DocFest: Life Beyond the Pine Curtain – America the Invisible & The Middle of Everywhere

With Q&A’s

Life Beyond the Pine Curtain – America the Invisible: Set in the thick pine forests and marshlands of East Texas, the film embraces the language of Cinéma du Réel and is an intimate, poetic reflection on the hidden side of America, through four people living on the margins, each very different, one from the other, but all united by the deep relationship they have with the land, between the towns of Gladewater, Longview and Kilgore. It explores America, beyond its stereotypes, and shows it in all its complexity through the voice and words of writer Joe R. Lansdale, a profound, iconic voice in contemporary American literature, a native from places able to interpret the profound reasons behind a complex reality, providing an original portrait of contemporary America. Using a powerful, immersive visual style, Giovanni Troilo’s work is both a social document and a lyrical tale, capable of shedding light on human geography, rarely seen at the cinema.

The Middle of Everywhere (Zoe Hertz, Ellie Hall, 16min): Steps from State Route 166 is the High Desert town of New Cuyama, California, population 542. Uniquely situated in the valley of four major counties, New Cuyama’s unincorporated rural status strains it from resources, keeping it “out of sight, out of mind.”Through the eyes of artists and organizers Alex, Chuy, Carmen, and Jack, we learn about the unique joys and challenges of living in this remote town. Their perspectives provide an unexpected window into a rural community during a time of intensified polarization in our country.