It’s that time of year again. Leaves are falling all around. Pumpkin spice in the air. High boots and scarves are in the regular rotation. Baseball season is over.
And SNOB is back in town.
That’s right, the annual Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival is back for another year, and it’s right here in Concord once again.
The festival is a celebration of all things indie – music, beer and, obviously, film.
People from all over New England descend upon the capital city every fall to take in all the cool stuff the festival has to offer – most of it with strong ties to the Granite State. Whether you’re a film buff, a beer buff, a music buff or not even a buff at all, there’s something for everyone at this festival.
It’s a chance to experience some under-the-radar kind of stuff. Anyone can go to a big chain movie theater that sells Bud Light to see the latest big-budget Bradley Cooper movie that features a Taylor Swift-heavy soundtrack, but what’s so special about that?
At SNOB, you get the chance to discover local filmmakers who work on minuscule budgets to produce high-quality, engaging and entertaining films. You also get the chance to hear local musicians show off their skills. And all the while, you can sip away at one of many interesting craft beers made right here in New Hampshire.
The whole thing really fits in with Concord’s local-focused downtown. There’s a reason you don’t see Starbucks and Wal-Mart right on the main drag.
But all of this high praise doesn’t really do much good if people don’t know where it is and when certain things are going on.
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
In keeping with tradition here at the Insider, we decided we’d go ahead and give you the rundown once again. After all, it’s only fair. You pick up our paper, we give you all the goods.
All films at Red River Theatres.
Thursday, Nov. 12
6:30 p.m.
Theater A: Brew Hampshire, directed by Meagan Frappiea and Bryant Naro.
The film will explore the craft brew culture in New Hampshire, and discover how New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die” culture attracts brewers with an entrepreneurial and artistic spirit.
Theater B: Leaves of the Tree, directed by Ante Novakovic.
Patrick Messina (a once-powerful patent lawyer sidetracked by a life-threatening disease) attempts to regain his professional identity and career after being pushed out of (Max Medica) a major pharmaceutical firm. At a meeting with his last client, Joe Buffa, he unexpectedly comes across the case of a doctor studying the possible medicinal value of leaves from a centuries-old olive tree. Patrick’s journey to identify “the tree” in Sicily uncovers an ancient biblical myth, or miracle of science? Past, present and future intersect through the ongoing struggle of doubt, belief and faith for all that come in contact with what may or may not be a living symbol of religious lore.
8:30 p.m.
Theater A: Dumbbells, directed by Christopher Livingston.
Dumbbells is a light-hearted buddy comedy set amongst a group of misfit employees who work in a struggling fitness center in the Los Angeles area. Reminiscent in tone to independent films such as Waiting and Office Space, with an element that pays homage to the dialogue-rich ’80s throwback comedies like National Lampoons.
The movie focuses on Chris Long, a washed-up college hoop star turned trainer, who’s plagued by bitterness from past misfortunes. Having once had plans for a lucrative NBA career and “the easy life,” Chris now finds himself in an existence that lacks purpose and direction. The story takes a turn when new owner, Jack Guy, arrives…
Theater B: “Friends and Family” block of short films. Films include:
∎ Max
∎ The Farthest Apple From the Tree
∎ Signing
∎ Say Something
∎ Jewish Blind Date
∎ Margaret
∎ I Don’t Want To Rest – Madalia
∎ The Coin
Friday, Nov. 13
Noon
“30 Minute Movies” – pick a short film then pick another. It’s two short films for one ticket.
∎ Jacob’s Paradox
∎ Sound Like Silence
∎ Finding Forever
∎ “The Jeffs”: Jef Needs Ice Cream & Jeffrey Kills a Guy
1:45 p.m.
Theater A: Dog Days of Winter , directed by Brian Gilmore.
Dog Days Of Winter is a retrospective on the start-up of organized freestyle skiing during the early 1970s in America. Told from the point of view of some of the most influential pioneers of the sport, Dog Days tells the story of key people and events that set the stage for the birth of the sport, the spirit that freestyle is rooted in, factors that took the “free” out of freestyle and reflections on what has become of the sport today.
A Waterville Valley ski pass will be given away at the screening.
Theater B: “World Cinema” block of short films. Films include:
Jewish Blind Date (Switzerland)
Give and Break (Norway)
Cinnamon (U.K.)
A Beacon in Havana (Cuba)
Panadero: Life of a Galician Bread Man (Spain)
You Are Whole (U.K.)
3:30 p.m.
Theater A: And the Circus Leaves Town , directed by Mete Sozer.
A mysterious stranger’s arrival in a small rundown town with a dark and deadly past sets off a chain of unexpected events.
Turkish with subtitles.
Theater B: “Life or Death” block of short films. Films include:
∎ More than One
∎ Life Lessons
∎ Salvation – Jacob Augustine
∎ Respiration
∎ Mirage
∎ Promise Me
∎ Two Landscapes
∎ The Cat’s Cradle
6:30 p.m.
Theater A: Slingshot , directed by Paul Lazarus.
Slingshot focuses on Segway inventor Dean Kamen, his fascinating life and his work to solve the world’s water crisis.
A quirky genius, Kamen lives in a house with secret passages, a closet full of denim and a helicopter garage. His latest passion: the SlingShot water purification system created to obliterate half of human illness on the planet.
Slingshot is about an indomitable man who just might have enough innovative thinking to create a solution for a crisis affecting billions.
Theater B: “Twisted Tales” block of short films. Films include:
∎ You Are Whole
∎ Anxiety #5
∎ What Goes Around
∎ Beauty Shot
∎ Cinnamon
∎ Sucker
∎ The Hunter’s Head
∎ Blood
∎ Holtered
8:30 p.m.
Theater A: The Final Girls , directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson.
When Max (Taissa Farmiga) and her friends reluctantly attend an anniversary screening of “Camp Bloodbath,” the infamous ’80s horror film that starred Max’s late mother (Malin Akerman), they are mysteriously sucked into the silver screen. They soon realize they are trapped inside the cult classic movie and must team up with the fictional and ill-fated camp counselors, including Max’s mom as the scream queen, to battle the film’s machete-wielding killer. With the body count rising in scene after iconic scene, who will be the final girls left standing and live to escape this film? The Final Girls is a genre-blending horror comedy also starring Adam DeVine, Thomas Middleditch, Alia Shawkat with Alexander Ludwig and Nina Dobrev.
Theater B: “Short Docs” block of short documentaries. Documentaries include:
∎ Ron Taylor: Dr. Baseball
∎ Voices Unlocked: A True Story
∎ The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow
∎ The Nike Chariot Earring
∎ A Beacon in Havana
10:30 p.m.
Theater A: Not That Guy!! , directed by Terry Traynor.
Happy-go-lucky Nathan Hale (Roarke Traynor) is a kid from Connecticut with culinary dreams, who just happened to have his identity stolen by a hacker, in the employ of the infamous mobster, Red Sloan (Chris Estes). Hale’s quick wit and slight of hand have gotten him out of many scraps, but he’s going to need more than tricks to get him out of this predicament. Enter ex-cop S. Temple (Killarney Traynor), a private investigator whose unorthodox crime-fighting techniques are about to lose her her license. The District Attorney has offered her one last chance: find and bring Hale in to testify against Sloan. But when Sloan hires an assassin to kill Hale, things start to get complicated…
Theater B: “Twisted Too” block of short films. Films include:
∎ When Driver Met Guardian
∎ Mine
∎ Solve
Saturday, Nov. 14
10 a.m.
∎ Kids’ films TBA
∎ Filmmaker Meetup with NH Film & Television Office
Noon
“30 Minute Movies” – pick a short film and then pick another. It’s two short films for one ticket.
∎ Dreaming Don’t Make It So
∎ The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow
∎ 27
∎ East of Hollywood
1:30 p.m.
Theater A: Building Magic , directed by Kal Toth.
A coming-of-age story for the DIY generation, Building Magic features an original soundtrack by Rob Carey & The Headlocks. The film has caught the attention and support of actor Kyle MacLachlan ( Twin Peaks, Portlandia ) and documentarian Ken Burns.
This is a film for anyone who has ever had a dream.
Theater B: “603 Student Films” block of short films made by N.H. high school, college and graduate students. Films include:
∎ When in War (HS)
∎ Approval (HS)
∎ Guarder of Lives (C)
∎ What Goes Around (C)
∎ Wolf Man (HS)
∎ Signing (G)
3:15 p.m.
Theater A: What Does it Mean to be a Man , directed by Ray Harrington.
What does it mean to be a man? Comedian Ray Harrington has struggled with that question all of his life. Like many, he was raised by a single mother without any male influences to guide his awkward stumble into manhood. Now with a baby on the way, Ray realizes that before he can be a father, he needs to know what it means to be a man. Be A Man is a personal and heartwarming look at one man’s struggle to find his place in the world. Often laugh-out-loud funny, the film is wonderfully touching as Ray and his film crew welcome the viewer in as another friend on the journey of examining manliness and masculinity in modern culture.
Theater B: “Searching…” block of short films. Films include:
∎ A Bad Luck Guy in a Bad Luck Town
∎ The Search for the Monster of Lake Quannapowitt
∎ Walker
∎ Mirage
∎ I Don’t Want to Rest – Madalia
∎ Haunted
∎ When in War
4:30 p.m.
Theater B: “…& More” block of short films. Films include:
∎ Anxiety #5
∎ Two Landscapes
∎ Say Something
∎ Beauty Shot
∎ The Coin
∎ The Priest
∎ Max
6:30 p.m.
Theater A: Back in Time , directed by Jason Aron.
Through interviews with key cast and crew, including Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis and Michael J. Fox, as well as DeLorean Time Machine owners, superfans and the inventors of the very first, real working hoverboard, the film looks at how the ( Back to the Future ) movies came to be, and why they’ve had such a lasting effect on the world.
Prizes for the best Back to the Future outfits.
Theater B: “Odd Jobs” block of short films. Films include:
∎ The Naked Truth About Fairies
∎ Total Performance
∎ Stoop
∎ Holtered
∎ Guarder of Lives
∎ The Battle
8:30 p.m.
Theater A: Mission to Lars , directed by Katie Canty and James Moore.
Kate and Will Spicer promise their brother, Tom, who suffers from Fragile X syndrome, that they will help him meet his hero, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.
Theater B: “Dirty (Bloody) Jobs” block of short films.
∎ A Way Out
∎ the good boy
∎ Mannish Boy
∎ Annulment
∎ Defacto Inc.
∎ Blood
∎ Jeffrey Kills a Guy
Sunday, Nov. 15
1:30 p.m.
Encore. “603 Short Films” block of short films made in New Hampshire. Films include:
∎ The Priest
∎ Defacto Inc.
∎ Respiration
∎ I Don’t Want to Rest – Madalia
∎ Jef Needs Ice Cream
∎ Haunted
∎ The Hunter’s Head
∎ Salvation – Jacob Augustine
For a complete schedule and all updated information, visit snobfilmfestival.com and facebook.com/SNOBFilmFestival. This was the schedule at the time of publication. Times and theaters are subject to change.
Red River Theatres is located at 11 S. Main St. Visit redrivertheatres.org for information on parking and directions, along with everything you need to know about the movies that will appear in the SNOB Film Festival.
Want to know more about the festival? Well, turn back to page 17 and start flipping through. There’s lots of great stuff that will blow your mind. Happy reading!
