Festivals
2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
6:00 p.m.
My Life: Living with Autism
Director: Jon Michael Shink
15 minutes
Best Short Documentary
My Life: Living with Autism profiles a day in the life of the Fox family and their son, Donovan, who has autism. The film explores the daily struggles of raising a child with autism as well as providing perspective on the undeniable strains the disability can place on family dynamics.
6:20 p.m.
Lost Property
Director: Piboon Thongtanyong
6 minutes
Best Experimental
Nobody wants to lose their property, especially in a New York City subway station… but if the truth is we haven’t lost it, there's something that stole our property. Something that's very terrifying, that you wouldn't stand a chance against...
6:30 p.m.
Awards Ceremony and
Panel Discussion: “Screenwriting Across Media”
Panelists:
Gerard Brown
A native of Asbury Park, N.J., Gerard Brown gained prominence for writing Juice (directed by Ernest Dickerson). He has also written for the Home Box Office animated series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child and Spawn. Mr. Brown is in development with an inner-city children’s series (The Adventures of Teddy P. Brains), a Japanese television-based animated series (Captain Chibi Chan), an animated feature (Junior) and completed the pilot for the web series The Whiskey. Mr. Brown also conceived, wrote and co-produced Spike & Co.: Do It A Cappella, which aired on PBS’ Great Performances and on the BBC. He has been a guest lecturer at Duke, Howard and Morgan State University.
Myla Churchill
A teaching artist mother as well as a playwright, screenwriter, contributing editor, scriptwriter, librettist, film festival curator, producer, dramaturge and professor of dramatic writing, Myla Churchill has won Best Screenplay at the Urbanworld Film Festival and at the 48 Hour Film Project. Her screenplay, The One, was a semi-finalist for the Academy Foundation’s Nicholl Fellowship Award. She has also written for Backyardigans on Nick, Jr. Ms. Churchill’s libretto, Scandalous People: A Sizzling Jazzical was produced at the Minetta Lane Theatre as a part of the FringeNYC Festival. Her children’s musical, Griot Trio: Tellers of African Folktales, has been produced as a part of numerous theater series. As well as teaching at LIU and NYU, she has taught Advanced Screenwriting at the Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center and workshops for the Screenwriters’ Guild of Nigeria in Lagos and the Nigerian Film Institute in Jos. Ms. Churchill graduated a with a MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University/Tisch School of the Arts.
Chris Walker
As the owner of 5Rings, a New York City-based media company, Chris Walker has developed a strong presence in the local communications community. Recently his clients have included Marvel, DC, Sony, Adidas, Def Jam and Starz Media, for whom he has done work such as art development, advertising and producing and directed webseries. He also serves as Vice President of New Business Development for Humouring the Fates, a local media organization for which he has developed marketing, PR and sales strategies for clients’ films, web series and television series. Mr. Walker graduated with a BFA from East Carolina University prior to locating to New York City.
8:25 p.m.
Charlotte
Director: Sean Folkl
11 minutes
Charlotte’s world has become what is around her in her room. Her lack of interaction has distanced her from society, family issues and friends.
8:40 p.m.
Want to See My Media Collection? (Super Short)
Director: Vanessa Salomon
1 Minute
This is the Super Short of the longer format film of the same name screening on Saturday at 4:45 p.m.
It’s a day for a player to remember...
8:45 p.m.
Bang the Party
Director: Stephen Booth/Eric Clark/Lorie Caval
93 minutes
Bang the Party was a house music party created by Eric Clark (DJ Eman) and Lorie Caval. It was created in 1997 and ended in 2003. During the six years that Bang the Party was around, it was haven for artists and dancers alike and became a worldwide phenomena. Bang the Party – the movie – takes a look at the six years that Bang the Party was around and the many different venues it occupied as well as the many people that attended Bang the Party over the years.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
1:00 p.m.
Two Distinct Courses of Action
Director: David Finkelstein
24 minutes
Based on a completely improvised performance, this film examines an increasingly polarized world in which starkly contrasting images in black and white threaten to eclipse all color and nuance. Repeated attempts to launch into the freedom of flight are thwarted by a military mindset which threatens to reduce the world into simplified antagonisms. Language exhibits an uncomfortable independence from the intentions of the speaker, as subtitles detach themselves from the film frame and fly away. The Devil has a featured role, and the paintings of Pieter Bruegel are a recurring theme throughout.
1:30 p.m.
Screenings
Brushstrokes
6 minutes
Thomas Comma
24 minutes
Director: Ken Kimmelman
Ken Kimmelman has been the president of Imagery Film for more than 20 years, creating live action and animated films for audiences of all ages. Among some of his more recognized works are: Reading Rainbow animations, the Emmy-award winning The Heart Knows Better and directorial work on such shows as Doug, The Wild Thornberrys and Daria. Mr. Kimmelman will attend the Big MiniDV Festival to present Brushstrokes, an “animated anti-prejudice film produced for the United Nations, humorously showing the irrationality of prejudice and how art is opposed to it,” as well as Thomas Comma, “the charming, humorous, sophisticated and wonderful adventure of a lonely comma looking for the right sentence.”
2:15 p.m.
Like Minds: The Queens Psychic Club
Director: Mike Jackson
19 minutes
After losing his son in 1991, Queens resident Bob Cecilio creates a psychic club to help people overcome grief and loss. At 76 years old, how long can he keep the club going? Like Minds explores the power of psychic phenomenon.
2:40 p.m.
The Bather
Director: Whitney Hunter
4 minutes
The Bather is a work that investigates the "ordinary as ritual." Inspired by Edgar Degas' "The Tub" series, the one-camera shoot creates a subtle and voyeuristic point of view of one man's act of cleaning himself. The low light environment constructs a texture of intimacy for both the subject and the viewer.
2:45 p.m.
Dude, Can I Borrow Your Car?
Director: Tiara Colon
9 minutes
It’s Valentine’s Day and love is in the air… Or up in smoke! Jon, a hardworking, God-fearing man is paid an unexpected visit from his kleptomaniac “best friend” Russell. Now it’s a race to the finish! Will these two feuding dudes resolve their issues in time to meet their “lady friends” for a perfect V-Day surprise?
3:00 p.m.
Industry Workshop
Tools for Producing in the Digital Age
Presented in association with Movie Magic Budgeting
Adam Brightman – Producer/Line Producer/UPM
With “producer/line producer/UPM” leading his experience, it’s no surprise Adam Brightman has worked on a number of popular films in his career. As a line producer, Mr. Brightman’s primary focus of looking after the film’s budget makes his experience on films as diverse as Fur, Committed, A Price Above Rubies and If Lucy Fell truly valuable in the demonstration of Movie Magic Budgeting software. Budgeting are also a significant element in producing a film and Mr. Brightman’s resume also reflects that with work at that level on Race, On_Line and Possible Side Effects.
4:45 p.m.
Want to See My Media Collection?
Director: Vanessa Salomon
6 minutes
Looking through his little black book, remembering his old conquest, young Daryl Sayers stumbles on a young, naive, bookworm/film fanatic named Valerie Santiago. Realizing that he hasn't had the chance to score, he takes the opportunity to add Valerie to his memoirs. He makes his move not realizing the events awaiting him. It’s a day for a player to remember...
4:55 p.m.
The Gypsy
Director: Jon Navarro
19 minutes
David Mendez is on top of the world. He has a beautiful girlfriend and a brand new apartment. There’s only one problem... his apartment is haunted… and this gypsy’s spirit won’t let him rest until her killer is brought to justice. Can David fight to overcome the gypsy’s curse... or will his hellish nightmares drive him into insanity?
5:25 p.m.
Dream Away
Director: Traci-Ann Gibson
32 minutes
In this family drama, will history repeat itself? If opening the book on the past would unravel such secrets, maybe staying in the dream is safer.
6:00 p.m.
What Makes Jada Click?
Director: Raquel Roxanne
30 minutes
With the help of her friends, Jada turns to online dating following the dissolution of her dysfunctional relationship with Anthony. After several unsuccessful matches from MeetYourMatch.com, she finds Josh who begins to restore her faith in love. Their relationship is threatened when a dark secret emerges.
6:35 p.m.
Harvey Cole
Director: Nicolas Canton
30 minutes
On the Lower East Side of New York City, things can get rough. Surrounded by the underground smell of the neighborhood, the night becomes an endurance trial for Harvey in his quest of reinventing himself. A few bad choices may carry heavy consequences and he is learning it tonight.
"Second Chance Sundays"
Written by Mary Ann Wall
15 pages
Best Short Screenplay
Strong-willed Sarah and her reclusive father strive to reconnect after a family tragedy.
Sponsored by:
2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
6:00 p.m.
Just Off Sunset
Director: Frank Zagottis
12 minutes
Best Narrative Short
Sultry nightclub singer Sweetheart has been workin’ overtime to
support her struggling screenwriter boyfriend, Joe, hoping one of his
screenplays will sell, star her and lead to the fame and fortune her
ambition craves. Joe decides he’s had enough of Hollywood, wants to
move back to the Midwest and take her with him, but to get his
screenplay produced she gives in to the lustful desires of her sleazy
bad-boy nightclub boss, whose father runs a major studio. Lust, greed
and ambition create a dangerous and twisted mix not seen in the
Hollywood on the big screen… But is always found just off
Sunset.
6:20 p.m.
Fire Cry: What Hip Hop
Means to Me
Director: Vanessa Salomon
13 minutes
Best Documentary Short
Hip hop is more than just a trend – to these three dancers it's their way of life.
6:30 p.m.
Awards Ceremony and
Panel Discussion: “Now I Have a Film, What Do I Do?”
Panelists:
Ben Sinclair
Ben Sinclair has been working with Current TV as a Viewer Created
Ad-Message (VCAM) outreach associate for the bulk of 2009. His
outreach has afforded him the opportunity to forge connections with
burgeoning, talented filmmakers all over New York City. Ben, also an
actor and filmmaker himself, spends his free-time creating humorous
short videos with his collective, OnlyOkayLooking Films.
Dorothy Thigpen
For the past ten years, Dorothy Thigpen has been the Executive
Director of Third World Newsreel, a non-profit media education,
production and distribution organization. She was formerly the Director
of Production Services at Women Make Movies from 1992 to 1998.
In addition to her career as a media arts administrator, she has worked
in various capacities in film and digital video production.
Joanna Lagstein
Joanna Lagstein is currently a Manager of Ad Sales Marketing at
Current. Day-to-day, she works to bridge the gap between
advertisers/sales and producers/editorial. She develops new, exciting
ideas for brands that wish to work with Current and producers that want
to gain exposure. She began her career in radio, with Clear Channel
and spent the past few years working on creating original branded
content for MTV, mtvU, and MTV Tr3s. She has worked on popular programs
such as The Rotten Tomatoes Show, The Hills, Tila Tequila, TRL, and
many others. She is also a writer and producer for ADD4TV, a series of
short skits being produced in NYC.
8:10 p.m.
Display Devices
Directed by David Finkelstein
25 minutes
Based on a completely improvised performance, Display Devices
imagines a pixilated universe, in which tiny rectangles of pure color
combine into images which display coded messages of gender, philosophy,
and urgent personal visions.
8:40 p.m.
The Trip
Directed by Sean Folkl
5 Minutes
Best Experimental
A hallucinogenic chase within a man’s own conscience. What is real?
8:50 p.m.
Prospect Park, Clearing
Directed by Bob DeNatale
6 minutes
Butoh, the modern dance form that began in Japan fifty years ago,
emphasizes the state of mind of the performer. The butoh dancer
strives for an egoless, intentionless mind and an open, receptive
body. Three butoh dancers improvise in Prospect Park, Brooklyn,
highlighting the moments of transition between casual, daily
consciousness and the butoh consciousness.
9:00 p.m.
Birthright: Mothering
Across Difference
Directed by Celine Parrenas-Shimizu
75 minutes
Best Professional Documentary Feature
Tremendously the work of women in the United States, mothering is understudied, undervalued and underrepresented. Birthright captures the everyday demands a diversity of new mothers face. In becoming mothers, women forge alliances and connections in order to survive the everyday demands that eat them up as well as fuel them with joy.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
12:00 p.m.
No Identity
Directed by Zahra Fazli
65 minutes
In contemporary Iran, a country where sexuality is monitored and sometimes criticized, there are some people who favor their own gender for relationships. Are they abnormal? Are they different? Are they real people? One filmmaker sets out to see what is hidden from view… who in Iran has no identity.
1:10 p.m.
Avenue of the Immigrants
Directed by Nina S. Matter
30 minutes
The idea of this short documentary was to question the reality and power of the American Dream through the experiences of two young French immigrants living in New York City.
1:50 p.m.
The Weight of Emptiness
Directed by Sean Folkl
11 minutes
Life’s contrasts. Tragedies. A favorite place. A boy and girl in love.
2:10 p.m.
A Different Conversation
Directed by Lindsay Emery and Jonathan Cross
50 minutes
A Different Conversation explores the experiences of college students on a trip to Jerusalem. Drawing from multiple religious and cultural backgrounds, these students generate individual and collective narratives as to how religion is both relevant and alive today. Within the context of Jerusalem’s political tensions, the students explore interfaith dialogue and the interactions of the many religious traditions that inhabit this sacred space.
3:00 p.m.
Industry Workshop, Financing
KEVIN R. FRECH – DIRECTOR / CO-PRODUCER
Kevin R. Frech is the director of “Bowery Dish,” which explores the
connection between trendy restaurants and gentrification on skid
row. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, played at
the Sao Paolo International Film Festival, and currently shows on the
Sundance Channel. Kevin’s writing credits include “On The Borderline,” a
Lion’s Gate release starring Eric Mabius (“Ugly Betty”) Elizabeth Pena
(“Lone Star”) and R. Lee Ermey (“Full Metal Jacket”). He has won
screenwriting awards for works such as “Three Blind Mice” and “Mean
Time.” Kevin’s video design work for theater includes “Christine
Jorgensen Reveals,” Dodger Stages, East to Edinburgh Festival as well
as winning an EDDY award for design excellence for “Blue Man Group:
Live at Luxor,” Luxor Theater, Las Vegas.
5:00 p.m.
Vitreous Floaters
Directed by Justin Jones
76 minutes
Follow several young adults in this authentic, immersive look at college life as they test the boundaries of their relationships and use love and sex as means to an end. They just might be able to get what they're after, if only each could figure out what exactly that is.
6:20 p.m.
HER
Directed by Michael Santana
56 minutes
Nine year-old Natalia Mercado is taken in the night by the famous Legend of La Llorona while camping with her mother. There are no witnesses nor leads in the case, prompting ghost researcher Adrian Vasquez to investigate on his own - from a paranormal angle. Mayhem ensues as the team pokes and prods around Lake Brody looking for an answer.
7:30 p.m.
EMMY
Directed by Ken Cohen
8 minutes
In this fast-moving horror short, Tess, an athletic bicyclist, and her grumpy boyfriend Brent, find themselves seeking help from a quiet, lonely religious man and begin to suspect that there are some dark secrets hidden in the walls of his house.
7: 45 p.m.
The Shoot
Directed by Nina S. Matter
13 minutes
She is attacked by the tool that should have provided her greatest exposure to the world; he came to think that he was all powerful because he controlled people’s image as if it was their soul. The virtual world of representation eventually replaces reality in the mind of those who are too close to it.
8:05 p.m.
Ukiyo
Directed by Mei-chun Kuan
16 minutes
Love! Who knows how it happens and ends? Ukiyo – Japanese for “floating world” – is about the three stages of a romance between a man and a woman presented in dances. Affection, agony and isolation occur in relationships when people fall in love.
8:30 p.m.
I.Q.
Directed by Aaron and Austin Keeling
80 minutes
Principal Thompson, under pressure to raise his student’s grades, turns to a mysterious product, NCLB240, which promises miraculous results. When five students test these “vitamins,” they display immediate improvements. But, as the pills are distributed throughout the school and as time dwindles, Thompson is forced to take drastic measures exposing the truth behind NCLB240.
2006
Big Mini DV Film Festival 2006 Winners
Best Experimental:
Libera, Jeff Denis.
Best Documentary Long:
10 Days in Malawi,Brian Ekdale.
Best Documentary Short:
Sleuthing Mary Shanley, Patrick Mullins.
Best Narrative Short:
Detroit: Not For Wimps, Leigh Richert.
Special Recognition Docudrama:
No Retreat From Destiny: The Battle That Rescued Washington,
Kevin R. Hershberger.
Guest Speaker
Allan Brown
Emmy and
ACE award winning cinematographer Allan Brown, has been a moving force
within the industry for almost 17 years. “Big Al,” as he is known
by his friends and colleagues, is widely regarded as a Hi-Definition
video expert by his peers. He is also a co-founder and partner of
Silverback Digital Productions (SDP) which produces digital,
hi-definition 24P, 1080i and 720P video imagery.
As part of SDP, Allan recently served for the third straight year as the technical director for Banco Poplars annual Christmas DVD/CD project. Some of SDP’s other clients Ford Fiesta, CBS, ABC, BET, Listerine and Adidas to name a few. SDP is currently finalizing the edit of its first self-produced TV pilot.
In addition to his work with SDP, Allan also served as HD Production Specialist on the recently released theatrical presentation, “Martin and Orloff”, an independent “film” and on three others, all yet to be released.
Allan continues to freelance with major television networks in order to keep his finger on the pulse of the ever-evolving television industry. Allan views his fieldwork as essential to his personal learning cycle.
Judging Panel
Allan Brown
Audrey Bernstein
Maureen Nappi
Matt Waugh
Rodney Hurley
Hans Dudelheim
Lynn Hassan
Larry Banks
Festival Director:
Larry Banks
Assistant Festival Director:
Sonya Brown
Festival Creator and University Liaison:
Kevin Lauth
Screening Schedule
4:00PM FRIDAY NOVEMBER 10 2006
4:00PM - No Retreat From Destiny: The Battle That Rescued
Washington, Kevin R. Hershberger (01:46:00) Docudrama.
Synopsis: The true story of the Confederacy�s last
invasion and the attack on Washington, DC.
5:50PM - Sleuthing Mary Shanley, Patrick Mullins
(00:23:00) Documentary Short.
Synopsis: A historical family documentary about a
celebrated undercover New York City Policewomen.
6:15PM - Quantum Words, Gil Dekel (00:01:42) Experimental.
Synopsis: The Quantum power of words to affect our physical reality.
6:20PM - Life, Expression College for Digital Arts
C/O William Craig (00:06:00) Narrative Short.
Synopsis: The length of a father’s love.
6:30PM - AWARD CEREMONY & SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER
8:30PM - Libera, Jeff Denis (00:13:00) Experimental.
Synopsis: Bizarre ritual of a middle-aged man.
8:45PM - 10 Days in Malawi , Brian Ekdale (00:51:00)
Documentary Long.
Synopsis: Medical volunteers witness Malawi’s beauty and despair
face-to-face.
9:40PM - Detroit: Not Fort Wimps, Leigh Richert
(00:17:45) Narrative Short.
Synopsis: A hilarious comedy about kids from Detroit back in the late
70s.
12:00PM SATURDAY NOVEMBER 11 2006
12:00PM - York Street, Jason Cusato (01:36:00) Experimental.
Synopsis: Sometimes inspiration finds you.
1:40PM - Mohawk Wash, Manfred Merchan (00:24:00) Narrative
Short.
Synopsis: Two friends come across the dead body of an illegal
immigrant.
2:05PM - Buddy Nunziata, Stephen M. Bono
(00:03:00) Documentary Short.
Synopsis: Buddy Nunziata, a true New York character, unknowingly
spreading good will everyday.
2:10PM - Tough Luck,
Alexander Lewis (00:05:23) Narrative Short.
Synopsis: Two young superheroes find things out the hard way.
2:15PM - Home Permanent, Bruce N. Taylor
(00:29:00) Narrative Short.
Synopsis: Split ends, broken dreams.
2:45PM WORKSHOP AND BREAK UNTIL 5:00PM
5:00PM - The Good Coffee House Music Parlor, Joe
Coppa (00:28:00) Documentary Short.
Synopsis: A documentary about an acoustic music venue in Park Slope,
Brooklyn.
5:30PM - Invisible, David Khachatorian (00:11:50) Experimental.
Synopsis: A convenience store clerk works on New Year’s Eve over the
course of three consecutive years.
5:45PM - Inheritance, Expression College for
Digital Arts C/O William Craig (00:09:30) Narrative Short.
Synopsis: A man rents a room in a large house where he investigates
strange sounds.
5:55PM SHORT BREAK
6:05PM - The Birth of Serfs, Mirco Chen (00:41:17)
Narrative Short.
Synopsis: Toby Kepler’s world is ending, but so is everyone elses.
6:50PM
- Thick & Thin, Jordan Canning (00:25:00) Narrative
Short.
Synopsis: Sometimes home is the last place you want to be.
7:15PM - One by 1, Jason Clarke
(00:10:00) Narrative Short.
Synopsis: The future looks like you and me.
7:25PM - Visions Revealed, Yasmin Mistry
(00:01:12) Experimental.
Synopsis: An experimental, animated video designed to raise
awareness of non-verbal language.
7:30PM - The Luring, Dawn A. Gilardi (00:09:00) Experimental.
Synopsis: They won’t be leaving, but their organs will . . .
2005
Best Julieta y Ramon
|
Best Dope Sick Love |
Best Sugar in Wartime |
| Julia Mintz (Producer/Post Production Supervisor) |
||
Award winning Creative Director and accomplished visual artist, Julia Mintz, co-founder of Full Res Productions, spends her career focusing on the marriage of new technology and design. Ms. Mintz began her forays into digital media at Tape House Interactive in New York City: producing websites, enhanced CD-ROMS and interactive media art designs. At the Advanced Imaging Center for Tape House, Julia worked as a Senior High Definition Producer where many of the first high definition projects in the U.S. were completed. Her experience in High Definition culminated her with the first nation-wide High Definition Broadcast. Ms. Mintz’s relationship with NASA and NHK Enterprises produced multi-camera High Definition coverage of shuttle missions STS 92, STS 99, and STS 105 with complete Surround Sound coverage. Julia has taught numerous seminars on HD Production and Post: HD EXPO Workshops, the Santa Fe Cinematographers Workshop, The International Film and Television Workshops ME, and the National Film Art Festival in Hong Kong. Recent projects include her role as post-production supervisor for the documentary on “The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo” with award winning director/producer Amy Stechler. Ms. Mintz’s dedication and enthusiasm continues to build paths into the future of high definition technologies that has branded her an innovator in the television and film industries. BIG Mini-DV will host a special screening of “The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo” at 5:15 pm, Saturday November 12, 2005. |
||
2004
Best
Narrative (Feature) .
|
Best
Documentary (Feature) .
|
Quadruped Mirror Tim Reardon
|
FRIDAY 11/5 5pm – 10pm
- 5:00 PM - What A Cock, Mark Hammett. (0:15:00) Experimental
Synopsis: Chris lives in his own little world with his own little friend. Hew would like nothing more than to get to know the girl at the launderette, but can he find the courage and will his little friend behave or not?
- 5:15 PM - The Stranger By The Bay, Andy Foster. (0:42:00) Narrative Long
Synopsis: The story follows a Seattle writer as he struggles to write a follow up to his recent best seller. As he navigates the frustrations of his personal and professional life, he becomes intrigued by a mysterious woman whose unlikely story sets in motion a series of perplexing discoveries that connect strange events in the past and present.
- 5:57 PM - Quadruped Mirror, Tim Reardon. (0:04:00)Experimental
Synopsis: This visual poem looks at an innocent bike ride through the Lower East Side and multiplies every nuance by four. Familiar objects become moving mathematical equations. The spinning of the spokes. The blurring of the ground. The slight grimace on the girl's face. Every aspect is slowed down and examined in great detail.
- 6:01 PM – 5 Minute Break
- 6:06 PM - The Tarantella, Jim Kiernan. (0:26:00) Narrative Short
Synopsis: A romantic comedy about a young man and woman who are unexpectedly reunited under unique circumstances. Set during a baptism, it tells the story of Brian and Angela, a former couple who after breaking up months earlier find themselves sitting next to each other at the ceremony. They voice their feelings for one another as they try to respect their surroundings. After a surprising moment and some sage advice, it's what happens in these surroundings that just might lead Brian and Angela back where they belong... with each other.
- 6:32 PM - The Old Man and Hemingway, Hugo Perez. and William Charles Moss (08:00) Documentary Short (Winner ’04)
Synopsis: The first thing one notices about Gregorio Fuentes is his eyes. "Everything about him was old except his eyes..." was the way that Hemingway described Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea. Out of a 102 year-old face that is as worn as the side of a mountain, Gregorio's eyes shine brightly. Gregorio was Hemingway's boat-captain from 1938 until Hemingway's death in 1961, and provided the template for several Hemingway characters including the old fisherman Santiago. This is a documentary that chronicles the long friendship between Ernest Hemingway and Gregorio and the way that forty years after his death, Hemingway is remembered by his friend.
- 6:40 PM - Roadside Attractions, C.J. Roy. (0:15:00) Narrative Short (Winner ’04)
Synopsis: A fable-thriller set in Surreal Middle-America. A local trouble-maker receives a deadly lesson in irony after harassing a quiet stranger passing through town.
- 7:00 PM – Refreshment Break (Salena Gallery)
- 7:30 PM – Panel: The Match that Lit the Fuse: Mini-DV and the Non-Fiction TV Explosion.
- 9:00 PM – Presentation of 2004 Prizes
- 9:20 PM - Necrolog, Steven D. Addair. (0:33:00) Narrative Long (Winner ’04)
Synopsis: A modern-day film noir, set in a seaside Gothic mansion.After the death of his son, a hired killer struggles to escape the haunts of a lifetime of sin. Now asked to kill another man’s wife, Alexander Poversky tries to hold onto what’s left of his sanity as he spirals downward into a never-ending nightmare, making it increasingly difficult to stomach his chosen profession. Each death has become a tragedy, a tragedy followed by an obituary, an obituary with a name and a past. A name and a past for Alexander, he only wishes to forget.
SATURDAY 11/6 10 AM – 10 PM
- 10:00 AM - Tales From Beyond, Josh Austin, Nate Barlow, Eric Manning, Russell Scott (1:55:00) Narrative Long
Synopsis: When a trendy young couple enter a quaint antiquarian book-store seeking a present for their friend, they find more than they bargained for. Mysterious shopkeeper JAY (Adam West) takes the couple into the world of his books, leading them through four amazing stories: “Abernathy,” “Nex’s Diner,” “Life Replay,” and “Fighting Spirit.” Still indecisive, the couple ask about two plain-looking tomes at the end of the shelf. What happens next they could never have imagined.
- 11:55 AM - Iceland & Me Fishing For Identity, Dale Kalbfleisch. (1:30:00) Documentary Feature
Synopsis: The hypnotic draw of the stunning Icelandic landscape together with the ideal of a courageous and freedom-loving Icelandic soul is Icelandic-Canadian Dale Kalbfleisch’s heritage from his mother. This quirky and charming documentary takes the audience on a trip to discover the filmmaker’s roots, and his personal history leads to the history and myths of this small but fascinating country in the middle of the sea.
- 1:25 PM - 10 Minute Break
- 1:35 PM - In the Shadow of the Mob, Tony Orcena. (0:55:00) Documentary Feature
Synopsis: A candid look at the city dubbed Murder Town USA by the national media – Youngstown, Ohio. Within the restrictions of a fifteen-week semester and three hundred dollar budget, a group of college students attempts to capture the identity of a community haunted by its past. The first locally produced documentary focusing on Youngstown’s association with organized crime. Interviews with local politicians, experts, and public figures take a step beyond the city’s bloody history, in an effort to find out why Youngstown remains In the Shadow of the Mob.
- 2:30 PM - Endless Winter, Aaron Weiss. (0:15:00) Narrative Short
Synopsis: Nate Wannemaker is a man with a passion -- for snow, in all its myriad forms, and snow shovels, in particular. From their supple curves to their long handles, Nate cares for his shovels like family. Wife Kate dutifully enables Nate's instinct for snow removal. Son Nate, Jr. wants out – out from the shovels, the snow, the cold. Nate's chance to become a role model for his son is triggered by a rival neighbor, The Bear, who has never met a flake of snow he hasn't obliterated with gas-powered machinery. His zealous snow throwing crosses a line and sparks a confrontation with Nate. As a result, Nate Jr. learns a cold lesson in pride and family.
- 2:45 PM - Argyle Sox, William Jozokos-Bookman. (0:10:00) Experimental
Sypnopsis: ARGYLE SOX is a frightening world where original artists are stripped of their creativity and kept away from society at large. Only one artist remains but he grows lonely and impatient as his identity screams to be revealed. Is he going to give up his creativity to be like everyone else? Or spend the rest of his life living in fear?
- 2:55 PM - Lake Ivan Exists, episode #30 The Artificial, David Finkelstein. (0:29:00) Experimental
Synopsis: Two speaking actors and one silent drag queen improvise a meditation on shame, artifice, and ecstasy. The video takes us on a journey into an inner landscape, which includes a description of the desserts offered to pilgrim visiting a mystical shrine, a feather duster which makes apartments dirtier rather than cleaner, and a mysterious tapping sound which ruins a nights' sleep. Multiple layers of overlaid imagery and text help the viewer to make sense of the complex soundtrack, which consists of two simultaneous monologues plus music, by bringing out the emotional and musical threads which run through the piece, while highlighting key phrases of text.
- 3:25 PM - 10 Minute Break
- 3:35 PM - Final Solution, Rakesh Sharma. (1:00:01 -Excerpt) Documentary Feature (Winner ’04) -
Synopsis: A study of the politics of hate. Set in Gujarat, India, during the period Feb/Mar 2002 – July 2003, this documentary examines the consequences of Hindu-Moslem polarization in the state. It probes the causes and consequences of the genocidal violence against Moslems in 2002 by right-wing cadres in Gujarat. A censorship ban on this documentary being shown in India was only lifted in October 2004.
- 4:36 PM - To Every Story, Adam Etline.(0:05:00) Experimental
Synopsis: Originally created for the modern dance piece “To Every Story” by Spela Sterle & Dancers, this video describes the dichotomy between natural and urban environments through visuals and narration, shot entirely on location in New York City and upstate New York.
- 4:41 PM - Around Atocha Station, Felix De Juan Del Hoyo. (5:29) Documentary Short
Synopsis: An insight into the Madrid Atocha train station where the most bloody terrorist bomb attack in Spain’s recent history occurred on March 11th, 2004. Also a tribute to the survivors, their families and the people of Spain who demonstrated for change.
- 4:47 PM - 10 Minute Break
- 5:07 PM - The Lincoln Railsplitters, Michael Bellamy. (0:30:00) Documentary Feature
Synopsis: A documentary about the 2003 – 2004 High School Basketball season in New York City when the “Abraham Lincoln Railsplitters” of Brooklyn, led by Senior Sebastion Telfair, were the talk of the town.
- 5:37 PM - Once Upon the Time There Was A King, Massimiliano Mauceri (0:10:00) Narrative Short
Synopsis: "anyone who's right is wrong and who's wrong is right...."
- 5:47 PM - Rex-Patriates, Nancy Bishop. (1:15:00) Narrative Long
Synopsis: In 1990 Prague was proclaimed the “Left Bank of the 90s,” -- the new European haven for American artists, (just as Paris had been the expatriate home of Hemingway, Stein and Miller in the 1920s.) This herald rang out like a clarion call, summoning expatriate North Americans from Nova Scotia to the Golden Gate. Rex-Patriates is a satire that follows the lives of four expatriate Americans, a writer, an entrepreneur, a theater director and a physical artist, who venture to Prague after the fall of communism. Bedazzled by the city’s beauty, cheap beer, and liberal lifestyle, they set out to forge an artistic renaissance. But was Prague really a breeding ground for artistic genius? By the mid-90s the expatriates’ dreams are foiled and Prague becomes a dark cauldron of failure. The obvious solution would be to leave the city, but there is just one problem…the old crone. It is as Franz Kafka observed:“Prague doesn’t let go. This old crone has claws. One has to yield or else.”
- 7:02 PM – 10 Minute Break
- 7: 12 PM - National Collegiate Debate Championship, Andy Regal. (0:52:00) Documentary Feature
Synopsis: An inside look at the top 78 college debate teams in the USA. Two-person teams participate in as many as eleven 2 hour debates over 4 days debating topics they have studied and researched over the past year. The contestants speak 400 words per minute and spend as much time researching as Master’s students devote to their thesis, all to win the Larmon Trophy.
- 8:04 PM - Ron On the Roof, Craig Cobb. (0:06:00) Narrative Short
Synopsis: A couple of years after joining the race to yuppie-dom, Courtney and William have a hard time reconciling everything they lost from their bohemian days.
- 8:10 PM - The Devil's Day, Sean Drakes (0:09:00)
Synopsis: “With this paint I liberate. With his touch he affirms. In this space I release, praise …. renew.”
- 8:19 PM – 10 Minute Break
- 8:29 PM - Product Placement, Andrew Delaplaine (0:16:00) Narrative Short
Synopsis: Just how far can you take the concept of “product placement” in movies? A director and his star / lover are on their way to Miami International to catch a flight to New York to sign a product placement deal for their new indie movie, “Invasion of the Biscayne Babies” when the drawbridge on the Venetian Causeway suddenly goes up, blocking their way. There’s nothing to do but … talk.
- 8:45 PM - Ice Cream, Milo Henry Meltz. (0:52:00) Narrative Long
Synopsis: Set in a fictional America where the positions in our society that have been traditionally occupied by Blacks and Whites are reversed, Ice Cream takes a unique look at race relations, poverty, politics, and neglect in our inner- city communities of today.
- 9:40 PM - Wolves of Chechnya, Greg Cahill. (0:20:00) Narrative Short
Synopsis: After a deadly falling out with his superior officer, Russian soldier Dogadko flees into the Chechen wilderness. He befriends a strange Chechen girl whose brother is one of the anti-Russian rebels.
. 2004 Festival Sponsors .
Film/Video Arts
2003
No data
2002
Clarke M. Smith: The Ethereal Plane Norwalk, CT
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Rakesh Sharma: Aftershocks: The Rough Guide to Democracy Mumbhi, India
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Merri Cyr: The Call Brooklyn, NY
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Wide Asleep Los Angeles, CA
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Thank the War Astoria, NY
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If Spielberg Made a Snuff Film Astoria, NY
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| donation of 2 Digital Video Collections Adobe Systems Inc. |
donation of a certificate for three FVA classes Film/Video Arts |
 donation of two cases of 25 mini-DV tapes Adwar Video |
 donation of the Panasonic DMR-T3030 DVD Recorder Armatos Pro Digital Video |
 donation of two $500 gift certificates B&H Photo Video Pro Audio |
