SIDETRACK FILMS

Standing at the Crossroads: Filmmakers celebrate independence

"Telling our stories" is the mantra of the Crossroads Film Festival, a four-day celebration of independent film kicking off its eighth year today.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, there is no shortage of stories. Several of this year's screenings are Katrina-themed films.

"A lot of what we get every year is Mississippi filmmakers telling their experiences and stories," said festival director Herman Snell, "so a lot of them have Katrina documentaries that they've done."

Snell said there is no one better to tell the story of Katrina than the filmmakers who experienced it.

"We don't want anybody in Washington, D.C., or anywhere else in the world to forget what happened during Hurricane Katrina down here," he said. "The people documenting these stories, they know how it affects us."

DOCUMENTING KATRINA

One such filmmaker is New Orleans resident and Ole Miss alumnus Barlow Jacobs, who wrote, produced and stars in the feature Low and Behold.

The film is the story of Turner Stull (Jacobs), a directionless young man who comes to New Orleans to work as an insurance claims adjuster.

The film is based on Jacobs’ own experiences. – read more

From Clarion Ledger – Posted on March 29 2007

Low and Behold

Crossroads Film Festival 2007: Some Sweet Flicks

Home Again

Low and Behold
Zack Godshall, 89 minutes
March 31, Parkway Screen B, 3 p.m.

“Low and Behold,” written by director Zack Godshall and actor Barlow Jacobs—both natives of Louisiana—is an effort to create an elegy to victims of Hurricane Katrina while still offering signs of hope. The film is successful not only in artistically capturing the natural devastation but in casting light on the personal dilemmas survivors faced during reconstruction efforts on the Gulf Coast.

From the outset, protagonist Turner Stull (played by Jacobs) seems an outsider to the region and indifferent to the stories of homeowners whose properties he inspects as a newly licensed insurance claims adjuster. Awkward and lanky, Turner is unable to express his frustrations or articulate his opinions. His inability to communicate leaves him at the mercy of his Uncle Stully (also his employer), who derides Turner for angering homeowners with his tardiness and detachment, which is mistaken for insensitivity. – read more

From Jackson Free Press – Posted on March 28 2007

Low and Behold

'Low and Behold': A Post-Disaster New Orleans

The independent feature film Low and Behold is a portrait of New Orleans after a Katrina-like disaster. The movie debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last month.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7641956 – read more

From NPR – Posted on February 28 2007

Low and Behold

Review: "Low and Behold" (Sundance)

I’d seen New Orleans after Katrina. I’d watched it on CNN and Fox News. I’d seen the benefit concerts. I’d rented When the Levees Broke from Netflix.
But I hadn’t truly seen New Orleans.

I didn’t realize this until I saw Low and Behold at the Sundance Film Festival.

I guess you can’t truly appreciate the magnitude of the destruction unless you actually set foot in New Orleans, but Low and Behold helped me to imagine what it’s like. – read more

From CinemaATL Magazine – Posted on February 18 2007

Low and Behold

Sundance Wrap-Up: The Winners and The Overlooked

A day or two after I arrived in Park City for the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, I found myself chatting with a documentary director at a party. As he explained, he was taking a detour from a year-long festival tour promoting his second major doc, which had premiered last fall at the Toronto Film Festival, only to be overshadowed by some of the more star-studded projects on the program. "I mean, we got enough press," the director told me. "But Toronto is a festival where it's still possible to play under the radar. Unlike Sundance." – read more

From Netscape Blog – Posted on January 30 2007

Low and Behold

Beyond the Multiplex: Parsing the movies that took the prizes. Plus: Ten festival premieres that ought to make some noise!

Sundance always seems to come to a halt with a weird thud, handing out awards that muddy the issue of what this festival is actually about and make nobody happy. This year is no exception. By my count, 29 prizes were spread around among filmmakers, producers, writers and cinematographers at the ceremony in Park City, Utah, on Saturday night. This is still big news, dutifully reported in every newspaper in the country. Beyond the slack-jawed, autonomic response of the entire entertainment media to the festival's name -- which may indeed be the point -- I'm not completely sure why. – read more

From Salon.com – Posted on January 29 2007

				Low and Behold Standing at the Crossroads: Filmmakers celebrate independence "Telling our stories" is the mantra of the Crossroads Film Festival, a four-day celebration of independent film kicking off its eighth year today. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, there is no shortage of stories. Several of this year's screenings are Katrina-themed films. "A lot of what we get every year is Mississippi filmmakers telling their experiences and stories," said festival director Herman Snell, "so a lot of them have Katrina documentaries that they've done." Snell said there is no one better to tell the story of Katrina than the filmmakers who experienced it. "We don't want anybody in Washington, D.C., or anywhere else in the world to forget what happened during Hurricane Katrina down here," he said. "The people documenting these stories, they know how it affects us." DOCUMENTING KATRINA One such filmmaker is New Orleans resident and Ole Miss alumnus Barlow Jacobs, who wrote, produced and stars in the feature Low and Behold. The film is the story of Turner Stull (Jacobs), a directionless young man who comes to New Orleans to work as an insurance claims adjuster. The film is based on Jacobs’ own experiences. – read more From Clarion Ledger – Posted on March 29 2007

				Low and Behold Crossroads Film Festival 2007: Some Sweet Flicks Home Again Low and Behold Zack Godshall, 89 minutes March 31, Parkway Screen B, 3 p.m. “Low and Behold,” written by director Zack Godshall and actor Barlow Jacobs—both natives of Louisiana—is an effort to create an elegy to victims of Hurricane Katrina while still offering signs of hope. The film is successful not only in artistically capturing the natural devastation but in casting light on the personal dilemmas survivors faced during reconstruction efforts on the Gulf Coast. From the outset, protagonist Turner Stull (played by Jacobs) seems an outsider to the region and indifferent to the stories of homeowners whose properties he inspects as a newly licensed insurance claims adjuster. Awkward and lanky, Turner is unable to express his frustrations or articulate his opinions. His inability to communicate leaves him at the mercy of his Uncle Stully (also his employer), who derides Turner for angering homeowners with his tardiness and detachment, which is mistaken for insensitivity. – read more From Jackson Free Press – Posted on March 28 2007

				Low and Behold 'Low and Behold': A Post-Disaster New Orleans The independent feature film Low and Behold is a portrait of New Orleans after a Katrina-like disaster. The movie debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last month. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7641956 – read more From NPR – Posted on February 28 2007

				Low and Behold Review: "Low and Behold" (Sundance) I’d seen New Orleans after Katrina. I’d watched it on CNN and Fox News. I’d seen the benefit concerts. I’d rented When the Levees Broke from Netflix. But I hadn’t truly seen New Orleans. I didn’t realize this until I saw Low and Behold at the Sundance Film Festival. I guess you can’t truly appreciate the magnitude of the destruction unless you actually set foot in New Orleans, but Low and Behold helped me to imagine what it’s like. – read more From CinemaATL Magazine – Posted on February 18 2007

				Low and Behold Sundance Wrap-Up: The Winners and The Overlooked A day or two after I arrived in Park City for the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, I found myself chatting with a documentary director at a party. As he explained, he was taking a detour from a year-long festival tour promoting his second major doc, which had premiered last fall at the Toronto Film Festival, only to be overshadowed by some of the more star-studded projects on the program. "I mean, we got enough press," the director told me. "But Toronto is a festival where it's still possible to play under the radar. Unlike Sundance." – read more From Netscape Blog – Posted on January 30 2007

				Low and Behold Beyond the Multiplex: Parsing the movies that took the prizes. Plus: Ten festival premieres that ought to make some noise! Sundance always seems to come to a halt with a weird thud, handing out awards that muddy the issue of what this festival is actually about and make nobody happy. This year is no exception. By my count, 29 prizes were spread around among filmmakers, producers, writers and cinematographers at the ceremony in Park City, Utah, on Saturday night. This is still big news, dutifully reported in every newspaper in the country. Beyond the slack-jawed, autonomic response of the entire entertainment media to the festival's name -- which may indeed be the point -- I'm not completely sure why. – read more From Salon.com – Posted on January 29 2007