Presented by John W. & Virginia Woodruff Thelma Post (June Squibb) is a 93-years-old grandmother, and the victim of a phone scam. Thelma loses a lot of money, but… these scammers messed with the wrong nonagenarian. Enlisting a reluctant friend (the late Richard Roundtree) and his mobility scooter, Thelma is out to find the culprits. Based on the experiences of writer/director Josh Margolin’s own grandmother, and marking June Squibb’s first leading film role of her 70+ year career, Thelma is a celebration and playful subversion of the action genre as well as a soulful exploration of aging and autonomy. “An entertaining crowd-pleaser, Thelma shows that every grandmother has their inner badass.” –Courtney Small, That Shelf 97 min.
Presented by Alan & Judy Hoffman Amidst the chaos and destruction of the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, three artists defiantly find inspiration and beauty as they defend their culture and their country. In a war waged by professional soldiers against ordinary civilians, Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko and Andrey Stefanov choose to stay behind, armed with their art, their cameras and, for the first time in their lives, their guns.
Despite daily shelling, Anya finds resistance and purpose in her art, Andrey takes the dangerous journey to get his young family to safety abroad, and Slava becomes a weapons instructor for ordinary people who have become unlikely soldiers. As the war intensifies, Andrey picks up his camera to film their story, and on tiny porcelain figurines, Anya and Slava capture their idyllic past, uncertain present and hope for the future. Co-directed by Leontyev and Brendan Bellomo, with extraordinary footage from first-time cinematographer Stefanov, Porcelain War embodies the passion and fight that only an artist can put back into the world when it’s crumbling around them.
Mexican director-writer Ángeles Cruz brings us an enduring heroine, the winsome Valentina, who uses all her might to prove that her father, who drowned in a nearby river, is still alive. Raised in a close-knit Indigenous Mixtec community in Oaxaca, Valentina wears a cape and draws comic books, inspired by her favorite superhero, Kandi, who can bring forth powers of thunder and lightning. Determined to reconnect with her dad, Valentina spends time by the river and starts to hear his voice speaking to her in Mixtec, a language she never learned. Relentlessly optimistic and committed to her beliefs, Valentina enlists her friend Pedro to teach her how to speak their Indigenous language in hopes that she can reach her dad. Ultimately uplifting and deeply compassionate, this story portrays a child’s understanding of life, mortality, and the healing power of love.
From Spellbound to last year’s Pianoforte, documentaries about competitions and their competitors are naturally engaging. Following the buzz surrounding the Leonard Bernstein bio-pic Maestro, the informative Maestra is even more compelling. It profiles five fiercely tenacious female orchestra conductors in the early stages of their careers who participate in France’s “La Maestra.” Among the competitors are Melisse Brunet, a French woman teaching at the University of Iowa; American Tamara Dworetz who wants work and family and wonders how to combine the two; Greek Zoe Zeniodi, a single mother of two; Ukrainian Ustina Dubitsky and the young Pole, Anna Sulkowska-Mignon. On the human-interest side, the women relate their problems with balancing work, family and constant travel, and with sexism and stress. The competition judges include Marin Alsop, one of the most prominent female conductors working today, as well as Deborah Borda, former St. Paul Chamber Orchestra President and Managing Director. –Alissa Simon
Presented by John & Julie Troutman Azra is constantly at odds with her conservative mother. A lesbian, Azra just tries to get along, but when her beloved father suddenly dies, her grief plunges her into a Bollywood-style examination of her family’s past and present. Azra is a young woman, living in Toronto, living her life to the fullest without much involvement from her mother, who doesn’t approve of Azra’s so-called lifestyle. When her father dies, she begins to reexamine her family’s history, discovering that her conservative mother has a somewhat liberal past. Director Fawzia Mirza’s beautiful feature debut is based on her own stage production, based on her life, and evokes the classics of Bollywood cinema.
Sometimes truth is even stranger than fiction. In this riveting Scandinavian documentary bloodline mysteries meet true crime. When the aging Norwegian sisters May and Kari decide to buy an apartment in the small Swedish town of Gullspång, they are confronted with a shocking revelation that turns their lives upside down – the seller looks identical to their older sister Astrid, who committed suicide some thirty years before. Adding to the mystery, the seller shares the same unique nickname as the deceased sister. It is at this point that filmmaker Maria Fredriksson, at the behest of the sisters, begins to investigate their strange history, uncovering the secrets and eerie mysteries of a bizarre family story. Replete with comically awkward situations and one engrossing revelation after another, this darkly comedic family drama is an astounding and cleverly structured exploration of serendipity, faith, social divisions, family ties, and personal identity. –Alissa Simon
Presented by Gerrard Corporation/Metropolitan Marketplace
Stay after the film for a special Q&A with Director Mark R. Brown, Producer Chris Newberry, & the Fishing Hat Bandit himself, John Whitrock He was known as “the Fishing Hat Bandit” when he robbed 23 banks in Minnesota over 18 months in the early 2000s. Finally caught, imprisoned, and now free, John Whitrock’s story unfolds in utterly surprising ways in director Mark Brown’s riveting documentary. John Whitrock kept everyone in law enforcement on their toes during his year-and-a-half long crime spree—while donning his signature bucket hat. By the time he hit a dozen banks, he was making headlines across the state and beyond. Finally captured by a SWAT team that found him hiding in a trunk, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and soon forgotten. Director Mark Brown hunts down Whitrock, now an old man, and finds a former felon struggling to adjust to life outside of a federal prison, and trying to find some sort of grace and redemption.
Presented in memory of former RIFG Board Member, Ray Schmitz
County Durham used to thrive, but now the town, and its favorite pub, The Old Oak, are winding down. But when pub owner TJ and a young Syrian woman named Yara begin to form a friendship, hope once again emerges.
When the mines were operating, there were jobs, security, schools in County Durham, but now the town is a near-wasteland. The bitter townsfolk shuffle in to drown their sorrows and seek solace in each other’s company, especially the kind words of Old Oak owner, TJ. After a group of Syrian refugees is placed in the village, prejudices and anger rear up and threaten to tear this fragile world apart. Legendary Palme d’Or-winning director Ken Loach and longtime screenwriting collaborator Paul Laverty, team up to bring a quintessential neo-realist film about the changing working class. Loach, who is 87 years old, a favorite of film festivals around the world (including MSPIFF), has stated that The Old Oak will be his final film.
