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Steven Bognar

Yellow Springs Festival Back and Bigger in Year Two

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Gearing up for its second year, the Yellow Springs Film Festival (YSFF) is back with an outstanding lineup of independent films, stand-up comedy and live music taking place Oct. 4-6.

YSFF is proud to announce its kickoff party Friday Oct. 4th with a live performance by Comedian and Musician Reggie Watts. Reggie, who most recently starred as the bandleader on CBS’s The Late Late Show with James Corden will bring his formidable voice, looping pedals, and his vast imagination to town, blurring the lines between music and comedy. This will be followed up by Opening Night featuring a screening of the film, The Uninvited (World Premiere SXSW 2024). The film will be followed by a in person conversation with Writer / Director Nadia Conners and will feature a zoom Q&A with star of the film Walton Goggins.

Other Special Events throughout the festival include the new documentary, Eno on musician Brian Eno (known for producing David Bowie, U2, Talking Heads, among many others). A conversation between Director Gary Hustwit and filmmaker Steven Bognar will follow the screening.

Stand-up comedian Dave Hill will also be performing on Sat Oct 5th. Dave Hill is a comedian, writer, musician, actor and radio host. He has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, The Jim Gaffigan Show starred in the Joel Levinson film Boy Band, filmed here in Dayton in 2018 and recently been opening for Tenacious D. In addition, a 30th Anniversary screening of Pulp Fiction will take place featuring live music from the soundtrack, a costume contest and audience trivia.

The narrative film slate includes, In the Summers (WINNER: Grand Jury Prize 2024 Sundance Film Festival), Eephus (Directors’ Fortnight, 2024 Cannes Film Festival), Darkest Miriam (World Premiere 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, Executive Producer Charlie Kaufman, starring Britt Lower) and a Midnight Screening of A Desert (World Premiere 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, music by Ty Segall).

The documentary film slate includes, A Photographic Memory (World Premiere 2024 True/False), I Like it Here (Directed by Ralph Arlyck), Spiz (Directed by Barry Rowen) and Before We Get Started featuring appearances from Judd Apatow, John Oliver, Amy Schumer, Leslie Jones, Seth Myers, Bob Saget, Ray Ramano, Jim Gaffigan, Fred Armisen, Colin Jost and many more.

Closing Night of festival will take place Oct 6th and will feature a special 25th Anniversary screening of the film, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai starring Forest Whitaker and music by RZA. The movie will be followed by a in person conversation between Director Jim Jarmusch and YSFF Founder Eric Mahoney with audience Q&A to follow.

In addition, this year YSFF will be giving out the first ever Julia Reichert Award, a $3,000 prize presented by PNC Bank and given to an emerging female documentary filmmaker to help support a current project. Reichert, a long time Yellow Springs resident and Oscar winning Director was a creative force and each year this award will be given in her name. The event will feature the new short documentary, Julia’s Stepping Stones, Directed by Julia’s partner in film and love, Steven Bognar.

YSFF Shorts will feature two additions this year, one in collaboration with the NYC based Production Company Wavelength and will feature their current class of Wave Grant winners. The WAVE Grant, which stands for “Women at the Very Edge,” supports first-time women and non-binary filmmakers of color in creating their first short narrative film. The second program will feature a collection of documentary, narrative and animated short films — both events will be followed by panel; discussions with the filmmakers.

All films and events will take place at the historic Little Art Theatre and The Foundry Theater at Antioch College. YSFF is produced by Hotshot Robot Productions operated by Founder / Executive Director / Programmer Eric Mahoney and Creative & Artistic Director Ian Jacobs in conjunction with the Yellow Springs Community Foundation.

Ticket Info:

2024 YSFF FILM BADGE – Access to over a dozen films + events including Opening Night and live comedy runs $65.  Individual screening tickets range from $15 -20, with the kick off party running $30.  Tickets available on eventbrite.

 

Dave Chappelle Documentary Screening in Yellow Springs

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Fueled by the murder of George Floyd, shut-in by the closures of business and unable to perform around the country, the movie follows Dave Chappelle as he provides the community he calls home with two things desperately needed in difficult times – economic and comic relief. What began as an experimental socially-distanced live comedy show in a neighbor’s cornfield, grew into an unforgettable summer with his neighbors, friends and fellow comedians. Ultimately, Chappelle’s cornfield concerts would serve as a model of courage not just for his community, but for the entire live entertainment industry.
The documentary is a Dave Chappelle’s Pilot Boy Production, produced and directed by Oscar and Emmy winning filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar (American Factory).
Event details – Attendees must show a Covid Vaccination card or negative Covid test (within 48 hours of the event) with a valid photo ID. Box office will open at 5pm for vaccine and ID checks.
Doors to the event will open at 6pm.
Showings at the Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs.

Update Fri, Sat & Sun 7pm shows sold out

New showtimes added:

Sat & Sun 2pm, Mon 7pm
Advanced tickets are available – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/294736794687

Steven Bognar, Now a Member of The Academy

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has issued 842 invitations to new members, the Oscar-granting body announced today.  And one of those invited to join the entertainment industry’s prestigious list of creatives is Yellow Springs filmmaker Steven Bognar.  Steve shared with us he got an email today about 2:20pm and the subject line read: “Welcome to The Academy Steven Bognar.”

We asked him what it meant to get that invite and here’s what he had to say:

“It’s incredibly meaningful to me, working in documentaries for 35 years, making films for 4o years when I started out  running around Beavercreek with a super 8 camera with my friends.   It’s such a great honor and so many filmmakers who I deeply respect are in The Academy and it’s such an honor to be amongst them.”

The Academy has 17 branches, for the crafts ranging from Actors to Writers, and two categories, Members-at-Large and Associates to accommodate individuals who work in motion picture production but do not fit into one of the branches.  The Academy’s membership process is by sponsorship, not application.  Candidates must be sponsored by two Academy members from the branch to which the candidate seeks admission.  After the two sponsors have completed the online process, the proposed candidate will receive an email requesting additional information. Once completed, the Member Relations and Awards Department will be in touch if any additional information is required.  Each candidate who receives a favorable endorsement from the appropriate Branch Executive Committee is then submitted to the Board of Governors for final approval and invitation to membership.

Adding the class this year will bring the membership to 9,000 artists and professionals who bring the magic of the movies to life. They are the men and women who transport audiences to galaxies far away and to worlds long ago and who create the previously unimagined for the big screen. They are the entertainment industry’s preeminent filmmakers. They are Academy members.  And now Steve joins his filmmaking partner Julia Reichert , as a member of the hallowed Academy.  Ms Reichert became an Academy member in 2010.

Also invited this year is former Wright State Motion Pictures Professor Chinonye Chukwu.  Other Miami Valley members of The Academy include Dave Chapelle, Hannah Beachler and  Allison Janey

For more information and the complete list of new member, click here.

Look for a Dayton debut this August of Bognar and Reichert’s latest film American Factory, which the Tribeca Film Festival describes as “a wry look at what happens when America’s economic vulnerability comes toe-to-toe with a new era of ambitious Chinese expansion.” An award winner at The Sundance Film Festival, the documentary is enjoying rave reviews on the film festival circuit.

Local Filmmakers Debut Short Film at Jewish Film Festival

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MakingMorningStarAcademy Award-nominated, Yellow Springs-based filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar debut their latest short film Sunday, April 17th at 5:15pm at The Neon, as part of the Dayton Jewish Film Festival.

 

Featuring interviews and footage of the composer Ricky Ian Gordon, librettist William M. Hoffman, and stage director Ron Daniels, Making Morning Star presents a behind-the-scenes look at the joys and challenges of developing a new opera. Much of the footage was shot in Cincinnati during a 10-day workshop hosted by Cincinnati Opera and CCM, part of the Opera Fusion: New Works collaboration. The 36-minute documentary tells the story of the creation a new opera, Morning Star, that tells the story of immigrants living in New York’s Lower East Side in the early 20th century who find their dreams tarnished by hardships – the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, World War I, and the Great Depression.



Stick around after the screening for a panel discussion of the film with local Academy Award nominated filmmakers Julia Reichert & Steven Bognar along with artists from the Cincinnati Opera. $9 per ticket, $8 for students (student tickets available at the door only).

 

 

Dayton ReInvention Stories – Using Radio, Film and Web to tell stories about starting over…

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Reinvention StoriesDayton’s own Academy Award nominated, Emmy winning filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar announce the launch of REINVENTION STORIES – a multiplatform documentary project which tells stories of Daytonians who have started over in their lives.

A groundbreaking interactive documentary, created solely for the internet, will launch on February 26, 2013, at www.reinventionstories.org.  This immersive interactive experience, a collaboration with WYSO 91.3 FM, will introduce stories, photos, events, neighborhoods and people from throughout the Miami Valley, in an engaging form.

“Creating an interactive documentary has been a wild ride,” notes Julia Reichert.  “We’re doing something brand new, by creating a nonfiction film experience specifically for the web.  It’s been scary and fun and we’ve learned a ton. There are very few documentary projects in the world that have been created in this new form.  There’s not even word for it – we’re calling it a “transmedia”  documentary.”

The Sundance Institute recently awarded ReInvention Stories a production grant, to help with programming the complex web site.  “We’re so honored that this local project is getting such national attention,” notes WYSO General Manager Neenah Ellis, who launched the project by urging Reichert and Bognar to apply for a national competition.

ReInvention Stories one of only ten projects to win a major grant from AIR, the Association of Independents in Radio, a national organization of radio producers based in Boston.  Other cities to receive the grants include Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin and San Francisco.  “Dayton is one of only two small cities to receive this big project funding .  We’re proud to have been so competitive on a national scale,” adds Steven Bognar.

A series of radio stories based on the project interviews began airing weekly on WYSO on Wednesdays during Morning Edition.  Each radio story is accompanied by a short film on the WYSO website, www.wyso.org.  There have been film and radio stories of the Fifth Street Brewpub in St Anne’s Hill, Pat Reed of Angie’s Firehouse Tavern in Belmont,  former GM worker Debbie Bradley of Fairborn who is now a Registered Nurse, Oronde Clarke of South Park, Kevin Rotramel of Truth and Triumph Tattoo in Belmont, among others (see all videos below).  Upcoming is Kim Cottrell, creator of Olive and Brenda DeWinter of South Park, and many more.

A team of producers, including WYSO staff, alumni of Wright State University’s award winning film program, and WYSO’s Community Voices radio training program, hit the streets last summer, walking neighborhoods, collecting stories.  “We wanted to get out of our comfort zones,” explains Julia Reichert.  “We didn’t want to interview people who we already knew, or even use the usual journalistic sources.  So we trusted to luck and fate, and we met amazing people from all over town.”

The team focused on four Dayton neighborhoods, Twin Towers, Residence Park, South Park and Belmont, but also covered dozens of events and reinvention stories from Fairborn, St. Anne’s Hill, Clayton, East Dayton and Kettering, among others.

The transmedia documentary will launch in three parts, following the structure of the interview questions the team posed:  Who was I?  What happened?  Who am I trying to become?

Act 1 of the stories will launch on February 26, Act 2 on March 19 and Act 3 on April 9th at www.reinventionstories.org  and can also be found at the WYSO website: WYSO.org.

ReInvention Stories is part of a national initiative of AIR, the Association of Independents in Radio, Inc and with financial support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting , The Wyncote Foundation, the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Regional funders include Chicken and Egg Pictures, The Ohio Arts Council, The Yellow Springs Community Foundation and Wright State University’s Center for Collaboration and Leadership in the Arts (CELIA).

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Local Film Picked Up by PBS

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The award-winning short film “Sparkle” by local documentarians Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert has been picked up by PBS for viewing across the nation. Premiering February 7 at 9 PM, you can see the short as part of a new show on PBS.

“Sparkle” was created as part of the pilot for “Lifecasters”. From the Web site: “The goal of Lifecasters is to inspire, engage and motivate national PBS audiences to share their underdog journeys of overcoming the odds. In today’s climate, this series is designed to bring hope and models for achieving goals to viewers.”

Each episode pairs a filmmaking team with a “lifecaster” – someone who is overcoming great odds to accomplish something special. Dayton’s own Sheri “Sparkle” Williams is a featured lifecaster on the first episode due to her great determination and talent in overcoming what could have been a career-ending injury. The filmmaking team of Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar tells the story in a heartfelt and truthful way. Their efforts garnered them the audience choice award for shorts at the prestigious SilverDocs Film Festival.

At the conclusion of A Premiere Evening (a benefit for DCDC), Jennifer Lawson, Senior Vice President of Television and Digital Video Content for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, announced the big news. Lawson spoke with great enthusiasm about how Bognar and Reichert are great ambassadors for our community. Even in all their travels, Lawson shared, “wherever they are, they are talking about Dayton!”

Tune in to PBS (locally – ThinkTV / CET) this February to catch the first episode of “Lifecasters” and see a powerful Dayton story told to the world!

A Premiere Evening SPARKLES

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It’s well-documented that the Dayton community is one of extraordinary innovation, arts and collaboration. That synergy will be on display at tonight’s sold-out November 2 (and newly added second performance November 4) with A Premiere Evening – a benefit for the world-renowned Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

The evening includes the local premiere of the newest hit from award-winning filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar. Their latest project, SPARKLE, won the Audience Award for Best Short Documentary at SilverDocs, the largest documentary film festival in the United States.

Sparkle tells the story of celebrated Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) dancer Sheri “Sparkle” Williams as she recovers from the first major injury in her 38-year career. Reichert and Bognar followed Williams through her months-long recovery process and offers the project to answer the question “Will she ever dance again?”  The film offers audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at DCDC’s rehearsals and performances. A Q&A with the filmmakers follows the screening.

After the film screening, the audience will be treated to the world premiere of a dance created by the impassioned choreographer Rodney Brown for Sparkle “The Gatherer/weething” and a short performance by the world-renowned Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Truly a premiere evening! Tickets are available now.

I talked to the woman of the hour – Sheri “Sparkles’ Williams – to learn about her experience as the subject of the short film by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert and what audiences may expect.

Film is a very different medium than dance – was it a challenge from your perspective blending the two?

As documentarians – they don’t interrupt at all. It’s our regular rehearsal and they capture that – nothing is affected by their filming. Most of the time you don’t realize they’re there – you forget. They didn’t affect our day at all – no retakes, no stopping to get another angle or anything.

Were you concerned to have them following you during this vulnerable and challenging time of your career?

No, not all at – no pressure – no anything. My only concern had nothing to do with the documenting – my only concern was getting myself together.

What do you hope people will come away feeling after seeing the film and seeing you on stage?

I would hope people will get an opportunity to feel good about something. This may be dance and how it affects me, but (people) can be pushed back and overcome it. Know you’re not alone. You can make it happen. And it’s uplifting – the film is uplifting. And the whole evening together – from film to live movement – we are a family – we support each other, there’s camaraderie running amok. We work hard, but it’s a family and they were rooting me on. All of us get affected in some way – what we do is strenuous and people get hurt, but we’re there for each other.

Anything else?

Filmmakers of the caliber of Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar – it’s just amazing that they would want to spend their time with me. It’s been such an amazing experience – I’ve learned so much from them. I’ve had a great time and I have two more friends now. This whole evening is such an honor and such a joy -I’m so excited by it.

Don’t miss this great event! If you haven’t got your tickets for the Friday night benefit, don’t fear! By overwhelming demand a second show has been added on Sunday, November 4 at 5:30 PM at the Dayton Art Institute. Tickets are general admission and available for only $25 at TicketCenterStage.

From The Unemployment Line To The Red Carpet

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images-7Last December when the last truck rolled down the assembly line in Moraine, many of the plant workers assisted in a local documentary about the closing.  Local filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert befriended a group of employees, following them in the last days of the plant and even taught some of them how to work cameras, which they snuck into work to document the last days on the assembly line.

Little did they know then, how that story would earn them a trip to Hollywood.  But this weekend, 4 of the former automakers will attend the 82nd Academy Awards in Los Angeles.  Paul “Popeye” Hurst, Kim Clay, Kate Geiger and Kathy Day will all head out to LA to celebrate the nomination of The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant, which is up in the documentary short category.

Last Truck Tuxedos

As part of the Cinderella story, Price Brothers donated tuxes to outfit both Clay and Popeye, while the women bought new dresses with funds raised by friends. A  donor “who would prefer to remain anonymous” (my guess- a major cable network) is footing the travel expenses for the foursome.

And while the trip is certainly a treat, all four of the former GM workers have said they ‘d rather be back at work.  None of the 4 have found full time jobs.

Filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, while too modest to admit it, were responsible for convincing HBO to lobby for making the trip to  the awards show possible for these subjects of the film.  It’s that rare sense of compassion these filmmakers have, that built the trust in their subjects in the first place, which made the film so moving and real.  Whether they come home with the coveted Oscar statue or not, the experience these former GM workers will have this weekend are sure to be once in a lifetime moments!

oscargoestoCan’t make the trip to LA to celebrate? Then join FilmDayton for an Oscar Watch party at Geez Pub & Grill on Far Hills Drive in Kettering.  Funds raised will support the local nonprofit who’s mission is to foster the growth of our regional film industry and audience.  The party begins at 7pm and a buffet of pizza, pasta, chicken wings and more are included in the $18 ticket price.  You can buy your tickets online or at the event.  There will be a silent auction for movie memorabilia, including a DVD copy of Last Truck, donated by Steve & Julia.