Here’s part two in this season’s series of screener review clips. In this one Tim digs in to The Buck Johnson Story by Drew McCray, an entry in our narrative short category. Looks great!

To enjoy the full capacity of the human body, free of any physical or mental obstruction, is to walk in privileged shoes while in the eyes of those who simply cannot use or control their frames in the same way. These physically-challenged individuals are often relegated to a life of confinement under the social guise of protection or prevention. While there have been great strides made to accommodate special needs in recent decades, we still have a long way to go. An Irish film starring James McAvoy addresses this issue in a refreshing and earnest way.

RORY OʼSHEA WAS HERE opens at the Carrigmore Residential Home for the Disabled in Dublin. Weʼre introduced to a number of residents including Michael Connelly (Steven Robertson): a 24-year-old man who suffers from Cerebral Palsy. A long-term resident at Carrigmore, Michael still must use a letter chart to communicate with others due to his speech impediment, until a new resident rolls through Carrigmore. Enter the incomparable Rory OʼShea (James McAvoy): a rebellious lad living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who, among other talents, can understand every word Michael says. And after an impromptu trip out on the town where they first meet the enchanting and down-to-earth Siobhan (Romola Garai), Michael warms to the idea of being on his own. All this while Rory grows uneasy following his 21st birthday. Youʼll have to watch this movie to see how the rest unfolds.

Directed by Damien OʼDonnell, RORY OʼSHEA WAS HERE (also entitled INSIDE IʼM DANCING) is a well-crafted and uplifting look at how the physically challenged yearn to overcome all obstacles before them in order to live an ordinary life — filled with friendship, hope and loss.

YEAR: 2004

MPAA RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hr. 44 min.

SEE IT MOMENT: When Michael sees Siobahn dancing at a nightclub.

HEAR IT MOMENT: “Sure itʼs dancing! What do you think Iʼm doing on the inside?”

Starting now and continuing past our 2011 festival, we’re excited to announce that Unsung Movie Hero is joining the Festivus team.

A seasoned Hollywood writer and producer, Unsung Movie Hero is dedicated to finding and reviewing those overlooked or unsung movies that deserve more attention. UMH first fell in love with the cinema as a child, practically growing up either in a movie theater or in front of the TV. Not one to be pretentious about film knowledge or individual preference, UMH has always thought of himself as the ultimate movie fan whose expectations vary with each different genre. And now, the genre he follows most is the one heʼs helping to uncover: those hidden movies we love so much.

Unsung Movie Hero is a featured contributor at the MOVIE MONDAY fan page on

Facebook (www.facebook.com/moviemonday).

We’re starting up with our review clips for the 2011 season. This is a great opportunity for filmmakers and film fans to hear about what’s hot directly from the screeners. We’ll be posting 1-2 of these per week continuing until the final selections have been made.

Sometimes gritty indie flicks just feel better. There’s a hunger with independent film that Hollywood could never understand. (Hunger like a drunk chubby kid lusting after pancakes after a long night of drinking. Thank you Denny’s.)
Anyway, remember Pi? Can you imagine how much yam-sack that would have sucked if they casted Edward Norton instead of Sean Gullette?Here’s five that should have gone the other way in no discernible order:

5) Shutter Island. Sorry Marty, we saw this one coming a mile away. Put it in the hands of a fresh-out-film-school grad and something tells me Leo figures the whole thing out in a 25-minute continuous one-shot in front of a mirror whilst opening up a vein.

4) Avatar. Put makeup skills to the test. And if it fails miserably, at least you end up with something close to Showgirls — not a total loss.

3) Transformers. Actually they already did is one low-budget in the 1980s and it featured Orson Welles as the voice of Omicron. Better than Michael Bay could ever do. You’re welcome.

2) Terminator: Salvation. Only because I like Christian Bale and had this been an indie/student film he wouldn’t have sounded like such a miserable jerk calling someone a “f-ing amateur.”

1) Step Up 3D. Only because real filmmakers would have benched it from word one.

-Aaron Cole aaron@festivusfilmfestival.com

The opinions above are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Festivus Film Festival.

At this point in our yearly schedule we’re well into our submission process. Our selection team is working hard to bring you yet another awesome program for 2011. Starting next week you’ll be seeing a lot more activity on our website, so check back often. We’ve started doing our ever-popular “screener clips” again to give you an inside peek into our selection process. In addition, we’ll be bringing you exclusive commentary from talented writers like Aaron Cole. So stay tuned, and prepare to soak up all the indie-film goodness that will be coming your way, right here on festivusfilmfestival.com!

So the earlybird deadline has come and gone. No need to worry. Our submission fees remain low throughout our entire submission process. The next deadline is the standard deadline on September 25, so get your work in before then!

Our earlybird deadline for this season is July 10. Just a heads up- this is the best time to submit because our submission fees are at their lowest. Save yourself a few bucks and get your work in asap! Just click on the SUBMISSIONS tab for the details.

Don’t forget the newest step-child of the Festivus Film Festival is coming up! Laugh Track Comedy Fest happens July 23 and 24 at the Bug Theatre. The schedule as well as ticketing info has been posted on the Laugh Track website. It’s an awesome program. Loads of hilarious shorts and a really great lineup of stand-up comics as well. It’s going to be a blast!

At Festivus 2009 filmmaker Marc Havener won our award for Best Editing for his film And What Remains. A year later we’re still in awe of this 10 minute short. Not only was the editing absolutely incredible, but so was the cinematography, writing, acting, everything. A great example of a perfectly-crafted short film. Continuing on the festival circuit And What Remains has now screened at more than 40 festivals, winning numerous awards.

Marc- we’re so proud that you chose to screen at Festivus Film Festival, and wish you all the success you deserve! Check out a great article about the film on Lawrence.com.

Last season we had a remarkable number of world premieres, (14 actually) plus countless U.S. and regional premieres. It’s always great to get updates from our newest friends on the festival circuit. One of those new notables is Nathaniel Eyde. His short film Black Ops Arabesque had it’s world premiere at Festivus 2010. Since then he’s screened at a lot of top-notch fests, including SXSW, Atlanta FF, Sonoma FF, Dallas Intl, Ann Arbor FF, and more.

Nathaniel says, “Since our premiere at Festivus in January, we’ve had an absolute blast showing the film. The best part is seeing the audience reaction when we make our genre-bending shift from what looks like an action movie to something very different.”

Nathaniel, it’s awesome to hear you’re doing so well on the circuit! We’ve excited for you, and can’t wait to see what comes next!

Yep, it’s finally upon us. Submissions for Festivus 2011 are now open. Hard to believe it’s been 4 years since our very first Call for Entries! We’re all so proud of our first three seasons, and can’t wait until the fourth. We’ve created something that both filmmakers and audience members really enjoy, and we’d love for you to be a part of it. The earlybird submission period runs for just over a month, and offers our cheapest submission fees, so it’s your best opportunity to submit and save a few dollars. As always, don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions. We look forward to seeing your work!

One of the most exciting developments we’ve been working on during our down time is a spin off from one of our fan favorite blocks, the Laugh Track Comedy Shorts. It’s been so popular over the last three years that we decided to give it it’s very own festival! So coming up July 23 + 24, Denver will get the chance to welcome the Laugh Track Comedy Fest to the scene! This two day event will feature not only comedic short films but live stand-up comedy. With the Bug Theatre as our host, you’re not going to want to miss this one. Head over to the new Laugh Track website for more details. See you there!

Well folks, there has been a lot going on behind the scenes for the last few months here at Festivus. We’ve officially become a non-profit corporation, and our 501c3 application is currently being reviewed by Uncle Sam. Not only that, but we’ve picked our dates for Festivus 2011! It’s going to be January 13-16. We’ll be opening up for submissions again here in a couple of weeks, so keep posted for that. Filmmakers- remember  it’s always cheaper to submit your work before the earlybird deadline! More to come soon…

           It seems like just yesterday we were getting together to start planning out our third season. 10 months later, and it’s come and gone! Year three was a record year for Festivus in every imaginable way. We blew away our past attendance numbers. We had 12 WORLD PREMIERES, along with numerous US and Colorado Premieres. We had a filmmaker travel all the way from Turkey to present his work (thank you Savas!) Certainly a new record for distance-traveled. We had more filmmakers attend, stronger programming, far more media coverage, great filmmaker Q&A sessions, wilder nightlife events, and more supportive sponsors (without you this wouldn’t be possible!) When the Festivus family got together for the first time all those years ago and decided to start a film fest, this year’s festival was the one we always dreamed of having. Thank you to everyone who helped make Festivus FF one of the hottest young film fests in North America!

We’ll be posting lots of pics up here on the website, but until then head over to our Facebook fan page to check them out there.

Can’t believe it’s all over… what a ride! We’ll be posting lots of post-fest pics and follow-ups in the next couple of weeks. Here’s a little something to check out in the mean time: we’re on MetroMix! Special thanks for Josh Barret for the great coverage… there’s probably 50 pics up there from our Awards Blowout.

Online ticketing ends 12 hours before any screening, but don’t worry, there are plenty of TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR. See you there!

Great screenings, great Q&A with some talented filmmakers, and a great show afterwards with The Knew. Tickets are still available for all Saturday shows, but get there early to make sure you get a good seat. Don’t forget- the awards blowout is tonight at the Sportsbook. You WILL NOT want to miss. See you tonight!

Thanks to everyone that came out to our opening night. Both screenings were a blast, and our shorts program even sold out! Great afterparty too- guess nobody told the Festivus folks it was a weekday! Anyways we have another great night planned for you. Tonight all screenings will be at the Oriental. Things kick off at 6:45, just check our SCHEDULE for details. Pre-sale ticketing has closed, but tickets will be available at the door. Stick around after the screenings and rock out with The Knew, starting their set around 10:30. See you there!

It’s finally here! Opening Night! All screenings tonight are at the Bug Theatre. (Don’t forget, the Bug Theatre is a cash-only venue.) Here’s the schedule:

• Thor at the Bus Stop - 6:45p. Also screens with Saft. Doors open at 6:00.
• Opening Night Shorts Program - 9:00p. Includes the short films Ain’t Got No Body, Rainbow Chasers, Almas, True Beauty This Night, City of Noise, Alisha, and Miracle Investigators.
• Opening Night Party: Forest Room 5 -Things kick off around 10:30.

Tickets will be available at the door for both screenings. For detailed information on the films, click on our SCHEDULE / TIX tab.