Macon, GA — The Spotlight Films for the 2016 Macon Film Festival (July 21–24) have been announced.
“This year’s spotlight feature films are sure to entertain and inspire our festival audience. This collective represents examples of outstanding independent films that have been showcased at film festivals throughout the year. Our programming committee is excited to provide Macon a sneak peek of these films before they are released on a national scale,” said Tabitha Lynne Walker, 2016 Festival Programmer.
Narrative Feature Spotlight: THE ARBALEST
Director: Adam Pinney
Synopsis: When an unexpected tragedy befalls an amateur game inventor, his wife and a rival make a pact to share in the spoils of his invention. But when that invention becomes an international sensation, the pair charts different courses in their own lives, until desire brings them together again for one final game. Adam Pinney’s THE ARBALEST is a wildly inventive comedy that takes the details and design of the 1960’s and 70’s to new heights, turning a tale of unrequited love into an alternate reality where a beloved toy brings wild success and never-ending suffering.
Music Spotlight: CONTEMPORARY COLOR
Director: Bill & Turner Ross
Synopsis: Ten of the country’s elite color guard teams—the flag-flipping, sequin-studded crème de la crème of the “sport of the arts”—sync steps with musical luminaries for a bacchanalia of beats, sabre-spinning, and glitter cannons. Live performances by David Byrne, Nelly Furtado, How to Dress Well, Devonté Hynes, Money Mark + Ad-Rock, Zola Jesus, Lucius, Nico Muhly + Ira Glass, St. Vincent, and tUnE-yArDs!
Programmer’s Choice Spotlight: HARRY BENSON: SHOOT FIRST
Director: Matthew Miele and Justin Bare
Synopsis: The film charts the illustrious career of the renowned photographer who initially rose to fame alongside The Beatles, having been assigned to cover their inaugural trip to the United States in 1964. With unprecedented “behind the scenes” access, Benson captured some of the most vibrant and intimate portraits ever taken of the most popular band in history. His extensive portfolio includes iconic images of Winston Churchill, Bobby Fischer, Muhammad Ali, Greta Garbo, Michael Jackson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Robert F. Kennedy assassination, and his work has appeared in publications including Life, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. Now 86, workaholic Benson has no intention of stopping.
Southern Spotlight: THE SEER
Director: Laura Dunn
Synopsis: Henry County, Kentucky, like many rural landscapes across America, has become a place of quiet ideological struggle. In the span of a generation, virtues of simplicity, land stewardship, local economies and rootedness to place have been supplanted by a capital-intensive model of industrial agriculture characterized by machine labor, chemical fertilizers, soil erosion and debt – all of which have frayed the fabric of communities. Writing from a long wooden desk beneath a forty-paned window, Wendell Berry has watched this struggle unfold, becoming one the most passionate and eloquent voices in defense of agrarian life.
Macon Film Festival is July 21 – 24. Passes are now available on the festival’s website http://www.maconfilmfestival.com or at this Ticket Derby link: http://www.bit.ly/MFF_2016
Media: If you are interested in covering the film festival please send an email to Terrell@TerrellSandefur.com
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About the Macon Film Festival
Founded in 2005, Macon Film Festival is an annual event held in the heart of historic downtown Macon. Surrounded by a rich musical and southern culture, the organization celebrates independent films while promoting filmmaking for entertainment, inspiration, education, and economic development. The 11th annual Macon Film Festival will take place July 21-24, 2016. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up to the minute updates, and visit our website http://www.maconfilmfestival.com