Thin Line 2016: Festival Guide

For the next five days, downtown Denton will be invaded with film lovers from all over as they partake in the 9th annual Thin Line festivities. The festival will combine film, music, and photography for its second year in a row (the photography was a new thing last year), and it all begins tonight!

Thin Line is a documentary film fest. The folks over at Thin Line believe that real life is, in fact, more interesting than fiction, although they do host mockumuentaries, docudramas, animated docs, docu-comedies, and, according to their website, if you look closely you may even find a docufiction. That's a docu-mental amount of words I mostly didn’t know existed before just now.

Just two weeks ago the Denton Black Film Festival wrapped up, igniting the local film festival season flame. The DBFF held their 2nd annual festivities this year that included film, music, and poetry between a few downtown venues including the Campus Theatre and the Black Box Performing Arts Center for film and poetry, and West Oak Coffee Bar for music programming.

Aside from Thin Line & Denton Black Film Festival, the film culture is pretty diverse in Denton. UNT has a Short Film Club and there is a Denton Cine-Club that helps connect local filmmakers. Denton has its very own cinematic misfits club, too, called Hotel Broslin. Oaktopia screened Midlake: Live in Denton, TX and Almost Famous during their festival last September. Sometimes COLLAGE (although not a film organization) hosts movies on the courthouse lawn, too.

With all of this film culture, and the weight of Thin Line on our plates how will we ever chose which shows to go to? How you ask? I’ll tell you: read and do research. But if you want to take an easy way out, you can read my research below and meet up with me throughout the week & weekend. I won’t be offended. By the way, there is a parade/community drum walk on Sunday at 2 that you won’t want to miss.

Film:

Wednesday, February 17, 2016. 7:00 p.m. Campus Theatre.
How to let Go of the World (And Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change) - The opening night film by Josh Fox was an official selection for 2016’s Sundance Film Festival. Fox was nominated for an Oscar for his 2010 documentary, Gasland. The film explores 12 different countries on 6 different continents and notices how it may be too late to stop the worst consequences in some locations.

Thursday, February 18, 2016. 5:00 p.m. Campus Theatre.
Betty Kimble’s Legacy - Betty Kimble is an African-American woman who was born and raised in Denton, Texas and lived through the Civil Rights movement. This film gives you a unique glimpse at what living in Denton in the 1930’s was like from her perspective.

Friday, February 19, 2016. 2:00 p.m. Campus Theatre.
Marisol - A 19 year old girl living not even 10 miles from Denton went to go register for her first college class to find out she had been identified by the state of Texas as undocumented. This documentary talks about an immigration issue that is present in our community. Directed by Eugene Martin, Chair or the Media Arts Department at UNT.

Saturday, February 20, 2016. 10:00 a.m. Campus Theatre.
Monkey Kingdom - First of all, this is a Disneynature film. Secondly Tina Fey is the narrator. If you’re not already sold here are some more facts: it’s a family friendly movie, and it's FREE! That’s right - tell all your friends. Take the family and see a free movie Saturday morning during the iconic Thin Line film festival.

Saturday, February 20, 2016. 8:15 p.m. Campus Theatre.
Secret Screening - Yes, yes - I know - ‘secret screening’ - do you really want to waste your time on something you don’t know about? The answer here is YES. You most certainly do. Although I know nothing about this, I’ve been told that it will be HUGE. Also, there will be a q & a following the screening, hosted by the fantastic Chase Whale.

Music:

Wednesday, February 17, 2016. 9:00 p.m. Dan’s Silverleaf.
Bri Bagwell & Melissa Ratley
As soon as the opening night film, How to Let Go of the World (And Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change) ends, scoot over to Dan’s for the first opening night party! Bri Bagwell will get your toes tappin’ and your feet moving to some genuine Red Dirt country music. Melissa Ratley is a Denton favorite, and her voice could stop you dead in your tracks.

Friday, February 19, 2016. 9:00 p.m. Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.
Quentin Miller & More
There is a huge lineup at Gloves on Friday night - definitely where you you want to be for hip hop. Quentin Miller is a noted ghostwriter for several rappers and his name appears on the credits Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late not for one song, but four. Denton’s Elijah Heaps, among a bill of 7 other rappers, will be in the house, too - which will be a riot.

Saturday, February 20, 2016. 8:00 p.m. Dan’s Silverleaf.
Alejandro Escovedo, Daniel Markham, and The Birds of Night
With a career spanning more than 40 years, Alejandro Escovedo’s sound has transitioned quite a bit but he’s never lost his edge. A member of the 70’s punk band, The Nuns, Escovedo will be playing in Denton on Saturday evening with Daniel Markham and the Birds of Night.

Saturday, February 20, 2016. 8:30 p.m. Andy’s Bar
AFRO, Your Old Droog, and More
I will definitely be bouncing between Dan’s and Andy’s on Saturday night. Thin Line has packed out Andy’s Bar with some real damn programming. Ritchy Flo, 88 Killa, Fab Deuce, & KoolBRZ just to name a few. Andy’s is your Saturday night hip hop destination. Thank you, Thin Line. I got hip hop in my bag, swag.

Sunday February 21, 2016. 4:00 p.m. Dan’s Silverleaf
Jessie Frye
AND IT’S FREE! & EARLY! These are all the best things on Sunday’s. Jessie will be joined by DJ Banco and Free Mode.

Photography:

Saturday, February 20, 2016. 1:00 p.m. Greater Denton Arts Council.
Instant Film Workshop
This is one of our favorite events! Enjoy an informative lecture from Instant Film Society’s Daniel Rodrigue about best practices and a brief history about instant film itself. After the lecture you can join Rodrigue and Denton Camera Exchange owner, Armand Kohandani on an Instant Film Pola Walk. One photographer will be chosen from the walk and be dubbed a winner and the recipient of the Thin Line 2016 Instant Film Award. Being that winner is worth $200, by the way.

There is a photo exhibit at the Greater Denton Arts Council, starting tomorrow Thursday, February 18, 2016 that includes all 2016 Official Selection works. The exhibit runs from 11:00 a.m. - midnight on Thursday - Saturday, and on Sunday it closes early at 5:00 p.m.

Whatever you end up doing, know there’s a full schedule on their website that works super well. You can also catch a lot of their updates on Facebook, or via their instagram and Twitter accounts. Make sure you use #TheDentonite on your grams while out and about at Thin Line this weekend, and whenever you’re doing or creating anything contributing to our arts community! Happy Thin Line weekend, Denton!