Screen scene: Local film news

Buskin' Blues film poster by Joshua Marc Levy

• The Asheville Area Arts Council is accepting submissions of films to be screened at its annual Creative Sector Summit Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25. Local filmmakers are invited to share works approximately 30 minutes or less that focus on art and culture and depict their impact on one or many lives. The call is open to documentaries and narrative films, and consideration will also be given to quality short films of all subjects. Selected films will be shown at the Asheville Art Museum on April 25 in two screening rooms. Vimeo or YouTube links of finished films should be sent to kristy@ashevillearts.com by Wednesday, April 8. Include your name, the film’s runtime, title, director and a 40- to 60-word synopsis. ashevillearts.com/programs/2012-creative-sector-summit

• The Asheville Art Museum will host screenings of the documentary John Heliker: The Inner Compass on Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12, at 2 p.m. Based on a series of interviews recorded with Heliker in New York and Maine, the film explores the artist’s life and work, and includes reminiscences from contemporaries Lou Harrison and William Maxwell.

The film’s title comes from critic Jed Perl’s assessment that Heliker — an individualist who was never associated with any particular school — has been guided by an “inner compass of certainty.” The documentary is not rated and lasts 34 minutes. It is being screened in conjunction with the museum’s John Heliker: The Order of Things — 60 Years of Paintings and Drawings, an exhibition that runs through Sunday, May 2. Admission is free with membership or museum admission. ashevilleart.org

• Asheville filmmaker Erin Derham’s documentary Buskin’ Blues will have its world premiere at the Nashville Film Festival. The film, which examines the local street musician scene, screens on the festival’s opening night, Friday, April 17, after the 5 p.m. red carpet session. The following afternoon at 3 p.m., Buskin’ Blues will play in Muskogee, Okla., as part of the Bare Bones International Independent Film & Music Festival at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

Derham recently tested out a Digital Cinema Package of the film at the Fine Arts Theatre and reported on her Facebook page that she “was drooling a bit” at the Dolby Digital Sound and “beautifully formatted video quality.” buskinblues.com

• Asheville filmmaker Katie Damien has cut a three-minute highlight reel of footage she shot at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. She and local producer Lela Winton were in attendance as part of the Gorilla with a Mustache Films team whose short comedy Joint Effort was screened at the French festival. View Damien’s video at avl.mx/0uf

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About Edwin Arnaudin
Edwin Arnaudin is a staff writer for Mountain Xpress. He also reviews films for ashevillemovies.com and is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) and North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA). Follow me @EdwinArnaudin

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