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ShareI had the pleasure to participate in the 6th Annual Tucson Film & Music Festival, which wrapped up last week. The festival program offered an impressive variety of short and feature-length selections, including several state, regional, and world premieres.
As the festival name suggests, many of these works blended film and music. Among the more lyrical documentaries were Nicholas Kleczewski’s On a Carousel of Sound, We Go Round, about the touring and recording experiences of band The Snake the Cross the Crown, and Gianfranco Firriolo’s La faccia della terra (The Face of the Earth), which features Italian musician Vinicio Capossela and Calexico.
On a Carousel of Sound, We Go Round:
La faccia della terra (The Face of the Earth):
There were also films that explored the history of specific bands or music scenes. Lev Anderson and Chris Metzler’s Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone takes viewers inside the influential California band Fishbone, who appeared after the screening for a Q & A session and energetic live performance. Laura Crosta’s SING goes on the road with Hotel Café—a contemporary folk/rock music venue and collective based in Los Angeles. Vancouver is the at the center of Melissa James and Kate Kroll’s No Fun City, which makes a case for supporting live music and DIY culture in a city increasingly hostile to independent venues.
Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone:
No Fun City:
Perhaps the most unique feature was Geoff Marslett’s MARS. The film stars Mark Duplass, Cynthia Watros, Zoe Simpson, Paul Gordon, Howe Gelb, and a scene-stealing Kinky Friedman in a love story about the search for life on Mars. Marslett’s animation process is imaginative and serves the mixture of science fiction and romantic comedy.
Mars:
