The fall film festival season is upon us, and thanks to the dedicated organizers at FilmScene, Iowa finally has a venue to participate. This year’s Refocus Film Festival provided Hawkeye State cinephiles the chance to see exciting films, hear from a panoply of artists and bolster a thriving community of people whose passion has been […]
Refocus Film Festival
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘My films are my voyage, and writing is home’: Werner Herzog proselytizes his love of poetry, reading and the U.S. Heartland after receiving local film award
More than 700 people filled Iowa City’s Englert Theatre on Sunday night to hear the legendary voice of Werner Herzog. The German filmmaker and author was greeted with nearly a minute of applause, and received two standing ovations before the night was out. The event concluded both FilmScene’s second Refocus Film Festival and the 15th […]
Posted inEastern Iowa Arts & Entertainment
Q&A: mars hojilla talks Mission Creek, indie music and importance of representation
Between biomedical engineering classes at the University of Iowa, Myles Evangelista has made time for his first Mission Creek Festival. Performing under the name mars hojilla—the title of Evangelista’s recent musical project—the alt-rock artist spoke with Little Village about learning to read out of spite, falling in love with music, and what performing at MCF […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Watch: Screenwriter and producer David Kajganich on adapting novels, cannibalism and Iowa City’s new film festival
For the first time in four years, screenwriter and Iowa Writers’ Workshop alum David Kajganich is back in Iowa City for the FilmScene premiere of his genre-bending, spine-tingling new work. Bones and All is the third adapted screenplay Kajganich has crafted for director Luca Guadagnino — audiences packed FilmScene during the 2018 Witching Hour Festival […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
FilmScene’s Refocus Festival announces slate of features, from a VR documentary to a ‘secret’ animated film
As the start date for single ticket purchases quickly approaches, FilmScene has announced the lineup of films for its inaugural Refocus Film Festival, which runs Oct. 6-9 across Iowa City. (Ticket sales begin Sept. 16; passes are on sale now and range from $65 public/$60 members for a five-show pass to $230/$195 for all access.) […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
FilmScene’s long-awaited ReFocus Film Festival is ‘tailormade for a City of Literature’
Iowa City’s literary history casts a long shadow. It’s the first UNESCO City of Literature in the country, home to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. But next month, Iowa City will enter the film festival world with FilmScene’s long-awaited ReFocus Film Festival, an event dedicated to the relationship between literature and film. Andrew Sherburne, executive director […]
