* Notes films made in Ventura County or by local filmmakers.
Aamal*
dir. Josselyn Refauvelet • France • Run time: 01:26:00 Chained to a pickup truck and abandoned in the California desert with a gun as her only apparent means of escape, a young woman must unravel her captor's twisted scheme before she is undone herself. Screening as part of Block #2, Saturday, Oct. 1 @ 3:30 p.m. Note: Contains strong language and themes, sexual content |
Art Into the Desert*
dir. Tony Ramos • USA • Runtime: 12:08 We take a trip into the desert discovering left over unique art between 3 places Salvation Mountain, East Jesus and Bombay Beach. All locations are 50 miles north from the Mexico Border. We get to discover a little of the history within those three locations what make them stand out and what brings people to the desert. Screening as part of Block #1, Saturday, Oct. 1 @ 1:30 p.m. |
Bad Hombrewood
dir. Guillermo Casarin • USA • Runtime: 23:42 Guillermo Casarín, an aspiring young filmmaker, came to the United States from Mexico to pursue his dreams of becoming a film director. Now, he is on the verge of graduating from one of the best film schools in the world, but after experiencing racism in the country and film industry, he finds himself questioning his place in Hollywood. Through compelling interviews--such as Academy Award-winning directors Phil Lord, Lee Unkrich, and Guillermo Del Toro, and Melissa Fumero from the Golden Globe-winning show Brooklyn Nine-Nine--and archival footage, Bad Hombrewood reveals the dark side of Hollywood’s history and the challenges Latinx filmmakers face while trying to succeed in the in the entertainment industry. Screening as part of a Film + Discussion, Saturday, Oct. 1 @ 12 noon. Followed by panel discussion featuring:
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Born Under Punches
dir. Gaoyang Ganjin • China • Runtime: 05:39 Tyler is trapped in his father’s dream of being a boxing champion, but he’s put up with it for too long. Following the journey of his internal chaos and pursuit of freedom, Born Under Punches is about finding yourself in the prison of other peoples’ expectations and breaking out. Screening as part of Block #2 on Sunday, Oct. 2 @ 2:30 p.m. Note: Contains adult themes and violence |
Fuego
dir. Edwin FrankO • USA • Runtime: 22:00 The film begins with a look at the generation’s past, a snapshot of Giovanni’s father dancing with a woman back in the 1980s. This is an example of his “Fuego,” the purpose or passion in one’s life. The story that Gio tells about his Fuego is framed around his friends, Eddie and Joel in a bar on New Year’s Eve, leading up to midnight. Screening as part of Block #2, Saturday, Oct. 1 @ 3:30 p.m. |
Interrupted
dir. Jozua Malherbe • South Africa • Run time: 01:28:41 Jasper doesn’t want to be alone. He wants to share his life. Fransie is independent and prefers it that way. After too many wrong decisions, she deserves better. When Jasper and Fransie move in together, it’s a hopeful new beginning. Unexpected load shedding hits the first night, and they try to make the best of the dark situation. They dance. They get drunk on the idea of love. They remember… but then the wrong box is opened, and they are confronted with the heavy baggage of the past. Beurtkrag is a drama that explores the vulnerability of relationships. Screening as part of Opening Night, Friday, Sept. 30 @ 7 p.m. Note: Contains Adult content and language |
Mariposas del Campo*
dir. Bill Yahraus • USA • Runtime: 01:26:00 Indigenous teenagers from Mexico strive to change their families’ destinies in the strawberry fields of Oxnard, California. Through a stormy year of sanctioned racism and anti-immigrant policies, their journeys are captured—with help from their own videos—as they navigate cultural identity, parental expectations, economic challenges, and the justice needs of their migrant farmworker community. For young people whose lives have always been lived in the shadows, it takes a tremendous leap of faith to chase a dream. Screening as part of Block #1, Sunday, Oct. 2 @ 12 noon |
My Partner Giraffe
dir. Salaheddin Noori • Iran • Runtime: 12:28 A bookstore that makes money in an unusual way A person notices this unusual business and asks the bookseller for a ransom in exchange for not revealing it. The bookseller and his wife decide to get rid of him. Screening as part of Block #2 on Sunday, Oct. 2 @ 2:30 p.m. |
Neurodivergent
dir. Afton Quast Saler • USA • Runtime: 25:00 “My mind is like someone emptied the junk drawer onto a trampoline.” From post-it notes to keys, pens, rubber bands, & receipts, the unorganized chaos of a junk drawer is the perfect representation of what goes on in the mind of someone with ADHD. In this profoundly personal mixed media experience inside the ADHD mind, Neurodivergent follows the filmmaker’s journey as she discovers her ADHD diagnosis during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. When she turns the camera on herself and her family to process what this diagnosis means, she also discovers why so many women with ADHD are undiagnosed and the dire consequences on their lives. Screening as part of Block #1, Sunday, Oct. 2 @ 12 noon |
Saved by Jane
dir. Damian Sciberras • United Kingdon • Runtime: 06:04 A short film about Jane Baker, founder of Starfield Farm Animal Sanctuary and her compassion for rescuing animals that most of our society considers food. A beautifully moving story of one woman's compassion to create a forever home for over 130 farm animals! Screening as part of Block #2 on Sunday, Oct. 2 @ 2:30 p.m. |
Shepherds of the Earth
dir. Iiris Härmä • Finland • Runtime: 01:14:30 This is a story about us – Homo Sapiens. Where do we come from and where are we heading to? The story of the film takes place in Turkana, Kenya. This unique place is also known as the Cradle of Humankind where the discoveries of prehistorical human origins are made. Screening as part of Block #2 on Sunday, Oct. 2 @ 2:30 p.m. Note: Contains partial nudity |
The Desert King*
dir. Lev Mergian • USA • Runtime: 16:08 While hiking in the desert, a young woman meets an eccentric character who has resigned himself to a life of solitude in the wilderness, and stays to explore the imaginary kingdom he rules. Screening as part of Block #1, Saturday, Oct. 1 @ 1:30 p.m. |
The Ebola Incident
dir. Kyle Karges • USA • Runtime: 18:47 After a freak accident in a public restroom, a young hypochondriacal woman becomes convinced that she has been infected with the ebola virus. Screening as part of Block #1, Sunday, Oct. 2 @ 12 noon Note: Contains strong language and graphic scenes |
The Panes - Gimme Some Time*
dir. Paige Dahl • USA • Runtime: 04:54 A whirlwind romance and sudden proposal shocks the doe-eyed Daisy into an escapist & psychedelic flight of fancy. Will the wonders of the open road give her the “freedom” she seeks? Screening as part of Block #2, Saturday, Oct. 1 @ 3:30 p.m. |
The Starlight Hotel
dir. Brett Baxley • USA • Runtime: 15:00 Upon being dropped off at The Starlight Hotel for an audition, Heroine notices strange people and happenings around her. As her night progresses, the sinister truth of her situation becomes clearer. Screening as part of Block #1, Sunday, Oct. 2 @ 12 noon |
YABA
dir. Rodrigo Sena • Brazil • Runtime: 12:00 In a fishing village whose ancestors came from Africa, enslaved, ancient ancestral beliefs and cults remain. Neide (Jari Nass) is a former resident looking for ways to save her business, threatened by the decline of fish due to the oil spill in the region. The relations between the old forms of fishing work and their beliefs are contrasted with the need for collective work. Screening as part of Block #2 on Sunday, Oct. 2 @ 2:30 p.m. |