Working on It (Day Three)

The Working on It program offers a lab-like environment for work-in-progress screenings, workshops, and discussions about the artistic process. This year’s edition will take place during the afternoons of March 13–15, and is open to the public.  

Day Three

12:30 p.m.: Work-in-progress presentation and discussion: legendary film editor Mary Lampson (Harlan County, U.S.A.) talks to filmmaker Marley McDonald (Time Bomb Y2K) about her upcoming book, The Cutting Room, which traces her journey and evolving artistry from collaborations with D.A. Pennebaker, Emile de Antonio, and Barbara Kopple to such recent work as Crip Camp. (Redstone) 

1:30 p.m.: Work-in-progress presentation: a polyamorous death midwife constructs three distinct identities—Rina, SaRina, and Wild Ballerina—to free herself from past trauma. But when her father unexpectedly dies, she must return to Israel to confront past abuses, potentially destroying the fairy-tale life she has created. Director Joe Peeler presents a rough cut of the first act his new film, Rina SaRina Wild Ballerina. 30 minutes, Hi8. (Redstone) 

1:30 p.m.: Presentation and discussion: director Zhang Mengqi (Self-Portrait: 47 KM 2020, First Look 2024) talks to Duke professor Hong Guo-Juin about the Folk Memory Project, which aims to collect oral histories from rural survivors of China’s Great Famine, in which over 150 young filmmakers, including Zhang, have participated. (Bartos) 

3:00 p.m.: Presentation and discussion: directors Bill and Turner Ross (Gasoline Rainbow, First Look 2024) discuss the unique processes and rituals that contribute to the making of their films. With live demonstrations and a rare screening of the short film Rose City Hurricane, created for their career retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. (Redstone) 

4:00 p.m.: Screening: Fiona Tan’s Footsteps. (Amphitheater Gallery) 

4:30 p.m.: Live performance: Moore for Sale, by Keith Wilson. In 2017, Wilson started making a feature documentary about Frank Moore, the controversial Berkeley-based performance artist. With complete access to Moore’s extensive archive, Wilson started working on what would become his feature directorial debut. But six years later, the film has not been made. What happened? In this confessional and hilarious live performance, Wilson unravels his creative process and ethical dilemmas, interlacing Moore’s story with his own while delving into the tangled relationships between success and failure, art and commerce, the living and the dead. (Redstone) 

Followed by a reception sponsored by Lismore Road.  

Attend all First Look screenings and events, including Working on It, with the purchase of an All Festival pass ($120). Day passes for Working on It are also available below.

Day passes: ($15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / Free for MoMI members). Order Session 3 pass.

NOTE: There is a $1.50 transaction fee per ticket for all online purchases.