Featured Films A to Z

Against the Wall
Directed by David Capurso [http://www.againstthewallmovie.com ]
A man and his girlfriend break into an abandoned hi-tech game park.
9 min., USA 
FRIDAY 04/5 BLOCK A

A House, A Home
Directed by Daniel Fickle [http://vimeo.com/34647031]
“A House A Home” is a short film based on the song of the same title. The film              begins at the last lines of the song, ‘’You die knowing he will bury you next to your love in the ground / we’ll be parked under cars,’’ and reveals how a love, a death and another  death are reconciled in a subterranean world.
6:53 min., USA 
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK C

Apt. 5a
Directed by Leonardo De Luzio [www.leodeluzio.com]
An unmarked package arrives in the post, providing a glimpse into the life of two characters living in an apartment with unique rules.
3:24 min. USA 
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK G

Art Is…
Directed by Bara Jichova [www.barajichova.com]
Painful and playful stop motion animation.
1:26 min., USA
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK C

As Life Found You
Directed by Dietrich Brüggemann [http://d-trick.de/]
Boy meets girl. They go on a date. Things get complicated.  The oldest of all stories gets told in an unusual fashion, using nothing but words on cardboard.
4: 06 min. Germany, World Premiere
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK C

Attendance
Directed by Rob Woolsey [http://www.jeffhaberproductions.net]
A guy on a date from hell gets advice from a bathroom attendant.
14 min., USA
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK A

The Bard
Directed by Adam Carboni [www.facebook.com/thebardmovie]
Years after witnessing the death of his daughter in a terrible storm at sea, Begley the Bard has abandoned fishing and resigned to the life of an outcast. Now, an old man, he sings his story at the local bar in hopes of finding solace from the guilt that plagues him.
13:30 min., USA, NYC Premiere
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK A

Bathing & the Single Girl
Directed by Christine Elise McCarthy [www.BathingandtheSingleGirl.com]
Bathing & the Single Girl is a 10-minute irreverent comedy about the horrors of dating—and bathing—with younger men.
10:52 min, USA, World Premiere
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK A

Behind the Scene
Directed by Yousheng Tang & Alex Kurze [www.Yoshisteadiop.com]
“Behind the Scene” celebrates filmmaking and the people behind the scene who make it happen. Using steadicam for a one long take, BTS takes you on a ride through the process of making a film.
10:29 min., USA
SATURDAY 04/06 BLOCK F

Better This World
Directed by Katie Galloway, Kelly Duane de la Vega.
Cinematographer:  David Layton [http://betterthisworld.com/]
Boyhood friends from Midland, Texas, are arrested on terrorism charges at the 2008 Republican National Convention. BETTER THIS WORLD follows the journey of David McKay (22) and Bradley Crowder (23) from political neophytes to accused domestic terrorists with a particular focus on the relationship they develop with a radical activist mentor in the six months leading up to the convention.  A POV selection.
89 min., USA
SATURDAY 04/06 BLOCK E

Bi The Way
Directed by Josephine Decker and Brittany Blockman 
[http://www.bithewaymovie.com/]
The iron curtain between gay and straight is crumbling.  The Bible belt is being unbuckled.  Recent studies suggest that bisexuality is drastically more widespread than we ever thought.  Journeying through the changing sexual landscape of America, the directors investigate the latest scientific reports and social opinions on bisexuality, while following five members of the emerging “whatever generation”— teens and twenty-somethings who seem to be ushering in a whole new sexual revolution
83 min., USA
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK G

The Choi Family
Directed by Jason Stefaniak [www.jasonstefaniak.com]
“The Choi Family” is an intimate look at a Korean-American family’s attempt to reconcile with their son’s involvement in a tragic school shooting.
7:39 min., USA, East Village Premiere
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK C

Dans L’Oeil De La Forgeronne (In Her Blacksmith Eye)
Directed by Guy Pelletier and Pierre Bundock [panachefilms.wordpress.com]
Filmmakers Guy Pelletier and Pierre Bundock carved their film as Canadian sculptor Marie-Josee Roy advanced in her sculpting, her work influencing the film, the filming biasing her process. An artistic spiral where everyone had to constantly re adapt. Even though everybody was tight on following their initial concept, ideas kept popping out to a point where even the initial concept of the sculpture itself changed during the course of the shooting.
18:50 min., Canada, NYC Premiere
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK I

Distance
Directed by Sam Dakil, Laura Smith
A boy spends the day with his father for the first time since his parents’ divorce.  As the father attempts to rebuild their relationship and win back his son, he also must come to terms with the fact that he now has a much smaller role in his son’s life.
4:26 min., Czech Republic/USA, NYC premiere
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK H

The Education of Shelby Knox
Directed by Rose Rosenblatt & Marion Lipschutz [incite-pictures.com]
The film tells the story of feisty teenager Shelby Knox of Lubbock, TX.  Although her county’s high schools teach abstinence as the only safe sex, Lubbock has some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases in the nation. Shelby, a devout Christian who has pledged abstinence until marriage, becomes an unlikely advocate for comprehensive sex education, profoundly changing her political and spiritual views along the way.
73 min., USA
SATURDAY 04/06 BLOCK D

Elevator
Directed by Thomas Holcombe [http://www.redbarnanimation3d-tfh.com/]
“Elevator” tells the story of Otto Smith who, on his way to put in some extra hours of work, gets trapped on an elevator car. Although there is no help in sight, the car’s security camera records his story through humorous images of panic, anger, and boredom until nature calls!
3:30 min., USA, NYC Premiere
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK C

El San Lorenzo
Directed by Rosalino Ramos [www.villalobosbrothers.com]
Filmed on rooftops  with  a city landscape for a backdrop, violin virtuosos Ernesto, Alberto and Luis Villalobos, and their compañeros, offer a rousing rendition of the music that has won the Villalobos Brothers an enthusiastic following and critical accolades.
3 min., USA
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK C

Frank and Celeste
Directed by Charlie Redd
A documentary short that explores the relationship between the Hollywood legend and Broadway icon, Celeste Holm, 95, and her husband, opera singer Frank Basile, 49.  Through an intimate interview documenting what brought the couple together, their love of music and the challenges of aging, the film reveals a touching and unexpected love story
5:40 min., USA 
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK I

Free
Directed by Marlee Roberts [www.marleeroberts.com]
Laura, a well put together teenage writer lives a simple life — until she finds her boyfriend cheating on her with a physically well developed yet psychologically underdeveloped moocher. Now what? Laura recounts the event, sharing the various ways she could have handled the situation. The breakup was the catalyst that sparked her to write again–ultimate independence and freedom.

4:22 min., USA, World Premiere 

FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK C

Her Seat Is Vacant
Directed by Bohdana Smyrnova [bohdanasmyrnova.com]
Vira, a forty-year-old Ukrainian immigrant in New York, is preparing for her sister’s funeral. Amid all her responsibilities, Vira suddenly finds herself falling in love.
17 min., Ukraine/USA
SATURDAY 04/07 BLOCK F

Hyperlightness ad Absurdum
Directed by Margarida Sardinha [www.margaridasardinha.com]
An afterimage deconstructs geometrical solid’s structures and reveals their inherent divine progressions using dynamic symmetry to interlace self-reflective mirror-images of the one original icon. The optical illusion comprises the symbolism of Kabbalah and Christian omnipotent God as Buddhist or Taoist illusionary rotational mandalas or yantras.  Thus, emphasising Maya’s attributes where space-time is an illusionary phenomena and paradox is latent in every polarized assumption only culminating in an absolute absurdity ad aeternum.
25:10 min., UK & Portugal, NYC Premiere
SUNDAY 04/06 BLOCK H

I Am Fishhead
Directed by Misha Votruba and Vaclav Dejcmar [http://www.fisheadmovie.com/authors]
It is a well-known fact that our society is structured like a pyramid. The very few people at the top create conditions for the majority below. Who are these people? Can we blame them for the problems our society faces today? Guided by the saying “A fish rots from the head.” we set out to follow that fishy odor. What we found out is that people at the top are more likely to be psychopaths than the rest of us.  Who? What is a psychopath?
80 min., Czech Republic, NYC Premier
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK B 

Ji’s First Film 16 mm
Directed by J.E. Park [http://j-e-park.tumblr.com]
A boy reminisces about a girl and waits for her at the edge of Brooklyn Bridge.  Will she come?  Or is he merely dreaming of her?  Originally shot on 16mm film, this homage to old silent black and white films simultaneously captures the nostalgia of past cinematic experiences and showcases the creative endeavors of an amateur, but nuanced, filmmaker.
5:46 min., South Korea/USA
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK I

Killing the Dog
Directed by Conor Stratton [www. killingthedog.com]
Matt, a streetwise werewolf from Brooklyn, is desperate to find a cure for his terrifying and transformative condition.  He turns to Holly, a bohemian witch, who leads him into the magical underbelly of New York in pursuit of a fabled cure.  With help from Nicholas, a scholarly immortal, Matt wrestles the monster within as an unlikely family forms around him.
101 min., USA, World Premiere
SATURDAY 04/06 BLOCK E

Laila
Directed by Duy Nguyen
Illegal and trapped in a polygamous marriage, Laila, an immigrant from Morocco, struggles to raise her son in America. Her courage and autonomous drive is what compels her to reach out for help.
19:36 min.
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK C

The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter
Directed by Connie Field [www.clarityfilms.org/rosie]
Today’s “war against women’ is not new.  “Rosie” tells the story of our grandmothers, who took over men’s work during WWII and were kicked out of those high paying jobs when the war was over.  The 1950’s cultural wars they faced drove them back into the home and into low paying jobs. “Propaganda” films of the times provide an entertaining look at the phenomena of how social forces can manipulate the role of women.
65 min., USA
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK H

Lone Samaritan
Directed by Barak Heymann [www.heymannfilms.com/film/lone-samaritan]
“Lone Samaritan” is a touching father-daughter journey that transcends all beliefs. It explores universal issues of faith and modernity, the role of women in religion, and the individual’s right to forge an independent identity when faced with violating a tradition he or she holds dear.
50 min., Israel
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK B

Lost Dreams, Used Markers

Directed by Girimohan Coneti and Gandharv Bhagat

“Lost Dreams and Used Markers” is a story of a male pillow and his existentialism in the broad context of his ongoing love affair. It follows the pillow’s turbulent, elusive and at times absurd love for his owner, a young college girl who grew up with him.
12:46 min., USA
SATURDAY 04/07 BLOCK E

Mad Cow Story
Directed by Bara Jichova [www.barajichova.com]
Short documentary about Mad Cow.
1:43 min., USA
SATURDAY 04/07 BLOCK D

Murgi Keno Mutant
Directed by Nayeem Mabub [www.toonbangla.com]
In the near future, Bangladesh is terrorized by killer mutant chickens. A team of Kung Fu fighting chefs must battle in order to keep chicken on the menu. But one chicken sets its sights on revenge. It’s time for the ultimate poultry showdown.
14: min., Bangladesh
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK G

Nagahaan, Zinat… (Suddenly, Zinat…)
Directed by Navid Nikkhah Azad 
For four years, Simin, a 35-year-old teacher, has been renting her child, Nafas, from Nafas’s mother, Nasibeh, a drug addict. Now Nasibeh’s husband is being released from prison and she wants her child back.  Simin confronts a reality that will change her life forever.
21 min., Iran, East Coast Premiere
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK I

Naked Love – Ea’s Garden
Directed by Sara Koppel [www.nakedlovefilm.com]
“Naked Love – Ea’s Garden” is a speechless, erotic, hand-drawn, animated art-film. A sensual trip through Ea’s sexuality in a surrealistic abstract poetic atmosphere.
6 min., Denmark, NYC Premiere
SATURDAY 04/07 BLOCK E

On Appropriation
Directed by Bon Jane [www.bonjane.com]
On Appropriation is a documentary first short film from director, performer, musician, and model Bon Jane, a NewYork based artist, which opens a dialogue on ethical usage and practice within the field of art and music by recounting the details of her video pitch to the band,The Black Keys. It was be produced and nominated for
“Best Rock Video of the Year” in 2011 by the MTV awards without her knowledge or consent.
16:38 min, USA, NYC Premiere
SATURDAY 04/06 BLOCK D

Paying For It
Directed by Lauren Lillie [www.payingforitfilm.com]
Deidre’s underwhelming romantic getaway takes an unexpected turn when she finds Sophie, a call girl, passed out in her hotel hallway. After Sophie connives her way into Deidre’s room, Deidre develops a fascination with Sophie and her confidence. Driven by her own subconscious need for connection, Deidre follows Sophie on to her next job and puts herself in increasing danger.
21:43 min., USA
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK B

Priceless Things
Directed by Sarah-Violet Bliss [http://svbliss.com/pricelessthings.html]
When a precious piece of jewelry is lost (or stolen) in a Chinese nail salon in Brooklyn, a newly engaged couple becomes hysterical, suspecting the immigrant employees know more than they admit. The couple abandon their progressive social graces and hold the hapless employees hostage as they ransack the salon.
11:45 min., USA, NYC Premiere
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK H

Pull
Directed by Donal Foreman  [http://www.donalforeman.com/]
During a single summer day in Dublin, a girl reconnects with old friends, makes new ones and reaches a painful turning point in her most intimate relationship.
20 min., Ireland, NYC Premiere
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK I

Ramona’s New Dresser
Directed by Bohdana Smyrnova [bohdanasmyrnova.com]
When climbing a tree in New York, Polish immigrant Paulina gets a hole in her stockings. Someone’s got to stitch it.
11 min., Ukraine/USA
SATURDAY 04/06 BLOCK D

Repeat
Directed by Donal Foreman  [http://www.donalforeman.com/]
A fragmented portrait of an insecure young woman trying to escape the memory of a past relationship through an intense night on the town.
12 min., Ireland, North American Premiere
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK C

Retrato de Una Familia
Directed by Victoria Rivera [www.victoria-rivera.com]
Antonio is 12 years old. Today is his father’s funeral. He will learn more about his father today than in 12 years living under the same roof. This is the story of a broken family and the unexpected chance to fix it.
15 min., Colombia/USA
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK A

Salam Ghourba
Directed by Lamia Alami [www.salamghourba.com]
In an underprivileged Moroccan neighborhood, Fatima, 30, is waiting anxiously for her immigration papers so that she can join her husband, who emigrated to France more than a year ago. The absence of the husband, the misery that surrounds her, the lack of job opportunities and income,  along with the harmful environment that her naive son, Mohammed, 10, is immersed in gives her very little  hope. Will the husband’s letter secure a brighter future for her and her son or will she have to make a crucial sacrifice?
15:30 min., Morocco
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK A

Speed Grieving
Directed by Jessica Daniels [www.speedgrieving.org]
A driven corporate climber struggles to balance her hectic work schedule with her father terminal illness, only to learn that certain things in life can’t be done efficiently.
12 min., USA
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK H

Street Epics #5 Starring Bon Jane
Directed by Babak Andishmand [www.babakandishmand.com]
Bon Jane is a performance artist who pitched a music video concept to her favorite band “the Keys,” who then took her idea to another producer; it was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. She produced a documentary about this experience. In this film, she shares a day in her life in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
15:48 min., the Netherlands
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK A

Street Epics #10 Starring Moira Johnston
Directed by Babak Andishmand [www.babakandishmand.com]
Moira Johnston is an activist who is well known for raising awareness among New Yorkers about the right for women to be topless in public. During her routine walk around Union Square, she explains her past and what she does.
6:45 min., the Netherlands, World Premiere
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK C

Tableau Vivant of The Delirium Constructions
Directed by Sarah Small [www.TheDeliriumConstructions.com]
This is an excerpt from Sarah Small’s ongoing live performance art project, “Tableau Vivant of The Delirium Constructions.” Born out of her still photography series, integrating organically devised gesture, contemporary fashion and historical costume, and incorporating classical aria, folksong, choral drones, string instruments, and choreographed “dance,” this living picture explores and illuminates the human progression out of isolation towards convergence.
26:15 min., USA
SUNDAY 04/07 BLOCK G

Tengenenge
Directed byJacquelyn Lobel [www.tengenengefilm.com]
Tengenenge is a village of sculptors artists located in a remote region of Zimbabwe. This short documentary explores the history of the villiage and reveals a slice of life in a community that has withstood the odds and continues to survive because of its people’s passion, energy and solidarity. Tengenenge is a glimmer of joy and optimism in a country on the brink of collapse.
16:26 min., USA 
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK B

Thy Fearful Symmetry
Directed by Gabriel Miller [www.gmillerfilm.com]
An old man sits alone in his apartment replaying the events of a tragedy from thirty years past.  It’s Hanukkah and even though he doesn’t know it yet, he’s going to die.  But is it symmetry or sadness that shapes his suicide?  The story begins. . . .
5:39 min., USA, NYC Premiere
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK A

Two Birds
Directed by  Francesco Saviano [www.imdb.com/title/tt1510293/]
Two friends, Randall and Jerome, venture through the industrial landscape of Brooklyn to retrieve a broken down car. Making an unexpected stop, Randall, in debt to an unstable crime boss, draws Jerome into his life of corruption and deceit.
14:20 min., USA
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK C

Vlogger
Directed by  Tyler Rubenfeld
Brian is an avid follower of the video blog of struggling actress Gina. When, by sheer chance, Gina moves in next door, he gains access to the life she leads offline, through faraway glances and overheard conversations. He becomes so invested in her life, both online and off, that the true nature of their relationship is put into question.
27 min., USA
Sunday 04/07 BLOCK I

The Walkers
Directed by Yuta Kanai 
Depicting the intersecting lives of people on the streets of Boston, the film tries to capture the fleeting and unexpected moments of connection between random pedestrians who walk in and out of the camera’s frame.  Even though there seem to be moments of connection, the opportunities for the lives of these strangers to fully intersect are rejected. The moments for genuine interaction are ultimately lost.
3:12 min., USA, NYC Premiere.  
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK A

We Have a Fine Home
Directed by Joseph Hennessy [JOSEPHHENNESSY.NET]
A housewife performs her daily chores, cooks her family’s dinner and goes about her quiet existence.  But she becomes suspicious of her teenage son’s sexuality and eventually discovers another boy in his bed.  Once her suspicions are confirmed, the mother struggles with her own reaction to her son’s being gay.
8 min., USA, NYC Premiere
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK A

While It’s Hot
Directed by J.E. Park [http://j-e-park.tumblr.com]
The traditional home-video technique is used to capture the dynamics between family members of a Korean-American household.  As we weave around to each room of the house and encounter each member of the family, a question looms over the dinner table: Will Father be joining us?  This display of traditionalist values decelerates the tendency to jump to conclusions and the question of what is and is not normal is raised.
8:12 min., South Korea/USA
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK A

#whilewewatch
Directed by Kevin Breslin [http://www.whilewewatch.com/]
“#whilewewatch#”  is the gripping portrait of the #OccupyWallSt media revolution. We profile the #OWS media team, who had no fear of a critical city government, big corporations, hostile police, or a lagging main stream media.  Fueled by little money, they relied on Twitter, texting, Wi-Fi, posters, Tumblr, live streams, YouTube, Facebook, dramatic marches, drumbeats and chants. In doing so, they ushered in a radiant new dawn of social media.
38 min., USA
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK C

Wipe Out
Directed by Lilian Mehrel
A dark comedy about nuclear (and other strangely attractive) threats hanging over an Israeli couple. A bad-news-bearing friend drops in (what are friends for?) and by the time he leaves, Ahmadinejad is dancing, Yoav is doubting, and the ceiling is dripping. When will peace come?
9:41 min., USA, Festival Premiere
SATURDAY 04/06 BLOCK E

The World Outside
Directed by Zachary Kerschberg [www.windmillsandgiants.com]
A parolee backs himself into a corner one lie at a time until he risks either losing his job or going back to prison.
10:43 min., USA
FRIDAY 04/05 BLOCK B

You Are Dreaming
Directed by Moca Chen
A successful photographer, who’s found fame depicting scenes from her dreams, finds herself suffering from insomnia. Struggling for inspiration, she stumbles into a new world in her dreams that infuses fresh energy into her work. Her happiness is short lived as shadowy and frightening images start to haunt her waking hours.
19:13 min., USA, World Premiere
SATURDAY 04/06 BLOCK D

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