Schedule:

October 24, 2023

Opening Night Reception - 5:00 - 6:30 PM at Crosstown Theater

Join us outside Crosstown Theater as we celebrate the first night of the 26th anniversary of the Indie Memphis Film Festival presented by SouthState | DuncanWilliams & Duncan Williams Asset Management!

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt -  6:30 - 8:30 PM  at Crosstown Theater

Tender caresses and enveloping embraces are portals into the life of Mack, a Black woman in Mississippi. Winding through the anticipation, love, and heartbreak she experiences from childhood to adulthood, the expressionist journey is an ode to connection  with loved ones and with place.

VIP Opening After Party - 9:00 - 11:00 PM at James Lee House

Following our Opening Night Film, ALL DIRT ROADS TASTE OF SALT, VIP passholders are invited to join us at the historic James Lee House to cap off the first night of this year's film festival!

October 25, 2023

Your Fat Friend - 6:00 - 8:00 PM at Studio on the Square

Your Fat Friend charts Aubrey Gordon's journey from anonymous blogger Yrfatfriend to NY Times bestselling author and podcast host (@maintenancephase ) and the complexities of making change. It’s a film about fatness, family and the deep, messy feelings all of us hold about our bodies.

Late Bloomers - 6:10 - 8:10 PM at Studio on the Square

Louise, an aimless, 28 year-old Brooklynite, recently single, sort of a musician, depressed without admitting to it, drunkenly falls while doing something stupid and breaks her hip. This lands her in a physical therapy ward full of people twice her age. There, she meets Antonina - a cranky elderly Polish woman, who speaks no English. Louise gets a job caring for her. Neither woman loves the arrangement but it’s time to face the truth about aging. We all have to grow up sometime.

Raven Jackson and Jomo Fray in Conversation - 6:45 - 8:00 PM at Playhouse on the Square.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt director and cinematographer, Raven Jackson and Jomo Fray, will be in conversation about their process and collaboration.

The Space Race -  6:45 - 8:30 PM at Studio on the Square

Uncover the little-known stories of the first Black pilots, engineers and scientists seeking to break the bonds of social injustice to reach for the stars, including Guion Bluford, Ed Dwight and Charles Bolden among many others.

Anatomy of a Fall - 8:00 - 10:45PM - Circuit Playhouse

For the past year, Sandra, her husband Samuel, and their eleven-year-old son Daniel have lived a secluded life in a remote town in the French Alps. When Samuel is found dead in the snow below their chalet, the police question whether he was murdered or committed suicide. Samuel's suspicious death is presumed murder, and Sandra becomes the main suspect.

Little by little, the trial becomes not just an investigation into the circumstances of Samuel's death but an unsettling psychological journey into the depths of Sandra and Samuel's conflicted relationship.

I Am - 8:30 - 10:30 PM at Playhouse on the Square

"I AM" tackles the issue of mental health in the African-American community with candid and revealing interviews with five Black women who speak about their journey with Anxiety Disorder. Angela, Grae, Angel, Santyria, and Chloe tell their stories about their challenges with Anxiety Disorder and the remarkable ways they cope as they face unique cultural and societal issues.

Notes on a Summer - 8:30 - 10:30 PM at Studio on the Square

Writer and filmmaker Llorente’s homeland becomes the focus of a simmering drama played out amongst the beaches, squares and lush green mountains of this north-western province of Spain. The action follows Marta as she swaps her busy life in Madrid with boyfriend Leo for a trip back to her hometown for the summer. With naturalistic settings, minimal dialogue and lingering shots, the director highlights the contrast between real life and the carefree pace of the holidays. As the summer progresses, a relationship from her past causes confusion and she’s forced to choose between the innocence and freedom of her youth and the grown-up world with all its routines and responsibilities.

The Plot Against Harry - 8:45 - 10:45 PM at Studio on the Square

Deadpan, small-time Kosher Nostra mobster Harry Plotnick goes meshugga when he gets into the catering biz with his ex-brother-in-law.

The Reaper Man - 9:00 - 11:00 PM at Studio on the Square

After the sudden passing of her husband, Jessica is left alone with more questions than answers and swallowed by grief. She seeks the help of a local woman with a reputation for performing voodoo in hopes she could return her husband back to her. A decision she'd soon live to regret.

October 26, 2023

Rooftop Whiskey Tasting (Passholders) -  5:30 - 8:30 PM at Playhouse on the Square

Join Indie Memphis and Old Dominick for an exclusive tasting event on the Playhouse On The Square rooftop! This tasting will take place from 5:30PM-8:30PM on Thursday, October 26, and is open to all passholders ages 21 and up. Passholders will have the opportunity to taste exclusive spirits from Old Dominick's new whiskey line, which pays homage to the iconic streets of pre-prohibition Memphis, including the Huling Station St. Warehouse that Old Dominick once called home. You won't want to miss this fantastic opportunity!

The Contemporary Gladiator - 6:00 - 8:00 PM at Circuit Playhouse

Anthony "Amp" Elmore an African/American Memphis born Community activist and Karate enthusiast vows to becomes a Muhammad Ali style Karate/Kickboxing World heavyweight Champion. Elmore who is the father of Kickboxing in Memphis produced the 1st Kickboxing film in American film history, Elmore's true life story provides and unknown and told story of an African/American Kick-boxer who had to challenge social pressures convinced a Red Neck Rebel toting White Kick-boxer to join his team. Elmore is encouraged by his homeboy who convince Elmore that the way to promote Kickboxing and have ring girls with fat butts.

National Documentary Shorts Competition - 6:00 - 8:00 PM at Hattiloo Theatre

Evil Does Not Exist - 6:00 - 8:00 PM at Studio on the Square

Deep in the forest of the small rural village Harasawa, single parent Takumi lives with his young daughter, Hana, and takes care of odd jobs for locals, chopping wood and hauling pristine well water. The overpowering serenity of this untouched land of mountains and lakes, where deer peacefully roam free, is about to be disrupted by the imminent arrival of the Tokyo company Playmode, which is ready to start construction on a glamping site for city tourists—a plan, which Takumi and his neighbors discover, that will have dire consequences for the ecological health and cleanliness of their community.

A Thousand Pines - 6:20 - 8:20 PM at Studio on the Square

The United States is the world’s largest producer of wood products and each year the industry relies almost entirely on foreign guest workers who plant over one billion trees to replenish harvested forests. Many of America’s tree planting contractors were founded by members of the Back-to-the-Land movement in the 1970s—white, self-described hippies who had moved to Arkansas to find a simpler lifestyle in the Ozarks. As the industry boomed, hippies turned into capitalists and small companies turned into million-dollar businesses. Planter salaries plummeted and companies discovered a cheaper workforce: temporary guest workers from Latin America.

Hometowner Narrative Shorts Competition - 8:30 - 10:30 PM at Playhouse on the Square

Banel & Adama - 8:30 - 10:30 PM at Studio on the Square

Banel and Adama are fiercely in love. The young married couple lives in a remote village in northern Senegal. For them, nothing else exists. Yet their perfect everlasting love is on a collision course with their community’s customs. Because in this world, there is no room for passion, let alone chaos.

Queen Rising - 9:00 - 11:00 PM at Studio on the Square

Struggling school teacher Madison strikes a lucrative book deal to help solve her financial troubles. As she dives into her dark past surrounding the "College Town Slayings," she realizes it may still be a part of her present after all.

Scary Movie - 9:30 - 11:30 PM at Studio on the Square

A familiar-looking group of teenagers find themselves being stalked by a more-than-vaguely recognizable masked killer! As the victims begin to pile up and the laughs pile on, none of your favorite scary movies escape the razor-sharp satire of this outrageously funny parody!

Festival Karaoke - 10:00 PM at Black Lodge

Get ready to rock the mic at Black Lodge during Festival Karaoke, where filmmakers and attendees are invited to come together to belt out their favorite tunes in a spirited fusion of film and music!

October 27, 2023

Celine and Julie Go Boating - 1:00 - 4:30 PM at Studio on the Square

Whiling away a summer in Paris, director Jacques Rivette, working in close collaboration with his stars and coconspirators Juliet Berto and Dominique Labourier, set out to rewrite the rules of cinema in the spirit of pure play—moviemaking as an anything-goes romp through the labyrinths of imagination. The result is one of the most exuberantly inventive and utterly enchanting films of the French New Wave, in which Julie (Labourier), a daydreaming librarian, meets Céline (Berto), an enigmatic magician, and together they become the heroines of a time-warping adventure involving a haunted house, psychotropic candy, and a murder-mystery melodrama. Incorporating allusions to everything from Lewis Carroll to Louis Feuillade, Céline and Julie Go Boating is both one of the all-time-great hangout comedies and a totally unique, enveloping cinematic dream space that delights in the endless pleasures and possibilities of stories.

Telemarketers - 3:00 - 7:15 PM at Studio on the Square

THEATRICAL DEBUT of the first three episodes of Telemarketers, the new series that chronicles the darkly comedic, unexpected 20-year journey of two unlikely office buddies, who stumble upon the murky truth behind the work they’ve been doing at a seedy New Jersey call center – persuading people to give money to charities – and vow to expose the crooked American telemarketing industry from within. From Executive Producers Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, and Danny McBride.

Neige - 5:15 - 7:15 PM at Studio on the Square

Anita is a barmaid at the center of a community of street preachers, prostitutes, dealers and users. When a beloved friend (and young drug dealer) is caught by narcotics agents, Anita takes it upon herself to score for his struggling clients.

Donna and Ally - 6:00 - 8:00 PM at Circuit Playhouse

Stepping straight out of an urban rendition of "Romy and Michelle", Donna and Ally are two black sex workers who have transformed the trials of a 12-year run from the law into a relentless pursuit of legendary status. Their world, encapsulated in raw humor and undying hope, promises non-stop laughter. Unraveling a narrative that is as authentic as it is captivating, they prove that there's no force mightier than a woman with a dream

Juvenile: 5 Stories - 6:00 - 8:00 PM at Playhouse on the Square

Driven by the personal stories of five youth who were justice-involved as teens, JUVENILE traces their pathways into the system, their journeys of trauma and healing, and their lessons for how to break and remake the juvenile system.

Shimaine, Ja’Vaune, Romeo, Ariel and Michael are all from different backgrounds and parts of the country, and each had a different pathway into the system: foster care, sexual abuse, violence, homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse. But as their individual narratives unfold in the film, a cohesive narrative emerges of the broken promises of our juvenile system across all American communities.

Friday - 6:20 - 8:20 PM at Studio on the Square

Craig and Smokey are two guys in Los Angeles hanging out on their porch on a Friday afternoon, smoking and drinking, looking for something to do.

Hampline Brewing Passholder Party - 7:00 - 11:00 PM at Hampline Brewing

Kinship - National Shorts - 8:00 - 10:00 PM at Hattiloo Theatre

Yam Daabo - 8:00 - 10:00 PM at Studio on the Square

Mississippi River Styx - 8:45 - 10:45 PM at Studio on the Square

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STYX follows Kelly Phillips, a middle-aged man allegedly suffering from terminal cancer, as he floats 2,000 miles down the Mississippi River in an old house boat. Kelly and his little pug, Sapphire, pinball through America’s heartland making friends, cheating death and living off the charity of river communities.Along the way Kelly’s story takes on a life of its own and by the time he makes it to Southern Louisiana he is a minor celebrity. But over time, people begin toquestion why a dying man isn’t dying. At the end of the river the conflict between Kelly’s embellished, inspirational persona and his true motivations come to a head and things go off the rails.

Hometowner After Dark Shorts - 9:00 - 11:00 PM at Circuit Playhouse

Dream Scenario - 9:00 - 11:00 PM at Playhouse on the Square

Hapless family man Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams.  But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom, in this wickedly entertaining comedy from writer-director Kristoffer Borgli (Sick of Myself) and producer Ari Aster.

Scrapper - 9:00 - 10:45 PM at Studio on the Square

Living alone since her beloved mum died, 12-year-old Georgie fills the flat they shared with her own special magic. But when her absent father Jason turns up out of the blue, she’s forced to confront reality.

Belly - 10:30 PM at Studio on the Square

October 28, 2023

Birth of Soul Music - 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM at Circuit Playhouse

Robot Dreams - 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM at Studio on the Square
After spending too many lonely Manhattan nights sitting at home, Dog decides to build himself a best friend - Robot. Dog and Robot quickly become inseparable as their friendship grows to the rhythm of classic tunes, until one day at the beach where they are suddenly forced to abandon one another.

Mami Wata - 10:45 AM - 12:45 PM at Studio on the Square

When Zinwe visits her late grandmother's village - a small rural fish village - she must confront her true spiritual destiny, and save her people from the hands of the ruthless and violent Sergeant Jasper, to usher in a new age of blessing and prosperity.

The Taste of Things - 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM at Playhouse on the Square

Eugenie, an esteemed cook, has been working for over the last 20 years for Dodin, a fine gourmet. Growing fonder of one another, their bond turns into a romance and gives rise to delicious dishes that impress even the world’s most illustrious chefs. When Dodin is faced with Eugenie’s reluctance to commit to him, he decides to start cooking for her.

Black Barbie: A Documentary - 12:00 - 2:00 PM at Studio on the Square

Love her or hate her, almost everyone has a Barbie story. For filmmaker Lagueria Davis, it all started with her 83-year old Aunt Beulah Mae and a seemingly simple question, “Why not make a Barbie that looks like me?”

BLACK BARBIE is a personal exploration that tells a richly archival, thought-provoking story that gives voice to the insights and experiences of Beulah Mae Mitchell, who spent 45 years working at Mattel.

Seeking Sincerity - National Shorts - 12:30 - 2:30 PM at Hattiloo Theatre

Hometowner Documentary Shorts Competition - 12:45 - 2:45 PM at Circuit Playhouse

What These Walls Won't Hold - 1:10 - 3:10 PM at Studio on the Square

Panta Tasting: The Taste of Things - 2:00 - 4:00 PM at Pantà Memphis

Bon Appetit! Looking for a space to chat about the films you've seen over some fantastic cuisine? Immediately following the screening of The Taste of Things, join Indie Memphis and film sponsor Panta for a special tasting of French hors d'oeuvres at the Panta restaurant on 2146 Monroe Ave. This event is open and free-of-cost to all festival attendees. Come hungry!

Spirit of Memphis - 3:00 - 5:00 PM at Circuit Playhouse

National Narrative Shorts Competition - 3:00 - 5:00 PM at Hattiloo Theatre

Mountains - 3:30 - 5:30 PM at Studio on the Square

While looking for a new home for his family, a Haitian demolition worker is faced with the realities of redevelopment as he is tasked with dismantling his rapidly gentrifying Miami neighborhood.

The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed - 5:50 - 7:50 PM at Studio on the Square
Ann, a morose New Yorker in her 30s, feels stuck in all areas of her life. To her dismay, the years have gone by quickly in her long-term casual BDSM relationship, low-level corporate job, and quarrelsome Jewish family. As she begins to feel increasingly alienated, she wrestles with herself and her relationships in this self-deprecating auto-fictional comedy and feature debut from writer/director/actor Joanna Arnow.

White Chicks - 6:10 - 8:10 PM at Studio on the Square

Two FBI agent brothers, Marcus and Kevin Copeland, accidentally foil a drug bust. To avoid being fired they accept a mission escorting a pair of socialites to the Hamptons--but when the girls are disfigured in a car accident, they refuse to go. Left without options, Marcus and Kevin decide to pose as the sisters, transforming themselves from black men into rich white women.

The Taste of Mango - 6:20 - 8:20 PM at Studio on the Square

In this hypnotically cinematic love letter flowing through time and generations, director Chloe Abrahams probes raw questions her mother and grandmother have long brushed aside, tenderly untangling painful knots in her family’s unspoken past.

Awards Show - 8:00 - 10:00 PM at Playhouse on the Square

Step into the spotlight at the 2023 Indie Memphis Film Festival Awards Show, a spirited evening where outstanding independent filmmakers and their groundbreaking works take center stage, celebrating creativity, innovation, and the future of cinema in the heart of Memphis.

Passages - 8:15 - 10:15 PM at Studio on the Square

Tomas and Martin are a gay couple living in Paris whose marriage is thrown into crisis when Tomas impulsively begins a passionate affair with young schoolteacher Agathe. But when Martin begins an affair of his own, Tomas must confront life decisions he may be unprepared—or unwilling—to deal with.

The Sweet East - 9:00 - 11:00 PM at Studio on the Square

A picaresque journey through contemporary America, undertaken by a young woman granted access to the strange sects and cults that proliferate in this country by a series of gatekeepers eager to win her over.

October 29, 2023

Going Varsity in Mariachi - 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM at Studio on the Square

In the competitive world of high school mariachi, the musicians from the South Texas borderlands reign supreme. Under the guidance of coach Abel Acuña, the teenage captains of Edinburg North High School’s acclaimed team must turn a shoestring budget and diverse crew of inexperienced musicians into state champions.

The Cassandra Cat - 11:15 AM - 1:15 PM at Studio on the Square

Some people with a strange cat arrive in a small village. The cat wears glasses, and when someone takes them off, she can color people, according to their nature and mood. The grown-ups of the village consider the cat to be dangerous, but the kids just love her

Rejeito - 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM at Studio on the Square

After the largest mining dam break in history, further collapses threaten millions of Brazilians. A state councillor challenges the government’s modus operandi, while dam refugees resist the mining companies’ abuses in their threatened communities.

Scent of Linden - 12:00 - 2:00 at Playhouse on the Square

A recent immigrant, Stefan moves into the Bulgarian enclave in Tennessee, where comical rivalries, suspicions, and hijinks conspire to come between him and his American Dream.

Thank You Very Much - 2:00 - 4:00 PM at Studio on the Square

With his gonzo, boundary-shattering comedy, Andy Kaufman provoked, and often outraged audiences. For those who got the joke, that outrage was the very point; Kaufman’s genius was in making people confront their own presumptions. Now through never-before-seen archival footage and intimate recollections of friends, colleagues and family members, filmmaker Alex Braverman excavates the all-too-short life and career of the enigmatic legend whose impact is felt all the more today with the blurring of artifice and reality that defines our present age.

We Have Just Begun - 2:10 - 4:10 PM at Studio on the Square

WE HAVE JUST BEGUN takes its name from the secret pass-code used by a Black union of farmers and domestic workers organizing throughout the Arkansas Delta in 1919. A seven-year investigation into the historical events in Phillips County, Arkansas, the film explores the legacy of exploitation, domination, and resistance in the Delta and its ongoing cover up. Directed by Arkansas native Michael Warren Wilson and produced/co-written/narrated by acclaimed poet Tongo Eisen-Martin, the film immerses the viewer in a community wrestling with its own legacy—revealing previously untold layers of a defining episode. Using oral histories, reconstructive collage and an original soundtrack featuring the union's actual songs, the film is a lyrical composition of Delta voices woven through a collaborative effort with the people of Elaine. It is a portrait of rural struggle toward emancipation, despite brutal attempts to suppress it.

The First Class - 2:45 - 4:45 PM at Circuit Playhouse

An intimate verité film that follows students and educators at a groundbreaking new high school in Memphis. Their inspiring journey shows what learning can look like—and accomplish-when a city comes together to rethink what high school can be.

The Blues Society - 3:00 - 5:00 PM at Playhouse on the Square

Memphis Blues players Furry Lewis and Robert T. Wilkins should be household names, and their musical performances in the film are riveting. Their work inspired The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and generations of rockstars. The festival organizers wanted to celebrate and learn from these Blues heroes. But, as sociologist Zandria Robinson states in the film, "There is always a disconnect that complicates cross-racial friendships and collaborations because that power dynamic is always sitting there in that room, in the deep context of the music."

La Bonga - 4:00 - 6:00 PM at Studio on the Square

Through the years, María has made the arduous trek to La Bonga countless times. Many think she’s crazy for doing this on her own, that she’s risking her life in vain. But Maria’s deepest fear is that she’ll die away from her land and that her grandchildren will never be true Bongueros. Interspersed with the epic journey of the main group, we accompany María travelling by herself with her 15-year-old granddaughter, Dayanis, who has never set foot in La Bonga. Maria attempts to instill in Dayanis the image of the land she loves, believing that if she remains the only person to actively seek a path to return, La Bonga will be lost forever.

Bad Press - 4:30 - 6:30 PM at Studio on the Square

Imagine you lived in a world where your only reliable news source became government propaganda overnight. That’s exactly what happened to the citizens of the Muscogee Nation, the fourth largest Native American tribe, in 2018. Out of 574 federally-recognized tribes, the Muscogee Nation was one of only five to establish a free and independent press – until the tribe’s legislative branch abruptly repealed the landmark Free Press Act in advance of an election. The tribe’s hard-hitting news outlet, Mvskoke Media, would now be subject to direct editorial oversight by the tribal government.

I'm Gonna Git You  - 4:45 - 6:45 PM at Studio on the Square

Jack Spade returns from the army in his old ghetto neighbourhood when his brother, June Bug, dies. Jack declares war on Mr. Big, powerful local crimelord. His army is led by John Slade, his childhood idol who used to fight bad guys in the 70s.

Hometowner Narrative Showcase - 6:30 - 8:30 PM at Circuit Playhouse

An Evening Song - 6:30 - 8:30 PM at Studio on the Square
1939, in the Midwest: an impeded author, her pulp-writer husband and their pious maid. A spellbinding plunge into their intertwined thoughts, memories and visions.

The Becomers - 8:30 PM at Studio on the Square

A romantic tale of two body-swapping aliens trying to find their place on this big, dumb planet.

Date: October 24 - 29, 2023

Location: Various Venues in Memphis, TN 38104

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