Still from “Unpunished,” directed by Chico Bryant
Spring, that ever-fleeting season between malingering winter and venomous summer, yields one treat that feeds the energy of film fans in the city. It’s the Kansas City FilmFest International, which opens this weekend and runs through Mar. 30 at the AMC Parkway 14. This year’s festival, its 29th, includes 126 titles in short and feature-length narrative and documentary films. Notably, in the latter, will be the revealing peak into the lives of two compelling figures of music and art, “One to One: John & Yoko,” co-directed by Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards.
But, as KCFFI has aimed to do since its 1996 inception, it weaves the work of local filmmakers and studio offerings under its umbrella to “celebrate the power of storytelling.”
The four-day festival includes documentaries that take on themes of community, accountability and acceptance. The selection of documentaries includes the following:
DOCUMENTARIES
“The Foot: A Community Remembered.” Writer-director Gary Francis Quigg talks to former residents of the historic Jefferson City neighborhood that was a hub of Black culture before it was destroyed for a highway. When a sign is put up declaring the now desolate area a historic site, one of the residents said he’d gladly take an axe to it. “Urban renewal,” said Glover W. Brown, interviewed before his passing, “was the most callous thing the white man could have ever have done to me.”
“Park on the Dragon’s Tale.” Samuel P. Jones and Brandon Fitzgerald visit the once flourishing Friendship Park, which is situated on the border of Mexico and the United States and which used to provide a meeting place of families who, though separated, could touch hands. By the 2010s, the park’s open visitation policy was limited to weekends with tighter fences and increased security. The park’s U.S.-approved replacement walls were completed in 2022, but the park, which was inaugurated in 1971 by First Lady Pat Nixon, is yet to be reopened.
“Return to Cheyenne.” Director Jaime Wilkin introduces Jonnie Jonckowski, a former Olympic athlete, who ended a 52-year ban on women competing in roughstock in professional rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyoming’s Frontier Days after the death decades earlier of cowgirl Bonnie McCarroll. The event, called the “daddy of them all,” provided a pivotal stage for reclaiming the right to compete as a woman. As Jankowski says in a 1980s interview of the time, “We’re not trying to steal the show. We just want to ride broncs.”
“Ride in Paradise.” Producing/writing/directing couple Kent and Anna Thalman deliver a concise portrait of Brad Behl, who, impelled by the death of his brother in 2013, began riding his motorcycle across the country to deliver teddy bears to other families who were grieving. The rides became a mission and one that fostered a community of the families he visited.
“The Sunshine Dreamer.” Titled after the band of Ryan Benton, a Wichita, Kansas-based musician diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the film explores the hopes and struggles of Benton and other Duchenne families whose success stories with stem cell treatment are ignored by Congress and the pharmaceutical industry. The film, written by Ryan Benton and directed by Shawn Rhodes, will be a conversation starter even as the upbeat music of Benton, who passed away in 2023, plays out the credits.
“Unpunished.” On May 19, 2019, Louisiana police stopped Ronald Greene, a bartender and well-loved community figure; he was unarmed. The true story of what happened to Greene and the cover-up that ensued is revealed by director Chico Bryant through interviews with Greene’s mother, journalists, members of the NAACP and a former patrolman. And, the police camera footage to terrifying and brutal effect. “I’m your brother,” were Greene’s last words.
NARRATIVE FEATURES AND SHORTS
Besides the evocative “Holland,” directed by Mimi Cave and starring Nicole Kidman, there are 15 narrative features and a whopping 62 narrative shorts, a sample of which include:
“Courage.” Eric Michael Hernandez finds inspiration in embracing his Native American culture. The film is warmly planted in the 1980s and closes with footage of Hernandez’ performances and a Ted talk.
“Great Plains Repertory.” Anthony Ladesich directs Scott Cordes and Matt Rapport in Justin Mohn’s tale of a down-but-not-completely-out playwright. Adding to the frontier ambiance is Jeff Freling’s score.
“Icebox.” Filmmaker Patrick Rea, working off Jerry Field’s screenplay, delivers a tight film where gloves and their absence become the comic rejoinder for an unexpected ride.
“Overtime.” Martin Molpeceres’ tale of an exterminator of supernatural pests and his eager new hire hinges on the unlikelihood of the two bonding. Shao Jean Sim’s original score reinforces the film’s humor and warmth.
“Sally, Get the Potatoes.” A precocious girl makes the most of being the youngest in a family whose parents announce their pending divorce right before their holiday party. A laundry hamper ride provides moments both humorous and tender in this charmer by writer/director Danicah Waldo.
“Val.” This quiet and disquieting look at domestic abuse by Dezi Barr follows a day of a teen mother. As though to punish herself, she replays a voicemail from her mother, whose tough love is to condemn her daughter to poverty and unpredictability. The end credits’ music evokes Mazzy Star, and suggests the unknown she’s forced to face.
For more information on films and showtimes, visit kcfilmfest.org.
