American Fringe 7, the seventh edition of the Arts Arena-produced festival of ultra-independent American films, curated by Richard Peña, Director Emeritus of the New York Film Festival, Professor of Film Practices at Columbia University, and member of the Arts Arena Advisory Council, and Livia Bloom Ingram, Vice-President of Icarus Films, in partnership with La Cinémathèque française. The eight selected independent American films will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker. All films are in English with French subtitles.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17
BLACK BARBIE: A DOCUMENTARY. A FILM BY LAGUERIA DAVIS
Opening Night – Friday, November 17, 2023 at 19:00
U.S. / 2023 / 100 min / International Premiere
In 1959, U.S. toy manufacturer Mattel released the first “Barbie” doll: tall, slim, blond and (of course) white, the doll incarnated a free spirit, enhanced by accessories ranging from sports cars to ski equipment. Yet over time the doll’s phenomenal popularity established the Barbie “look” as a kind of ideal of female beauty, one that sadly left out tens of millions of girls who simply didn’t match the doll’s physical characteristics. A personal exploration of growing up with Barbie enhanced with rich archival material, Black Barbie: A Documentary offers thought-provoking insights to the experiences of filmmaker Lagueria Davis and many other African-American women, who discuss the effect of not seeing themselves represented in the Barbie universe, and how Black Barbie’s transformative arrival affected them personally.
COUNTRY GOLD. A FILM BY MICKEY REECE
Friday, November 17, 2023 at 21:45
U.S. / 2022 / 84 min / With Mickey Reece, Ben Hall, Laurie Cummings / France Premiere
Oklahoma native Mickey Reece directs and stars in his stylized tale of Troyal Brux, a successful country-western musician who gets the chance to meet his idol, George Jones (Ben Hall), under mysterious circumstances.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18
YOU’RE DANCING THIS ALL WRONG. A FILM BY CAMERON WORDEN
Saturday, November 18 at 15:00
U.S. / 2023 / 78 min / Imported 35mm / World Premiere
Shot on Super 8 and then transferred to 35mm, this fluid portrait of a loose community shouldering homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness captures life at the poverty line in Kansas City, Missouri.
RICHLAND. A FILM BY IRENE LUSZTIG
Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 17:30
U.S. / 2023 / 93 min / France Premiere
In 1943, the U.S. government built the town of Richland, Washington, to house workers manufacturing plutonium for atomic bombs. Today, Richland is proud of its heritage and the deadly nuclear weapons it helped create–despite the continuing health and moral issues that plague a number of the Richlanders. This prismatic portrait of a community staking its identity on its nuclear origin story is also a timely examination of the normalization of extraordinary violence. With remarkable archival footage, Richland is an expansive meditation on the past, present and future of America.
GIRL INTERNET SHOW. A FILM BY JORDAN WIPPELL AND JANE SCHOENBRUN
Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 20:00
U.S. / 2022 / 79 min / France Premiere
Before her death in 2019, Kati Kelli ran “Girl Internet Show,” a YouTube channel, para-social experiment, and one-woman universe built in her bedroom. Her subversive, inventive work stands as a testament to the possibilities of the internet video as an artistic medium and a nuanced exploration of online identity, gender, and outsider performance art. This lovingly selected cinematic mixtape includes a selection of Kelli’s online work, unreleased videos, and her sole short film, Total Body Removal Surgery.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19
REALLY GOOD FRIENDS. A FILM BY ADAM SEKULER
Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 15:30
U.S. / 2022 / 10 min / European Premiere
In this provocative documentary, Mary checks into a hotel room in the American heartland where she prepares for a rendez-vous with a mysterious man.
IN THE BONES. A FILM BY KELLY DUANE DE LA VEGA
Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 15:40
U.S. / 2022 / 96 min / France Premiere
In this immersive trip through Mississippi, twelve different women struggle with grace and resilience against overwhelming odds to make ends meet for themselves and their families. Meanwhile, laws control their medical choices and limit their earning power.
BAD AXE. A FILM BY DAVID SIEV
Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 18:00
U.S. / 2022 / 100 min / France Premiere
In the midwestern town of Bad Axe, Michigan, the filmmaker’s Cambodian-Mexican family tries to keep their restaurant afloat through the Covid pandemic and dangerously escalating local racial and political tensions.
CORA BORA.A FILM BY HANNAH PEARL UTT,
Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 20:30
U.S. / 2023 / 92 min / With Megan Stalter, Jonica T. Gibbs, Ayden Mayeri / International Premiere
When she realizes that her girlfriend may be on the very edge of moving on from their open relationship and getting serious with someone else, aspiring musician Cora–played by a winning Megan Stalter–goes all out to win her back.
Free of charge for Arts Arena members. Reservations required at rsvp@artsarena.org
For others, please purchase your tickets at the Cinémathèque Française