Sixth Annual Les Femmes Underground International Film Festival

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:

Les Femmes Underground International Film Festival (LEFUFF) is an official 501c3 non-profit which showcases exclusively feminist experimental art and alternative groundbreaking films.

LEFUFF’s programming highlights fourth wave feminist cinema through transformative media and vanguard technologies bridging the gap between the Avant Garde and Narrative world. LEFUFF features films from over 30 different countries ranging in genres from Documentary, Experimental, Narrative, Horror, Female Sexuality, and Psychotropic cinema.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

1:00pm       Introductions and Giveaways

1:30pm        SCARECROW IN A GARDEN OF CUCUMBERS

3:00pm        Q&A with producer Henry (Hank) Alpert, moderated by Beth Accomando

3:20pm        Intermission, Red Carpet, Raffles, Complimentary Topo Chico refreshments in Lobby.

3:35pm        Short Film Showcases: Portraits of Paradise, BellaDonna of Madness & Gore GAL-ore

5:45pm        Q&A and Raffles

ABOUT THE FILM: 

SCARECROW IN A GARDEN OF CUCUMBERS, 1972, 82 min, USA, Dir. Robert J. Kaplan. 

This rare and subversive musical satire stars Andy Warhol Factory and Puerto Rican trans actress, Holly Woodlawn. Considered to be one of the most influential and important trans icons during the 1970s; Holly, is most notably known as being the muse to Lou Reed’s 1972 hit glam rock song, “Walk on the Wild Side”. Having been discovered by Andy Warhol at a screening of “Flesh” (1968), Holly went on to star in several underground cult favorites, such as, “Trash” (1970) and “Women in Revolt” (1971). The film follows Eve (Woodlawn), a small-town aspiring actress from Kansas as she navigates New York City, and meets an ensemble cast of eccentric characters.

Academy Film Archive preservation DCP world premiere. 

FORMAT: DCP

ABOUT THE SHORTS SHOWCASES: 

Section 1 – Portraits of Paradise: Documentary Film 

Portraits of Paradise features documentary shorts examining themes of identity and the exploration of time and space. From forensic excavations to B movie sets, these shorts use experimental and narrative techniques to showcase a unique approach to documentary.

Jury: Imani Davis, American Cinematheque. 

Films include: 

“What Happened to Her,” 15 min, USA, Dir. Kristy Guevara-Flanagan. 

“What Happened to Her” is a forensic exploration of our cultural obsession with images of the dead woman on screen. Interspersing found footage from films and police procedural television shows and one actor’s experience of playing the part of a corpse, the film offers a meditative critique on the trope of the dead female body.

Courtesy of Women Make Movies

“Woman from Mars,” 41 min, USA, Dir. Piano Whitman. 

Dylan Mars Greenberg, an independent filmmaker from New York City, shares her personal struggles and achievements as a minority in the filmmaking industry.

Section 2 – Bella Donna of Madness: Experimental Animated Shorts 

Bella Donna of Madness encapsulates animated shorts combining narrative and experimental aesthetics creating a divine cathartic bridge between the two genres.

Jury: Marge Dean, Women in Animation President and Head of Studio at Skybound Entertainment 

Films include: 

“Opening Night,” 5 min, USA, Margaret Bialis 

Look within. Then dance it out. A man reflects on formative conflicts from his past with optimism, gratitude, and a little music.

 “Olga’s Self Insert Fanfiction,” 4 min, Canada, Dir. Ella Sanderson and Georgette Stefoulis. 

Olga is bored of the monotony of her life. When she finds an escape through her fanfiction, her fantasies run wild, becoming increasingly power hungry and ridiculous. Today, fanfiction.net. Tomorrow, the world. Why would she ever go back to reality?

“Terror Fervor,” 6 min, Canada, Dir. Phoebe Parsons. 

Informed by experimental films from the 1960s and 70s, Terror Fervor takes the viewer on a psychedelic non-linear journey through the vices of seven characters. The wordless journey of Terror Fervor plunges the viewer into an experience that is hard to classify and hard to forget.

 “The Desire of Mermaids,” 6 min, USA, Dir. Hannah Hamalian. 

Plunge deep below the surface of the water to encounter women in the process of a transformation. Women turn to the pressure of the water to find reprieve from the expectation to be something other than what they are.

Section 3 – Gore GAL-ore: Horror Genre Shorts 

Gore GAL-ore unearths the veil of horror through the exploration of life and the beyond. This showcase features unique classical horror with strong feminist characters and extraordinary atmosphere.

Jury: Heidi Honeycutt, Etheria Film Night 

Films include: 

“The Only Thing I Love More than You is Ranch Dressing ,” 1 min, USA, Dir. Sydney Clara Brafman. 

Ranch. Dipped. Chicken. Fingers.

“Buffalo & Trout,” 13 min, USA, Dir. Presley Paras. 

Two female addicts, Buffalo and Trout, are hired to rob a white supremacists house. Once arriving to the house they are faced with a decision; either take the money and call it a job well done, or stay and rescue the young kidnapped couple being tortured by a group of white supremacists.

“Yes, Mother,” 10 min, USA, Dir. Misha Calvert. 

Two faithful cult wives discover a secret message from their guru-husband, which launches a bizarre role play that eventually leads them to an extraordinary new land.

 “The Boogeywoman,” 18 min, USA, Dir. Erica Scoggins. 

“The Boogeywoman” is a coming of age story about the horrors and wonders of becoming a woman: the evolution of our bodies, our perceived inadequacies, our stereotypes. The continued secrecy and shame surrounding the most natural and marked change in a girl’s life is here transformed into an experience of newfound power and agency.

FORMAT: DCP