Thirty movies, varying in length and themes will grace this year’s Forx Film Fest this weekend at the historic Empire Arts Center in downtown Grand Forks. All movies are no to low budget (under $100,000) and made in or by people from the North Central region of the US. This year’s festival also celebrates the 90^th anniversary of the Empire Theatre building, which opened November 10, 1919 as the New Grand Theatre.

Launching the festival is the 1919 film version of Joseph Conrad’s story, “Victory,” which played at the Empire the first year it was open. The rest of Friday’s titles are by Grand Forks area moviemakers, including some from this summer’s UND moviecamps. Saturday’s movies will be primarily Fargo-Moorhead productions. A couple of award-winners from previous festivals will also be included on the program. As has become traditional, the final movie on the schedule will be a Chris Jacobs’ original. This year it is the musical comedy-drama “Music to My Ears” (2006), which was co-produced by and largely shot at the Empire Arts Center.

The Forx Film Fest will have three separate screening sessions of approximately three and a half hours each, plus a Saturday morning filmmaker panel discussion.  Evening sessions on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7 will begin at 7:00 pm.  The afternoon session on Saturday, November 7 will start at 1:30 pm.  A morning panel discussion/Q&A on making independent movies will be held at 10:30 am Saturday, November 7. Several moviemakers also plan to be present for Q&A sessions after their movies.

On Saturday night, awards will be presented for the best in each category: Short (under 45 minutes), Feature (45 minutes or over), Documentary, and Student Production. There will also be an “Audience Favorite” award, from votes tallied during the final screening.

Admission fees are $10 for each session or $25 for the entire festival. People whose movies are scheduled to show at the film festival will be able to purchase the full festival pass for $15.  The Saturday morning panel discussion is free and open to the public.

All events for the Forx Film Fest will be held at the Empire Arts Center, 415 DeMers Avenue, Grand Forks, ND  58201.

Forx Film Fest 2009 – Complete Schedule of titles & directors

FRIDAY

7:00         Victory (1919) 62m – Maurice Tourneur

8:15         The For Rent Rapist (2008) 14m – Nolan Devine

8:30         A Movie By Sara Deegan (2008) 8m – Sara Deegan

8:38         Angel’s Key (2009) 3:22 – Hannah Campbell

8:41         The Door (2009) 3:31 – Sequoia Pinterits

8:45         Worst Morning Ever (2009) 2m – Elise Christy

8:47         For Sale: Casket (2009) 7m – Roberto Baldizon

8:54         Big Boom (2009) 4:34 – Adoncia Schultz Aune

8:59         New Year’s Eve Baby (2009) 23m – Christopher P. Jacobs

9:25         Q&A

9:30         Huskies in Antarctica (2008)  13:17 – Jaakko Putkonen

9:45         QA

9:50         Where We Will Go (2008)  5:30 – Michael Hoeft

9:56         The Briefcase of Dr. S (2009)  5:15 – Michael Hoeft

10:01       War on Planet Bug (2009)  2:04  – Michael Hoeft

10:03       The Grand Showdown (2009)  2:47  – Michael Hoeft

10:06       Robot Factory TV Spot (2009)  :26  – Michael Hoeft

10:07       The Fisherman Piping (2009)  1:23 – Nicholas Tuinstra

10:09       How Not to Make an Advertisement (2009)  8:11 – Patrick Wynne

10:18       QA

10:30       —DONE—

SATURDAY

10:30       Filmmaker Panel Discussion

12:00       LUNCH BREAK

1:30         A Life Less Lived (2009) 4 min – Marc Arnason

1:35         QA

1:40         Bike Works (2009) 11 min – Amber Johnson

1:51         Trim Bin (2008) 2 min – Carrie Kantrud

1:53         QA

2:00         Deadly Dreams (2009) 3 min – Jake Handegard

2:03         QA

2:10         Browsing (2009) 4:51 – Conor Holt

2:15         QA

2:20         Untitled & Rightfully So (2008)  4:22 – Joe Couch

2:25         Downpour (2009)  5:14 – Kristen Conaty

2:30         Running Errands (2006)  7:03 – Jennifer Brugman

2:40         African Soul, American Heart (2008)  24 min.  – Deb Dawson

3:05         QA

3:15         Beyond Bob (1995)  95m [Best Feature, 2006 Fest] – John Gaspard

4:50         DINNER BREAK

7:00         Slacker (2006) 13 min [“Audience Favorite” 2007 Fest] – Dave Phipps

7:15         Mary Weatherby (2009) 49 min – Charles H. Hinton

8:05         QA

8:15         Judged Awards Presentations,  & voting on Audience favorites

8:30         Music To My Ears (2006) 119 min – Christopher P. Jacobs

10:30       —AUDIENCE FAVORITE AWARD PRESENTATION—

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