The goal of Vision Quest is to draw industry and public attention to new, cutting-edge independent films, music videos, shorts, documentaries and animation.
The festival opens with two New Mexico premieres, Nancy Hower's improvisational comedy Memron and Phillipe Caland's Hollywood Buddha. Memron introduces us to the high flying executives of the world's greatest corporation who now rule the prison yard golf course, while their laid-off employees debate their nonexistent future in post-corporate America. Hollywood Buddha, meanwhile, is the story of a down-and-out film producer struggling to complete his dream project, who finds new inspiration in a Buddhist guru.
Dear Pillow, a film which sounded controversial, but wound up a crowd favorite at the recent SXSW Film Festival and Conference in Austin will also make its New Mexico debut. This interesting and slightly twisted coming-of-age tale introduces us to a lonely teenager, whose interest in writing is kindled when he meets a neighbor who pens fake letters for an adult magazine.
Other films include the locally produced documentaries Do It For Uncle Graham, about New Mexico's nuclear legacy, and Live River or Dead Ditch, which explains the assorted environmental concerns over water conservation in the Land of Enchantment.
All tolled, more than 50 features, documentaries and shorts will be featured over the five-day festival. (Screenings will take place at the Taos Community Auditorium, the Vision Quest Theater inside Cabot Plaza and at the Fetchin Inn Inner Vision Theater.)
An all-access pass will run you $100. A 20-film punch card is $50. Individual tickets are a mere $5. The presale box office is located at 108 Kit Carson Road in Taos.
For more info, log on to www.taosvisionquest.com or call the box office at (505) 758-4290.
