99 to 1: Ovarian Cancer and Me

In the summer of 2005, the doctors said they were 99-percent sure that filmmaker Phoebe Brown did not have ovarian cancer. But it turned out that they were too optimistic. Two years later, Phoebe is cancer free but not without scars. The filmmaker takes us on a journey through her diagnosis, her grandmother’s death from ovarian cancer, her physical and emotional reactions to chemotherapy treatment and her hopes for the future..

American Scary

A look at the nation’s tradition of horror hosting from Zacherley to A. Ghastlee Ghoul with interviews from major hosts from the 1950s to the present, along with memories from celebrities and fans who were influenced by these hosts. You’ll follow this American folk-art form from its glamorous beginnings, through repeated waves of popularity, to its scrappy resurgence and survival in the age of cable access and the Internet. The film aims to remind people how much fun local TV could be—and maybe could be again. 

A Piece of Heaven

A Piece of Heaven tells the story of several West Virginia families whose lives are dramatically changed when mountaintop-removal coal mining comes to their community and their local elementary school.

Behind Forgotten Eyes

Behind Forgotten Eyes examines the enduring legacy of a horrifying chapter of history in both Korea and Japan. The first English-language film to tackle this volatile issue, the work aims to focus the world’s attention on this unsettled aspect of Japan’s colonial heritage and to educate an American public unfamiliar with East Asian history and modern society. Combining expert testimony with firsthand accounts from both Korean women and Japanese soldiers who lived through the nightmare, the film offers a candid look into an issue that has been ignored for far too long.

Blood, boobs & beast

This documentary charts the compelling story of the late Don Dohler, whose movies have been called everything from oddly brilliant to some of the worst films of all time. Despite his critics, Dohler got all nine of his sci-fi and horror films distributed internationally, as well as TV syndication for his first film, The Alien Factor. Mild-mannered and unassuming, Dohler started making wholesome sci-fi films in the Baltimore area in 1976, but recently had begun including nudity and gore in his movies to please distributors. At age 59, he had just finished his most gratuitous movie to date and it was selling well, yet Dohler felt “sick of the exploitative stuff” and was considering giving up the blood, boobs and beast formula. With revealing interviews and beautiful cinematography, Blood, Boobs & Beast explores Dohler’s career, his family and his struggle to just make a good movie.

Celebration of Flight

At the age of 78, Daniel Rundstroem wants to build his own plane in the middle of the tropical forest on Dominica, an island paradise in the Caribbean. The film chronicles the unique friendship that develops between the elderly Swede and a 16-year-old Caribbean boy. They share one desire for which they are willing to sacrifice everything: to develop and build their very own aircraft. With it, they are planning to compete in Florida for a prize in one of the world’s biggest air shows.

Crawford, Texas

In Crawford, Texas, there are only two paths that lead to Prairie Chapel Road, where the president of the United States vacations. Starting in August 2005, America met itself there.

El Mechanico Loco

Jeff Milburn is a tattooed, punk-rock guy who builds hot rods, runs his own race team, idolizes Gen. Patton and used to race motocross—until he broke his back in a crash and was told he’d never walk again. There’s nothing he’d rather do than prove the world wrong. Watch him and the people he loves refuse to quit on their dreams.

Greensboro: Closer to the Truth

On Nov. 3, 1979, members of the Communist Workers Party were holding a Death to the Klan rally in Greensboro, N.C. Suddenly, a caravan rounded the corner, scattering the protesters. Klansmen and Nazis emerged from the cars, unloaded an arsenal of guns and began firing. Five people were killed in what became known as the Greensboro Massacre. Greensboro: Closer to the Truth reconnects 25 years later with the players in this tragedy – widowed and wounded survivors and their attackers – and chronicles how their lives have evolved in the long aftermath of the killings.

I have never forgotten you—the life and legacy of Simon Wiesenthal

A comprehensive look at the life and legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, the famed Nazi hunter and humanitarian. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman, it features interviews with longtime Wiesenthal associates, government leaders from around the world, friends and family members – many of whom have never discussed the legendary man on camera. Previously unseen archival film and photos also highlight the film. What was the driving force behind his work? What kept him going when for years the odds were against his efforts? What is his legacy today, more than 60 years after the end of World War II? 

Kamp Katrina

North Carolina premiere A woman converts her backyard into a tent city in which 10 displaced people live for six months. She provides construction jobs and basic resources to help rebuild the city. But the situation gradually goes violently awry, and she is confronted with an array of abuses amid a broken city. (Screened as a work in progress at the 2006 Asheville Film Festival.)

Kate Clinton: 25th Anniversary Tour

This film showcases Kate Clinton’s tour through her performances, backstage footage and one-on-one interviews, including the first ever on-camera interview with life partner Urvashi Vaid.

Kilowatt Ours

What would you find if you traced the wires from your light switch to its energy source?  Mountaintop removal, global warming, childhood asthma—or hope? In answering this question, Kilowatt Ours exposes the economic, environmental and health benefits of energy conservation and renewable power. The film was produced and written by Jeff Barrie and is an educational component and project of Trust for the Future, a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1986 and based in Nashville, Tenn.

Laughing Matters … the men

Through their standup performances and revealing one-on-one interviews, the film profiles six “out” gay performers/writers: Bruce Vilanch, Alec Mapa, Bob Smith, Scott Kennedy, Andre Kelley and Eddie Sarfaty.

MIA: A Soldier’s Homecoming

On March 20, 1971, the crew of “Huey” helicopter 185 was shot down in Laos while attempting a rescue. The four Americans remained MIA until 2004, when a forensic team from Joint POW/MIA Accounting discovered their remains in Laos. This is the story of the four men, their families, the search mission and the men who served with them in Vietnam.

Moving Midway

Film critic Godfrey Cheshire has had a lifelong fascination with Midway, his family’s ancestral plantation in North Carolina. When his cousin Charlie Silver announces plans to move the old home to escape Raleigh’s urban sprawl, Cheshire films the ensuing family controversy as well as the visually spectacular move itself. He also probes the Southern plantation’s enormous impact on American history and pop culture—including music like blues and gospel, and movies from The Birth of a Nation (based on Cheshire’s family) to Roots. Cheshire’s journey includes an ongoing dialogue with New York University professor Robert Hinton, whose grandfather was born a slave at Midway, and the discovery that he has 100 black cousins, some eager to understand their connection to the plantation.

Off the Rocker

North Carolina premiere If you think the Las Vegas nightlife is best left to the young and hip, then you haven’t seen the senior side of The Strip. Off The Rocker captures a group of seniors living every minute of life to the fullest in Las Vegas. Their story is a humorous yet poignant slice of Americana guaranteed to influence your opinion of old age and how you’ll plan to spend it.

The Oil and Water Project

there will also be a special screening of this film Saturday, 10:30 p.m.- Midnight at the Asheville Community Theatre
Two kayakers, Seth Warren and Tyler Bradt, set out to complete the Oil and Water Project by driving a Japanese fire truck 34,000 kilometers from Alaska to Argentina without a single drop of petroleum. Instead, they used waste grease from fast-food restaurants, along with pig, fish, canola, soy and palm oils. On their way from river to beach to mountains, they visited schools, conducted demonstrations and collaborated with local governments to raise awareness for alternative energy. And they chased summer the whole way, surfing and kayaking in some of the best spots in the Americas.

One Road

North Carolina premiere One Road is the true story of how a city came to terms with its difficult past, and how a group of Native American artists and leaders worked together to transform a sorrowful and historic place into a beautiful celebration of life.

The Spirit of Sacajawea

Sacajawea was the only woman and the only Indian with the Lewis and Clark expedition. More than 200 years after their great adventure, we revisit her story with respect to her ancestors and tribal affiliations. The documentary explores themes of destruction, rebirth and deep respect for nature and the environment. Original songs and an original post-score by Native American artists provide heartfelt underpinning to the story.

The Green Race

This is the story of a world-class whitewater race held every November near Saluda, N.C. The film captures the grace and excitement of Class 5+ kayaking as well as the unique character of The Green Race, a grassroots event that draws the top athletes in kayaking from around the world. The film is told in two interwoven narratives: one created through interviews with professional paddlers who compete in the race, and the second which follows the experiences of an amateur kayaker training to compete for the first time.

The Last Ride: Memories of the Myrtle Beach Pavilion

For nearly 60 years, the Myrtle Beach Pavilion meant music, rides and fun. To kids, it meant the roller coaster and the carousel, cotton candy and corndogs. But to teenagers and college students, it meant a carefree summer of cruising Ocean Boulevard, romantic encounters and dancing the night away. The Pavilion no longer exists, swept away in 2006 not by ocean waves, but by changing times. Come along for one last ride. The Pavilion may be gone, but the memories of those summers of long ago, and not so long ago, live on. 

The Vanishing Generation

It’s been more than 60 years since the end of World War II, and the last of the South Carolina veterans who fought against the Japanese Empire and Nazi Germany are now dying at an alarming rate. Soon their living memories will be gone, and World War II will become simply another chapter in history. A powerful visualization of first-hand accounts by South Carolina World War II veterans, The Vanishing Generation tells the story of how the war not only changed the world, but their lives as well.

Ubuntu

there will also be a special screening of this film Saturday, 10:30 p.m.- Midnight at the Asheville Community Theatre
A mini-doc about the Soweta Kliptown Youth Organization (SKY) located in an impoverished area of Johannesburg, South Africa.  Started by Bob Maneng in 1987, SKY is an after school program where children can utilize the arts as educational therapy.  Ubuntu is a belief that through others, you become a better person.  Despite seemingly impossible situations, SKY gives children the confidence that they will achieve their dreams.

War/Dance

A tale of beauty and transcendence in a place of great despair, War/Dance documents the unlikely journey of three Ugandan children from their lives in a refugee camp to their war-torn country’s national music and dance competition in the capital city. One of the year’s most moving documentaries, this elegiac film reveals the power of the human spirit through the words and actions of three remarkable children.

When the Mill Closes Down…

Twentieth-century South Carolina was defined by its textile economy. Giant mill complexes developed into small communities that turned into towns. The mills provided employment, housing, schools, health care and, in many cases, the infrastructure as well. Today, little is left of these monolithic giants. Enormous vacant lots and cavernous abandoned ruins dot the South Carolina landscape. Residents and officials of six former mill towns recount their struggles, hopes and dreams – some dashed, some realized.

Wild and Free: A screech owl named Pinkey

World premiere Pinkey was a funny, orphaned screech-owl baby. He and his wilder friend, Little Bit, lived in the tender care of Clyde, a certified wildlife rehabber in the Western North Carolina mountains. While Pinkey developed a strong bond with his human “mama,” both he and Clyde honored his urge to be wild and free. A beautiful and tender story, the relationship between Pinkey and Clyde became controversial when it went beyond the sanctioned federal rehabilitation guidelines. Despite concerns, Pinkey has now lived successfully on his own for two years.

The Year of Paper

North Carolina premiere When officials began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004, this country went to war over a word. How different is a gay marriage from a heterosexual one? This documentary chronicles the newlywed year of three couples—lesbian, heterosexual and gay—and explores both sides of the same-sex marriage debate.