13th Annual Flyover Film Festival Set for July 27-30 at Speed
The Louisville Film Society today announced the lineup of its official selections for the 13th annual Flyover Film Festival! The popular event featuring screenings, parties, and filmmaker Q&A’s will run from July 27-30, with all films playing at the Speed Cinema.
This year’s lineup includes narrative and documentary features, as well as two shorts programs, a filmmaker panel, and multiple parties at local venues. Nearly all of the screenings will be followed by discussions with the filmmakers. All of the films are making their Kentucky big-screen premieres.
Highlights include the Appachlian documentary King Coal, directed by Oscar-nominated director Elaine McMillion Sheldon which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January to great acclaim; Bread & Roses, which documents the harrowing plight of women in Afghanistan, directed by Sahra Mani and produced by Louisville native and two-time Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence; POOF, a comedic short written & directed by Louisville native Margaret Miller which also premiered at Cannes; and Fleeting Reality, the latest film from local filmmaker Richard Van Kleeck which celebrates the renowned multiple Pulitzer Prize winning photographers of the Louisville Courier-Journal.
LFS board chair Stu Pollard said: “We’re all very excited by the films and filmmakers coming to town for Flyover ‘23. To have films with Kentucky ties that have premiered at Cannes and Sundance is an incredible opportunity. It’s also again an honor to partner with the Speed Cinema, which means the films are in very good hands. We hope this year’s lineup - and the resulting conversations - will inspire all who attend.”
Tickets to all screenings are $8 for Louisville Film Society and Speed members, $12 for general admission. The filmmaker panel will be free of charge and first come first served. There will be a cash bar in the Speed Cinema lobby. Tickets can be purchased online via the Louisville Film Society’s website or the Speed Cinema’s website.
Sponsors of the 2023 Flyover Film Festival include: Louisville City Football Club, Rabbit Hole Distilling, Racing Louisville Football Club, Republic Bank, Republic National Distributing Company, Reunacy, sonaBLAST, Louisville Tourism and the Southern Kentucky Film Commission.
Due to construction around the Speed Art Museum, please enter and exit through the museum’s main entrance.
Complete listing of films:
FULL SCHEDULE FOR THE 2023 FLYOVER FILM FESTIVAL
THURSDAY, JULY 27:
Pre-Flight Party
Thursday, July 27, 7:30 pm
West 6th Brewing, Nulu
817 E Market St, Louisville 40206
FRIDAY, JULY 28:
Flyover Film Festival
King Coal
Directed by Elaine McMillion Sheldon
Friday, July 28
6:00 pm Cash bar in the Speed Cinema lobby
7:00 pm Screening Cinema + Q&A
$12 | $8 Speed and LFS members
“Thanks to this unique vision that goes beyond the simple headlines or prejudices about the area, Sheldon’s poetic documentary is both welcoming and wonderful.”—Jason Gorber, POV Magazine.
Director Elaine McMillion Sheldon grew up in Appalachia and her film shows how the cultural roots of coal continue to permeate the rituals of daily life in the area even as its economic power wanes.
It follows the journey of a coal miner’s daughter exploring the region’s dreams and myths, untangling the pain and beauty, as her community sits on the brink of massive change. This documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January to great acclaim. 2023, U.S., DCP, 80 minutes. Recommended for 14+.
Cinema + a post-screening discussion with director Elaine McMillion Sheldon.
Opening Night After Party
Friday, July 28, 9 pm
Location TBA
SATURDAY, JULY 29:
Louder Than You Think
Directed by Jed I. Rosenberg
Saturday, July 29, 12:00 pm Cinema +
$12 | $8 Speed and LFS members
“The film is as unique and wide-ranging as its subject’s venerated drum skills.”—Mike DeAngelo, The Playlist.
This documentary is an up-close cinematic walkabout through the life of Gary Young, the original (and highly unlikely) drummer of indie rock royalty, Pavement. His booze and drugs-fueled antics (on-stage handstands, gifting vegetables to fans) and haphazard production methods (accidentally helping launch the lo-fi aesthetic) were both a driving force of the band’s early rise and the cause of his eventual crash landing. Leaving a wake of joy and/or destruction at every turn, Gary teeters the thin line between free-form self-expression and chaotic self-destruction.
Thirty years on, with scoliosis, blood clots, and a shriveled liver, Gary is still drumming with no regrets. Winner of the Audience Award for the 24 BPM Section of the SXSW Film Festival. 2023, U.S., DCP, 90 minutes. Recommended for 16+.
Cinema + With a post-screening discussion with writer-editor Greg King.
Shorts Block A
Various directors (see detail below)
Saturday, July 29, 2:30 pm Cinema +
$12 | $8 Speed and LFS members
Cinema + Many filmmakers will be available to discuss their films. Program length: 90 minutes. Recommended for 16+.
POOF
Directed by Margaret Miller
Ruby and Paula are gearing up to be their own bosses through multi-level success magnet FYZZLE Cosmetics when a small dog, a medium amount of blood, and a box of loose powder conspire against them. With star performances by Andrea Roser (Episodes, Upload) and Catherine Curtin (Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things). This was the sole U.S. short film in the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival in May. 2023, U.S., 10 minutes.
The Realization of Childhood Dreams
Directed by John Akre
Ordella Walker and Amy Stolee, schoolteachers from rural Minnesota, took a trip by train in 1933 that expanded their picture of the world around them. Ordella documented that trip in a scrapbook and Amy's grandson John made this movie about that scrapbook. 2022, U.S., DCP, 9 minutes.
Danny Boy
Directed by Jenna Day
Not all battlefields are physical. Set on VJ Day 1945, Danny Boy is a riveting silent film that explores parallel narratives of grief and joy on one tremendous day in American History. 2023, U.S., DCP, 11 minutes.
Ghost-O-Matic
Directed by Shane Devon
Homework on a Saturday? Madness. Rebellious Jessie is forced to work with bookish Madison on a ghost hunting science project for school. 2022, U.S., DCP, 22 minutes.
Flying Blind
Directed by Dylan Richard Boling
A young man who grew up during the spectacular glow of the space race is forced to confront the reality that his dreams of the stars might not be where his fate lies. 2023, U.S., DCP, 14 minutes.
Missing in the Midwest
Directed by Harper Brock
Filmmaker Harper Brock journeys back to her roots to learn what happened to her cousin Joelle Lockwood whose 2014 abduction case shocked southwestern Indiana. In addition to Joelle’s first ever public interview, the documentary features discussions with law enforcement and her loved ones as they question the lines between good, bad, and evil. 2023, U.S., DCP, 19 minutes.
Filmmaker Panel presented by the Kentucky Call Sheet Podcast
Various directors
Saturday, July 29, 5 pm Cinema +
Free
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear in-depth stories from some of the incredible and artistic filmmakers of the 2023 Flyover Film Festival. Panelists will offer insight into the craft and business of documentary and narrative content. Come explore how independent films are created and learn about developing and producing projects in today’s film landscape. Topics will range anywhere from development to distribution. This panel is presented by Kentucky Call Sheet. Program length: 75 minutes.
Glitter & Doom
Directed by Tom Gustafson
Saturday, July 29, 7 pm
$12 | $8 Speed and LFS members
“Gustafson delivers a lot of cinematic shimmer and the musical moments soar.”—Frank J. Avella, Edge Media Network
Glitter & Doom is a fantastical summer romance musical told with the iconic tunes of the Indigo Girls. A musician who wears charisma as camouflage and a carefree kid about to run away with the circus fall in love at first sight. Will 29 days be enough time to fall in love forever?
The film stars out LGBTQ discoveries Alex Diaz (Philippines) & Alan Cammish (UK) along with Missi Pyle, Ming-Na Wen, Lea DeLaria, Tig Notaro, Amy Ray, Emily Saliers, Beth Malone, and Kate Pierson. 2022, U.S./Mexico, DCP, 113 minutes. Recommended for 16+.
Post-Screening Party
Saturday, July 29, 9 pm
21C Hotel
700 W Main Street Louisville 40202
SUNDAY JULY 30:
The Playmaker
Directed by Hannah Bowman
Sunday, July 30, 12:30 pm Cinema +
$12 | $8 Speed and LFS members
WORLD PREMIERE
The story of Paul Green will capture you. This native son of North Carolina went to Broadway and back with a dream. That someday he could write a new ending for the Old South. Can a play create justice? Can an actor perform change?
This documentary takes a deep dive into how Green’s controversial plays made waves in the areas of integration, capital punishment, and chain gang reform in 1920's North Carolina. 2023, U.S., DCP, 77 minutes. Recommended for 16+.
Cinema + With a post-screening discussion with director Hannah Bowman.
Shorts Block B
Various Directors
Sunday, July 30, 3 pm Cinema +
$12 | $8 Speed and LFS members
Cinema + The filmmakers will be available to discuss their films. Program length: 90 minutes. Recommended for 16+.
LG&E vs. Bernheim: The Pipeline Problem
Directed by Jonathan Farmer and Lianna Hill
A class of 5th grade students studying environmental justice begin to investigate the Bullitt County Pipeline and set out to gain various perspectives around the project. 2023, U.S., 36 minutes.
After the Flood
Directed by Ali Gautier
In the wake of historic climate disasters Kentuckians of color and their allies come together to support impacted community members and cultivate the joy and diversity in Appalachian culture to inspire and facilitate change. The land, as well as the history of residents of color, are eroding away. Our goal is to not only preserve, but to give a platform for impacted residents to tell their stories, and in turn inspire viewers to elicit government action to heal and revitalize the land and community. 2023, U.S., DCP, 24 minutes.
Fleeting Reality
Directed by Richard Van Kleeck
Sunday, July 30, 5 pm Cinema +
$12 | $8 Speed and LFS members
WORLD PREMIERE
A celebration of the renowned multiple Pulitzer Prize winning photographers of the Louisville Courier-Journal and the emotional rollercoaster ride that photojournalists are inherently on, ranging from UFO sightings and state fair shenanigans to unspeakable tragedy, sometimes in their own building.
The Barry Bingham, Jr. Courier-Journal Photographic Collection is now housed at the University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections at Ekstrom Library, next door to the Speed Cinema. 2023, U.S., DCP, 61 minutes.
Cinema + With a post-screening discussion with director Richard Van Kleeck, photographer and Co-Producer Pat McDonogh, and composer Sean Hennessy.
Bread and Roses
Directed by Sahra Mani
Produced by Jennifer Lawrence
Sunday, July 30, 7 pm
$12 | $8 Speed and LFS members
“This documentary does a remarkable job of reminding the world both of women’s rights, but also our human responsibility to the women in Afghanistan. It deserves not only our attention, but also our action.”—Sarah Manvel, In Their Own League
The film offers a powerful window into the seismic impact on women’s rights and livelihoods after Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021. The film follows three women, in real time, as they fight to recover their autonomy.
Mani captures the spirit and resilience of Afghan women through her raw, intimate depiction of their harrowing plight. A selection of the Cannes Film Festival. 2023, U.S./Afghanistan, DCP, English Subtitles, 90 minutes. Recommended for 16+.
For more information, visit https://www.louisvillefilmsociety.org/.
