Stronger Than Fiction 2024

Stronger Than Fiction 2024 Schedule

1 PM BLOCK

• Victim (dir. Tessa Jagger Wells, 13 min.)

• Drona: The Movie (dir. Lauren Spakowski, 17 min.)

• Cowboy Strike (dir. Matthew Pehl, 22 min.)

• A House Is A Memory (dir. Morgan Williams, 15 min.)

4 PM BLOCK

• Concepto De Ciudadano (dir. Sharon Quintana Ortiz, 15 min.)

• Evergreen (dir. Aidan Boyd, 13 min.)

• Choteau: Scenes From Below (dir. Nevin Dubinski, 16 min.)

• Alchemy Soul (dir. Devon Bidjou, 10 min.)

• Eight Ways To First (dir. Adam Runge, 14 min.)

7 PM BLOCK, WITH INTRODUCTION BY JONATHAN MURRAY

• I Will Take The Blame (dir. Elena Fu, 15 min.)

• BUSBY999 (dir. Anastasia Busby, 19 min.)

• Satan’s Greatest Lies (dir. Michael Coleman, 34 min.)

• ROYALE (dir. Cam Medrano, 18 min.)

Festival Jury

Eric Hynes is a New York-based film critic and reporter, as well as Curator of Film at Museum of the Moving Image. He has written for the New York Times, Film Comment, Rolling Stone, IndieWire, Slate, the Village Voice, and Time Out New York. Since 2004, he has been a staff writer for the online film journal Reverse Shot, where he’s also the host and co-producer of the Reverse Shot Talkies video series.

Chloe Gbai is an Emmy-nominated producer and filmmaker. She’s worked on independent and commercial projects, starting with her first job assisting Amir Bar-Lev on HAPPY VALLEY (2014, A&E Indie Films). Her most recent project, SHUT UP AND PAINT, was released in 2022 on PBS, played numerous film festivals, and has been honored with a Cinema Eye Nomination and Shortlisted for the 2023 Academy Awards. She currently works on the Original Documentary Films team at Netflix, having exec’d titles such as STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING and TAKE CARE OF MAYA.

Isabel Castro is a Mexican-American filmmaker whose work includes USA v Scott (Tribeca 2020, The New Yorker), Emmy-nominated Darlin (Tribeca 2019, NYT OpDocs), and the GLAAD Media award-winning Crossing Over (Univision/Participant Media). Previously, she has worked as a director for the Netflix series Pandemic, as a multimedia journalist for The New York Times, as a Murrow-winning producer at The Marshall Project, and as an Emmy-nominated producer at VICE on HBO. Her feature debut MIJA (2022) premiered at Sundance and was nominated for a Cinema Eye Honors award and an Independent Spirit award. 

Films

A House Is A Memory

dir. Morgan Williams

A House Is A Memory captures the intimate journey of a young filmmaker who moves in with her 88-year-old grandmother. Through heartfelt conversations, nostalgic archival images, and everyday routines, the film tenderly explores the impact of loss, the essence of familial bonds, and a quest for reconciliation and healing. A House Is A Memory is a testament to the power of love, legacy, and the preciousness of time.

Alchemy Soul

dir. Devon Bidjou

The use of psychedelic substances to aid in therapy is gaining traction. In 2019, the FDA approved the use of a form of ketamine for use in psychotherapy. Alchemy Soul aims to provide audiences with an uninterrupted, captivating, and insightful glimpse into the world of a ketamine-assisted psychotherapy session.

BUSBY999

dir. Anastasia Busby

BUSBY999 follows young musician Justin Busby as he navigates the highs and lows of his life. When Justin decided to move to Los Angeles over a year ago, he saw it as his chance to make it big with his hyperpop music. Despite Justin’s success performing in shows and gaining fans, the euphoric moments couldn’t transcend LA’s oversaturated and unforgiving music scene. Back at home, Justin reconnects with friends, fu with family, and knows he’ll never stops making music.

Choteau: Scenes From Below

dir. Nevin Dubinski

Cavers are in no way numb to the absurdity of their hobby. Squeezing through impossibly tight spaces, jumping across chasms and crawling through chest deep water are just another day. Despite this, the question of why is seldom asked. Choteau: Scenes From Below explores the thoughts, feelings, and history of the Chouteau Grotto as they find ways to push deeper underground.

Concepto De Ciudadano

dir. Sharon Quintana Ortiz

Inside the installations of a deportation center, a Mexican immigrant hears the innocent question: Where are you from? His answer determines which side of the Mexican American border he belongs to. Years after proving he is an American citizen, the fear of losing the life he built in the streets of L.A. makes him hide parts of a life story that started when he was a 3-year-old crossing the border under the bed of a truck in his mother's arms.

Cowboy Strike

dir. Matt Pehl

In 1883, cowboys in the Texas Panhandle responded to the rise of the first mega-ranches in dramatic fashion: they launched a strike. In investigating the story of this long-forgotten historical anecdote, a contemporary songwriter seeks to pay tribute to the cowboys’ search for economic justice. In doing so, he must rethink the meaning of the mythic legacy of the American frontier.

WINNER, STACEY WOELFEL AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE JOURNALISM

Drona: The Movie

dir. Lauren Spakowski

Drona – a rock band of Indian American teenagers – are the coolest people you will ever meet. Arjuna, Surya, and Pasha Raghu are teenage siblings who have had a love for music since they were born. As a teenager, it can be difficult to balance school, friendships, being a teen in general, or in their case being a part of a band. Drona: The Movie follows the Raghus as their music grows with them.

Eight Ways to First

dir. Adam Runge

Filmmaker Adam Runge explores his relationship with his father Dan while Dan deals with being new to long-term disability. Dan lives with Multiple Sclerosis but lives for selling baseball cards, a passion he and Adam share. Throughout the film, Dan struggles with new medications and MRI scans while remaining positive. There are eight ways to reach first base in baseball, and there are many ways we keep going in life. Through eight scenes, Dan and Adam bond while learning how to keep going.

Evergreen

dir. Aidan Boyd

To uncover what was missing in his relationship with his father growing up, filmmaker Aidan Boyd returns to where it all began. In the picturesque town of Evergreen, nestled amidst the breathtaking Rockies and serene aspen forests, memories come forward, and the realities of growing up in a dream-like place arise. The truth of family, forgiveness, and the enduring power of love begin to mend a part of the past that was once thought to be lost.

I Will Take The Blame

dir. Elena Fu

I Will Take The Blame film follows the filmmaker's poignant journey back home in China as she endeavors to mend her parents' fractured marriage, only to encounter the painful realization of her own limitations. Through candid moments and heartfelt reflections, it delves into the intricate web of family dynamics and the resilience required to navigate through the pain of loss and the challenge of change.

WINNER, BEST FILM

ROYALE

dir. Cam Medrano

Burdened by looming conservative legislation that aims to prohibit their performances, three Missouri drag queens navigate a changing landscape fueled by their passion for performance. ROYALE is a love letter to drag and found family, bridging celebration and liberation with the realities of local entertainers to honor midwestern queerness.

Satan's Greatest Lies

dir. Michael Coleman

George Russell, a maverick environmental activist with a God complex, mourns the unexpected loss of his youngest daughter, causing him to question his lifelong crusade to preserve the piney woods of East Texas.

WINNER, BEST DIRECTOR (MICHAEL COLEMAN)

Victim

dir. Tess Jagger-Wells

In 1950, Janett Christman was murdered while babysitting in Columbia, Missouri. Almost 75 years later, a filmmaker investigates the unsolved case and its surprising connection to pop culture while she confronts her obsession with true crime.

WINNER, SPECIAL JURY AWARD FOR EDITING