Founded by two Iowans transplanted in New York City to highlight work that
deals with rural people and places, the Rural Route Film Festival
offers a broad spectrum of short films—animation, documentary, narrative
and experimental—from around the world. A breath of fresh air for
city folks, this touring festival will be right at home here in Ithaca.
The line-up includes documentaries about a Siberian folk artist, "farmers"
in South Central Los Angeles, black bears in Canada and fast talking farm
auctioneers in the mid-west. Short narratives explore a father/son relationship
in small-town Texas, a young girl's fight to save the ants in her backyard,
and a zombie outbreak in Saskatchewan. Yes, that's right, a zombie outbreak.
And there's so much more: an animated film about a mole and a hedgehog,
an experimental musical western, and a music video starring a toy cowboy.
Video projection.
more at www.ruralroutefilms.com
2004-6, color, 1 hour 58 minutes, various
- Polikarp and His Women
Alexander Khantaev (director) & Vlad Ketkovich (producer), 2006, 6 min., doc.
Siberia, Russia
A short glimpse into the life of Siberian folk artist, Polikarp Sudomoikin, who worked for a collective farm for most of his life, and the many 'vocal' peasant women of the village. Situated 300 miles from Baikal Lake, the village, Bichura, is dwelt by traditional old believers, who where forced to Siberia during Katharine the Great and still preserve their traditions. - South Central Farmers
Ross Guidici, 2005, 7 min., doc.
South Central L.A.
Since 1992, the 14 acres of property located at 41st and Alameda Streets in famed 'urban' South Central Los Angeles have been used as a community garden or farm. 350 low-income families farm the land, feed their families and stay off of welfare. The farm also serves as a safe community for their children to grow up in this dangerous section of the city. - High Plains Winter
WINNER BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM
Cindy Stillwell, 2006, 10 min., exp.
Ringling, MT, Red Lodge, MT, Hailey, ID
High Plains Winter (the final installment of an experimental outdoors trilogy) is a film about the winter landscape and how it affects the human spirit on the high plains of Montana. The American/ Scandinavian sport ski joring, which involves a horse & rider pulling a skier, is the centerpiece of this visual study of winter on the high plains. Alongside the sport imagery are majestic, winter landscapes and signs of domestic life: horses, dogs and people. www.hybridmediafilms.com - Junior
WINNER BEST NARRATIVE FILM
Allison Cook, 2006, 17 min., narr.
Brownwood, Texas
Toby, a sullen teenager, must descend into the depths of small-town Texas to spend the summer with his dad, Darrell. Pulled from the comfort of his middle-class existence, Toby has to cope with his father, an overbearing carouser who makes his living as a ranch hand, and try to get through this visit with no disasters. When Darrell goes overboard, trying to impress his son at the local rodeo and the visit turns sour, Toby is forced to see his dad clearly, and choose whether to forgive him or not. www.juniorfilm.com - Farmer Brown
Charlie Cline, 2005, 4 min., narr.
Braxton County, West Virginia
Enjoy this document of life on the farm—a timeless scene that could be occurring yesterday, 100 years ago, or 100 years from now. Follow this pillar of the American work ethic as he feeds the chickens, chops the wood, digs up the garden, and deals with incursions from other realms into his idyllic world. -
Heart and Mole
Katharina Frank, 2004, 4 min., narr. animation
Los Angeles, CA/Hamburg, Germany
The industrious mole leads a dreary boring life. But one day, he meets Miss Hedgehog, and digs thousands of mole hills in the shape of a giant heart on his meadow. Aliens discover the heart from above instead, and decide to pay a visit... -
Bear
Su Rynard, 2004, 9 min., exp. doc.
Kimmount, Ontario, Canada
Black bears forage for food in their current natural habitat—the township dump, while an intermittent parade of people, SUVs and minivans toss out garbage. While sometimes humorous, a fragile and disturbing biological relationship is portrayed. - Land of the Pines
Dan Sokolowski, 2006, 5 min., exp.
Kemptville, Ontario, Canada
Through photographic evidence, we take a journey through real and imagined images of that quintessential Canadian treeÉ the Pine. Dan Sokolowski's unique combinations of painting, photography, and film originally appeared in RRFF 2004 with Lightyear. www.sokcinema.ca - Go Barefoot
Matt Meindl, 2005, 8 min., narr.
Toledo, Ohio & Swanton, Ohio
Now grown up and contemplating the exponential possibilities of ants, Myra recalls her childhood fight to save all the six-legged crawlers in her big backyard. The cruelty of life and more importantly, nature's ability to cope and regenerate are the lessons learned in her crusade to guard the lawn against big brothers with big boots. - Doomed
Lowell Dean, 2006, 15 min., narr.
Craven, Saskatchewan, Canada
A young couple in love, friends spending time together on a quiet afternoon, small-town kids looking for a good time. And zombies. Lots of flesh-eating zombies (done up with a superb low budget fx job by self-taught make-up artist Emersen Ziffle). Small town Saskatchewan is doomed when a zombie outbreak threatens the prairies. Lowell Dean's primary interest is in fantasy films. He also has an 'unhealthy obsession' with zombies. www.lolofilm.com - Ringo
Dave Monahan, 2005, 6 min., exp.
The Old West
An experimental musical western starring John Wayne and Roy Rogers. Lawman saves outlaw; lawman loses outlaw; lawman becomes outlaw. Found footage gleaned from over 20 public domain films was edited, composited, and set to Don Robertson's classic 1964 story-song to spawn this rapid-fire saga of male bonding with a vengeance. Monahan teaches film production at the Univ. of North Carolina, Wilmington. - The Silver Jews' "I'm Getting Back into Getting Back into You"
Alan Webber & Anthony Matt, 2006, 3 min., music video
Lynbrook, NY & New York, NY
A toy cowboy writes postcards to his lost love in the suburbs. Can he win her back, or is he just being played with? Clever, witty rock band, The Silver Jews, poke fun at and celebrate country music in postmodern fashion through wordplay about honky tonks and rhinestone suits, alongside familiar jangley C & W riffs. Lead singer, David Berman, is also a critically acclaimed poet/writer, who lives in Nashville, TN. www.dragcity.com -
Mimes of the Prairie
John Hansen, 2005, 5 min., narr.
Des Moines, IA
A Ken Burns style mockumentary telling the struggle of a proud people overcoming adversity. Winner for "Best City—Des Moines and Best Film" in the 2005 48-hour Film Project. -
Fast Talkers
Ariana Reguzzoni, 2005, 19 min., doc.
Meridian, Idaho and Bakersfield, California
Farm auctioneers sell off the last pieces of old farms with a rolling, hypnotic cadence. Their melody is replacing the sounds of tractors and cows in the American west, but it's also paving the way for a new generation of farmers. Meet one family in Idaho and the auctioneers who help them close a door on their past.