Independent American Film Festival at Skalvija April 21-25

What, where, when:

April 21 -25, 2008. Skalvija Film House (Goštauto 2/15, Vilnius)

Admission is free for all screenings.

For interviews with visiting directors Doug Pray and Mohamed Naqvi, please contact Ms. Andra Litevkaite, 8 699 32961.

The United States Embassy in Lithuania, in conjunction with the American Film Institute (AFI), presents AFI Project:  20/20, an international exchange of films and filmmakers designed to promote mutual understanding by presenting different viewpoints and perspectives through independent film. 

AFI, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State, created this program to foster cross-cultural understanding and respect while nurturing filmmaking excellence as part of the "Global Cultural Initiative."  AFI Project:  20/20 unites both American and foreign filmmakers to screen their films and hold workshops about their films' messages.

During the Independent American Film Festival, filmmakers Doug Pray (U.S.) and Mohamed Naqvi (Pakistan) will travel from the United States to Lithuania to screen their movies Big Rig (D. Pray) and Shame (M. Naqvi).  Three more celebrated independent American movies will also be screened.

Film Festival Program in Brief:

April 21, 7.00 p.m.

Opening of the Independent American Film Festival

Film: Big Rig

Welcome address by film director Doug Pray

The film is about working-class heroes who drive large trucks to deliver America's food and other goods. Doug Pray traveled 21,000 miles with truck drivers to make this film. Featuring a soundtrack by Buck 65, Big Rig provides gorgeous American vistas and a unique cast of truckers who take us on the road trip of a lifetime.

April 22, 7.00 p.m.

Film: Shame

Welcome address by film director Mohamed Naqvi (Pakistan)

In 2002, following the tribal custom of "honor for honor," a young woman, Mukhtaran Mai, was gang-raped and then publicly paraded for a crime her younger brother committed. Mai set out to seek justice. The film is her transformative journey from a simple peasant woman into a world human rights icon who gave the village that shamed her two schools and a women's crisis center.

April 23, 7.00 p.m.

Film: American Fork

Directed by Chris Bowman

At nearly 400 pounds, grocery clerk Tracy is pursuing his dream of acting. Tracey finds people seeking to dash his dreams, but Tracy remains irrepressibly upbeat, convinced he's destined for something big. American Fork is about defining one's own measure of success and succeeding against all odds.

April 24, 9.00 p.m.

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story

Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz

Winner of the AFI Award, this is a fascinating story about Hollywood horror movie producer, director and showman William Castle. A brand name in movie horror, Castle in the 1950s and 1960s treated delighted moviegoers to buzzing seats, flying skeletons, luminescent ghosts and life insurance policies as promotion gimmicks for such films as The Tingler, Macabre, and House on a Haunted Hill.  The film relates to his early career and culminates with one of the most revered horror films ever, Rosemary's Baby.

April 24, 7.00 p.m.

Disappearances

Directed by Jay Craven

The film is based on the award-winning novel by Howard Frank Mosher, is set deep in the rural northeast and features excellent ensemble performances by actor/songwriter Kris Kristofferson, Genevieve Bujold and newcomer Charlie McDermott. The film's unique style, influenced by magical realism, evokes the vivid textures of rural outback life.