Chattanooga 2018 Unleashes Its First Wave of Films, Plus Great Special Events!

Chattanooga Film Festival was unleashed its first full wave of titles for 2018. Based on this new announcement, there is a lot of to be excited about.

Newly announced world premieres include: Wolfman's Got Nards, a doc about the cult film classic Monster SquadIcepick to the Moon, a doc about the musical madman Rev. Fred Lane, whose demented song The French Toast Man has haunted many impressionable minds over the years; and All the Creatures Were Stirring, a new feature film from Rebekah McKendry and David Ian McKendry.

Other first wave highlights include Ghost Stories, Mohawk, The Devil & Father Amorth, Revenge and a retro screening of the Shaw Brothers classic King Boxer aka Five Fingers of Death.

Finally, the fest has also announced a slew of special events including a lecture by Joe Bob Briggs on The History of Exploitation Cinema, a Paperbacks From Hell event with Grady Hendrix and a special live episode of the popular Shock Waves podcast.

The full list of first wave titles along with official synopses is provided below.

LU OVER THE WALL | Director Masaaki Yuasa

New kid Kai is talented but adrift, spending his days sulking and isolated in a small fishing village after his family moves from Tokyo. When he demonstrates a proficiency at making music on his synthesizer, his classmates invite him to join their nascent garage band, but their practice sessions soon bring an unexpected guest: Lu, a young mermaid whose fins turn to feet when she hears the beats, and whose singing causes humans to compulsively dance - whether they want to or not. |Trailer

BOOM FOR REAL: THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT | Director Sara Driver

Exploring the pre-fame years of the celebrated American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, and how New York City, its people, and tectonically shifting arts culture of the late 1970s and '80s shaped his vision. Clip

GHOST STORIES | Directors Jeremy Dyson, Andy Nyman

Arch skeptic Professor Phillip Goodman embarks upon a terror-filled quest when he stumbles across a long-lost file containing details of three cases of inexplicable 'hauntings'. Trailer

LOWLIFE | Director Ryan Prows

The sordid lives of an addict, an ex-con, and a luchador collide when an organ harvesting caper goes very, very wrong. | Trailer

Q&A with director Ryan Prows

MADELINE’S MADELINE | Director Josephine Decker

A theater director's latest project takes on a life of its own when her young star takes her performance too seriously.

THE DEVIL & FATHER AMORTH | Director William Friedkin

Father Gabriele Amorth performs his ninth exorcism on an Italian woman.

RBG | Directors Julie Cohen, Betsy West

A look at the life and work of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

REVENGE | Director Coralie Fargeat

Never take your mistress on an annual guys' getaway, especially one devoted to hunting - a violent lesson for three wealthy married men.

THE LAST MOVIE STAR | Director Adam Rifkin

An aging, former movie star is forced to face the reality that his glory days are behind him. On its surface THE LAST MOVIE STAR is a tale about faded fame, but at its core, it's a universal story about growing old. | Trailer

THE ROAD MOVIE | Director Dmitrii Kalashnikov

A documentary comprised entirely of footage from dashboard cameras from Russian cars. | Trailer

ICEPICK TO THE MOON | Director Skizz Cyzyk

*WORLD PREMIERE

A feature length documentary about strip-mine crooner, Rev. Fred Lane, and the Raudelunas arts collective of Alabama in the Seventies.

Q&A with director Skizz Cyzyk.

WOLFMAN’S GOT NARDS | Director Andre Gower

*WORLD PREMIERE

This heartfelt documentary explores the power of cult film told through the lens of the 1987 classic The Monster Squad and the impact it has on fans, cast and crew, and the industry.

Q&A with director Andre Gower, producer Henry McComas and Ryan Lambert

ONE SINGS, THE OTHER DOESN’T | Director Agnès Varda

ONE SINGS, THE OTHER DOESN’T (L’une chante, l’autre pas) is a feminist musical—with lyrics by the director—about the bond of sisterhood felt by Pomme and Suzanne throughout years of changes and fraught relationships with men.

THE LAPLACE’S DEMON | Director Giordano Giulivi

A team of seven researchers has developed a software capable of predicting the evolution of common physical events. The final test, the prediction of the exact number of fragments caused by the fall of a glass, was a success. Interested by these results, the mysterious Professor Cornelius invites the working team in his isolated mansion on a deserted island, hiding his true intentions. As time passes, the team will lead to paradoxical situations in a growing tension that will not only test their nerves but also one of their certainties: the free will. | Trailer

MOHAWK | Director Ted Geoghegan

Late in the War of 1812, a young Mohawk woman and her two lovers battle a squad of American soldiers hell-bent on revenge. Trailer

Q&A with director/writer Ted Geoghegan and writer Grady Hendrix

KING BOXER AKA FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH | Director Chang-hwa Jeong

Two martial arts schools prepare for an important tournament. (1972) | Trailer

ALL THE CREATURES WERE STIRRING| Directors David Ian McKendry, Rebekah McKendry

*WORLD PREMIERE

When an awkward date on Christmas Eve leads a couple into a strange theater, they're treated to a bizarre and frightening collection of Christmas stories, featuring a wide ensemble of characters doing their best to avoid the horrors of the holidays. From boring office parties and last-minute shopping, to vengeful stalkers and immortal demons, there's plenty out there to fear this holiday season.

Q&A with directors Rebekah McKendry and David Ian McKendry, producers Morgan Peter Brown and Joe Wicker

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