The 2020 Greater Farmington Film Festival is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs Minigrant Program, administered by Anton Art Center, and is made possible by a grant from the Farmington & Farmington Hills Foundation for Youth & Families and the generous support of our sponsors, including the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office, Farmington Friends of the Library, Bill Brown Ford, WOW 1 Day Painting, David & Abigail Viane, Falcon Community Foundation, Friends of the Farmington Community Library, Lindhout Associates Architects, Kirco Manix, Farmington Civic Theater, Oakland Community College, and Holocaust Memorial Center.
The Prison Within
Directed by Katherin Hervey
Narrated by Hill Harper
(Documentary Feature, 85 Minutes)
Thursday, March 19th at 7:30 pm
Smith Theatre at Oakland Community College
Katherin Hervey, director of THE PRISON WITHIN, will join us for a Q&A following the film.
Best Social Justice Documentary at 35th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival
THE PRISON WITHIN is a relevant and timely documentary exploring the destructive impact of untreated trauma on individuals and communities through the powerful stories of survivors of violent crimes and prisoners incarcerated for murder in San Quentin prison. The prisoners and survivors come together and participate in the Victim Offender Education Group (VOEG)—an innovative restorative justice program enabling prisoners to discover how the trauma they’ve experienced contributed to their criminality and to understand the impact their crimes have on their victims. Together, the prisoners and survivors confront and expose the pain and shame caused by the extreme trauma they’ve experienced throughout their lives.
Seattle-based Director Katherin Hervey, a former Los Angeles Public Defender and volunteer prison college instructor, is the first filmmaker to gain access to chronicle these intimate and revealing sessions inside San Quentin Prison. In a world where rehabilitation is vital for us as a society to heal the wounds of trauma, this film dives deeply into what is needed to move toward that goal.
Normie
Directed by Kurt Neale
(Documentary Feature, 74 Minutes)
Friday, March 20th at 7:00 pm
Farmington Civic Theater
When Annemarie looks in the mirror, she sees Down syndrome. She hates it. To her, the diagnosis is a giant barricade keeping her from the independence and intimacy she desperately desires. She embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to understand what it means to be normal.
“NORMIE is an incredibly powerful film about love and the fundamental, universal truth that despite our differences, we all have something special and unique to contribute to this world. Every life has value and I firmly believe that the true beauty of this world lies in us all being exactly who we are. This film will inspire meaningful, deeper conversations about inclusion and disrupt the status quo as we know it.”
Anthony K. Shriver - Founder, Chairman & CEO of Best Buddies International
Driveways
Directed by Andrew Ahn
(Narrative Feature, 83 Minutes)
Friday, March 20th at 9:00 pm
Farmington Civic Theater
Kathy (Golden Globe® Nominee Hong Chau), a single mother, travels with her shy eight-year-old son Cody to Kathy's late sister's house which they plan to clean and sell. As Kathy realizes how little she knew about her sister, Cody develops an unlikely friendship with Del (Golden Globe®, Tony® winner and acting legend Brian Dennehy), the Korean War vet and widower who lives next door. Over the course of a summer, and with Del's encouragement, Cody develops the courage to come out of his shell and, along with his mother, finds a new place to call home.
NYICFF Kid Flicks One
Catch the best short films from around the world for ages 3-7!
Presented in partnership with the New York International Children’s Film Festival
Saturday, March 21st at 10:30 am
Farmington Civic Theater
FREE
Children young and old will enjoy KID FLICKS ONE, brimming with fun and clever stories of growth and transformation.
If you’ve ever been the youngest of the group, you’ll sympathize with the little tadpole who always falls a tad behind in the charming KUAP. Catching up on penmanship is the name of the game if you want to graduate from pencils in the winning doc Pen Licence. Then little ones are in charge and grown-ups get to play when the hilarious Flipped reworks the script. These shorts and so much more await you!
Skid Row Marathon
Directed by Mark Hayes
(Documentary Feature, 85 Minutes)
Saturday, March 21st at 7:00 pm
Farmington Civic Theater
When a criminal court judge starts a running club on LA’s notorious skid row and begins training a motley group of addicts and criminals to run marathons, lives begin to change.
SKID ROW MARATHON follows four runners as they rise from the mean streets of LA to run marathons around the world, fighting the pull of homelessness and addiction at every turn.
Their story is one of hope, friendship, and dignity.
Directed by François Ozon
(Narrative Feature, French with English Subtitles, 137 Minutes)
Saturday, March 21st at 9:00 pm
Farmington Civic Theater
François Ozon's gripping drama follows three men who band together to dismantle the code of silence that continues to protect a priest who abused them decades ago. Based on events from the 2019 conviction of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon for concealing the conduct of Father Bernard Preynat, BY THE GRACE OF GOD compassionately illustrates the varying effects of trauma on survivors and their families in this urgent portrait of resistance, the power of mobilization, and the mysteries of faith.
The Euphoria of Being
Directed by Réka Szabó
(Documentary Feature, Hungarian with English Subtitles, 83 Minutes)
Human Rights Award, Sarajevo Film Festival, 2019
Sunday, March 22nd at 2:00 pm
Holocaust Memorial Center
“Throwing all caution to the wind, I asked a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor to create a dance theatre piece with me. I wanted everyone to see Éva Fahidi and to provide a space for her traumas in a dialogue with a young dancer, Emese. Where would the boundaries of understanding, of finding common ground lie? Would they be able to slip into each other’s skin? Can we ever learn from the past? This rehearsal period was one of the most profound periods of my life. The film takes us on a journey through the history of the 20th century, through loss, the power of dance, the ageing body, love, a relationship across a 60-year age gap, and life’s hidden strengths.” — Réka Szabó, Director