On Saturday, April 6, Yellow Springs Film Festival will host a one day “mini-fest” at the Little Art Theater. Eric Mahoney, founder and executive director of the YS Film Fest, joined WYSO Midday Music host Evan Miller in advance of the mini-fest to discuss the screenings and guest speakers scheduled for the event.
“We curated a lineup that's going to run from about 12:00pm to 11:00pm at the little Art, with a bunch of films that are just coming off of their world premieres at either Sundance or Venice or South by Southwest,” Mahoney said.
The mini-fest will feature four screenings, including two narrative films. Thelma, Josh Margolin’s comedy about 93-year-old Thelma Post, kicks off the festival at 12:30pm. Thelma premiered in January 2024 at the Sundance Film Festival. Next, Gasoline Rainbow, at 5:30pm, tells the story of five Oregon teens who embark on a road trip to the Pacific Coast after finishing high school. Directed by Bill and Ross Turner, Gasoline Rainbow premiered at Venice Film Festival in September 2023. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the Turner brothers.
The mini-fest will also include two documentary films. At 3:00pm, writer and filmmaker Nelson George will discuss his short film “A Great Day in Hop Hop,” a history of Harlem’s jazz scene and the development of Hip Hop in New York City. Nelson will also present snippets of his forthcoming feature documentary on 70's NBA star David Thompson. The fest will conclude with Alex Braverman’s Thank You Very Much, a documentary about comedian and "song and dance man" Andy Kaufman. Produced by the Safdie Brothers, Thank You Very Much won Best Documentary at the 2023 Venice Film Festival.
Tickets to the Yellow Springs Film Festival mini-fest are available at ysfilmfest.com/. For more information about the YS Film Fest, including updates about the full-length festival scheduled for October 2024, follow on Instagram or check the YS Film Fest website.
Text by Peter Day, adapted from an interview recorded by Evan Miller on March 19, 2024.
