Sheriff

Running time: N/A

World Premiere. Ronald E. Hewett is a good, law-abiding man, who just happens to be the Sheriff in rural North Carolina - perhaps not the world's most glamorous job. Yet, through Hewett's activities as Brunswick County's number-one citizen, we discover this apparently simple man to be an extremely complex person when thrust into complicated, often dangerous situations. Hewett's duties are far reaching: from a raid of a poker parlor, to a manhunt, to a bizarre murder investigation, to recovering stolen ceramic bunnies. And all throughout, the film is overwhelmed with a sense of the real American South - the roaring of the locusts and mosquito-filled swamps are matched by the thick, gentlemanly accent of Hewett and his men. Director Daniel Kraus (Ball of Wax, 2003 Cinequest) astonishes his viewer with a richly textured journey through the eyes of a man balancing a decent existence within a world that is seemingly devoid of morals. Using classic cinema verite techniques of such influential filmmakers as Frederick Wiseman and D.A. Pennebaker, Kraus strives not to inject subjective opinions about Hewett, inviting instead our own interpretations, as a "fly on the wall." Through the brilliant use of this starkly minimalist technique, the only thing that affects our observations is Sheriff Hewett himself. And no matter how serious, strange or comic the situation Sheriff Hewett finds himself in, one thing consistently shines through - his own humanity. - Sandy Wolf. Preceded by: Dysenchanted (Terri Edda Miller, 9min, 35mm, USA) Ð Fairy tale princesses dish the dirt in a therapy session, but what happens when a New Jersey divorcee joins the group: the discussion takes a turn.