Illinois’ Lake County Film Festival adds music-related films including world premiere of Röckët Stähr’s DEATH OF A ROCKSTAR

LAKE COUNTY FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LATE BREAKING ADDITIONS TO FILM SLATE

Three music-related features are led by the World Premiere of Röckët Stähr’s DEATH OF A ROCKSTAR, Chelsea Christer’s award-winning BLEEDING AUDIO and the Closing Night selection, Alexander Jeffery’s MOLTO BELLA complete the trio.

Lake County, IL (October 8, 2020) – The 10th Annual Lake County Film Festival today announced the final additions to this year’s edition of the film festival, taking place November 4-16. A trio of music-related features include the world premiere of Röckët Stähr’s DEATH OF A ROCKSTAR, Chelsea Christer’s award-winning BLEEDING AUDIO, and Alexander Jeffery’s MOLTO BELLA which is the Closing Night selection. In addition, 5 short films have been added to Lake County Film festival’s already impressive lineup. As previously announced, all titles will be shown their virtual platform, powered by Seed&Spark. Each of the films will also be competing for jury and audience awards.

“Because The Lake County Film Festival was born out of Dog Ear Music & Movies, we’ve always had a focus on music-related films,” said Festival Director Nat Dykeman. “From our second year, when we held the second public screening of THE FEARLESS FREAKS, the documentary on The Flaming Lips, to last year’s documentaries about NYC record store Other Music, and District Unknown, Afghanistan’s first metal band. When we announced our initial slate last month, there were no music related features on the list, but I’m thrilled to announce three additional features today, all of which are centered on music.”

The first of the titles is the World Premiere of the animated, science-fiction, retro-rock opera DEATH OF A ROCKSTAR. The film is written, directed, animated, and performed by musician Röckët Stähr, who spent thirteen years creating the film, almost completely by himself. DEATH OF A ROCKSTAR is a fun, rock ‘n’ roll trip created by a true auteur. Stähr said, “As an independent artist who truly knows the effort it takes to go it alone and put your heart into your passion, it’s only fitting that DEATH OF A ROCKSTAR would make its debut at a festival run by someone (Nat Dykeman) who puts just as much passion into his love: The Lake County Film Festival.”

BLEEDING AUDIO, MOLTO BELLA

Chelsea Christer’s BLEEDING AUDIO, focuses on San Francisco pop punk band The Matches, who were active from 1997 to 2009, and have occasionally reunited since then. Beyond being a vibrant portrait of the band members, the film also takes a close look at the music industry, and how it has changed in the digital age. The film recently won Audience Awards at both Dances With Films and San Francisco DocFest

Alexander Jeffery’s MOLTO BELLA is an intimate narrative film with the natural dialogue of the BEFORE series, and the digetic music of ONCE. The film follows American musician Josie Day (played by IRL musician Andrea von Kampen), who is in Sicily looking for inspiration for the follow up to her first hit record. When she meets a poet there, their chemistry sparks collaboration, and they challenge each other to express their thorniest struggles.

While the film festival is on-demand, and all titles will be available at all times through the twelve-day film festival, MOLTO BELLA will serve as our closing film, with a live Q&A taking place on November 16th, and Jack C. Newell’s previously announced MONUMENTS will serve as our opening night film on November 5th.

The five short films which have been added to the lineup will be included in previously announced short film blocks. SILVERTONE, written, directed and starring Kerris Dorey from Ray Donovan, is another music-themed film. It follows the members of the band Silvertone, as they work on the follow-up to their hit record. It will screen as part of the Music Shorts program.

The short program Guns, Guns, Guns has two new film additions; Emil Gallardo’s school shooting drama, 1, 2, 3, ALL EYES ON ME and Andrew Przbytkowski’s THE GENTLE ART OF VIOLENCE, about a priest’s confessional that goes awry. Brett Cramer’s NICOLE, about a photo shoot that goes off the rails, has been added to the photography themed short program, Shutterbugs, and Aubree Bernier-Clarke intersex documentary A NORMAL GIRL will precede the screening of Theodore Collatos and Carolina Monnerat’s QUEEN OF LAPA.

Dykeman added, “While the global pandemic means that we have to take the majority of the 10th Lake County Film Festival online, we still have the same amazing programming, and with our live Q&A’s with filmmakers, and 24/7 chatroom, we feel that vital connection between our audiences and our filmmakers that LCFF is known for will remain.” For information on purchasing passes, tickets, and additional details on the Lake County Film festival, please go to: https://www.lakecountyfilmfestival.org/.

1, 2, 3, ALL EYES ON ME, THE GENTLE ART OF VIOLENCE, A NORMAL GIRL

Lake County Film Festival film descriptions:
Feature films

BLEEDING AUDIO
Director: Chelsea Christer
Country: USA, Running Time: 90 min
BLEEDING AUDIO is an intimate portrait detailing The Matches’ promising career, defeating break up, and inspiring reunion as they reflect on what success truly means for musicians in today’s digital industry. The Matches’ story overlaps with the drastic changes the music industry has undergone in the past several years. From declining record sales, to excessive touring, to illegal downloading and streaming. This documentary uses The Matches history and recent reunion to dig deeper into the root of the challenges the average musician faces in the digital age of the industry, and how artists can navigate their careers today.

DEATH OF A ROCKSTAR
Director: Röckët Stähr
Country: USA, Running Time: 92 min
In the year 2164, when rock n’ roll is banned, a group of underground rebels, lead by a mad scientist, attempt to start a non-violent revolution by waking up the docile masses via a cloned rockstar sent on a guerrilla tour to “rock n roll them free from their misery”. But they soon find out, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

MOLTO BELLA
Director: Alexander Jeffery
Country: USA, Running Time: 91 min
In the Sicilian town of Taormina, an aspiring poet in search of inspiration meets a folk singer trying to write a follow up to her breakout hit. Their chemistry sparks collaboration, challenging each other to express their thorniest secrets, growing closer all the while.

Short Films

1,2,3 ALL EYES ON ME
Director: Emil Gallardo
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
Ms. Leena, a passionate teacher is doing her best to manage her challenging class when she suddenly finds herself trapped in a crisis that engulfs her elementary school campus, threatening the children in her care.
(Screens in the Guns, Guns, Guns Shorts program.)

A NORMAL GIRL
Director: Aubree Bernier-Clarke
Country: USA, Running Time:
1.5% of people are born with anatomy that doesn’t fit typical definitions of female or male. It is common practice for doctors to perform genital surgeries on intersex infants–often with disastrous results. A NORMAL GIRL brings the widely unknown struggles of intersex people to light, through the story of intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis.
(Screens prior to QUEEN OF LAPA.)

THE GENTLE ART OF VIOLENCE
Director: Andrew Przbytkowski
Country: USA, Running Time:
In the intimacy of a confessional, a priest is unusually coerced into confessing to a mysterious woman, their true nature will be revealed as the situation spirals out of control.
(Screens in the Guns Guns Guns Shorts program.)

NICOLE
Director: Brett Cramer
Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min
Riley’s photo shoot doesn’t go as expected.
(Screens in the Music Shorts program.)

SILVERTONE
Director: Kerris Dorey
Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min
Film follows the members of the band Silvertone, as they work on the follow-up to their hit record.
(Screens in the Music Shorts program.)

ABOUT LAKE COUNTY FILM FESTIVAL 
The Lake County Film Festival was born out of a film & music store in Lake County, IL, an area whose 750,000 residents had no opportunities to watch independent films in a theatrical setting. Over the next eight years, the festival grew to a long weekend event, regularly showing about 100 films, with over 6,000 admissions. The festival has brought independent film to the Chicagoland suburbs, and hosted many visiting filmmakers, seminars, panels, and staged screenplay readings. The Lake County Film Festival is regularly hosted by The College Of Lake County at campuses in Grayslake, IL and Waukegan, IL, but also holds screenings in the John & Nancy Hughes Theater at the Gorton Center in Lake Forest, IL. 

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