2011 San Antonio Film Festival: Official Lineup

The 17th annual San Antonio Film Festival is back with their 17th annual edition, which will run on June 16-26 at several locations around the city. Once again, the fest is a truly international affair with a special emphasis on films produced south of the border.
The feature films and shorts this year come from as far away as Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Madrid and London, but there are also numerous films from Central and South America, including two features from Mexico: Gerardo Tort’s Viaje Redondo; and Roberto Hernández & Geoffrey Smith’s Presunto Culpable.
There are also lots of regionally-made films, including two special programs featuring short films by local high school students, co-presented with KLRN public television.
Plus, once again, the fest is chock full of documentaries, from sports docs like Robert Herrera’s The Gray Seasons, to activist docs like Jon Cooksey’s How to Boil a Frog, to the Nicaragua-based doc Karla’s Arrival by Koen Suidgeest, the music documentary Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, dir. Lev Anderson & Chris Metzler.
The full SAFF lineup is below. The fest is broken up into screening blocks that combine a mixture of short films and features. (Features are noted with a description where one was available.) But, please visit the official San Antonio Film Festival website for more info and to purchase advance tickets.
June 16
8:00 p.m. — 11:00 p.m.:
Only in Dreams, dir. Adam Badlotto
Sixty in 60, dir. Ronnie Cramer
Deforce, dir. Daniel Falconer
June 17
8 p.m. –- midnight:
Boys of Bonneville: Racing on a Ribbon of Salt, dir. Curt Wallin. The story of David Abbott Jenkins, who broke tons of landspeed records in the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah
Personal Velocity, dir. Jon Vatne
The Gray Seasons, dir. Robert Herrera. Coach Shimmy Gray-Miller attempts to turn around the losing streak of the Saint Louis University women’s basketball team.
June 18
8 p.m. –- midnight:
“KLRN Fresh Cuts High School Shorts”
Lite 4
A Running Battle
We Dream
Nonsense Horror
Rocket Science
Round 1 w/ Ronnie Cantu
Dog Whisperer
Sweeter Than the Truth
She Is…
Skateboard Neighborhood
An Interview With: Kinky Friedman
Art of Logic
Volition
Sun and Moon
Superior
Power Struggle
We March
“SAFILM – High School Shorts:”
How Could She, dir. Kevin Rieg
Poetic Justice Project, dir. Matthew Evans
Two Wheels, dir. Jacob Ramon
“Feature Film”
American Teacher, dir. Vanessa Roth
June 19
2 p.m. –- 5 p.m.:
The Calling, dir. David Ranghelli. Profiling three individuals drawn into the Catholic life.
Swim to the Surface, dir. Grace Zahrah, Ellie Schmidt, Chloe Nelson
How to Boil a Frog, , dir. Jon Cooksey. A comedic documentary about one man’s attempts to help control global climate change.
June 20
2 p.m. –- 5 p.m.:
Archer, dir. Erik Mauck
Bicycle, dir. Francis Trachta
White: A Memoir in Color, dir. Joel Katz
Extra Marital, dir. James B. Joyce
Xavi, dir. David Garcia
Institution, dir. Marynell Maloney. A romantic scientist falls for a jaded doctoral student. Will they be able to agree on the relevance of the institution of marriage?
7 p.m. – 11 p.m.:
Viaje Redondo, dir. Gerardo Tort. Feature film. No synopsis available as of press time.
Dreaming American, dir. Lee Percy
Unimaginable, dir. Rod Guajardo
Making Christmas: The View From the Tom and Jerry Christmas Tree, dir. Richard Gutierrez
Bedfellows, dir. Pierre Stefanos
June 21
2 p.m. –- 5 p.m.:
Sweet Sweet Baby, dir. Susan Hunt
Much Ado About Nothing, dir. Brandon Arnold Provo
Subprime, dir. James Repici. A young mortgage broker struggles to survive in a corrupt industry.
Out South, dir. Benito Aguliar
The Modern Buddhist Filmmaker, dir. Taylor James Johnson
7 p.m. – 11 p.m.:
Face to Face, dir. Michael Rymer. A construction worker is accused of beating his boss.
Operation Hands On, dir. Gary Logan
A Schizophrenic Love Story, dir. Glenn D. Levy, Dylan Thomas Ellis. An agoraphobe asks Mary Mother of Jesus, Einstein and a vampire for romantic advice.
June 22
2 p.m. –- 5 p.m.:
Far From Ascencion, dir. Donavan Kerr. Feature film. No synopsis at press time.
Tent City, U.S.A., dir. Steven Cantor. An examination of the homeless situation in Nashville, Tennessee.
Quieres Que Me Muera, dir. Adam Rendon
7 p.m. – 10 p.m.:
Bathing and the Single Girl, dir. Christine Elise McCarthy
Blind Date, dir. Abi Blackmore
Katrina’s Son, dir. Ya’Ke Smith
Neal, dir. Geoff McGee
1 Night in London, dir. Resul Keech
Tell-Tale, dir. Greg Williams
The Harvest, dir. U. Roberto Romano. Feature Film. No synopsis at press time.
June 23
1 p.m. – 5 p.m.:
Cheese!, dir. Damien Patrik
Haitian Hope: Field Hospital, dir. Mark Raines
Esposito, dir. Matt Nunn. After uncovering the contents of a cute girl’s storage unit, a romantic man tries to win her heart with that inside information.
The Break, dir. Manny Rey
Four Cubic Feet of Space, dir. Tony Gault
The Ah of Life, dir. Bank Helfrich. A man struggles with his own mortality in a crazy world where time is vertical.
Mindy, dir. Sean Foster
2 p.m. –- 5 p.m.:
Karla’s Arrival, dir. Koen Suidgeest. A homeless girl in Nicaragua tries her best to care for her new baby properly.
Mario Sanchez: Painter of Memories, dir. Jack Ofield
The Last Days of Extraordinary Lives, dir. Randy Bacon. The true personal stories of people who thought they were facing their last day on Earth.
2 p.m. –- 5 p.m.:
A Read on Inside Books, dir. Barbara Koonce, Lorri Haden
Marty Stuart in Philadelphia, MS, dir. Jacob Hatley
The Necklace, dir. MaryLee Herrmann
The Boys She Escapes, dir. Buddy Calvo
Where Strippers Go to Die, dir. Ed Holub
The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue, dir. Mike Bradecich, John LaFlamboy. Two slackers attempt to catch a monster living in their building’s basement.
7 p.m. – 10 p.m.:
The Journey, dir. Felipe Holguin
Savasana, dir. Gerry Curtis
City Love, dir. Yoav Netanyahu
Iniciacion, dir. Isaac Neri
Elsewhere, dir. Michael Paulucci
Clara’s Carma, dir. Robert Brinkmann
Goldstar, Ohio, dir. Michael Tisdale
Presunto Culpable, dir. Roberto Hernández, Geoffrey Smith. Two Mexican attorneys made this documentary to prove the innocence of a wrongly convicted man.
7 p.m. – 10 p.m.:
Andy Paris: Bubblegum King, dir. Dino Reyes. The absolutely true story of the man who first mass produced bubblegum.
The Cleaners, dir. George Basiev
Beautiful Silence, dir. Jorge A. Jimenez. A man raised entirely in the wild encounters civilization for the first time after both his parents die.
6 p.m. – 11 p.m.:
Paper Flower, dir. Brent Green
Striking a Chord, dir. Susan Cohn Rockefeller
Untitled Moon Project, dir. John Moore
After You Left, dir. Jef Taylor (Read the review)
Summer Children, dir. James Bruner. Two men vie for the affections of one woman.
June 24
2 p.m. –- 5 p.m.:
The Athlete, dir. Davey Frankel, Rasselas Lakew. The true story of Abebe Bikila, the first African man to win an Olympic gold medal.
Martyr, dir. Alejandro DeHoyos
Crebinsky, dir. Enrique Otero. Feature film. No synopsis at press time.
2 p.m. –- 5 p.m.:
Tonight’s Special, dir. Timothy Watkins
Some Jobs Are Simple, dir. Jim Evans
Hurry Up and Wait, dir. Justin Malone. A tour documentary of the band Gringo Star.
Martha and Dee Visit the Fifth Dimension, dir. Noelle Foster
The Commute, dir. James Lefkowitz
Arthur, dir. John Jacobsen
Don’t Kill My Father, dir. Elvira Dones
7 p.m. – 10 p.m.:
Innocence, dir. Javier Mendez
A Higher Power, dir. Jacolby Percy
Charley, dir. Dee Austin Robertson
Clarity, dir. Harvey Wolfe
Wife in Shining Armor, dir. Rogelio Salinas III
America, dir. Sonia Fritz. An abused Caribbean girl heads to New York City where she finds work as a nanny.
7 p.m. – 10 p.m.:
A Scene at the Sea, dir. JaeHee Lee
Kaya, dir. Tony Leonardo
Kevin, dir. Jay Duplass
Sudden Death!, dir. Adam Hall
Finding Soil, dir. Torch Eberhart
One Lucky Elephant, dir. Isa Leeman. Circus producer David Balding spends years trying to find a home for his beloved, aging elephant.
June 25
2 p.m. –- 5 p.m.:
Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, dir. Lev Anderson & Chris Metzler. This documentary chronicles the friendship and tenacity of Fishbone lead singer Angelo Moore and bassist Norwood Fisher, who struggle to keep their beloved band popular and relevant. Narrated by Laurence Fishburne. (Read the review)
Feline Folly, dir. James Logan Gibke
The Gift of the Magi, dir. Toshikazu Ishii
Mack, dir. Ben Kadie
Luna, dir. Raúl Cárdenas, Rafael Cárdenas
Skateboard Neighborhood, dir. Jacob Gonzales
Round 1 with Ronnie Cantu, dir. Nicco Vasquez
Crippled, dir. Ien Chi
The Perfect Self-Deception, dir. David Vendrell
A Journey of One, dir. Kim Hauser, Michelle McChristian
Send Me to Babylon, dir. Jeremiah James
Eye for an Eye, dir. Carlos Pagan
2 p.m. –- 5 p.m.:
A Short Film, dir. Rick Williamson
Helado, dir. Gabriel Duran
Commerce, dir. Lisa Robertson
Going … Somewhere, dir. Nicco Quinones
Three Sister’s Laundry, dir. John Crockett
Another Life, dir. Nathan Ruegger
Lord Byron, dir. Zack Godshall. A middle-aged lothario wants to reinvent himself, but doesn’t know how.
Consequences of a Gambler, dir. Scott Rudolf
7 p.m. – 10 p.m.:
Heaven Garden, dir. Ari Candido Fernandes
After the Shearing, dir. Vanessa Rojas
Dream Giver, dir. Tyler Carter
She Came Along, dir. Essi Rafael
Crime After Crime, dir. Yoav Potash. Debbie Peagler, a horrifically abused woman who killed the boyfriend who tortured her, struggles to be released from prison.
7 p.m. – 10 p.m.:
Missile Crisis, dir. Jaye Davidson
Cold Sore, dir. Matt Bird
Open, dir. Travis Ezell
The Oak Park Story, dir. Valerie Soe, Russell Jeung
Beatboxing: The Fifth Element of Hip Hop, dir. Klaus Schneyder
June 26
2 p.m. –- 5 p.m.:
Corazon de Perro, dir. Ismael Nava Alejos
El Sueno de Galileo, dir. Mariana Miranda
Lupano Leyva, dir. Felipe Gómez
Martyris, dir. Luis Felipe Hernández
Evaporar, dir. Jaime Sanchez
Collective Dreams, dir. Collette D. Orquiz
Boy to Man, dir. William Wonders III
Lullaby for Ray, dir. Marina Shron
Sketch, dir. Christian Remde
Hard Days Bite, dir. Aaron Evenson
A Firm Place to Stand, dir. Margaret Noblin
Rubble Kings, dir. Shan Nicholson. A profile of NYC in the early 1970s when gangs terrorized the streets and the people who sought to end their rule.
2 p.m. –- 5 p.m.:
Golden Age, dir. Sky Adams Wellington
Homecoming, dir. Lorian James Delman
A Temp at Crime, dir. Malcolm Johnstone
Three Veils, dir. Rolla Selbak. A trio of Middle Eastern women try to break out of their pre-defined cultural roles.
7 p.m. – 10 p.m.:
It Was Like That, dir. Morgan Dameron
The Winking Boy, dir. Marcus Dineen
Tick Tock, dir. Ien Chi
The Breakup, dir. Christopher W. Kruse
God and Vodka, dir. Daniel Stine
That Girl That Time, dir. Bank Tangjaitrong
We All Fall Down, dir. John Isaac Rodriguez
Pursuit, dir. Jaron Downs
Frente Noreste, dir. Angela Torres Camarena
Go There Once Be There Twice, dir. Gil Bettman
7 p.m. – 10 p.m.:
Disrupt/Dismantle, dir. Jack Lucarelli. L.A. undercover officers do whatever it takes to bring down a notorious drug gang, even if it means breaking the law themselves.
New York Minutes, dir. Michael Farrell
Made in India, dir. Rebecca Haimowitz, Vaishali Sinha. A revealing look at the new business of outsourcing surrogacy to India.
Underground Film Feedback (4 comments)
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I can’t wait to see The Calling on 6/19! The film has Won four awards…and a friend of mine saw at a festival in LA…and spoke very highly about it. Check out the website: http://www.thecallingdocumentary.com
If you see it, please come back and tell us what you think.
The Trailer of Dreaming American looks good. I googled and saw won acting award and is going to be in Palm Springs Film Festival, too it should be good.
Here is the trailer of Dreaming American.
I think the shorts program looks really great. Love the local representation.
Caught It Was Like That at a USC Screening a couple months ago. It’s screening on Sunday 06/26.
Their website says the director won the Best Young Filmmaker Award at Kansas City’s Film Fest & the film is screening at San Francisco’s Frameline festival soon too.
Here’s a trailer for It Was Like That:
It Was Like That Trailer from Morgan Dameron on Vimeo.