Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival 2020 - Network Round Features

Friday 11th December - Sunday 20th December

1.

The Conscience of Clothing
Dir. Patrick Kohl
Germany
Logline: This is more than a film. It’s a journey. It’s a process. It’s a mission. To bring a just society to the workers of the global south and doing so by starting a movement. THE CONSCIENCE OF CLOTHING is a hybrid mix of cineastic documentary and editorial content elements by independent filmmaker Patrick Kohl. What does „making fashion“ mean to the people producing our clothes and accessories? Fashion-Blogger Willy Iffland and journalist Helen Fares visit diverse actors in different positions in the industry to get intimate and honest insights.

2.

MADE IN VENICE
Dir. Jonathan Penson
USA
Logline: MADE IN VENICE is the inside story of the skateboarders of Venice, California (aka Dogtown) and the struggle to make the dream of a skatepark come true. This feature-length documentary film captures the firsthand stories and recollections of 40-plus years of skateboarding in Venice – the birthplace of modern skateboarding - that starts with the Z-Boys, and continues with its legendary street skaters, and the iconic Venice Skatepark. Never-before-seen Super-8 and early video footage, along with rare black and white stills, take you back to innovative demos on the Boardwalk and skating the walls of the Pavilion, as the Venice skaters pushed the boundaries of street skating and put it on the global map. MADE IN VENICE takes you on a rippin', shreddin' ride through the world of skateboarding in the second most visited tourist spot in SoCal, told by some of the most colorful characters you'll ever see on film.

3.

Genre Confusion
Dir. Lachlan Brown
Australia
Logline: Playing heavily on the tropes of 7 different genres, this parody features an ensemble cast, that keeps switching settings and characters until their worlds start to bleed together.

4.

Alaska Long Hunters
Dir. Mark Rose
USA
Logline: This award winning story follows the life of a young pilot who flew in Alaska’s frontier arctic. Experience the front-seat thrills of bush planes and helicopters operating in the most dangerous conditions on earth, airborne among the magnificent mountains, glaciers and rivers that only Alaska has to offer. Includes true-life experiences of accidents, comradeship, humor and heartbreak of life in early Alaska, gone forever when dismantled into parks in the 1980’s

5.

All Hail the Popcorn King
Dir. Hansi Oppenheimer
USA
Logline: All Hail the Popcorn King: Joe R Lansdale Documentary by Hansi Oppenheimer
Lansdale shares stories from his life and career in Nocagdoches, Texas while a wide range of artists and fans, including Joe Hill, Mick Garris, Brian Keene, Bruce Campbell, Don Coscarelli, and more, share what they love the most about the man and his work.All Hail the Popcorn King paints a vivid picture of iconoclastic creator Joe R Lansdale, who isn’t just a talented writer, but seems to be a genuinely good person, to boot. The interviews included here are in such a down-to-earth, conversational manner that you can’t help but just get drawn in by his charisma and sense of humor.

6.

Dreams of Hope
Dirs. Henry Panion, David Macon
USA
Logline: Dreams of Hope is a documentary-concert celebrating the power of music. Centered around Birmingham's historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, the city welcomes world-renowned Israeli violin maker Amnon Weinstein, founder of Violins of Hope, and his family. With acclaimed composer, arranger and conductor Dr. Henry Panion, III & Orchestra, Birmingham native Caitlin Edwards returns home to perform the world premiere of Dreams of Hope for Solo Violin & Orchestra on the Auschwitz Violin (circa, 1850), one of the many violins discovered and restored by Amnon Weinstein and his son Avshi from the infamous concentration camps of the Holocaust.

7.

HIRSTY & DROWNING IN AMERICA
Dir. Adrian Parr, Sean Hughes
USA
Logline: Drought, flooding, and contamination. Native Americans have had it all. They may have been beaten, bullied, victimized, and killed, but they are still fighting. As the seas rise, the ice melts, and resource extraction pollutes their land and waterways the stakes are getting higher. Today they are on the frontlines of environmental activism. From the water protectors at Standing Rock to the climate refugees of Isle de Charles, Louisiana and Shishmaref, Alaska this film gives voice to the untold stories of the water challenges Native American communities are facing, featuring heart-tugging conversations with community members.

8.

Symphoria
Dir. Catherine Dao
USA
Logline: At 29, Shawn Wittig is the epitome of the spoiled rich kid living on the largesse of an indulgent single playboy father. The years of coddling by dad, including avoiding prosecutions from DUI to manslaughter charges continue to fuel Shawn's addictions to drugs and alcohol, When the law finally caught up with him, Shawn is released into a teaching/rehabilitation program at the local university run by JT Dalton, a brilliant but mysterious chemist. At first JT’s and Shawn’s relationship is antagonistic but, after a late night in the chemistry lab, it becomes something deeper. Soon JT and Shawn are involved in an illicit and highly sexualized affair that begins to consume both their lives. When the University catches wind of the affair, JT is promptly suspended and Shawn’s father forces the young man to give up his romance with his older professor…