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Another Blue Day
In this droll and affecting modern life tale, a chance encounter leads to a life-changing experience when two strangers – each preoccupied by life’s big questions – meet. (Denmark, 2001, 16 min. Directed by Anne Heeno.)
The Collector of Bedford Street
Meet Larry, a very unusual community activist. Greenwich Village denizen Larry Selman is truly one of life’s unsung heroes. His remarkable story is told in a deeply moving, funny, and truthful way by filmmaker Alice Elliot who is part of a generous community of neighbors who come together to bind themselves permanently to Larry’s life. (USA, 2001, 36 min. Directed by Alice Elliot.)
Cowhide
Emotional and rebellious, twenty-year old Claudine‘s only friends are the cows she milks every day and Paolo, a curiously fascinating next door neighbor of sorts. This farm girl dreams of a different life and she just may get it in this delightfully quirky coming of age story. (France, 2001, 22 min. Directed by Gérald Hustache Mathieu.)
Gregor’s Greatest Invention
With Granny’s legs worsening by the day, her meddling girlfriends scheme to install her in an old-age home. But when her beloved grandson Gregor seeks a way to keep Granny independent, life takes a comically inventive turn. (Germany, 2001, 11 min. Directed by Johannes Kiefer.)
Living with Happiness
Being happy means knowing you are happy. Knowing you’re happy means knowing your happiness could be snatched away…which keeps you up at night…which means you’re not really happy… A lushly animated imagining about the things that keep us awake at night. (Australia, 2001, 6 min. Directed by Sarah Watt.)
Lucy Tsak Tsak
Scene 1, Take 1, and – ACTION! The true story of Lucy’s incredible 30-year career. Always on film, but never in the movies. (Bulgaria, 2001, 3 min. Directed by Andrey Paounov.)
Palindrome
In just one day a man loses everything – his job, his home, his possessions. A straight-forward story you may think, but this one is told with a dazzling, adrenaline twist. (Brazil, 2001, 11 min. Directed by Philippe Barcinski.)
The Voice Within: A Profile of Ray Adams
For over 25 years local composer and conductor Ray Vincent Adams has filled this valley with music. In his wonderful profile, Mark Harvey offers an intimate glimpse into the maestro’s artistic process and the bounty of his passion – a community of beautiful voices and appreciative audiences. Top winner of Shortsfest’s inaugural Local Filmmakers Category: Bringing Heroes to Life. (USA, 2002, 10 min. Directed by Mark Harvey.)
A Dios
Aided by a clever prop, a Colombian boy invites us into his world. A deceptively simple and engaging film within a film. (France, 2001, 5 min. Directed by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire.)
Afterwards
From the director of The Gate (SF01) comes this delicately drawn and poetic micro-profile of Lotte Weis, alone among her whole family to survive Auschwitz, and her long journey to personal peace and understanding. (Australia, 2001, 7 min. Directed by Peter Carstairs.)
Bintou
Why does a girl need to go to school? That’s the question that sets village tongues wagging in this lively African drama about one woman’s determination to educate her daughter, no matter what the cost. When Bintou’s husband refuses to pay tuition, this mother of three turns entrepreneurial, upsetting some sacrosanct millet carts – including traditional expectations of wives and mothers – along the way. (France/Zimbabwe/Burkino Faso, 2001, 31 min. Directed by Fanta Régina Nacro.)
Crow Stone
From breakfast cereal to mid-day ramble to evening toast and tea, Aaron and his hectoring little brother Craig stitch a normal childhood day across the freshly torn fabric of their family’s life. (England, 2001, 13 min. Directed by Alicia Duffy.)
The Hawker
On a sleepy byway in rural Greece, Vassiliki spends her days at her rundown roadside taverna, patiently waiting for customers. One day a persuasive traveling salesman beguiles her with a bright new restaurant decoration and life takes on new shades of meaning. (Greece, 2001, 13 min. Directed by Panayotis Fafoutis.)
Indefinitely
At the center of this fresh and charming romantic comedy is Riley, a down-on-his-luck film editor paying the bills with a gig as a wedding videographer. As the bride and groom interviews begin, a very clear picture begins to emerge: the bride’s a sweetheart but the groom’s worse than a jerk. Gripped by the zealous conviction of a crusader, Riley grows increasingly agitated as the big day grows nearer. What’s a guy to do? (USA, 2001, 19 min. Directed by Marc Pilvinsky.)
Site
This visual meditation charts a landscape of emotion as it crosses a variety of faces at Ground Zero in the days following September 11th. (USA, 2002, 8 min. Directed by Jason Kliot.)
To See a Boat in Sail
As an old man skis through a wintry alpine setting, music – and childhood memories – drift across the snow. Summertime, the mountains, a lake, a boat – all blend into a poetic ode to a well-spent and deeply treasured life. (Norway, 2001, 11 min. Directed by Anja Breien.)
Bored of the Rings
If you’re missing the Olympic Games, do not fear – this comedy brings you a surprising and thrilling new competitive event. (USA, 2001, 12 min. Directed by Steve Flynn.)
Glazier Blues
Steeped in noise, steam, and the hypnotic 24/7-time rhythms of machinery and human labor, Glazier Blues is pure visual jazz. Stunning cinematography, innovative editing and a pulsing score transform this ---gritty smokestack-era relic – a glass factory in Slovenia – into a timeless tone poem. (Slovenia, 2001, 13 min. Directed by Harry Rag.)
Gridlock
Stuck in a nasty winter traffic jam, an irritated businessman uses his new cell to phone home. This wicked little vignette might just give you pause the next time you consider mixing dialing and driving. (Belgium, 2001, 7 min. Directed by Dirk Belien.)
I Shout Love
Tessa, filled with flamboyant desperation, refuses to allow soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend Bobby to leave without helping her complete a final checklist. Part tender funny valentine, part fierce tirade, I Shout Love captures the arc of their love and life together – laughter, pain, headlines, hockey, and all. (Canada, 2001, 37 min. Directed by Sarah Polley.)
Lurch
Temporarily breaking the dusty, timeless silence of his labyrinthine domain, Professor Lörtz, head of Berlin’s Natural History Museum, brusquely escorts his bewildered new employee, Kuno Nieff through endless rows of countless jars of preserved snakes, lizards and amphibians. Nieff’s initial repulsion gradually yields to the eerie mystery of his silent companions. A hauntingly beautiful evocation of a connoisseur’s unorthodox obsession. (Germany, 2000, 20 min. Directed by Boris Hars-Tschachotin.)
The Pitch
A young filmmaker pitches his latest masterpiece – boys, guns, cars…it’s got everything! (Australia, 2001, 3 min. Directed by Nash Edgerton.)
The Voice of the Prophet
An astonishingly prescient interview with Rick Rescorla, Head of Security for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter filmed in the World Trade Center in 1998. This military veteran’s straightforward talk about new kinds of war and how we create our own enemies will leave an indelible impression. (USA, 2002, 8 min. Directed by Robert Edwards.)
Whoa
An urban opera about a man being in the wrong place at the wrong time. (USA, 2001, 7 min. Directed by Maurice A. Dwyer.)
Doom and Gloom
In a little Scottish town by the sea, the rain pours, the wind howls and the people are just as miserable as the weather. Even Reverend Archie, the trainee minister is hard pressed to be cheerful. And then his prayers are answered – but how long can it possibly last? (UK, 1997, 13 min. Directed by John McKay. Produced by Lee Thomas.)
Favourite
Northern Ireland, 1973. Jacqueline is lonely at her posh new school until she meets Monica – wonderful, dazzling Monica – the most exciting teacher she has ever had. Now Jacqueline sets out to become her favourite – but the love of Monica is not to be easily won. (UK, 1997, 25 min. Directed by John McKay.)
The Price
Northern France, 1900. Stella works among the women in the field, under a blazing sun. Nearby is a cool, sweet lake; but it belongs to the Church…(UK, 1997, 4 min. Directed by John McKay.)
Wet and Dry
She‘s alive and well and living in a suburb of London. She’s an Egyptian émigré with 5,000-year old flashbacks. Suddenly, she discovers she’s suffering from an out of the ordinary skin problem and must find a cure! A memorable highlight from Shortsfest 97. (UK, 1996, 11 min. Directed by John McKay. Produced by Lee Thomas.)
American Exile
Sixty-year old Pete O’Neal has been living in Tanzania for the past 30 years. This is his fascinating story. Raised in a rough Kansas City neighborhood, O’Neal found meaning in the revolutionary fervor of the Black Panther party. A charismatic leader, he soon ran afoul of the law and fled the country to live a completely new and unexpected life. Narrated by Alfre Woodard and drawing on interviews, family home movies, and news footage, this timely portrait explores an unsettling chapter in American race relations, the incendiary political scene of the 60s, and the experience of life in exile. (USA, 2001, 26 min. Directed by Cassandra Herrman and Katy Shrout.)
Bird in the Wire
A coat-hanger factory, a white pigeon, and a young assembly line worker reveal that even the briefest of brief encounters can inspire relief from life’s everyday routine. (Australia, 2001, 2 min. Directed by Phillip Donnellon.)
Home Road Movies
The true story of a regular dad who wanted the family car to make him a better parent. Based on family folklore and children’s memories and employing an unusual synthesis of computer animation, photographs and live action footage, Home Road Movies is a hugely evocative and touching story about love and expectations within ordinary families. (England, 2001, 13 min. Directed by Robert Bradbrook.)
Leonard
Leonard’s home is his world. His world is at home. One day his quietly quirky life is interrupted when an unexpected caller appears at the door. As his days veer from their safe routines, Leonard discovers it’s never too late to open one’s arms to life’s unexpected joys. (Scotland, 2001, 25 min. Directed by Brian Kelly.)
Nightwindows
Voyeurism assumes a note of floating lyricism as we’re offered brief but intriguing animated glimpses of people’s private worlds. (Scotland, 2001, 3 min. Directed by Anwyn Beier.)
Passengers
A feather lands on an unsuspecting head, triggering a brief connection among a subway car full of strangers, suddenly awakened from their commuter stupor. (USA, 2001, 8 min. Directed by J.T. Walker.)
Prayer
From Jay Rosenblatt (Human Remains, SF98), a master of found-footage collage, comes this response to the events of September 11th. (USA, 2002, 3 min. Directed by Jay Rosenblatt.)
Strange Invaders
Roger and Doris lead a quiet life but all that changes with the arrival of a strange visitor. It’s a child – the answer to their dreams! A gift from heaven…or from much further away? Anyone planning a family should take heed of this irrepressibly comic, cautionary tale! (Canada, 2001, 9 min. Directed by Cordell Barker.)
2 + 2
Through a cascade of images and musings on mathematics, game theory, and mental illness, this innovative portrait takes as its subject the enigmatic innermost workings of the mind of John Nash, the Nobel Prize-winning genius mathematician. (USA, 2001, 11 min. Directed by Clayton Hemmert & Benita Raphan.)
A Conversation with Haris
Haris is only eleven but growing up during the Bosnian war has given him wisdom beyond his years. This animated interview gives us a sense of the war through Haris’s eyes, painting beautifully expressive pictures with the child’s own words. (USA, 2001, 6 min. Directed by Sheila M. Sofian.)
Down to the Bone
This vividly-colored clay animation from Mexico, a Day of the Dead puppet-show come to life, begins with a somber burial procession. As the coffin is lowered into its final resting-place, its passenger discovers that the afterlife is anything but peaceful! (Mexico, 2001, 12 min. Directed by Rene Castillo.)
5 Jan 64
This tiny gem of a documentary reveals the hidden story of a battered old bass guitar. (Netherlands, 2001, 5 min. Directed by The Good Guys.)
The French Doors
As if a home remodel weren't in itself a nightmare, in this adeptly told tale a happy home improver discovers that his newly installed second-hand French doors let in more than daylight... Watching his story should give you a compelling reason to put off those household chores. (New Zealand, 2001, 13 min. Directed by Steve Ayson.)
Lady . . . Go!!
Like the bullet train, this girl moves fast and furious. But where’s she headed? (Japan, 2001, 2 min. Directed by Yoshihisa Nakanishi.)
Remote Control
During the Croatian war of 1994, three young Serb soldiers have no problem taking over a strategic position near a deserted village. But as boredom settles in, the real battle begins when they stumble upon a TV and its stubborn owner. This gripping drama masterfully captures the soldier’s life, both the ho-hum tedium and the lethal brutalities that can unpredictably detonate even in war’s backwaters. (USA, 2001, 24 min. Directed by Ivan Zivkovic.)
RestLess
As a mysterious traveler channel surfs through anonymous urban landscapes, actual and virtual realities flicker and merge in this beautiful computer-animated meditation on modern life. (Norway, 2001, 4 min. Directed by Therese Jacobsen & Erik Vang.)
TALLgirl
Lanky Tamunda is crushed out on her basketball partner Tommy but he only sees her as one of the boys. Then she spies Tommy’s girlfriend Rosie – the epitome of East Harlem femininity – and takes up a new game. (USA, 2001, 15 min. Directed by Amalia Zarranz.)
tHE tOWeR oF BaBBLe
What can a drama, a comedy and a police-thriller have in common? From its wry introduction (narrated by Kevin Spacey) through its intricately intercut plots, this impressive tour-de-force reveals a very uncommon answer. (USA, 2001, 22 min. Directed by Jeff Wadlow.)
Yard
From the animator of Waking Life (FF 01) and focus of Director Spotlight at last year’s Shortsfest comes this mini-treatise on the question: "What is making that sound?" (USA, 2001, 4 min. Directed by Bob Sabiston.)
Andy Across the Water
Andy Larson has spent years treating his family badly and they’ve had years to get used to it. Then he has a life-changing vision - but will his nearest and dearest be able to adjust? Set against the starkly beautiful landscapes of Southern Colorado, this down-to-earth family drama explores trust, forgiveness and redemption. (USA, 2002, 29 min. Directed by Leo Geter.)
Counterfeit Film
A quick look at movies, money, and reproduction. (USA, 2001, 3 min. Directed by Brett Simon.)
Do Armed Robbers Have Love Affairs?
As dawn breaks, two hold-up artists arrive at the scene of their next heist. But their thoughts are far from the job. From the producer of Dance Lexie Dance (SF97) comes this compact drama, an intriguing take on the traditional thriller where focus shifts from details of the deed to the emotions of the doers. (Northern Ireland/UK, 2001, 9 min. Directed by Brian Kirk.)
Fuel
In this wacky vignette, a clutch of bickering women, frazzled from their weekly shopping, pile into the car for the usual ride home. When they stop for gas, they discover a "service station" with a twist. (England, 2000, 4 min. Directed by Rachel Tillotson.)
Give Up Your Aul’ Sins
When a film crew arrives at an inner city Dublin school to record children telling bible stories, the result is a warm, funny, and spontaneous animated documentary. (Ireland, 2001, 5 min. Directed by Cathal Gaffney.)
Inja (dog)
Using a Xhosa boy as a pawn, a South African farmer teaches his puppy to be a white man’s best friend. Ten years later both their lives depend upon the mercy of the dog. (Australia, 2001, 17 min. Directed by Steven Pasvolsky.)
Measure
Seattle-based dance company 33 Fainting Spells takes the barest of elements - two lithe dancers, a decaying corridor, and a dusty floor - and transforms them with the mesmerizing power of dance. (USA, 2001, 7 min. Directed by Dayna & Gaelen Hanson.)
Raj or Radge?
A loquacious young man raps about his Asian heritage, his quest for cultural identity, and why he’s more Sco’ish than the Scottish. (Scotland, 2001, 3 min. Directed by Menhaj Huda.)
The Routine
For reasons not immediately apparent, a family finds itself adapting to new life patterns in this touching drama by the director of Dinner Rush. (USA, 2001, 5 min. Directed by Bob Giraldi.)
Sweetnightgoodheart
Pete has something very important to say to Juliet, but the evening doesn’t quite go according to plan… This charming comedy investigates the real basis of relationships. (England, 2001, 9 min. Directed Dan Zeff.)
Golden Gate (Palace II)
Two street kids, Laranjinha and Acerola live in one of Rio de Janeiro’s toughest neighborhoods. All they want is some pocket money to go to a concert. The easiest way is also the most dangerous one: to work as runners for the local drug lords. To avoid this option, Acerola comes up with the perfect crime. (Brazil, 2001, 21 min. Directed by Fernando Meirelles & Katia Lund.)
Humanitarian Aid
Sparse in words, but rich in understanding of human nature, this humorous tale is set in remote Transylvania. One sunny day, three young Western Europeans arrive in a village bearing a long-awaited truckload of humanitarian aid. Once the welcoming toasts begin, we discover why it truly is "better to give than to receive." (Romania, 2002, 17 min. Directed by Hanno Höfer.)
Just Little Birds
At the beginning of this droll look at childhood’s pastimes and growing pains, we find ourselves in the middle of a big family party with all its dynamics. On the fringe of the festivities are cousins Alex and Julie. He is curious. She is bored. And they are left to their own silly devices. (France, 2001, 14 min. Directed by Fred Louf.)
Mont Blanc
In this inventive Estonian animation, a Japanese "salaryman" leaves his French lover for…a mountain. His quest to reach the summit surreally mutates into a paradoxical parable of unattainable desire. (Estonia, 2001, 11 min. Directed by Priit Tender.)
Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers
The hidden melodies in everyday life are just waiting to be brought to life as six percussionists launch a well-planned musical attack on the suburbs. (Sweden, 2001, 10 min. Directed by Ola Simonsson & Johannes Stjärne Nilsson .)
Skin Deep
An intense, emotionally-charged inner city drama, Skin Deep follows Romo, a half white-half Pakistani boy, who "passes" for white to survive in the skinhead-infested London East End. One night he is finally forced to confront the consequences of his deceptions. (England, 2001, 13 min. Directed by Yousaf Ali Khan.)
Sparky D Comes to Town
Stretch has 3 hours and 42 minutes to make up with his girlfriend, score a delivery for his buddies, and rendezvous at the hottest show in town - and if you think that’s easy, try doing it with a Croatian salami smuggler along for the ride! (Australia, 2001, 26 min. Directed by Maciek Wszelaki.)
Bintou
Why does a girl need to go to school? That’s the question that sets village tongues wagging in this lively African drama about one woman’s determination to educate her daughter, no matter what the cost. When Bintou’s husband refuses to pay tuition, this mother of three turns entrepreneurial, upsetting some sacrosanct millet carts – including traditional expectations of wives and mothers – along the way. (France/Zimbabwe/Burkino Faso, 2001, 31 min. Directed by Fanta Régina Nacro.)
Cowhide
Emotional and rebellious, twenty-year old Claudine’s only friends are the cows she milks every day and Paolo, a curiously fascinating next door neighbor of sorts. This farm girl dreams of a different life and she just may get it in this delightfully quirky coming of age story. (France, 2001, 22 min. Directed by Gérald Hustache Mathieu.)
The Hawker
On a sleepy byway in rural Greece, Vassiliki spends her days at her rundown roadside taverna, patiently waiting for customers. One day a persuasive traveling salesman beguiles her with a bright new restaurant decoration and life takes on new shades of meaning. (Greece, 2001, 13 min. Directed by Panayotis Fafoutis.)
Home Road Movies
The true story of a regular dad who wanted the family car to make him a better parent. Based on family folklore and children’s memories and employing an unusual synthesis of computer animation, photographs and live action footage, Home Road Movies is a hugely evocative and touching story about love and expectations within ordinary families. (England, 2001, 13 min. Directed by Robert Bradbrook.)
Palindrome
In just one day a man loses everything - his job, his home, his possessions. A straight-forward story you may think, but this one is told with a dazzling, adrenaline twist. (Brazil, 2001, 11 min. Directed by Philippe Barcinski.)
Site
This visual meditation charts a landscape of emotion as it crosses a variety of faces at Ground Zero in the days following September 11th. (USA, 2002, 8 min. Directed by Jason Kliot.)
Strange Invaders
Roger and Doris lead a quiet life but all that changes with the arrival of a strange visitor. It’s a child - the answer to their dreams! A gift from heaven…or from much further away? Anyone planning a family should take heed of this irrepressibly comic, cautionary tale! (Canada, 2001, 9 min. Directed by Cordell Barker.)
Andy Across the Water
Andy Larson has spent years treating his family badly and they’ve had years to get used to it. Then he has a life-changing vision - but will his nearest and dearest be able to adjust? Set against the starkly beautiful landscapes of Southern Colorado, this down-to-earth family drama explores trust, forgiveness and redemption. (USA, 2002, 29 min. Directed by Leo Geter.)
Humanitarian Aid
Sparse in words, but rich in understanding of human nature, this humorous tale is set in remote Transylvania. One sunny day, three young Western Europeans arrive in a village bearing a long-awaited truckload of humanitarian aid. Once the welcoming toasts begin, we discover why it truly is "better to give than to receive." (Romania, 2002, 17 min. Directed by Hanno Höfer.)
Living with Happiness
Being happy means knowing you are happy. Knowing you’re happy means knowing your happiness could be snatched away…which keeps you up at night…which means you’re not really happy… A lushly animated imagining about the things that keep us awake at night. (Australia, 2001, 6 min. Directed by Sarah Watt.)
Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers
The hidden melodies in everyday life are just waiting to be brought to life as six percussionists launch a well-planned musical attack on the suburbs. (Sweden, 2001, 10 min. Directed by Ola Simonsson.)
Passengers
A feather lands on an unsuspecting head, triggering a brief connection among a subway car full of strangers, suddenly awakened from their commuter stupor. (USA, 2001, 8 min. Directed by J.T. Walker.)
RestLess
As a mysterious traveler channel-surfs through anonymous urban landscapes, actual and virtual realities flicker and merge in this beautiful computer-animated meditation on modern life. (Norway, 2001, 4 min. Directed by Therese Jacobsen & Erik Vang.)
TALLgirl
Lanky Tamunda is crushed out on her basketball partner Tommy but he only sees her as one of the boys. Then she spies Tommy’s girlfriend Rosie - the epitome of East Harlem femininity - and takes up a new game. (USA, 2001, 15 min. Directed by Amalia Zarranz.)
The Voice of the Prophet
An astonishingly prescient interview with Rick Rescorla, Head of Security for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter was filmed in the World Trade Center in 1998. This military veteran’s straightforward talk about new kinds of war and how we create our own enemies will leave an indelible impression. (USA, 2002, 8 min. Directed by Robert Edwards.)
A Dios
Aided by a clever prop, a Colombian boy invites us into his world. A deceptively simple and engaging film within a film. (France, 2001, 5 min. Directed by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire.)
Animation Stewdio
See what our local kids can produce with a bit of inspiration, some expert instruction, and lots of energy and enthusiasm! (Aspen, 2002, 2 min. Directed by John Serpentelli.)
Brother My Brother
In this touching tale of first love and sibling rivalry, nine-year-old Theis has been admiring Giinja and even working up the courage to kiss her. When his little brother Nico is invited to her birthday party without him, he experiences all the frustration of unrequited love. (Denmark, 1998, 19 min. Directed by Henrik Ruben Genz.)
Christopher, Please Clean Up Your Room!
Christopher has one big problem - he’s messy! His shoes smell foul, his fish bowl stinks, even the cockroaches can’t stand it! Find out what happens when the fish rise up in protest in this funny, funky short. (Canada, 2001, 7 min. Directed by Vincent Gauthier.)
Dry Leaves
Where do old leaves go after they fall off of the trees? In this enchanting allegory, a father comes up with an imaginative explanation. (Spain, 2001, 5 min. Directed by Eulalia Pages.)
Ernst in Tivoli
Get set for an exciting adventure for little Ernst. This time, he’s left alone in the carnival at Tivoli when mom goes off to whirl around on the Ferris wheel. (Denmark, 2000, 7 min. Directed by Alice de Champfleury.)
From Far Away
A sweet story of a young girl who is struggling to adjust to a new world after leaving her war-torn homeland. Faced with language barriers, even going to the bathroom is a trial in this delightfully animated film. (Canada, 2000, 7 min. Directed by Shira Avni & Serene El-haj Daoud.)
Heroes
Students and teachers at Basalt Middle School take us from historical heroes to everyday heroes with lively graphics and dynamite dress ups. A winner in Shortsfest’s first-ever Local Filmmakers Category: Bringing Heroes to Life. (Basalt, 6 min. Director/Editor Jackie Chenoweth, Basalt Middle School.)
Lotte Primaballerina
After seeing Swan Lake on a field trip, Lotte wants to take ballet lessons. Unfortunately, no one, including her parents, thinks she is "right" for ballet, but she’s determined to realize her dream and won’t let size or money stop her! (Germany, 1999, 24 min. Directed by Marc-Andreas Bochert.)
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