Friday, December 5th
Shorts Program II Friday 11:00am
"Huang Shan" Director: Andrew Geller 4 min. 2008 Student USA - Music video for 'Huang Shan' by Cary Judd. Man climbs a mountain while being followed by his elusive true love. “Little Miss Dewie: A Duckumentary” Director: mira Tweti 30 min. 2008 - A workaholic animal welfare journalist. An abandoned pet duckling. A city apartment. A quest to find the perfect duck home. Little Miss Dewie: A Duckumentary a funny and true inter-species love story that also raises important animal welfare issues. "Free Lunch" Director: Rick Curnutt 35 min. 2008 Student Film USA - Walter Tanner Jr. is done with handouts, he’s done with his privileged past, and he’s done with having to answer to people. Realizing the value of hard work, Walter sets off on the road to the American dream...in a lunch truck. “High Hopes” Director: Steve Hofstetter 3 min Animation USA - Comedian Steve Hofstetter's stand-up about America's hypocrisy about drugs and terrorism, framed by a dark animation. “The Beneficiary” Director: Theodore Melfi 18 min USA - Three lives are tragically altered when an ordinary event ignites a chain reaction of paranoia and murder.
Brave New West Friday 12:45pm
Documentary - Director: Doug Hawes-Davis & Drury Gunn Carr, 80 mins USA
“Old West” met “New West” when writer, publisher, artist, and activist Jim Stiles began publishing the politically-progressive “Canyon Country Zephyr”, an independent paper “hopelessly clinging to the past” in the heart of conservative Mormon Utah.
Meat The Truth Friday 2:20pm
Documentary Director: Gertjan Zwanikken & Karen Soeters, 73 mins Netherlands 'Meat the Truth' is a climate change film that pays attention to one of the most important causes of global warming: factory farming, a cause which was ignored in Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth'.
Beyond The Call Friday 3:50pm
Documentary Director: Adrian Belic In a true-life Indiana Jones meets Mother Teresa adventure, three middle-aged men, former soldiers and modern-day knights, travel the world delivering life-saving humanitarian aid directly into the hands of civilians and doctors in some of the most dangerous yet beautiful places on Earth: the front lines of war.
Begging Naked DOC Friday 5:25pm
Documentary - Director: Karen Gehres 70 min – USA Against an unforgiving backdrop of homelessness and madness, Begging Naked follows 7-years of Elise Hill who had left her suburban New Jersey home in 1976 at the age of 15. Her home and artists studio are a building’s ventilation shaft. Elsie’s life spirals out of control through a life drug addiction and mental illness, stripping and prostitution. Eventually she leaves the self-expression of her painting, sculpting and jewelry making for a homeless life in Central Park.
ELITE SQUAD (TROPA DE ELITE) Friday 7:00pm
Feature
Director: José Padilha, 118 mins - An astonishing look at the notorious, volatile slums on the edge of the Rio de Janeiro, and the drug trafficking militias who control them. Brazil's elite BOPE force (State Police Battalion) combats drug trafficking, but keeping order has its price, and it can be difficult to distinguish right from wrong, and justice from revenge. Based on a true story.
FUGUE Friday 8:30pm
Premiere After Party Immediately Following Director’s Q&A At Pizzeria Laurentano - Director: Grant Rosenmeyer 52 min, Student Film 2008 - When high school boys doubt the faithfulness of their girlfriends, they call upon eccentric teen and aspiring private detective Hal Gordon. At the film’s opening, Hal is hired to follow Adelle Julian. However, the assignment goes awry when she catches him in the act. After reading a report in the local newspaper, Hal begins investigating the mysterious death of Kerri Flanagan – a girl with a notorious reputation – who bears a striking resemblance to Adelle. What ensues is an investigation that leads the already fragile Hal down a twisting road of obsession, danger, and desperation…
The Other Side of the Tracks Friday 9:15pm
Feature - Director/Writer A.D. Calvo, 99 min. USA 2008 - Ten years after a tragic train accident killed his girlfriend, Josh finds himself haunted by disturbing visions. A friend tries to pull him from his painful past, but a mysterious young waitress (Tania Raymonde, LOST) offers a seductive alternative.
Saturday, December 6th
Nuclear Climate Change Saturday 10:30am (Theater 1)
Director: Summers Henderson 55 min Documentary USA 2008 - 'Nuclear Climate Change' examines the debate over nuclear power in a time when the need for alternative energy sources is more urgent than ever. While some see nuclear power as part of a solution to global climate change, there are persistent questions about its safety, security and affordability. Anti-nuclear activists in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and students and faculty from MIT address this complex, pressing issue.
Vaccine Nation Saturday 11:00am
Documentary - Director: Gary Null Ph.D 90 min 2008 USA From the award-winning director of The Drugging of our Children, Prescription for Disaster, Gulf War Syndrome: Killing Our Own, and AIDS Inc. – comes the latest film of critical social importance: Vaccine Nation. Most believe vaccines are modern medical miracles – safe and effective magic bullets that shield us from the deadly infectious disease epidemics of the past. What we don’t know is that vaccines may be subjecting an entire generation of children to even more insidious and pervasive medical injury than they purport to protect against. Join director Gary Null Ph.D. and over 35 of the world’s foremost vaccine experts in this shocking exposé that will shatter the truth as you know it.
The Flyboys Saturday 1:00pm & Sunday 7:00pm
Feature - Director: Rocco DeVilliers, 118 mins 2008 USA - Young friends from different sides of the tracks become embroiled in the adventure of their lives when they discover a mysterious airplane, sneak aboard for a look, and unexpectedly find themselves airborne over the Arizona desert. But their troubles are only beginning as they realize they’re involved in a mob heist.
Shorts Program I Saturday 3:15pm 91 min
“No Wind, No Waves” Director: Julian Anthony Higgins – 22 min Student Film 2008 USA - A Chinese man comes to America for the first time to visit his son, but his trip goes terribly awry when he discovers his son has been mysteriously arrested. Higgins made NO WIND, NO WAVES as his thesis project for his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Emerson College. the film was nominated 4 times for the annual Emerson College EVVY Awards, the largest professionally-juried student awards show in the US. The film won all four awards on the night of the show. for Best Production Design (Mykim Dang and Michael Allen Glover), Best Sound Design (Hiroki Sugiyama), Best Director (Julian Higgins), and, on behalf of all involved, Higgins took home the top award of the night, Best Cinematic Production.
"The Pilgrim" Director: Elizatbeth Page 10 min. Student 2008 USA - A short film contrasting the myths and iconography of a traditional American Thanksgiving with the realities faced by today's pilgrims -- undocumented immigrants.
"Ethan & Jane" Director: Joohyun Lee 2008 - Ethan, a young man who doesn't know what he wants in life finds happiness in the most unusual place.
“Kids and Money” Director: Lauren Greenfield, 32 mins 2007 USA Teens discuss money: getting it, spending it and learning to live without it. An original short by award-winning filmmaker and photographer Lauren Greenfield, kids + money is a conversation with young people from diverse Los Angeles communities about the role of money in their lives and how they're shaped by consumerist culture.
“Shikashika” Director: Stephen Hyde, Student Film 10 mins - Filmed in Peru, this rhythmic documentary reveals the process of making the colorful shaved ice called Shikashika. A family journeys into the Andes, where they cut enormous blocks of ice with axes and bare hands, then return, strapping the blocks atop mules and leading them down steep granite canyons. A rare glimpse into life and work in the Peruvian highlands.
Operation Lysistrata Saturday 5:00pm
Documentary
Director: Michael Kelly, 84 mins UK This inspirational journey of activism chronicles the largest theatrical anti-war protest in history, in which two actresses organized simultaneous readings of a 2,400-year-old classic comedy, Lysistrata, sparking a worldwide movement for peace.
Monsters From The Id Saturday 7:00pm
Director: David Gargani 71 min. 2008 USA - Monsters From The Id weaves the intersecting themes of over thirty classic Sci-Fi films in order to tell the untold story of the rise of the Modern Scientist and his role in inspiring a nation. The film continues to explore the psychological and cultural impact of 1950’s Sci-Fi cinema in America and asks, “where is science inspiration found today?”
And Short film: "Balls" Director: Patrick Davin 18 min. 2008 USA
Tom Fitzgerald and Ron Jefferson were once rivals at an acting conservatory. They meet unexpectedly after several years and soon realize that they now share more similarities than differences.
A Jersey Christmas Saturday 8:45pm
Feature (Theater 3) - Directors: Eric Weber & James Villemaire 85 min 2008 USA - A ragtag group of store clerks get stuck working until midnight on Christmas Eve at Xmas-orama, a shabby Christmas shop in a blue-collar New Jersey town. The store is run by Mike Malcolm, a shady, degenerate gambler whose debts suddenly catch up with him in the form of two thugs who have come to collect what they are owed. Mike flees to the nearest card game to try and win enough money to keep his 'creditors' from breaking his legs, or worse.
Pulse 3 – Saturday 10:30pm - Limited Theatrical Release
Seven years after the phantom invasion, Justine is sixteen years old and rebelling against the drab, post-apocalyptic world left behind. When she finds a working laptop, she curiously turns on the forbidden machine. Much to her surprise, she receives an instant message from Adam, who claims to be living safely in the phantom-infested city. As their correspondence continues, Justine soon falls in love with Adam and agrees to meet him. She braves the dangers of the road, only to realize that Adam isn’t as innocent as he seems.
Sunday December 7th
Intimidad Sunday 11:00am
Documentary - Directors: Ashley Sabin, David Redmon, 74 mins, Mexico - An intimate portrait of a hardworking young Mexican couple in a border factory town. Their dream is to buy land and build a house so their 2 year-old daughter, cared for by faraway grandparents, can live with them. But living on minimum wage in extreme poverty strains their relationship.
Shorts Program III Sunday 12:30pm
Beautiful Hills Of Brooklyn Director: Ragnar Freidank 38 min 2008 USA - Based on the diary written by 80-year-old Jessie Singer Sylvester between 1976 and1978, we enter an ordinary life full of undiscovered riches. As she struggles to make ends meet and reaches out to better herself, Jessie faces the growing violence in her neighborhood and the realization that she is finally and completely alone. The words of the Walt Whitman poem, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,” run through the film as Jessie’s strength and resilience carry her to the next chapter of her life.
"Ancestor Eyes" Director Kalani Queypo 15 min USA - Returning home was the choice she made. Letting go was the choice she inspired. Ancestor Eyes tells the story of a young Native American woman and her mother who both must come to terms with the young woman’s illness. Pain turns into a source of inspiration, igniting her mother’s gift for storytelling and ultimately paving a path of magical transformations.
"15-40" Director: Christian Bagger 23 min. USA - 15-40 is the true story of Danish tennis player, Kai Hansen who, during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, has to make the decision of his life.
"Empire" Director: Alex DeMille 15 min USA -A troubled young man seeks revenge against a prominent right-wing news commentator.
From the 50 Yard Line Sunday 2:15pm
The emotional story of a marching band: auditions, practice, band camp, and competitions, and life-changing effects for the student musicians. You'll laugh, cry and learn something along the way.
Autistic-Like: Graham’s Story Sunday 4:00pm
Documentary - Director: Erik Linthorst 50 min. USA - is an intimate family portrait showing one dad’s determined quest to find the right therapies, the right doctors, and even the right words to describe his son. This short subject documentary is a startling report from the edge of the autism epidemic, and illuminates the medical, social and public health issues faced by families whose autistic-like children have no clear diagnosis, and are offered no specific treatment.
Queer Duck: the Movie Sunday 5:30pm
Feature Animation - Producer/Writer: Mike Reiss 73 min USA 2006 - QUEER DUCK: THE MOVIE is a feature-length animated musical about Queer Duck and his gay animal pals Openly Gator and Bi Polar Bear. The story is crazymash-up of BYEBYE BIRDIE and SUNSET BOULEVARD, as Queer Duck marries aging screen diva Lola Buzzard. Guest stars include Conan O'Brien, Tim Curry, Andy Dick and Mark Hammill, with Jim J Bullock as Queer Duck. Created by Emmy-winning Simpson writer Mike Reiss, the cartoon was named by British TV viewers as 'One of the 100 Greatest Cartoons of All Time'.
“Sally Takes The Lead” Director: Christen Smith 3 min Animation USA 2008 - Sally is surprised to find more than just fresh string beans in the produce aisle. The mundane becomes intriguing as opposites attract in this animated girl-meets-boy story.
The Flyboys Sunday 7:00pm
Feature - Director: Rocco DeVilliers, 118 mins 2008 USA - Young friends from different sides of the tracks become embroiled in the adventure of their lives when they discover a mysterious airplane, sneak aboard for a look, and unexpectedly find themselves airborne over the Arizona desert. But their troubles are only beginning as they realize they’re involved in a mob heist.
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