Independent filmmakers from across the United States will be showcasing their pieces of work at the Southern Winds Film Festival, held in Shawnee today and Saturday. Below are various summaries of films available at the film festival.
“The Genius Sperm Bank”
Horizon tells the curious tale of Robert Klark Graham, an American millionaire optometrist who wanted to save humanity, using the sperm of clever men to breed high intelligence. He set up the world’s first and only Repository for Germinal Choice, AKA the Genius Sperm Bank, by asking clever men to masturbate for him.
Brought to life by veteran U.S. actor Brian Green, the film begins in the 1960s, where Robert Graham had a vision. He felt that “retrograde humans” were breeding unchecked, causing the evolutionary regression of mankind. He wanted to reverse this trend and bring thousands of geniuses into the world, geniuses fathered by the most brilliant minds.
In the late 1970s, with the help of expert sperm banker, Steve Broder, Graham secretly set up his Repository for Germinal Choice using an underground bunker in the backyard of his ranch in San Diego. He sought the cleverest sperm he could get his hands on and so asked Nobel Laureates for a donation.
This film will be shown noon today in the Kilpatrick Building, 10 E. Main St., in Shawnee.
“A Thousand Hills”
A Thousand Hills, a family friendly independent film made in Canada, will be shown at the Southern Winds Film Festival in Shawnee.
It is the story of an awkward 13-year-old farmboy who tries to save the family farm with the only thing he has — his voice. Reviewer Richard Propes wrote, ”There are a thousand reasons to watch A Thousand Hills”.
This film will be shown 2 p.m. today at the Kilpatrick Building, 10 E. Main St., in Shawnee.
“From Silence to Sound”
Brooklyn Girl Productions present the Oklahoma premiere of the award-winning documentary film “From Silence to Sound in the Southern Winds Film Festival.
The film is an inspiring story of Justin Garrett, a man who has been profoundly deaf since birth. On March 13, 2006, Garrett made history as the first recipient of a bilateral cochlear implant in Oklahoma.
The film will showcase 4 p.m. today at the Hornbeck Theatre, 125 N. Bell.
“Punch Clock”
Poignant and honest, this documentary talks to several people in Southeast Kansas about past choices, shattered dreams and dissatisfying careers. It provides an intimate look at how people end up working jobs they hate and what caused them to not pursue their dreams and ambitions.
Punch Clock comes from two Southeast Kansas filmmakers, Nathan Cheney and Chance Luttrell.
Nathan is currently living in Los Angeles, Calif., where he is attending film school. Chance resides in Iola, Kan.
The film will be screening 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Kilpatrick Building, 10 E. Main St.
For a more complete list of films, visit southernwindsfilmfestival.com.
