Short Films

  • 2018 LA Shorts International Film Festival Unveils Lineup of 333 Films

    [caption id="attachment_30950" align="aligncenter" width="1224"]Sam Did It Sam Did It[/caption] LA Shorts International Film Festival will showcase 333 films coming from 23 countries on July 25 through August 2, 2018. Opening day will be held downtown at LA LIVE Regal Cinemas. The following 8 days move to Leammle Noho 7. This year LA Shorts presents the first annual NEW WAVE CHINESE FILMMAKERS on opening day July 25 consisting of three film programs by Chinese American filmmakers. There are 44 curated film programs, some of the special theme programs include: British Shorts, Crime, Romance, Parts Unknown, Southeast Asia, Sci Fi Fantasy, , Music, Horror/Suspense, Directed by SuperWomen, Comedy, Family/Kids, Animation, Documentaries, Awards Encore Screening. The Documentary programs includes shorts from powerhouse creators; NETFLIX, ESPN, NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, THE ATLANTIC. The animation block contains shorts from BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, DREAMWORKS ANIMATION, THE CARTON NETWORK, LEVEL-5, SEGA OF AMERICA. This year’s list of films include celebrities, Billy Bob Thornton, Katie Holmes, Jane Lynch, Alfred Molina, Michael Madsen, Rob Belushi, Cameron Douglas, Philip Baker Hall, M. Emmet Walsh, Bubba Sparxxx, Rhea Perlman, Robert Davi, Eric Roberts, Joan Collins, Lea Thompson and David Arquette. Winners in four categories will automatically become eligible for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS®). Over the course of 22 years, the Festival has presented 55 films that have gone on to receive Academy Award® nominations. Winners will be announced at a encore screening on Thursday, August 2 at Leammle Noho 7. In addition to the award-winning short films, the festival welcomes industry professionals presenting master classes, workshops, panel discussions free to participating filmmakers. THURSDAY, JULY 26, 4:00 PM Actors Read Screenplay Finalist from LA Shorts Competition FRIDAY, JULY 27, 5:00 PM Workshop – Pitching Session with Carole Dean (CEO – From The Heart Productions) and Carol Joyce (film producer) SATURDAY, JULY 28, 5:00 PM Masterclass – From Shorts to Features: If I Can Do It – Anyone Can! How to Reach Your Goals by Pen Densham (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits) MONDAY, JULY 30, 3:00 PM Masterclass by Blizzard Entertainment Gurpreet Wahla (video game and animation producer) TUESDAY, JULY 31, 4:00 PM Interactive Discussion -Diversity in Film with Lionsgate’s CodeBlack Productions executive Christina Sibul WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 4:00 PM Workshop – Breaking Into The Industry with film producer Tom Nunan and writer/actor Lisa Ebersole This year LA Shorts presents SUMMER FILM AND ACTING CAMP FOR TEENS, JULY 30 – AUGUST 2, 2018 at The Art Institute of California – Hollywood. At the Summer Film and Acting Camp, students will collaborate in different roles to create a story and execute the filming with guidance from industry professional instructors and mentors over the course of four days.

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  • PBS Online Film Festival Returns for 7th Edition with 25 Independent Short Films

    [caption id="attachment_30783" align="aligncenter" width="1176"]Flip the Record Flip the Record[/caption] The PBS Online Film Festival returns for a seventh year July 16-27 featuring 25 short-form independent films from multiple public media partners and PBS member stations. The PBS Online Film Festival is part of a multi-platform initiative to increase the reach and visibility of independent films, and to provide a showcase for diverse storytelling that inspires and engages. The festival will be available via PBS and station digital platforms, including PBS.org. As in previous years, films will also be available to stream on YouTube and Facebook. This year’s lineup features films from the Black Public Media, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Independent Television Service (ITVS), Latino Public Broadcasting, National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), POV, To The Contrary, Vision Maker Media  and World Channel, as well as PBS local member stations, including DPTV (Detroit),  KLRU-TV Austin PBS, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, NET (Nebraska), Twin Cities Public Television, UNC-TV, Vermont PBS, WNET (New York) and WSIU (Illinois). “Every year, PBS and its member stations challenge ourselves to elevate the breadth and depth of innovative storytelling through our work with the PBS Online Film Festival,” said Ira Rubenstein, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer. “The world of filmmaking is changing, and filmmakers can make as much of an impact on small screens as they do on big screens. The festival amplifies unique stories from an exciting collection of filmmakers across the country, reaching viewers on platforms as diverse as the films themselves.” Viewers are encouraged to vote for their favorite film to win the “Most Popular” award, and a distinguished panel of eight jury members will select their favorite film of the festival for the “Juried Prize.” This year’s jury members include International Documentary Association Executive Director Simon Kilmurry, Black Film Critics Circle Founder Mike Sargent, WGBH Educational Foundation Executive Producer Judith Vecchione, Firelight Media & Films Documentary Lab Manager Chloe Walters-Wallace, Digital Media Executive Adnaan Wasey, Senior Director of Programming & Development at PBS Pamela Aguilar, FRONTLINE Producer & Editor Michelle Mizner and American Experience Producer Eric Gulliver. Short films featured in the 2018 PBS Online Film Festival include: Black Public Media “Heroes of Color” An educational video series highlighting the outstanding achievements of people of color. CAAM “Flip the Record” In this 1980s coming-of-age story, a Filipino American teen flips the narrative by teaching herself how to DJ. “Our Time” A dark family secret opens up a young child’s eyes to a sobering reality, but also love. DPTV “Hungry for Love” Two down-and-out foodies embark on an all-night dining adventure through Sapporo, Japan. “The Book Club” A sequel to the stop-motion short film “The List,” “The Book Club” is, at heart, a love story, but carries a deeper message about staying true to oneself. ITVS “Pops Ep. 1 “La Guardia Adjusts to Fatherhood”” Pops tells three stories of African Americans from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and regions, all deeply engaged in the beautiful struggle of fatherhood. “The F Word Ep. 1 ‘F Is for: Foster Care’” A queer Bay Area couple bumble through a bureaucratic maze as they seek to form their family by adopting from foster care. KLRU “Animal Facts Club Presents – Endangered Rituals” The curious mating rituals of the endangered Attwater Prairie Chicken and Houston Toad. Latino Public Broadcasting “Caracol Cruzando” A Costa Rican girl decides if she will bring her pet turtle across the U.S. border. Louisiana Public Broadcasting “Mr. United States” Today, Avery D. Wilson appears to be a confident pillar of his community, but in this uplifting story, he reveals otherwise. Avery was bullied as a child and later questioned how being gay would affect his faith. As an adult, he feared how his parents would react to his secret. It wasn’t until years later that Avery learned to accept himself – to love himself  –  and become Mr. United States. NALIP “Desde el principio” In the darkness of a soundproof recording studio, a conversation sparks between two voice actors dealing with a shared tragedy. “The Melancholy Man” “The Melancholy Man” tells the story of the world’s saddest man who meets the world’s saddest woman. Through a fantastical lens, these characters come together in their harmonious misery and find something that surprises them both. NET Nebraska “Total Eclipse of the Heartland” From sky to prairie, relive the Great American Eclipse of 2017 in 360 degrees. PIC “Ka Piko” When his girlfriend dies during childbirth, Makana, a young Native Hawaiian man, must perform a traditional birthing ritual with his girlfriend’s overbearing father. POV “Redneck Muslim” A Muslim hospital chaplain honors his Southern heritage while challenging white supremacy. To The Contrary “Ties That Bind” A personal and heartfelt documentary on one family’s experience with gender transition. Twin Cities Public Television “I Am a Refugee” There are 64 million refugees in the world. This film explores their experience. “Women in Sports Leadership” Explore why having women coaches matters, hear some of their barriers and celebrate a few successes. UNC-TV “Cowgirl Up” A cowgirl from Natchez, Mississippi pursues her lifelong dream to become the first African American female in the National Finals Rodeo. Vermont PBS “Black Canaries” Isolated, desperate, and haunted by his coal-stained birthright, Father continues his daily descent into the accursed Maplemine — even after it has crippled his ancestors and blinded his youngest son. Vision Maker Media “A Redemption Story” See how Leo Yankton (Oglala Lakota) contributed in efforts to protect the water on the Standing Rock reservation and continues to find ways to have a positive impact with Native Country and the rest of the world. World Channel “Black Muslim Woman” Against a rhythmic score, Mikel Aki’leh delivers a powerful poem on beauty and blackness. WNET “Stronghold of Resistance: Sable Island & Her Legendary Horses” This short film takes viewers to the shores of Sable Island, a remote strip of land less than a mile wide, whose only full-time inhabitants are a herd of near-mythical wild horses; no human attempts at colonization have ever succeeded. “Wind Back” A sealed door divides a little boy from his mother. He will go to great lengths to be with her, but when that barrier breaks down, the boy will have to become an adult. WSIU “Super Predator: Preludes of the Black Fish” Parallels the predator-prey relationship of a black man and social boundaries.

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  • Mozilla Firefox + Rooftop Films to Present a Film Screening About Society’s Relationship With The Internet on July 21 in NYC

    [caption id="attachment_30666" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The Birth of the Camera Phone - Jonathan Ignatius Green The Birth of the Camera Phone – Jonathan Ignatius Green[/caption] Mozilla, the non-profit organization behind the Firefox browser, is partnering with Rooftop Films to bring a memorable evening of film and discussion called “Terms of Service”to the roof and courtyard of The Old American Can Factory, in beautiful Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, July 21 at 8PM ET.  “Terms of Service” is free with RSVP on the Rooftop Films website. The July 21st screening in New York will be the first of four free screenings in different cities featuring short films relating to the internet. Rooftop Films and Mozilla will also bring short film programs to Austin, Toronto, and Berlin in the fall. “Mozilla’s not-for-profit mission is to ensure the Internet is a global public resource, open and accessible to all,” said Michaela Smiley, Senior Brand Strategist at Mozilla. “Film is a powerful way to communicate what’s at stake when the web gets unhealthy, which is why we are incredibly excited to partner with Rooftop Films to bring these stories to New Yorkers and beyond.” “As the subtitle for Mozilla’s IRL podcast states, online life is real life,” said Dan Nuxoll, artistic director of Rooftop Films. “Too often we speak of the internet as if it is something that exists separate from our lived reality, when in fact it is a network interwoven with nearly every aspect of our daily life. The films that we have chosen for this program explore some of the many unexpected connections made possible by the networked world, and we are excited to be partnering with such an innovative organization as Mozilla to connect these films with bigger audiences in New York and all over the world.”

    Featured Films

    Ok Google Now – Brett Gaylor and Darren Pasemko The Birth of the Camera Phone – Jonathan Ignatius Green Kiem Holijanda – Sarah Veltmeyer A Day in the Park – Diego Porral Cellular – Christian Kozlowski Wave – Benjamin Cleary Artifice – Kevin Bryne

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  • 10 Film Finalists to Compete for 3rd Memphis Film Prize $10,000 Grand Prize

    [caption id="attachment_23533" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Mattteo Servente, director of WE GO ON, Winner 2017 Memphis Film Prize Mattteo Servente, director of WE GO ON, Winner 2017 Memphis Film Prize[/caption] The 10 film finalists for the 3rd annual Memphis Film Prize (August 3-5) with the top award of $10,000 cash were announced today.  The ten finalists will play at the Memphis Film Prize Fest, August 3-4 at the Malco Theater in Overton Square. The ten shorts will play throughout the two days of the festival, and a combination of judges and the audience help determine the Grand Prize winner. The 10 films (and filmmakers) that will compete for the $10,000 Grand Prize include; Daniel R. Ferrell’s DEAN’S LIST; Donald R. Meyers’s HYPNOTIC INDUCTION; Kevin Brooks’s LAST NIGHT; Will Robbins’s MINORITY; Robb Rokk’s OUTSIDE ARCADIA; Kyle Taubken’s PATRICK; Jason S. Lockridge’s THE STIX; Drew Fleming’s TRAVELING SOLDIER; Arnold G. Edwards II’s WAYWARD SON; and Marcus Santi’s YOU DON’T KNOW JACK SQUAT: THE TRIAL. “Across the board, these filmmakers poured their hearts and souls into their projects and put the indie film spotlight on Memphis and Shelby County,” said David Merrill, the Memphis filmmaker liaison. “I couldn’t be prouder of the work that was done and of our ten Memphis Film Prize finalists.” Gregory Kallenberg, founder and executive director of the Film Prize Foundation, said, “This was our largest group of participating filmmakers and, by far, our best crop of rough cuts to choose from. While I don’t envy their task, I can’t wait for our Memphis Film Prize fans to help choose our $10,000 winner in August!” 2018 Memphis Film Prize Jury Thelma Adams (Journalist and Film Critic – Real Clear/Life, contributing writer for Variety) Nelson Kim (Journalist and Film Critic – Hammer to Nail) Victoria Negri ((Writer, Director, Producer, and Actor – GOLD STAR; Director of 2 WEEKS, Producer of THE FEVER AND THE FRET) Brandon Oldenberg (Academy Award-winning filmmaker – THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE) Farah White (Producer and Actor – DAYLIGHT’S END, THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE) The Memphis Film Prize combines elements of a film competition and festival, inviting filmmakers from all over the world to create and present a 5-15 minute short film with just one rule – it must be shot in Shelby County, TN. Filmmakers shot their films beginning in February and submitted them in June, when a rough cut of the films were due to contest organizers.

    2018 MEMPHIS FILM PRZE FINALISTS

    DEAN’S LIST Director: Daniel R. Ferrell Running Time: 7:02 min A young college student who is coming off his best semester has to deliver a backpack to his eccentric associate so he can attend college for the next year. HYPNOTIC INDUCTION Director: Donald R. Meyers Running Time: 15:00 min A hypnotherapist helps a man quit smoking, but there appears to be something else he needs to quit. LAST NIGHT Director: Kevin Brooks Running Time: 9:47 min A man spends his last day of freedom with his wife and daughter. MINORITY Director: Will Robbins Running Time: 6:07 min A convenience store clerk is frightened by a man minding his own business. OUTSIDE ARCADIA Director: Robb Rokk Running Time: 15:00 min Decades after tragic events, a brother and sister use a peculiar machine to break free. PATRICK Director: Kyle Taubken Running Time: 14:58 min Two strangers with different backgrounds get to know one another over crummy coffee and shared struggles in an old church basement. THE STIX Director: Jaron S. Lockridge Running Time: 9:48 min Two rural county sheriff detectives work a day on patrol due to a manpower shortage. With only 30 minutes before end of shift, they get a call that will forever change their lives. TRAVELING SOLDIER Director: Drew Fleming Running Time: 7:28 min After a shy, lonesome soldier strikes up a conversation with a young waitress, they find themselves wrapped up in an unexpected romance while he’s at war. WAYWARD SON Director: Arnold G. Edwards II Running Time: 14:46 min A PTSD-stricken vet must choose between peacefully waiting out the final days of his house arrest and breaking parole to save a befriended teen from an abusive stepfather. YOU DON’T KNOW JACK SQUAT: THE TRIAL Director: Marcus Santi Running Time: 14:51 min Jack Squat reluctantly takes on the worst team at his University (women’s soccer). He may or may not have crossed lines.

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  • 2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest Announces Winners, FAUVE Wins Best of the Festival

    [caption id="attachment_30392" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Fauve, Jérémy Comte Fauve, Jérémy Comte[/caption] After screening 333 short films, the 2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest, the largest short film festival and only short film market in North America, announced its Festival award winners on Sunday, June 24, 2018.  More than $87,500 in prizes, including $27,000 in cash awards were awarded in 21 categories. “The award winners truly capture the amazing pool of talent and the incredible range of films found at the festival,” said Festival Director Lili Rodriguez. “We’re honored to witness and share such a skilled level of filmmaking and can’t wait to do it again next year.”

    2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest Award Winners

    JURY AWARDS

    Jury Awards and awards in the non-student and student competition categories were selected by ShortFest jury members Penelope Bartlett (Programmer for the Criterion Collection), Marc-André Grondin (Actor), Brian Hu (Artistic Director of Pacific Arts Movement, Presenter of the San Diego Asian Film Festival, Assistant Professor of TV, Film, and New Media at San Diego State University), Missy Laney (Director of Development at Adult Swim) and Ina Pira (Curator at Vimeo).

    BEST OF FESTIVAL AWARD

    Winner received $5,000 cash prize courtesy of the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau. The winner of this award may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar® consideration. Fauve (Canada), Jérémy Comte Set in a surface mine, two boys sink into a seemingly innocent power game with Mother Nature as the sole observer. https://vimeo.com/246704892  

    BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT

    Winner received a $2,000 cash prize. Awarded to the best short produced outside of the U.S. or Canada, Coyote (Switzerland), Lorenz Wunderle The film shows a tragic coyote, who loses his family during an attack by wolves.

    BEST NORTH AMERICAN SHORT

    Winner received $1,000 and the use of a camera package valued at $60,000 courtesy of Panavision. Awarded to the best short produced in the U.S. or Canada. Caroline (USA), Logan George, Celine Held When plans fall through, a six-year-old is faced with a big responsibility on a hot Texas day.

    NON-STUDENT COMPETITION AWARDS

    All first place winners in the non-student categories received a cash award of $2,000 and may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar® consideration.

    BEST ANIMATED SHORT

    Nevada (USA), Emily Ann Hoffman In this stop-motion animated comedy, a young couple’s romantic weekend getaway is interrupted by a birth control mishap.

    BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT OVER 15 MINUTES

    Shadow Animals (Sweden), Jerry Carlsson Marall follows her parents to a party and they want her to behave. As the evening progresses she finds the adults’ behavior increasingly strange.

    BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT 15 MINUTES AND UNDER

    Fence (Kosovo/France), Lendita Zeqiraj A chaotic moment in a family gathering of a woman with children and an unexpected visitor with his dog. Special Mention: Nursey Rhymes (Australia), Tom Noakes – On the side of a rural highway, a bizarre encounter with a Metalhead takes a profound turn.

    BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

    Dulce (Colombia/USA), Guille Isa, Angello Faccini In coastal Colombia, a mother teaches her daughter how to swim so that she may go to the mangroves and harvest the piangua shellfish with the other women in the village. Special Mention: After/Life (USA), Puck Lo – In an Arizona desert, a dystopic collective nightmare unfolds where US domestic and foreign policies collide.

    STUDENT COMPETITION AWARDS

    All first place winners in these categories received a $500 cash prize.

    BEST STUDENT ANIMATION

    Perfect Town (Switzerland), Anaïs Voirol In search of perfection a whole city obeys to selection. A constant struggle. Trying and trying again. Where is the difference between endurance and madness?

    BEST STUDENT LIVE ACTION SHORT OVER 15 MINUTES

    Satán (Switzerland/Mexico), Carlos Tapia González Everyday, Tiago goes into his garden to feed the crocodile that killed his brother.

    BEST STUDENT LIVE ACTION SHORT 15 MINUTES AND UNDER

    Kira Burning (USA), Laurel Parmet Teenage Kira attempts to take revenge after a heartbreaking betrayal by her ex-best friend.

    BEST STUDENT DOCUMENTARY SHORT

    Palenque (Colombia/USA), Sebastián Pinzón Silva Guided by motifs of life and death, Palenque is an ode to a small town that has greatly contributed to the collective memory of Colombia: San Basilio de Palenque, the first town in the Americas to have broken free from European domination.

    ALEXIS AWARD FOR BEST EMERGING STUDENT FILMMAKER

    The Alexis Award was created in honor of Alexis Echavarria, whose talent as a budding filmmaker and gift for inspiring excellence among his fellow students were cut short suddenly in 2005 at age 16. This year two films were selected to receive the award, which is a cash prize of $500 each. Imfura (Switzerland/Rwanda), Samuel Ishimwe How can one get an idea of the issues connected with the ruined home of a family who is a victim of the Rwandan genocide? A young man returns to the village where his deceased mother was born. He seeks to adopt a bruised collective recollection. Intoned chants all represent voices of possible reconciliation. Cross My Heart (USA/Jamaica), Sontenish Myers An American teenage girl visits her family in Jamaica and uncovers a secret that changes the way she sees the people she loves. This film explores the culture of silence amongst women, the kinds of secrets we keep and who they’re actually protecting.

    AUDIENCE AWARDS

    BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

    Beneath the Ink (USA), Cy Dodson In a time when society’s belief systems are seemingly changing, or even reverting back in time. One Ohio artist Billy Joe White is challenging his Appalachian region by saying: “bring me your mistakes”. Inspired by recent events, White and his tattoo shop are promoting a simple concept: ERASE THE HATE. Beneath the Ink is a timely look at hatred and racism in one Appalachian community and reveals heartfelt stories of change and redemption.

    LIVE ACTION SHORT

    Trois Pages (Canada), Roger Gariépy An unassuming middle-aged accountant learns he has only weeks to live. Rather than tell everyone, Martin determines to learn the three pages of a Bach adagio for piano he’d abandoned as a child. That accomplished, he performs the piece for his wife and friends, completing his life and thanking those who brightened it along the way.

    BEST ANIMATION SHORT

    Bilby (USA), Pierre Perifel, Liron Topaz, JP Sans In the deadly desert of Australia, a lonesome Bilby finds himself tied with a helpless baby bird.

    BEST STUDENT SHORT

    Untitled Short Film About White People (USA), Nicholas Colia A Drumpf-era comedy about a female yuppie who overcompensates for her white guilt by aggressively trying to befriend the Indian woman who works at her local Brooklyn bodega. It doesn’t go great.

    ADDITIONAL PRIZES

    FUTURE FILMMAKER AWARD

    Winner received a $2,000 cash prize. Awarded to a filmmaker whose work and vision point ot a bright and prospective career in cinema. Mamartuile (Mexico), Alejandro Saevich The president of Mexico spends his final days in office making plans for his future. Everything looks in order until an international conflict interrupts his pleasant rest. Special Mention: Falling (France), Benjamin Vu – In the winter of 1994 in the French suburbs, Léo and Baptiste, two polar opposite students, meet up one evening to work on a school presentation.

    VIMEO STAFF PICK AWARD

    Films featured in competition are eligible for the Vimeo Staff Pick Award, which includes a $4,000 cash prize. The winning film will be released on Vimeo June 25, 2018. Rewind Forward (Switzerland), Justin Stoneham Reliving the past is sometimes the only way to move forward.

    BRIDGING THE BORDERS AWARD PRESENTED BY CINEMA WITHOUT BORDERS

    $2,500 courtesy of Go Energistics; Awarded by the Cinema Without Borders jury to the short that is most successful in bridging and connecting the people of our world closer together. Mon Amour, Mon Ami (Italy/France), Adriano Valerio Is it possible to stage a wedding with someone who really loves you? Special Mentions: The Last Refugees (USA/Jordan), Tanaz Eshaghian – This cinema vérité style documentary follows the Kalajis—originally from the besieged city of Aleppo —allowing for a peek into the lives of those who seek a new life in America. The viewer becomes immersed in this family’s journey as they travel from Jordan to their new home of Philadelphia. Scaffold (Canada), Kazik Radwanksi – Recent immigrants to Canada, working on scaffolding break the routine of their job by observing the people in the the neighbourhood from a unique, precarious and ephemeral vantage point.

    YOUTH JURY AWARD

    Awarded by ShortFest youth juries composed of local students interested in cinema and the arts. Each winner received a $250 cash prize. Kids’ Choice (Ages 13 and under) – $250 One Small Step (USA/China), Bobby Pontillas, Andrew Chesworth Luna, a young Chinese American girl, dreams of becoming an astronaut. Supported by her humble father, Luna endeavors to make her dreams come true. Young Cineastes (Ages 14-17) – $250 Sin Cielo (USA), Jianna Maarten A modern day Romeo and Juliet story of two star crossed lovers along Mexico’s northern border where Dollars rule and girl’s bodies turn up mysteriously in the river or never at all.

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  • Short Film CANDY & RONNIE Tackling Drug Addiction to Screen at Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival [Trailer]

    Candy & Ronnie
    Tyler Tackett as Billy Isaaks & Mair Mulroney as Alice Murphy taking a pill in Candy & Ronnie

    The multi award-winning short film Candy & Ronnie, written and directed by Pittsburgh native filmmaker Skyko, has been selected for the 2018 Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival on Saturday June 23rd at 7PM, at  Baverso Theater / Ryan Arts Center. The director and his producer-wife Lucy Macedo will be in attendance for a Q&A.

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  • A.I TALES, Featuring Pom Klementieff, Eric Roberts and Neil Jackson, Gets June Release Date

    [caption id="attachment_29910" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]A.I TALES, Starring Pom Klementieff, Eric Roberts and Neil Jackson SEED by Nelson Lee[/caption] “A.I. Tales”, a collection of short sci-fi stories distributed by Hewes Pictures, will premiere in Somerville Theater, Boston, June 8th to 14th and on Amazon. The collection of stories feature world-renowned talent such as Pom Klementieff (“Guardians of the Galaxy”, “Avengers”), Eric Roberts (“The Dark Knight”), Neil Jackson (“Westworld”) among many others. The film is made up of futuristic, high concept stories about artificial intelligence. Whether it’s love found in time of over-population or exploration of the unknown and space-travel, “A.I. Tales” has a bit of something for every fan of the genre. Altogether, these stories provide a one-of-a-kind experience and a unique view of the near future. Titles include: SEED by Nelson Lee, IN/FINITE by Kristen Hilkert, PHOENIX 9 by Amir Reichart, REDUX by Vitaly Verlov and JULIET by Marc-Henri Boulier.

    Trailers

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udKV2u9vGFA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLVTuJNGVmE

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  • 2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest to Showcase 333 Short Films

    [caption id="attachment_29555" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]All that We Carry (USA), Directed by: Erin Semine Kökdil All that We Carry (USA), Directed by: Erin Semine Kökdil[/caption] The 2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest will showcase 333 films including 42 World Premieres, 32 International Premieres, 42 North American Premieres and 13 U.S. Premieres with films coming from 62 countries around the world. There are 55 curated programs, which will screen June 19-25, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center in Palm Springs. More than 5,300 of the festival submissions will be available in the Film Market for industry attendees to view. “We’re thrilled to be sharing this year’s lineup,” said ShortFest Festival Director Lili Rodriguez. “With an increase in submission numbers, we knew we’d have our work cut out for us, but the programming team has narrowed down the selection to a wonderful collection that includes some of this year’s festival favorites as well as amazing new discoveries. We were so impressed by the quality of these stories and we can’t wait to pack into theatres and share them with our audience this summer.” This year’s list of films include the following:

    WOLRD PREMIERES

    Are You Still Singing? (USA), Directed by: Gillian Barnes August Sun (UK), Directed by: Franco Volpi Babygirl (Australia), Directed by: Lara Gissing Bertie (UK), Directed by: Garry Crystal Broken Bunny (Canada), Directed by: Meredith Hama-Brown The Christmas Fish (Czech Republic), Directed by: Cole Stamm Cornflower (USA), Directed by: Sam Evoy Dead to the World (UK), Directed by: Freddie Hall Delivery (USA), Directed by: Joe Boothe Dima (UK), Directed by: Remi Itani Dulce (Colombia), Directed by: Guille Isa, Angello Faccini Fence (Kosovo), Directed by: Lendita Zeqiraj The Fish & the Sea (Canada), Directed by: Phillip Thomas Freaks of Nurture (Canada), Directed by: Alexandra Lemay Good People (USA), Directed by: Gregory Kohn How to Swim (Israel), Directed by: Noa Gusakov The Invader’s Song (UK), Directed by: Emma Swinton It’s a Match (USA), Directed by: Ron Najor Keep Coming Back! (Canada), Directed by: Brendan Brady Last Requests (USA), Directed by: Courtenay Johnson Library of God (Norway), Directed by: Stian Hafstad Mammoth (USA), Directed by: Ariel Heller The Master of York (UK), Directed by: Kieron Quirke The Mute (Vietnam), Directed by: An Pham My Ex-Girlfriend Is a Shovel (USA), Directed by: Dezi Gallegos Nettles (USA), Directed by: Raven Jackson Open Wide (UK), Directed by: Behnam Taheri, Gideon Beresford Perisher (Australia), Directed by: Gabriel Hutchings Pink Lemonade (USA), Directed by: Christian Sprenger A Place to Stay (USA), Directed by: Charlie Polinger Prey (USA), Directed by: Bill Whirity Provence (Belgium), Directed by: Kato De Boeck Punta Cana (USA), Directed by: Andree Ljutica Release (China), Directed by: Henry Liu Shooter (Australia), Directed by: Andrew Carbone Talent Night at Auschwitz: Bunk Five (USA), Directed by: Max Rifkind-Barron Tomorrow the Sun (Switzerland), Directed by: Quentin Tomshire Two Puddles (UK), Directed by: Timothy Keeling The Villa (France), Directed by: Emmanuel Poulain-Arnaud Wait for Laugh (USA), Directed by: Patrick Franklin Yellow Line (France), Directed by: Simon Rouby

    INTERNATIONAL PREMIERES

    The Artist Has a Baby (Sweden), Directed by: Sanna Lenken Bailaora (Spain), Directed by: Rubin Stein Black Lips (Australia), Directed by: Adrian Chiarella Denmark (France), Directed by: Max Mauroux Dieter Not Unhappy (Germany), Directed by: Christian Schäfer Eloise (Sweden), Directed by: Johan Rosell Emma and the Fury (Germany), Directed by: Elisa Mishto Falling (France), Directed by: Benjamin Vu Fitting (Australia), Directed by: Emily Avila Flightmode (Norway), Directed by: Liv Mari Mortensen In the Arms of the Sea (Russian Federation), Directed by: Dmitry Moiseev Kevlar (Sweden), Directed by: Tuna Özer Let’s See How Fast This Baby Will Go (Australia), Directed by: Julietta Boscolo Mamartuile (Mexico), Directed by: Alejandro Saevich Melodi (Singapore), Directed by: Michael Kam Mobile (Norway), Directed by: Truls Krane Meby Mother & Baby (Ireland), Directed by: Mia Mullarkey Mwah (Australia), Directed by: Nina Buxton Once Upon a Time My Prince Will Come (France), Directed by: Lola Naymark Prince’s Tale (Canada), Directed by: Jamie Miller Pure Bodies (Belgium), Directed by: Bérangère Mc Neese, Guillaume de Ginestel Raymonde or The Vertical Escape (France), Directed by: Sarah Van Den Boom Red Ink (Australia), Directed by: Alex Ryan Satán (Switzerland), Directed by: Carlos Tapia González The School Nurse (Sweden), Directed by: Anna Brodin, Frida Sandberg Suck It Up (France), Directed by: Jan Sitta Sump (UK), Directed by: Mike Wozniak Trois Pages (Canada), Directed by: Roger Gariépy Verde (Colombia), Directed by: Victoria Rivera Waiting Room (Netherlands), Directed by: Simone van Dusseldorp Well Done (Israel), Directed by: Aryeh Hasfari, Omer Ben Simon A Worthy Man (Denmark), Directed by: Kristian Håskjold

    NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERES

    An Act of Love (Australia), Directed by: Lucy Knox Adam & Esra (Austria), Directed by: Achmed Abdel-Salam After/Life (USA), Directed by: Puck Lo Benidorm (France), Directed by: Raphaëlle Tinland Bilby (USA), Directed by: Pierre Perifel, Liron Topaz, JP Sans Bogdan and Rose (Poland), Directed by: Milena Dutkowska Bog Hole (Norway), Directed by: Torfinn Iversen Bordalo II: A Life of Waste (Ireland), Directed by: Trevor Whelan, Rua Meegan Chuchotage (Hungary), Directed by: Barnabás Tóth From Above (Austria), Directed by: Felix Krisai Graduation`97 (Ukraine), Directed by: Pavlo Ostrikov Happy Today (France), Directed by: Giulio Tonincelli Hash Key (France), Directed by: Erwan Alépée The Hitchhiker (France), Directed by: Julien Decoin The Hooligan Soul (Brazil), Directed by: Marco Antonio Pereira Imfura (Switzerland), Directed by: Samuel Ishimwe Imperial Valley (cultivated run-off) (Austria), Directed by: Lukas Marxt Kiem Holijanda (Netherlands), Directed by: Sarah Veltmeyer Lobster Dinner (Italy), Directed by: Gregorio Franchetti Manicure (Iran, Islamic Republic of), Directed by: Arman Fayaz Molt (Sweden), Directed by: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén The Moonshiners (Finland), Directed by: Juho Kuosmanen My Best Friend’s Shoes (India), Directed by: Ajitpal Singh Dhaliwal A Mythology of Pleasure (Germany), Directed by: Lara Rodríguez Cruz, Jule Katinka Cramer Nose Nose Nose Eyes! (South Korea), Directed by: Jiwon Moon Obon (Germany), Directed by: Andre Hörmann, Samo Paper Crane (Australia), Directed by: Takumi Kawakami Primo (Italy), Directed by: Federica Gianni Rå (Germany), Directed by: Sophia Bösch Roujoula (France), Directed by: Ilias El Faris Seascape (Belgium), Directed by: Leni Huyghe Spacedogs (Germany), Directed by: Sophia Schönborn Stopover (Switzerland), Directed by: Cosima Frei A Sweet Story (Germany), Directed by: Moritz Biene Thick Skin (Iceland), Directed by: Erlendur Sveinsson Three Room (South Korea), Directed by: Na-yeon Lee The Ties that Bind (France), Directed by: Yann Chemin Virgencita (USA), Directed by: Giselle Bonilla Wildebeast (Belgium), Directed by: Nicolas Keppens, Matthias Phlips Wild Game (Estonia), Directed by: Jerónimo Sarmiento Yaman (India), Directed by: Raghuvir Joshi The Young Patissier (Germany), Directed by: Ksenia Ciuvaseva

    US PREMIERES

    After Dawn (Belgium), Directed by: Nicolas Graux The Handover (Germany), Directed by: Leonhard Hofmann Haunted (Denmark), Directed by: Christian Einshøj The Last Refugees (USA), Directed by: Tanaz Eshaghian Last Summer (Japan), Directed by: Asuka Sylvie Lira’s Forest (Canada), Directed by: Connor Jessup Midnight Confession (USA), Directed by: Maxwell McCabe-Lokos (OO) (Korea, Republic of), Directed by: Oh Seo-ro Rewind Forward (Switzerland), Directed by: Justin Stoneham Rien Ne Va Plus! (Germany), Directed by: Sophie Linnenbaum Room (Poland), Directed by: Michał Socha Tungrus (India), Directed by: Rishi Chandna Waiting (New Zealand), Directed by: Amberley Jo Aumua

    REST OF PROGRAM

    #barewithme (Finland), Directed by: Ulla Heikkilä Abnie Oberfork: A Tale of Self-Preservation (USA), Directed by: Shannon Fleming Achoo (France), Directed by: Lucas Boutrot, Elise Carret, Maoris Creantor, Pierre Hubert, Camille Lacroix, Charlotte Perroux Acide (France), Directed by: Just Philippot Allen Anders – Live At The Comedy Castle (Circa 1987) (USA), Directed by: Laura Moss All that Remains (Belgium), Directed by: Anne-Lise Morin All that We Carry (USA), Directed by: Erin Semine Kökdil And Still We Will Walk On (France), Directed by: Jonathan Millet AniMal (Iran), Directed by: Bahram Ark, Bahman Ark Asian Girls (Australia), Directed by: Hyun Lee Atelier (Denmark), Directed by: Elsa María Jakobsdóttir Australia (Spain), Directed by: Lino Escalera Ayesha (India), Directed by: Yanyu Dong The Beaning (USA), Directed by: Sean McCoy Beneath the Ink (USA), Directed by: Cy Dodson The Big Day (UK), Directed by: Dawn Shadforth Bird Karma (USA), Directed by: Willian Salazar Birth Control Your Own Adventure (USA), Directed by: Sindha Agha Black 14 (USA), Directed by: Darius Clark Monroe Blackjack (Switzerland), Directed by: Lora Mure-Ravaud Black Line (Switzerland), Directed by: Mark Olexa , Francesca Scalisi Blind Mice (USA), Directed by: Nicholas D’Agostino Bonboné (Palestine), Directed by: Rakan Mayasi Bonobo (Switzerland), Directed by: Zoel Aeschbacher Botanica (Netherlands), Directed by: Noël Loozen Boundaries (USA), Directed by: Rhys Marc Jones The Box (Slovenia), Directed by: Dušan Kastelic Career Day (USA), Directed by: Ashley Deckman Careful How You Go (USA), Directed by: Emerald Fennell The Caregiver (Israel), Directed by: Ruthy Pribar Caroline (USA), Directed by: Logan George, Celine Held Catastrophe (Netherlands), Directed by: Jamille van Wijngaarden Cat Days (Germany), Directed by: Jon Frickey The Climb (USA), Directed by: Michael Covino Counterfeit Kunkoo (India), Directed by: Reema Sengupta Coyote (Switzerland), Directed by: Lorenz Wunderle A Craftsman (USA), Directed by: Sanford Jenkins Crisanto Street (USA), Directed by: Paloma Martinez Cross My Heart (USA), Directed by: Sontenish Myers Dancing Girls (Turkey), Directed by: Zeynep Köprülü Dario (Germany), Directed by: Manuel Kinzer, Jorge A. Trujillo Gil The Day That (USA), Directed by: Dorian Tocker Death Metal Grandma (USA), Directed by: Leah Galant Death of the Sound Man (Thailand), Directed by: Sorayos Prapapan The Disinherited (Spain), Directed by: Laura Ferrés The Door (Finland), Directed by: Jenni Toivoniemi Down Escalation (Japan), Directed by: Shunsaku Hayashi Dressed for Pleasure (Switzerland), Directed by: Marie De Maricourt The Driver Is Red (USA), Directed by: Randall Christopher Earthly People (Hungary), Directed by: Ádám Freund Emergency (USA), Directed by: Carey Williams End of the Line (USA), Directed by: Jessica Sanders Été (UK), Directed by: Gregory Oke Evaporated (Mexico), Directed by: Jimena Muhlia Eve (USA), Directed by: Susan Bay Nimoy Everlasting Mom (Israel), Directed by: Elinor Nechemya Every Ghost Has an Orchestra (USA), Directed by: Shayna Connelly Excuse Me, I’m Looking for The Ping-Pong Room and My Girlfriend (Austria), Directed by: Bernhard Wenger Eye Contact (Australia), Directed by: Stuart Mannion A Farewell (China), Directed by: Yifei He Fauve (Canada), Directed by: Jérémy Comte Feedback (France), Directed by: Margot Gallimard Femme (USA), Directed by: Alden Peters The Fix (USA), Directed by: Edward Jack Fran this Summer (USA), Directed by: Mary Evangelista Fundamental (Taiwan), Directed by: Shih-chieh Chiu Funny Fish (France), Directed by: Krishna Chandran A. Nair Garage at Night (Canada), Directed by: Daniel Daigle Gaze (Iran), Directed by: Farnoosh Samadi A Gentle Night (China), Directed by: Qiu Yang Go Tell Your Fathers (USA), Directed by: Chloe Sarbib, Amy Taylor Rosenblum Gustav (Ireland), Directed by: Ken Williams, Denis Fitzpatrick Hair Wolf (USA), Directed by: Mariama Diallo The Heights (USA), Directed by: Ryan Booth Homegrown (UK), Directed by: Quentin Haberham How Tommy Lemenchick Became a Grade 7 Legend (Canada), Directed by: Bastien Alexandre Hula Girl (USA), Directed by: Amy Hill, Chris Riess Hunter (USA), Directed by: Hilary Bell I Have a Message for You (Italy), Directed by: Matan Rochlitz I Have Something to Tell You (USA), Directed by: Ben Joyner, Dumaine Babcock I’m Cold Meat (France), Directed by: Romain Laguna Intercourse (Sweden), Directed by: Jonatan Etzler Islands (France), Directed by: Yann Gonzalez I Will Not Write Unless I Am Swaddled in Furs (New Zealand), Directed by: Wade Shotter JEOM (South Korea), Directed by: Kangmin Kim Jiejie (USA), Directed by: Feng-I Fiona Roan JUCK [THRUST] (Sweden), Directed by: Olivia Kastebring, Julia Gumpert, Ulrika Bandeira Kapitalistis (France), Directed by: Pablo Munoz Gomez Kerloster (France), Directed by: Ombeline de la Gournerie Khol (Open) (USA), Directed by: Faroukh Virani Kimchi (USA), Directed by: Jackson Segars Kira Burning (USA), Directed by: Laurel Parmet Kleptomami (Germany), Directed by: Pola Beck Krista (USA), Directed by: Danny Madden Layam (Israel), Directed by: Assaf Machnes Let Me Dance (France), Directed by: Valérie Leroy The Life of Esteban (Belgium), Directed by: Inès Eshun Liquor Store Babies (USA), Directed by: So Yun Um Little Fiel (USA), Directed by: Irina Patkanian Lonesome Willcox (USA), Directed by: Ryan Maxey, Zack Wright Long Distance Relationship (Brazil), Directed by: Carolina Markowicz Lost Property Office (Australia), Directed by: Daniel Agdag The Love Letter (Israel), Directed by: Atara Frish Lunch Ladies (USA), Directed by: J.M. Logan Ma (USA), Directed by: Millicent Cho Magic Alps (Italy), Directed by: Andrea Brusa, Marco Scotuzzi March Fool (Canada), Directed by: Pierre-Marc Drouin, Simon Lamarre-Ledoux Margaret and the Moon (USA), Directed by: Trevor Morgan Mariela (Argentina), Directed by: Victoria Romero Matria (Spain), Directed by: Álvaro Gago Maude (USA), Directed by: Anna Margaret Hollyman Maybe It’s Me (UK), Directed by: Dimitris Simou Men Don’t Whisper (USA), Directed by: Jordan Firstman Merry-Go-Round (Russia), Directed by: Ruslan Bratov Milk (Canada), Directed by: Heather Young Milk and Cookies (USA), Directed by: Patrick Mulvey, Andrew Ramsay Mon Amour, Mon Ami (Italy), Directed by: Adriano Valerio The Motion of Stars (Austria), Directed by: Jan Prazak The Mud (USA), Directed by: Brandon Lake The Music Lesson (USA), Directed by: Adam R. Brown, Kyle I. Kelley My Paintbrush Bites (USA), Directed by: Joel Pincosy, Joe Egender Negative Space (France), Directed by: Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata Nevada (USA), Directed by: Emily Ann Hoffman No Jail Time: The Movie (USA), Directed by: Lance Oppenheim Nothing Important (UK), Directed by: Tara FitzGerald Nursery Rhymes (Australia), Directed by: Tom Noakes Observatory Blues (USA), Directed by: Eric Paschal Johnson, Conor Dooley Offstage (Romania), Directed by: Andrei Huțuleac One Cambodian Family Please for My Pleasure (USA), Directed by: A.M. Lukas One Small Step (USA), Directed by: Bobby Pontillas, Andrew Chesworth Open Your Eyes (Israel), Directed by: Ilay Mevorah The Overcoat (UK), Directed by: Patrick Myles Palenque (Colombia), Directed by: Sebastián Pinzón Silva Pan (Germany), Directed by: Anna Roller The Passage (USA), Directed by: Kitao Sakurai Perfect Town (Switzerland), Directed by: Anaïs Voirol Pet Friendly (USA), Directed by: Catherine Licata Phototaxis (USA), Directed by: Melissa Ferrari Pink Trailer (USA), Directed by: Mary Neely Plastic Girls (South Korea), Directed by: Nils Clauss Premonition (Chile), Directed by: Leticia Akel Escarate The President’s Visit (Lebanon), Directed by: Cyril Aris Propagation (USA), Directed by: Will Joines, Karrie Crouse Quiet Hours (USA), Directed by: Paul Szynol Rae (Canada), Directed by: Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs Rebuilding in Miniature (Tukey), Directed by: Veena Rao Roadside Attraction (USA), Directed by: Patrick Bresnan, Ivete Lucas Room 140 (USA), Directed by: Priscilla Gonzalez Sainz Rupture (Canada), Directed by: Yassmina Karajah Saltwater Baptism (USA), Directed by: Jared Callahan, Russell Sheaffer Salvation (Iceland), Directed by: Thora Hilmarsdottir Sam Did It (USA), Directed by: Dominic Burgess Sauna (USA), Directed by: Charlie Polinger Scaffold (Canada), Directed by: Kazik Radwanski The Sermon (UK), Directed by: Dean Puckett Serving Joy (Australia), Directed by: Martin Sharpe Set Me as a Seal Upon Thine Heart (Israel), Directed by: Omer Tobi Shadow Animals (Sweden), Directed by: Jerry Carlsson Sherbert Rozencrantz, You’re Beautiful (Australia), Directed by: Natalie van den Dungen The Shift (USA), Directed by: Elivia Shaw, Paloma Martinez The Shuttle (USA), Directed by: Lu Han Signature (Japan), Directed by: Kei Chikaura Silence Please (Spain), Directed by: Carlos Villafaina Silica (Australia), Directed by: Pia Borg Sin Cielo (USA), Directed by: Jianna Maarten Sleepover (Sweden), Directed by: Jimi Vall Peterson Souls of Totality (USA), Directed by: Richard Raymond Spacesavers (USA), Directed by: Sarah Ginsburg Still Water Runs Deep (USA), Directed by: Abbesi Akhamie Stray (USA), Directed by: Andrew Boylan Subterra (USA), Directed by: Joel Villegas Suitable (USA), Directed by: Thembi Banks Tammy’s Tiny Tea Time: Episode 1 (USA), Directed by: Peter Gulsvig Tangles and Knots (Australia), Directed by: Renée Marie Petropoulos Teddy (UK), Directed by: Christopher Sweeney The Tesla World Light (Canada), Directed by: Matthew Rankin Three August Days (Estonia), Directed by: Madli Lääne Three Boys Manzanar (USA), Directed by: Preeti Mankar Deb Trapeze, U.S.A. (USA), Directed by: Mark Anthony Green Troll (USA), Directed by: Anu Valia Tweener (Sweden), Directed by: Julia Thelin Two Medusas (USA), Directed by: Scott Hamilton Kennedy Under Mom’s Skirt (France), Directed by: Sarah Heitz de Chabaneix Undiscovered (USA), Directed by: Sara Litzenberger Unearthed (USA), Directed by: Erin Semine Kökdil, Zulfiya Hamzaki Unfinished, 2017 (Mixed media) (USA), Directed by: Rafael Salazar Moreno Unravel (Canada), Directed by: Evan Luchkow Untitled Short Film About White People (USA), Directed by: Nicholas Colia Ur Dead To Me (New Zealand), Directed by: Yonoko Li The Velvet Underground Played at My High School (USA), Directed by: Anthony Jannelli, Robert Pietri A View from the Window (USA), Directed by: Azar Kafaei, Chris Filippone Wave (Ireland), Directed by: Benjamin Cleary, TJ O’Grady Peyton We Are the Freak Show (Canada), Directed by: Marie-Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien Weekends (USA), Directed by: Trevor Jimenez We Forgot to Break Up (Canada), Directed by: Chandler Levack Welcome Home (Norway), Directed by: Armita Keyani Wendy’s Shabbat (USA), Directed by: Rachel Myers We Summoned a Demon (USA), Directed by: Chris McInroy While I Yet Live (USA), Directed by: Maris Curran Wicked Girl (Turkey), Directed by: Ayçe Kartal Wild Beasts (Norway), Directed by: Sverre Kvamme With Thelma (Belgium), Directed by: Ann Sirot, Raphaël Balboni Would You Look at Her (Macedonia), Directed by: Goran Stolevski Wyrm (USA), Directed by: Christopher Winterbauer Zion (USA), Directed by: Floyd Russ ShortFest jurors include Penelope Bartlett (Programmer for the Criterion Collection), Marc-André Grondin (Actor), Brian Hu (Artistic Director of Pacific Arts Movement, Presenter of the San Diego Asian Film Festival, Assistant Professor of TV, Film, and New Media at San Diego State University), Missy Laney (Director of Development at Adult Swim) and Ina Pira (Curator at Vimeo). Over $87,500 in prizes, including $27,000 in cash awards, will be given out in 21 categories to this year’s short films in competition. First place winners in five categories will automatically become eligible for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS®) for a possible Academy Award® nomination. Over the course of 23 years, the Festival has presented 101 films that have gone on to receive Academy Award® nominations. Winners will be announced at a brunch on Sunday, June 24. In addition to ShortFest’s award-winning short films, each year the Festival also welcomes a long guest list of filmmakers and industry attendees for the ShortFest Forums of panels and roundtables.

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  • 2018 Brooklyn Film Festival to Open with Mix of NY Times’ Short Documentaries + Animated Films

    Brooklyn Film Festival at Windmill Studios, photo credit Yuko Torihara The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) will kick off the 2018 festival with a selection of short documentaries from The New York Times’ Times Documentaries co-presented with a mix of BFF’s animated and experimental films for the opening night program of the festival’s 21st edition: THRESHOLD. The event will take place on Friday, June 1st at Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the BFF and the Times Documentaries filmmakers, and will be moderated by Brooklyn Film Festival Executive Director Marco Ursino. “This will be an evening truly experimental in nature,” said Brooklyn Film Festival Executive Director Marco Ursino. “The catch is that we are inviting, and at times, forcing the audience in and out of reality. And at times it is a painful reality. The emotional rollercoaster this strategy will trigger is both fun and harsh, but certainly unforgettable. Our goal is to offer in one single evening as many nuances our mind can conceive and to provoke a meaningful conversation between the filmmakers and the audience. 2018 must become the time of healthy, intense and real communication among people of different backgrounds and cultures. We all need that and look forward to it.” “It’s a cool and somewhat unexpected mix of subjects and film styles, which speaks to the breadth of video journalism at the Times and what it means to favor story over format,” said said Mona El-Naggar, Senior Producer of enterprise video at the Times and one of the filmmakers whose work is showing on opening night. “It’s always a privilege to be able to engage directly with your audience, to be in the same room and have a conversation. There’s a quality to that experience, which is often lost in the scattered space of online consumption.” The opening night film program comes on the heels of BFF announcing its film lineup last week. Like an aircraft entering the threshold on runway “21,” BFF takes off on Friday, June 1st at returning venue: Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. Over the course of the 10-day festival, BFF proudly presents film programs at Wythe Hotel, nearby returning venue Windmill Studios in Greenpoint, and five more screening venues throughout Brooklyn. This year’s festival is comprised of approximately 125 features and shorts from 30 countries spread over all continents, except Antarctica. The lineup includes 19 world premieres, 21 USA bows, 37 east coast debuts and 30 first-time screenings in NYC. The festival will present in total 36 short narrative films, 16 short documentary films, 25 animated films and 20 experimental films.

    OPENING NIGHT FILM PROGRAM:

    “Unexpected Discoveries” Dir. James Mabery USA, 2 min., Animation A young fellow finds himself stumbling upon an ordinary flashlight that allows him to explore other places. “Lieutenant of the Alt-Right” By Emma Cott and Andrew Michael Ellis USA, 21 min., Times Documentaries Elliott Klein, a.k.a. Eli Mosley, is a rising white supremacist leader who depicts himself as an American patriot and Iraq war veteran. But our investigation found that his personal narrative — like much of the alt-right’s messaging — is built on deception. “Johnno’s Dead” Dir. Shepherd Chris France, 8 min, Experimental Despite having time to reflect upon his twelve years behind bars, he can’t shake off the ghosts of the past. “Weird” Dir. Fausto Montanari Italy, 2 min., Animation A short animated film about diversity, “Weird” is a shout out to a girl who is usually judged to be weird and different. “The Story of Esraa” By Mona El-Naggar, Mark Meatto and Yousur Al-Hlou USA 21 min., Times Documentaries Esraa is looking to rent an apartment with her friends. In Egypt, where personal freedom can be routinely compromised in the name of religion, family and country, that makes her a rebel. Like many in her generation, she is gasping for change. Can she win? “Contact (Vosta)” Dir. Alessandro Novelli\ Spain, 8 min., Animation Between reality and fantasy, a woman’s inner journey awakens her consciousness. “Deportation Deadline” By Brent McDonald, John Woo and Jonah M. Kessel USA, 12 min., Times Documentaries His daughter graduates. He faces deportation. “My Yiddish Papi” Dir: Éléonore Goldberg Canada, 7 min., Animation A young woman misses her grandfather’s last phone call. After his death, she remembers a promise not kept. “How an Alleged Sonic Attack Shaped US Policy on Cuba” By Jonah M. Kessel, Melissa Chan and John Woo USA, 14 min., Times Documentaries In 2016, diplomats at the U.S. embassy in Havana were mysteriously stricken. Was it an attack? There is no official explanation for it, yet it has played a big role in America’s current political disengagement with Cuba. “Genesis” Dir. Abtin Mozafari, Iran, 10 min, Experimental A fantasy short film with a critical point of view about the horrible situation in Syria.

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  • 49th Nashville Film Festival Kicks off With Steven Tyler’s Documentary + Announces Winners of Short Film Competition

    [caption id="attachment_29208" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The President’s Visit, The President’s Visit,[/caption] The 49th Annual Nashville Film Festival opened with the Steven Tyler’s documentary Steven Tyler: Out on a Limb, along with a bonus performance by Steven Tyler and The Loving Mary Band, and the first awards for short films competition winners, that include Academy Award eligibility. Winners of the 2018 Nashville Film Festival jury prizes were announced at a ceremony last night where The President’s Visit, Weekends and ’63 Boycott became eligible for submission for the 2019 Academy Awards, as long as they otherwise meet all other eligibility requirements. Awards were announced by Festival’s Artistic Director, Brian Owens. The winning films take home cash and prizes valued at over $35,000. Past winning films have included Academy Award-winner Bear Story and Academy Award-nominated Borrowed Time. The Grand Jury Prize in the Narrative Shorts Competition was awarded to The President’s Visit, directed by Cyril Aris. The Prize for Best U.S. Narrative Short was given to Debris, directed by Julio O. Ramos, and the Prize for Best International Short was awarded to Icarus, directed by Nicolas Boucart. Honorable Mention for Best U.S. Short was given to Emergency, directed by Carey Williams. Honorable Mention for Best International Short went to Miss Wamba, directed by Estefania Cortés. Tom Doran was given a Special Jury Prize for his performance in Time Traveler and Shaquita Lopez was given a Special Jury Prize for her performance in Audition. The Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short was awarded to the almost impressionistic, Weekends, directed by Trevor Jiminez. The animation jury presented Honorable Mention to Hybrids, directed by Florian Brauch, Kim Tailhades, Matthieu Pujol, Romain Thirion and Yohan Thireau. The Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short was given to ’63 Boycott, directed by Gordon Quinn. Tightly Wound, directed by Shelby Hadden, and While I Yet Live, directed by Maris Curran, were given Honorable Mentions. The Grand Jury Prize for Best Experimental Short went to director Douwe Dijkstra, for Green Screen Gringo. Honorable Mention was given to Strangers, directed by Eve Duhame and Julian Vallée. The Grand Jury Prize for Best College Student Short went to Schoolyard Blues, directed by Maria Eriksson-Hecht. Lunch Time, directed by Alireza Ghasemi, was named Honorable Mention, while Luca Caruso-Moro was given a Special Jury Prize for Cinematography for Every Grain of Rice. The Best Graveyard Shift Short Grand Jury Prize went to Socks on Fire: Uncle John and the Copper Headed Water Rattlers, directed by Bo MaGuire. Paralys, directed by John Boisen and Björn Fävremark, took home the Honorable Mention while a Special Jury Prize Unique and Important Storytelling was awarded to The Devil is in the Details, directed by Fabien Gorgeart. In the Tennessee First category for films made in Tennessee and/or by Tennessee residents, the Grand Jury Prize for Best Tennessee Narrative Short was awarded to Hillary Bell’s Hunter. Clarksville, 1937, directed by Karen Bullis and Kathy Lee Heuston, was named Best Tennessee Documentary Short, and Pilots, directed by Jason Luckett, won Best Tennessee Student Short. The Order, directed by Chad Cunningham, was given an Honorable Mention, Best Tennessee Narrative Short and QWERTY, directed by John McAmis, took home the Special Jury Prize for Best Tennessee Animated Short. The Young Filmmakers Grand Jury Prize was awarded to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Suburbia, directed by Alex Alford and Zak Denley. That prize comes with an offer of a $20,000 scholarship to Watkins College of Art, Design and Film.

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  • Las Vegas Film Festival Reveals 2018 Shorts, Labs and College Shorts Showcases Lineup

    2018 Las Vegas Film Festival Poster The Las Vegas Film Festival  followed up its impressive initial programming lineup with even more programming for the upcoming 11th edition of the festival – including shorts, labs and college shorts showcases.  The 2018 Festival will take place June 6 to 10 at Brenden Theatres and Palms Casino Resort.

    SHORTS

    [O] (Director: Mario Radev) – A film that imitates nature in its manner of operation, depicting animated cycles in a world entirely based on sound frequency and vibration. After Her (Director: Laura Heberton) – A wayward teenage girl goes missing and her friend is haunted by her disappearance. An atmospheric sci-fi about first love and the lost girl. Counterfeit Kunko – In a city that houses millions, Smita discovers a strange prerequisite to renting a house in middle-class Mumbai. She would make an ideal tenant, except for one glaring flaw—she is an Indian woman without a husband. Emergency (Director: Joenique C. Rose) – Faced with an emergency situation, a group of young Black and Latino friends carefully weigh the pros and cons of calling the police. Footprint (Director: Laura Heberton) – FOOTPRINT is a purely observational meditation on how different people engage with the World Trade Center Memorial, exploring the ways we choose to commemorate tragedy in the age of technology, social media, and changing attitudes toward patriotism. Grandma’s House (Director: Savanah Joeckel) – Carol returns to a familiar position. Milk and Cookies (Director: Andrew Ramsay) – Grace is five. She wants milk and cookies. Everyday. Real bad. Nevada (Director: Emily Hoffman) – A young couple’s romantic weekend getaway is interrupted by a birth-control mishap in this stop-motion animated comedy. Painting with Joan (Director: Jack Robbins) – Are you curious about Minnesota’s #3 public-access painting show? Satellite Strangers (Director: James Bascara) – A strange cacophony. Symphony of a Sad Sea (Director: Carlos Morales) – Hugo, a Mexican child and victim of violence, flees his hometown with one single dream: crossing to the United States to meet his father and leave his past behind. The Blazing World (Director: Andrew Carlberg) – Margaret has been plagued with dreams of a strange world since she was a little girl. After a mysterious man with a map visits her one night, she decides to give in to the incessant calls of The Blazing World. THE PASSAGE (Director: Kitao Sakurai) – Phil, wide-eyed and mute, is on the run after escaping captivity. Three Course (Director: Noah Pitifer) – A server struggles with a three course meal. Thrifters (Director: Jake Pepito) – In the fiercely competitive world of second-hand chic, a loyal “thrifting duo” faces drama and challenges. We Summoned A Demon (Director: Chris McInroy) – They just wanted to be cool. Instead, they got a demon. Yule Tidings (Director: Charles Cantrell) – Trying to land their places in Hollywood royalty, two dudes prepare for their Christmas party. But when danger presents itself next door, they quickly get lured into a rabbit hole full of black magic and bunnies.

    COLLEGE SHORTS SHOWCASES

    The Festival’s three college showcases feature a collection of short films produced by students from UNLV, CSN and NSC. The College Shorts Showcases will be held Wednesday, June 6 and will feature the following: UNLV Showcase: Programmed by Francisco Menendez, UNLV Professor and Artistic Director CSN Showcase: Programmed by John C. Aliano, CSN Program Director and Instructor NSC Showcase: Programmed by Adam Davis, NSC Assistant Professor and Interim Department Chair

    FESTIVAL LABS

    Returning this year, for the fifth time, is a program that has become a community favorite, the Music Video Lab. Local filmmakers are given a $400 grant to produce a music video for a local band that premieres at the Festival. Participating bands this year include Paige Overton (Directors: Danny Chandia and Rachel Johnson), OLAN (Director: Engie Herrera), The American Weather (Director: Tony Clifford), Sonia Barcelona (Director: Savanah Joeckel), Cameron Calloway (Director: Brett Levner) and Indigo Kidd (Director: Zachary VanTilborg). The Music Video Lab screening will take place Sunday, June 10. Another favorite local program, the Young Cinema Lab, returns for a fourth year. Children are taught how to write a screenplay with the assistance of UNLV film students, who each receive a $300 grant. The Las Vegas Film Festival then helps the UNLV filmmakers bring the screenplay to life with a special screening event at the Festival, to be held Saturday, June 9. This year’s films include: Cat Ear Trio (Director: Patrick Gonzales; Screenwriter: Hayden Balino, age 9) Rise of the Carrots (Director: Diana Sheik Yosef; Screenwriter: Ava Trundle, age 10) The Doge (Director: Sam Rodriguez; Screenwriter: Constantine Holmes, age 7) The Four Square King (Director: Aaron Lockheart; Screenwriter: Aces Umlauf, age 9) The Game (Director: Blake Gilmore; Screenwriter: Kane Trundle, age 11) The Power Dangers (Director: Brandon Mowles: Screenwriter: Raffi, age 6) Trouble over Time (Director: Rose Nordberg; Screenwriter: Paige, age 10) Weird Things (Director: Shane Gallo; Screenwriters: Olivia Runco, age 7 and Xander Peachey, age 9)

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  • Rooftop Films Unveils Feature Films, Short Films and Programs for the 22nd Summer Series – May and June

    [caption id="attachment_29006" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]2017 Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund Grantee Ultraviolet will screen as part of “This is What We Mean by Short Films” . 2017 Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund Grantee Ultraviolet will screen as part of “This is What We Mean by Short Films” .
    Courtesy of filmmaker Marc Johnson.[/caption] This summer, Rooftop Films will present over 100 short films in 13 programs, with each program curated thematically.  On Saturday, May 19th, Rooftop Films will kick off the 2018 Summer Series in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery with This Is What We Mean By Short Films, a selection of dynamic shorts from around the world, including Rooftop Filmmakers Fund grantee The Burden. Rooftop Films will present a dozen more carefully curated programs throughout the summer, each with a specific focus or theme. Highlights of the 22nd Summer Series include two nights of documentaries (including Rooftop’s signature New York Nonfiction program); Net Positive, a program of internet-related short films co-presented with The Mozilla Foundation; two evenings of short films about unlikely romances; selected shorts from the Sundance Film Festival; two programs of animated short films; and Come and Take It, a program short films by and about bold and uncategorizable women. “Rooftop Films has championed the short film from the start,” said Dan Nuxoll, Artistic Director of Rooftop Films, “and many of the filmmakers whose shorts we have screened have gone on to create some of the most exciting independent feature films of the last twenty years. But though we are thrilled by the potential on display in the short films we will show this summer, we are equally excited by the magnificent things these filmmakers have already accomplished with these daring, perfectly constructed gems.” Every Summer Series event will include live musical performances and all ticketed screenings will have after-parties featuring Freixenet and signature drinks by Ketel One Family Made Vodka. Venues this year include Green-Wood Cemetery in Greenwood Heights, The William Vale in Williamsburg, The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Industry City and Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, MetroTech Commons in Downtown Brooklyn, New Design High School in the Lower East Side, and Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City.

    SHORT FILM PROGRAMS

    THIS IS WHAT WE MEAN BY SHORT FILMS: OPENING NIGHT Opening Night 2018! It’s a graveyard smash! The Burden (Min börda) (Niki Lindroth von Bahr – The Cutest Dog in the World (Julian Glander) – Irony (Amy Nicholson) – Julius Caesar Was Buried in a Pet Cemetery (Sam Green) – Milk and Cookies (Patrick Mulvey, Andrew Scott Ramsay) – Rebirth is Necessary (Jenn Nkiru) – So You Like the Neighborhood (Jean Pesce) – The Town I Live In (Matt Wolf, Guadalupe Rosales) – To the Dead (Mauricio Arango) – Ultraviolet (Marc Johnson) NO ESCAPE: UNCANNY MINDBENDERS The eternal return of our short film collection of eerie existential thrillers. Allen Anders – Live at the Comedy Castle (circa 1987) (Laura Moss, Tony Grayson) – Awasarn Sound Man (Death of the Soundman) (Sorayos Prapapan) – Find Fix Finish (Sylvain Cruiziat, Mila Zhluktenko) – Lance Lizardi (Xander Robin) – LaZercism (Shaka King) – Mwah (Nina Buxton) – Paco (Catalina Jordan Alvarez) – Rabbit’s Blood (Sarina Nihei) – The Tesla World Light (Tesla: lumière mondiale) (Matthew Rankin) DARK TOONS Twisted animated short films that walk you to the brink of the abyss… then push you over the edge. A Brief Spark Bookended by Darkness (Brent Green) – Born in a Void (Alex Grigg) – Call of Cuteness (Brenda Lien) – Glucose (Jeron Braxton) – JEOM (Kangmin Kim) – Negative Space (Ru Kuwahata, Max Porter) – Nachtstück (Nocturne) (Anne Breymann) – Paradise (Ton Meijdam, Thom Snels, Béla Zsigmond)- SOG (Jonathan Schwenk) – Solar Walk (Réka Bucsi) – Wednesday with Goddard (Nicolas Ménard, Manshen Lo) LOVE IS WEIRD: ROMANTIC SHORT FILMS A sweaty night of sweet loving in short film form. Dressed for Pleasure (Je fais où tu me dis) (Marie de Maricourt) – Ghosting the Party (Carlos Alberto Fernandez Lopez) – Gros Chagrin (Céline Devaux) – High Summer (Plein Été) (Josselin Facon) – Knockstrike (Rigol Genis, Anglada Pau, Torices Marc) – The Mangina Exit (Byron Brown) – My Cucumber Inside the Fridge (Austin Hamilton) – Oh Hey (Sean Pecknold) – Welcome to Bushwick (Henry Jinings) – Who’s the Daddy 你要熱烈地親親爹哋 (Wong Ping) LOVE IS SHORT (FILMS) Short films about hasty, lusty, slightly awkward encounters. The Climb (Michael Covino) – Dolls Don’t Cry (Toutes les poupées ne pleurent pas) (Frédérick Tremblay)- Garfield (Georgi Banks-Davies) – Ocean Swells (Sverre Matias Glenne) – Onion (Kandis Fay) – Perfectly Normal (Joris Debeij) – Wyrm (Christopher Winterbauer) DANGEROUS DOCUMENTARIES Short documentaries about people doing some crazy-ass shit. Graven Image (Sierra Pettengill) – Hypnodrom (Richard Wilhelmer) – The Last Honey Hunter (Ben Knight) – LOVE GOES THROUGH THE STOMACH (Neozoon) – Marfa (Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod) – My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes (Charlie Tyrell) – The Water Slide (Nathan Truesdell) NEW YORK NONFICTION Brooklyn It’s your city. Take a look. 3,000 Miles (三千哩) (Sean Wang, Breton Vivian – A Garbage Story (Olivier Bernier) – Brother K & The Uncut Truth (Billy Linker, Ben Carey)- Crosswalker (Paul Gale, Dustin Molina) Flatbush Misdemeanors (Kevin Iso, Dan Perlman) – I LIVED: Brooklyn – Deborah (Jonathan Nelson, Danielle Andersen) – Jonas Mekas: Always Beginning (Michael Sugarman) – Kayla in 1A (Travis Wood) – Libre (Anna Barsan, Iva Radivojevic) – Oh, What A Beautiful City (A City Symphony) (Lucy Walker) – The Road to Magnasanti (John Wilson) – Slice Thing (David Wanger)

    ADDITIONAL SHORT FILM PROGRAMS

    SUNDANCE SHORTS Highlights from Sundance 2018 include these wild, weird and wonderful short films. [O] (Mario Radev, Chiara Sgatti) – Emergency (Carey Williams) – The Fisherman (El pescador) (Ana A. Alpizar) Great Choice (Robin Comisar) – Volte (Monika Kotecka, Karolina Poryzal) – War Paint (Katrelle N. Kindred) -– More titles to be announced soon! COME AND TAKE IT Unbecoming short films by and about bold women. Call of the Wild (Neozoon) – Le Clitoris (Lori Malépart-Traversy) – Come & Take It (Ellen Spiro, PJ Raval) – Hair Wolf (Mariama Diallo) – Hercules (Lisa Duva) – Into My Life (Ivana Hucíková, Sarah Keeling, Grace Remington) – Normal Appearances (Penny Lane) – Slap Happy (Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli) ROOFTOP SHOTS: CLOSING NIGHT All good things must end before they begin again. Closing Night! A Night At The Garden (Marshall Curry) – The Fall of Lenin (Svitlana Shymko) – Fauve (Jérémy Comte) – How to Live with Regret (John Wilson) – I Was In Your Blood (Joseph Sackett) – Managed Retreat (Nathan Kensinger) – Mother’s Day (Elizabeth Lo, R.J. Lozada) – Ugly (Nikita Diakur)

    ADDITIONAL SHORT FILMS AND SHORT FILMS BEFORE FEATURES:

    160 Characters (Victoria Mapplebeck) – Centauro (Nicolás Suárez) – Fire Mouth (Boca de Fogo) (Luciano Pérez Fernández) – Gokurōsama (ご苦労様) (Aurore Gal, Clémentine Frère, Yukiko Meignien, Anna Mertz, Robin Migliorelli, Romain Salvini) – Maude (Anna Margaret Hollyman) – Polonaise (Polonez) (Agnieszka Elbanowska) – Skybaby (Julian Glander) – Weekends (Trevor Jimenez) – Symphony of a Sad Sea (Carlos Morales Mancilla) – Wave (TJ O’Grady Peyton, Benjamin Clear)

    FEATURE FILM PROGRAMS FOR MAY AND JUNE

    AMERICAN ANIMALS (Bart Layton) NANCY (Christina Choe) *NY Premiere *Filmmaker Christina Choe in attendance *Free Event *Recipient of the 2014 Rooftop Films and Eastern Effects Equipment Grant DAMSEL (David Zellner, Nathan Zellner) HEARTS BEAT LOUD (Brett Haley) WRESTLE (Suzannah Herbert, co-directed by Lauren Belfer) EXIT MUSIC (Cameron Mullenneaux) THE GOSPEL OF EUREKA (Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher) EN EL SÉPTIMO DÍA (Jim McKay) FAMILY (Laura Steinel) WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY (Madeleine Olnek)

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