Kansas International Film Festival – Day 3 (Sunday)

Our last day in Kansas City and we’ve only got two films slated for our viewing pleasure. I’m kind of documentaried out (yes, as far as I’m concerned, that’s a word) so I wanted to see a narrative film. The only one showing at the first screening of the day was a film titled “The Forgiven” directed by Paul Fitzgerald. Oddly, it was a film that Jeremy and I hadn’t heard of so we had very little information going in, but as we sat in the theater, we were completely blown away by the story and in particular by the performances. The four lead characters were tremendous, and while they were not big names (mostly a lot of TV roles in various dramas), all of them were top notch. The only thing that I can see that would keep this film out of mainstream distribution is the lack of high profile actors, but if you have a chance to see it anywhere, do so. It screened at Sundance last year and I can see why.

The last film of the festival (for us anyway) was a documentary that Jeremy had been looking forward to seeing by Kirby Dick entitled “This Film Is Not Yet Rated.” The film takes a shot at the current MPAA ratings makers and the studio film “insiders” and it raises a lot of very interesting points. Yes I do have some very strong opinions about the subject matter and the way it was portrayed, and no, I will not go through all of them in a blog. I’m happy to have the conversation anytime though for anyone interested.

This Film Is Not Yet Rated

After this film and a little more hanging out with some of the KIFF board members, we headed back to glorious Omaha.

So, my three days at KIFF were fantastic, I had a great time, and we were treated extremely well by those putting on the festival. I’d like to say special thanks to Ben, Dot, Brian, Ben, and Michael for a giving us the opportunity to enjoy their festival as VIPs. We look forward to hosting you at OFF07.

Kansas International Film Festival