REEL Recovery Film Festival

FREE Admission With RSVP
info@reelrecoveryfilmfestival.org
(Suggested donation: $10)

FRIDAY OCTOBER 14, 2011

2pm…Friday
75 Years: One Day At A Time – AA Anniversary(2010) A joyous film made during the AA World Convention in Austin, TX (July 1-4, 2010), with over 75 countries represented. If you weren’t there, this is the next best thing! 15 minutes.
IN PERSON: Filmmaker Josh Morton

2:15pm…Friday
The Secret World Of Recovery (2011) is a documentary that follows the journey of veteran novelist/journalist, Leslie Glass, and her columnist/screenwriter daughter, Lindsey, as they travel the country reporting on the changes in treatment and attitudes in recovery. 68 mins.
IN PERSON: Leslie Glass, Lindsey Glass
Presented by Malibu Beach Recovery

4pm…Friday
A Tribute To Gil Scott-Heron (2010) In honor of the passing of the legendary Gil Scott-Heron, we are proud to present this BBC commentary/obituary, paired with a hauntingly evocative visual interpretation of Scott-Heron’s classic track, “The Bottle.” 8 mins.
Presented by MusiCares

4pm…Friday
Death Of An Addict: The Tio Hardiman Story(2010) is the brilliant and entertaining urban saga of director Tio Hardiman’s struggle to understand and break the cycle of intergenerational drug addiction in his family and neighborhood. From the late 70s to the mid 80s, Tio struggled with drugs and alcohol before turning his life around in 1986. Working the 12 Steps in Narcotices Anonymous helped him crystallize his perspective on his past, present and future. Written, directed and starring Tio Hardiman. 60 minutes.
IN PERSON: Writer/Director Tio Hardiman

6pm…Friday
Dreaming Heaven (2011) The first documentary film ever to explore the 4000 year-old epicenter of spiritual transformation located in Teotihuacan, Mexico, and the mystical pyramids, altars and transformative energy that make this location one of the great pathways through time, truth and consciousness. Official Selection of the Glen Rose Neo-Relix Film Festival and Topanga Canyon Film Festival. Directed by Dana Walden and Straw Weisman. 75 minutes.
IN PERSON: Lee McCormick and guests.

8pm…Friday
May I Be Frank (2010) Frank Ferrante is 54, weighs 290lbs, had a lifetime of drug and alcohol abuse and has contracted Hepatitis C. He’s on multiple medications including antidepressants, undergoing chemo and drinks 10 espressos a day to stay awake. One day Frank stumbles into Cafe Gratitude in San Francisco, and meets Ryland, the café’s manager. Ryland asks Frank, “What is one thing you’d like to do before you die?” Frank answers, “I want to fall in love one more time, but with a body like this no one will love me, because I don’t love myself.” Watch as Ryland, his brother Cary, and best friend Conor, help Frank take on his weight, health, relationships and loving himself in just 42 days. Directed by Gregg Marks. Starring Frank Ferrante. 90 mins.
IN PERSON: Actor Frank Ferrante
Presented by Newport Academy

10pm…Friday
Trainspotting (1996) A brutal, often times funny, often times terrifying portrayal of drug addiction in Edinburgh. Not for the faint of heart, but well worth viewing as a realistic and entertaining reminder of the horrors of drug use. Directed by Danny Boyle. Stars Ewen McGregor and Robert Carlyle. 94 minutes. Trigger warning: scenes of explicit drug use.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 15, 2011

10am…Saturday
Past These Walls (2008) is a story of alcohol, drugs, jail and hope. “Riveting. Terrifyingly theatrical. Dark and funny.”—The New York Times. Filmed live at the Henrico County Jail in Virginia. Produced by the National Council On Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Starring comedian, motivational speaker, and former inmate Mark Lundholm. 50 minutes.

11am…Saturday
The Westcoast Kid (2011) A documentary based on the autobiography by Travis Waters. A cautionary tale of ambition, shattered dreams, drug smuggling, prison life, and redemption. 48 minutes.
IN PERSON: Writer Travis Waters, filmmmaker T. L. Westgate
Presented by Inspirations for Teens, Florida

12:15pm…Saturday
My Pink Shirt (2009) Having to face her mother succumbing to the AIDS virus, a strong-minded 15-year-old girl must survive on her own. Forced to sell her body in order to support her mother and pay the bills, she must also feed her strong addiction to drugs. My Pink Shirt is a tale of the loss of humanity, betrayal, and drug addiction. Can an at-risk teenager overcome all of these obstacles and prevail? 75 minutes.
IN PERSON: Director Charles Kassatly

Saturday Short Films at 2pm…
2pm…Saturday
Our Vows (2010) Two lovers trapped in their addictions discover the true value of loss in their final quest to quell their crack cocaine habit. How much is your love worth? “The work is so sharp and jolting that the viewer is left hungry for much, much more.” –Phil Hall, FilmThreat.com. “Harsh, disturbing…eye opening!” –Henry K. Priest, Festival Director, Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles. Produced, written by and starring David Bianchi, with Isabella Cascarano and Rene Rosado. 16 minutes.
IN PERSON: Filmmaker/writer David Bianchi

2pm…Saturday
A Good Day (2011) Kelly, a recovering narcotics addict, is battling a new substance addiction through chemotherapy. After a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, a chance encounter in a record store with fellow NA member James gives Kelly a glimmer of hope, then leads to her betrayal. It’s at this crucial moment that Kelly makes her greatest discovery. Official Selection, 2011 LA Shorts Film Festival. Written and directed by Jeannine N. Sturtevant, and starring Tracy Coogan. 21 minutes.
IN PERSON: Director Jeannine N. Sturtevant

2pm…Saturday
Crooked Beauty (2011) is a gorgeous 30-minute poetic documentary that chronicles artist-activist Jacks McNamara’s transformative journey from childhood abuse to psychiatric ward inpatient to pioneering mental health advocate. Surviving trauma from an alcoholic mother, battling her own substance abuse issues and incarcerated at age 19, Ms. McNamara’s co-founded the Icarus Project, an international support network and grassroots media project. Winner of the 2011 SAMSHA Voice Award. Grand Prize, 2011 Best Documentary Short-US Film & Digital Video Festival. Directed by Ken Paul Rosenthal. 30 Minutes.
IN PERSON: Director Ken Paul Rosenthal

2pm…Saturday
Shorty & Morty (2011) Ever wondered if you’re getting a little too involved with your own marionette? This mind-blowing midnight movie is set in a 12 Step meeting for Puppet Addicts and only gets weirder from there. Warning: this bizarro short comedy is “off the strings.” Created and written by E. M. Fredric. 13 minutes.
IN PERSON: Director Eva Marie Fredric & cast members

2pm…Saturday
The Lord’s Prayer (2007) A beautiful musical and visual interpretation of the classic 12 Step meeting closing prayer, as performed by David Zasloff. 4 minutes.

Additional Saturday Short Films To Be Announced…

4pm…Saturday
Down To The Bone (2004) A woman stuck in a stale marriage struggles to raise her children and manage her secret cocaine habit. But when winter comes, her balancing act begins to come crashing down. “Granik, who wrote the mercilessly blunt script with Richard Lieske, doesn’t spare the graphic details. Vera Farmiga, named actress of the year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, delivers a tour de force performance” –Peter Travers, Rolling Stone. “It’s all painfully awkward and painfully real, with no ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’ schmaltz to color and muddy the real issues of the day-to-day drudgery of life without dope.” –M. Carter, At The Movies. Directed by Debra Granik and starring Vera Farmiga, Hugh Dillon and Clint Jordan. 104 minutes. Trigger warning: scenes of explicit drug use.
Presented by Gatehouse Academy

6pm…Saturday
Oxy-Morons (2010) is an action-packed thriller centering on the effects of Oxy-Contin addiction in a close-knit Boston community. Director Johnny Hickey brings his seedy, economically depressed neighborhood to life and shows how drug dealing can become a necessary defense against emotional annihilation. “People who walk out from OxyMorons will be talking about it long after they have seen it. A must-see movie for all of America.” –Prescription Addiction Radio. Directed and written by Johnny Hickey. Stars Damien Di Paola, Patty Ross and Johnny Hickey. 107 minutes. Trigger warning: scenes of explicit drug use.
Presented by NuHab

8pm…Saturday
Tweeked (2001) is the story of Carrie and Michelle, two friends careening into a methamphetamine frenzy. All seems like fun and games for the two party girls until Carrie’s roommate shoots himself during a drug-induced depression. The girls flee town but while on the road, Michelle’s sexual escapades wreak havoc while her meth-induced psychosis becomes inescapable. Official selection: Rome Independent Film Festival. Best Actress: Brussels Independent Festival. Starring Darling Narita and Ali Raymer and directed by Beth Dewey. 86 minutes.Trigger warning: scenes of explicit drug use.
IN PERSON: Director Beth Dewey, with author Nic Sheff (New York Times bestseller “Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines”)

10pm…Saturday
Drugstore Cowboy (1989) “has the kind of stylistic conviction that immediately wins one over; it conveys something of a junkie’s inner life with its editing rhythms, unorthodox use of sudden close-ups, hallucinatory passages, and Matt Dillon’s offscreen narration. But it’s William Burroughs, cropping up near the end, who articulates the film’s sociopolitical moral in a contemporary context.” -Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader. 100 minutes. Trigger warning: scenes of explicit drug use.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 16, 2011

10am…Sunday
The Process – A Documentary on Addiction, Trauma, and Recovery (2003) Directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Greenberg, this film is a riveting documentary on addiction and recovery, and a fascinating exploration into the world of experiential therapy. Directed by Richard Greenberg and written by Dudley Saunders, with psychologist Tian Dayton, PhD. 70 minutes.

11:15am…Sunday
Addiction, Recovery, and Yoga (2009) is a feature documentary about people who have used yoga as part of their journey in recovery, from serious addiction problems to new lives of well-being and emotional stability. “Insightful and revealing. A truly valuable film for anyone directly or indirectly involved with addiction.” -Dr. Frank Lipman. Produced and directed by Lindsey Clennell. 85 minutes.
IN PERSON: Yoga practitioner Molly Basler, leading the audience in 5 mins of yoga
Presented by Fulshear Ranch Academy

1:15pm…Sunday
Lbs. (2004) Neil—a 315-pound compulsive overeater—moves to the country to confront the addictive behaviors that keep him overweight, self-loathing and lonely. With help from his cocaine-addicted best friend, a tough-talking local waitress, and a secondhand bicycle, Neil learns to break the chains of his burrito-and-pizza compulsion to return home and address the family patterns that kept him obese. Heartbreakingly honest and at times hilarious, this movie was nominated for a 2011 Independent Spirit Award. Official entry, Sundance Film Festival. Stars Carmine Famiglietti, Susan Varon, and Sharon Angela. Directed by Mathew Bonifacio. 100 minutes.

2:30pm…Sunday
MacArthur Park (2001) is a chilling slice-of-life drama centering on Cody, a homeless crack addict who wants to do the right thing but continually finds himself challenged by his harrowing surroundings. When Cody’s son tracks him down in MacArthur Park, Cody has to choose between drug use and his last chance for redemption. An official selection of the Sundance Film Festival. “Intelligent, deeply satisfying.” –VARIETY. Stars Thomas Jefferson Byrd, B-Real, Julie Delpy, Balthazar Getty, David Faustino, and Lori Petty. Directed by Billy Wirth. 88 minutes.Trigger warning: scenes of explicit drug use.
IN PERSON: Director Billy Wirth, writers Tyrone Atkins and Sherri Sussman

4pm…Sunday
On The Bowery (1956) One of the most famous of all American independent films, “On the Bowery” is the extraordinary cinema verite depiction of alcoholism on New York’s infamous Skid Row. “A milestone in American cinema…it’s a rare achievement.”—Martin Scorcese. “There’s both surprising redemption and a stone-cold reality check at the end of this woozy-view slice of gutter life.”— San Francisco Bay Guardian. “Rogosin is probably the greatest documentary filmmaker of all time.” –John Cassavetes.
Directed by Lionel Rogosin. 65 minutes. [With the 46 minute “The Perfect Team (The Making of On The Bowery)” with Robert Downey Sr.]
IN PERSON: Filmmaker Robert Downey Sr.

6:15pm…Sunday
HOLLYWOOD DEBUT! LIVE PERFORMANCE! “12,” A Musical Journey Through The Steps, as performed by AS IS. “12″ is another tool for passing on the wisdom found in the miraculous, profound, and spiritual program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Word and music by Liz Olson & Paula LaBrot. 45 minutes.
IN PERSON: Liz Olson, Paula LaBrot, and Della

7pm…Sunday
CLOSING NIGHT PARTY with Celebrity Host & Performer, Comedian BARRY DIAMOND! Meet the filmmakers, see old friends, share your stories, and enjoy great food. Listen to live music, schmooze with no booze, celebrate life & the joy of recovery! Purchase tickets HERE!

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE REFUGE, A HEALING PLACE!
Sponsorship Opportunities Still Available!