The Lake Travis Film Festival 2022 announces lineup for next month’s fest outside of Austin

The Lake Travis Film Festival’s 3rd edition returns next month (September 15-18) in beautiful Hill Country, just west of Austin.

The film festival, whose independent personality and approach to the celebration of independent filmmaking is accentuated by its location in Lakeway and Bee Cave, just outside of the city known for independent film and music.

Lake Travis Film Festival’s Opening Night selection is Laura Lehmus’ dramedy Sweet Disaster. The Closing Night will offer two selections for filmgoers, including Jordan O’Neal’s fantasy Fabletown and Sophie Miler’s drama Ranch Water.

SWEET DISASTER
FABLETOWN
RANCH WATER

The four-day in-person film festival will once again present a film lineup showcasing films featuring a wide assortment of genres, styles, and topics from the indie film community, both stateside and international. The festival will screen 92 films (8 Narrative Features, 11 Documentary Features, 45 narrative short films, 6 short documentaries, 9 music videos, and 13 student shorts).

LTFF also will feature a pre-festival masterclass with screenwriter Owen Egerton (Mercy Black, Blood Fest), which requires a separate registration. Special events include a pitch party, live script readings, afterparties and an awards brunch. Additional opportunities for film enthusiasts to meet and interact with the filmmakers will be announced daily. Screenings and events occur at various pop-up locations throughout the cities of Bee Cave and Lakeway, Texas. Some of the venues include Hill Country Galleria, High5, ContraCommon, La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Lakeway, Star Hill Ranch, Goga Yoga, and Bee Cave City Hall.

Lake Travis Film Festival Founder and Executive Director, Kat Albert, shares, “The third year brings an opportunity to hone into what we best…curating an overall cinematic experience. We do not sell individual tickets. The suburbs don’t have a traditional downtown, so we’ve worked to make our pop-up style festival work with three walkable hubs. Thursday and Friday are in the Oaks at Lakeway. Saturday is in the Hill Country Galleria and Sunday is Texas Film Industry Day at Star Hill Ranch. The festival is young but garnering a reputation as a unique experience for filmmakers, screenwriters, and the local community.”

FOREVER MAJESTIC

The Lake Travis Film Festival will open on Thursday, September 15 with an afternoon screening of Michael Stephen Schwarz’s documentary Forever Majestic. The film looks at the complicated story surrounding a treasured Arkansas tourist destination and all the controversy that it sparks after it was struck by a mysterious fire. Following red carpet entrances for the attending filmmakers and talent, LTFF will present Laura Lehmus’ German dramedy Sweet Disaster. The film follows a woman who upon getting unexpectedly pregnant is promptly left by the father of her child as he re-unites with his ex. While she deals with serious health problems caused by the late pregnancy, she tries to get him back with the help of absurd, exaggerated and sometimes absurdly comic actions.

Two films will be featured as the Lake Travis Film Festival’s Closing Night choices. Austin-based co-writer/director Jordan O’Neal’s Fabletown is inspired by the DC Comics series of “Fables” graphic novels and Telltale Games’ The Wolf Among Us.  Set in a New York City that serves as the home for a secret community of exiled folklore and literary characters. O’Neal stars as Sheriff Bigby Wolf, aka the Big Bad Wolf, who teams up with Fabletown Deputy Mayor Snow White on a case involving an exile being victimized by a dark magic that temporarily strips them of the human guise that allows them to move freely around the city. Wolf and Snow White quickly realize they must apprehend the practitioner of this dark magic before they can expose Fabletown to the human world. 

Sophie Miller’s Ranch Water follows three sisters in small town Texas as they return to their family’s ranch for one last weekend. The sisters-only weekend quickly expands to a family and friends gathering while each sister tries to make their version of this last hurrah happen. The sisters and their friends flirt with their ideas of adulthood, as well as each other. Just when everyone thinks they’ve outgrown the fights, the gossiping, and the drinking games, they’re all back in the same house they were in as children and revert to their younger, chaotic selves.

LUCKY DOUG
THE GOOD HEARTS CLUB

Additional highlights among the narrative films, include Austin-based filmmaker Eric Alan Rousseau’s comedy Lucky Doug about a man who decides to turn his moribund life around and come up with a genius moneymaking idea with a new catfood recipe when he finds out his long-time partner is pregnant. However, he finds out the road to success is littered by more than just cat food alone. William F. Reed’s Austin-set comedy The Good Hearts Club has some semi-autobiographical elements interweaved in its story of a group of co-workers and friends who must team up and work together in order to save Escape Room Austin from going under.

DELIVERING HOPE
FIRESTORM ’77 THE TRUE STORY OF THE HONDA CANYON
ME TO PLAY

Among the impressive slate of documentaries is Jordan Orsak’s Delivering Hope which chronicles the audacious attempt by ultra-runner Kevin Kline to become the first person in history to run the northernmost 300 miles of Alaska’s dangerous Dalton Highway to raise money for children suffering from cancer, However, Kline’s body shuts down with 100 miles to go, and everything – his life included, is thrown into jeopardy. Chris Hite and Dennis Ford’s award-winning Firestorm ’77 The True Story of the Honda Canyon Fire recounts the fire fought by a thousand people consisting of professional firemen and military personnel which resulted in four fatalities, sixty-five injuries close to ten thousand acres burned and significant damage to the military installation located there. The Air Force declared it a victory, a battle won by its brave Airmen. However, those who were there will tell you a different story. As part of the screening presentation, Travis County Fire Chief Robert Abbott will lead the post screening conversation about the film. Jim Bernfield’s festival hit, Me To Play takes us backstage and onstage as two professional actors with Parkinson’s disease put up an Off-Broadway production of Samuel Beckett’s “Endgame.” Mike Markwardt’s The Birth & History of Western Swing offers a comprehensive and entertaining look at Western Swing’s origins in Ft. Worth and legacy in the music landscape.

To purchase festival passes or to find more information about the Lake Travis Film Festival, please go to: www.laketravisfilmfestival.com.


2022 Lake Travis Film Festival Official Selections

OPENING NIGHT FEATURE SELECTION

Sweet Disaster

Director: Laura Lehmus

Country: Germany; Running Time: 90 min

When a 40-year-old art therapist finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, the father of her child, breaks up with her to reunite with his ex.

CLOSING NIGHT SELECTIONS

Fabletown

Director: Jordan O’Neal

Country: United States; Running Time: 82 min

A community of fairy tale characters live in hiding from the mundane, human world in New York City. But when one Fable’s true identity is exposed, a long-lost ally must return to face the community’s greatest threat, or their way of life will be forever lost.

Ranch Water

Director: Sophie Miller

Country: United States; Running Time: 80 min

Before their family ranch in Texas is sold, the Sterling sisters reunite with their once close-knit group of friends for a weekend where long simmering conflicts come to a head.


ADDITIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURES

Lucky Doug

Director: Eric Alan Rousseau

Country: United States; Running Time: 82 min

Doug finds out his long-time partner is pregnant, so he sets out to get rich, but quickly learns it’s not so easy to come up with a million-dollar idea.

Never Alone

Director: Paul Francis Bunch, Albert Soratorio

Country: United States; Running Time: 83 min

A high school romance is cut short by COVID and a new teacher uses music to lift their spirits.

Route One North

Director: Isabelle R Farrell

Country: United States; Running Time: 72 min

After their mother refuses to give 16-year-old Bee permission to marry, Bee and her sister set off to track down their long-absent father.

The Good Hearts Club

Director: William F. Reed

Country: United States; Running Time: 101 min

A tight-knit group of misfits, weirdos, and gamers, unite to hatch a plan to save Escape Room Austin from a corporate demise.

The Ugly Truth

Director: Krishna Ashu Bhati

Country: Germany; Running Time: 96 min

When an attractive 18-year-old comes to visit a seemingly idyllic family, profound problems are revealed, ultimately resulting in the tragic unraveling of this small family.


DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

Delivering Hope

Director: Jordan Orsak

Country: United States; Running Time: 89 min

Eight days before his 50th birthday, ultra-runner Kevin Kline sets out to become the first person in history to run the northernmost 300 miles of Alaska’s dangerous Dalton Highway, in winter, to raise awareness for children battling pediatric cancer. When Kline’s body shuts down after 200 miles, the crew is faced with a life-changing dilemma.

Exit

Director: Alison Jayne Wilson

Country: Spain; Running Time: 67 min

In pursuit of a life above the poverty line, three women find themselves in the depths of human trafficking networks. EXIT examines what it takes to regain one’s dignity in the face of unthinkable trauma.

Firestorm ’77 The True Story of the Honda Canyon Fire

Director: Chris Hite, Dennis Ford

Country: United States; Running Time: 54 min

Military commanders, fearful of the Base’s cold war secrets being compromised, attempted to control the protocols and procedures of the civilian fire fighters called upon to battle the1977 Honda Canyon Fire on Vandenberg Air Force Base. They intead offered up their own untrained personnel to fight a conflagration that, for all intents and purposes, should have never been fought and couldn’t be beaten.

Forever Majestic

Director: Michael Stephen Schwarz

Country: United States; Running Time: 86 min

Two activists race to save a once-bustling historic landmark struck by a mysterious fire.

Katia and Rimma

Director: Gulya Mirzoeva

Country: France; Running Time: 90 min

Rimma and her granddaughter Katia of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, are waiting for the scheduled demolition of their home and their subsequent rehousing. French-Tajik filmmaker Gulya Mirzoeva follows their intimate journey towards a new life.

Me To Play

Director: Jim Bernfield

Country: United States; Running Time: 72 min

Two professional actors with Parkinson’s disease put up an Off-Broadway production of Samuel Beckett’s “Endgame,” a play he wrote after his mother succumbed to Parkinson’s as a metaphor for living with the disease.

Never Had a Bad Day

Director: Matt Richmond

Country: United States; Running Time: 66 min

Inventor, entrepreneur and engineer Bernie Karl runs Chena Hot Springs Resort in Alaska year-round on 100% geothermal power. The film follows him as he prepares for his annual energy fair.

The Birth & History of Western Swing

Director: Mike Markwardt

Country: United States; Running Time: 74 min

This landmark film traces Western Swing’s origins, development, and legacy utilizing original and contemporary voices.

The Graduates

Director: Dusan Gajic

Country: Serbia; Running Time: 86 min

Thirty years after graduating, a group of Serbians embark on an introspective journey to examine their lives and the history of Serbia.

The Innocents

Director: Wojciech Lorenc

Country: United States; Running Time: 80 min

Using a variety of found objects composers, Allen Otte and John Late explore the issues surrounding wrongful imprisonment and exoneration in the American criminal justice system.


NARRATIVE SHORTS

A Day Will Come

Director: Nicolas Cazalé

Country: France; Running Time: 29 min

A Feast That Never Comes

Director: Maria Juranic

Country: United States; Running Time: 16 min

Amaranth

Director: Robert Lloyd Moore

Country: United States; Running Time: 13 min

Ang Motel

Director: Jon Matthews

Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min

Au79

Director: Rafael Hovhannisyan

Country: Armenia; Running Time: 7 min

Valery, a retiree working as a night watchman in a newly built building, inherited gold from his

Between The Trees

Director: Kelli Horan

Country: United States; Running Time: 16 min

Between Two Worlds

Director: Jax

Country: Not Specified; Running Time: 8 min

Brother Troll

Director: Gudmund Helmsdal

Country: Faroe Islands; Running Time: 30 min

Collision

Director: Ann Marie Martin

Country: United States, Running Time: 5 min

Composure

Director: Eric DePriester

Counytry: United States, Running Time: 11:40 min

Cookaphony

Director: Joe Chvala

Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min

Crude Massacre

Director: Ven Scott

Country: United States; Running Time: 16 min

Curiosity

Director: James Sunshine

Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min

Cutter

Director: Dan Repp, Lindsay Young

Country: United States; Running Time: 16 min

Divertimento

Director: Keyvan Sheikhalishahi

Country: France; Running Time: 30 min

Dog Gone

Director: Ronald Short

Country: United States; Running Time: 14 min

El Rey

Director: Jonathan D London

Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min

Enjoy Your Stay

Director: Tara Dickerson

Country: United States; Running Time: 6 min

Fig Jam (Film)

Director: Frank J. Avella

Country: United States; Running Time: 22 min

First Day

Director: Suzanne Weinert, Julia Barnett

Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min

Full Tilt

Director: Isaac Jeffrey Scego

Country: United States; Running Time: 40 min

Good Neighbors

Director: Lennon Sullivan

Country: United States; Running Time: 14 min

I Hate You

Director: Taylor Olson, Koumbie

Country: Canada; Running Time: 9 min

Jimmy Arcurio Presents: Rebel Without A Beer

Director: Mattias Marasigan

Country: United States; Running Time: 18 min

Karate Belt

Director: Stephen Huff

Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min

Lifecell

Director: Tyler Mann

Country: United States; Running Time: 13 min

Loose Ends

Director: Shrader Thomas

Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min

Man Seeking Man

Director: Travis White

Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min

Millennial Tiny House USA!

Director: Joshua Koszewski

Country: United States; Running Time: 13 min

Neon

Director: Ehson Rad

Country: United States; Running Time: 10 min

Oh Deer

Director: Richard C. Jones

Country: United States; Running Time: 6 min

Saving Salvador

Director: Luisa Maria González

Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min

Scout

Director: Allen Robertson, Damon Brown

Country: United States; Running Time: 45 min

Second Wedding

Director: Taylor Olson

Country: Canada; Running Time: 9 min

Sons of Toledo

Director: Monty Cole

Country: United States; Running Time: 20 min

Terminator: Bad Judgment Day

Director: Lisa Belcher

Country: United States; Running Time: 6 min

The Perfect Fit

Director: Anya Swanson

Country: United States; Running Time: 16 min

The Puppeteer

Director: Paul Greenamyer

Country: Not Specified; Running Time: 8 min

The Terrible Old Woman

Director: Troy Wayne Fortenberry

Country: United States; Running Time: 19 min

The West Virginian Starfish

Director: Katherine Davidson, Hyten Davidson

Country: United States; Running Time: 15 min

The Witch’s Bargain

Director: Corey J. Trahan

Country: United States; Running Time: 30 min

Wasted Seed

Director: Nino Mancuso

Country: United States; Running Time: 18 min

Yester-Year

Director: Andrew Kallimani

Country: United States; Running Time: 7 min

Zabut

Director: Giuseppe Schillaci

Country: Italy; Running Time: 21 min


DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Jedi Training – Equality Begins at the First Bolt

Director: Drew J Hayes

Country: United States; Running Time: 28 min

Rector

Director: Lester Platt

Country: United States; Running Time: 22 min

Sunset at Dry Creek

Director: Budro Partida

Country: United States; Running Time: 30 min

The Art of The Headshot

Director: Keaton Davis

Country: United States; Running Time: 11 min

Three Seconds Later

Director: Justin Sweidel, Christopher Shepherd

Country: United States; Running Time: 12 min

Waterproof

Director: Ross Kauffman

Country: United States; Running Time: 31 min

MUSIC VIDEOS

AZXO – Idle Mind

Director: Joey Martinez, Zhipeng Xing

Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min

Baker Hotel

Director: Billy Cano

Country: United States; Running Time: 8 min

Brandon Callies Band “Gone Cold”

Director: Brandon Norman Callies, Paco Estrada

Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min

Kady Rain – Got Away

Director: Jackie Pardue Scripps

Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min

Reverie

Director: Caitlin Gray

Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min

Shining Light

Director: Taylor Fredricks

Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min

Small One

Director: Micah Nelson, Alexandra Dascalu

Country: United States; Running Time: 4 min

Smoky Cold Pint Glass

Director: Taylor Fredricks, ImaGene Loop

Country: United States; Running Time: 4 min

Super Penguin

Director: Matthew Gilchrest

Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min


STUDENT SHORTS

Dead Keys

Director: Allegra Pizzolatto

Country: United States; Running Time: 2 min

Earthbound

Director: Hendrix Crockard

Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min

First Days

Director: Parker Benningfield

Country: United States; Running Time: 2 min

Gone

Director: Kyle Ward

Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min

I’m Here

Director: Grace Eitrheim

Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min

It’s Getting Bad Again

Director: Sarah Reyes

Country: United States; Running Time: 4 min

Saving Santino

Director: Jonathan Campos, Hans Sellers

Country: United States; Running Time: 9 min

Summer Days

Director: Ava Nicole Wilson

Country: United States; Running Time: 3 min

Sunny Side Up

Director: Lucy Kimber

Country: USA; Running Time: 2 min

The Face Off

Director: Jose Miguel Martinez-McIntosh

Country: United States; Running Time: 5 min

The Final Thought

Director: Tadji Ulrich

Country: Australia; Running Time: 10 min

The Suit

Director: Cassy Steuerwald

Country: USA; Running Time: 3 min

The Lake Travis Film Festival 2022 announces lineup for next month’s fest outside of Austin