Lighthouse International Film Festival on Long Beach Island
It’s that time of year again for the Lighthouse International Film Festival on Long Beach Island, NJ, June 4th-6th (Friday-Sunday). Below are the spotlight and feature film selections for this year. Be sure to check out the full program guide on the website:
Spotlight & Feature Films
New Low
Director: Adam Bowers
USA, 82 min.
A hysterical comedy that premiered at the 2010 Sundance film festival, New Low tells the story of a neurotic twenty-something struggles to figure out which girl he really belongs with: the best or the worst one he’s ever known.
Screening: Fri. 8:45 PM, Arts Foundation
Beware the Gonzo
Director: Bryan Goluboff
USA, 94 min.
When Eddie “Gonzo” Gilman gets thrown off the staff of his school newspaper by his arch-rival, he vows revenge by forming “The Gonzo Files”, an underground paper to champion everyone in the school that the paper of record. Together with a staff of fellow bullying-victims and other assorted misfits, Gonzo and his Files shake up the entire school, only to learn that there’s more to writing the truth they anticipated. Beware the Gonzo is a fantastic teen comedy that premiered at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.
Screening: Sun. 12:30 PM, Beach Haven School
A Film Unfinished
Director: Yael Hersonski
Germany/Israel, 88 min.
A powerful documentary that examines an unfinished Nazi propaganda film of the Warsaw ghetto and the insights that arise when a long-missing reel of the film is discovered. Survivors of the ghetto and one of the film’s original cameramen add depth and provide specifics, supplementing the powerful, disturbing images of the film itself. The film premiered at this year’s Sundance and Berlin film festivals.
Screening: Sun. 3:00 PM, Arts Foundation
The Freebie
Director: Katie Aselton
USA, 78 min.
Annie and Darren are in a rut. Still in love, no longer in lust, they decide that perhaps an unconventional solution is called for to get their relationship rekindled – a freebie. Star Katie Aselton’s directorial debut, which premiered at this year’s Sundance and South-by-Southwest Film Festivals, is a charming comedic look at whether one night of no-questions-asked can be the key to keeping a relationship going.
Screening: Sat. 7:00 PM, Beach Haven School
Jimmy Tupper vs. the Goatman of Bowie
Director: Andrew Bowser
USA, 70 min.
Jimmy Tupper, resident slacker, likes to push the issue with his friends. One night, they push back, and leave a passed-out Jimmy alone in the middle of the woods to fend for himself. But when Jimmy emerges from the woods, bloodied, battered and going off about the legendary monster the Goatman of Bowie, his friends wonder if this is another of Jimmy’s tales, or maybe, just maybe, he really did see the Goatman. Only time, and Jimmy’s video camera, will tell. The film premiered at the 2010 South-by-Southwest film festival.
Screening: Sat. 9:30 PM, Arts Foundation
Feature Narrative Films:
Broken Dreams
Director: David Crabtree
USA, 80 min.
For Johnny, a struggling young filmmaker, there just isn’t enough time in the day. He can’t seem to finish the documentary he has been working on for years, and he can’t seem to declare his love for Julie, his best friend. Afraid he’s on the verge of losing Julie, Johnny turns to “the blues” – a new pill that he hopes will give him a few more hours a day, helping him to finish his film even as it puts Johnny and his friends in danger.
Screening: Sat. 4:30 PM (Beach Haven School)
Cigarette Girl
Director: Mike McCarthy
USA, 93 min.
A dystopian fantasy about a world where smokers are banished to the lawless part of the city called the Smoking Section. Cori Dials is captivating badass as the “Cigarette Girl,” a dark heroine whose attempts to quit smoking trigger hallucinations, and a promise of revenge from her outlaw boss at the Vice Club – awakening in her a sense of vigilante justice as she tries to escape the underworld intact. Dark, stylized, original and highly entertaining, the landscape and tone evoke the best aspects of noir thrillers and independent cinema.
Screening: Sat. 11:30 PM, Arts Foundation
Earthwork
Director: Chris Ordal
USA, 93 min.
Based on a true story, the film captures a turning point in the life of landscape artist Stan Herd as he takes on his most ambitious project, an art installation in indifferent New York City in the early 1990s. Featuring a terrific lead performance by acclaimed film and television actor John Hawkes (Me and You and Everyone We Know, Deadwood) the film chronicles the strength it takes to believe in oneself and in one’s art in the face of huge obstacles.
Screening: Sat. 2:30 PM, Arts Foundation
Holy Water
Director: Tom Reeve
UK, 93 min.
Stuck in a slowly dying town, four men come up with a plan to turn their fortunes around – by stealing a shipment of Viagara. When their half-baked plan goes awry and the heat comes down, the town receives an unusual wake-up call of its own. A charming comedic look at a caper gone bad, the film hits it spots perfectly.
Screening: Sat. 5:00 PM, Arts Foundation
Ice Grill, USA
Directors: Mark Bernardi and Greg Santarsiero
USA, 102 min.
An ensemble cast led by rising star Connor Fox explores the tensions and connections of the gritty Atlantic City underbelly and how hard it is to stay noble in a world where misery is company. An examination of the pursuit of the American Dream in a morally indifferent community, the film is hard-hitting, thoughtful, quick-paced and pitch-perfect in its dialogue. Set and shot entirely in Atlantic City, NJ.
Screening: Fri. 9:00 PM, Beach Haven School
My Stepdad’s a Freakin’ Vampire
Director: David Matheny
USA, 90 min.
Mysterious happenings and disappearances around town lead a high school student to suspect his stepfather has a hidden agenda, one that involves more than normal parental duties. Fans of horror-comedies will revel in this feature sendup of the horror classic.
Screening: Fri. 6:45 PM, Beach Haven School
Upstream
aka Alles Stroomt, Netherlands (Dutch with English subtitles)
Director: Danyael Sugawara
A terrific drama from the Netherlands that explores a relationship between a mother and her son after his high school graduation. As he struggles to assert his independence, he struggles with how to be an adult. Simultaneously, his mother’s new relationship with a barge skipper leads her further away from her own son. Used to relying on one another, each struggles to adjust to the changes they must face without their support network of one another. As good a family drama as you will see, superbly acted and perfectly paced.
Screening: Sun. 11:00 AM, Arts Foundation
Feature Documentary Films:
Card Subject to Change
Director: Timothy Disbrow
USA, 94 min.
Northeast Premiere
A documentary that examines a NJ-based independent wrestling circuit, from once-famous wrestlers to the new crop of hopefuls. An inside look at the sacrifices and distractions its participants endure as well as the complex family lives they lead, all while in pursuit of something that might not be possible. A story that looks at the human aspects of the individuals involved and why many of them continue long after the sport has battered their bodies and dreams.
Screening: Sat. 9:00 PM, Beach Haven School
Gus: An American Icon
Director: Pedro Brenner
USA, 89 min.
New Jersey Premiere
An honest look at the life and times of Gus Giordano, the man considered by many to be the father of American jazz dance. Photos, extracts of his choreography and a full performance of “Wings” are supplemented by the words of Gus’s closest friends, family, artists and collaborators, who relate their own memories of this amazing artist.
Screening: Sat. 12:30 PM, Arts Foundation
Jezis Je Normalni!
Director: Tereza Nvotova
Czech Republic, 67 min.
New Jersey Premiere
A Czech filmmaker has a chance encounter with a church group that she had been a part of as a child. Intrigued, she seeks out old classmates and teachers and examines the religion’s teachings in an attempt to understand how it has affected all of them. A look at both sides of the religion raises questions about the techniques the religion uses in pursuit of enlightenment and how it pushes some away even as it pulls others in.
Screening: Sat. 11:00 AM, Oskar Huber
Lives of the Artists
Director: Ross Cairns
United Kingdom, 81 min.
USA Premiere
A gorgeous film with stunning visuals connects the lives of disparate men – musicians, surfers, a snowboarder – and shows how they all deserve the title of artist.
Screening: Fri. 9:30 PM, Oskar Huber
A Long Haul
Director: Nathaniel Kramer
USA, 44 min.
A documentary depicting the struggles of a charter boat captain whose seasonal summer business has fallen prey to a bad economy, high fuel prices, loss of customers and depleted fish populations. Forced to moonlight on a broken down commercial fishing trawler, he sets sail for a trip to net squid alongside his loyal first mate to try to salvage his career as a fisherman.
Screening: Sun. 1:00 PM, Arts Foundation
Sold: Fighting the New Global Slave Trade
Director: Jody Hassett Sanchez
USA, 52 min.
Filmed in India, Togo and Pakistan, Sold intertwines the stories of three courageous people who defy death threats, carry out daring rescues and challenge powerful interests in the battle to end slavery in the 21st Century. A Hindu, a Christian, and a Muslim, this trio has never met but they fight the same enemy, while employing decidedly different strategies.
Double Feature Screening: Sat. 6:00 PM, Oskar Huber
When the Night Comes
Director: Bobby Bailey
Uganda/USA, 61 min.
When the Night Comes is a well crafted, informative documentary on both the immense devastation of malaria and the simplicity of extremely effective tools which can be used to combat this disease, namely, bed-nets. The film has a balanced blend of the history of malaria, and the current struggles that are faced by those who live in areas ravaged by this deadly disease.
Double Feature Screening: Sat. 6:00 PM, Oskar Huber
