdered a good friend while sleepwalking.
Written & Directed by Allen Wolf
Cast: Philip Winchester, Lacey Chabert, Tim Draxl, Abigail Spencer, Kelly Overton, Beth Grant, Michael Badalucco, Tony Hale

My Name is Jerry
As a salesman, Jerry Arthur (Doug Jones) drifts through days filled by slamming doors and low expectations. He is a middle-aged divorcee with a daughter he has not spoken to in years, a dead-end job, and low self-esteem. But, when he encounters the right mix of punk rock mentality and a few unique friends, he gets a rare chance to wake up from life and finally start living.
Directed by Morgan Mead, Written by David Hamilton
Cast: Doug Jones, Allison Scagliotti, Don Stark, Catherine Hicks, Katlyn Carlson

Princess Ka'iulani
The true story of a Hawaiian princess' attempts to maintain the independence of the island against the threat of American colonization.
Written & Directed by Marc Forby
Cast: Barry Pepper, Q'orianka Kilcher, Will Patton

The People I've Slept With
A promiscuous young woman finds herself with an unplanned pregnancy and needs to figure who the baby daddy is... NOW.
Directed by Quentin Lee, Written by Koji Steven Sakai
Cast: Archie Kao, Karin Anna Cheung, Lynn Chen, Wilson Cruz

OFF THE EDGE FEATURE COMPETITION

Evil Angel
Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible, Pulp Fiction, Dawn of the Dead) stars as John Carruthers, a tough, resourceful detective in hot pursuit of this unstoppable, ancient killer. The film also showcases a pair of red-hot newcomers: sexy Kristopher Shepard and multi-talented Ava Gaudet (Broadway's Rent). Legendary cinematographer Bill Butler (Jaws, Grease, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) provided the film's richly atmospheric photography, and John Frizzell (Alien: Resurrection, Ghost Ship, Thir13en Ghosts) composed the film's pulse-pounding score. Digiscope (Van Helsing, Terminator: Rise of the Machines, The Mummy Returns) created the eye-popping visual FX.
Written & Directed by Richard Dutcher
Cast: Ving Rhames, Ava Gaudet, Kristopher Shepard, Richard Dutcher

Last Breath
A husband and wife, whose marriage is ripping apart at the seams, are about to discover that every choice we make carries consequences, sometimes the ultimate consequences. Trapped together in a warehouse they will discover the price that our sins carry. Little by little, their life together will be pried open and shredded to bits. Left with nothing but each other they will be forced to confront the true destiny of their family.
Directed by Ty Jones
Cast: Aaron Laue, Ty Jones, Mandy Bannon, Meagan Flynn, Trevor Martin, Jeff East, Ryan Lefebvre, Alex Neustaedter, CJ Newton, Nate Foxworthy

The Revenant
The Revenant is a story about an ancient pestilence recurring to infect modern society. Officer First Class Bart Gregory is killed while fighting in Middle East. His body is shipped back to the United States and laid to rest, but before the lid can be put on his tomb, Bart inexplicably awakens in his coffin and climbs from his grave; confused, horrified - a moldy, putrefying living corpse - a Revenant. Bart desperately enlists the help of his best friend, Joey Leubner, in an attempt to ease his nausea and agony.
Directed by Kerry Prior
Cast: Chris Wylde, David Anders, Jacy King, Louise Griffiths

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

65_RedRoses
"65_RedRoses" follows the compelling journey of 23-year old Eva Markvoort who has Cystic Fibrosis and is waiting for the double lung transplant that could save her life. As she waits for a donor, she connects with two girls in America who also have CF and have become her lifelines of support through the internet.
Directed by Nimisha Mukerji & Philip Layall

Candyman
It's time to spill the beans: This is the incredible true story of how David Klein created Jelly Belly jelly beans.
Directed by Costa Botes, Produced by Bert Klein & Jennifer Klein

Ecoheartland
Two brothers, one a filmmaker and the other an environmentalist, take a journey across the American heartland to celebrate and publicize innovative environmental projects while catching a glimpse of a new, sustainable America.
Directed by Maxwell Cain & Nicholas Cain

In 500 Words or Less
Set against the backdrop of the college admissions process, 'In 500 Words or Less' introduces us to four of the 1.5 million families who navigate the college application process each year. Throughout the course of one school year, these four high school seniors take on this distinct rite of passage and discover within themselves their own identity, their family's dynamics and what it feels like to become an adult.
Directed by Molly Fowler & Amanda Zinomon

Mount St. Elias
Mount St Elias is a dramatic and awe-inspiring feature documentary following three of the world’s greatest ski mountaineers to Mount St Elias in Alaska in their attempt to realize the longest ski descent of the world. Two Austrian ski alpinists Axel Naglich and Peter Ressmann as well as the American freeski pro Jon Jonhston are facing this breathtaking challenge. A movie that finally shows why it is the mountains which unite lethal danger and delirious happiness.
Directed by Gerald Salmina
Starring: Axel Naglich (AUT), Peter Ressmann (AUT), Jon Johnston (USA)

Signs of the Time
The Myth, The Mystery, The Legend of Baseball's Greatest Innovation.
Directed by Don Casper, Writen by Jim Hughes
Narrated by Richard Dreyfuss

Interested in volunteering for the festival?
E-mail us at omahafilmfestival@gmail.com with “volunteer” in the subject line.