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contact info@kentfilmfestival.org
Thursday Night Opening
DoughBoys
filmmaker: Louis Lombardi
in category: Drama/Feature
running time: 79:51
Doughboys is a slice of life drama that serves up the story of Lou (Louis Lombardi) and Frank Conti (Gaetano Iacono), two Bronx brothers running the family
bakery. Passed down to them from their father (Vincent Pastore), the brothers have the responsibility of preserving the pride of Conti's famous reputation. When situations in their personal lives threaten to destroy what generations of Conti's have developed, the boys must learn to appreciate the shops legacy and the true value of family.
Q & A to follow with Louis Lombardi.
Friday Night Film with a Retrospective of Shirley Knight
The Other Side of the Tracks
filmmaker: A.D. Calvo
in category: Narrative/Feature
running time: 105:00
Ten years after a tragic train accident killed his girlfriend, Josh finds himself haunted by disturbing visions from somewhere between the world of the living and the dead. His buddy, back in town for their high school reunion, tries to wake Josh from his painful past, but a mysterious young waitress offers a seductive alternative.
Q & A to follow with Shirley.
Saturday Night Breakaway Hit
starring Heather Locklear, Jill Hennessy, Orson Bean and Tom Arnold
Oranges
filmmaker: Joseph Merhi
in category: Drama/Feature
running time: 86:00
Five separate families tell their different stories as they go through their daily lives. Each family has a 10 year old son on the same soccer team, but off the field, they must cope with their own issues.
The Oranges will be playing throughout the weekend. Check the schedule
Absolute Zero
filmmaker: Alan Woodruff
in category: Documentary/Short
running time: 27:13
An account of the grim and ironic death by freezing of a man trapped inside a refrigerated meat wagon, told using a combination of archival and imagined material to speculate on the man's final hours.
Al-Baghdadi
filmmaker: Maythem Ridha
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 9:58
Having fled Iraq, 9-year-old Ali arrives in Britain. Isolated, he builds a plane from objects discarded by the locals and makes a special friend along the way. A visually driven lyrical tale that explores loss, the sweetness of hope and the realization of dreams.
Alan & Suja
filmmaker: Todd Tinkham
in category: Comedy/Short
running time: 10:39
When hometown boy, Alan, meets exotic girl, Suja, the romantic sparks
fly. But can Alan muster the courage to ask Suja out? And will Suja
ever fall for such a small-town guy? Join Alan and Suja on a weekend
full of romantic blunders and blundering romance.
All Along
filmmaker: Robert Masciantonio
in category: Comedy/Feature
running time: 75:00
Richard Harrison has a wife,
job, and two teenagers. While every midlife working stiff descends into daydreams in order to escape mundane reality, Richard doesn't merely scratch the surface of his fantasies, he physically enters them for moments at a time, until he's forced to snap back into reality with humorous results. Whether living a dream as a professional wrestler, rock star, or ladies man, Richard finds that he's made a fool of himself in reality. Sara, a psychologist, helps Richard trace the source of his problems which began when he has memories of his first love from high school. One commonality that exists within his fantasies is the appearance of a blonde-haired beauty who could hold the key that unlocks the mysteries of midlife.
An Innocent Lesson
filmmaker: Craig Geraghty
in category: Comedy/Short
running time: 6:53
In Queens, NY, Friday night is pizza night, especially at the Capelli house. When young Anthony is caught changing a grade on his spelling test, his punishment is no longer being allowed to get the pizza with his Dad. While overhearing his parents talk about the hardship of his Catholic school education, Anthony decides to do his part and learn his lesson. It's in the end that Anthony is the one who teaches his father a lesson.
Arizona Seaside
filmmaker: J. Pil Pilegaard
in category: Comedy/Feature
running time: 98:45
A Kasakhstan factory worker with Nashville dreams is duped by a wannabe pimp and oddball gangster. Through a comedy of errors, she crosses paths with a sweet con-man moonlighting as a Robin Hood of stray animals. Both on the run from gangsters they end up at Arizona Seaside, a rundown motel in the middle of nowhere. Their short but very eventful stay has some unexpected consequences.
At the Wall
filmmaker: Warren Bass
in category: Documentary/Short
running time: 33:00
At the Wall is a 'people's history' of the protesters who struggled against racial injustice and clashed daily with the Philadelphia police force in an important milestone of the American civil rights movement.
Attack of the Nostalgia Monsters
filmmaker: Simon Melzer
in category: Documentary/Short
running time: 21:00
Every Halloween weekend thousands of freaks, goths and other assorted monsters converge on northern New Jersey for the annual Chiller Theatre Sci-fi horror convention prowling for stars and collectibles of a bygone era. We invaded the convention on it's 15th anniversary interviewing as many stars as would talk to us including Betsy Palmer who starred in the original “Friday the 13th” telling us why she took the role. Lydia Cornell from TV's “Too Close for Comfort”, talked about her horror film in the Greek Isles. We also spoke to George A. Romero director of “Night of the Living Dead”, Robert Culp from “I-Spy” fame, Noel Neill, Lois Lane from “Superman”, Zacherley and many more in this entertaining horror documentary.
Audition
filmmaker: Sam Holdren
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 20:25
Life may lead anywhere once you choose to see the signs in this absurd character study of a man who travels to the big city to audition for a movie.
Autism in Our World
Filmmaker: Alexa DiCambio
in category: Student Documentary/Short
running time: 21:00
“Autism in our World” raises awareness of a developmental disorder that affects the brain's functioning. Featuring an autistic child, the journey into Cole Horne's world allows us to experience first-hand and how the daily challenges become a way of life for him and his family.
The Beatnicks
filmmaker: Nicholson Williams
in category: Drama/Feature
running time: 96:09
A poet and a musician looking for a gig find a magic box that leads them on an adventure of a lifetime. Nick Nero is taught a lesson in love by his muse Nica and Nick Beat meets Hank, a guru who guides him to clarity. After reaching rock bottom, the nicks come back with the box to perform a gig of a lifetime and return the box to the source.
Adult.
Betrothed
filmmaker: Emily Sheskin
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 17:43
What happens after you say
Yes to the marriage proposal? For Madeline, a woman who has poured time and love into her work life, saying yes to a personal life seems to be harder than she could imagine. While she loves her boyfriend, she worries that the expectations her fiance has for her are not what she wants. Betrothed takes a good look at the modern day woman in the modern day relationship and asks are we worrying for nothing? Are our parent's ideals engrained in the back of our minds? As a woman, can you have the career and the home life without sacrificing something? Told through animation and live action, Betrothed takes us into our own heads, along with Madeline's.
Beyond the Call
filmmaker: Adrian Belic
in category: Documentary/Feature
running time: 82:00
In a Mother Teresa meets Indiana Jones 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 in some of the most dangerous yet beautiful places on Earth, the front lines of war.
Blooming Under Stress
filmmaker: Pamela Deaver
in category: Documentary/Short
running time: 18:00
Judy Griffin, suffering from Crohn´s disease, found help in an unexpected source, the plant kingdom. Soon, she helped her twins immune deficiencies and youngest son´s hearing loss through the healing effect of flowers. For over 27 years, Dr. Griffin has safely and effectively helped people with chronic and terminal illnesses using her healing flowers.
Blue Hole
filmmaker: Neel Scott
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 19:00
Four teenagers on the verge of adulthood wander into the woods on a summer afternoon and uncover a mystery that has been hidden for many years. Along the way, they are forced to examine their own lives and what they intend to do with them, as well as face the realities of death, and the impressions that one leaves behind.
Bring Me Joy
filmmaker: Debbie Howard
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 9:45
Sophie White sees a beautiful white sofa in a shop window, which promises to bring her all happiness she craves. She tries to create her fantasy, with hilariously disastrous results, as she realizes nothing ever lives up to expectations. Feeling utterly let down and betrayed she does what any decent woman driven completely over the edge would do. But has she learned her lesson?
BSI
filmmakers: Sean Dunne/Harry Prichett
in category: Comedy Spoof/Short
running time: 22:00
In a city where there is little crime, there is an elite unit of investigators. They are relentless, obsessive, inept. They discover crimes, where crimes don´t exist. Captain Dag Stevens, along with Detectives Blake Steele, Ginnie Ross and Danny Shu are on a mission; to rid the town of Brownsboro of crime. A monumental task considering there is no crime in Brownsboro, where reality has a new name: BSI.
Boxed In
filmmaker: Joy E. Reed
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 9:19
When Mom calls Kate for help with the computer, she learns more then she bargained for!
Building
filmmaker: Duffy Franco
in category: Documentary/Short
running time: 2:58
Life moves to fast for us to truly notice. Making this film forced me to look at something I would have otherwise ignored. Making this film forced me to see. The details of the meaningless and mundane became integral, important. Around me my world changes. I watched until I changed.
C.B. the Dog
filmmaker: Sal Lilienthal
in category: Documentary/Short
running time: 2:30
Fun and entertaining video submission for Trump Apprentice Show. Filmed in Kent, CT.
Calling it Quits
filmmaker: Anthony Tarsitano
in category: Drama/Feature
running time: 82:00
Are you happy? Like many people, Dante Miestone (Dennis Boutsikaris), a successful Ad Exec, is not. Driven by his discontent, Dante sets off on a modern day quest of his elusive happiness. Aided by his long-time friend Jake (Robert Clohessy) and Cynthia (Jessica Hecht), a spiritual guide, Dante experiences a series of both humorus and painful circumstances, until finally arriving at an answer that surprises even him.
Q& A to follow
Chasing Pussycat
filmmaker: Costas Koromilas
in category: Student Comedy/Short
running time: 16:00
Tom and Steve, the common sense-impaired duo, has one last chance to keep their jobs as transporters for a pet locator service. Join these two loveable losers on one of their many hilarious misadventures.
Child of Hope: Darfur Dreams of Peace
filmmaker: Tim Salem
in category: Documentary/Short
running time: 8:00
In the Darfur region of Sudan the first genocide of the 21st century has unfolded while an apathetic world watches. Trapped in the center of murder and mayhem for five long years are innocent children. “Child of Hope: Darfur Dreams of Peace” seeks to encapsulate the genocide through the eyes of one brave child. Actress/Activist Mia Farrow has lent exclusive photography from her visits to the region to support this film. It is our collective hope that individuals who view this work will aid us in the struggle to turn apathy in empathy and compassion for mankind.
Cornelius
filmmaker: Giovanny Blanco
in category: Narrative/Feature
running time: 81:00
The movie is a sweet, character-driven comedic drama about a father who has suffered a nervous breakdown and is now trying to reconnect with his estranged son, while simultaneously attempting to navigate what has become for him a strange and unfamiliar world.
Crisp
filmmaker: Ted Ryan
in category: Student Dramedy/Short
running time: 7:54
A young girl deals with the trials and tribulations of adolescent life.
Dark Side of the Sole
filmmaker: Jonathan Weirich
in category: Alternative/Short
running time: 16:20
Adrift in New York City, a disconnected catering captain embarks on a dangerous and mesmerizing odyssey through the Manhattan restaurant world to 'drop the check' on a renegade chef named Krapes, who has succumbed to the horrors of kitchen work and barricaded himself in a remote outpost inside of Brooklyn.
Direct Mail
filmmaker: Paulo Costa
in category: Dramedy/Short
running time: 11:30
A story of a man that is confronted with a chance of change his life....
Double Talk
Filmmaker: Julien Ezri
in category: Comedy/Short
running time: 4:59
An interesting seduction scene in a restaurant.
eDump
filmmaker: Michael Zhao
in category: Documentary/Short
running time: 20:30
Less than a handful of people wonder where their retired cell phones or laptops end up. And many will be startled when they find their junk electronic devices are mostly likely going to be dumped into poor countries hurting workers health and polluting the rivers and air in communities in third world countries. This film is a wake-up call to educate the public about the 'second life' of our beloved gadgets and why we need to be aware of this still growing problem.
First Memories
filmmaker: Soo Hee Han
in category: Animation/Short
running time: 4:15
A baby who has been in a baby carriage drops a baby bottle on the street. The bottle opens and milk spreads out on the ground. At that point a woman running from the opposite direction steps on the spread-milk. Suddenly she falls into it. She is thrown into confusion after she has come into the other space...
Frames
filmmakers: Morrow Jones
Gabe Harden/Dana Cardwell
in category: Student Drama/Short
running time: 15:00
A man in the middle of life revisits the scene of powerful childhood memories.
Getting Out
filmmaker: Ian Topple
in category: Animation/Short
running time: 5:03
Two soldiers are looking for survivors in a small town in a post opacolyptic world. After finding noone, they decided to leave. Unfortantely, their environment won't let them.
Henry May Long
filmmaker: Randall Sharp
in category: Narrative/Feature
running time: 99:00
Henry May is the golden child of a prominent family in 1887 NY. Henry Long is a resourceful entrepreneur. Their chance meeting at the end of May's self-destruction and the beginning of Long's terminal illness irrevocably changes their lives.
Hollywood Jerome
filmmaker: Frey Hoffman
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 10:30
Told in a lyrical multi-textured fashion built on a narrative poem, Hollywood Jerome is the story of a 14-year old who is enthralled and bamboozled by pop-culture depictions of gang culture. When he finds himself the focus of a police standoff he must decide which are stronger, his fantasies or his dreams.
Language.
Horsepower
filmmaker: Joel Moffett
in category: Dramedy/Short
running time: 17:30
Horsepower is the story of Murray Meadows, a middle aged closeted man who hides from his life as a straight-laced professional automobile critic by immersing himself in internet pornography. This works for Murray until Harold, his eccentric gay boss, tries to help. In rejecting Harold´s advances, Murray triggers a bizarre breakdown in his life and in his precious automobile. In the end, when all is lost, Murray discovers help from an unlikely source.
Adult.
I Heard the Mermaid's Singing
filmmaker: Victoria Charters
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 24:59
A classic & lyrical love-tale with a bitter-sweet twist, I Heard the Mermaid's Singing is a short-film adaptation of a play written by legendary acting coach & casting director Michael Shurtleff who passed away January 28, 2007. I Heard the Mermaid's Singing is an homage to him and his teachings which live on in our hearts & minds.
Nudity.
In Search of Death
filmmaker: Christopher Jarvis
in category: Student Narrative/Short
running time: 12:30
Three inebriated locals become upset at the recurring news that a mysterious man named Death has been taking the lives of people in their town. The men resolve to hunt and kill Death. During their search, they happen upon an elderly man who gives them directions to find Death under a particular oak tree. In locating the tree, their quest turns brutal, as base emotions overcome good intentions. In Search of Death is a period drama partially produced in silent film style and is based on “The Pardoner's Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer.
Jakob and the Angels
filmmaker: Ron Lehmann
in category: Comedy/Short
running time: 13:22
A man who prizes his solitude hires a team of thug-like exterminators to expel a flock of noisy angels from his attic. Amidst the ensuing mini-Armageddon, he begins to regret exterminating his only companionship.
jeffrey
filmmaker: Michael Neithardt
in category: Drama/Short
running time: 14:26
As he does every weekday morning, Jeffrey Miller awakens to get ready for work. His routine is calculated and peculiar. Everything needs to be done in a particular way including leaving the apartment on the moment of an exact new hour. Unfortunately, this morning is not going quite as planned, as he is unable to leave at the self-mandated time. He must repeat his morning ritual until it is completed correctly in order to calm the inner demon he possesses. The situation escalates, as repeatedly he cannot comply with his own rule, leaving him increasingly off mark with each passing attempt. An interrupted routine, which at first seems amusing, suddenly reveals the sad darkness that lies in the troubled mind of Jeffrey Miller.
“LEON”!
filmmaker: Jon Reiling
in category: Musical/Short
running time: 5:43
A man begins to suspect a musical is secretly taking place around him.
Lesson in Humility
filmmaker: Thomas Zinsli
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 16:57
David Markovitz is a successful bank executive. He is a workaholic and proud of his achievements. But one day he is suddenly being fired. He desperately tries to find a new job and decides not to tell his wife what has happened. Deprived of his dignity, he at least tries to keep his face before of his family. During the following weeks, David leaves his house every morning pretending to go to work. But it turns out that companies don't want to hire an ���old man���. In his frustration he starts unprovoked arguments with his wife. Will David be able to save his marriage and overcome his humiliation; will he be able to rethink his priorities?
Loose Ends
filmmaker: Rachel Gordon
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 11:00
Men aren't the only ones afraid to commit. 'Loose Ends' is a comedic look at the private fears of Jasmine, over 30 and newly single. When Jasmine's credit card is rejected during a date, she learns she's been the victim of identity theft. Suspecting her ex-boyfriend might be involved, she pays him a visit. Their confrontation shows her more about what she wants than what she's lost.
Lost and Found
filmmaker: Todd Tinkham
in category: Drama/Short
running time: 15:45
When a freelance writer begins uncovering the events behind her creative block, complications arise.
Love & Lost
filmmaker: Paul Robinson
in category: Drama/Short
running time: 15:17
When a young couple is forced to question their love for each other, their future together becomes threatened by the ghosts of their past. While Brian is ready to take the next step, Julie is tempted by a lost love, will their relationship survive or will their paths lead them further apart?
Luggage
filmmaker: Veronique N. Doumbe
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 5:00
Sade returns to Africa for a visit. Everyone is waiting for her and the gifts she is bringing along but post-9/11 airport security comes in her way....
Maine Story
filmmaker: Nina Chernik
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 24:00
'Maine Story' tells the tale of Shelly, a small town woman working in the local factory and going through the motions as if her life hasn't yet started. When Alex, her high school sweetheart comes back to town, Shelly is forced to confront the things in her life that she's been avoiding, including Kyle, her 12-year-old son.
Me Am I
filmmaker: Bar Kastershtain Mizne
in category: Experimental/Short
running time: 9:41
A visual poem explores the gap between ME and I, displayed on two screens facing each other, interacting with one another and with the viewers between them.
Moroccan Spirit
filmmaker: Jonathan Doster
in category: Music Video
running time: 19:30
Photo-cinematic impressions of Morocco's landscape, people and Islamic culture choreographed to the atmospheric soundtrack entitled Moroccan Spirit. Featured is a camel-camera perspective of ethereal imagery floating across 1,000 foot dunes, windswept textured patterns and exotic nomads of the Sahara.
Music is Fun for Everyone
filmmaker: Eva Honegger
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 5:43
“Music is Fun for Everyone” is a drama about eight year old Kevin, who discovers his passion for playing the piano.
Naked Branches
Filmmaker: Will Kim
in category: Animation/Short
running time: 4:43
Emptiness is what the snake leaves behind after he accomplishes his wants from the peacock couple in this film, 'Naked Branches.' The filmmaker Will Kim uses watercolor to explore his one hope that's vanished into air.
Nightlife
filmmaker: Nic Beery
in category: Drama/Short
running time: 11:32
���Nightlife��� is a day in the life of a woman who doesn't know where to find love. We begin just as she has run out of gas and must walk to the nearest station. Things go from bad to worse and we discover more about how Medea got into this situation.
Nikki
filmmaker: Michael Knowles
in category: Documentary/Feature
running time: 69:00
Nikki Matros, a twelve-year-old girl, suffers with the most physically debilitating autism spectrum disorder, Rett Syndrome. She is unable to communicate conventionally, yet her courage, strength, presence, and smile captured filmmaker Michael Knowles's heart and mind and inspired him to go on a journey to understand what was going on inside of her. This documentary is the result of that endeavor. Rett Syndrome isn't well understood, and this lack of understanding can cause people to shy away from girls who have it. This documentary brings awareness to this disease, but also, through allowing the audience to get to know Nikki, helps them realize that knowing a Rett girl can brighten their lives.
Q & A to follow.
One Night
filmmaker: Michael Knowles
in category: Drama/Feature
running time: 98:00
Fifteen New Yorkers go into a Friday night unaware of the fact that their lives are about to change. As the night unfolds, the characters all convene at the same music venue, and their lives intersect in ways both humorous and poignant. One Night is both tragic and hopeful -- it shows how alone and unaware of other people we can be, yet also demonstrates the joy that can happen when we truly open ourselves up to others.
Adult. Q & A to follow.
Out of Service
filmmaker: David Heiman
in category: Drama/Short
running time: 7:15
A wheelchair-bound paraplegic struggles to find a way upstairs to his apartment when the elevator in his building breaks down.
Oyster
filmmaker: Treva Wurmfeld
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 10:00
'Oyster' is a parable about origins and authenticity. When a book falls from the sky, striking a young hipster in the head, the fashionable extinction of oysters and hipsters become inexplicably intertwined. This film is a short journey from city to shore, retracing the path of the Blue Point Oyster on it's historic journey from the Great South Bay to New York City's dining plates. When a cynical hipster (Andrea Merkx) is struck in the head by a falling book, she becomes magically awakened to the plight of the oyster. Upon discovering that 'Local Blue Points' were nearly driven to the brink of extinction by farming, our enlightened hipster joins forces with a local waiter on a journey to discover the truth.
Parallel Passage
filmmaker: Mandi Rggi
in category: Thriller/Short
running time: 15:00
A young woman scorned by a broken heart spirals into the depths of her subconscious mind and is channeled into the ghostly world of a killer.
Adult/Nudity.
Raccoon and Crawfish
filmmaker: Terrance Frederick
in category: Animation/Short
running time: 7:30
An animation based on an Oneida Indian legend. A hungry raccoon searches for food and finds a crawfish on a quest for glory. Their battle will decide the fate between an ego full of pride or a belly full of food.
Radio Cape Cod
filmmaker: Andrew Silver
in category: Narrative/Feature
running time: 71:40
Radio Cape Cod is a beautiful quartet of love stories set in Cape Cod. The theme is “ may it happen for you” .
Reflections
Filmmaker: Michael Maper
in category: Student Drama/Short
running time: 10:45
A young man flees the IRA. After a night on the run, Eddie Drannin finds himself on the farm of Aggie and Luther. While skeptical, the family brings the young man into the house. Here they find out how much they have in common.
Refuge
Filmmaker: Chris Cassella
in category: Dramedy/Short
running time: 22:23
Have you ever felt like you're being watched? Well Jakob Lyons thinks he is. The big question isn't by who or why but is it real?
Rising Sun
filmmaker: Hakki Subentekin
in category: Drama/Short
running time: 28:32
Matilda believes in Miracles but only sometimes.After she finds herself on the streets in New York she becomes friends with Mike who always helps her and works in a restaurant. Rising Sun is a story of Matilda and Mike who keep mysterious and secrets in their lives when they are faced with their pasts.
Running in Place
filmmaker: Michael Field
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 13:00
Alex learns that life is a struggle filled with dreams, lost potential, and false hope. Yet all that is nothing in comparison to one´s own fear of trying.
Santa's Camels
filmmaker: Rachel Kent
in category: Kid´s Animation/Short
running time: 6:00
“Santa's Camels” is the first in a series of 3D animated cartoons intended to delight and amuse people of all ages. Caught in a desert sandstorm, Santa must enlist the aid of the camels to deliver toys to the children of the Middle East. “Santa's Camels” is a non-religious holiday tale of cross cultural cooperation and is sure to be an instant classic!
Saviours
filmmaker: Ross Whitaker, Liam Nolan
in category: Documentary
running time: 78:00
Passionately filmed for two years with a zero budget, SAVIOURS is the moving debut feature film by Ross Whitaker and Liam Nolan. This observational documentary is the rough and tumble, riveting and often humorous real-life story of three young boxers from the same inner-city Dublin boxing club. SAVIOURS paints a vividly observational picture of inner-city Irish life.
Sea
filmmaker: Max Kutner
in category: Student Narrative/Short
running time: 15:35
Sea is the story of one family's struggle to communicate. Jakob comes across a Chinese poem that reminds him of happy memories. He feels that this poem can be the tool to reconnect his family.
Sheep´s Clothing
filmmaker: Douglas Wilson
in category: Suspense/Feature
running time: 72:00
Mick Sikes is a detective with a dark addiction and even darker past on the trail of a twisted serial killer.
Violence/Language.
Shoe Culture
filmmaker: Gavin Shapiro
in category: Documentary/Short
running time: 4:00
A short documentary that looks at the underground culture of rare, artistic shoes.
"So Long"
filmmaker: SPC Brandon Bley
in category: Student/Narrative/Short
running time: 11:46
What would you do with an empty apartment, an ocean of alcohol, and one night of freedom left before shipping off to the most dangerous place on earth?
Stanley and Michalina Oskwarek: Love Never Fails
filmmaker: Joshua Oskwarek
in category: Documentary
running time: 38:00
Growing up in Poland during the 1930's was idyllic. It was simple farm life where neighbors daily helped one another. Life was filled with hopes and dreams. But when the Nazi's invaded Poland in 1939, life turned into a living nightmare. This is the story of long time Kent residents, Stanley and Michalina Oskwarek's courageous struggle to survive and how their love for each other triumphed over evil yielding a rich and fulfilling life.
Sublet
filmmaker: Georgiana Nestor
in category: Narrative/Feature
running time: 80:00
WALTER is lonely. He is 71 and has no friends. Every morning he goes through the same monotonous routine, until today when his phone rings. Someone asks him about 'the apartment', it's a wrong number, someone was looking for a sublet. But it gives him an idea... ? a fake ad.
Sympathetic Details
filmmaker: Benjamin Busch
in category: Narrative/Feature
running time: 57:24
A tragic accident causes a conflicted assassin to reevaluate his morality. As a result, his defiance of protocol forces the hand of his unforgiving employer and places himself and those closest to him in extreme danger.
Language/violence.
Target:Audience
filmmaker: Christopher Todd
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 19:19
John Stone had a career, a bright future, and a loving family, but after a desperate act of self-defense, it all changed. Ashamed and afraid for those around him, he ran away to a nonviolent existence - alone in his guilt. This was john Stone's penance. Unbeknownst to him, his life is about to take another unexpected turn.
The Airshow
filmmaker: Chris Chi
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 16:11
A mood piece in the style of 1960s European, a young boy takes us through two days of his experience at a dilapidated camp. As parallels evolve between the boy and the old bulldog counselor, his feelings and relationship with the only girl at the camp becomes more and more buried and suppressed. Against the hot expanse of the camp is the airshow. We see that this freeing event is always in the background but never quite reachable for the counselor or the main character.
The Doctor
Filmmaker: Gregory Pellerito
in category: Comedy/Short
running time: 15:44
Sore throat? Fever? Ankle sprain? Nothing the ´good doctor´ can't handle. There's no ailment he won't get his hands deep inside; and he'll cure you the best way he knows how.
Adult.
The Edison Tapes
Filmmaker: Davis Voda
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 11:00
Cinema history repeats itself with these ironic take-offs on Edison´s "Black Maria" studio shorts.
The Entrepreneurs
filmmaker: John Balis, Chip Leonard
in category: Narrative/Feature
running time: 82:00
The Entrepreneurs is a modern day drama/comedy about a young entrepreneur who is dumped by his fiancé because she thinks he’s a loser. In a last ditch effort to win her back, our entrepreneur stumbles on to a get-rich-quick scheme. The entrepreneur and his posse, living on the fringe of success, continue to cling to incredible fantasies as they slide further into oblivion. Finally, with one foot literally on a grave, our hero discovers a mystical key to success and the challenge of his short life.
Q & A to follow.
The Garage
Filmmaker: Carl Thibault
in category: Narrative/Feature
running time: 93:40
A mechanic at his father's garage during the late seventies, Matt dreams about leaving his small town existence and pursuing
grander ambitions. But strong feelings for a new girlfriend and deep family bond's may prevent Matt's ultimate escape, despite pressure from best friend Schultz to take off immediately. 'The Garage' offers much more than the average coming-of-age story, adding a poignant sense of reality to life in a small town and the bonds that form there.
The Last Train to Pittsfield
filmmaker: Thomas Barry/John Mullen
in category: Documentary/Short
running time: 29:45
"A man crazy enough to ride last trains...and sane enough to want them back". A mesmerizing documentary blend of fact and whimsey. This is the first showing in 30 years. This film is local first, universal second.
The Offering
filmmaker: Paul Lee
in category: Shorts
running time: 10:00
'The Offering' is an elegiac meditation about the passing of life, told through the story of love and friendship between a Japanese monk and the novice who came into his life, from their initial encounter to their final parting.
The Other Side of the Tracks
filmmaker: A.D. Calvo
in category: Narrative/Feature
running time: 105:00
Ten years after a tragic train accident killed his girlfriend, Josh finds himself haunted by disturbing visions from somewhere between the world of the living and the dead. His buddy, back in town for their high school reunion, tries to wake Josh from his painful past, but a mysterious young waitress offers a seductive alternative.
The Special #2
filmmaker: J.R. Dziengel
in category: Narrative/Short
running time: 15:30
Recovering addicts, Bob and T, grab a bite after a meeting. Through the course of the evening they reveal their truths, insecurities and priorities while trying to behave for their waitress. Discovering a friendship, they realize they must work on themselves today so they can enjoy the possibilities of life's journey.
This Bus, Every Day
filmmaker: Todd Tinkham
in category: Experimental/Short
running time: 4:19
I ride this bus every day. And every day, I think about my life. My
family. My parents. Childhood.
Two Angry Moms
filmmaker: Amy Kalafa
in category: Documentary/Feature
running time: 86:08
A documentary film that asks the question: What happens when two fed-up moms try to change school food? While Susan speaks out in Washington and organizes parents in her district, Amy crosses the country in search of solutions to the many obstacles in their path.
Two Brothers Fall or Don't Leave Me
filmmakers: Brent Morton,
Tom Morton, Tim Breese
in category: Drama/Short
running time: 1:31
The harsh reality of war, no one wins, everyone loses.
Upstate
filmmaker: Jared M. Gordon
in category: Narrative/Feature
running time: 59:00
Prepare for a trip like no other! When a green-cloaked ghost appears in the woods down the road from level-headed Josh, new age nymphomaniac Cassie, and hapless, bumbling Mitch, they decide to investigate. But when Cassie discovers that singing sensation Wanda Gallagher has moved into their quiet town in an effort to lay low during a sabbatical, it's clear that their sleepy suburb will never be the same! Is it possible to reclaim lost virginity? What can you do with a guitar other then play music? Who keeps leaving monumental "surprises" in Cassie's toilet? Hop in the car. Bring sandwiches. Take a ride.
Vaccine Nation
filmmaker: Gary Null
in category: Documentary/Feature
running time: 140:00
For most people, vaccinating themselves and their children seems like a good idea. Vaccines are safe, effective and are supposed to protect us against dangerous infectious diseases - right? WRONG! What you don't know can harm you or kill you!
Vitruvius' Toybox
filmmaker: Dennis Iannuzzi
in category: Animation/Short
running time: 6:03
Experimental animation that explores the relationship between motion graphic techniques, electronic music, typography and the use of traditional graphic design ideas as a way of visually organizing an animated film.
What Are We Doing To Our Children and Our Planet?
filmmaker: Judy Apicella
in category: Documentary
running time: 60:00
Why do so many of our children have severe food allergies, asthma, eczema and behavior problems? We are filling our world with toxins, from exhaust fumes to mercury in our fish, chemicals in our cleaning products and pollution all around us. But what do we do to our childrens bodies when we introduce so many vaccines into their bloodstream? And what are we doing when we treat them with so many antibiotics and other medications to relieve symptoms? In "Shoot ´em Up", Judy´s first filmshe asked the experts to educate us on vaccines and there association with cronic diseases. Now she digs deeper.
What I See When I Close My Eyes
filmmaker: Leslie Hope
in category: Documentary/Short
running time: 29:32
This short documentary looks at how several of Phnom Penh's 20,000 street kids are being helped by Mith Samlanh FRIENDS INTERNATIONAL. The children's stories range from the simple wish of a young girl to have enough soap, to the bold dream of a teenage boy to help drug addicts kick their habit and find work. Much of the film is told through the life-sized self portraits the children draw of themselves-an art project inspired by the film's title: WHAT I SEE WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES.
Writing a Life
filmmaker: Frank Cantor
in category: Documentary/Feature
running time: 64:00
Award winning Puerta Rican writer Esmeralda Santiago’s life explored in this fascinating documentary.
ZAFA
filmmaker: Gabe Napolean/Jacob Johannesen
in category: Student Narrative/Short
running time: 7:11
“ZAFA” is a day in the lives of two regular young adults. The two are taken in by a mysterious man wearing a suit who claims to possess something vital to their lives. The following day, the two meet up at the destined location and begin to fight over the item.
24 Frames
filmmaker: Brad Pattulio
in category: Animation/Short
running time: 18:12
24 Frames is a stop-motion animated black comedy mockumentary about a stop motion animated film production at an art college in the southern U.S. The crew, which consists mainly of ambitious animation students, aspires to adapt a children's book into an animated film to impress the school's president, who also happens to be the director's mother-in-law. Incompetence, artistic differences, and a series of grisly mishaps soon cause the production to spiral out of control as the would be filmmakers struggle to finish the project.
Language.