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Gopher Broke
Jeff Fowler (USA, 35mm) 5 minutes
When the thieving plans of a hungry gopher are repeatedly thwarted, he overcompensates, landing the furry fiend with far more booty than he ever intended. Nominated for an Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards, this colorful animated short is a comic delight.
Recalling Ted
Dustin Gould (USA, 35mm) 9 minutes
When a Hollywood agent gets a visit from the angel Michael, he is forced to negotiate the toughest deal of his life in order to save his soul. This original comedy from AVIFF alumni Dustin Gould and Beverly Abbott is part of Kodak’s 35mm Project, presented at this year’s Cannes and Sundance film festivals.
The Man Without a Head
Juan Solanas, (France, 35mm) 17 minutes
In a room in a city by the sea, an eager man dances with joyful abandon at the prospect of the romantic rendezvous awaiting him that night. He will declare his love as she looks into his eyes, but first, for such an occasion, he must buy a head. Surreal and spectacular, The Man Without a Head received the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
7:35 in the Morning
Nacho Vigalondo (Spain , 35mm) 8 minutes
When a woman enters the café where she has breakfast every morning and finds that all of the other diners are staring at their plates in silence, it is clear that something is awry. However, nothing can prepare us for what writer-director-star Nacho Vigalondo has in store. Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2005 Academy Awards
Magda
Chel White (USA, 35mm) 6 minutes
When a young admirer rescues a famed circus contortionist, their magical meeting sets in motion a bittersweet partnership, both on and off the stage. Graceful and moody, Magda invites us under the big top, into the depth and splendor of a world where tiny wooden people grapple with life’s largest obstacles: corruption, fame, obsession, love and loss.
Twins
Martin Bell (USA, 35mm) 17 minutes
In the summer of 2002, photographer Mary Ellen Mark and filmmaker Martin Bell pitched a tent in Twinsburg, Ohio at the world's largest annual gathering of twins. Find out what happens when each pair is asked a series of 20 questions that reveal the intimate details of what being a twin is all about.
Spam-ku – I won a haiku contest about Spam
Steven Tsuchida (USA, 35mm ) 5 minutes
A young man grapples with being ordinary until he wins an unusual contest that seems to signal a change in his fortunes. When his prize is slow in arriving however, his desires for success, poetry, and canned meat grow to unwholesome proportions.
In the Rough
Paul Taylor (USA, 35mm) 5 mintues
Blur Studio, creator of Oscar nominee Gopher Broke and last year’s Aunt Luisa, returns with the story of a cave man’s efforts to end his marital strife. Blur’s cutting-edge animation is combined with a timeless theme in this vibrant and funny film.
Keep Right
Tim Godsall (USA, 35mm) 4 minutes
A high-speed chase down rain-slicked streets ends in an underground parking garage where life-and-death seems to be the name of the game… or is it? Tim Godsall’s stylish and well-acted film challenges our assumptions and blurs the line between reality and fantasy.
The Meaning of Life
Don Hertzfeldt (USA, 35mm) 12 minutes
Famed cult animator Don Hertzfeldt returns with a magnificent reflection on life and death in our galaxy and the next. An exploration of aliens, Tchaikovsky, and the passage of time, The Meaning of Life is the epic end result of tens of thousands of drawings, single-handedly animated by Don over the span of four years.
The Elephant’s Egg
Sam Yousefian (USA, 35mm) 18 minutes
We all know true love is hard to find, but who among us has traversed the intestines of a giant hippopotamus, fought a twenty-foot-tall praying mantis, or braved a bevy of block-long beauties just to say “I love you”? Sam Yousefian takes us on a visually stunning journey through the magical dreamscape of Salvador Dali, as we witness the adventures of Joe and his talking dog in search of the mystical Elephant’s Egg.
Four Corners
Douglas Mueller (USA, video) 12 minutes
For one man on a cross-country bicycle trek through the desert, the intersection he encounters forces him to make a decision that could affect him for all eternity. Shot in the Antelope Valley, AVIFF alumni Doug Mueller (Crazy Flakes) offers a metaphoric tale about a crossroads we all must pass.
Lost
Darren Lemke (USA, 35mm) 97 minutes
Shot entirely in the Antelope Valley, Lost is a fast-paced, haunting, psychological thriller starring Dean Cain and Danny Trejo. Trapped in a maze of endless desert highways, bound by a vital deadline, and pursued by an unseen menace, Jeremy Stanton (Cain) embarks on the longest ride of his life. Beautifully shot and edited, Lost offers a tour-de-force performance by Cain as a man pushed to extreme psychological duress. A discussion with director/screenwriter Darren Lemke, producer Kevin Matossian, and special guests will follow the film.
Fluffy
Mark Landry (USA, video) 5 minutes
An animal-loving girl scout is thrilled to find a lonely new pet on a desert hike, and it seems that fate has brought them together. When the strains of the outdoors begin to take their toll however, it’s possible that their friendship may not survive.
South Baghdad
William Ross (USA, video) 3 minutes
South Baghdad endeavors to look past the sanitized version of the Iraq War seen on American T.V. sets and into the human toll of the battle. When 12-year-old Ali remains the sole survivor of a bomb attack, George W. Bush drops in to leave him with an inspired memento of their meeting.
Sty R Foam
Douglas Garvin (USA, video) 14 minutes
Sty R. Foam follows the exploits of Sty, World Champion Styrofoam Breaker, as he works to defend his title against a mysterious new opponent. AVIFF alumni Doug Garvin (Johnny Good Neighbor, Tickle of Evil) returns with this quirky midnight mockumentary that encourages everyone to work for their dreams.
Black n’ White
Paul Bottini (USA, video) 7 minutes
Mr. Black was born into a world where he simply doesn’t fit. In fact, he can’t even be seen much of the time. His constant competition with his cousin, Mr. White, is the source of much of his inferiority until he learns to use his difference to his advantage.
Stool Pigeon
Tibor Szakaly and Bill Fiala (USA, video) 10 minutes
When an unassuming observer reveals a man’s petty offenses to his important dinner guests, the evening quickly devolves into one giant transgression. From the directors of past AVIFF favorites, Nougat and Ring Ring, You’re Dead !!!, Stool Pigeon cautions us to consider carefully those we invite into our homes.
Dos Blokes
Brian Clark (USA, video) 5 minutes
A young woman drives down the street one night and encounters an unfortunate young man.
Gritty and thought provoking, Dos Blokes provides an unflinching look at a national epidemic.
Roof Sex
PES (USA, video) 2 minutes
When a woman returns to her apartment to find mysterious tears in her armchairs, her guesses never come close to the hilarious cause of the damage. With impressive stop-motion work by PES, Roof Sex will make you wonder what goes on while you’re away from home.
Son of Satan
J.J. Villard (USA, video) 12 minutes
Inspired by a dark and grisly autobiographical Charles Bukowski tale, Son of Satan tells a story of childhood angst and bullying with shaky, line-drawn images that leave audiences howling for censorship. To this, the director replies, “The film is not disgusting, or vulgar, it’s just real.”
Marc Craste (UK, video) 12 minutes
Jo Jo In The Stars is a haunting tale set in a stark landscape where faceless crowds come to witness the freaks and wonders of Madame Pica’s Carnival. When a beautiful trapeze artist charms a carnival devotee, both must face the consequences of Madame Pica’s wrath.
Little Terrorist
Ashvin Kumar (India, video) 15 minutes
This award-winning short from India tells the true story of a young Pakistani boy who accidentally crossed a mine-strewn border into India in pursuit of his cricket ball. Chased by Indian soldiers, the boy finds an unusual ally in a Hindu teacher. Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2005 Academy Awards.
Woman in the Attic
Chansoo Kim (USA, 35 mm) 5 minutes
Saddened by her old age, a woman withdraws into her attic, where she encounters the interwoven fibers of her past, present and future. Woman In The Attic is an elegant meditation on the passage of time from the director of Vaudeville, also in AVIFF 2005.
Forsaken
Nasim Sadeh (USA, 16mm) 14 minutes
When a man is driven to the brink of insanity by his own brutal crime, the last place he expects to find solace is in the form…or image of his victim. With impressive acting and style, Forsaken is a dreamlike inquiry into the relationship between violence and redemption.
Elegy
Nadine Takvorian (USA, video) 2 minutes
A puppeteer re-enacts the love and sorrow of his early youth through a graceful dance of his marionettes. Poetry in motion, the two dolls are able to convey the deep emotion of their relationship without ever uttering a word.
Convenience
Ryan Kirkwood (USA, 35mm) 6 minutes
When a little boy’s exuberance becomes too much for his parents, they call in some heavy-duty help to handle the problem. In our pill-popping society, Ryan Kirkwood’s powerful animated film is an important exploration into solutions of convenience.
Blue Rain
Hsin-Ping Pan (USA, video) 9 minutes
Drowning in the tears of a sad, sad girl, one little resident of a tiny, flooded city sets out on a bizarre journey to stop her from crying. Beautifully animated hand-painted drawings bring this magical tale to life.
Jayson
Arleen Lopez (USA, video) 7 minutes
Fearing the damage that her continual domestic strife may inflict on her angelic son, a young mother decides to take action and make a new life for the two of them. Produced by a small collective of talented women filmmakers, Jayson bears the sensitive mark of their insightful and refreshing style.
Vaudeville
Chansoo Kim (USA, video) 5 minutes
In a fragile and overcast world, people pass through walls and float in the air—each with the same expression of unhappiness. Based on the uncertain climate of Korea in the 1930s, Vaudeville is a surreal animated poem about the loss of identity and one nation’s sense of confusion and despair.
Airship
Sam Yousefian (USA, 35mm) 4 minutes
In a moonlit world filled with clouds, two little children race their airborne beds through the night and into the morning, never quite leaving their magical dreams behind. Airship is a fanciful vision of whimsy and enchantment.
Two Cars, One Night
Taika Waititi (New Zealand, video) 13 minutes
Taika Waititi’s award-winning international short film captures a rare moment of childhood beauty as two boys and a girl wait for their parents in the parking lot of a motel bar. Understated and painfully honest, Two Cars, One Night demonstrates how the small quiet moments in our lives are sometimes the most meaningful. Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2005 Academy Awards.
Corezon en Fuego
Yorico Murakami (USA, video) 7 minutes
In a lonely house on a hill, a sad young woman sits, allowing a steady succession of empty days and nights to pass her by, until an unlikely disturbance forces her to begin her life anew. Corezon en Fuego, or “heart on fire,” is a haunting stop-motion film exploring the positive changes that unfortunate events can bring.
Consent
Jason Reitman (USA, video) 6 minutes
Imagine a world where lawyers moderate every step of the mating game, where every kiss or cuddle has to be contractually agreed upon, and where, if you want to get to second base, you better have a Harvard Law graduate on your side. Enter the wacky world of AVIFF alumni Jason Reitman (Gulp!, In God We Trust) where the word “protection” has a whole new meaning.
Four Eyed Monsters
Susan Buice & Arin Crumley (USA, video) 81 minutes
The tagline sums up this film perfectly: Two artists blitz out in a creative orgy in order to avoid having a mundane relationship. Four Eyed Monsters chronicles the upstart relationship between New York filmmakers Arin Crumley and Susan Buice in a semi-autobiographical portrait of the young couple’s struggle to avoid the trappings of modern romance. When the two decide to only communicate through artistic media and have no verbal communication, questions and tensions arise. Will they become a "four eyed monster?" Punctuated with impressive animation sequences by Buice, the film blends fiction and non-fiction styles. As much an experiment in filmmaking as it is an exploration of human relationships, Four-Eyed Monsters was a favorite at this year’s Slamdance and South by Southwest film festivals. The filmmakers will be in conversation after the screening.
Pledge of Allegiance Blues
Lisa Seidenberg (USA, video) 72 minutes
Pledge of Allegiance Blues skillfully documents the story of Rev. Dr. Michael Newdow, the blues-singing California physician who brought the landmark "under God" lawsuit to the United States Supreme Court. From the controversy over the Ten Commandments monument in the Alabama State Courthouse to the intertwining of religion and government in American history and identity, AVIFF alumni filmmaker Lisa Seidenberg (Being Human) crafts a smart, funny, and frequently controversial look at the often tense relationship between church and state. With toe-tapping musical numbers by Newdow, a cast of characters including attorney Alan Dershowitz, publisher Larry Flynt, and radio talk-show host Sandy Rios, and a journey that takes us all the way to the US Supreme Court, this is one documentary that both enlightens and provokes. A discussion with director Lisa Seidenberg will follow the screening.
The Overlookers
Christopher Warre Smets (Canada/USA, video) 100 minutes
The lives of five very different people - a lonely web designer, a cynical photographer, a suave ladykiller, a restless young wife and an infatuated private detective - intersect in this debut feature from writer/director Christopher Warre Smets. Produced in the Antelope Valley and shot on location in New York City, The Overlookers is an anthology of interlocking stories connected by fate, obsession, chance, and a mysterious company called Attractions, Inc. Armed with a passion for filmmaking, a DV camera, a small lighting kit, an ambitiously constructed screenplay, and a talented collection of actors that all turn in excellent performances, The Overlookers exemplifies the best of indie filmmaking, triumphing over its budgetary limitations. The film won the best feature award last month at the Canadian Filmmakers Festival in Toronto. A discussion with director/screenwriter Christopher Warre Smets, producer Stennar Strom, and select members of the cast will follow the screening.
Season of the Horse
Ning Cai (China, 35mm) 105 minutes
Season of the Horse is an eloquent and timely tale of lives in transition as proud Mongolian herder, Wurgen, is forced to deal with the encroachment of urbanity and progress on his home and traditional way of life. Despite parched grasslands and pressures from both the personal and political spheres, he struggles to keep his flocks and his horse—the essential symbol of his liberty and legacy. Season of the Horse is the directorial debut of Mongolian-Chinese actor Ning Cai who also stars as Wurgen in a film that powerfully exemplifies a contemporary crisis in China. Director-star Ning Cai and producer-star Na Renhua will be in conversation following the screening.
7:35 in the Morning (encore screening)
Nacho Vigalondo (Spain, 35mm) 8 minutes
When a woman enters the café where she has breakfast every morning and finds that all of the other diners are staring at their plates in silence, it is clear that something is awry. However, nothing can prepare us for what writer-director-star Nacho Vigalondo has in store. Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2005 Academy Awards.
Art Thief Musical!
Linus Lau (USA, video) 20 minutes
When Clarity, renowned thief of museum masterpieces, meets Salvation, a lonely janitor, they are drawn together by an inexplicable force. Each of them longs to change their ways, and senses that the other may be the key to a new life. Linus Lau directs a unique and stylish musical exploration of change, redemption, second chances, and the healing power of love.
Loverboy
Mark Landry (USA, video) 5 minutes
When a man finds himself unable to make friends in the cafeteria, he formulates a plan complete with showy choreography and the magical music of Queen to convince the other diners of his worthiness as a lunch companion.
Things That Don’t Exist
Jason Eppink (USA, video) 5 minutes
Based on a comic strip starring an existential dinosaur, Things That Don’t Exist invites us to look in on a classroom full of studious sock puppets and their green, woolen T-Rex teacher as he explains to them that “twelve-handed clocks, magic bean stalks, woodless woodblocks or sock puppets made without any actual socks… these things do not exist.”
Pretty Dead Girl
Shawn Ku (USA, 35mm) 21 minutes
In this twisted romantic comedy, Mortie falls in love with the beautiful corpses who pass through his morgue until a vulnerable young nurse, Viola, teaches him to love a woman who is alive. Filled with singing, dancing, romance and a little bit of poison, this unusual tale of star-crossed lovers ultimately asks, “Is true love dead?”
The Sound of Football
J.R. Arinaga (USA, video) 12 minutes
When the failure of a high school football team also threatens the funding of the theatre department, an acting coach takes matters into his own hands, teaching the team a unique brand of song-and-dance defense and helping them to “put the drama back into football.”
West Bank Story
Ari Sandel (USA, video) 22 minutes
Ari Sandel offers an original spin on star-crossed lovers with the story of an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian fast-food cashier. Set in the fast-paced, fast-food world of competing falafel stands on the West Bank, the Kosher King and the Hummus Hut battle it out to the end. This musical comedy screened as part of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
Word Wars
Julian Petrillo & Eric Chaikin (USA, video) 80 minutes
With more than sixty festival screenings under its belt, Word Wars has entertained audiences from Park City to Prague. The film follows four of the Scrabble’s highest-ranked players as they advance toward the National Championship, where the top prize is $25,000 and an appearance on the Today Show. More a character study than a tournament film, Words Wars offers a nonjudgemental look at the obsessive habits of its Scrabble slackers. Director Julian Petrillo will be in conversation at the conclusion of the screening.
The Taking
Matt Eskandari (USA, video) 10 minutes
Former AVIFF staffer Matt Eskandari offers an impressive debut film about a dark secret that inhabits the walls of an old mansion. When young Isobel begins to unravel its mystery, the spirits try to claim her as their own. Will Isobel’s grandmother be able to stop them before it’s too late?
Learn Self Defense
Chris Harding (USA, video) 5 minutes
After a brutal beating in a back alley, formerly friendly George decides it’s better to shoot first and ask questions…never. With humor and biting satire, Learn Self Defense presents five practical lessons for those who intend to get the best of the evil-doers in their hometown.
Projections
Boris Schaarschmidt (Germany, video) 18 minutes
While watching old vacation slides, Astrid notices an eerie background image—and then another and another. Alone with her fears, she must determine whether the man behind her is a phantom in the photographs or a projection of her own mind.
Oola Oop L’eau De Ohh !
Carolle-Shelley Abrams (USA, video) 5 minutes
Natalie, a man-hungry coquette, has that “certain genesequa”… and she knows how to use it. When she spots the hunky lifeguard of her dreams, she baits him with her charms and attempts to lure him into her net, only to have her unlikely companion ultimately land her catch.
AutonomousLESs
Mark Landry (USA, 35mm) 9 minutes
When Les, the first cloned human, attempts to carve out a normal life for himself, he is constantly plagued by the circumstances of his birth and the identity of his DNA. Director Mark Landry creates a stylish what-if tale about man and technology.
Small and Deep Love Stories
Hsin-Ping Pan (USA, video) 6 minutes
A tiny voyager flies through a world filled with loves and passions of all shapes and sizes. Small and Deep Love Stories tells a beautiful, interwoven tale about passion, jealousy and the joys and heartaches of falling in love.
Welcome To Eden
Erin J. Condy (USA, 35mm) 5 minutes
While searching for exotic new worlds, two intergalactic explorers make an epic mistake that lands them in one place they never dreamed they’d wind up. Welcome To Eden takes us on a humorous lightspeed journey into humanity’s past and future.
Our Time Is Up
Rob Pearlstein (USA, video) 12 minutes
When kind and sympathetic therapist Dr. Stern learns that he has only a few weeks left to live, he begins to give his patients the honest — and often unwanted — advice they need to hear. This touching and funny film starring Kevin Pollak will remind you to enjoy each day and make you wonder what your therapist is really thinking.
Ryan
Chris Landreth (Canada, video) 14 minutes
Ryan refers to Ryan Larkin, one of the most influential figures in Canadian animation, who now lives on skid row following years of drug and alcohol abuse. Through strange, twisted, broken and disembodied, 3-D characters representing prominent animators and artists discussing Ryan's work, Landreth has created a riveting personal portrait and a piece of animation history. 2005 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Short.
Skylab
Mark Landsman (USA video) 12 minutes
It’s 1979, and twelve year-old Benji is having a traumatic summer. His mother is marrying some goofy guy, and nobody seems concerned with the fact that SKYLAB, the largest vehicle ever hurled into space, could, at any minute, be on a collision course with their backyard.
The Elephant Man
Daniel Opitz (Germany, video) 44 minutes
The Elephant Man is a modern fairy tale about two thick-skinned rebels. When fate brings together convicted felon and Harley biker Chris Gallucci and Timbo, the biggest, oldest, and most dangerous African bull elephant in the United States, an extraordinary friendship develops between man and beast. German producer and director Daniel Opitz probes the 30+ year relationship that has taken place on the Shambala reserve, Hollywood icon Tippi Hedren’s (Marnie, The Birds) home to more than 100 wild felines. A discussion with Daniel Opitz and Chris Gallucci will follow the screening.
Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea
Chris Metzler & Jeff Springer (USA, video) 67 minutes
There was time when the Salton Sea, tucked into the southeast corner of California, was known as the Riviera of the West - a haven for jetsetters and vacationers. Originally created by accident, it's now one of the country's worst ecological disasters: a fetid, stagnant, salty lake, coughing up dead fish and birds by the thousands. Still, a hardy few have hung on there, hoping for help to come along and restore the lake to its former glory. Filmmakers Chris Metzler & Jeff Springer have brilliantly captured the eccentrics that abound in this surreal landscape in a film that is both hair-raising and hilarious, part history lesson, part cautionary tale and part portrait of one of the strangest communities you've ever seen. The directors will be in conversation at the conclusion of the screening.
Off Beat
Hendrik Hölzemann (Germany, 35mm) 100 minutes
In Kammerflimmern (Off Beat), a young skateboarding paramedic, Crash, carries a name, a scar, and constant nightmares that prevent him from forgetting the event that defined him at seven years old. Attracted to the life-and-death struggles of strangers, he is caught in an everlasting cycle that leaves him unable to heal from old wounds or connect to new people until a chance meeting with the woman who would link his past to his future and his physical life to his dreams. A striking and stylish debut by German director Hendrik Hölzemann, Kammerflimmern skillfully celebrates the delicate rhythms of human life and the persevering pulse of the human heart—be it on or off beat. Director Hendrik Hölzemann will be in conversation following the screening.
