As The Anchorage International Film Festival embarks on its 18th season, we want to thank our incredible community for all of the support we have received over the years. Anchorage, and Alaska as a whole, is a melting pot of culture and talent that is unrivaled.
Before I became involved with AIFF, I had very little idea how this festival impacted so many lives. From our local student filmmakers, to our seasoned professionals and visiting filmmakers, AIFF has become a great resource to share ideas, knowledge and network with the creative community. AIFF has always been and will continue to be an advocate for our independent film community, which has grown significantly over the past several years.
It is no secret that Alaska is a magical destination, and because of that, it brings people together in unexpected ways. In the dead of winter, AIFF offers a bright light for 10 days every season. During our festival, we are fortunate enough to welcome several filmmakers from all over the world, creating lasting memories and friendships.
As the film industry changes, it is becoming more important than ever that we support independent film, and the surrounding community. The Anchorage International Film Festival is looking forward to sharing the work of so many talented storytellers this season and for years to come.
Thank you very much for your support and patronage. Gather up your friends and families and join us for 10 days of amazing stories from around the globe while we celebrate Films Worth Freezing For.
Exit Music is a documentary film that travels the intimate and complex path of terminal illness. Ethan Rice was born with Cystic Fibrosis, an incurable genetic illness that eventually leads to respiratory failure. At their home in a small upstate New York community, Ethan and his family live in constant uncertainty as the disease takes more and more away from them. While medical interventions continue to keep him alive well beyond his prognosis, 28-year-old Ethan questions day-by-day how long he is willing to fight and what his absence will mean to those he leaves behind.
With stunning access, the film closely follows Ethan’s final months, weeks, days and hours and is witness to death’s transformative influence on a family. Home video footage trace the bond between Ethan and his father Ed, a Vietnam veteran with PTSD who withdrew from the world to become a stay-at-home dad. Ed immersed Ethan in a world of art, creativity, and imagination and documented it all on camera, a hobby that provided relief from the fear of his son’s ominous prognosis and his own painful past. These archives show the progression of Ethan’s illness over time and reveal Ed’s obsession with preserving his son’s memory. Even during his final days with Ethan, Ed had a camera in hand.
Interweaving home movies with Ethan’s original music and animation, his story is an unflinching meditation on loss and invites the viewer to experience Ethan’s transition from reality to memory. In a culture that often looks away from death, Exit Music demystifies the dying process a universal cornerstone of the human experience.