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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Will the gender pay gap ever disappear? Ashland Recycling Center hits quarter-century Louie’s Restaurant hosts fourth annual Equal Pay Day Police Reports 10 things to know for Friday Education Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Bracing for Common Core Ashland Kiwanis recognize Lillian Huang Chautauqua series brings author Jane Hamilton to Ashland Ashland Runs on Volunteers: OLLI classes pay dividends in joy of teaching, learning Environment Ashland Fire & Rescue Alarm Box: There are good fires and there are bad fires Lots to celebrate at SOU Arbor Day rites Mt. 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Mangino: Mass incarceration enters the national consciousness Jeffrey Gillespie: Buying the presidency Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Go to the poetry reading at the library on Sunday Community blog: Poems for parenting A tale of two plays at OSF Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Five picks for entertainment this week Theater Ticket Availability Ticket Availability A tale of two plays at OSF Ashland New Plays Festival chooses new artistic director Backstage: 'Poof: Something that wasn’t there is there' Music On TV: Your guide to the Academy of Country Music Awards The Farr Side: Intriguing time on the Hot 100 Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Is Kelly Clarkson’s weight truly news?  Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival Visual Art More films, excitement than ever for AIFF Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Movie review: Based-on-fact ‘True Story’ asks, ‘Who’s fooling who?’ Movie review: Lots of monkey business in ‘Monkey Kingdom’ Russell Crowe discusses WWI and being a first-time director 'Cinderella' revisited is stunning, magical Ben Steelman: Big-screen showings to mark anniversary of ‘Sound of Music’ Food and Drink Business profile: Couple opens second Pita Pit in Ashland Tot owners buy Playwright, hire Amuse chef Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories App Finder: Best Earth Day apps Health Watch: How to avoid the dreaded weight-loss plateau Looking Up: Watching for the next big comet Adelante! 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ASHLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 'Western,' 'Imperial Dreams' win top film jury awards By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Apr. 13, 2015 @ 6:17 pm Updated Apr 14, 2015 at 5:33 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Apr. 13, 2015 @ 6:17 pm Updated Apr 14, 2015 at 5:33 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> “Imperial Dreams,” the stirring tale of an aspiring writer enmeshed in crime-ridden Los Angeles ghetto life, swept both the juried and audience awards as Best Feature Film for the Ashland Independent Film Festival, which closed Monday evening. A dozen awards were presented in Oscar-style form at a well-attended Awards Gala on Sunday evening at the Historic Ashland Armory.  “Western,” the story of cartel violence in two border towns, won the Les Blank Award for feature length documentary, while the Rogue Creamery Audience Award for Feature Length Documentary was a tie between “Frame by Frame” and “Batkid: The Wish Heard Round the World.”  “Frame” explores the lives of photographers living under a Taliban prohibition on photographs. “Batkid” details the life of a Miles Scott, a 5-year-old Klamath Falls boy, battling cancer in San Francisco while the city rallies to his wish to emulate Batman.  “Wildlike” won the Jim Giancarlo Juried Award for Best Acting Ensemble in a Feature. It tells of a young woman adrift in Alaska, finding support and friendship from a random backpacker. It also won the Gerald Hirschfeld ASC Award for Best Cinematography. Ashlander Hirschfeld, 94, a noted cinematographer (“Young Frankenstein,” “My Favorite Year”) presented the award.  Best Editing went to “Kurt Cobain: a Montage of Heck.” It documents the life of this famed but doomed rocker of the '90s. The Best Short Film was “Skunk,” the story of a troubled young girl in Texas and her caretaking of rescued dogs. The Jim Teece “Local Hero” Audience Award for Short Films went to “Birthday,” about a young military wife dealing with the grievous wounding of her Marine husband. Best short documentary in the eyes of both jury and audience voters was “One Year Lease,” about three guys renting from a zany, cat-loving landlady. The Audience Family Choice Award went to the animated short “The Dam Keeper,” about a pig and a fox standing up to bullying and a strange pollution threatening the town. Honorable Mentions went to “Stop,” “Hotel 22,” “Welcome to Leith,” “Proud Citizen,” “Cartel Land” and “Barge.” The No Limits Award went to “Brand.”  The gritty, often grisly “Imperial Dreams” gives fleeting hope to 21-year old Bambi, just out of prison for gang activity (assault with a deadly weapon). He longs to put his life together as a writer, albeit in violent and drug-drenched South Central LA, where each day is a survival challenge. Our protagonist narrates the film from the wise and touching manuscripts of his writing, as he tries to raise his son (mom’s in prison), while living in his car. If there’s any program to help him to his feet, it’s not visible. Homies offer him $4,000 to smuggle oxycontin to Portland. That would solve all his problems — or put him back in the pen for decades. He must have a driver’s license to get jobs, but can’t get one, because he’s thousands behind on child support, because he's been in prison. Bullets fly around him, taking out his cousin. The son, about 10, is witness to all this, and is soon removed by child protective service. But then, one glimmer of promise. The very white literary establishment takes time to read a few of his pages. They like it. A lot. It’s a powerful film, shining light on the few corners of hope amid the societal carnage and despair. It’s not easy to watch. The big issue is: how does Bambi build containers of safety and sanity around himself, so he can even get to square two in life? Director Malik Vitthaal has captured it all in this movie. He best describes what drove him to create the film, which really seems a featurized documentary. The actors are acting, but you know this is how it really is. He notes: “We all have the ability to control how we respond to adversity. The young men from South Central in Los Angeles whose real-life struggles inspired our story represent the challenging socioeconomic and emotional realities that so many people of color in American inner cities face. It’s not a film about desperation though; it is about hope. It is about young men who grow all the more empowered to achieve their dreams when their families — stuck in the destructive cycle of drugs, gangs, and crime — don’t provide the support that they need. These men construct their own spheres of support, creating crucial turning points when everything around them is in chaos.” The 2015 Rogue Award, announced Saturday, went to Olympic champion Greg Louganis, who shared his story in the documentary "Back on Board: Greg Louganis." Earlier in the week, the AIFF presented award-winner director Ondi Timoner with the inaugural "No Limits" Award in recognition of her fearless film making and unique storytelling style in her latest film, "BRAND: A Second Coming." John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. The Ashland International Film Festival contributed to this report.   By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Apr. 13, 2015 @ 6:17 pm Updated Apr 14, 2015 at 5:33 PM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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