By Gordon Durich
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 7/14/22 – LA’s hybrid boutique film festival Filmocracy returns for a third season with in-person screenings TONIGHT until July 17 at the Lumiere Cinema at the Music Hall, Beverly Hills.
A full complement of 26 films are also available online to stream via the Filmocracy digital platform. “Getting started during the Coronavirus Pandemic, when ex-AFI festival programmer and Slamdance co-founder Jon Fitzgerald was working with Filmocracy supporting their various divisions, including their virtual festival initiative, Fitzgerald recalls Paul Jun, Filmocracy’s CEO and I talked about creating our own Festival as a showcase for the innovative programs the team had continued to develop.” Eight narrative and documentary titles inperson there will also be two in-person shorts programs of five films each. Filmocracy however is committed to the hybrid model. Filmmakers always want to see their moves on the big screen, engage with audiences and participate in Q and A’s but they can’t always make it to every festival.
Here’s 6 of the Best:
“Alchemy of the Spirit” LA Legend Steve Balderson explores mysteries which transcend our physical universe in this dark Gothic love story. Artist Oliver Black (Xander Berkeley) wakes to discover his wife Evelyn (Sarah Clarke) has died in their bed overnight. Brimming with magical realism, we enter a world in which the misconceptions of our belief in a solid reality are revealed. Space and time bend in a way to challenge the audience with what is real, what is illusion, and what is beyond…This peaceful and hypnotic quiet is interrupted by the outside world and the threat of everyday, common reality (thanks to Oliver’s art dealer played by cult icon Mink Stole).
Starring: XANDER BERKELEY; SARAH CLARKE; WHIP HUBLEY; MINK STOLE with Jule Selbo; Alex Coppola and Matthew Delamater
“Death of a Ladies’ Man” Gabriel Byrne starts in this comedy drama where a college professor experiences surreal hallucinations. A carousing college professor’s life takes a series of unimaginable turns, and all the old stories are given a new twist, when he begins to have surreal hallucinations and learns he may not be long for this world.
“1 800 Hot Nite” a gritty suspenseful dramatic short with a great storyline. When 13-year-old Tommy loses his parents to a drug raid, he escapes with his two best friends. His urban odyssey to avoid foster care is packed with men trying to rob him, cops, a python, a fist fight, a first kiss, and phone sex. The friends’ brotherhood breaks as they cross the threshold into adulthood and as Tommy faces his future.
“The Human Trial” documentary, inside a treatment study on stemcell treatment for diabetes, following patients and doctors who put themselves on the line to be first. Fifteen years after being experimented on with a questionable procedure, a man revisits memories of past years and deals with the consequences of what was done to him.
“Art & Krimes” Incarcerated artist labors for years on secret mastermind finding a way to survive via the act of creativity. Powerful documentary.
“One Pint at a Time” Another intriguing doc about black brewers, brand owners and influencers across the U.S. who are reshaping the craft beer industry and the future of its favorite adult beverage.
This is just a taste of the offerings. Check them out.
