July: American Indie III
July: American Indie III, FLMTQ Releases 195-199
Filmatique has partnered with Brooklyn-based film distributor Factory 25 once more for American Indie III, a spotlight on some of the most exciting filmmakers working in the American independent scene.
Starring musician Alex Zhang Hungtai (Dirty Beaches), Christopher Makoto Yogi's debut film August at Akiko's immerses the spectator in soundscapes of nature, ritual, and free jazz as it examines notions of belonging and heritage among Hawaii's Japanese community. Rick Alverson's minimalist drama New Jerusalem traces a veteran's path to evangelism while Tim Sutton's Pavilion explores the textures of ephemeral youth. Theodore Collatos' Tormenting the Hen deconstructs contemporary gender dynamics as a lesbian couple embarks on an artistic retreat upstate, while prominent queer novelist/poet Lonely Christopher's debut feature MOM embarks on a young man's search for his lost mother.
The third edition of Filmatique's American Indie Series examines the diverse tapestry of American society, attentive to its corresponding hierarchies of race, gender, faith, and sexual orientation, while elucidating the indispensable role that emerging directors serve in reflecting upon and shaping our realities.
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August at Akiko's, Christopher Makoto Yogi (2018)
August at Akiko's, Christopher Makoto Yogi / USA, 2018
After nearly a decade, Alex, a musician, arrives on the Big Island of Hawai'i with no more than a suitcase and his saxophone in tow. Returning to his grandmother's home, he encounters only a building site; inquiring at the local post office, no one seems to know the whereabouts of his family. Alex's mother suggests he stay at a Buddhist bed and breakfast down the road. Soon Alex has formed a friendship with Akiko, the establishment's ebullient, elderly proprietor, that leads him to unexpected places.
Imbued with converging rhythms of free jazz, meditation bells, and enveloping sounds of nature, August at Akiko's reflects on the meaning of family, memory, heritage, and home. Christopher Makoto Yogi's debut film premiered at IFFR - Rotterdam International Film Festival, Warsaw; IndieMemphis, where it won a Special Jury Award; and Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, where it won Best Cinematography. August at Akiko's was named among Richard Brody's Best Movies of 2019.
Pavilion, Tim Sutton (2012)
Pavilion, Tim Sutton / USA, 2012
A hot, shimmering summer. Max, a soft-spoken teenager, moves from an idyllic lakeside town to the xeric suburban landscape of Arizona, where his father lives. He passes his days engaged in tentative romances with girls his age, riding bikes, swimming, staying up til dawn drinking and not saying much. An atmosphere of impermanence hangs over him—his youth, like this summer, will soon end.
Filmed using nonprofessional actors and with an evocative score by Sam Prekop (The Sea and Cake), Pavilion conjures sensations of fleeting memories, the mysteries of adolescence, the fragility of existence itself. Tim Sutton's feature debut premiered at SXSW - South by Southwest, BAMcinemaFest, and Turin, where it won a Special Jury Prize. Pavilion is a New York Times Critics' Pick.
New Jerusalem, Rick Alverson (2011)
New Jerusalem, Rick Alverson / USA, 2011
Sean is an Irish immigrant just returned to the United States, having completed a tour of military service in Afghanistan. He is disoriented, distraught, and having trouble adjusting to his new life, reeling from unseen scars. Sean forms a friendship with his co-worker Ike, an Evangelical Christian who seeks to lead Sean on a path to peace and redemption. Yet Sean is unsure of his willingness toward spiritual transformation.
Shot in a cinéma vérité style and with galvanizing performances from its two leads, New Jerusalem examines the contours of male friendship and modern utopian belief within a rarely explored milieu of American society. Rick Alverson's second feature premiered at IFFR - Rotterdam International Film Festival, SXSW, Sarasota, and CPH:PIX.
MOM, Lonely Christopher (2013)
MOM, Lonely Christopher / USA, 2020
Try is a young man who who enlists the help of a ramshackle agency of detectives to track down his biological mother. His search leads him from his hometown of White Dog to the big city, meeting various dubious characters along the way. Try's drunken, charismatic case manager Arden leads him through urban landscapes in search of a mysterious woman named Judy Curtains, who seemingly holds the key to his identity. As Arden slowly begins to uncover his client’s true motives, he suspects that Try may not be who he seems.
Twisting the sleuth genre into an offbeat noir about adventure, family, and the desire to belong, MOM is the directorial debut of prominent queer poet/writer Lonely Christopher. A Filmatique Premiere.
Tormenting the Hen, Theodore Collatos (2017)