Death by Fruitcake, my latest indie movie, is going out to a limited number of film festivals, mostly in Iowa, which will better enable us to attend ourselves. (A slightly revised version of our poster is shown here.)
As you will see below, the Star City Film Festival has chosen us as an Official Selection, as well as screening the film in a prime spot on Saturday night August 2nd. Thirty-three other films are showcased in the festival, so this in itself is a nice honor.
We have already done nicely at the Iowa Motion Picture Awards and hope to do well at Star City. As I said, we are mostly going out to Iowa festivals and limiting the number of fests we’re entering to half a dozen. They say getting one acceptance out of a ten entries is a good result, and we have two out of six (so far).
Work continues to get Death by Fruitcake onto a streaming service. It’s unlikely we’ll have a DVD and/or Blu-Ray until the 2026 holiday season.
Here’s the press release about the Star City Festival:
Special Guest of Honor: Max Allan Collins
Waukon, Iowa – The Star City Film Festival is excited to announce its return for the 8th season, taking place from July 31 to August 3, 2024, in the charming town of Waukon, Iowa. Founded and directed by filmmaker, musician, and writer, Dr. Katie O’Regan, this year’s festival promises to be an unforgettable celebration of filmmaking, featuring 40 diverse films, live performances of three new film scripts as radio plays, a glamorous red carpet premiere, and engaging talk-backs with attending filmmakers.
This year’s festival will honor Iowa’s very own Max Allan Collins, a celebrated figure in the world of film noir and a best-selling author, producer, and director. Max will premiere his new film Death by Fruitcake, which he wrote and directed, on Saturday evening of the festival. Following the screening, he will participate in a live talk-back session, providing the audience with insights into his creative process and the making of the film.
Max is renowned for his work on the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of his graphic novel, *Road to Perdition*. He has been recognized by the Mystery Writers of America as a Grand Master and has received an impressive twenty-three “Shamus” nominations, with notable wins for his Nathan Heller thrillers. His extensive body of work includes acclaimed novels, contributions to comics, film criticism, and several successful screenplays, including the Lifetime film Mommy and the HBO World Premiere The Expert. His creativity also extends to documentaries, with Mike Hammer’s Mickey Spillane featured in the Criterion Collection.
Joining Max at this year’s festival is his wife, Barbara Collins, an esteemed short story writer and production manager for various independent film projects. Together, they have co-authored bestselling novels that showcase their unique storytelling abilities.
The Star City Film Festival aims to create a platform for filmmakers and audiences alike to connect, inspire, and celebrate the art of cinema. Attendees can look forward to a lineup of films that highlight emerging talent, as well as discussions that delve into the creative process behind the stories told on screen.
Join us in Waukon for a celebration of film, creativity, and community, with activities including a live street dance and outdoor music during “Corn Days,” happening simultaneously!
For more information about the festival, ticketing, and programming details, please visit [](http://www.sacrednoisesociety.org).
By the way…our previous indie movie, Blue Christmas, is available on DVD and Blu-ray at Amazon and other cyber retailers. It’s also streaming, and this link will give you a rundown on where you can see it free (often but not always with commercials) and can rent it.
I do beg you to understand these are micro-budget films (micro-budgets defined as “a movie made with very limited financial resources, typically under $250,000, and sometimes even under $100,000 or $50,000.”
I seem to be a more or less regular segment on Robert Burnett’s Let’s Get Physical show on You Tube (usually airing at 2 pm on Sunday afternoons, Central.) I talk about recent releases on Blu-ray and 4K discs having to do with crime/mystery movies.
This week Rob’s co-host Dieter Bastian had a work conflict and I was asked, at the last minute, to sub. Nobody can adequately fill in for the unique presence of Deets (as Dieter is called), but I did my best.
Director Rob and I shamelessly plugged our ten-episode audio drama, True Noir: The Assassination of Anton Cermak, every change we got, pretty much making a running joke out of it. (Nonetheless, we encourage you to go to truenoir.co and order it, if you haven’t already.)
The show often runs very long, and this week – as Rob and I went down numerous rabbit holes – lasted over three hours. Here it is, but be warned: I’m not kidding about that how long it went.
Here’s a great write-up on the forthcoming Blu-ray of The Two Jakes, which includes a commentary by my pal Heath Holland and me. Thrilled to be part of this release as Two Jakes is one of my favorite films.
Heath and I also did a commentary for Rustler’s Rhapsody, well written up here.
M.A.C.
Tags: Antiques Series, Appearances, Death by Fruitcake, Trash 'n' Treasures