MARFA FILM FESTIVAL 2008

Cameron narrates this collage film about the process of internalizing the information that bombards us through a combination of personal experience and media in all forms. Speeding through our senses in ever-increasing numbers and complicated mixtures of fantasy, dream and reality from both outside and in, these fragmented images of life, sometimes shared by all, sometimes isolated and obscure, but with common threads, lead us to a state of psychological entropy tending toward a uniform inertness ... an insensitive uninvolvement in the human condition and our own humanity.

A dare-devil hi-wire artist Phillipe Pette recruits a team to sneak his equipment into the Twin Towers so that they can fasten a performance wire between the rooftops. The team’s story of getting to the top of the World Trade Center without being detected and his subsequent arrest becomes a poignant look back at a time not so long ago but very far away.

Come join The Marfa Tea Party at the Mason Bldg. in downtown Marfa for an eclectic selection of illustrations, photography and film. Music will be played, iced tea and snacks will be served. Featuring experimental and narrative shorts, animation, music video and art work from some of the finest young artists in the country. With Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond), Maximilla Lukacs (Kill Your Darlings, Lay Down Lean), Cat Solen (Milk), and Alia Raza (White Light). Produced by Draw Pictures. Special DJ sets by Small Town Talk. Photo from “Lay Down Lean" with Flicker, Karen Elson and Zooey Deschanel.

THE MASSES is a collaboration of filmmakers, musicians, actors and artists united by a passion for cutting edge music and driven by unique and diverse cinematic visions. Several videos from THE MASSES will screen during the festival, including a never before seen video directed by Heath Ledger for Grace Woodroofe and a new work by Shannyn Sossamon. For videos and times, check the festival program in Marfa. Throughout the five days of the festival, THE MASSES will house an exhibit in building 98 in Marfa, featuring the works of Icelandic Photographer Borkur, Wildlife Photography by Tristan Bayer, concept designs and illustrations by Italian artist Daniel Auber, and unique pieces by Brooklyn-based tattoo artist-turned painter Scott Campbell. Also in the exhibition will be original collector's pieces from the set of Terry Gilliam's latest film, "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus", and a projected continuum of music videos by THE MASSES. Admission to the opening party with THE MASSES at Bldg 98, with music by Edward Sharpe and Magnetic Zeros, is included with a ticket to THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Free admission to THE MASSES at Bldg 98 at all other times (May 2-5).

A heart-sick and head-sick man tutors a boy in his apartment. The kid becomes the tutor when the man unloads his relationship problems.

Charles Laughton directs Robert Mitchum and Lillian Gish in one of the great classics of American cinema. With a powerful mixture of German expressionism and American gothic that sets it apart from almost all other Hollywood films of the 1940s and 1950s, "Night of the Hunter" creates and sustains a fairy tale tone of dreadful suspense that never lets up. New print on loan from the UCLA film archive. This is an outdoor event. Bring your own blankets and chairs if you like. Comfortable chairs will be available to rent for three dollars. There will be food and beverages.

Men, women and children risk fingers and toes fishing for giant catfish in the muddy rivers of Oklahoma. It’s a sport called “Noodling,” and it’s a family affair. From the director of the first “Okie Noodling” comes a follow-up worthy of its highly esteemed predecessor. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to blindly stick your hand into an underwater chamber where toothy creatures dwell, protecting their young, this is what you’ve been waiting for. World Premiere.

In this captivating animated short a woman confronts her future, seeking freedom in an elusive bird, and is shown a solution by a rebellious little girl.

An insecure husband and heartsick wife struggle to make ends meet when the husband’s child from another woman shows up on their doorstep. The wife finds new happiness in her home while the husband schemes as his debts pile higher and higher.