LIttle Rock Film Fest 2008: Day Two

(l. to r. Shannon Morgan with Lioness directors Daria Sommers and Meg McLagan, and festival organizer Brent Renaud)

With much of today's news focusing on the presidential race Little Rock Film Fest organizer Brent Renaud told a crowd before the screening of Lioness that the festival would continue to bring attention to the troops, regardless of how you feel about the war. The documentary Lioness does just that as filmmakers Daria Sommers and Meg McLagan shed light on a woman's role in direct ground combat in Iraq. The film's intentional slow pace worked at times, although it took too long to get to the best scenes which came in the last 30 minutes. Shannon Morgan, who actively participated in combat, was on hand to discuss her experiences. 

CC Goldwater, granddaughter of the 1964 Republican candidate for president, presented a fascinating documentary on the life of her grandfather. The contrasts between this year's race and the one between Lyndon Johnson and Goldwater are startling. Many of today's political figures spoke of their affection for the senator, including democrats Hillary Clinton and James Carville. John McCain, who replaced Goldwater as the senior senator from Arizona, also comments as the filmmakers use old family footage and historical photos and news reports. One story that would seem improbable in today's politics--when it appeared that Goldwater was heading to be his party's leader in opposition to President Kennedy, JFK and the senator planned to make "stump" speeches during what would have been a unique campaign race flying around the country together. Kennedy was assassinated a year before the election.

Writer/director Brendan Foley brings an inventive story to this crime drama about an undiscovered manuscript by Charles Dickens. As murders are being committed near the Thames in London a newspaper reporter (Vinnie Jones) and a detective (Julie Cox) work to solve the crime and the riddle left behind by a victim. The great Derek Jacobi (I, Claudius, Gosford Park, Gladiator) plays a dual role as a homeless eccentric and as Dickens in flashbacks. The film almost gets too clever for its own good, and does go a tad long, but it comes back to center just in time for a tidy conclusion.

You'd be hard pressed to find a more prestigious setting for a party than the Grand Ballroom in the William Jefferson Clinton Library in Little Rock. (Clinton himself welcomes festival attendees: http://littlerockfilmfestival.org). Governor Mike Beebe was there to throw his support to Arkansas' ambitious plans for a more thriving film industry, most likely through some sort of tax credits such as those implemented in Louisiana. Producer Harry Thomason (A Shining Season, The Blue and the Gray, "Designing Women", "Evening Shade") gave the keynote address. 

With fashion statements abounding it appeared that Arkansans were excited to celebrate a newfound enthusiasm for in-state films. Talk is cheap, however, and a willing industry waits to see if the Governor's words become legislation.