Tune in starting Sept. 4 on KERA Television.

Add this to your appointment viewing this fall: “Frame of Mind,” a platform for all sorts of Indie film, from shorts to documentaries, is launching as a weekly series on KERA television.

The series kicked off on Sept. 4 at 10 p.m. with “Swingman,” a documentary produced and directed by Mark Birnbaum. And every week brings something different: the early works of David Lowery (“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints); a collection of music videos; experimental work from Morehshin Allayhari. Check back with Art&Seek frequently – we’ll add interviews with filmmakers every week during the season.

The shows are curated and produced by Bart Weiss, artistic director of the Video Association of Dallas and producer of  “Frame of Mind” since 1995. (The show was created in 1991 by Suzanne Dooley and Marlis Schmidt.”

Frame of Mind is a co-production from Art&Seek and Video Association of Dallas. We are just thrilled to be able to give some shine to the thriving filmmaking community in Texas.

THE SEASON

Episode 1: Swingman
Sept. 4, 2014

Producer and Director: Mark Birnbaum
Firefighter Marshall Allen always said when the Grim Reaper came calling, they would find claw marks on the wall where he fought him to the end. After twice being returned to an adoption agency, Capt. Allen was abused in the foster care system only to be adopted by an abusive family. His severe depression remained undiagnosed despite building rage and hopelessness while he became a Golden Gloves boxer, the first black firefighter in Salt Lake County, Utah, a power lifting champion and a rising star in the Fort Worth Fire Department. Then a freak accident left him physically paralyzed and emotionally cured.

Episode 2: Best Of Texas Show (3 segments)
Sept. 11, 2014, 10 p.m.

“Vincent Valdez: Excerpts for John”
Director: Mark and Angela Walley
Two years in the making, this short documentary film captures the creative process of artist Vincent Valdez. Filmmakers Mark and Angela Walley followed Valdez as he created a series of works dedicated to his childhood best friend John Holt Jr., an Army combat medic who died in 2009 after serving in Iraq.

“Cielo Lindo”
Director: Iris Lopez
At the point of starvation, a homeless young girl copes with hunger and her harsh reality with her imagination.

“The Romantic Self-Exiles”
Director: Morehshin Allahyari
Video and text by Morehshin Allahyari
Sound design by Ivo Bol

“The Romantic Self-Exiles” is a new body of work which explores relationships between self and home, presenting the life of those who live in-between, and those who choose self-exile over a homeland in which they are not tolerated or welcome. In addition, it questions the romanticized aspect of such experiences by the self-exiled citizens.

Episode 3: David Lowery
Sept. 18, 2014, 11 p.m.

Get a look at the many works of Dallas filmmaker David Lowery. From festival introductions (Dallas VideoFest and SXSW) to early works (“Some Analogue Lines” and “My Daily Routine”), this episode explores the creative road of David Lowery including his award-winning short “Pioneer,” the story of a father telling his little boy the most epic bedtime story ever.

Episode 4: Kat Candler
Sept. 25, 2014

This showcase of shorts by Austin-based writer and director Kat Candler features “Love Bug,” “Quarter to Noon,” and “Roberta Wells.” “Love Bug” tells the story of Turtle Thompson and his struggle to ask his bug-loving best friend to the Spring Fling Dance. “Quarter to Noon” is a story about a worker’s discovery of what’s important in life and escaping to it. “Roberta Wells” tells the story of a woman with emphysema, who struggles through a Thanksgiving afternoon with her overbearing family, her deteriorating health and her craving for a cigarette.

Episode 5: Films From Greenhill School
Oct. 2, 2014

See a collection of student films from the Greenhill School in Addison, Texas. Features include “Life Through the Lens,” “Seawolf,”  Zipper,” “Boom,” “Silent Night,” “Just Your Average Joe” and “Partner.” You will be amazed at the sophistication of the work made by high school students.

“Life Through the Lens” directed by Ryan Kline
“Seawolf” directed by Caila Pickett and Max Montoya
“Zipper” directed by Mansi Gaur, Rachel Davis, and Maya Muralidhar.
“Boom” directed by Brian Broder, Andrew Fields, and Daniel Matyas
“Silent Night” directed by James Bradford
“Just Your Average Joe” directed by Jade and Pearl Basinski
“Partner” directed by James Bradford and Max Montoya
http://www.greenhill.org/page

Episode 6: 24 Hour Video Race
Oct. 9, 2014

This episode features a selection of entries from the 2014 Dallas 24 Hour Video Race, a fun competition in which teams of filmmakers have 24 hours to write, shoot, edit and score an original short film. The elements that had to be in all films are: Theme: A dream; Location: A bridge; Prop: A flashlight; and Line of Dialogue: “Call your mother.”

Shorts presented come from Atomic Productions, Team Angelika Productions, Smoking Crayola, Strangers with Cameras and Fix It In Post Productions.
http://www.24hourvideorace.com/

Episode 7: Films From The University of Texas at Arlington Department of Art& History
Oct. 16, 2014

See three shorts from The University of Texas at Arlington’s Art + Art History program created by both undergraduate and graduate students: “Phone Ghost,” “Avocados” and “Helado.” “Phone Ghost” follows the story of Mildred Lane, a widowed retiree coping with the loss of her husband, a strained relationship with her daughter and the prospect of her own looming death. Also, there’s a ghost in her phone. “Avocados” tells of a business owner who suspects a break in, only to be surprised at the end. “Helado” is the story of Juan, an undocumented worker, and his daughter Gabriella, facing the hardships of life living in the United States.

“Phone Ghost” directed by Jean-Patrick Mahoney
“Avocados” directed by Julie Gould
Helado directed by Gabriel Duran
http://www.uta.edu/art/

Episode 8: Texas Films From SxSW
Oct. 23, 2014

Bringing two of the top shorts at this year’s SxSW Film Texas Shorts, this episode highlights the films Easy and Molly. Easy, by Dallas filmmaker Daniel Laabs, tells of a character study about the relationship between two brothers, one on the verge of becoming an adult and the other becoming a teenager. Molly follows Bryon and his best friend organizing a complicated breakdown after a breakup with his girlfriend Molly.

“Easy,” directed by Daniel Laabs
“Molly,” directed by Craig Elrod
http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/film-lineup

Episode 9: Tomato Republic: Let the Takeover Begin
Oct. 30, 2014

Directors: Jenna Jackson, Anthony Jackson and Whitney Graham-Carter
A flamboyant restaurateur, a good ol’ boy and a political ingénue walk into a small-town contest and compete head to head … to head, for a non-paid mayoral seat of the Tomato Republic. What happens next is anyone’s guess. The only thing that could slow this race down is a freight train. Let the takeover begin.
http://pandrproductions.com/tomato-republic/

Episode 10: Texas Films From The Dallas International Film Festival
Nov. 6, 2014

A selection of shorts from this year’s Dallas International Film Festival: Blur, I Was A Teenage Girl and Dig. Blur follows a woman struggling to work on her next commissioned painting, causing her to be pulled into the blurring realities. I Was A Teenage Girl: One night, after an intense breakup, close friends Emma and Jesse have a heartfelt conversation that challenges the boundaries of their friendship in an unexpected way. Dig tells of a young girl making a connection with her father, after watching him dig a hole in their backyard.
“Blur,” directed by Courtney Ware
“I Was A Teenage Girl,” directed by Augustine Frizzell
“Dig,” directed by Toby Halbrooks
http://diff2014.dallasfilm.org/

Episode 11: Yakona: Water Rising
Nov. 13, 2014

Directors: Anlo Sepulveda and Paul Collins
“Yakona: Water Rising” is a visual experience through the crystal clear waters of the San Marcos River and its headwaters at Spring Lake. Follow the river on an impressionistic journey from its point of view as it flows from source to sea, through the changing seasons, through time and memory. Experience its relationship with the natural world and its interactions with humankind. Through “Yakona: Water Rising,” the voice of the river calls on humanity’s higher nature, inspiring its protection by revealing its beauty and life-giving spirit.
http://yakona.org/

Episode 12: Best of Chick Flicks from Women in Film Dallas
Nov. 20, 2014

This episode celebrates 20 years of Women in Film Dallas and is a selection of their successful Chick Flicks series. The show features Duck Food, which follows a boy and girl feeding the ducks at the park, while an innocent relationship blossoms. Raspberry Jam is a mystical tale about a man who loses everything on his journey toward hope. The Long Run explores spillover crime and the effects of the war on drugs on the youth of real-life border town Brownsville, Texas.

“Duck Food” directed by Dewey Taylor, produced by Sara Roberts
“Raspberry Jam” directed by Courtney Ware, produced by Meredith Burke
The Long Run directed by Laura Lilia Treviño and David Garcia
http://www.wifdallas.org/

Episode 13: Texas Music Videos
Nov. 27, 2014

A collection of music videos directed by local filmmakers. Music videos include “Duchamp,” a silent music video; “Hold Yourself Up,” by The Polyphonic Spree; “Dog That Bit You,” by the Baptist Generals; “Me Compassionate,” by SOAK; “Lover Girl,” by Sarah Jaffe; and “Rattler’s Revival,” by Toadies.

“Duchamp,” directed by Sai Selvarajan
“Hold Yourself Up” and “Rattler’s Revival” directed by Justin Wilson
“Dog That Bit You” and “Lover Girl” directed by Jason Reimer
“Me Compassionate” directed by Norry Niven