The 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) will present 10 programs of short films this year, including the Narrative Short Film and Documentary Short Film Competition programs, the New York Women In Film and Television: Women Calling The Shots program, the Ahoy! Shorts for All Ages program and the Crafted program, which features three short films about auteur Claude Lanzmann, and artists Phil Toledano and Hilary Knight. The 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival, which will be held over Columbus Day Weekend, October 8th – 12th, 2015.
SHORT FILMS: DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
BACON & GOD’S WRATH (Canada)
US Premiere
Director: Sol Friedman
Razie, a 90-year-old Jewish woman who has recently discovered “the Google,” prepares to try bacon for the first time. In this mixed-media documentary, Razie’s reckoning with her faith elicits unexpected sentiments.
LAST DAY OF FREEDOM (USA)
New York Premiere
Directors: Dee Hibbert-Jones, Nomi Talisman
When Bill Babbitt realizes his brother Manny has committed a crime, he agonizes over his decision – should he call the police? A richly animated personal narrative, LAST DAY OF FREEDOM tells the story of Bill’s decision to stand by his brother in the face of war, crime and capital punishment.
PEBBLES AT YOUR DOOR (Denmark)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Vibeke Bryld
As Harmonia’s happy life in North Korea unravels, she is faced with the choice of living in a broken paradise or treading the unknown, lonely path of the real world outside. A gripping tale of self-discovery, PEBBLES AT YOUR DOOR is a stunningly original documentary by an award-winning young director.
TAKE ME TO THE MOON (Spain/China)
North American Premiere
Directors: Oriol Martínez, Enric Ribes
In the Antex textile factory in Hangzhou, China, dreams of a better future fill the air and the charismatic boss seeks the utopia of a happy factory of more than 2,000 workers. Told with a distinctly bold voice, this rare story is truly inspiring.
WOMEN IN SINK (Israel/UK) (pictured above)
New York Premiere
Director: Iris Zaki
As she washes the hair of Jewish and Arab women in a hair salon in Haifa, Israel, director Iris Zaki converses with them on topics ranging from politics to love and beyond. What emerges from these conversations is an honest and nuanced portrayal of contemporary Israel.
SHORT FILMS: NARRATIVE COMPETITION
OVER (UK)
New York Premiere
Director: Jörn Threlfall
Is this a murder, a hit-and-run, or just a big mystery? A crime scene told in reverse, OVER is a captivating puzzle with an unexpected outcome.
PATRIOT (UK)
New York Premiere
Director: Eva Riley
Bound by racial tensions in her small English town, eleven-year-old Hannah meets a young Gypsy boy who changes her life forever.
THE SHACK “LA BARACCA” (Italy)
North American Premiere
Directors: Federico Di Corato, Alessandro De Leo
Two brothers spend the summer at their grandmother’s home in southern Italy after their parents divorce. With a Hi8 camera at hand, they try to fit in with the local kids by building a new home for themselves—a shack where they can be free.
TUESDAY “SALI” (Turkey/France)
US Premiere
Director: Ziya Demirel
An ordinary day in a young teenage girl’s life as she encounters three different men throughout her day—but maybe it’s not such an ordinary day.
VICTOR XX (Spain)
North American Premiere
Director: Ian Garrido
Victor is not sure if he feels like a boy or a girl, but experimenting with his gender has consequences when he must face his girlfriend and mother. An award-winning film, VICTOR XX paints a moving portrait of a lost soul not unlike the rest of us.
SHORT FILMS: NEW YORK WOMEN IN FILM AND TELEVISION: WOMEN CALLING THE SHOTS
BEHIND THE WALL (USA)
New York Premiere
Director: Bat-Sheva Guez
An injured dancer finds unexpected comfort when she moves into a new apartment and meets the neighbors—a sort of magical comfort.
CHOPPING ONIONS (USA)
North American Premiere
Director: Adinah Dancyger
Six-year-old Soli is thrilled to spend a few days with her Korean grandmother, but language and cultural barriers seem suddenly more significant at summer camp.
LIVING LEGEND (Peru/USA)
World Premiere
Director: Alonso Llosa
The most dangerous drug lord in Peru must face his ultimate fear: moving out of his mother’s house.
NICODEMUS (USA)
World Premiere
Director: Ani Simon-Kennedy
83-year-old Nicodemus Bartolo Vasquez opened the doors to his store, Jarciería El Arte Oaxaqueño, in 1961. He continues to sell an eclectic mix of often under-valued, handmade Mexican folk art.
PICTURING BARBARA KRUGER (USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Pippa Bianco
Narrated by the legendary artist herself, this brief portrait of Barbara Kruger raises many questions about art and the artist.
UNMAPPABLE (USA)
New York Premiere
Directors: Jasmine Luoma, Diane Hodson
A portrait of the life and work of iconoclastic psychogeographer and convicted sex offender Denis Wood, unmappable explores the events that have defined his life by pointing at ideas, thoughts and beliefs that we don’t normally think of as being mappable or explainable.
SHORT FILMS: I HEAR YOU LOUD AND NOT SO CLEAR
AVE MARIA (Palestine/France/Germany)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Basil Khalil
When a Jewish family crashes their car into a Convent, their only hope lies in the generosity of the nuns inside who have taken a vow of silence.
BOB SPELLS BACKWARDS (USA)
Directors: Ryan Maxey, Josh Polon
Bob can spell backwards for you if you ask him.
HARDBAT (USA)
Director: Zack Schamberg
Harvey’s obsession with ping-pong brings out his true colors when he must face his daughter’s new boyfriend’s family.
LOVE IS BLIND (UK)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Dan Hodgson
Alice finds herself in an awkward situation when her husband wants to have a serious conversation about their marriage while her lover is hiding upstairs.
REVIEW (USA)
Director: Dustin Guy Defa
A group of friends discuss a movie over tea.
TWO DOSAS (UK)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Sarmad Masud
Geeky Pavan takes a girl on a date to the most authentic Indian restaurant in London hoping to impress her with his exoticism. When she orders off-menu in Hindi, he’s out of moves.
ZERO M2 “ZÉRO M2” (France)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Matthieu Landour
Paul, a young student living in Paris, finally finds an affordable apartment. But the neighbors are acting strange and it seems that his room is shrinking.
SHORT FILMS: AHOY! SHORTS FOR ALL AGES
CAPTAIN FISH (France)
Director: John Banana
What happens when a little girl decides to save the food she refused to eat?
COOPED (USA)
New York Premiere
Director: Mike A. Smith
A dog’s destiny depends on his sleepy owner’s sense of adventure… which is nonexistent.
EGGS (Japan)
US Premiere
Director: Tomofumi Inoue
A young unhatched egg tries to fit in with his fully hatched siblings.
THE PRESENT (Germany)
Director: Jacob Frey
Jake’s mom gives him a present in hopes that it will entice him to go outside.
SANJAY’S SUPER TEAM (USA)
Director: Sanjay Patel
Young Sanjay has no interest in his father’s Hindu traditions and would rather play with his action figures. Reluctantly joining him for a prayer, Sanjay goes on an unexpected adventure in the latest short from Disney’s Pixar.
SLEEPY STEVE (USA)
New York Premiere
Director: Meghann Artes
Steve would have a really hard time waking up in the morning… if he hadn’t constructed a precise robotic system to do all the work for him.
WATERBABIES (USA/UK)
New York Premiere
Director: Nora Ballard
Meet the New Canaan Aquianas, a teenage team of synchronized swimmers competing for the top US prize.
SHORT FILMS: ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
CATWALK (Sweden)
Director: Ninja Thyberg
Nine-year-old Ella wants to fit into her fashionable circle of friends, but her parents refuse to buy her new clothes.
EDMOND (UK)
Director: Nina Gantz
In the search for the origin of his desires, Edmond goes on a journey of self-discovery that leads him to the defining moment of his life. A darkly humorous animation, EDMOND is an awe-inspiring tale.
END OF PUBERTY “KAMASZKOR VÉGE” (HUNGARY)
Director: Fanni Szilágyi
On a beautiful summer day, teenage twin sisters meet a boy at a lake and become acquainted with sexuality. Their contrasting reactions may mean the end of puberty.
KACEY MOTTET KLEIN, BIRTH OF AN ACTOR “KACEY MOTTET KLEIN, NAISSANCE D’UN ACTEUR” (Switzerland)
New York Premiere
Director: Ursula Meier
A moving portrait of Kacey Mottet Klein at age 8, 12 and 15, as he transforms into a mature actor.
MYRNA THE MONSTER (USA)
Director: Ian Samuels
Meet Myrna. She’s from the moon and just trying to figure out where she fits in the
world.
PINK BOY (USA)
New York Premiere
Director: Eric Rockey
Despite the conservative rural community he is being raised in, six-year-old Jeffrey fortunately has the full support of his lesbian parents in his desire to dance in dresses.
RATE ME (UK)
US Premiere
Director: Fyzal Boulifa
Coco is a teenage escort. How would you rate her? Award-winning director and HIFF alum, Fyzal Boulifa, returns with this engrossing portrait of a complicated character.
SHORT FILMS: YOU AND WHOSE ARMY?
FLAME “PLAMEN” (USA/Bulgaria)
East Coast Premiere
Directors: Andre Andreev, Dan Covert
In early 2013, angered by high electric and heating bills, Bulgarians took to the streets. In acts of protest, at least seven Bulgarian citizens set themselves on fire. One of them was Plamen Goranov, a 37-year-old construction worker and artist.
KINGDOM OF GARBAGE (Iraq/UK/USA/Netherlands)
Director: Yasir Kareem
Zahraa, an Iraqi refugee, dreams of going to school while scouring a landfill site with her brother. When a trade between Zahraa and the self proclaimed ‘King of Garbage’ goes wrong, the siblings’ relationship is tested to breaking point.
MOMMY (Sweden/Denmark)
US Premiere
Director: Milad Alami
A young woman struggles between being a mother to her daughter and holding on to her own youth.
NORTHERN GREAT MOUNTAIN “STOERRE VAERIE” (Sweden)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Amanda Kernell
Forced to attend her sister’s funeral against her will, Ellie must confront her estranged family and indigenous heritage.
TARANTULA “TARÂNTULA” (Brazil)
North American Premiere
Directors: Aly Muritiba, Marja Calafange
In a distant mansion, the arrival of a stranger threatens the insular world of two sisters.
THE TRANSLATOR “ÇEVIRMEN” (Turkey/UK)
US Premiere
Director: Emre Kayiş
Yusuf, a young Syrian refugee boy living in a Turkish border town, is summoned by his crush for a translation.
SHORT FILMS: STUDENT SHOWCASE
A BAND OF THIEVES (USA)
Director: Fidel Ruiz-Healy
In an attempt to shake things up in her sleepy Texas town, teenage Josie and her sidekick go on a crime spree.
FIVE WINDOWS (USA)
East Coast Premiere
Directors: Daniel Cooper, Adam Cooper
An assassin walks us through his artistic process as he leads his rival down a trail of deception.
FULFILAMENT (UK)
New York Premiere
Director: Rhiannon Evans
A lightbulb searches for his purpose in the world.
MY STUFFED GRANNY (UK)
Director: Effie Pappa
A stop-motion tale of Sophia, her father and her very hungry granny, who keeps them fed with her pension. To what extremes will they go to once Granny is no more?
THICKER THAN WATER “MOOL-BO-DA JIN-HAN” (South Korea)
Director: Seung Yeob Lee
A mother’s love is boundless, even if her son is a vampire. When he needs blood, she delivers.
SHORT FILMS: CRAFTED
CLAUDE LANZMANN: SPECTRES OF THE SHOAH (UK)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Adam Benzine
Claude Lanzmann’s 1985 documentary SHOAH is considered by many to be the most important film ever made about the Holocaust. A behind-the-scenes look at the making of this masterpiece, director Adam Benzine captures Lanzmann’s tireless efforts to preserve the survivors’ stories.
IT’S ME, HILARY: THE MAN WHO DREW ELOISE (USA)
Director: Matt Wolf
Hilary Knight reflects on his life as an illustrator and his relationship to his most successful work: Eloise, the precocious six-year-old who lives in New York’s Plaza Hotel.
THE MANY SAD FATES OF MR. TOLEDANO (USA)
Director: Joshua Seftel
With the help of DNA tests, psychics, and prosthetic makeup, renowned photographer Phil Toledano imagines all of the possible ways his life will end.
SHORT FILMS: SHORTS PLAYING BEFORE FEATURES
ALL-AMERICAN FAMILY (USA)
Director: Andrew Jenks
The all-deaf football team in Pleasanton, California, is the heart of this tight-knit community.
BEAR “BÄR” (Germany)
Director: Pascal Flörks
As a grandson looks back on his grandfather’s eventful life, he begins to feel the full weight of his own inheritance.
BODY TEAM 12 (Liberia)
Director: David Darg
During the peak of the Ebola outbreak in Africa, Body Team 12 was responsible for collecting the dead – a dangerous and grim task. This is a brief and sobering portrait of the heroes that make up this team.
CAMS (Sweden)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Carl-Johan Westregård
Look closely, for not everything is as it seems in this peaceful little beach town
THE FACE OF UKRAINE: CASTING OKSANA BAIUL (Ukraine/Australia)
Director: Kitty Green
Gold medal-winning Oksana Baiul’s tears of joy once offered a glimmer of hope for Ukraine. Now in a war-torn country, these young girls audition to play the role of their hero.
I FOLLOW YOU “JAG FÖLJER DIG” (Sweden)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Jonatan Etzler
What if someone you’ve never met knows everything about you?
A LONG WAY FROM HOME (USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Jay Rosenblatt
Had there been actual footage of Jesus Christ’s last hours dug up by archaeologists, it might have looked like this.
OBJECT “OBIEKT” (Poland)
Director: Paulina Skibińska
A chilling, abstract moment: the rescue team above the ice, the diver below, and the spectators on shore.