Chang Hands by Scott L Shwartz
Source: Courtesy of Scott L Schwartz
Taking place in Cincinnati, the first year film festival will feature world premieres of Scott Schwartz´s social/political drama CHANGING HANDS and Janice Tanaka´s documentary RIGHT OF PASSAGE, among 15 feature films, and 36 short films screening over the three days of the film festival. Helios will also feature vendor tables and displays from local businesses and industry professionals seeking to make a connection with production companies as well as a monologue competition to highlight local talent. Lana Read, Helios Film Festival Director, said, “It is a tremendous undertaking to launch a film festival, but the reward is in bringing filmmakers together with an audience and to introduce that audience to films that they might otherwise never have an opportunity to discover and enjoy on a big screen. We look forward to establishing the Helios Film Festival and Cincinnati as another beacon for independent film as well as the people that create them and the film goers that seek them out.“ Janice Tanaka´s RIGHT OF PASSAGE looks at the long struggle it took to get recognition and reparations for the survivors of the WWII Japanese internment/concentration camps in this country. The film serves as an eye opener to what happened to the Japanese Americans at that time, and also provides a look at the workings of government as well as the maneuvering that was necessary to get President Ronald Reagan onboard. Scott L. Schwartz´s CHANGING HANDS will have its official world premiere, having been an underground sensation since the film´s completion in 2010. The film follows the journey one gun takes and how it effects and sometimes ends the lives of the people it comes in contact with. Among the eclectic cast are Kevin Sorbo, Antonio Fargas, Erika Eleniak, Holt Boggs, and Vernon Wells. ------------------------THE SHORT FILMS SCREENED AT HELIOS FILM FESTIVAL-----------------------------------------------------------------------Among the short films screened at Helios are the two winners of the TentSquare Female Filmmaker Challenge held in partnership with the film festival; Christine Chen´s A BIRD´S NEST, about a lonely young boy who finds refuge from his troubled life in his secret hideout, until the day he befriends the girl next door, and Erin Le´s KEPLER X-47, about a woman that tries to escape a human zoo on an alien planet. Other highlights include a filmmaker poster competition, celebrating the design and visual impact of movie posters, a monologue competition for both adults and young actors looking for an opportunity to both impress a panel of judges and make contact with the attending filmmakers, as well as the inclusion of vendor tables at the Holiday Inn and Suites, Eastgate, which is hosting the film festival in the Queen City.
The vendor tables will offer a great setting for businesses that normally wouldn´t be involved in the film industry looking to connect with incoming and resident producers and filmmakers, Helios Film Festival Co-Director Ramsey Stoneburner said. “This is a fantastic opportunity for non-film related businesses to expand their clientele. There are so many ways that filmmakers and actors need support, from horseback riding skills to archery to combat training of all kinds, all the way through to production crews looking for antique and vintage cars or biplanes or other unique items like wardrobe and locations for films. What a great opportunity to get your business seen by a new set of eyes!“
