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ARTICLES
& REVIEWS
Lights,
Camera, Arizona Action
Contact
Magazine
The Phoenix Film Festival is well
on the way to becoming a nationally recognized event.
With more star power and an extended running time of
eight days, organizers hope this festival will attract
an even greater crowd than last year. The schedule includes
evening screenings during the week, day and evening weekend
films, celebrities, workshops and special events. One
special treat for festival goers is the appearance from
Fishburne, as he will open the festival promoting his
new movie, Akeelah and the Bee.
. . .Not only has the festival grown in
size, but so have the number of submissions. They now
receive submissions from all over the world. This year
they had 800 films to choose from, of which they could
only show 60. When asked about selecting from such an
overwhelming choice, festival director Jason Carney mentions
a few of his favorites: the documentaries Last
of the Spanish Mustangs, Andrew Jenks, Room 335 and the comedy
Pirates of the Great Salt Lake. LaMont suggests seeing
at least one film in each category. |
Santa Fe Film
Festival
Former television reporter Len Johnson
looked into society's fascination with wild horses, specifically
mustangs, and learned that most Americans are devoted
to the myth of wild mustangs but not the reality. The
myth: Wild and free, roaming the West, untamed, exultant
in their own wildness and power. The reality: These horses
are dwindling descendants of Spanish mustangs, treated
with contempt by those charged with their care, hunted
and slaughtered for dining tables abroad.
Through interviews, extant footage
and a gonzo documentary style that owes a lot to Michael
Moore, Johnson is fearless (for he learns the West is
dangerous) in researching and filming the plight of many
horses and especially Spanish mustangs. Their heroes:
People like Michael Blake, the author of DANCES WITH
WOLVES, and Jim Baca, former mayor of Albuquerque . .
Their enemies: mainly the Bureau of Land Management,
which originally was called the U.S. Grazing Service
and fronts for big cattle interests.
There are scenes of horse slaughtering
and processing from the three US plants -- two in Texas
and one in Illinois . The result is a powerful documentary,
packed with information, on an issue that most of us
avoid. – Steven Davis |
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Kansas
International Film Festival
A new law railroaded through Congress by a Montana senator
allows wild horse slaughter for the first time in over
three decades. The government and politicians claim the
horses are overpoulating and have no natural predators.
The goverment is confused.
Revealing a country in which white Europeans still dominate
black Americans with law-breaking horse slaughter houses
in poor neighborhoods, producer Len Johnson shows an
America we thought we left behind a century ago. He also
connects with the Cerbat Spanish mustangs, Arizona's
last remaining herd of wild Spanish horses.
Receiving critical and festival acclaim, Last of the
Spanish Mustangs is a year and a half in the making and
a work from the heart--with a tinge of underlying humor. |
Phoenix
Film Festival continues strong run
Arizona
State Univeristy Online
The largest attended festival in the state of Arizona
said action last week in downtown Phoenix.
The Phoenix Film Festival will screen over 100 different
films from nine different categories including local,
feature-length, animated, and international films.
. . .This year's Arizona feature film is "Last
of the Spanish Mustangs," a film about
Arizona's last remaining herd of wild Spanish horses
and the ongoing problem of horse slaughtering in the
U.S.
Len Johnson, director of "Spanish Mustangs," says
he appreciates the publicity that this year's festival
is giving his film. The staff at the film festival, "all
know their craft," said Johnson. |
Cinequest
Online
Last of the Spanish Mustangs is a 2005 Santa Fe Film
Festival selection. A new law railroaded through Congress
by a Montana senator allows wild horse slaughter for
the first time in over three decades. The government
and politicians claim the horses are overpoulating and
have no natural predators. The goverment lies. Blatantly.
Revealing a country in which white Europeans still dominate
black Americans with law-breaking horse slaughter houses
in poor neighborhoods, producer Len Johnson shows an
America we thought we left behind a century ago. He also
connects with the Cerbat Spanish mustangs, Arizona's
last remaining herd of wild Spanish horses. Receiving
critical and festival acclaim, Last of the Spanish Mustangs
is a year and a half in the making and a work from the
heart--with a tinge of underlying humor. |
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