This month, Cutting Room goes OFF! That is to say, let’s dive into the Omaha Film Festival, which will be held at Village Pointe Cinema March 7-12.
- The OFF will soon hate its parents and run away from home, as it is fast approaching its teen years. The 12th annual festival kicks off at 6:30 pm on March 7 with The Last Word from director Mark Pellington. Featuring Shirley MacLaine, Amanda Seyfried and Anne Heche, the film looks to be a quirky tale about the bond between two very different but connected women.
- Interspersed between full-length narratives and documentaries are short film blocks, one of which features Nebraska documentaries and another features Nebraska high-school student shorts. I’m very thankful the OFF wasn’t in existence when I was in high-school, or who knows what Crow-inspired garbage I would have birthed into the world and declared “my art.”
- The closing night film is from writer/director Olivier Assayas and features Kristen Stewart as a high-fashion personal shopper to the stars who is also a spiritual medium. Okay, right now, I’m only slightly mad that nobody told me that was a career option. I have a Ouija board, a color wheel and boatloads of poor taste that could have revolutionized the formalwear of the ghosts of Hollywood.
- What’s great about the OFF is that, in addition to flicks with high-profile folks and shorts that don’t get their due outside of festival circuits, they offer opportunities to see movies like Dave Made a Maze, which is described as a reimagining of classic 80s stuff with modern comedy and puppetry. The synopsis has a Minotaur, you guys! One of the folks behind the film reached out to us and shared how the bond between the creators and producers resulted in this screening here in Omaha. The passion behind the project is clear, and name-checking Jim Henson and a gosh-durn Minotaur definitely means this one is a fuzzy must see.
- I’m always thankful for the OFF and proud that it continues to expand its legacy. With thousands and thousands of dollars in prizes, some educational opportunities for aspiring filmmakers and boatloads of quality films we’d otherwise miss out on, the OFF deserves a sloppy wet kiss. I’m not necessarily the one offering, unless the OFF is into that… All I know is, I’m into the OFF and you should be too. Get thee to omahafilmfestival.org for the interactive schedule and tickets. Tell them about the kissing and let me know what they say.
Cutting Room provides breaking local and national movie news … complete with added sarcasm. Send any relevant information to film@thereader.com. Check out Ryan on Movieha!, a weekly podcast, catch him on the radio on CD 105.9 on Fridays at around 7:40 a.m. and on KVNO 90.7 on Wednesdays and follow him on Twitter.