The seventh art is alive and thriving in the southeast. Hell, even Bogdanovich is teaching at North Carolina School of the Arts these days....
Now in its fourth year, the IndieGrits Film Festival takes place from April 14-18 in the same city that gave birth to the Southern Circuit [the only regional tour for indie filmmakers in the country] more than three decades ago. It boasts an amazing, dedicated staff and a singular, well-defined mission. Rather than simply bring in flicks that played bigger fests, IndieGrits programs films with ties to the south, whether filmmaker, location, or theme. Where else would you find a doc on the founder of South of the Border? The same place you'll find movies about barbecue, tobacco, visionary artists, cotton, evangelicals, Hank Williams, and pecan pie, yes, but also ones about drag queens and jihadists, not to mention plenty of experimental shorts and animation. And at IndieGrits, first-time media makers can end up on the same bill with vets of SXSW and other fests.
Last year I was lucky enough to serve as a juror. This year, ATL overlaps, so I can only make it to one night. I'm gutted to miss flicks like Passenger Pigeons, but I am elated to catch Gideon Kennedy and Marcus Rosentrater's short doc Clandestine and Aaron Katz's wildly acclaimed new feature Cold Weather, which screen out of competition.
