BEST HISTORICAL DOC - Sponsored by Code Ninjas /Arlington, MA
Thomas Huang, Allen Tang, Andrew Wang, Andrew Yu, Rohin Garg
10 min | Historical Doc | 2021 | Winston Churchill High School, MD | US Premiere
Jury Statement: “Such an important topic! Phenomenal research on this. The story moves along very well, and the depth of research and footage is inspiring and quite the feat! We need more films like this out in the world. Keep using your talent and keep telling stories/advocating!”
BEST DOCUMENTARY - Sponsored by YourArlington.com/Arlington, MA
EVERY BODY’S BUSINESS (8 MIN) Massachusetts Premiere
Amilieyon Pridgen, Jessica Torres
8 min | Documentary | 2019 | Maysles Documentary Center, NYC, NY | Massachusetts Premiere
Jury Statement: “This documentary is beyond its director’s years. There is great beauty and elegance in the way these mature topics of body image and growing up femme are presented. The subjects and cinematography in this film are what really bring it to life- it is simply stunning.”
BEST ANIMATION - Sponsored by ACMi/Arlington, MA
Rayhaneh Einollahi and Bahareh Einollahi
5 min | Animation | 2021 | Iran | US Premiere
Jury Statement: “What a great message! Easy to follow, and enough left to think about as an audience member. This is a great effort and hit on all elements of technical requirements. Well, done! Keep using your voice!”
Jose Aguilar
7 min | Narrative | 2020 | Youth Cinema Project, Glendale, CA | Massachusetts Premiere
Jury Statement: “This is great! I felt like the ending needed one more beat to show the change in the main character, but other than that, this is a very well-rounded film. Keep working on audio recording and editing, and you'll be well rounded. This is a great film. Congrats!”
Keren Chen
3 min | 2021 | Reel Youth Program, Vancouver, Canada | Massachusetts Premiere
Jury Statement: I think this film is an example of how the medium helps others. I think we all feel this way at one point or another and watching you walk through the process of acceptance, even just for a moment, helps others find the other end of perfection as well. You have a strong voice and I hope you keep making films!”
Light House Studio
by Braxton Eaddy | 2 min | Experimental | 2020 | Charlottesville, VA | Massachusetts Premiere
Jury Statement: “Aside from the audio (difficult to hear the voiceover) there is a lot of technical mastery displayed in this piece. The visuals, and the editing made this a solid piece. Keep making films.”
BEST MUSICAL
BRJDC Residents
4 min | Musical | 2020 | Light House Studio, Charlottesville, VA | Massachusetts Premiere
Jury Statement: “Love to see the work coming from this organization. Thank you for being vulnerable enough to write and share your story. There is a lot of talent here, not just in filmmaking, but in storytelling. Keep building, keep getting better, thank you for sharing!”
Esabella Anna Karena Strickland, Taylor Mitchell, and Skylar A
6 min | Narrative | 2020 | Vancouver, CA | New England Premiere
Jury Statement: “Really interesting take on a silent film. It obviously has no speaking parts, but it doesn't feel like a "silent film exercise." I was interested the whole way through, and the filmmaking techniques really complemented each other. Well done!”
Awards: 2020 / Best Script / Canadian Cinematography Awards - Toronto 2020 / Best Script / Montreal Independent Film Festival 2020 / Best Young Filmmaker / WCTE-PBS Film Festival 2020 / Best Youth Award / Montreal Independent Film Festival 2020 / Maple Leaf Award / Reel Girls Film Festival 2918 / Best Young Filmmaker / Chocolate City Film Festival 2019 / Best Young Filmmaker / Just be You, Performing Arts Youth Film Festival
Brendan Egan and Haley Pine
11 min | Narrative | 2020 | Boston, MA
Jury Statement: “Zoom Dating took something I am sure we're all sick of by now, video chatting, and made it fresh again. Vulnerable subject matter meets hilarious characters and together they create a short that keeps you on your toes. This is a great production, including the special guests. Good casting. Comedy is hard to write, and I think with more experience you will come to learn its unwritten rules.”
Awards: All American High School Film Festival, 2020, Best Comedy Nominee. All American High School Film Festival, 2020, Audience Choice Award Winner. The Point Lookout Film Festival, Jersey City, NJ, United States, 2020, Best Student Comedy, Best Student Actor. Red Dirt International Film Festival Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States, 2021, WINNER: Best High School Film
Mahdi Barqzadegan
2 min | 2020 | Iran | US Premiere
An unfortunate situation, but we all seem to be abused today, lulled to sleep with our most basic needs met. However, this mindset does not allow for any significant change.
Official Selections: Asian Cinematography Awards (Hong Kong China), Animart Festival (Athens Greece, 7th Siding Festival of Films (British Columbia Canada), Lima WebFest (Lima Peru).
Miguel Muñoz
2 min | 2020 | Spain | East Coast Premiere
What if you had never seen it rain?
Awards: Festival Int’l de Curtas-Metragens de Fargo (Portugal), Concurso de Cortos RNE (Spain)
Official Selections: Festival de Cine de Madrid (Spain, Portobello FF (UK), Star Fest (Croatia), Festival de Cine Hispanofono de Athenas (Greece), Cluji Shorts Int’l Short FF (Romania, Anilogue Int’l Animation Festival (Hungary), Cleveland Int’l FF (USA), among many others.
Udo Prinsen
8 min | 2021 | Netherlands | US Premiere
Five short animation chapters, touch, sight, sound, scent, and taste are represented in this colorful poetic music film, a visual poem portraying the senses. The musical heritage of Paul Crucq inspired this project. With Paul’s passing, he left a beautiful collection of songs, compositions, and experimental sound archive that were used as a base for this short, celebrating the immense creativity, integrity, and love Paul represented. The film was created in close collaboration with Nina Linde Jaspers, the Crucq family, and animation designer Anna Koppen. Support came from Foundation Frank van der Wal. "The film was created in close collaboration with Nina Linde Jaspers and the Crucq family and animation designer Anna Koppen."
Official Selection: Buzz IFF – Romania.
Mahdi Barqzadegan
3 min | 2019 | Iran | US Premiere
The challenges that we all have with our minds. The story is about a man who wants to sleep but can’t because his brain continues to produce ideas.
Awards: Asian Cinematography Awards (Hong Kong China); Official Selections: Flatness Film Awards, Animart Festival (Athens Greece, 7th Siding Festival of Films (British Columbia Canada), Lima WebFest (Lima Peru), Veracruz World FF, New Generation FF, Constantine’s Gold Coin FF, Neum Animation FF, 3rd National Festival of Digital Arts, among others.
Sofia Gutman
2 min | 2019 | France | East Coast Premiere
Its Autumn, birds are migrating to warmer climate. On the gray streets of Paris, illegal immigrants are selling shoes. Winter is near.
Official Selections: Arouca FF Portugal, San Francisco Frozen FF US, Copenhagen Short FF Denmark, London Migration FF UK.
Mary Apick
13 min | 2020 | US | East Coast Premiere
The story of a happy little girl who is selling flowers on the street…. until the idyllic world she knows is enveloped by an oozing, malevolent darkness that destroys everything in its path. She is forced to run for her life as the darkness consumes anything that it can’t control – art, education, religion, society, and even the people themselves. The darkness and oppression are so relentless that the exhausted girl gives up. But she can’t go quit; she continues to fight whatever the cost. Her strength and determination bring light back to her life and repel the darkness. She is free once again and the world is beautiful once again. The filmmaker was born in Iran and has created a parable about life – especially for women – in Iran since the Revolution and what we hope the future will bring.
Official Selections: Cinema St. Louis, Prague Int’l FF, Moscow Int’l FF, among others.
Fang-Yi Hsueh
5 min | 2019 | Taiwan | Massachusetts Premiere
Rape victims sometimes experience what is referred to as “freezing behavior”, allowing them to emotionally detach, compensating for their inability to control their body and resist. The director hopes to convey this inability to resist where we, the audience can better understand the mental state of victims and hopefully remove the blaming of victims.
Official Selections: World Festival of Animated Film Varna Bulgaria, Porto Femme Int’l FF Portugal, Chaniartoon Int’l Comic & Animation F Greece, Int’l Short FF The Unprecedented Cinema Estonia, Anima F Int’l de Animacion de Cordoba Argentina, San Francisco Frozen FF, Linz Int’l Short FF Austria, Copenhagen Short FF Denmark, Constantine’s Gold Coin Serbia, Int’l FF of Animation Cinema & Comics Italy, Lanterna Magica F Int’l de Animacao Brazil, Health for All FF US, Tres Court Int’l FF France, Festival Int’l de Cine de Lanzarote Spain, Hiroshima Int’l Animation F Japan, Womanimation-US, Zabut Int’l Animated Short FF Italy, AnimaFest World F of Animated Films in Zagreb Croatia.
Issam Taachit
7 min | 2020 | Algeria | US Premiere
The event takes place at the top of the high Aures Mountains and precisely in one of the tall Atlantic cedar trees. In those mountains, in the cold winter, when snow covers all the place, with light winds, the snow masses accumulate, to roll down the mountain reaching the bottom. In front of a warm house, it divides into three balls forming a snowman and there is a beautiful happening that takes place.
Awards: Best Short Animation - Karnataka Youth Int’l Short FF (New Delhi India)
Official Selections: Int’l Xposure FF (Sharjah UAE), Int’l Quarantine FF (Kenya Africa), CONA 2020 Animation Festival (Athens Greece), Vues D'afrique Int’l FF (Quebec Canada), Cinetudantil Guaiba (Brazilia Brazil), China Int’l Green FF (Peking China), Box Short FF (London UK), Buenos Aires Int’l FF (Argentina), Alexandria Short FF (Egypt).
Stepan Koval
14 min | 2019 | Ukraine | US Premiere
Based on a real-life story, a woman is walking a long way from one village to another, where everyone has died of famine. All she can think about is how to rescue her son from starvation. The only way to do it is to put the child on a train heading out of the countryside to any town with possibilities.
Official Screenings: Mubi Int’l FF, Animator FF, among others.
Preston Chase
63 min | 2020 | Canada | Massachusetts Premiere
The story of Walter L Perry’s determination to put on a celebration that would transcend divisions of race and class, he staged an Emancipation Day festival that was where everyone wanted to be. Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr, Jesse Owens all headed there because, as civil rights activist Dick Gregory said "The largest Juneteenth celebration was not in America, it was in Windsor, Canada.”
A celebration of ending slavery sounds grim but what Walter Perry organized was the exact opposite of grim. Imagine a miles-long parade. The smell of soul food. Whirling carnival rides. There was live music, talent shows and even the Miss Sepia beauty pageant (the first international beauty pageant for Black women). From 1936 until 1967, that's how Walter Perry celebrated freedom. Perry and his celebration got caught up in the overheated racial politics of the day, sabotage and race riots of 1967 in Detroit. His event never recovered that year and shortly after Walter Perry died…. but the spirit of Mr. Emancipation still lives on.
Awards: Platinum Remi Award - Worldfest - Houston International Film & Video Festival, Best Doc - International Diversity Film Festival, Best Documentary for History & Biography - Yorkton Film Festival, Best Educational Film - Cult Valley Global Cinefest, Best Doc - New York Movie Awards, Best First Time Director - Chicago Independent Film Festival, Best Documentary - Trinity Detroit Int’l FF.
Official Selections: Flickers Rhode Island Int’l FF, Urban FF, Greater Cleveland Urban FF, The Jozi FF, Garden Route Int’l FF, Rapport FF, The March on Washington FF, Franklin Int’l Indie FF, Lunenburg Doc Festival, Charlotte FF, Oakland Int’l FF, Reading FF, Hollywood South Urban FF, Forest City FF, Chicago South Side FF, Buffalo Int’l FF, Morehouse College Human Right Festival, Helsinki Educational FF, Soo FF, North Beach American FF, Seattle Film Summit, Montreal Independent FF.
Carlos Carrasco
17 min | 2020 | US | East Coast Premiere
A traffic stop takes an unexpected turn when two young black men are cruising in a sports car listening to loud music. A white police officer pulls them over on a minor traffic infraction.
Awards: BEST DRAMA SHORT: Golden State FF CA, BEST ACTOR: CKF Int’l FF UK~ Official Selection: Manhattan FF NY, LA Shorts Int’l FF CA, Golden State FF CA, Ft. Lauderdale Int’l FF FL, among others.
Michi Marosszeky
6 min | 2020 | Australia | East Coast Premiere
Woven Threads is a series of documentaries reminding us of our shared humanity and the frailty of life. OLIVE addresses teen depression. At the age of nine, Olive began to have negative thoughts but she managed to hide them from everyone until she was eleven and a half, the first year of high school. After much school refusal, multiple psychologists, and several schools Olive had to be admitted to a youth mental health unit for six weeks. She is now sixteen, she lives with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), Major Depressive Disorder, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Anxiety.
Watch her as she tells her story, her challenges and how she grows from her experiences, not always smoothly but always forwards, learning new techniques for coping with her extremely challenging life.
Awards: Winner of the Impact Docs Award; Official Selections:Chicago Int’l Children’s FF.