DiXiE FiLM FeSTIVAL 2008

If you want to see how America works, look at what happened to rock radio.For 50 years, it was our revolutionary medium. Radio had the power to move people then. And deejays seized it. In the 1950s, a handful of AM pioneers introduced white America to black rhythm and blues. Then New York deejay Alan Freed changed the course of American history by branding it 'rock and roll.' In the glory years of rock radio, personalities like Cousin Brucie, Murray the K, Dan Ingram, Jerry Blavat, Dick Biondi, Casey Kasem and Wolfman Jack ruled the airwaves.But from its earliest roots, rock radio had powerful enemies. In 1960, prodded by big-business interests, Congress held 'payola' hearings to target the deejays guilty of breaking down economic and racial barriers. Deejays like Alan Freed were booted off the air. Program director and radio consultants took control. Deejays could no longer play their own music. Rock radio became bland and predictable.Then came a new wave of deejays who set up shop on the FM dial. 'Top 40 is dead,' Declared Tom Donahue in San Francisco. 'And its rotting corpse is stinking up the airwaves.' They discovered bands like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, igniting a cultural revolution that helped end the Vietnam War. Until FM, too, was silenced by FCC intimidation and corporate greed. And 60s rock became 70s disco.When rock radio lost its soul, a flame went out. 'Airplay' pays tribute to those unsung heroes--and the promise of a rebirth on satellite radio. It's a story of love and war, told by the deejays and the artists they made rock stars. It celebrates a time when we all listened together and it changed our lives.

A stop-motion film about a young woman's real life experience riding the school bus. It would seem that she received much of her education while riding to and from school.

On the Streets of Los Angeles there is a terror lurking a, silent war. Like a menacing great white shark a rogue parking enforcement officer swims in and out of traffic attacking and looking for it's next prey.Brody (Madison Cruz) is her latest target and Officer Boca (Alex Alexander)shows no mercy. Along with Quint (Adam Kulbersh) and Hooper (Alicia Joy Borrego) The three friends determine they must save themselves and their neighborhood from this evil monster and together they conspire to take her down.

An excerpt from Plato's Republic, the 'Allegory of the Cave' is a classic commentary on the human condition. We have adapted and brought it to life by shooting over 4,000 still photographs of John Grigsby's wonderful claymation. The look was achieved by use of candlelight in a real fire that burned at the back of the set.

Justin Sayer (Brad Renfro) suffers from a mental illness which causes vivid hallucinations. The voices in his head have caused him to isolate himself from the world and from his two year old son. After several unsuccessful attempts by visiting therapist to cure him, Justin attempts to hide his illness from a new therapist. This therapist is unlike the others.

Art photographer Shawn Burnett reluctantly agrees to move to a rural farmhouse to help his wife, Helen, recover from the loss of their stillborn baby. Shawn begins experiencing unsettling events surrounding an old cabin on the property. At first skeptical of a local legend regarding the cabin's history, Shawn soon becomes convinced that the farm is haunted. As a ghostly presence manifests itself in increasingly deadly ways, Shawn encounters disturbing echoes from his own troubled past. *(Please note the awards ceremony and announcement will preface the screening of Collector and Conjurer. This is part of the screening and all ticket holders for screening and Festival Pass holders are welcome.)

All Doug wants to do is buy Janice a ring. Only problem is he has no money and no prospects. After getting the bright idea to rob a convenience store, it is quickly apparent he also has no skills. His best buddy Zack realizes Doug is going to do this with or without him; so he decides to go along as the lookout...and drive the getaway car. Convenience Store is a clever comedy and a sure crowd pleaser from award winning director Dustin Brown. The script, written by Michelle Auda, won 2nd Place in the Gimme Credit Screenplay Competition (Cycle IV, 2007) and placed in the top 6 out of 400 in Creative Screenwriting’s Expo 6 Screenplay Competition (2007).

Prom night can be a time of great joy, but also a time of great anxiety what with making sure you have the right dress or tux and the right date, or if you have to worry about an oncoming zombie invasion. That’s the problem that faces the students in Dance of the Dead as the dead rise on prom night hungry for human flesh, and only the losers who couldn’t get dates are left as the town’s only defense against the zombie horde. Filmed in Rome, Georgia with many local cast and crew the film delivers on the zombie drama with a lot of humor, a lot of style, and, yes, a lot of blood.

Burned out by the grind of boring, anonymous jobs, Corey (HGTV's Justin Cave) and Dale (Jason Von Stein) really need a day off. But with no vacation time left, and a mandatory sales meeting to attend, they need to find a temporary solution. Juan and Esteban have worked plenty of dirty jobs before, but nothing has prepared them for a day in the office. Can they survive the cubicles and conference rooms of corporate America?