InArkansas.com

"Up Among the Hills: The story of Fayetteville" directed by Larry Foley is a one-hour documentary on the history of Fayetteville, Ark., that is among the "Made in Arkansas" films in the Little Rock Film Festival this year. It is narrated by one of the city's former residents, President Bill Clinton.

The 7th Annual Little Rock Film Festival is pleased to announce its "Made in Arkansas" competition lineup.

The category is a center piece of the Little Rock Film Festival created to showcase the very best film works being produced in the state.  All films in competition are Arkansas premieres.

LRFF2013 is presenting the following 19 films in the "Made in Arkansas" category that will each compete for the: Charles B. Pierce Award for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor/Actress.

45RPM – directed by Juli Jackson, Category: Feature (97 min)

An artist struggling with the source of her inspiration finds help from an obsessive record collector in the search for her deceased father’s lost music.

Bad Water – directed by Amman Abbasi, Category: Shorts (13 min)

DB is a mentally handicapped man who lives in an isolated town, and struggles with health issues. Through his straightforward and unbiased narration, we soon realize that he is one of the key surviving members of a community that was devastated by water contamination.

Blood Brothers – directed by Jason Miller and Seth Savoy, Category: Shorts (32 min)

A young man returns to his hometown in Arkansas to kidnap the kingpin of the drug operation that ran him and his brother out of town; however, his actions may not bode too well for his brother, who now leads a clean and successful life in Chicago.

Bump – directed by Joe York, Category: Shorts (13 min)

December 1982 – directed by Lyle Arnett, Category: Shorts (30 min)

In the early 1980s, Tim Edwards, a newly high school graduated, becomes friends and pen-pals with a young girl of the same age form Lebanon. When her world is thrown into chaos by war, Tim begins to understand what is really important in life.

Death of a Super Hero – directed by Brandon Bristol, Category: Shorts (10 min)

Death of a Superhero is the story of John Jameson, the alter ego of Metro City’s greatest superhero, Captain Amazing. One night after a devastating battle with his arch-nemesis, Doctor Disaster, John loses his powers. Now, John has to learn to cope with the loss of his identity, and weigh the part that has been left behind.

Foot Trackers – directed by Brandon Bogard, Category: Shorts (7 min)

Bigfoot hunters Sam and Matt have Bigfoot almost in their grasp. But when Matt blows their big chance at catching him, they return to camp and Bigfoot surprises them and destroys their camp and equipment. Barley making it out a live they must work together to find a way to catch the legendary Bigfoot.

Lasting the After – directed by Blake Elder, Category: Shorts (21 min)

Three outcasts struggle with survival during the tribulation. Lasting The After is a drama thriller that tells the story of two siblings Mila and Gavin, outcasts, who find themselves hiding in an abandoned warehouse, in the middle of enemy territory, struggling to survive during the tribulation. After encountering a mysterious companion, and eluding the wrath of the Disciples, they begin to discover the only substantial way to survive is to flee to the mountains.

Last Summer – directed by Mark Thiedeman, Category: Feature (73 min)

Two high school sweethearts, Luke and Jonah, spend their final months together over the course of a long, quiet summer in the rural South–a world of baseball, bicycles, church and green bean casserole–contemplating their uncertain future and the uncertain future of America.

Last Shot Love – directed by Nolan Dean, Category: Shorts (14 min)

Meet love-struck Michael; a 30 year old who has been waiting ten years to express his love for Annie. When he persuades her that ‘they owe it to their friendship’ to go on one official date, he asks for the advice from Collin. Together they hatch a fool-proof plan to make Annie fall in love with Michael, and it all goes terribly wrong.

Mary – directed by Zach Turner, Category: Shorts (25 min)

Divorced and alone, Craig meets the ethereal Mary, who might be the girl of his dreams. Now he just needs to find out if he’s awake.

Sky Begins to Storm - directed by Ron Walter, Category: Shorts (19 min)

Sky Begins to Storm is a documentary that takes a look at the 2011 April and May tornado outbreaks and how they affected the towns of Vilonia, Ark. and Joplin, Mo. At its core, the film is about revisiting communities after the destruction of a physical space and the efforts to preserve the memories attached to the remains of a town.

Soul Winner – directed by Jennifer Gerber, Category: Shorts (13 min)

A young door-to-door preacher learns that winning souls for Jesus truly is a matter of life and death. Set in the rural Bible belt of Arkansas, Jesse, a young door-to-door minister, wants to win his first soul for Jesus, but his lack of experience and volatile enthusiasm is getting in his way. Before heading home from another failed mission, Jesse decides to try to convert one last soul before giving up for good.

The Van – directed by Nathan Willis, Category: Shorts (7 min)

Aaron Reddin’s mission in life is to serve the unsheltered homeless in Arkansas and across the southeast. Everyday he drives "The Van" to different homeless camps to bring food, water and supplies to the men and women living there.

The Discontentment of Ed Telfair – directed by Daniel Campbell, Category: Shorts (18 min)

The Identity Theft of Mitch Mustain – directed by Matthew Wolfe, Category: Feature (90 min)

In 2005, Mitch Mustain was the most decorated high school football player in all of America.  Named the first ever consensus Gatorade, Parade, and USA Today Player of the Year, Mustain grabbed the spotlight from future NFL players such as Tim Tebow and Matthew Stafford.  At the age of seventeen, USA Today ordained Mustain as “Football’s Future”. Unfortunately, football was not the only thing Mitch saw in his future, and while the game came easy to Mitch, finding joy in the game eventually became a job. 

TwinkleTown – directed by Scott McEntire, Category: Shorts (21 min)

Deep in the Arkansas delta, the Wallace family has been in charge for more than a hundred years. Not everybody in town is willing to accept the dead-end doldrums of life in a small town, and some will do anything to escape. Desperation leads to bad choices, and sympathy is one quality Eve Wallace doesn’t possess. When old money and new issues collide, it isn’t about who will win and who will lose -- it’s about who survives and who escapes.

Up Among the Hills – the story of Fayetteville – directed by Larry Foley, Category: Shorts (55 min)

This is a one-hour documentary on the history of Fayetteville, Ark., narrated by one of the city’s former residents, President Bill Clinton. Created by master story teller, Larry Foley, this film chronicles the history of the city as told through interesting characters who lived in Fayetteville and pushed it to prominence at the national level.

Unearthing the Dream – directed by Pamela Uzzell, Category: Shorts (53 min)

A small-town African American community, forced to accept second-class materials for its schools, refuses to accept a second-class education for its children, giving rise to Black schools that inspired and cultivated success and pride. The 1968 desegregation of the Malvern, Ark. schools planned to eliminate this separate and unequal system. But in the process it forced the very students it aimed to help to sacrifice their shared experience and identity.

All screenings for the Little Rock Film Festival will be from May 14 – May 19 and will be held in downtown Little Rock/NLR this year. Stay up-to-date with festival happenings on Facebook and Twitter.

You can book your passes at the Box Office.

The 2013 Arkansas Literary Festival is drawing closer and we are spotlighting some of the great books that will be showcased during the days-long event.

Today, it's all about the fascinating collection of graphic narratives by Ben Katchor, the first cartoonist to receive a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.

The book "Hand-Drying in America: And Other Stories" is a collection of narratives covering a variety of topics, including urban planning, product design and architecture—a surrealist handbook for the rebuilding of society in the 21st Century.

According to Amazon.com, Katchor is "a master at twisting mundane commodities into surreal objects of social significance, [who] now takes on the many ways our property influences and reflects cultural values.The Brotherhood of Immaculate Consumption deals with the matter of products that outlive their owners; a school of dance is based upon the choreographic motion of paying with cash; high-visibility construction vests are marketed to lonely people as a method of getting noticed.

"With cutting wit Katchor reveals a world similar to our own—lives are defined by possessions, consumerism is a kind of spirituality—but also slightly, fabulously askew."

Get a chance to see Katchor provide a look at "Surreal Society Rebuilding" at 11:30 a.m. Saturday (April 20) on the third floor of the Cox Creative Center.

Intrigued? Here is a list of book stores around Little Rock that might have the book stocked.

The 2013 Arkansas Literary Festival will run from April 18 - 21. For more information, click here.

Image by thekitchn.com

Aren't we all excited that tax season is pretty much done after today? For next few months, we won't really have to worry about crunching those intricate tax figures (if you do them yourself) or paying someone to take care of it.

So, whether you have to pay in or you're getting a refund, here are four things you can do get your mind off of it or celebrate the fact that you're getting a refund:

1. Enjoy an adult beverage at home or out on the town: To unwind, make your very own adult concoction at home or enjoy Happy Hour somewhere. It is springtime, so try to make something a little fruity, like the Perfect Orangey Margarita, an easy and delicious drink to whip up, courtesy of the Kitchn blog. Here's the recipe. Or, swing by the store on the way home and pick up a six-pack of local brew, like Diamond Bear's Southern Blonde or Presidential IPA (if you prefer darker beer). If you want to enjoy Happy Hour after work, Bosco's has awesome specials from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m., including $5 wine, martinis and cocktails, and $3.50 Boscos' handcrafted beers.
2. Stop by Vino's Brewpub Tuesday (April 16) for an ice cream social featuring Loblolly Creamery: The brewpub will be pairing three of Vino's brews with three Loblolly Creamery ice creams, including a vegan one for those non-dairy consumers. They won't mind a bit if you want to pick your own beer or cider on tap and top it off with a scoop of the selected ice creams. And as an added bonus, there will be a picture show -- a free screening of "The Jerk," starring Steve Martin.
   
3. Take your bike out for a cruise: Dust off your old bike and go for a ride on the River Trail or around the neighborhood. Bobby's Bike Hike in the River Market is also having its monthly fun ride Wednesday (April 17) and what's great is it's free, so that's an option, too. On the ride, you can explore different parts of Little Rock, North Little Rock and the River Trail. If you don't have a bike, they're available for rental for $10 (only $5 if you are a returning Fun Rider). The ride stars at 5:30 p.m.
4. Go out and enjoy dinner with the family: Go out to eat with your fam and save a little money. Kids Eat Free Mondays are still going strong at the Promenade at Chenal. Places like Local Lime, Big Orange Burgers, A.W. Lin's, Bravo! Cucina Italiana, The Tavern Sports Grill and YaYa's Euro Bistro are participating in the program, so you know it'll be good. Also, Johnny Carino's is doing a Tax Day pork special where diners are invited to reward themselves with Pork Chops Calabrese or Oak Grilled Pork Chops. The restaurant is offering a couple of options for the Pork Chops Calabrese: $12.99 Dinner portion with 2 chops and single landing of potatoes and $24.99 Family platter with 4 chops and double landing of potatoes. You can also indulge in the Oak-Grill Pork Chops that includes a $12.99 Dinner portion with 2 chops and single landing of pasta, sauce and veggies or $24.99 Family platter with 4 chops and double landing of pasta, sauce and veggies. Save a little on the family platters -- they are half-off on family night Mondays.

We are so excited about the 2013 Arkansas Literary Festival starting this week, that we want to spotlight some of the great books that will be showcased during the days-long event.

Today, it's all about peanut butter.

The book "Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food" by John Krampner is one of the first popular accounts of one of America’s most beloved foods (consumed by more than 75 percent of the population) and will be featured in Saturday's festivities.

Richly illustrated and filled with fun anecdotes and facts pulled from engaging sources, the book is a mix of interviews, research, travels in the peanut-growing regions of the South, personal histories and recipes, focusing on the manufacturing of the food from the 1890s to the present, while also covering its cultural, nutritional and even molecular evolution. Interesting!

Krampner not only provides in-depth looks at Peter Pan, Skippy, and Jif, but also examines the role of peanut butter in fighting Third-World hunger and why Peter Pan, one of the first big corporations to manufacture and market the food, is now a distant third behind market leaders Skippy and Jif.

Get a chance to see the author provide a "Nutty Truth" during the Lit Fest at 2:30 p.m. Saturday (April 20) in the 5th Floor Lee Room of the Central Arkansas Library System Main Library, 100 Rock St., Little Rock.

Intrigued? Here is a list of book stores around Little Rock that might have the book stocked.

For more information about the festival, click here.

Got plans tonight?

Join the Little Rock Film Festival today (April 12) for their first-ever rooftop screening of "Bloody Mama," a classic gangster film featuring Robert De Niro and Robert Walden.

Starting at 7 p.m., Actor Robert Walden will attend the screening at River Market Tower, 315 Rock St., Little Rock, and discuss his role in the film.

Walden currently stars in the sitcom "Happily Divorced" with Fran Drescher and Rita Moreno, and will star in Arkansas Repertory Theatre's production of "Death of a Salesman" as Willy Loman, opening April 24.

A 2013 LRFF pass is required to attend this screening.

Follow the link here to get your 2013 LRFF pass (good for the entire festival) and follow the link here to reserve your seat for tonight's screening with Walden.

The film festival will run from May 15 - May 19.


   

Highland dancing will be one of the attractions at the Arkansas Scottish Festival in Batesville this weekend.

If you're planning on being anywhere near Batesville this weekend, don't miss the town's 34th Arkansas Scottish Festival.

Starting today (April 12) and running through Sunday (April 14), the public can join in the Arkansas Scottish Festival's celebration of Lyon College's Presbyterian and Scottish roots (it was founded in 1872 by the Presbyterian church). 

The three-day event features bagpipe, drumming and dancing competitions and demonstrations, Highland games, children's activities, a bonniest knees contest, a parade of bands and clans, a library book sale, a British car show, sheepdog demonstrations, Scottish foods (plus plenty of American chow) and Scottish-themed gifts and souvenirs.

The festival kicks off on tonight (April 12) with a Celtic concert at Brown Chapel. Saturday's activities get started at 8 a.m.

To learn more call Jimmy Bell at (870) 307-7473 or click here. Get a look at what you can expect from the festival in the video below, which highlights the 2011 festival:

Capital Hotel Bar and Grill mixologist—and two-time Nog-off winner—David Burnette will mix and muddle, and show how to make the perfect mint julep just in time for derby season at the Historic Arkansas Museum.

Art galleries, museum and studios in downtown Little Rock are gearing up for this month's 2nd Friday Art Night tonight (April 12), sponsored by the Arkansas Times, and it sounds like there will be a lot of great art, music and plenty of refreshments to go around.

Here is what you can expect at tonight's monthly festivities, running from 5 to 8 p.m.:

Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St.: Capital Hotel Bar & Grill mixologist and two-time Nog-off winner David Burnette will mix and muddle and show you how to make the perfect mint julep just in time for derby season. The Ozark-inspired, funky-folk band Mockingbird will also set the whole night to music.

Gallery 221 & Art Studios 221, Pyramid Place, 2nd and Center St.: At the gallery and studios, check out beautiful work from featured artist Gino Hollander and the featured exhibit "A Spring Celebration" while enjoying cocktails, wine and hors d'oevres.

Old State House Museum, 300 W. Markham: Stop in at the museum to listen some jazz tunes from Tim Anthony.

Studio Main, 1423 Main S. Main: Don't miss the studio's April exhibition "Remember Rick Redden," a celebration of the life and contributions of local architect Rick Redden, AIA. Food and drinks will be provided.

Cox Creative Center, 120 River Market Ave.: The center has a moving exhibit, "Bridging the Burden: In Their Shoes," which honors Arkansas soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Butler Center Galleries, 401 President Clinton Ave.: There are lots to be seen and heard at the galleries during 2nd Friday Art Night. Get a look at featured artist Suzi Dennis' work and stop by for an artist session with Melissa Gill, starting at 5:30. There, Gill will discuss her piece "Prayer for Love," now on display in the Arkansas Society of Printmakers exhibition at the galleries. In addition to art, live opera music -- from experimental electro to bassoon pop -- will be playing.

A free trolley will be transporting guests to all venues a part of the 2nd Friday Art Night downtown. Admission is free. For more information about the event, click here.

Wildwood will be offering a variety of classes, discussions, demonstrations, and the opportunity to meet Little Rock wellness professionals in yoga and other practices.

This weekend, ladies have a reason to get out and enjoy some time with friends.

Here are a couple of fun events lined up in Little Rock offering everything from health and beauty tips to demonstrations, meet-and-greets and tons of door prizes:

Wildwood Wellness Weekend, Wildwood Park for the Arts, 20919 Denny Rd., Little Rock

Celebrate the holistic arts with a weekend of relaxation and wellness. Enjoy a variety of classes, guest speakers and wellness-based demonstrations from Little Rock's top wellness professionals from Barefoot Studio, The Floating Lotus, MeridiYIN'z Yoga, Wellness Revolution and many more within the serenity of Wildwood's gardens.

Today (April 12), the first 100 registrants will join Wildwood and wellness professionals for a casual Meet & Greet reception from 6 - 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided along with a group chanting and meditation session led by Kali Empl and Chuck Burks to end the evening. On Saturday (April 13), event have a variety of classes, discussions, demonstrations and the opportunity to meet Little Rock wellness professionals in areas like yoga, Tai Chi, aromatherapy, meditation, massage therapy, acupuncture, CrossFit, organic skin care, plus much more.

Lunches will be available Saturday for purchase from Chef Travis Meyer, as well as a few healthy snacks, which will be provided by Whole Foods Market.

Advance registration is $20 (limited capacity). It is $30 per person and $50 for two on the day of event (depending on availability).

To purchase tickets, visit www.wildwoodpark.org or call (501) 821-7275.

KATV's Women's Living Expo, Statehouse Convention Center, 1 Statehouse Plaza, Little Rock

Get the scoop on health, beauty, fashion, decor and more at KATV's annual weekend gathering. At the expo, which will run noon to 9 p.m. today (April 12) and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday (April 13), attendees will be able to check out runway fashion shows featuring 2013 Fired Up for a Cure Calendar models, cooking demonstrations and tastings, onstage makeover demonstrations, St. Vincent health screenings, and an "Ask the Doctor's" segment with audience participation.

Women will also have to chance to bid on eligible bachelors during the bachelor auction at Girl's Night Out tonight from 6 - 9. After the auction, the bachelors and the winners will have dinner at 1620 Savoy American Restaurant, 1620 Market St., Little Rock. All proceeds benefit Our House.

There will be plenty of chances to win prizes, including a weekend Opryland Memorial Extravaganza and Hollywood Casino getaway package for two.

Admission is $6 ($4 with a coupon) and kids' 8 years old and younger get in free.

For more information, click here.