Veronica Maldonado's Blog

International documentary film festival brings an array of talent and entertainment to Denton
February 10^th-20^th, 2012

One of the “World’s Coolest Film Festivals” according to Movie Maker Magazine is reeling in some amazing material for this year.  Last year, The New York Times dubbed Thin Line Film Fest as “one of the things to do” that week.  TLFF did not disappoint, premiering films such as “Troubadours”, fresh from the Sundance Film Festival, and the Oscar-nominated, “Restrepo”.   

The 2012 festival promises to be bigger, better, and more revered – already having received nearly twice the number of films submitted to be considered than in the previous year.  This year more than 75 stellar films from around the globe will be screened at the historic Campus Theatre in downtown Denton, February 10th-20th, 2012.  This year also marks a few firsts for Thin Line.

“Ever since the beginning of the Thin Line concept, we have wanted a two-weekend festival and in 2012 this becomes a reality.” Butler is excited about 11 days of documentaries. “I know, it's crazy! These two weekends in February will be the new calendar home to Texas' International Documentary Film Festival. And as a bonus, instead of ending on the traditional Sunday, Thin Line will now take advantage of the Presidents Day holiday and offer a lineup of festival winners and crowd favorites.”

Another innovative idea added to the festival line up is a documentary race.  Filmmaking teams are invited to register starting January 16 in order to participate in the Docu-Denton 7K.  Each team will have 7,000 minutes to create a short documentary.  Not sure if your skills are up to par? Festival organizers have invited Dallas-based documentary filmmaker, Mark Birnbaum to present a Docu-Intensive Workshop on February 10.  The race begins at the end of the all-day Friday workshop and teams will have until the following Wednesday to turn in their completed work.  Screenings of the completed films will take place Saturday, February 18.  

Not destined to film?  Maybe you’re a writer?  Thin Line is inviting the public to become a part of Docu-Denton 7K by pitching a topic for the documentary race.  Topic ideas are being accepted through February 3 by submitting an idea in 300 words or less to topics@thinlinefilmfest.com.  If selected, your topic could be a filmmaking team’s short documentary on the Thin Line screen February 18.  (Visit www.thinlinefilmfest.com for complete details.)

Although the film line up has not quite been announced, we have an inside scoop on a few that have an “original” and “independent” Denton fit. 

• Southwest Premiere of The Love of Beer: Produced and Directed by Alison Grayson.  This film is a documentary devoted to the stories and passion of the women at the forefront of the Pacific Northwest beer community. The beer industry is exploding, but out of the approximately 50,000 craft beer workers, only 598 currently belong to the Pink Boots Society, an organization for women in the industry.  The documentary follows the struggles and accomplishments of women in the industry as they open door for females everywhere for the love of beer.
• Down: Indie rocke in the PRC: Produced and Directed by Andrew Field. 
  Down documents the indie rock music scene in China today.  From underground clubs to outdoor concerts and festivals, Down features some of the hottest bands in the PRC.  Filmed and narrated by Andrew David Field, Down includes interviews with band members, music promoters, and club owners, who are deeply invested in building up China's indie rock music scene.  Set in the context of modern China, Down highlights the disenchantment of youths resisting mainstream society.  It touches on universal themes of youthful alienation and freedom of expression, while also highlighting the power of music to bring people together.
  
  
• World Premier of Pure Fruit: Produced and Directed by Emile Bokaer. 
  Everybody has heard of vegetarianism. Many people know vegans. Practically no one has met (or seen) a fruitarian, someone whose diet consists of 100% fruit.  Pure Fruit, the first documentary film on fruitarianism, is a whimsical road movie that chronicles two fruitarian lovers' 3,000 kilometer journey from a Sydney, Australia housing project to tropical North Queensland, where they hope to settle in a climate of perpetual summer that will allow them to grow and eat copious amounts of nutritious, hearty tropical fruit. The fruitarians, desperate to escape suburban Sydney, hope to find a home among like-minded eaters.  Once they reach their destination in the tropics, they encounter a paradise stranger than they ever could have imagined.