THE VERMONT FILM & FOLKLORE FESTIVAL
MAY 23-26, 2024
Come join us in the Green Mountains!
THE FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Festival Passes and individual tickets are now available for purchase!
To purchase a ticket to a specific event, click the event title in the schedule below.
Thursday, May 23 - Opening Night
VENUE: The Wheelwrite Imaginarium / Filmmakers Lounge · 89 Palmer Pl, Manchester, VT
10AM — 4PM: Filmmaker registration/distribution of Badges and gift bags for filmmakers and attendees
VENUE: Burr & Burton Academy · 57 Seminary Ave, Manchester, VT
(Room location at the Academy will be specified with an asterisk *)
1PM — 2:30PM: Seminar on Independent Movie Producing *Hunter Rm
4PM — 6PM: Happy Hour for Badgeholders, sponsors, advertisers, filmmakers *Belltower Room
VENUE: Southern Vermont Arts Center · 860 SVAC Drive / West Road, Manchester, VT
7PM — 9:30PM: Opening Night Feature Film Tokyo Cowboy (117m), screening followed by Q&A
9:30PM — 12AM: Opening Night Party, featuring the band “Gravity”
Friday, May 24
VENUE: Manchester Community Library · 138 Cemetery Ave, Manchester Center, VT
11AM: Shorts Program 1 | Subtext (10m 30s); Rizoo (15m 48s); Screwjob (8m 50s); Leaf (14m 33s); Common as Red Hair (15m); You Can’t Shrink Love (5m); Scam (7m 30s) | Total: 78m, screening followed by Q&A
2PM: Shorts Program 2 | The ABCs of Book Banning (27m); Mattress Express (17m 22s); Tree Crown (10m); Vespa (15m); Deciding Vote (20m) | Total: 90m, screening followed by Q&A
5PM: Feature film | Rowdy Girl (72m)
7PM: Feature Film | Full Circle (103m)
VENUE: The Southern Vermont Arts Center ·860 SVAC Drive / West Road, Manchester, VT
11AM: Feature film | The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane (110m), screening followed by Q&A
2PM: Feature film | The Quietest Year (74m), screening followed by Q&A
4PM: Feature film | The Artist and The Astronaut (100m), screening followed by Q&A
7PM : Feature film | Robert Shields: My Life as a Robot (87m), screening followed by Q&A
9PM — 11PM: Filmmakers Party Night 2, featuring the band “Leaf”
VENUE: The Wheelwrite Imaginarium / Filmmakers Lounge · 89 Palmer Pl, Manchester, VT
2PM: Feature film | White Heat (1949) 75th Anniversary (114m)
VENUE: Burr & Burton Academy · 57 Seminary Ave, Manchester, VT
(Room location at the Academy will be specified with an asterisk *)
1PM: Vermont-made Films | Mother’s House (12m 22s); Lia: A Bodybuilding Story (10m 30s); Love of the Land (8m 38s); Steve’s Chapel (47m 17s); The Thaw (16m 31s) | Total: 96m, screening followed by Q&A *Hunter Rm
3PM: Feature film | Demon Mineral (88m) *Hunter Rm
4PM — 6PM: Happy Hour for Badgeholders, sponsors, advertisers, filmmakers *Belltower Room
Saturday, May 25
VENUE: Manchester Community Library · 138 Cemetery Ave, Manchester Center, VT
10AM: Shorts Program 1 | Subtext (10m 30s); Rizoo (15m 48s); Screwjob (8m 50s); Leaf (14m 33s); Common as Red Hair (15m); You Can’t Shrink Love (5m); Scam (7m 30s) | Total: 78m
12PM: Shorts Program 2 | The ABCs of Book Banning (27m); Mattress Express (17m 22s); Tree Crown (10m); Vespa (15m); Deciding Vote (20m) | Total: 90m
2PM: Vermont-made Films | Mother’s House (12m 22s); Lia: A Bodybuilding Story (10m 30s); Love of the Land (8m 38s); Steve’s Chapel (47m 17s); The Thaw (16m 31s) | Total: 96m, screening followed by Q&A
5PM: Feature Film | African Giants (106m)
VENUE: The Southern Vermont Arts Center ·860 SVAC Drive / West Road, Manchester, VT
11AM: Feature film | Chaperone (100m), screening followed by Q&A
2PM: Feature film | The Accident (66m)
5PM: Feature film | Fallen Drive (84m), screening followed by Q&A
7PM: Feature film | Just Getting By (95m), screening followed by Q&A
9PM — 11PM: Filmmakers Party Night 3, featuring the band “The Marvelous Mapletones”
VENUE: The Wheelwrite Imaginarium / Filmmakers Lounge · 89 Palmer Pl, Manchester, VT
11AM: Classic film on 16mm | A Fistful of Dollars (1964) 60th Anniversary (99m) | Sergio Leone’s acclaimed spaghetti western that started it all! Clint Eastwood!
2PM: Classic film on 16mm | Criss Cross (1949) 75th Anniversary (84m) | Classic film noir heist film starring Burt Lancaster!
4PM — 6:30PM: Happy Hour for Filmmakers
10PM: Midnight Maple Madness | The Vermont-made The Yorkie Werewolf (74m), screening followed by Q&A
VENUE: Burr & Burton Academy · 57 Seminary Ave, Manchester, VT
(Room location at the Academy will be specified with an asterisk *)
10AM — 11:30AM: Seminar on Vermont Folklore and Storytelling (featuring VT storyteller Joe Citro) *Hunter Rm
12PM: Feature film | Underdog (82m) *Hunter Rm
4PM: Feature film | Common Ground (105m) *Hunter Rm
Sunday, May 26
VENUE: The Wilburton Inn · 257 Wilburton Dr, Manchester, VT
10AM — 12PM: Filmmakers Brunch & Awards Ceremony
VENUE: The Wheelwrite Imaginarium / Filmmakers Lounge · 89 Palmer Pl, Manchester, VT
1PM: Classic film on 16mm | On the Waterfront (1954) 70th Anniversary (108m) | Marlon Brando!
4PM: Classic film on 16mm | La Strada (1954) 70th Anniversary (108m) | Anthony Quinn! Federico Fellini!
7PM: Classic film on 16mm | Double Indemnity (1944) 80th Anniversary (107m) | Barbara Stanwyck! Billy Wilder!
The Films
TOKYO COWBOY (117m)
Directed by Marc Marriott
A Japanese businessman goes on an unwitting journey of self-discovery when he takes a company trip from Tokyo to a Montana cattle ranch.
ROWDY GIRL (72m)
Directed by Jason Goldman
Determined to make the planet a better place, former Texas cattle rancher Renee King-Sonnen transforms her husband’s beef operation into a farm animal sanctuary, encouraging other farmers to transition from animal agriculture to plant-based food production.
FULL CIRCLE (103m)
Directed by Josh Berman
Faced with a traumatic injury that leaves you permanently disabled; how would you reinvent yourself? Trevor Kennison’s life was forever altered by a broken back – for worse and for better, in equal measures.
ROBERT SHIELDS: MY LIFE AS A ROBOT (87m)
Directed by Mark Bonn
“No words” can describe him, literally. Robert Shields, one of the most unique performers of the century, performing for 2 Presidents a Queen while gaining the admiration of many of Hollywood’s greats-all of it done without saying a word.
THE QUIETEST YEAR (74m)
Directed by Karen Akins
Filmmaker Karen Akins’ darkly quirky personal quest to curb noise pollution in her quaint Vermont village uncovers dire consequences for noise regulation, not only in her home state, but nationwide.
THE ARTIST AND THE ASTRONAUT (100m)
Directed by Bill Muench
A uniquely American couple’s captivating story during the pinnacle of American exploration and social change.
THE 9 LIVES OF BARBARA DANE (110m)
Directed by Maureen Gosling
Barbara Dane turns setbacks into opportunities, paving her own way with her art, participating in, and influencing international social justice and musical movements across nine decades.
DEMON MINERAL (88m)
Directed by Hadley Austin
A portrait of life in the radioactive desert on the Navajo Reservation, following a group of indigenous scientists, elders, and activists as they work to protect a vital living space on contaminated land.
CHAPERONE (100m)
Directed by Zoe Eisenberg
Alienated by friends and family for her lack of ambition, 29-year-old Misha finds a dangerous acceptance in a bright 18-year-old athlete who mistakes her for a fellow student.
THE ACCIDENT (66m)
Directed by Giuseppe Garau
After being fired, Marcella, a gentle-hearted mother going through separation, buys a tow truck, gets trapped deeper and deeper in a cynical and aggressive world until a terrible opportunity shines in front of her.
FALLEN DRIVE (84m)
Directed by Nick Cassidy and David Rice
On the night of their high school reunion, Charlie and her boyfriend Reese have come with plans to exact revenge on former classmate, Liam. The plan – to stage the same heinous crime he committed in high school, but this time collect the evidence to prove his guilt.
JUST GETTING BY (95m)
Directed by Bess O’Brien
A documentary film that explores the day-to-day challenges and incredible resiliency that low-income Vermonters bear witness to every day. The film sheds light on an often-hidden Vermont population persevering against all odds to feed and house themselves and their families.
AFRICAN GIANTS (106m)
Directed by Omar S. Kamara
Over a weekend visit in Los Angeles, two first-generation Sierra Leonean American brothers navigate the changing dynamics of brotherhood after a surprise announcement.
THE YORKIE WEREWOLF (74m)
Directed by Michael DiBiasio-Ornelas
A rebellious teen witch is turned into a tiny werewolf and thrown into the middle of a decades-old war between one small town’s creatures of the night – and the local mafia.
UNDERDOG (82m)
Directed by Tommy Hyde
A hardscrabble Vermont dairy farmer risks losing the only home he's ever known to chase his dreams of dog mushing in Alaska. Meticulously captured over the course of a decade, UNDERDOG paints an intimate verité portrait of Doug Butler as he puts a curiously optimistic twist on the kinds of family farm tragedies that have marked American rural life.
COMMON GROUND (105m)
Directed by Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell
The solution of Regenerative farmers to bring soil health across the continent and beyond.
VERMONT-MADE FILMS (96m)
MOTHER’S HOUSE (12m, 22s)
Directed by Garret Harkawik
In the 1950s Mary Tarinelli’s mother had a vision while visiting a historic site purported to be the final home of the Virgin Mary.Tarinelli recounts the story and explains the unique ways in which her mother’s experience has shaped her life.
LIA: A BODYBUILDING STORY (10m, 30s)
Directed by Susan Weiss
The story of a female bodybuilder, a woman with focus, determination, and the goal to participate in a pro tournament.
LOVE OF THE LAND (8m, 38s)
Directed by Travis Van Alstyne
A short animated film based on the true and tragic story of Vermont farmer Romaine Tenney. His farm was in the construction path of Interstate 91 in the 1960s and the State of Vermont seized his land through eminent domain. 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of his passing.
STEVE’S CHAPEL (47m, 17s)
Directed by Gail Osherenko
The tale of one individual’s quest to establish a sanctuary wherein people can contemplate and rejoice in a world that has shed much of its ceremonial and profound significance.
THE THAW (16m, 31s)
Directed by Sarah Wisner and Sean Temple
In 19th century Vermont, a young woman’s parents drink sleeping tea in order to survive the harsh winter, but an early thaw leads to horrifying results.
SHORTS PROGRAM 1 (78m)
SUBTEXT (10m, 30s)
Directed by Erin Brown Thomas
Two people on a first date mask and ignore their insecurities until an event forces them to say what they’re really thinking.
RIZOO (15m, 48s)
Directed by Azadeh Navai
To Rizzo, 8—who’s recently moved back from Tehran from California—the world is a magical place. But when she must take a class portrait, her world suddenly becomes very complicated. Does she wear the traditional head-scarf, which all girls over the age of 9 must wear—or not?
SCREWJOB (8m, 50s)
Directed by Sam Benjamin
On the night before she is set to be crowned World Champion, a talented but injury cursed pro wrestler finds out that plans have changed and that she will be forced to lose the match or will be fired from the company.
LEAF (14m, 33s)
Directed by Cash Cassidy
Young Portland, Maine-based band LEAF plays their biggest show yet at the Portland House of Music.
COMMON AS RED HAIR (15m)
Directed by Robbie Robertson
The aftermath of an emotional funeral causes a grieving father and mother to re-examine their early life decision to have gender normalization surgery performed on their intersex infant.
YOU CAN’T SHRINK LOVE (5m)
Directed by Veena Rao
An artist gives life to the memories of our most beloved companions.
SCAM (7m, 30s)
Directed by Julie Sharbutt
When a phone scammer makes one last late-night call, the woman on the other end gives her much more than she bargained for.
SHORTS PROGRAM 2 (90m)
THE ABCS OF BOOK BANNING (27m)
Directed by Sheila Nevins, Trish Adlesic and Nazenet Habtezghi
Reveals the voices of the impacted parties of books banned from school districts, inspiring hope for the future through the profound insights of inquisitive youthful minds.
MATTRESS EXPRESS (17m, 22s)
Directed by Noah Morse
After twins Ben and Rosie botch their only chance to pull their childhood home out of foreclosure, their night spirals out of control.
TREE CROWN (10m)
Directed by Predrag Todorović
Without narrative sandstone and wretched landmarks, people of Western Serbia seem to have never existed. The only portraits and biographies were given to them only after they had died.
VESPA (15m)
Directed by Olívia Ramos
Luiza visits her estranged mother’s new home, inadvertently inheriting her role in a peculiar natural cycle.
DECIDING VOTE (20m)
Directed by Robert J. Lyons and Jeremy Workman
50 years ago, assemblyman George Michaels cast a single vote on New York’s abortion bill thatchanged the course of American history but destroyed his political career in the process.
THE VENUES
The Riley Center for the Performing Arts at Burr and Burton Academy
57 Seminary Ave, Manchester, VT 05254
“If you are in a movie theater, you can look two people down and they are laughing while you are laughing or you can look three people down and they love that song that you love. It is living proof that you are not alone.”
— Steven Chbosky, Filmmaker
MANCHESTER
Manchester Vermont is a vibrant, year round vacation destination in the southern Green Mountains.
Travel Info:
Manchester is located about a 4 hour drive from New York City. The nearest airport is Albany, NY, one hour and 15 mins away. There is regular direct train service from Penn Station to Albany with multiple options every day. Boston is a 3.5 hour drive and Hartford, CT is 2.5 hours.
LODGING
Welcome to the open arms of Southern Vermont. Breathe in the refreshing air in our little corner of paradise as you experience the sights, sounds, and delicious scents of late Spring in Manchester. Above all, reach out and experience the warmth of our wonderful sponsors as they revel in your presence and offer you the fruits of their passions.
The Vermont Film & Folklore Festival is proudly sponsored by:
The Palmer House Resort, Ascend Hotel Collection
5383 Main St, Manchester Center, VT 05255
5927 Main Street, Historic Route 7A, Manchester Center, VT 05255
6458 Main St, Manchester Center, VT 05255
For additional information on lodging and dining in Manchester, go to manchestervermont.com.