The Rural Route Film Festival has been created to highlight works that deal with rural people and places. While the term "rural" is defined by Webster's Dictionary as: 1) Of or relating to the country: RUSTIC 2) Of or relating to people who live in the country 3) Of or relating to farming: AGRICULTURAL, the creators of Rural Route Film Festival leave it up to you, the film and video artists, to explain your own definition of "rural."

The 2005 Rural Route Film Festival will take place in New York City at Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue (at 2nd Street), from Thursday, July 21 through Sunday, July 24. Fest will exhibit 28 hours of rural-themed films to 1,500 people over the four-day event. Tickets are $8.00 for all films. Opening night concert tickets for AKRON/FAMILY are $10.00 each. Tickets will be available for purchase at the Anthology box office and will be available 6/27 online at ruralroutefilms.com.

Fest Co-Director Alan Weber is ecstatic about the growth this year. "We've evolved from a video screening in a hipster bar in Brooklyn to an international showcase in a major film venue. It's exciting to have the festival at Anthology. It's such a New York City film staple."

Fest program to double the number of features from last year to six, including four narrative features and two documentaries. Opening night will kickoff with Jim Jarmusch's Western-deconstruction DEAD MAN, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the film's premiere at Cannes. Fest will also present Katherine Lindberg's award-winning RAIN, the feminist Neo-Noir set in Iowa and executive produced by Martin Scorsese. Other features include Joseph L. Anderson's SPRING NIGHT SUMMER NIGHT, a striking example of 60's independent regional cinema shot in the remote coal-mining hills of Southern Ohio, Elizabeth Barret's STRANGER WITH A CAMERA, an affecting documentary from Appalachia as much about the murder of a Canadian documentarian as it is about the ethics of journalism, Philip Dolan's B MOVIE, with a fresh take on the classic form, and Hawes Bostic and Austin McKenna's BARBECUE IS A NOUN, which offers a documentary look at Southern cuisine.

Fest also to include trademark shorts programs, giving a fresh perspective on rural life in the modern world. Programs include THEY WALK THE LINE, a view of rugged individuals, CHANGIN' OLD WAYS, about rural life in the new millennium, EURO ROUTE selections from Europe, and HENS, DRUGS, N' TECHNO, the outlet for displaced urbanites. Each program runs approximately 90 minutes. Music videos from critically-admired record labels Drag City (Joanna Newsom, Bonnie, Prince Billy), Saddle Creek (Bright Eyes, Beep, Beep), and Trailer (Bo Ramsey) will also be screened as a rare treat on a the big screen amongst the shorts programs.

In addition to the kickoff screening of DEAD MAN, opening night, July 21, will include a concert performance by popular psych folk Young God Recording artists, AKRON/FAMILY - four extremely nice, sincere and well-mannered young men from rural America who came to NYC to make music (preceeded by Amsterdam's Faking Brave). Show starts promptly at 9:30 PM at Anthology Film Archives.

The Filmmaker party on Friday night July 22 at Sin-e will host the CD release extravaganza for East Village alt-country rocker Earl Pickens's new album COUNTRY MUSIC JUKEBOX. Earl's wry, catchy songs and pseudo-rock-star stage antics have earned him a loyal following among rural hipsters and urban hillbillies alike. Sin-e is located at 148-50 Attorney Street. Admission is free. Preceded by alt-country acts Jessie Yamas at 9:00 and The Roulette Sisters at 10:00, Earl goes on at 11:00.

Film submissions have doubled from last year. According to Mike Schmidt, fest Co-Director, "We got an incredible amount of quality work. It's ridiculous. We had to axe some truly great films." The Rural Route program was culled from over 250 submissions from all over the US and 10 other countries from Europe to South America to Australia.

Past Rural Route highlights include Independent Spirit Award Winner HYBRID by Monteith McCollum, and winner of Best Short Film at Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival, SOBRE LA TIERRA by Maria Florencia Alvarez.

After the New York City debut, the Rural Route Film Fest hits the road every year. Last year's fest hit 10 cities, traveling from Seattle to Amsterdam and hitting Bozeman, Cedar Rapids, Pasadena, Athens (GA), Leidan (Holland) and others in between.

PRESS SCREENINGS

RAIN (93 min, 35mm)
Directed by Katherine Lindberg
JULY 6 3:00 PM at ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES

SPRING NIGHT SUMMER NIGHT (83 min, 35mm)
Directed by Joseph L. Anderson
JULY 7 3:00 PM at ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES

Katherine Lindberg and Joseph L. Anderson available to interview. Contact Emily Brunt. press@ruralroutefilms.com 917.826.8916

VHS SCREENERS AVAILABLE FOR ALL OTHER FILMS UPON REQUEST


2005 RRFF SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, JULY 21 - COURT HOUSE THEATRE at ANTHOLOGY
6:30 PM DEAD MAN by Jim Jarmusch, 120 min.
9:30 PM AKRON/FAMILY Concert

FRIDAY, JULY 22 - DEREN THEATRE at ANTHOLOGY
7:00 PM RAIN (Katherine Lindberg) 93 min. (Q&A w/ director to follow)
9:30 PM CHANGIN' OLD WAYS shorts program, 87 min.

9:00 PM Filmmaker's Party with music by EARL PICKENS (at Sin-e, 148-150 Attorney St.)

SATURDAY, JULY 23 - DEREN THEATRE at ANTHOLOGY
1:00 PM CHANGIN' OLD WAYS Shorts Program, 87 min.
3:00 PM EURO ROUTE shorts program, 86 min.
5:15 PM STRANGER WITH A CAMERA by Elizabeth Barret, 61 min.
7:15 PM SPRING NIGHT SUMMER NIGHT by Joseph L. Anderson, 83 min.
(Q&A w/ director and producer Franklin Miller to follow)
9:30 PM THEY WALK THE LINE shorts program, 90 min.

SUNDAY, JULY 24 - DEREN THEATRE at ANTHOLOGY
1:00 PM THEY WALK THE LINE shorts program, 90 min.
3:00 PM HENS, DRUGS, N' TECHNO shorts program, 75 min.
5:00 PM B MOVIE by Philip Dolin, 74 min. (Q&A w/ director to follow)
7:30 PM BBQ IS A NOUN by Hawes Bostic and Austin McKenna 75 min. (Q&A w/ director to follow)