Yellow Springs Film Festival to premiere this fall

Jul. 5—The Yellow Springs Film Festival will debut this fall with a lineup of documentaries and shorts from local and renowned filmmakers.

The three-day film festival kicks off Oct. 6 with an opening night party at Wirrig Pavilion. Throughout the weekend, screenings and events will be held across three locations: The Little Art Theatre, The Foundry at Antioch College and Crome Architecture.

The Yellow Springs Film Festival will notably provide guests with an immersive experience through "32 Sounds," the "profound sensory" documentary on the power of sound from Academy Award-nominated director Sam Green. The documentary, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022, will screen twice during the festival, and audiences will be give headphones to achieve a fully immersive experience while watching the film. Following both screenings, Green will answer audience questions and give insight into the film.

Several other documentaries to be screened include: "The Cave of Adullam" from director Laura Checkoway which follows martial arts sensei Jason Wilson as he mentors young Black boys in Detroit through his training academy; Frank Marshall's "Rather" chronicles the life of its titular character, journalist Dan Rather; Ohio native filmmaker Chris Kasick examines the phenomenon of true crime entertainment in his first feature documentary, "Citizen Sleuth"; "We Are Fugazi From Washington, DC" is a film of rare footage of the band's performances shot by fans and curated by filmmakers Joe Gross, Joseph Pattisall and Jeff Krulik; and the life of the late Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd is detailed in directors Roddy Bogawa and Storm Thorgerson's documentary, "Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd."

Festival attendees can also expect a series of short films, including the work of Steven Bognar, Rick Gomez, Steve Zahn, Charlotte Ercoli, Adam Meeks, Stephen Michael Simon and other filmmakers.

In addition, longtime Yellow Springs resident and Academy Award-winning director Julia Reichert will be honored at the festival through a free retrospective exhibit. Attendees will have the opportunity to view film posters of Reichert's work as well as the ability to listen to interviews with the late filmmaker.

The creation of the first official Yellow Springs film festival is the brainchild of documentarian Eric Mahoney in partnership with the Yellow Springs Community Foundation. Mahoney is also working with his longtime collaborator Ian Jacobs, a Brooklyn-based editor, producer and musician. He has worked on a number of projects including the 2011 documentary "North Dixie Drive" and the 2017 documentary "Brainiac: Transmission After Zero," two films that feature Dayton as their centerpieces.

"Given its rich history in the arts, I feel the timing is right to launch a proper, annual and scalable film festival in Yellow Springs," Mahoney said. "This will be centralized in the heart of the village making it a three-day, walkable experience for attendees to take in new and interesting cinema, engage with some of their favorite filmmakers and artists, share good food, attend special events and interact with all the village has to offer."

Mahoney said he hopes to "further elevate the art scene for the Miami Valley and beyond" by adding an outlet for cinephiles and casual moviegoers alike "to see work that otherwise doesn't come to town."

Additional special event announcements from the Yellow Springs Film Festival are expected later this summer. For more information, visit https://www.ysfilmfest.com/.