1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Rattle
directed by Ed Chen (USA, 35mm) 3 min
Rattle is an animated short film about envy, power, and the genesis of violence — a musical meditation on life and death. Using stark black and white images to show man's violent struggle with fellow man, Chen brings us from cradle to grave leaving us to wonder whether or not it's possible to change our tune before it's too late.
Caravan
Dag Mork(Norway, 35mm) 9 min
All relationships require balance, some more than others. When Marianne leaves Morten, his attempt to win her back is thwarted when the couple’s old caravan decides to have a say in the matter. Official Selection at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival.
Little Red Plane
directed by Joey Jones and Wira Winata (USA, 35mm) 8 min
Little Red Plane is about a seven year old boy whose imagination takes him on a spiritual journey inspired by a gift from his father. This flight of fantasy transports him to an astonishing world where he is given an opportunity to reconcile the past.
Beautiful
directed by Martin Palafox (USA, 35mm) 28 min
Based on the short story by Charles Bukowski, The Most Beautiful Woman in Town, Beautiful follows two tortured souls lost in the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles. Cass and Hank try to penetrate each other's hardboiled exterior to find the love that each secretly desires. Gripping performances by Mark Boone Jr. and Alexandra Barreto reveal the beauty and humanity in their characters’ wounded psyches.
Return
directed by Katalin Nivelt(USA, 35mm) 3 min
Return is a visual account of reprocessed memories — suggesting when time and space separate us, memories become distorted by our desire and our imagination. Hand painted on paper using oil paints and printed images, Nivelt has created a colored reflection of an immigrant’s journey back home.
Inja (Dog)
directed by Steven Pasvolsky and Joe Weatherstone (Australia, 35mm) 17 min
On a South African farm during the apartheid years, a white landowner makes a brutal effort to sever the ties between a black boy and a puppy. However, the landowner eventually learns the most fundamental principal of farming: "As ye sow, so shall ye reap!" Nominated for a 2003 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
Henry’s Garden
directed by Moon Seun (USA, 35mm) 8 min
Henry's Garden tells the story of an adorably oafish ogre who sees his lush little garden obliterated by the rolling wheels of civilization. The rejuvenating power of nature can't be denied however, even amidst the dark, dank confines of the city.
Talmen
directed by Stijn Van Santen (The Netherlands, 35mm) 11 min
The title means "tarry", which is what two friends do coming home from a date. When two lovers are torn about whether or not to make love, their hesitations ignite an unfortunate series of events that ultimately leads to one of their deaths. Official Selection at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival.
Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers
directed by Ola Simonsson & Johannes Nilsson (Sweden, 35mm) 10 min
When an elderly couple leave their apartment, six drummers carry out a well planned musical attack in the suburbs. A concert in four movements, this film brings to life the hidden musical potential of everyday household objects in a way that you will never forget. Official selection at the Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto Film Festivals.
So Long Sweet Summer
directed by Mike Wilson (USA, video) 6 min
Mad crazy gaps, high airs, sketchy slides, psycho railings. Nosegliding and icy handrailing in the snow. Making music, making sparks, breaking boards. Filmmaker and skateboarder Mike Wilson filmed this movie when he was 16, capturing the voltage and spontaneity of skateboarding and just being alive.
Ring Ring, You’re Dead!!!
directed by Bill Fiala and Tibor Szakaly (USA, video) 7 min
Kevin's wife can't understand his intense paranoia this evening — a paranoia that grows when his co-worker Noonan stops by. Noonan seems like just another jolly rotund man with a predilection for lowfat milk, but Kevin seems to think that something horrible will happen when he enters their home. You're sure to enjoy this dark comedy from the makers of last year’s festival film, Nougat.
Extreme Bible Stories: Don't dis Elisha
directed by William Ross (USA, video) 4 min
Bobby, Suzy, and their friends find that childish hijinks can have fatal consequences when they make the mistake of teasing the wrong bald-headed stranger. The insulted stranger, the Old Testament Prophet Elisha, calls on the Lord God to teach the children a bloody lesson they will never forget.
Johnny Good Neighbor
directed by Douglas Garvin & Patrick Coffey (USA, video) 10 min
John begins his day as usual, with a coffee and morning paper. However, after reading the headlines about a serial killer on the loose in his sleepy suburban community, John begins noticing clues that might lead to the killer's true identity! Filmed locally by students from Antelope Valley College, this film will make you think twice about those seemingly friendly people that nod and wave to you each day.
Crazy Flakes
directed by Doug Mueller (USA, video) 10 min
When an old man wakes up each morning to find that someone has eaten all of his cereal flakes, he embarks on a quest to unravel the mystery, eventually deciding to build an electric fence to keep his cereal safe. When worried locals send the local pastor to check up on him, the secret behind the missing cereal is revealed in a dazzling surprise ending!
Special Seminar
digital film and the internet
This behind-the-scenes forum will examine techniques and strategies used by digital filmmakers to produce low budget films that have achieved wide international exposure through the short film genre's newest and most rapidly expanding exhibition venue — the internet. From live action to computer animation, this forum will provide a comprehensive look at the art of visual storytelling in a constantly evolving technological world of broadband and gigahertz. Panelists will include Moon Seun (Henry's Garden), Bill Ross (Extreme Bible Stories), Bill Fiala & Tibor Szakaly (Ring, Ring, You're Dead!!!), and Shaun Piccinino (Visions of the Dark Side).
Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage
directed by Heather Rogers (USA, video) 19 min
Gone Tomorrow explores the history and politics of garbage, a substance both hidden and omnipresent. Using interviews and an array of obscure and mesmerizing archival footage, this film uncovers the links between modern industrial production, consumer culture, and our disposable lifestyle. Gone Tomorrow is serious yet wryly humorous; and while its subject is ugly, its images foreground the unintentional beauty of production, waste, and the stories our culture tells about both.
Nigger or Not?
directed by Ken Wyatt (USA, video) 27 min
In Nigger or Not?, Ken Wyatt guides us through the long, varied, and controversial history of the word nigger. Interviewing historians, poets, comedians, gangster rappers, and average folks on the street, Wyatt explores what the word means, how it's used, and who uses it. Whatever your own view on the word nigger, Wyatt’s film offers a deeper understanding of the role it has played — and still plays — in society today.
The Good Son
directed by Michael Sandoval (USA, 16mm) 9 min
Generations try to understand each other in this slice of life look at a Filipino family in the Bronx. The patriarch runs a fire and brimstone church in his living room, while his family tries to live up to his expectations and yet find identities of their own. Each of us wants to be the good son or good daughter, yet we all have to negotiate boundaries of allegiance and independence. Official Selection at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival.
On Six-Mile Pond
directed by Wes Justice & Mamie McCall (USA, video) 23 min
Deep within the woods on the outskirts of Tallahassee, Florida lies Six-Mile Pond — one of the last refuges for muddin. On Six-Mile Pond follows a group of mudders through a day four-wheelin, mud, sweat, and beers revealing that, for some, this often dangerous and environmentally unfriendly sport is a way of life.
Being Human
directed by Lisa Seidenberg (USA, video) 31 min
Being Human is a portrait of British human rights activists fighting for the right to be naked in public. Vincent Bethell — who spent six months in prison without clothes — argues that having to wear clothes is a form of persecution and that nakedness is key to self-awareness. Shot predominantly on the streets of London, Seidenberg examines nudity as a form of a protest against advertising and the commodification of the body.
War Photographer
directed by Christian Frei (Switzerland, 35mm) 96 min
A gripping, Oscar-nominated film about the daring photojournalist James Nachtwey, a man who for twenty-five years has lived by Robert Capa's nervy aphorism, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough," War Photographer follows him to Kosovo, Indonesia, and the West Bank to offer a stunning look at his dangerous career. The filmmaker used a micro-video camera attached to Nachtwey's camera, a unique technique that allows the audience to imagine participating in the act of shooting photos in a war zone. Since the completion of this film, Nachtwey has covered many other dangerous assignments, including New York on 9/11 (where he had the second tower collapse on him). He is currently on assignment in Baghdad.0
Moving Alan
directed by Chris Shelton (USA, video) 84 min
Beautifully shot on location in the Antelope Valley, Moving Alan is a charming dark comedy about two estranged sisters who are reunited under the most unusual of circumstances. Thus begins this desert road movie where tough girl Emily and meek, pampered Melissa must dispose of a corpse before the authorities arrest them for murder. Along the way, they have run-ins with a menacing trucker, a lecherous park ranger, and a drugged-out soap opera hunk. Although Chris Shelton has been directing screen and stage for 30 years, this is his first foray into feature filmmaking as well as directing his own daughters, Marley and Samantha Shelton — experienced actors in their own right. Preceded by the Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers— the audience favorite from the opening night shorts!
The Backyard
directed by Paul Hough (USA, video) 80 min
The Backyard is an utterly compelling, yet brutally visceral documentary on the subculture of backyard wrestling — where baseball bats, light bulbs, fire, barbed wire, mousetraps, staple guns, thumbtacks, and broken glass are the weapons of choice. Real blood is shed and ambulances called, as teenagers from small-town USA compete to win and pursue their dream of going pro. London-born filmmaker Paul Hough treats the subject with honesty and respect as we meet the wrestlers and the friends and family who support them. A hit at film festivals around the world, Hough offers a haunting and memorable portrait of a real-life fight club. 18 and over.
The Cathedral
directed by Tomek Baginski (Poland, 35mm) 6 min
In a post-apocalyptic world, a pilgrim arrives at a dark, gothic, forest-like cathedral, and finds his presence there has a purpose he has not anticipated. Nominated for a 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Donuts
directed by Brian Bauman (USA, 16mm) 26 min
When a man gets lost driving his kids to school, he crosses into a twilight world where fantasy and reality collide. In this surreal dream narrative, reminiscent of David Lynch, Bauman invites the audience to play armchair psychologist and piece together what is really at the root of the man’s problems.
Last American Virgin
directed by Andrew Van Slee (USA, video) 11 min
An 18-year-old wants to videotape her deflowering as a memento of the occasion… all unbeknownst to her boyfriend. In her desperation to make the perfect video, she goes a little overboard, especially when she starts coaching her boyfriend to do an Elvis impersonation. See why some things are better left unrecorded for posterity.
Tremors
directed by Evelin Longo (USA, 16mm) 12 min
The beautiful Elena has just moved from her native Italy to live with her husband, Paul, in California. Their first day there, Paul departs for a business trip, leaving Elena alone to face a sudden earthquake. Scared and alone, she asks Eli, a handyman, for advice. The handsome Eli tries to make her feel welcome in her new home...maybe a little too welcome.
The Date
directed by Michael Mayer (USA, video) 9 min
Susan and Steve are about to embark on one of the most harrowing of all experiences — their first date! Constantly defying one’s expectations, we come to realize that Steve's bizarre overtures may be exactly what Susan is looking for. Just remember, there's someone out there for everyone!
The Day I Tried to Live
directed by Sam Goldberg (USA, 16mm) 13 min
Wes has always been nervous around women, until one night at a singles bar when he resolves to make a change. Unfortunately, the woman he resolves to start with turns out to be a femme fatale! But maybe Wes' overactive childhood imagination prepared him for just this sort of worst case scenario.
Tough All Over
directed Keith Brown (USA, video) 18 min
Sixth grade is tough for Nathan in 1986. After all, he's dealing with his first crush, his first school dance, and the terrors of junior high gym class. Come along for a nostalgic ride back in time – when big hair was in and the right song could change your life.
Survival of the Fittest
directed by Tricia Ward (USA, 16mm) 6 min
Survival of the Fittest is a comic and cautionary tale about the future applications of genetic research. In the not-so-distant future, a young couple visits a fertility clinic and struggles over the choices of how their potential offspring will turn out.
Spellbound
directed by Jeff Blitz (USA, 35mm) 95 min
Spellbound presents the intense, true-life experience of the National Spelling Bee as seen through the eyes of eight driven, young spellers. We share in their private lives as they train for and compete in this ultimate, intellectual showdown. Within these stories, we discover not just their idiosyncratic personalities, their obsessive study habits, their sometimes heart-breaking, sometimes inspiring family dynamics, but also the story of America itself. 2003 Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Feature.
closing night shorts
Das Rad (Rocks)
directed by Chris Stenner and Heidi Wittlinger (Germany, video) 8 min
Two rocks, Hew and Kew, stand on the hilltop they have occupied for centuries, discussing the frantic activities of the human beings below them. Dazzling special effects will offer you a new perspective on time and your place in the universe in this 2003 Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Short Film.
J'attendrai le Suivant (I'll Wait for the Next One)
directed by Philippe Orreindy and Thomas Gaudin (France, video) 4 min
One day, in a Lyon subway, a twenty-nine-year-old man makes an unconventional attempt to find a single woman. Both funny and sad, J'Attendrai Le Suivant illustrates just what it means to be lonely in a big city. Nominated for a 2003 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
The Nisei Farmer
directed by Dean Yamada (USA, 35mm) 12 min
A tale about tilling the soil of the heart, The Nisei Farmer was inspired by the filmmaker’s late father who spent three years of his youth behind the barbed wire of the Tule Lake Internment Camp during World War II and who later became a stoic farmer in Northern California.
Eyeball Eddie
directed by Elizabeth Allen (USA, 35mm) 29 min
Eyeball Eddie chronicles the stormy relationship between a prosthetic glass eye and the insecure boy stuck behind it. Allen’s dark adolescent comedy warns us about blind ambition and the price of popularity. Stand out performances from Martin Starr (Freaks & Geeks), Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville), and character actor M. Emmet Walsh (Blood Simple, Raising Arizona).
Match Scratch Fever
directed by Kristin Solid (USA, video) 3 min
In this elegant parable of what might be called the downside of resolve and the perils of self-actualization, a wooden match senses its destiny, and sets out on a single minded mission to fulfill it.
Surveillances
directed by Jay Weisman (USA, video) 23 min
In 1942, US federal agent Archie Frayn meets Japanese expatriate Shen Li in a Brooklyn park. The result is a fascinating series of complex conversations that will eventually change the course of World War II. Captured through evolving surveillance technologies, Weisman has created a timely and cautionary modern parable.
Fait d’Hiver (Gridlock)
directed by Dirk Beliën and Anja Daelemans (Belgium, video) 7 min
On his way home from work one evening, a young man finds himself stuck in a traffic jam and decides to call his wife from his new cell phone. What the child’s voice on the other end of the line says will set into motion a shocking and unexpected series of events. Nominated for a 2003 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
The Chubbchubbs!
directed Eric Armstrong (USA, video) 6 min
This hilarious sci-fi parody follows the adventures of Meeper, an earnest but oh so awkward hero, who valiantly tries to warn the patrons of an intergalactic watering hole that danger is on the way. When his warnings go unheeded, Meeper is forced to tap his hidden wellsprings of courage as he comes face to face with the toughest creatures in the Universe. Winner of the 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Fast Forward
directed Brad Furman (USA, video) 9 min
Fast Forward examines whether one man can change the course of history when he witnesses the 1981 attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan... five minutes before it happens.
