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The Kiss
Stefan Le Lay
A pair of silent screen lovers prepare for their first kiss just as their world literally turns upside down. Fresh and witty, The Kiss is a classic homage to silent cinema with a contemporary, self-reflexive twist. (France, 35mm, 5 min.)
Who I Am and What I Want
David Shrigley & Chris Shepherd
Animators Shrigley and Shepherd explore the preoccupations of a remarkable young man and his dark and weighty desires. With stark, bold lines that flow and morph together, this film is an acerbic meditation on impulse and identity.
(UK, 35mm, 7 min.)
Solidarity
Joan Stein
Set amidst the suspicion and political turmoil of the Solidarity Movement in 1982 Poland, this film examines one fateful evening in which a simple accident destroys the life-long relationships between a group of friends. Featuring striking production design and compelling acting, Solidarity is the second short film by Oscar nominee and AVIFF alumni Joan Stein. (USA, video, 21 min.)
Flyaway
Danny Oakley
A wooden toy airplane plunges off the shelf and enters a magical world where it will meet its heroic destiny. This award-winning short film is from the creators of the celebrated Dear, Sweet Emma, also screening at this year’s AVIFF.
(USA, video, 11 min.)
Winning the Peace
Eli Akira Kaufman
Inspired by a photograph in the New York Times, Winning the Peace is a touching and provocative look at heroism, tragedy, and national identities. When an Iraqi-American returns to his place of birth as part of the US Marine Corps, the misfortune and confusion of war quickly becomes personal. (USA, video, 18 min.)
Look For Me
Laura Heit
What would you do if you were invisible? This is what the narrator asks herself in Look For Me, a charming and stylish short animation that probes the possibilities of human desires. (UK, 35mm, 3 min.)
Angel Dust
Guillaume Foresti
As a mysterious feather drifts from room to room one night in a hotel, strange and sinister events befall the guests. Angel Dust drips with atmosphere and is at once unsettlingly familiar and utterly distinctive. (France, 35mm, 8 min.)
Mike Blum
The Zit chronicles the trials of a teenage boy as he struggles with his appearance on the eve of his first school dance. Mike Blum directs this entertaining tale of anxiety and self-consciousness. (USA, 35mm, 5 min.)
The Slap
Tamara Hernandez
A good night kiss goes terribly awry in this memorable short from AVIFF’s inaugural festival ten years ago. Filled with clever twists and reversals, The Slap will shatter your expectations regarding gender, intimacy, and the 1950s. (USA, 35mm, 6 min.)
City Paradise
Gaëlle Denis
A young Japanese girl arrives in London to learn English and accidentally discovers a mysterious and supernatural city underground. City Paradise is the vision of a mesmerizing world that beautifully illustrates what happens when live action and animation fuse seamlessly. (UK, video, 6 min.)
Aroma
Damon Silvester
Two stately old women relish the bouquet of refined perfumes that emanate from their surroundings during a posh evening on the town. Their companionship quickly develops a competitive edge however, as they vie to discover increasingly savory fragrances. (Ireland, 35mm, 3 min.)
Backseat Bingo
Liz Blazer
Backseat Bingo explores love and sex in the golden years as senior citizens discuss the role of romance in their pasts and futures. Filmmaker Liz Blazer has been a guest programmer at the festival since her film screened in 2004. (USA, 35mm, 5 min.)
Fat Cake
Leslie Dektor
Shot during Apartheid in South Africa, one of the subjects of this film was under house arrest for 10 years for voicing his political opinion. For this reason, this story of two South African musicians attempting to make a living with their music was not completed and released for more than two decades after it was filmed. Fat Cake is a beautiful and inspiring film about the survival of a unique culture in the midst of brutal oppression. (South Africa, video, 26 min.)
The Chickening
Jack Beck
Following a flock of chickens at liberty one afternoon in a barnyard, this experimental film is at once eerie and pastoral. Uniquely contrasting image and sound, The Chickening distinctively documents the serenity of the natural world in a modern and compelling way. (USA, video, 4 min.)
Dimmer
Talmage Cooley
In the abandoned factories and suburban neighborhoods of Buffalo, New York, a gang of blind friends create a world of their own. This documentary is a poignant and humorous view into the antics of a bunch of regular punky kids who happen to be blind. (USA, video, 13 min.)
Arms of Delight
David Babb
Popular Antelope Valley artist David Babb returns to AVIFF with a lyrical meditation about turning our own homes and yards into living works of art. Shot in one local living space, Arms of Delight is reflective and inspiring. (USA, video, 6 min.)
Do You Want the Elephant Music
Leslie Dektor
This mesmerizing and evocative film follows a captivating group of circus performers who are constantly looking for something unknown and unseen. Do You Want the Elephant Music forces us to consider “the ring” as a mirror into ourselves as spectators. (USA, video, 17 min.)
The Eyes of Don Bachardy
Terry Sanders
Widely honored painter Don Bachardy has a special talent: the ability to capture the essence of a person in one sitting. Directed by two-time Academy Award winner Terry Sanders, this film allows us to witness art as it unfolds in front of our eyes, from blank page to finished portrait. (USA, video, 12 min.)
Prom Date
Poull Brien
Hoping to pick her prom date out of a sea of attractive and successful men, eighteen-year-old Courtney puts an ad on the internet. However when her prospective beaus fall short of her expectations, she winds up going with an unemployed friend of the film’s director. Fast-paced and funny, Prom Date explores old-fashioned
young love in the cyber age. (USA, video, 15 min.)
Self-Medicated
Monty Lapica
Based on the writer-director Monty Lapica’s own life experiences, Self Medicated chronicles 17-year-old Andrew Erikson’s inability to cope with the death of his father. Once a promising young scholar, Andrew finds himself on a drug-addicted path to self-destruction when his mother intervenes and sends him to a locked-down psychiatric ward for troubled youth. Impressively shot in Lapica’s native Las Vegas, Self-Medicated is infused with energy and excellent performances from its cast. Lapica shines in the lead role of a troubled teen forced to face his own demons head-on. (USA, video, 107 min.)
Peep Show
Charlie Call
In this comedic tour de force, filmmaker Charlie Call twists and subverts our expectations regarding gender when a woman enters a dark building harboring an unusual peep show. (USA, 35mm, 9 min.)
OÏO
Simon Goulet
Caught between the brush and the canvas, jets of paint evolve in midair, morphing and transforming in a dance of liquid color. This cinepainting combines a classical art form with modern technologies which enable the viewer to undergo a reflective and emotional flight of imagination. (Canada, 35mm, 9 min.)
The Last Farm
Runar Runarsson
In a remote valley, all but one of the remaining farms has been abandoned. As a man and his wife grow old and ill, they must decide whether to hold fast to their roots or move on to a new life in the city. This engaging and poignant film examines the bonds of love, family, and aging. 2006 Oscar nominee. (Iceland, video, 15 min.)
Cashback
Sean Ellis
In Cashback, a London art student’s vivid imagination runs wild as he works the late shift at a local supermarket. This clever and original film depicts the methods that people employ to make tedium endurable as well as the magic inherent in looking at the ordinary world in an extraordinary light. 2006 Oscar nominee. (UK, video, 19 min.)
Patterns
Jamie Travis
Situated in a surreal retro world of paisleys and houndstooth, a woman endures a recurring dream of stop-motion reindeer, dark cellars, and murder. With his idiosyncratically dark visual style and consummate production design, Jaime Travis is fast distinguishing himself as an enigmatic indie auteur-to-watch.
(Canada, video, 9 min.)
Razan
Aslihan Unaldi
After strapping on a belt of explosives, a passionate young woman and would-be suicide bomber looks into the eyes of her potential victims and reexamines her convictions. Powerful in its quiet reflection, Razan gives a compelling face to the shadowy idea of terrorism. (USA/Turkey, video, 10 min.)
The Moon and the Son
John Canemaker
Artfully delving into the difficult emotional terrain of father/son relationships as seen through the filmmaker’s own turbulent relationship with his father, The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation is a beautiful and original hand-drawn exploration of the ability of cinema to facilitate healing and re-imagine the past. Winner of the 2006 Oscar for Best Animated Short. (USA, video, 28 min.)
Fancy
Lori Grossman
Mortified to find that her gynecologist named “Carol” is actually a creepy man, Julie becomes increasingly perplexed by her visit to the doctor. A phone call to a friend reveals the embarrassing mix-up at the source of the mystery. (USA, video, 4 min.)
Pucker Up: The Fine Art of Whistling
Kate Davis & David Heilbroner
What do a turkey hauler, an investment banker, and a Dutch social worker have in common? They’re all seriously into the art of whistling and headed to Louisburg, North Carolina in hope of becoming the International Whistling Champion of the World. With superb archival clips and a cast of colorful characters, Pucker Up is an engaging, hilarious, and even nail-biting experience as we enter into the world of the 31st International Whistling Competition. Packed with astonishing performances of puckulatory prowess, from Mozart to Texas swing, not only will you be thoroughly entertained, but you’ll have a hard time resisting your own urge to pucker up. (USA, video, 78 min.)
Citizen Dog
Wisit Sasanatieng
Citizen Dog is a surreal urban fairy tale set in Bangkok, Thailand. The film follows Pod, a shy country boy, as he tries to make his way in the big city but instead falls in love. Pod’s fabulous adventure introduces us to an extraordinary array of oddball characters, including a dead motorcycle taxi driver, a chain-smoking teddy bear, and Pod’s grandma, reincarnated as a talking gecko. Featuring stunning visual design, absurd humor, and rapid pacing, writer-director Wisit Sasanatieng’s second feature film is one of the most original works to emerge from south Asia in recent years. Official selection at last year’s Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals. (Thailand, 35mm, 100 min.)
Why The Anderson Children Didn’t Come to Dinner
Jamie Travis
After painful attempts at consuming breakfast and lunch, three remarkable triplets take an unusual stand against their mother’s culinary abuse on their seventh birthday. Director Jaime Travis, known for his exquisite direction and production design, returns this year with his new film Patterns. (Canada, video, 17 min.)
Billy the Killy
Luis Briceno
Billy the Killy is a domino effect rollercoaster ride out of only the most elaborate prankster’s dreams. Featuring falling objects, fire, wind, water, doll’s heads, explosives, and the music of Acid Pauli, this film is a visual and aural experience that will not soon be forgotten. (France, 35mm, 4 min.)
Six Shooter
Martin McDonagh
On a train journey home through rural Ireland, an older man grieving the recent loss of his wife encounters a strange young passenger who is dealing with his own tragedy. Winner of the 2006 Oscar for Best Live Action Short, Six Shooter is a darkly funny and emotional film. (Ireland, video, 27 min.)
Dear, Sweet Emma
John Cernak
When the search is called off for her missing husband, dear, sweet Emma finds herself privately grappling with grief, loneliness and an uncontrollable dark side. Dear, Sweet Emma is a clever and darkly comic reminder that things aren’t always what they seem. (USA, video, 5 min.)
Baggage
Douglas C. Garvin
When a fresh young couple heads out on their first date, it seems that a picture-perfect romance is budding until their personal flaws and former failures rear their ugly heads. Baggage is the fourth consecutive film screened at AVIFF by local filmmaker Doug Garvin. (USA, video, 7 min.)
PMS: A Period Piece
Angie Piccirillo
The day that young Eliza gets her first period is a stressful one until her sister and the neighborhood matriarch sing an ode to the power of PMS. PMS: A Period Piece is a charming musical coming-of-age story about getting what you want out of life’s changes. (USA, video, 9 min.)
Rabbit
Run Wrake
Visions of riches dance in the minds of two children who discover a ravenous idol in the belly of a wild rabbit, but as they wish for more and more, it becomes clear that their fantastic luck cannot last forever. Crafted like a page out of the darkest spelling primer, Rabbit is a cautionary tale about innocence and greed. (UK, video, 5 min.)
Man Seeking Man
Matti Harju
A lonely man reaches out for companionship at the same moment that his estranged son attempts to rekindle their relationship. However an awkward misunderstanding keeps the reunion from becoming the touching family drama it might otherwise have been. (Finland, video, 12 min.)
Alien Dinner Theatre
Carolle-Shelley Abrams
Natalie, a French chain-smoking beauty, delivers a performance with universal appeal when she and her companion Armand are abducted by aliens hungry for some good entertainment. Alien Dinner Theatre is a quirky animated short by AVIFF alumni Carolle-Shelley Abrams. (USA, video, 13 min.)
Helium
Tom Ayers
The tragic explosion of a Saturn promotional blimp turns an average afternoon at the office into a dramatically gaseous environmental emergency. (USA, video, 3 min.)
Timmy’s Wish
Patrick Cannon
In this midnight favorite from four years ago, angry little Timmy prays to God to deliver him from his cruel parents. Much to his surprise, his prayers are answered… bigtime. Now it’s up to Timmy to clean up the mess. (USA, video, 10 min.)
The Fan and the Flower
Bill Plympton
When a ceiling fan falls in love with a beautiful flower, it seems that the love affair is ill-fated from the start, but a miraculous turn of events shifts a tragic romance into a modern fairytale. The Fan and the Flower is an unusual new film by Oscar-nominated cult animator Bill Plympton. (USA, video, 7 min.)
Badgered
Sharon Colman
This 2006 Oscar nominee tells the tale of a grumpy badger who wishes the world would just let him get some rest. Badgered is a simple and funny meditation on the way humans invade the natural world and exploit it for their benefit. (UK, video, 7 min.)
One Day Crossing
Joan Stein
2001 Oscar nominee, One Day Crossing is a haunting story about a family facing the Holocaust. Seen through the eyes of a concerned mother, and the boy who suddenly enters her life, the film chronicles the struggle to survive a brutal war and protect a family secret. (USA, 35mm, 25 min.)
Past Whispers
Brett Rutland
When three young siblings happen on a miraculous portal, they are transported into a supernatural land of fantastic scenery and whimsical beings. Inspired by the animator’s own adventures, Past Whispers is a fanciful flight into the secret world of childhood. (USA, 35mm, 9 min.)
The Crab Revolution
Arthur de Pins
In the muddy and polluted waters of the Gironde estuary, there exists a little-known issue: the plight of the “depressed crab.” This wacky and humorous animated short chronicles the personal tragedy of a group of especially despondent crustaceans. (France, 35mm, 5 min.)
The Runaway
Ulrike Grote
When a man is confronted by the six-year-old son he didn’t know existed, he embarks on a quest to unlock a personal mystery. Fast-paced and stylish, this 2006 Oscar nominee is an examination of our need for identity and compassion. (Germany, video, 23 min.)
9
Shane Acker
Amidst a backdrop of urban desolation, a rag doll must face a monster that is hunting his kin and stealing their souls. An elegantly crafted allegory on the human condition in modern times, this short was nominated for a 2006 Academy Award.
(USA, video, 11 min.)
A Kiss on the Nose
Laura Neri
When Chiara’s distant father dies, she is left to piece together a picture of his life out of fragmented memories, images, and anecdotes. Thoughtful and elegant, A Kiss on the Nose combines humor and sorrow to create a touching meditation on family ties. (USA/Belgium, video, 14 min.)
Prickle Britches
Jill Johnston-Price
A curious young girl follows the explorations of her capricious cat to find a mysterious rose that captures her imagination and lures her with its fatal prick. Loosely based on the tale of Sleeping Beauty, AVIFF alumni Jill Johnston-Price crafts a hypnotic fairytale. (USA, video, 6 min.)
Fetch
Lynn-Maree Danzey
As a woman finishes her preparations for a night on the town, her date and her dog begin an innocent game that soon has a dire outcome. A major hit on the international festival circuit, Fetch is an unforgettable spin on the first date. (Australia, video, 6 min.)
When Do We Eat?
Sal Litvak
When Do We Eat? tells the story of the Stuckmans, a family of eight who don’t particularly enjoy each other’s company. When they all begrudgingly get together for Passover dinner, the family patriarch is slipped a tab of Ecstasy from his son and, as one might expect, things go terribly awry. Both funny and touching, the film offers a universal look at family dynamics and the importance of reaching out to the ones you love. The film features excellent performances from Ben Feldman, Michael Lerner, Jack Klugman, and Lesley Ann Warren. Director Sal Litvak wrote the script with his wife Nina Davidovich. Both teach film at Antelope Valley College. Writer-director Sal Litvak will be in conversation following the screening. (USA, 35mm, 87 min.)
In God We Trust
Jason Reitman
One of the most popular films in AVIFF’s history, In God We Trust is a stylish and fast-paced comedy about a man’s attempt to change his fate. Three-time AVIFF alumni Jason Reitman directed the hit satire Thank You For Smoking in theatres now.
(USA, 35mm, 17 min.)
Lucha Libre
Life Behind the Mask
Rich Walton & Carlos Garcia
In Mexico, Lucha Libre is a way of life. Next to soccer, it is the most popular sport in Mexico. The luchador, or Mexican wrestler, attains cult-like status and assumes the persona of a superhero. His identity is a secret and the persona, through the mask, is passed down from one generation to the next. Lucha Libre: Life Behind the Mask explores the unique world of Lucha Libre through the stories of three luchadors carrying on the tradition in Los Angeles. These men, all at different stages of their careers, provide a rare behind the scenes view of the life of a luchador and what it means to live behind the mask. (USA, video, 70 min.)
In Memory of My Father
Christopher Jaymes
In Memory of My Father is a sardonic and unabated examination of second generation Hollywood royalty. The film chronicles three brothers coming to terms with their own quandaries and failings amidst the turmoil of their retired-film-producer father’s wake. To complicate matters, the youngest of the sons, Chris (played by first-time director Christopher Jaymes), has been charged by the now-deceased patriarch with documenting his father’s death and the aftermath. Shot on handheld video and featuring an impressive ensemble cast, including Jeremy Sisto and Judy Greer, the film is filled with moments of chaos, humor, and absurdity. Writer-director-star Christopher Jaymes will be in conversation following the screening. (USA, video, 96 min.)
