| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder(s) | Jason Connell |
| Headquarters | 6671 Sunset Blvd Suite 1585, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Number of locations | 6 Festivals (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tulsa, Chicago, New York, London) |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Website | www.theunitedfest.com |
The United Film Festivals are a series of film festivals created by Jason Connell. The festival's focus is to bring together talented filmmakers from diverse backgrounds, thus creating a "United" showcase of creative energy and talent. It is a film festival for people from all backgrounds and tastes, a place where art and community converge.
A Tulsa native filmmaker, Jason Connell and his production company Connell Creations founded Tulsa United Film Festival in 2002. Now living in Hollywood, Connell has expanded the United Film Festivals into Los Angeles & New York in 2007 and has added festivals in San Francisco, Chicago & London in 2009.[1]
Location: Los Feliz 3 Cinemas, 1822 Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Date: April 28th - May 5th, 2011[2]
Location: Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Date: June 15th - 21st, 2012[3]
Location: Circle Cinema, 12 South Lewis Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74104
Date: July 26th - 30th, 2012[4]
Location: Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago, IL 60613
Date: September 9th - September 15, 2011[5]
Superheroes - 7:00pm
A journey inside the world of real life caped crusaders. From all over America, these self-proclaimed crime fighters don masks, homemade costumes and elaborate utility belts in an attempt to bring justice to evildoers everywhere
Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade - 9:30p
1982's Video Game World Champions share their philosophies on joysticks, groupies and life.
The Blues Brothers - Midnight
Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and brother Elwood were raised.
Bhopali - 12:00pm
Bhopali documents the survivors of the world'sworst industrial disaster, the 1984 Union Carbide gas eak in Bhopal, India. Today the suffering continues, prompting victims to fight for justice against Union Carbide, the American corporation responsible for the disaster.
Lesson Plan - 2:00pm
'Lesson Plan' is a documentary featuring interviews of the original students and teacher of the 1967 Third Wave experiment. This exercise in fascism took place in Palo Alto, California. Within one week, 30 students grew to 200 as the Third Wave took on a life of its own, and the students unwittingly re-enacted the roots of the Third Reich.
Act Naturally - 4:30pm
Two estranged half-sisters learn of their father's untimely death and drive cross-country to claim his remains, not realizing they are about to inherit a nudist colony.
Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians - 7:00pm
Follows the rise of arguably the largest and most well-funded blackjack team in America-made up entirely of churchgoing Christians. While they succeed in taking millions from casinos, how will they manage to find a place for faith and God in the arena of high stakes gambling?
Eagles in the Chicken Coop - 9:30pm
A team of investigative documentarians set out to follow the making of a late night, made-for-television Mature Movie, to capture an inside look at mainstream American movie practices and sensibilities at their lowest. As the production spins out of control, the team of friends sidesteps the studios contractual demands of sex and nuance, risking their jobs, in a game of cat-and-mouse, scraping to protect the 'important' love story they believe The Lone Rancher can provide.
Child's Play - Midnight
Young Andy Barclay gets the doll he wanted. However, he did not know it was alive!
Beware of Christians - 1:00pm
Four college students travel to Europe to escape their routine faith and gain a radically new perspective on following Jesus.
Stepping into the Fire - 3:30pm
What if the life you lived, the wealth you earned, the possessions you attained, were a deception? What if the answers to all of life's questions were planted deep within the Amazons of Peru? This story takes you on a journey towards the discovery of life's purpose. Step into the fire and you may just find what you've been searching for all along.
Heaven's Rain - 6:00pm
Based on true events, Heaven's Rain recounts the story of the Douglass family, whose lives were irrevocably changed one evening 30 years ago. The son, after becoming an Oklahoma State Senator and authoring groundbreaking victims' rights legislation, is forced to move forward from his past.
Cleanflix - 8:30pm
This insightful documentary follows the sanitized movie industry from inception to collapse. Starting with Kate Winslet's nudity in Titanic and the Mormon culture that didn't want to see it, the film launches into the numerous legal and theoretical debates that led to a DGA lawsuit involving industry titans.
Strong Bodies Fight - 7:00pm
"Strong bodies fight, that weak bodies may be nourished." This is the motto of the Notre Dame Boxing Team, which annually hosts an intramural charity tournament called “The Bengal Bouts” to support development efforts in the poverty-stricken country of Bangladesh. A unique story of sweat, sacrifice, and solidarity, Strong Bodies Fight takes you on an inspirational journey through one boxing team’s fight against poverty.
White Irish Drinkers - 9:30pm
Brooklyn, 1975: two brothers looking for a way out of their working-class neighborhood make a pact to rob a local theater on the night of a Rolling Stones concert.
The Drummond Will - 7:00pm
The Drummond Will follows estranged brothers Marcus and Danny Drummond as they find themselves on a surprisingly dangerous undertaking to unravel the mystery surrounding their father’s very unlikely wealth.
The Dead Inside - 9:30pm
The Dead Inside is a haunting musical about two artists, Wes and Fi, who have misplaced their muse. When Fi begins to show signs of schizophrenia, Wes finds inspiration in her deterioration. When it turns out she is actually possessed, he must choose between the woman he loves and the evil intruder that inspires him.
Falling Overnight - 7:00pm
The story of Elliot Carson on the day before he has surgery to remove a brain tumor. Facing what could be his last night, Elliot's path intersects with Chloe Webb who invites him to her art show. Elliot welcomes the distraction and as the night descends, Chloe takes him on an intimate and exhilarating journey through the city. But as morning approaches, and Chloe learns of Elliot's condition, the magic of the evening unravels, and they must together face the uncertainty of Elliot's future.
Colin Hearts Kay - 9:30pm
When Brooklyn-based cartoonist Colin Jensen breaks up with longtime girlfriend Kay Ho, he pulls out all stops to win her back including dragging her into the illustrated world of his cartoons.
Sixteen Candles - 7:00pm
A young girl's "sweet sixteenth" birthday becomes anything but special as she suffers from every embarrassment possible.
Weird Science - 9:30pm
Two nerdish boys attempt to create the perfect woman, but she turns out to be more than that.
Location: Cobble Hill Cinemas, 265 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Date: October 14th - 20th, 2011[6]
Location: Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place (Off Leicester Square), London WC2H 7BY
Date: November 18th - 20th, 2011[7]