TOP: COURTESY OF GREG HAMILTON / BOTTOM: PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREA MORALESFESTIVAL BEAT
show and who would see it, but
I wasn’t prepared for the festival
circuit. I’ve worked at huge fests,
and I was discouraged that the
art that we put hours into would
be served as a part of a buffet.
The idea that everyone there put
as much into their film as we
did made the thought of people
consuming them back to back
with no time to digest even more
unpalatable. But when I saw my
film included at Indie Memphis—
one of the strongest programmed
ever—I realized that these films
could not be passively received,
let alone by an audience as pas-
sionate as the one in Memphis.
Upon arriving in town, I took
my compatriots over to the cor-
ner of Beale and Main and made
them listen to Jimmie Rodgers
sing “Blue Yodel No. 9” off my
iPhone. We had an amazing meal
at Cozy Corner—the banana
pudding, my God! Later, as I was
introducing my film, Shoot the
Moon Right Between the Eyes,
I mentioned that I based my
musical on the songs of Nashville
resident John Prine, and the
audience cheered.
This proved to me that I was
home. What makes Indie Mem-
phis special is that it maintains
the charm of a local festi-
val while offering an
eye toward theglobal. My favorite working direc-
tor, prolific South Korean auteur
Hong Sang-soo, had his four
most recent films highlighted.
Khalik Allah’s glorious
Black Mother screened in the
departures section. New York’s
Notes on an Appearance and
Jobe’z World brought some big
city slickness. Some of the biggest
films of the year (Barry Jenkins’
If Beale Street Could Talk and
Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You),
smaller films like Rukus,
Amy Seimetz introducing
Barbara Loden’s Wanda,
Zia Anger turning a talk into a
work of art, a panel on Elvis, fabu-
lous local live music ... there was
something for everyone. I can’t
tell you the number of epiphanic
moments that involved someone
remarking on how special the
entire experience was—in a quiet,
humble way, too—the kind you
know is going to stick with you
your whole life.
While Indie Memphis
has been on my radar
for years, as it has for
any moviemaker who
keeps up with the cir-
cuit, I must acknowledge
the new artistic director
Miriam Bale, who in
her first year built a utopia of art
and diversity. At the awards, she
professed, “When your festival is
diverse, you don’t have to focus
on diversity—you can focus on
art.” That’s just what everyone
did at Indie Memphis 2018.
—Graham L. CarterMONTANA
INTERNATIONALFILM FESTIVAL
2018Dedicated staff, eclectic
curation, and after-hours
karaoke make this Big Sky
fest as natural as nature itselfI’ve heard that Montana is a
quest of sorts: beautiful in scope,
yet full of potential agonies
for the uninitiated. People are
drawn here despite bone-chilling
winters. Custer met his
maker at Little Bighorn and
Michael Cimino met his
Waterloo here while shooting
Heaven’s Gate. Montana is ex-
pansive, yet remote and inviting.
Like nature, it can surprise you.
The East side of the Big Sky
state was my destina-
tion. Billings is the
largest city in Montana
with over 160,000
souls, and they were
about to dive into the
film festival scene with
the first ever Montana
International Film Fes-
tival (MINT). Inaugural festivals
being what they are, I was ready
for anything.
MINT’s first schedule featured
55 films from 40 countries, with
over $15,000 in cash and in-kind
awards available to moviemak-
ers. No small feat for a new kid
on the corner, and a harbinger
of good things. Add an opening
night street party, a flurry of ex-
clusive moviemaker shindigs and
panels focusing on women and
indigenous moviemak-
ers, and you have a
promising en-
tre intothe festival
world.
Thankfully, the
screening venues at
MINT are all within walk-
ing distance and offer a nice
theatrical contrast. From the
grandeur of the 111-year-old
Babcock Theatre to the indie
cinema pub vibe of the
Art House Cinema, each theater
has its own special aesthetic and
take on the viewing experience.
As the afternoon settled into eve-
ning, I made my way back to the
Babcock to watch the opening
night film, The Children’s Act,
and help celebrate the maiden
voyage of MINT.
Following the screening, mov-
iemakers poured out into the
street, soaking up local bever-
ages and eats under the light of
the Babcock’s vintage marquee.
As part of my visit to MINT, I
had the privilege of serving on
the documentary feature jury,
and found myself commiserat-
ing with a few fellow jurors—a
festival director, a film writer,
and a Hollywood producer.
After some small talk, our at-
tention turned to karaoke at a
legendary downtown dive bar,
The Embassy, and without miss-
ing a beat, the after-party kicked
into gear, with the lot of us belt-
ing out the hits with the locals.
In the coming days, I took in
Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero,
an animated tale of a heroic ca-
nine from World War I directed
by Richard Lanni that surprised
me with its heart and soul; a
spirited panel of women mov-
iemakers; and an eye-opening
collection of Montana-
made shorts that af-
firmed MINT’s
commit-THE RED CARPET
ROLLS AND A BLOCK
PARTY TENT IS
PITCHED OUTSIDE
THE CIRCUIT
PLAYHOUSE AT INDIE
MEMPHIS FILM
FESTIVAL 2018