FILM BLOCKS: $5 | ALL FESTIVAL PASS: $45
FILM PREMIERE AND Q&A: BLUEGRASS SPIRITS
THU, SEP 28 @ 8:00PM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE
This film premiere is FREE but we encourage you to reserve a free ticket online to guarantee yourself a seat. We’re expecting a very large crowd for the premiere of this locally-made film.
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Bluegrass Spirits
Q&A WITH DIRECTOR JONNY WALLS
A dramatic comedy, feature-length film about Kentucky, Kentucky Bourbon, Kentucky folks, and ghosts.
BLOCK ONE: A DOCUMENTARY AND A STUDENT FILM
FRI, SEP 29 @ 11:15AM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE | $5
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Children of Peace
FINALIST: BEST DOCUMENTARY
Palestinians and Israelis attempt to co-exist in a utopian community.
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Resurgence
STUDENT FILM
A canyoneer copes with the aftermath of a near-death experience.
BLOCK TWO: DOCUMENTARIES
FRI, SEP 29 @ 11:15AM IN THE STATE THEATRE | $5
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Queen Moorea
DOCUMENTARY
An Asian American homecoming queen, born with a genetic condition, struggles to fulfill her dreams.
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Re_Shaped
DOCUMENTARY
A lifelong surfboard shaper's passion is re-ignited after he learns to work with modern design tools.
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The Grotto of Death
DOCUMENTARY
A portrait of the artist behind hundreds of comic books during the heyday of this now-vanished Mexican popular art form.
STUDENT FILM: KEEPERS OF THE HORSE
FRI, SEP 29 @ 1:30PM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE | $5
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Keepers of the Horse
STUDENT FILM
For 30 years, Bryant Rickman of Hugo, Oklahoma has devoted his life to saving the Choctaw horse bloodline.
BLOCK THREE: SHORTS AND STUDENT FILMS
FRI, SEP 29 @ 1:30PM IN THE STATE THEATRE | $5
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Hermie
FINALIST: BEST ANIMATION
An ocean scientist encounters his childhood hermit crab friend in a bathroom.
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TikTok Challenged
FINALIST: BEST STUDENT FILM
A soap opera-loving grandmother gets her chance at stardom.
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Trying
FINALIST: HONORABLE MENTION
She expected getting pregnant would be easy, until she started trying.
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Pink Flamingos Everywhere
FINALIST: BEST STUDENT FILM
A young girl struggles to deal with her parents’ separation.
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Archive & the Storyteller
FINALIST: BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
A young couple confronts the prospect of human extinction.
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Unlikely Hero
FINALIST: BEST NARRATIVE SHORT, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
A former sex slave turned vigilante seeks justice.
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Mine Mine Mine
FINALIST: BEST NARRATIVE SHORT, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
A bed-bound man reflects on his childhood with Peter Pan.
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Blue Day
FINALIST: BEST ANIMATION
Three little creatures discover the beauty of the sea.
FEATURE: THE GOOD PEOPLE OF ORPHAN RIDGE
FRI, SEP 29 @ 2:55PM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE | $5
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The Good People of Orphan Ridge
FINALIST: BEST USE OF MUSIC
An indie rock band sneaks into a haunted house to record their last album together.
BLOCK FOUR: SHORTS AND STUDENT FILMS
FRI, SEP 29 @ 3:30PM IN THE STATE THEATRE | $5
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Hand That Feeds
STUDENT FILM
A prisoner is cared for by a benevolent being.
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My Partner Giraffe
NARRATIVE SHORT
A bookstore owner rids himself of a blackmailer in a most unusual way.
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Knife, Chocolate
NARRATIVE SHORT
A disturbed man judges women by the smell of their cosmetics.
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Plot Device
NARRATIVE SHORT
A mysterious button with the power to bend reality turns a man’s world upside-down.
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Cut Me If You Can
NARRATIVE SHORT
A black female character rebels against her scripted fate in a B-movie.
FEATURE: LATER DAYS
FRI, SEP 29 @ 4:40PM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE | $5
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Later Days
FINALIST: BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
A coming-of-middle-age comedy about the reckoning between who we are now, who we once were, and what we still aspire to be.
BLOCK FIVE: SHORTS AND STUDENT FILMS
FRI, SEP 29 @ 5:25PM IN THE STATE THEATRE | $5
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Archive & the Storyteller
FINALIST: BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
A young couple confronts the prospect of human extinction.
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Hermie
FINALIST: BEST ANIMATION
An ocean scientist encounters his childhood hermit crab friend in a bathroom.
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The Write Place
NARRATIVE SHORT
A father struggles to hold on to his connection to his daughter.
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Resurgence
STUDENT FILM
A canyoneer copes with the aftermath of a near-death experience.
FEATURE: ALL THE WRONG INGREDIENTS
FRI, SEP 29 @ 7:30PM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE | $5
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All the Wrong Ingredients
FINALIST: BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
A chef partners with his out-of-control imaginary friend to make a genius dessert before he's blacklisted from the world of fine food forever.
BLOCK SIX: A SHORT AND A FEATURE
FRI, SEP 29 @ 7:30PM IN THE STATE THEATRE | $5
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The Haunted Baby Carriage from Hell
NARRATIVE SHORT
Spencer and Cameron move into a new house that just so happens to be haunted by an old baby carriage.
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Devil's Hollow
FINALIST: BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
To save his daughter, an ex-con on probation must risk everything.
FREE FILM: ROBOT MONSTER IN 3D
FRI, SEP 29 @ 10:00PM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE
This film is FREE but we encourage you to reserve a free ticket online to guarantee yourself a seat. We’re expecting a very large crowd for this unique film event.
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Robot Monster in 3D
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Ro-Man, an alien robot who greatly resembles a gorilla in a diving helmet, is sent to earth to destroy all human life. Enjoy this campy 1953 film in glorious 3D!
BLOCK SEVEN: SHORTS
SAT, SEP 30 @ 11:15AM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE | $5
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Like Son, Like Father
NARRATIVE SHORT
An Army Ranger father reveals a secret to his gay son.
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Fatih the Conqueror
FINALIST: BEST CINEMATOGRAPY, BEST CAST
A young man hopes to marry a woman who barely knows that he exists.
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Paper Planes
FINALIST: BEST CAST
A woman with agoraphobia and the Airbnb guest across the hall strike up a correspondence that becomes something more.
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Tina
NARRATIVE SHORT
The heartfelt story of two people who knew each other back when and are surprised to meet up again.
BLOCK EIGHT: A SHORT AND A STUDENT FILM
SAT, SEP 30 @ 11:15AM IN THE STATE THEATRE | $5
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That Groovy Rotten Smell
NARRATIVE SHORT
A sixteen-year-old experiences an emotional reckoning on a freewheeling summer day.
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Pink Flamingos Everywhere
FINALIST: BEST STUDENT FILM
A young girl struggles to deal with her parents’ separation.
DOCUMENTARY: RIDE BACK TO FREEDOM
SAT, SEP 30 @ 1:25PM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE | $5
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Ride Back to Freedom
FINALIST: BEST DOCUMENTARY
After the first COVID lockdown, director Hermann Weiskopf goes on a road trip through Italy on his beloved scooter. It’s the first “Corona summer”, as he sets off on a quest to find out what freedom means to the people there and to himself.
BLOCK NINE: DOCUMENTARIES AND A STUDENT FILM
SAT, SEP 30 @ 1:25PM IN THE STATE THEATRE | $5
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In Situ
FINALIST: BEST STUDENT FILM
A sickly hunter searches the Kentucky countryside for the source of pollution poisoning her land.
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Fallout
FINALIST: BEST DOCUMENTARY
Three people experience illness after exposure to contamination from a nearby US Army ammunition plant.
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After the Flood
DOCUMENTARY
In the wake of climate disaster, Kentuckians of color and their allies come together to support impacted community members.
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Lynn's Fire
FINALIST: BEST USE OF MUSIC
A Kentucky man’s decades-long tradition of lighting an enormous bonfire has a profound impact on his life.
BLOCK TEN: A DOCUMENTARY, SHORTS, AND A STUDENT FILM
SAT, SEP 30 @ 3:35PM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE | $5
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Queen Moorea
DOCUMENTARY
An Asian American homecoming queen, born with a genetic condition, struggles to fulfill her dreams.
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Unlikely Hero
FINALIST: BEST NARRATIVE SHORT, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
A former sex slave turned vigilante seeks justice.
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TikTok Challenged
FINALIST: BEST STUDENT FILM
A soap opera-loving grandmother gets her chance at stardom.
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My Partner Giraffe
NARRATIVE SHORT
A bookstore owner rids himself of a blackmailer in a most unusual way.
BLOCK ELEVEN: DOCUMENTARIES
SAT, SEP 30 @ 3:40PM IN THE STATE THEATRE | $5
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I'm the Girl - The Story of a Photograph
DOCUMENTARY
The identity of the little girl in a famous photograph from 1951 has remained a mystery for over 70 years.
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The Deaners of Fairmount
FINALIST: HONORABLE MENTION, BEST USE OF MUSIC
A close look at some hard-core fans of James Dean.
BLOCK TWELVE: AWARD WINNERS
SUN, OCT 1 @ 10:35AM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE | $5
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BEST ANIMATION
BLUE DAY
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BEST CAST
PAPER PLANES
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BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
FATIH THE CONQUEROR
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HONORABLE MENTION
THE DEANERS OF FAIRMOUNT
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HONORABLE MENTION
TRYING
BLOCK THIRTEEN: REGIONAL SHOWCASE
SUN, OCT 1 @ 10:35AM IN THE STATE THEATRE | $5
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Pioneer Textiles
DOCUMENTARY (Regional Showcase)
A look at the historic-era traditions of processing flax and wool into yarn and fabric in eastern Kentucky.
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Sheets
STUDENT FILM (Regional Showcase)
A young man is confronted by the consequences of neglecting his stained sheets.
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La Petite Mort
NARRATIVE SHORT (Regional Showcase)
Allen begins an affair with a talking Greek statue.
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The Tenerife Disaster
DOCUMENTARY (Regional Showcase)
An examination of the deadliest aviation disaster that ever occurred.
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Feller in the Cellar
NARRATIVE SHORT (Regional Showcase)
A man’s captor claims to be protecting him from a deadly apocalypse.
FEATURE FILM: REGIONAL SHOWCASE
SUN, OCT 1 @ 12:45PM IN THE STATE THEATRE | $5
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Glue Trap
FINALIST: BEST CAST
A good couple in a bad place plans a last-ditch cabin trip; but when an obnoxious third wheel arrives, they worry that more than their relationship may be in danger.
AWARD WINNER: BEST USE OF MUSIC
SUN, OCT 1 @ 1:00PM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE | $5
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BEST USE OF MUSIC
THE GOOD PEOPLE OF ORPHAN RIDGE
BLOCK FOURTEEN: REGIONAL SHOWCASE
SUN, OCT 1 @ 2:45PM IN THE STATE THEATRE | $5
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Fast Food
NARRATIVE SHORT (Regional Showcase)
Friends consider the age-old question: does fast tempo background music lead to eating faster?
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My Blade is Fury
STUDENT FILM (Regional Showcase)
A young man returns to his family's suburban home with a massive broadsword strapped to his back.
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Always in Our Hearts
NARRATIVE SHORT (Regional Showcase)
An incarcerated killer has one hour of freedom per year.
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Blanch
NARRATIVE SHORT (Regional Showcase)
A struggling painter goes to great lengths to break through in the local art scene.
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Acting
NARRATIVE SHORT (Regional Showcase)
A young woman tries to be authentic to herself in the face of conformity.
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Toast
STUDENT FILM (Regional Showcase)
A piece of burnt toast retaliates against the man who burned it.
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Miren
STUDENT FILM (Regional Showcase)
A young woman finds herself being stalked by a sentient mirror.
BLOCK FIFTEEN: AWARD WINNERS
SUN, OCT 1 @ 3:10PM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE | $5
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BEST DOCUMENTARY
CHILDREN OF PEACE
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BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
MINE MINE MINE
BLOCK SIXTEEN: AWARD WINNERS
SUN, OCT 1 @ 4:40PM IN THE STATE THEATRE | $5
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BEST STUDENT FILM
IN SITU
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BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
ALL THE WRONG INGRIDIENTS
AWARD WINNER: AUDIENCE CHOICE
SUN, OCT 1 @ 5:00PM IN THE KENTUCKY THEATRE | $5
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AUDIENCE CHOICE
IN SITU
