Chattanooga Film Festival unveiled the 2018 short film lineup including the World Premiere of three significant short films – 42 COUNTS from filmmaker Jill Gevargizan, HAJJI from from filmmaker R.H. Norman, and THE AFTER PARTY from filmmaker Colin Costello.
Following is the full list of short films, organized by the block they will be presented in.
SHORT ENDS BLOCK
42 COUNTS | Jill Gevargizian
*WORLD PREMIERE
The latest work of talented director Jill Gevargizian (THE STYLIST) is inspired by a true story. Two unsuspecting victims spend their night off watching scary movies in an apartment rented from their boss—until they uncover something much more sinister than what they’re watching on screen.
AMY | L. Gustavo Cooper.
Set against the backdrop of the deadliest heatwave in recorded history and inspired by America’s most prolific female serial killer, L. Gustavo Cooper’s Amy provides a surreal and distorted glimpse into a killing spree that captivated a nation in the early 1900s.
BABS | Celine Held
An estranged son discovers an alarming purchase made by his late father.
BESTIA | Gigi Guerrero
Bestia follows the lone survivor (Mathias Retamal) of a disaster as he awakens on a deserted beach. It becomes clear that there are more dangers lurking in the woods than a hungry beast.
GREAT CHOICE | Robin Comisar
A woman gets stuck in a Red Lobster commercial.
THE AFTER PARTY | Colin Costello
Meet Skye Monroe. Reality Show Star. Social Media Queen. And blissfully unaware of how self-centered she is. Skye drinks what she wants, snorts what she wants and takes who she wants. Skye doesn’t really have friends, but followers, tagging along for every moment of her life thanks to her endless streams of posts. But tonight, Skye will be put on trial for her deeds. Her courtroom is a little dive bar tucked away in the corner of any urban decay, appropriately called, The After Party. Her jury will be four sophisticated women shooting a game of billiards.
TRANSMISSION | Varun Raman
Welcome to Britannia. Together we stand alone.
WE SUMMONED A DEMON | Chris McInroy
They just wanted to be cool. Instead they got a demon.
SALUTE YOUR SHORTS
A FISTFUL OF PISTOLS | Joseph Heath
Two men meet in the wild west for a good old fashioned quick draw shoot ’em up situation.
BEANS | Maxwell Nalevansky
An idiosyncratic story of an elderly artist who lives and paints alone on a property in the woods. Steve, the painter, decides one day to make a sign that reads “Free Beans,” offering a bowl of steaming hot beans to any drifter who might stumble by. Our Narrator takes the audience through a rhapsodic telling of the day he met the painter who cooked him a life-changing bowl of beans.
DAHLIA | Ana Mouyis
Through a metaphorical narrative about love, Dahlia explores a relationship between two people which is burdened by mental illness. Journey through a colorful and ever-changing world; a hand-painted realm that shifts and morphs to portray a darkened state of mind.
HAJJI | R.H. Norman
*WORLD PREMIERE
From writer/director R.H. Norman and produced by friend of CFF, David Lawson, Jr. Hajji shows the fateful encounter between two U.S. Marines and an Afghan teenager fuels a wartime cycle of violence in this inspired-by-true-events short starring Ross Marquand (The Walking Dead) and Dayo Okeniyi (Hunger Games).
MY DEAD DAD’S PORNO TAPES | Charlie Tyrell
In this touching documentary, filmmaker Charlie Tyrell attempts to gain a better understanding of his deceased father through his personal effects—including a stash of VHS pornography tapes—and an exploration of his family history.
MY LETHAL WEAPON | Hope Leigh
A young blonde must navigate treacherous power dynamics after she’s pulled over by an increasingly “friendly” cop.
RALPH AND OLLIE | Thomas Bell
Do you ever have trouble relating to other people? No? Yeah, me neither.
POISON | Brandt Shandera
A Tinder date goes from awkward to frightening when the conversation turns to poison.
RETURN FROM DESOLATION | Justin Clifton
Garrett Eaton, an Afghan war vet, oilman, and river guide, has fought his way back from addiction and certain death with the help of the wild, serpentine rivers of the American Southwest. This is a story of renewal, forgiveness and healing, but it’s also a bridge between what we think we know and the nuance of what it means to be human in a complex society. Through Garrett’s experience, we see the importance of wild, public landscapes to help us all find our way home.
THE SILVER SCREEN | Paul Williams
Film buffs Marty and Anna come into conflict when dreamer Marty’s desire to reopen the local movie theater clashes with the reality of the impending birth of their child.
WTF (WATCH THESE FILMS)
ALLEN ANDERS | Laura Moss
Found footage of Allen Anders’ famed 1987 performance at New York City’s Comedy Castle offers a revealing window into the troubled comedian’s psyche.
BFF GIRLS | Brian Lonano
Three dorky American girls magically transform into beautiful Japanese superheroes and fight a tampon monster as they begin their journey into womanhood.
COME ON MANDY | Josh Wilmott
A doc/fiction hybrid about a dog who refuses to listen.
HECTOR FELIX | William Bagley
A thriller/comedy with a retro vibe, Hector Felix is about a drunk who stumbles upon a group of thugs playing cards in the back of a gas station. Shot on 16mm, and accompanied by a killer soundtrack; Hector Felix is nothing short of a good time.
HOMER_A | Milos Mitrovic
Found VHS footage tells a disturbing day-in-the-life story of a broken family.
SETACEOUS | Tel Benjamin
A group of neighbors, after being awoken in the dead of night by its alarm, investigate a seemingly abandoned car in the middle of their cul-de-sac in the inner suburbs. Slowly they begin to realize the car may not be as abandoned as first perceived and holds something far darker in store for them.
SOCKS ON FIRE | Bo McGuire
A failed poet takes up cinematic arms when he returns home to Hokes Bluff, Ala. to find his aunt has locked his drag queen uncle out of the family home.
STAY | David Mikalson
A cult of women summon a demon, but one rogue member, Carol, gets in the way of their plans.
THE ACCOMPLISS | John F. Beach, Jonathan Hoeg
A man discovers his unwitting participation in a bank robbery across a series of increasingly incriminating (and hilarious) answering machine messages.
WEIRD | Fausto MontanarI
In this animated film, a young girl explains how personal preference and individuality are the ties that bind us all together.
THE TENNESSEE FILMMAKER BLOCK
AIM CENTER SHORTS | Judith Mogul and Trey Forbes
A compilation of 12 stop-motion animations created by members of the AIM Center under the direction of artist Judith Mogul and videographer Trey Forbes. AIM is a center for psychiatric rehabilitation located in Chattanooga, Tenn. Using cutout paper in the style of filmmaker Lotte Reiniger, members manipulated their created forms to tell intimate, humorous and often poignant stories. These shorts provide moving insight into the minds, hearts and souls of people living with mental illness.
BIG AND TALL | Clint Till
A young girl and her best friend set off into the woods to find proof of a mythological creature.
BLACKOUT DAY | Graham Uhelski
Blackout Day is a mini documentary about people’s experiences on the day of the total solar eclipse—August 21, 2017. A filmmaker collaboration of an incredible celestial event.
LEGS | Madeleine Hicks
Cara Smart dreams of one day becoming a professional swimmer, but her mother and doctor have plans to remove her body parts instead. This is a tale as old as time.
THE ELEPHANT TREE | Judith Mogul
Combining live action with stop motion animation, The Elephant Tree reveals the intimate relationship between an artist and the landscape around her. Through sketches, sculptures and puppets, a world evolves in the artist’s studio that reflect her reverie and sadness for the environment, which eventually is threatened when a developer begins to clear the land.
THE LOTTERY | Karen Louisa
What kind of life can you have when your life is assigned for you by your government? One young woman tries to exercise what little freedom she has in order to change her life.
THE ORDER | Chad Cunningham
Three young scouts have been selected for a prestigious opportunity, but as they struggle to prove themselves, they realize nothing is what it seems.
STUDENT FILMMAKER BLOCK
10 MINUTES TO SHOW | Joshua DeFour
Punk-rock drummer Charlotte “Charlie” Howe desperately wants to win an Austin battle of the bands competition, but 10 minutes before her band is set to perform, everything seemingly goes to hell backstage.
HEAD ABOVE WATER | Eric Shahinian
A devoted husband is forced to confront his doubts about remaining the caretaker of his wife suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
POSERS | Sean Thiessen
A coming-of-age creature feature that’s also a story of teenage friendship, budding love, and figuring out how to fit in.
REDSHIFT | Benjamin Crane
After a bio-chemical attack renders earth infertile, mankind is forced to colonize Mars and mine the earth of its remaining resources. Among the miners is David Cain, who has grown tired of earth and longs for a new life. After the company decides to relocate to the red planet, David is given the option to transfer or remain on earth with his family. As tension rises between him and sister as they care for their dying father, David must weigh his commitment to family and his desire for a better life.
THE MEMORY BANK | Andrew Faust
Karen awakens to discover that her payment has been declined at The Memory Bank, a cloud-based organization that retains and organizes customers’ memories. She’s then forced to delete memories in order to create new ones.
THE SECRET LIFE OF ART | Catherine Mosier-Mills
What if art came to life at night? Do works of art have personalities ? Do they wish to escape their assigned interpretations and roles? How do these works hold up in a modern context? This digitally-animated piece brings to life well-known works by masters such as Michelangelo, Raphael, Degas and Gauguin and explores what would happen if they could interact with each other during a chaotic night at the museum.
TWINKLE TWINKLE | Mark Winzenburg
A young woman named Amy discovers a mysterious record in her home. The record plays the tune “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” but Amy begins to fear for her life when it won’t stop, no matter what she does.
In addition to the above blocks, three films will be paired with feature films.
EMERGENCY | Carey Williams
Faced with an emergency situation, a group of young Black and Latino friends carefully weigh the pros and cons of calling the police.
*Paired with LOWLIFE
HEARTLESS | Kevin Sluder
Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” An overlooked associate struggles to complete a corporate presentation as a horrific secret gnaws at her conscience.
*Paired with DEMENTIA PART II
MY MONSTER | Izzy Lee
Christmas is coming. If that’s not stressful enough, Lily (Brea Grant) has to contend with a clueless partner (Adam Egypt Mortimer) and an unexpected, inter-dimensional holiday guest who just wants two things—blood and cuddles.
*Paired with ALL THE CREATURES WERE STIRRING