The Chattanooga Film Festival announced Alex Winter’s Deep Web as its official opening night film, kicking off the four day event. Mr. Winter will be on hand at the festival to introduce the film, as well as conduct a question and answer session after.
Review of Deep Web:
Deep Web gives the inside story of one of the most important and riveting digital crime sagas of the century—the arrest of Ross William Ulbricht, the convicted 30-year-old entrepreneur accused to be 'Dread Pirate Roberts,' creator and operator of online black market Silk Road.
The film explores how the brightest minds and thought leaders behind the Deep Web and Bitcoin are now caught in the crosshairs of the battle for control of a future inextricably linked to technology, with our digital rights hanging in the balance.
Mr. Winter, most known for his role as ‘Bill S. Preston’ in the Bill & Ted franchise, has been working behind the camera the last two decades. His latest projects have focused on the internet and how it’s changing the world. His documentary Downloaded, featuring Napster’s Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning, was hailed by Wired as “so relevant to today’s tech industry it’s unnerving.”
“It’s hard to believe how long Alex Winter has been a part of my life, first as an actor, and more recently as a filmmaker,” said CFF executive director and lead programmer Chris Dortch II. “With Downloaded, Alex perfectly and meticulously told the tale of the rise and fall of Napster, and now with Deep Web, he's taken the strange but true story of the Silk Road and made a fascinating and incredible documentary. We're overjoyed to have him and Deep Web as our opening night film and guest.”
In addition, CFF has locked its third and final wave of feature programming:
It Follows - Directed by David Robert Mitchell
For nineteen-year-old Jay (Maika Monroe), autumn should be about school, boys and weekends out at the lake. But after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, she finds herself plagued by strange visions and the inescapable sense that someone, something, is following her. Faced with this burden, Jay and her friends must find a way to escape the horrors that seem to be only a few steps behind.
Tex Montana Will Survive - Directed by Jeremy Gardner (world premiere)
After being discovered as a fraud, Tex Montana, host of the hit survival show Tex Montana will Survive! has only one thing to prove ... that he CAN survive. From the filmmakers of the festival favorite, The Battery, comes this documentary-style comedy about one man's fight against the wilds, the weather, and his own ineptitude.
My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn - Directed by Liz Corfixen
Liz Corfixen, wife of Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive), documented her husband’s efforts to live up to his previous successful film with Only God Forgives, which was shot in Bangkok. More than shining a spotlight on Refn’s process, the film shows how anxiety and pressure turned the director depressed and disheartened. “I’ve spent three years making this film,” Refn says during My Life Directed, “and I don’t really know what it’s about.” Critics voiced the same sentiment in some scathing reviews, some of which Ms. Corfixen includes in her film.
These Final Hours - Directed by Zak Hilditch
It's the last day on earth, twelve hours before a cataclysmic event will end life as we know it. James makes his way across a lawless and chaotic city to the party to end all parties. Along the way, he somewhat reluctantly saves the life of a little girl named Rose who is desperately searching for her father. Stuck with the unexpected burden of responsibility, James is forced to come to terms with what really matters in life as the final hours tick away.
Felt - Directed by Jason Banker
A young artist (Amy Everson) creates an alter ego to try and overcome the trauma inflicted by men in her life.
World Of Kanako - Directed by Tetsuya Nakashima
Akikazu Fujishima is far from the perfect family man; in fact he’s a schizophrenic alcoholic who quit his job as a detective. But when his daughter Kanako goes missing, Fujishima begins a quest to find her. Fantastic Fest called this film “a brutal and shocking thriller,” which is a good place to start. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Science Team - Directed by Drew Bolduc
When Chip returns home to visit his beloved mother, he finds himself caught in the middle of an interstellar war between a telepathic space alien and a bureaucratic government organization bent on incinerating all alien life. Chip must fight to survive this ego-shattering drama of epic proportions.
Gameloading: Rise Of The Indies - Directed by Anna Brady and Lester Francois
This documentary explores the world of indie game developers—their craft, their games, their dreams, and how they have forever changed the landscape of games culture. Disrupting the big-budget industry, indie games have altered the art form through their innovative, varied and personal games. Small teams of passionate and creative developers are offering an alternate voice to players. GameLoading aims to capture this pivotal point in history, where video games have become more personal than ever.
Scammerhead - Directed by Dan Zukovic (North American premiere)
Dan Zukovic, the cult indie director of The Last Big Thing, returns with another art-house monster, global film noir Scammerhead, starring Dan Zukovic, Alex Rocco (The Godfather, Batman: Year One), Bruce Glover (Diamonds Are Forever) and Alex Zahara (Horns). Scammerhead charts the chaotic adventures of Silas Breece, a legendarily unorthodox business hustler who travels the world seeking capitol for a series of increasingly outlandish investments that go sour and land him in hot water with the mob.
Interior - Directed by Zachary Beckler
When a mysterious letter is found hidden inside a family’s new home, Sam, a struggling filmmaker, is hired to capture evidence of the supernatural events plaguing their young daughter. What starts out as a simple paranormal investigation leads to one long, terrifying night, forcing Sam to confront his disbelief as footage begins turning up on his equipment that he did not record. Isolated and alone with a dark force identified as Emily, Sam and his cameras are taken on a digital journey through the unknown and beyond.
The Last Season - Directed by Sara Dosa
Amid the bustling world of Central Oregon’s wild mushroom hunting camps, the lives of two former soldiers intersect. Roger, a 75-year-old sniper with the US Special Forces in Vietnam, and Kouy, a 46-year-old platoon leader of Cambodia’s Khmer Freedom Fighters who battled the brutal Khmer Rouge, come together each fall to hunt the elusive matsutake mushroom, a rare mushroom prized in Japanese culture and cuisine. But the pair discover more than just mushrooms in the woods: they find a new life and livelihood; and a means to slowly heal the scarring wounds of war.