The 19th annual Homer Documentary Film Festival has arrived.
“It’s great, having everybody back,” Homer Theatre owner Jamie Sutton said. “We missed a year because of COVID, but we’re delighted it’s back and in full tilt like it was before.”
Each year, the Homer Theatre curates for the local community a “diverse selection” of current movies that have been recognized for their “excellence in international documentary competitions,” the festival website states.
Running Sept. 21-28, this year’s selection features seven films, two of which will be presented in a double feature. Trailers and full film summaries are available on the festival website at www.homerdocfest.com.
“It Ain’t Over,” rated PG, is an “emotional and uplifting” documentary about Yogi Berra that takes viewers beyond the caricatures and “Yogisms” and into the heart of a sports legend whose unparalleled accomplishments on the baseball diamond were often overshadowed by his off-the-field persona.
“Little Richard: I Am Everything,” not rated, tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n’ roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator and originator, Richard Penniman. In interviews with family, musicians, and cutting-edge Black and queer scholars, the film reveals how Richard created an art form for ultimate self-expression — “yet what he gave to the world he was never able to give to himself.”
“Wild Life,” rated PG-13, tells the story of conservationist Kris Thompkins and outdoorsman and entrepreneur Doug Tompkins, who, after falling in love in mid-life, left behind the outdoor brands they’d helped pioneer — Patagonia, The North Face, and Esprit — and turned their attention to “a visionary effort” to create national parks throughout Chile and Argentina. The film chronicles the highs and lows of their journey to effect the largest private land donation in history.
“20 Days in Mariupol,” not rated, is the winner of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary. This “harrowing” film records the struggle of a team of Ukrainian journalists, trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol as the Russian invasion begins, as they continue their work documenting the war’s atrocities.
“Arc of Oblivion,” not rated, is an “unexpectedly playful” search for an answer to a deeply existential question. Set against the backdrop of the filmmaker’s quixotic quest to build an ark in a field in Maine, the film heads far afield — to salt mines in the Alps, fjords in the Arctic, and ancient libraries in the Sahara — to illuminate the strange world of archives, record-keeping, and memory.
“Pioneer Family in Alaska” and “The Rich and Simple Life,” not rated, are paired together as a double feature in this year’s festival showings.
“Pioneer Family in Alaska” is the first color documentary showing homestead life in America and was created by Homer’s own Yule Kilcher. The festival will show the 1978 updated version of Kilcher’s silent film by the Smithsonian.
“The Rich and Simple Life” is a documentary by the Homer Pratt Museum centered on homesteader Ruth Kilcher, as told by her children and highlighting the woman’s perspective. The film includes original early footage.
Advance tickets are available for sale at www.homertheatre.com.
This year’s Homer Documentary Film Festival Opening Gala selection is “Wild Life,” in conjunction with the 2023 Alaska World Arts Festival. At the gala, enjoy an “Alaskan barbecue,” a preview of the films to be shown during the weeklong festival, and a screening of the feature film. General admission for the gala is $20 for viewers aged 15 to 59. Discount admission is available for seniors, youth, military and Peace Corps volunteers for $15. Tickets for the Homer Documentary Festival are not included in the Alaska World Arts Festival membership.
Festival passes, which include the Gala showing and one admission to each film on the docket, are $55 and may also be purchased at the Homer Theatre box office or the Homer Bookstore.
Viewers may also purchase individual tickets at the box office 30 minutes prior to showtimes, though advance ticket purchases are encouraged. General admission for the 5:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. showtimes are $10. Matinee admission for the 3 p.m. showtime is $8. Discount admission is also available for seniors, youth, military and Peace Corps volunteers for $8.
Screening Schedule
Thursday, Sept. 21
6:15 p.m., “Wild Life” (Gala Film Showing)
Friday, Sept. 22
3 p.m., “Yogi Berra: It Ain’t Over”
5:15 p.m., “20 Days in Mariupol”
7:30 p.m., “Little Richard: I Am Everything”
Saturday, Sept. 23
3 p.m., “Wild Life”
5:15 p.m., “Arc of Oblivion”
7:30 p.m., “Pioneer Family in Alaska” and “The Rich and Simple Life
Sunday, Sept. 24
3 p.m., “20 Days in Mariupol”
5:15 p.m., “Little Richard: I Am Everything”
7:30 p.m., “Yogi Berra: It Ain’t Over”
Monday, Sept. 25
3 p.m., “Arc of Oblivion”
5:15 p.m., “Yogi Berra: It Ain’t Over”
7:30 p.m., “Little Richard: I Am Everything”
Tuesday, Sept. 26
3 p.m., “Yogi Berra: It Ain’t Over”
5:15 p.m., “Wild Life”
7:30 p.m., “20 Days in Mariupol”
Wednesday, Sept. 27
3 p.m., “Little Richard: I Am Everything”
5:15 p.m., “Wild Life”
7:30 p.m., “Arc of Oblivion”
Thursday, Sept. 28
3 p.m., “20 Days in Mariupol”
5:15 p.m., “Yogi Berra: It Ain’t Over”
A Kilcher family photo is the promotional poster for “Pioneer Family in Alaska” Photo provided by the Homer Theatre.
Promotional poster for “Wild Life.” Photo provided by the Homer Theatre.
Promotional poster for “The Arc of Oblivion.” Photo provided by the Homer Theatre.
Promotional poster for “Yogi Berra: It Ain’t Over.” Photo provided by the Homer Theatre.
Promotional poster for “Little Richard: I Am Everything.” Photo provided by the Homer Theatre.
Promotional poster for “20 Days in Mariupol.” Photo provided by the Homer Theatre.
