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After the Conversation, They Say Goodbye with an Embrace
dir. Renan Brandão • 2017 • Brazil At the same time that Elisa says goodbye to Heliomar, she meets the young Michel. Screening as part of Short Films #3, Saturday, Sept. 22, 3 p.m. SUBTITLED - Contains nudity, strong sexual content and adult situations |
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The Ascent
dir. Sarah Larson & Val Bodurtha • 2018 • USA Travis and Caleb think they have what it takes to become fraternity brothers until a rowdy night spirals out of control. By tracing back time, it becomes clear that this hazing death might not have been accidental. A dark and heart-wrenching thriller, "The Ascent" deals with issues of justice and questions the line between revenge and self-defense. Screening as part of Short Films #3, Sunday, Sept. 22, 3 p.m. |
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Backup Plan
dir. David Beck • USA Fired for being trans, a devoted grade school teacher decides the only solution is suicide, but an unexpected visit complicates her plan. Screening as part of Short Films #2, Saturday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m. |
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Bakosó: AfroBeats of Cuba
dir. Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi • 2019 • Cuba What does “Está Rico” by Marc Anthony, Will Smith & Bad Bunny have in common with “Made For Now” by Janet Jackson x Daddy Yankee? They both high-jacked AfroBeats and did not give the genre’s origin props. The film follows DJ Jigüe to his hometown of Santiago de Cuba to find inspiration from the new sounds. He finds Afrobeats has helped create a new genre called Bakosó, which itself is beautiful proof that the exchange between Cuba and Africa did not end with the Transatlantic slave trade. Through stunning visuals and a score created by the founders of the genre, the film shows the technology, culture and landscape that shape this African-Caribbean fusion. Screening Saturday, Sept. 21, 8 p.m. SUBTITLED Followed by an after-party in the courtyard with refreshments, bites and live music. |
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Bubble
dir. Gourav Ghosh • 2018 • India A satirical comedy where an item can destroy millions of lives without the person knowing about it. It's all a game where lives are lost in a mad game called destruction. Screening as part of Short Films #1, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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The Concurrence
dir. Esha More • 2019 • USA To mesh the realities of two co-existing worlds, two courageous minds try to break down the barrier between them. Screening as part of Short Films #1, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2 p.m. |
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Cut
dir. Mehrdad Bakhshi • 2019 • Iran A relationship that is ruined over a third-person involvement (in Iran "cut" is used for breakup). Screening as part of Short Films #1, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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Dizhsa Nabani
dir. Sabber K. Evans, Kathryn Goldberg, Marcelo Jauregui-Volpe, Edward Osborn, Catherine Rodgers, Moisés García Guzmán • 2018 • USA A documentary project on Zapotec language and identity in San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya, Oaxaca, Mexico. Screening Saturday, Sept. 21, 12:45 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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Dream Date
dir. Phillip Lindsey • 2019 • USA Daron goes on a blind date with a girl he met on the internet. His car is stolen during his dinner date, and he must learn to trust a crazy girl he just met in an attempt to get his car back. Screening as part of Short Films #3, Sunday, Sept. 22, 3 p.m. |
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Elephantbird
dir. Massoud Soheili • 2017 • Afghanistan A mini-bus is on a journey across the mountains to Kabul. Each person on the bus has a reason to take this journey. An old man is traveling to give a turkey to his grandchild, as his last wish before dying. However, the main road is blocked by insurgents. They decide to use an alternative road, which is not very secure, and there is still the possibility of getting caught by insurgents. Screening as part of Short Films #1, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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Finish Line
dir. Saeed Mayahy • 2019 • Iran Story of a woman athletic from Iran who is trying to get back in fields from her accident and also faces deprivation because she does not agree to compete with hijab in international events and she must confronts its aftermath. Screening as part of Short Films #2, Saturday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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Fishnet and the Fish
dir. Ali Nikfar • 2018 • Iran It's about all little fishes in the world. Screening as part of Short Films #1, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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Hearing is Believing
dir. Lorenzo DeStefano • 2017 • USA The story introduces the world to the astonishing young musician and composer, Rachel Flowers. Born 15-weeks premature, at a body weight of one pound five ounces, Rachel lost her eyesight due to Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). At two she began picking up melodies from her musician parents and was soon playing every song she heard by ear, including Bach fugues. A dynamic and engaging portrait of nearly two years in the life of a tight knit American family, a single mom and her two kids, living paycheck to paycheck in working class Oxnard, California, with Rachel’s stunning music as the soundtrack. OPENING NIGHT FILM, Friday, Sept. 20, 7 p.m. Followed by a live on-stage performance by Rachel Flowers and an after-party in the courtyard with refreshments, bites and more live music. |
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Here I Think of All of My Freedom
dir. Mohammad Hasani • 2019 • Iran NO DESCRIPTION AVAILABLE. Screening as part of Short Films #2, Saturday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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Hold Your Breath
dir. John Stephenson • 2019 • U.K. The wealthy Mr Black is thwarted by a pair of renegades who attempt to outsmart him in an audacious and elegantly planned heist. Starring James Purefoy. Screening as part of Short Films #1, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2 p.m. |
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Humanizing Homelessness in Oxnard
dir. Christian Ramirez • 2019 • USA Give a voice to those who need it the most. Hear first-hand stories from people who are going through homelessness and what city officials believe the issue to be in Oxnard, California. Screening Saturday, Sept. 21, 4 p.m. This film has been removed from the lineup as requested by the filmmaker. It its place is now the screening block: 'Homegrown Films from Oxnard.' |
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Iku Manieva
dir. Meta Xinema • 2017 • Mexico Two children take refuge from violence in the mountains of Sinaloa, Mexico. A short documentary filmed in the Sinaloa sierra, a mythical territory in Northwest Mexico historically controlled by the drug cartels and whose violent dispute has transformed entire communities into ghost towns. Screening as part of Short Films #2, Saturday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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I'm A Tree
dir. Gregory Gano • 2018 • USA A hiker interviews a tree -- gaining insight into how trees experience kaleidoscopic time, listen to stories carried by water, and cope with the prospect of death. Screening as part of Short Films #2, Saturday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m. |
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Mi País, Tu País (My Country, Your Country)
dir. Genevieve Gorman Deane • 2017 • USA The film explores aspects of today's U.S. political climate and the prejudices against the Latin American community within the United States. The story follows the maternal bond between mother and son and the familial struggles they face as undocumented citizens who risk their sense of identity and peace to stay in a country they emigrated to seven years ago. Screening as part of Short Films #2, Saturday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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Nasty Habits
dir. Allisyn Arm • 2019 • USA A young aspiring musician befriends a lonely truck driver, who picks her up as she hitchhikes her way to Los Angeles. Screening as part of Short Films #3, Sunday, Sept. 22, 3 p.m. |
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Not My Home
dir. Donnie Bishop • 2019 • USA Music video for Soft Talk's "Not My Home". Screening as part of Short Films #1, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2 p.m. |
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Oblivion
dir. Fatemeh Mohammadi • 2018 • Iran Mehrbanoo tries everything to make her husband’s life, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, worth living. Rental issues and the absence of their children and grandchildren take their toll in this sensitive portrayal. Screening as part of Short Films #3, Sunday, Sept. 22, 3 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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Passage
dir. Quentin Persia • 2019 • France Tom, a 25 year old man, is on a train station platform. Standing next to the edge, he is considering jumping as a train pulls in. At the last moment, he is caught by an old man named Jacques, who invites him to spend the day with him. Being near an overgrown child like Jacques will make Tom's life worth living again; it may even give it a new meaning. Screening as part of Short Films #1, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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The Perfect Firestorm - The Thomas Fire Story
prod. Patrick Davidson • 2018 • USA The documentary chronicles the personal stories of survival and healing following the Thomas Fire of 2017. Screening Sunday, Sept. 22, 1 p.m. |
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Pozole
dir. Jessica Siqueiros • 2019 • USA La gringa killed her Nana. Screening as part of Short Films #1, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2 p.m. |
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Slaughter
dir. Saman Hosseinpuor• 2019 • Iran Ghasem is forced to sell their cow to spend a hard winter in their village, but his son fled out the cow. Screening as part of Short Films #2, Saturday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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Twin Trees
dir. Braedon Freeland • 2019 • USA A surreal journey into the mind of a young girl who is terrified of human interactions. Screening as part of Short Films #3, Sunday, Sept. 22, 3 p.m. |
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The Very Last Day
dir. Cédric Jouarie • 2018 • Taiwan A best-selling writer is seduced, then kidnapped by an admirer, who accuses him of raping her 20 years ago and exploiting her personal tragedy as a plot of his latest book. While the author insists that his novel is strictly a work of fiction, the erratic woman relentlessly tries to rip a confession out of him. CLOSING NIGHT FILM, Sunday, Sept. 22, 5:30 p.m. Followed by an after-party in the courtyard with refreshments, bites and live music. |
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Waiting Room
dir. James Werbe • 2019 • USA Four teens consider their deaths, and find things are more familiar than first expected. Screening as part of Short Films #2, Saturday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m. |
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Wash Me Please
dir. Ali Nikfar & Saeed Mayahy • 2018 • Iran She decided to go out and take some pictures, but... Screening as part of Short Films #2, Saturday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m. SUBTITLED |
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