What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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"Above the Clouds" Screening: 1 p.m. Oct. 5 Suggested rating: 15 in UK Run time: 87 minutes The story: On her 18th birthday, headstrong and artistic Charlie makes a startling discovery. The man married to her mother isn't her dad. Recruiting Oz, a rough sleeper whose only possession is his driving license, she embarks on an epic road trip from Margate to the Isle of Skye to track down her biological father. On the journey they both learn more than they bargained for — about themselves, each other, the importance of family, and why (sometimes) there really is no place like home. The inspiration for the film: "I had read a review of a British road movie (I can't remember which) that said road movies don't work in the UK, because you can't go very far so you can always just turn around and go home again," producer and director Leon Chambers says. "So the idea grew out of that challenge and my love of US indie movies like 'Juno,' 'Little Miss Sunshine' and 'Sideways.' I came upon the idea of the driver being a learner, and I realized she would need a 'responsible adult' and the idea of the odd couple was born. The title came about when I was flying home from New York and it was raining hard and when I arrived in London and it was raining there too. But all the time we were above the clouds, it was always sunny." The filmmakers: Leon Chambers, producer and director; Simon Lord, screenwriter. The principal actors: Naomi Morris, Andrew Murton and Philip Jackson. Awards it has won: Narrative Audience Award Austin Film Festival 2018; Best Actress Naomi Morris and Best Director Leon Chambers, Oxford International Film Festival 2019; Best International Feature, Regina International Film Festival 2019. Next place it can be seen after FFF: Santa Cruz Film Festival, Ridgefield Independent Film Festival, Margate Film Festival (the UK seaside town where the film is set) and Naples (Florida) Film Festival. It will be released on video on demand in December. SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 5, 2019 WHAT'S UP! 9 FAQ Fayetteville Film Festival WHEN — Oct. 3-5 WHERE — Global Campus Theatre in downtown Fayetteville COST — Most films $5-$8; weekend pass $50-$80 INFO — fayettevillefilmfest.org File Photo Courtesy Photo Courtesy Photo "Buck Run" Screening: 8 p.m. Oct. 4 Suggested rating: PG-13 Run time: 82 minutes The story: After the death of his mother, heartbroken 15-year-old Shaw (Nolan Lyons, "Boardwalk Empire") is compelled to move in with his estranged father (veteran character actor James Le Gros), a conflicted alcoholic more concerned with hunting deer than raising a son. Shaw, already a bullied outcast at school, struggles to come to terms with his grief and new life with an emotionally distant dad while wanting a traditional funeral for his mom — something his father can't afford. Director Nick Frangione evokes what it's like to live in conservative, rural America at this particular moment. In a world of swap meets and damaged souls, will this grieving teen find a place to fit in? The inspiration for the film: Frangione draws on childhood memories of growing up an outsider in rural Pennsylvania for this affecting drama. The filmmakers: Nick Frangione, Nancy Degnan and Julio Lopez Velasquez. The principal actors: James Le Gros ("Certain Women"), Kevin J. O'Connor ("There Will Be Blood"), Amy Hargreaves ("13 Reasons Why"), Alicia Goranson ("Boys Don't Cry"), Jim Parrack ("Fury"), with Angus Macfadyen ("Braveheart"), and starring Nolan Lyons ("Boardwalk Empire"). Awards it has won: First Prize, Best Feature at the Oscar-qualifying Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival, Orson Welles Award in Directing at Tiburon International Film Festival, Best Feature at Santorini Film Festival Next place it can be seen after FFF: San Diego International Film Festival, Nordic Film Festival, Kansas International FIlm Festival "Max Winslow and the House of Secrets" Screening: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 Suggested rating: PG-13 • Run time: 92 minutes The story: Five teens are invited to the home of an eccentric billionaire to compete in a game to win his mansion. The night takes a dark turn when they become trapped in the house and are forced to face off against an evil AI entity named HAVEN who controls everything in the house, including their fate. The inspiration for the film: How social media and AI have such a grip on our youth. The filmmakers: Johnny Remo and Sean Olson. The principal actors: Chad Michael Murray, Marina Sirtis, Tanner Buchanan, Jason Genao, Emery Kelly, Jade Chynoweth and Tyler Christopher. Awards it has won: Best Feature Film, Burbank International Film Festival; Best Family Film, Toronto International Faith & Family Festival. Next place it can be seen after FFF: Skylight Cinema