LA Film Festival has announced films for April event

“Escape From Tomorrow,” “Bettie Page Reveals All,” Maine-made “The Hanover House” top early movies in diverse group

LEWISTON — The Lewiston Auburn Film Festival has released the names of the first dozen films to be shown during its fourth annual festival, to be held April 4-6.

“I am thrilled by these first films,” said festival director, Joshua Shea. “The quality of filmmaking on display at this festival is exponentially better than ever before. Take a film like “Escape From Tomorrow”; it was easily the most talked-about film at the Sundance Film Festival last year and now it’s going to be seen in Lewiston and Auburn. We’ve got the only Bettie Page documentary that the former pin-up authorized before she died being shown for the first time in Maine, and we have probably the most anticipated Maine-made horror film in years, “The Hanover House” making its world premiere with us.”

“The Hanover House” is directed by Corey Norman.

“We’re extremely happy to be premiering our film, The Hanover House, at the Lewiston Auburn Film Festival. The community has given us so much support during the making of the film, that we felt it was only right to do the world premier in our home state,” said Norman.

Tickets for the festival will go on sale at www.lafilmfestival.org on Feb. 10, with pricing details available on Feb. 1, when the next group of accepted films will be revealed.

The first dozen films accepted are:

Features

“Escape From Tomorrow” – USA, 2013, 90 minutes. Starring: Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber, Katelynn Rodriguez. The most provocative film from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, “Escape from Tomorrow” has been called, “The film that should not exist.” Like nothing you’ve ever seen, Randy Moore’s directorial debut is a bold and ingenious trip into the happiest place on earth, shot without the consent of Disney, secretly, within its theme parks. An epic battle begins when a middle-aged American husband and father of two learns that he has lost his job. Keeping the news from his nagging wife and wound up children, he packs up the family and embarks on a full day of park hopping amid enchanted castles and fairytale princesses. Chillingly shot in black and white, “Escape From Tomorrow” dissects the mythology of artificial perfection while subversively attacking our culture’s obsession with mass entertainment.

“The Hanover House” – USA/Maine, 2014, 75 minutes – World Premiere. Starring: Brian Chamberlain, Casey Turner and Anne Bobby. Returning from his father’s funeral, Robert Foster is faced with the unimaginable: he hits a young girl with his car. In a desperate attempt to save her life, he seeks help at a nearby farmhouse. Little does Robert know that the house has been waiting for him his entire life. Once inside its walls, Robert must overcome his own personal demons in an attempt to save both his wife and himself. But there’s a problem, only one may leave

alive.

Documentaries

“American Road” – USA, 2013, 104 minutes – Maine Premiere. Featuring: Ed Asner, Sean Stone, Guy Van Swearingen. This feature documentary delves into the literary and historical resonances of the mystique of the road – especially of veering off the beaten track — in American lore: Westward expansion, Dust Bowl treks, freight train hobos, post-war suburbanization and the Beat critique of it, hitchhikers, the upheavals of the 1960s and early ’70s, and the latest generation of backpackers at home and abroad clutching their Lonely Planet and Rough Guides.

“Bettie Page Reveals All” – USA, 2012, 101 minutes – Maine Premiere. Featuring: Bettie Page, Hugh Hefner, Dita Von Teese, Rev. Robert Schuller. From countless magazine covers, to religious crusading, to incarceration for mental illness, this is the enthralling true tale of Bettie Page. It transcends the wildest of fictionalized notions. “Bettie Page Reveals All” compellingly captures the story of an aspiring teacher turned model who unintentionally affected contemporary pop culture. That surprise role ultimately evolved into Bettie being viewed as our greatest and most controversial model. As the first and only authorized Bettie Page film biography, the “Queen of Curves” emerges from 40 years of enigmatic seclusion to tell her story in her own words.

“Treasure Hunt” – Israel, 2012, 40 minutes – Maine Premiere. Despite loving each other dearly, Nadan’s Dad and only sister (Naama) haven’t met for the last 15 years. “Treasure Hunt” tells the story of Nadan’s attempt to get these two unique characters back together, an optimistic mission which boils down to recreating one special event: Preparing a ‘treasure hunt’ game for Naama’s upcoming birthday – a long forgotten family tradition.

Shorts

“Follow Me” – Italy, 2013, 11 minutes – Maine Premiere. A young woman is being chased through a dark shopping mall by security guards. Is she a thief or a sophisticated aristocrat, or maybe a soldier? And does the man chasing her want to catch her or protect her? And why? In Chiara’s world where “nothing is as it seems” a stranger gives her a message. An unsettling message that can only be understood by someone ready to see its meaning.

“The Gift” – Australia, 2013, 16 minutes – Maine Premiere. Grace is forced to face her own sexuality and the strain on her marriage when her son Charlie, who has cerebral palsy, asks to lose his virginity for his birthday. We meet the family on the night of Charlie’s birthday as Grace prepares for the gift to arrive. Will the gift be all Charlie hoped for? Will this gift unite or separate the parents who stand at odds? Either way, “The Gift” is on her way.

“The Handsome Shadows” – Ireland, 2013, 13 minutes – Maine Premiere. A day of heartache for Doc is deepened when a face from the past reappears, shaking his world to its very core. This film is written and directed by Mark Cogan, who has been a LAFF favorite in previous years.

“In Passing” – USA, 2013, 5 minutes – Maine Premiere. Two lonely people jump off a tall building to end it all, but fall in love on the way down in this visually stunning film. “In Passing”’s director of photography, Damian Horan, won Best Director and Best Film in Festival at LAFF in 2012 with Children of Air.

“Out of the Ash” – USA, 2013, 14 minutes – Maine Premiere. Foday, an African man who’s new to the city, has never seen snow. Tonight is his first encounter with it and it looks like ash. While Foday is distracted in thought, a young man robs him at gunpoint. And as Foday contemplates his demons and how little an armed robbery rattled him, he gathers the courage to face what he really fears.

“Possum” – USA, 2013, 16 minutes – Maine Premiere. On the weekend of Halloween, an unsettling encounter with a dead possum forces a grieving young couple to reconnect. Written and directed by Eleanor Wilson, who was last seen acting in 2013 Best Film in Festival, “Things I Don’t Understand.”

“Remember to Breathe” – USA, 2013, 26 minutes – Maine Premiere. Starring: Lee Meriwether, Leigh Ann Larkin, Susan Blakely. Emmy-nominated actress Lee Meriwether gives a stirring and inspiring performance as a former nightclub headliner named Alice living alone and forgotten, as her only companions the memorabilia of her past glory. Entering this solitude is an aspiring singer seeking a mentor, who brings more than just a beautiful voice to Alice’s world.