Woodpecker

Director: Alex Karpovsky
Cast: Jon E. Hyrns, Wesley Yang, Ken Parham

More Info

screening in: Emerging Visions

Screening Times

12:00 PM, Saturday March 8th - Alamo Ritz 2
Add this to my SXSW Calendar

12:00 PM, Sunday March 9th - Alamo Ritz 2
Add this to my SXSW Calendar

5:00 PM, Wednesday March 12th - Alamo Ritz 2
Add this to my SXSW Calendar

everything subject to change

 Watch Film Trailer:
Quicktime (640x480)    MPEG-4 (320x240)  
help

Synopsis:
Fanatical birdwatchers have descended upon a small town in the Arkansas bayou in hopes of finding the celebrated Ivory Billed Woodpecker. Declared extinct in the 1940's, the bird has apparently been spotted by numerous experts over the past few months. The news is miraculous, yet concrete proof remains elusive. Increasingly, the small town becomes divided between believers and non-believers while rabid environmentalists, opportunistic small-town entrepreneurs, and disgruntled hunters vie for prominence in the ensuing chaos. Enter amateur birder and poet Johnny Neander, who has convinced his taciturn sidekick (and anyone else willing to listen) that he will be the one to find it. As he combs the bayou for clues and plunges deep into the community for leads, the hints of a very troubled soul begin to solidify - perhaps this desperate search is for something much more personal. Whatever it may be, Johnny is getting close, and what he is about to find will undermine everything he thought he knew about this Southern legend, and perhaps, himself. Much like the bird itself, "Woodpecker" stylistically explores the twilight of uncertainty between fact and fiction and the ways expectation and context can manipulate our notion of 'reality'. From its documentary underpinnings to its narrative arc, all truth becomes subjective in this existential tragicomedy about hope, perception, and some very very strange birds.

Director's Bio:
Alex's debut feature film, "The Hole Story", won numerous awards on the festival circuit before being released theatrically last year. Filmmaker Magazine selected Alex as one of the "25 New Faces of Independent Film 2006" and he was shortlisted for the "Someone to Watch" Independent Spirit Award. In addition to "Woodpecker", Alex is also in post-production with a feature-length documentary called "TJ & Dave", which focuses on America's most revered long-form comedy improvisers. Alex also enjoys acting, most recently playing the male lead in a new film by Andrew Bujalski as well as the voices of several characters in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV. Currently, Alex is finishing up a script for his next narrative feature, which he hopes to shoot this Fall.