OPENING NIGHT
TICKET # 1 // Thursday // November // 7th // 7 PM // ‘CELEBRATING EXPRESSIONS OF HUMANITY AT ITS BEST’
LIFEBOAT by Skye Ftizgerald | Doc | 10 min | Germany | France | 2018 | BEST OF FESTIVAL SHORT
Sypnosis: In a political environment increasingly hostile to immigrants and refugees, documenting the real-life plight of those fleeing war and oppression is more vital and important than ever. LIFEBOAT bears witness to volunteers from Sea Watch, a German non-profit who risk the waves of the Mediterranean to pluck refugees from sinking rafts that have left from Libya in the middle of the night. This film puts a human face on one of the world's greatest contemporary global crises.
Awards: 2019 Academy Award Nominee - Documentary Short - 2018 IDA Award Nominee - Best Documentary Short - 2019 - Social Impact Media Awards - Best Director - 2019 - Social Impact Media Awards - Best Short - Best Doc Short - Woodstock Film Festival - Jury Award - Traverse City Film Festival - Best Short - Mountainfilm in Telluride - Jury Award BendFilm - Best Doc Short - Courage Film Festival - Act Now Award - Crested Butte Film Festival - Best Doc Short - Dublin International Shorts Film Festival - Audience Award - Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival
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TICKET 3 // FRIDAY // NOVEMBER // 8th // 9:09 PM // ‘CELEBRATING EXPRESSIONS OF HUMANITY AT ITS BEST’
ACROSS THE RIVER & INTO THE TREES by Maxime Riverin | Music Video/Doc | 4 min | Canada | 2018 | USA PREMIERE
Sypnosis: Created by Italian musician, Enzo De Rosa, it draws its inspiration from Hemingway’s path- breaking novel of the same name. In the novel, the protagonist Cantwell, an aging man falls in love with a young woman, Renata. Cantwell’s love for Renata is all consuming, gentle yet fierce. Since he is dying, this love also symbolizes the seeking of youth and immortality.
Staying true to the essence of the novel, the soulfulness of the piano and the melancholy of the cello complement each other in the best possible way. The visual presentation is simple; an elderly man playing the piano, played by Enzo De Rosa himself and a young woman playing the cello, played by artiste Kendra Grittani. The characterizations are in line with the theme of the music. Grittani’s cello is breathtakingly melancholic while Enzo’s fingers create magic on the keyboard. The understanding and entwined performance leaves a lasting impression on the mind of the listener.
Awards: 2019 The IndieFest Film Awards: Award of Excellent Special Mention - 2018 - Best Music Commentary Film festival "Tulipani di seta nera" (Rome, Italy)
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TICKET # 7 // SATURDAY // NOVEMBER 9 // 3:57 PM // INTERNATIONAL SHORTS PROGRAM 1
DIANNA GOES TO THE FREE SPEECH RALLY by Eric Stange | Doc | 9 min | USA | 2017
Sypnosis: One week after the confrontations in Charlottesville, a passionate Trump supporter goes to a right-wing "Free Speech Rally" on Boston Common...only to find herself caught in a sea of counter-protesters. She decides to get to know them.
TICKET # 7 // SATURDAY // NOVEMBER 9 // 3:57 PM // INTERNATIONAL SHORTS PROGRAM 1
IMAGINING FUTURE CITIES BY Shuyi Wang | Doc | 14 min | USA | 2019 | USA PREMIERE // BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Sypnosis: What will cities be like in 50 years? Will traffic jams and pollution still be an issue? Researchers in the City Science group at the MIT Media Lab are trying to piece together the landscape of future urban life by rethinking the functions of our cities.
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TICKET # 14 // SUNDAY // NOVEMBER 10th // 3:57 PM // INTERNATIONAL SHORTS PROGRAM 3
HERENCIA DEL VIENTO (HERITAGE OF THE WIND) by Alejandra Retana | Doc | 17 MIN | Mexico | 2019 | USA PREMIERE
Sypnosis: Juan has worked in the fields for 40+ years and has developed a strong connection with the land and a gratitude towards what agriculture has taught him. Every day he cares for his plants with the same intention with which he cares for his family and his children’s growth, transmitting the ideology to his workers and to the people that receive his crops. His relationship is so close that he can easily see how the changes in the climate are effecting changes in his crops.
Awards: Winner of the Best Short at Jalisco Film Festival (Guadalajara, Mexico).
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 9:28 PM |International Shorts Program
(79 min)
LIFE AFTER GUANTANAMO (32 min) BOSTON PREMIERE
Esteban Cuevas | Argentina | Doc
In 2014, after 13 years in jail, six detainees were released and landed on Uruguayan soil. Not allowed to return to
their homes or families, and not able to choose where to live, their lives are forever changed. Is this freedom?
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 9:28 PM |International Shorts Program
(79 min)
BIKINI WORDS | 7 min | Nils Clauss | S. Korea | Exp Doc | NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Factory life during the rapid industrialization of S. Korea during the 70’s and 80’s meant a major cultural
shift in life…a new vocabulary evolved amongst workers to assign names to their urbanized lives.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 5:20 PM International Shorts Program II (78 min) An Homage to Women Filmmakers
EXIT (23 min)
Katharina Woll | Israel | Doc | U.S.A. PREMIERE
We witness the painful result of two women, mothers, who divorce and leave the ultra-orthodox community. Heidi, the daughter of the chairman of the United Torah Judaism Party, finds her strength and continues to fight on behalf of women’s rights especially within the religious community.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 5:20 PM International Shorts Program II (78 min) An Homage to Women Filmmakers
YIN YU TANG – Regeneracy on Other Side of Earth (12 min)
Vivianna Yan | USA | Doc | U.S.A. PREMIERE
During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a prosperous merchant surnamed Huang built a stately sixteen-bedroom house in China’s southeastern Huizhou region, calling his home Yin Yu Tang. The house was dismantled and brought to Salem by Peabody Essex Museum. Yan chronicles the rebuilding of this historic house that is on exhibition, connecting people with Chinese history, architecture and culture.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 5:24 PM | Closing Night
WHIRLWIND (8 min)
Samantha Smith | USA | Doc | BEST SHORT DOC
A history of black tennis in America: Dr. Johnson began playing frequently while in medical school, hungry for a physical activity that would give his body the workouts he had enjoyed as a star collegiate football player. He then began to mentor others, realizing his age and his medical practice limited his ability to reach the heights in tennis that he had attained in football, the sport that gave him the nickname he would carry for the rest of his life: "Whirlwind."
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017, 7:00 PM
HONK: A Festival of Activist Street Bands (7 mins)
Patrick Johnson, Director USA | 2016 | Doc
Honk! is a festival of activist street bands who reclaim public spaces with their brash sound, political messages, and outrageous community oriented performances. Originating in Somerville, MA and celebrating its 10th anniversary, the festival has spread to cities throughout the world. Listen to conversations with festival organizers and participants and watch them work their magic through music with the goal of making a cultural impact on the world. Featuring Boston’s own international jazz musician, Ken Fields.
Friday, October 2o17, 8:30 PM
THE HAPPIEST MAN (55 MINS)
Jasmin Lord Gassmann, Director | Germany | 2017 | Doc
The story of a personal journey, a 24-year old female journalist from Germany to Sydney, Australia, to portrait the 94-year-old Holocaust survivor Eddie Jaku, who after more than thirty years of silence speaks to people from all walks of life about his experience. By sharing his life story, he transforms the pain of the past into joy and happiness and teaches especially younger generations how happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times.
Saturday, October 28, 2:15 PM
EVERYONE KNOWS ELIZABETH MURRAY (60 mins)
Kristi Zea, Director | USA | 2015 | Doc
This tribute to the dynamic artist Elizabeth Murray, an intrinsic figure in New York’s contemporary art landscape from the 1970s until the early 2000s, highlights her struggle to balance personal and family ambition with artistic drive in a male-dominated art world. Stares Meryl Streep, JoAnne Akalatis and Jennifer Bartlett. Kristi Zea is a two-time Oscar-nominated production designer and filmmaker. World Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival 2016.
Q&A/Reception with Kristi Zea, Director
13Forest Gallery, 167 Mass Ave, adjacent to the Capitol Theatre
Saturday, October 28, 8:35 pm
Co-presenting with the Boston Jewish Film Festival
KOSHER LOVE (43 mins)
Evan Beloff, Director | Canada | 2017 | Doc
What happens when a rabbinical matchmaker, a newly married Hasidic couple and a single, religious hip-hop artist explore the precise meaning of True Love? Using levity, animation and downright silliness, KOSHER LOVE looks at the search for true love and bible-instructed marriage in the Orthodox/Hasidic Jewish world as it pushes back against an ever encroaching, wired, secular world and its idea of momentary disposable love.
Saturday, October 29, 2017, 1:25 PM
PHIL’S CAMINO (28 MINS)
Annie O'Neil, Director | USA | 2016 | Doc |
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Award winning short doc, tells the story of free spirit Phil, a man living with Stage 4 cancer and dreaming of walking the 500-mile spiritual pilgrimage, Camino de Santiago across Spain. Unable to make the trip, he does the next best thing: he builds a camino in the forest behind his house. Phil's journey is one of hope, acceptance, and freedom, and is sure to inspire anyone who has ever dreamed of doing something that sounded impossible. Along the way he realizes his true pilgrimage is the one he travels within.
World premiere at SXSW Int’l Film Festival and Winner of the Best Short Doc at numerous film festivals. Officially submitted to THE ACADEMY for OSCAR® NOMINATION consideration for the 89th ACADEMY AWARDS.
Sunday, October 29, 2017, 1:25 PM
THE TYPEWRITER REPAIRMAN (7 MINS)
Thomas Draudt, Director | USA | 2017 | Doc
A Typewriter repairman, with almost 40 years in the business, is busier than ever...in the digital age. How is this possible and why? Discover the joy of a man working with his hands on vintage machines that were made to be repaired.
Thomas is an Emmy award-winning Producer and three-time Emmy nominated Director with over 35 years as an independent filmmaker and commercial producer/director.
New England Film and Video Festival, Boston’s Outstanding Independent Video Award.
Q&A with Director Thomas Draudt and Principle of Cambridge Typewriter Tom Furrier Cambridge Typewriter, 102 Mass Ave, Arlington
Co-presenting with the Boston latino International Film Festival
Sunday, October 29, 2017, 3:10 PM
ENTRE Sol y SOMBRA / IN BETWEEN SUN and SHADE (30 mins)
Jason Boënne | Belgium | 2016 | Doc
We follow the life of Sergio, who is on the verge of becoming a professional matador and making his childhood dream come true. He has been selected for one of the most prestigious competitions, but times are tough. Bullfighting in Spain is under pressure and the economic reality leaves little room for young fighters in the arena. Everything depends on Sergio winning the final, his last chance to earn a position in a century-old tradition.
Sunday, October 29, 2017, 4:40 PM
KUPANISHKUEU (5 mins)
Melodie Jourdain, Director | WAPIKONI MOBILE |Canada | 2017 | Doc | Premiere
Director Melodie Jourdain tells how the strength and the courage of her Innu ancestor, Kupanishkueu, influenced her life.
THANK YOU so much to ALL!
As we prepare to enter into the Thanksgiving and Holiday season, the Arlington International Film Festival would like to express our gratitude to all our sponsors, judges, volunteers, organizations, partners, high school students, musician, viewers, followers and indie filmmakers around the world that partner with us to produce this annual festival.
We are grateful to be part of Arlington and the greater Boston community and it is our pleasure to bring cultural, educational and social events to our community. Wishing you all Happy Holidays and...
We look forward to seeing you in 2017!
2016 AIFF PROGRAM
SHORTS
Stereotypes (7 min)
Michael Dillon | Director | Doc | 2016 | USA | Premiere
Stereotypes is the story behind the new photo series by photographer Kevin J. Briggs. When a negative encounter at work sparks Briggs to react, he does so in the best way he knows how, through his art. What begins as personal reflection, grows into collaboration, and results in a strong step forward in one of today's most important conversation.
El Ascensor/The Lift (7 min)
Javier Polo | Director | Nar | 2016 } New England Premiere
After intimate familiarity with its various daily passengers, an elevator decides to teach a lesson to those living he serves.
Quiet Mujo (11 min)
Ursula Meier | Writer/Director | Nar | 2014 | Bosnia/Herzegovina/Switzerland
It's training time at the Zetra stadium in Sarajevo. Ten-year-old Mujo misses his penalty kick. The ball flies over the goal and disappears among the tombstones of the graveyard that replaced the sports grounds during the war. "Go search among the Christians!" some of his playmates yell. "Seek among the Muslims!" other snicker. Searching for the ball, Mujo wanders in the kingdom of the dead.
Official Selection at Cannes
The Day of the Bleeding Gums (5 min)
Dimitar Dimitrov-Animiter | Director | Animation | 2014 | Bulgaria | New England Premiere
An animation drawn frame by frame on a smartphone and the message of this short being, a painting has value only in the moment of its creation; the rest is just a postcard from a faraway voyage.
The Time of the Luthiers (25 min)
Jorge Guerrero | Director | Doc | 2016 | Spain | USA Premiere
For over a century Felipe Conde's family has been handcrafting Spanish guitars. From its small workshop in downtown Madrid, theirs has become one of the most prestigious brands, having among its clientele outstanding players such as Paco de Lucia, Al Di Meola, Leonard and Lenny Kravitz. Felipe's 20-year=old children, Maria and Felipe Jr, are now the fourth generation of their family to join the legacy business. Their father has bequeathed to them all the secrets of the Luthier's trade, paramount of which is the importance of patience and perseverance, two qualities lacking nowadays.
Horror Vacui (15 min)
Daniel Chamorro | Writer/Producer | Nar | 2016 | Spain
Why not fill that emptiness with something? Please, buy all you can!
Eden Hostel (14 min)
Gonzaga Manso | Director |Nar | 2016 | Spain | New England Premiere
Hanging from the wall of one of its rooms there's a statuette of the Virgin Mary who narrates from her peculiar point of view, the stories of the various guests who stayed there.
Official Selection at the Seattle International Film Festival and Vancouver International Film Festival
400 Miles (30 min)
Felix Martiz | Director | Nar | 2016 | USA | East Coast Premiere
Award winning filmmaker Felix Martiz was born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents. The first child of an Ecuadorian father and Mexican mother, this cultural palette is vast.
400 Miles is a story of forgiveness. Raul, a young man, gets word that his father - with whom he's had an estranged relationship for years - is on his deathbed. Reluctantly, Raul makes the long journey home. Along the way, Raul reminisces of the events that both shapes and defined his relationship with his father.
The Right Person for the Job (8 min)
Wilfried Méance | Director | Nar | 2015 | France | East Coast Premiere
Jean, a recently unemployed 55-year-old, waits anxiously during his first time in a job interview center
Dada (18 min)
Maria Luna | Writer/Director | Nar | 2015 | Spain | USA Premiere
A young European journalist is in Kenya, when she is kidnapped and forced to share experiences with two prostitutes. Director, writer and and actress Maria Luna starts in the film DADA which was released earlier this year on the festival circuit and was chosen as an Official Selection of the prestigious Cannes Short Film Corner. As the lead actress in the film, Luna went to incredible lengths to craft this eye-opening tale for the screen. Luna researched sex trafficking and traveled to Kenya living in the slums and in a Masai Mara village.
Frankie (Italian Roulette) (20 min)
Francesco Mazza | Director | Nar | 2016 | Italy | New England Premiere
Frankie Tramonto is an Italian immigrant who comes to New York City to pursue the American dream. He soon finds out that the starts & stripes world he dreamed of couldn't be further from reality: in communicability - particularly with women, underpaid jobs, a house in a neighborhood very far, in all senses, the Manhattan he had seen in movies was not what experiencing.
Elemento (4 min)
Nina Paola Marin Diaz | Director | Experimental | 2016 | Colombia | USA Premiere
A visual environmental essay written by Oscar Alvarado is a journey of a man and water - one element - the source. It was shot on location as one element. Filmed on location in Valledupar, Rio Seco, Rio Badillo and Manaura, Cesar, Colombia.
Risky Game (11 min)
Stefan Plepp & Christine Kabisch | Directors | Nar | 2016 | Germany
17 years old Melanie gets beaten by her father when she has bad grades. When she fails completely in a test in physical science, she tries to blackmail her teacher. But he's not he nerd she seemed to think he is. He has his own violent history. Who's the victim, who's the offender?
Alike (9 min)
Martinez Lara & Rafa Cano Mendez | Directors | Animation | 2015 | Spain | New England Premiere
In a busy life, Copi is a father who tries to teach the right way to his son, Paste. But...what is the correct path?
Spanish Award 30th edition of GOYA Awards - Best Animation -
Failed (3 min) & Waste of a Fall
Marina Bruno | Writer/Director | Nar | 2015 | Canada | East Coast Premiere
A driver recklessly races to the finish line.
Waste of a Fall (6 min)
While strolling along in the forest, a girl finds herself being followed by a man with seemingly hostile intent
Marina Bruno is a 21-years-old filmmaker who started her career at a very young age. When she was 3, she made her first movie "Dinosaur" using her toys and camcorder. In the fall of 2005, Marina played a supporting role in her father, Carlo Bruno's 2-hour feature film. The young filmmaker made her first official short film in the summer of 2011, some of which was filmed in Los Angeles, California. She founded her production company "Wondering Pictures" and in the next years wrote, directed, produced and edited several new works. She recently finished writing, directing and producing the first feature film "Cotton String", which is now release.
Untitled Christmas Story (11 min)
Mauricio Franco | Writer/Director | Nar | 2016 | Spain | USA Premiere
XV century, Sancho Panza unhinged by the absence of his partner Don Quijote falls into a deep sleep and wake up in Madrid in 2015.
Russian Roulette (5 min)
Ben Aston | Director | Nar | 2015 | UK | USA Premiere
London seems a little less lonely when Lucy meets a libidinous cosmonaut on Chatroulette.com
Official Selection at Sundance 2015 after winning the Jury Prize at Sundance London
4 Houses (5 min)
Mayumi Nishijima | Director | Animation | 2014 | Japan | USA Premiere
A metaphor for no one knows what to expect in life.
Allegory of the Jam Jar (18 min)
Boris Kuijpers & Ruth Mellaerts | Directors | Nar | Belgium
Hans is a 50-year-old businessman. He has a challenging job, a wonderful collection of ties and pristine apartment. One day, when a crack appears on the perfect walls of his home, Hans slowly starts losing control of hi seemingly perfect life.
Sexteen (25 min)
Santiago Samaniego | Director | Nar | 2016 | Spain | USA Premiere
A family crisis breaks out when the daughter is caught sexting with a guy named Omar. More than a coming of age story and the social mores of sending nude photos over the internet, it captures the difficult dynamics of a divorced family and how it translates to parenting.
Mystic Jungfraujoch (4 min)
Markus Eichenberger | Doc | 2015 | Switzerland | New England Premiere
Markus Eichenberger received permission to stay at the Jungfraujoch station high in the Swiss Alps, usually off limits to tourists, and recorded a time-lapse view from the top of Europe, shot over 48 hours. Breathtaking.
Best Cinematography (Documentary) Award at Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival; Official Selection at the Vienna International Film Festival: Official Selection at Toronto International .Short Film Festival
Tandem (14 min)
Leandro Alastuey | Writer/Director | Nar | 2016 | Spain
A young couple suffers a hard economic situation. They have incurred lots of debt, spent all their savings and cannot find jobs. Their love
Fish (4 min)
Saman Hosseinpour | Director | Nar | 2016 | Iran
An old couple living in an apartment, the man is sleeping and the woman is doing housework. The woman wants to change the fish tank's water but is slips out of her hands and falls on the ground. They've run out of water and there's no water for the fish. But with the help of the man they find water for it.
2015 AIFF PROGRAM
SHORTS
THE MISSING SCARF (7 min)
Eoin Duff, Director | Ireland | 2013 | Animation
A black comedy exploring some of life’s common fears: fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of rejection and finally the fear of death. Narrated by George Takei and short listed for the 2014 Oscar Short Animation award.
INEZ: A Challenging Woman (33 min)
Trevor Birney & Eimhear O'Neill | Directors |
Ireland | 2014 | Documentary
Through archival footage, an interview with Inez McCormack herself, and contributions from friends and colleagues such as Hillary Clinton, Mary Robinson and President Michael D. Higgins, this award-winning film explores the life of a remarkable woman who began her career as a civil rights activist in Northern Ireland in 1968 and continued as a passionate and effective advocate of social justice until her death in 2013.
THE VOW (40 min)
Cameron Zohoori | Director | USA | 2014 | Documentary
An in-depth look at the story of one remarkable young man, with the hope of gently provoking interesting questions about youth, family, immigration, race, and other topics important to the health of communities around the country and the world.
AGI (Elegy) (30 min)
Yousef Kargar | Director | Iran | 2015 | Narrative | US PREMIERE
An old man, an expectation, a hope…
OS MENINOS DO RIO (15 min)
Javier Macipe | Director | Spain/Portugal | 2014 | Narrative | MA PREMIERE
In the riverside neighborhood of Oporto, all the children prove their courage by jumping from the stunning bridge Luis I into the Duero River. Leo has never done it before. He is different but he is getting tired of everyone thinking he is a coward
NAMNALA (15 min)
Nacho Solana | Director | Spain | 2014 | Narrative | US PREMIERE
José is an outdated man with an outdated business. His store, a tech support venue, has made him feel alive in the past, but is about to close. On one of his last working days, José is visited by a mysterious customer.
AUN NO ESTOY MUERTO (15 min)
Alain Lefebvre | Director | Spain | 2014 | Narrative | US PREMIERE
Antonio has a mission to undertake. And it might be his last.
1900-2000 (6 min)
Agathe Pillot, Armelle Renac, Benoît Berthe, Caroline Le Duff, Gabrielle Locre & Vivien Risser | Directors | France | 2013 | Animation | US PREMIERE
The year is 1900, and Georges and Madeleine are auditioning for a stage show in which they exhibit the technological wonders of the next century. Unfortunately for Georges, his lovely assistant is fed up with the act, and, right in the middle of the show, she absconds with their time machine.
DISCOVERING MOSES BRUNO (29 min)
Stuart J. Parkins | Director | Spain | 2013 | Narrative
Richard, a young American man, ventures into the Pyrenees mountains camera in hand, in search of information about the adventures of Moses Bruno Fierro, a legendary character his grandmother told him about when he was a young boy. He plans to film a documentary, not expecting that his life will change forever.
METROS UTILES (5 min)
David Cervera | Director | Spain | 2014 | Narrative | US PREMIERE
The challenge to find your space in the world, or what remains of it.
TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES (15 min)
Vasni J. Ramos | Director | Spain | 2014 | Narrative | US PREMIERE
Two persons are forced to tell the truth… a “truth” that all we already know.
SPONSOR: http://www.marbellakb.com/& Way Point
PASTICHE VOL 1 NO 1 (5 min)
Ned Daly | Director | USA | 2014 | Narrative | US PREMIERE
A kind of found poetry, the opening or closing lines of novels by authors as varied as Samuel Beckett and Toni Morrison, with appropriated images from the American film noir canon. Based on Daly's edgy graphic novel of the same name, the bizarrely unrelated text elements are knit together with sound and image. Pastiche has already been compared to the works of David Lynch and Pedro Almodovar.
THE HUG (8 min)
Teymoiur Ghaderi | Director | Iran | 2015 | Narrative
A poignant family reunion is depicted in this sweet, sad, ironic short.
YO PRESIDENTA (18 min)
Arantxa Echevararia | Director | Spain | 2015 | Narrative | US PREMIERE
This comedic parody is a commentary on the social issues of our time. Chaos reigns as elections take place in Europe…they need to find a leader quickly. Through a psychological study, it is shown that the most gifted to lead the nation is a person who has the most friends on Facebook.
THE WRONG MAN (16 min)
Roberto Goñi | Director | Spain | 2013 | Narrative | MA PREMIERE
He is an ordinary sales rep, she is an attractive sea archeologist and there is a loot of 200,000 euros. These are the ingredients of this romantic comedy with a touch of thriller.
SEA WOMEN (22 min)
Marta Solana | Director | Spain | 2014 | Documentary
The story of women in the fisheries of Cantabria in Spain. Not merely mothers and widows, they also have to manage indispensable tasks and provide support to fishing families.
IT HIT UPON THE ROOF (4 min)
Teymoiur Ghaderi | Director | Iran | 2014 | Narrative
A visually sweet, lyrical and poetic look at a family living in a country torn by decades of war. We see a creative and imaginative way that a young boy deals with the hardships of everyday life.
A CHANCE TO DRESS (41 min)
Alice Dungan Bouvrie | Director | USA | 2015 | Documentary
AIFF Best Documentary Short
76-year-old Professor Emeritus John Southard recently came out to his family, friends and M.I.T colleagues as a cross-dresser after nearly 40 years of easy collegiality. His exuberant outing is reflected, in part, by his efforts to reach out as an educator and counselor to other closeted students and faculty
FERDINAND KNAPP (15 min)
Andrea Baldini | Director | France | 2014 | Narrative
Ferdinand Knapp is the greatest actor of all. Preparing for a new play, the lines between his character’s malevolent personality and his own begin to blur, and his double warps his reality into a nightmare.
YUNAISY (13 min)
Juan Pablo Daranas Molina | Director | Cuba | 2014 | Narrative
Carlos is a young Cuban filmmaker facing censorship for the first time. He must decide to either accept a great career opportunity or maintain the integrity of “Yunaisy”.
TYRFING (19 min)
Stephen Polakiewicz & Eric Propp | Directors | USA | 2015 | Narrative
Norse folklore whispers of the cursed sword TYRFING, which brings doom to all who wield it and death to all who face it. Safeguarding the honor of his beloved, a valiant Viking duels a berserk raider who commands the damnable steel.
LA RED (The Net) (10 min)
Samuel Quiles | Director | Spain | 2013 | Narrative | NE PREMIERE
Esperanza waits for the sea to return her husband. Clinging to an old fishing net, she tries to keep her memories from fading away, but her grandson Fabian is intent on destroying them and tearing the net by playing football. Anchored in yesterday, Esperanza must leave behind the boat and this chapter of her memories to live a new day tomorrow.
KRESNICK: The Lore of Fire (14 min)
David Sipos | Director | Slovenia | 2014 | Narrative | MA PREMIERE
AIFF BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
Peter and his cousins are spending their summer vacations with their grandfather. They decide to spend the night camping outside, with no suspicion of the ordeals they will endure before the morning sun rises.
LADY URMIA (31 min)
Mohammad Ehsani | Director | Iran | 2013 | Documentary
A poetic documentary about Lake Urmia, in the northwest Iran, which is drying up completely. The environmental catastrophe will also affect neighboring countries such as Iraq and Turkey. The film is narrated in the voice of the Lake itself, crying for help and trying to bring international attention to its suffering.
NAJES: The Unclean (19 min)
Bahram & Bahman Hajaboullou | Directors | Iran | 2014 | Narrative
A devoted Moslem man hits a dog and since dogs are believed to be unclean, he is in doubt about whether to take care of it or to abandon it.
1-0 (1 min)
Saman Hosseinpuor | Director | Iran | 2013 | Narrative
A devoted Moslem man hits a dog and since dogs are believed to be unclean, he is in doubt about whether to take care of it or to abandon it.
CONVERSATION WITH CIGARETTE (17 MIN)
Russell Brown | Director | Spain | 2014 | Narrative | US PREMIERE
A black comedy with Ian Hart (Harry Potter: The Sorcerer's Stone), who stars in this one-man chamber piece about a gentleman facing off with his greatest enemy.
POWER TO THE PEDALS: Wenzday Jane and the Culture of Change (41 min)
Bob Nesson | Director | USA | 2014 | Documentary
This documentary portrays the transformative vision and extraordinary efforts of Wenzday Jane, a young woman whose mechanical skills and innovative actions are reshaping her community. Wenzday goes to the heart of the sustainability issue by offering solutions, and suggests that things don’t have to be the way they are.
JUAN & THE CLOUD (15 min)
Chadwick Whitehead, Director | Spain | 2014 | Animation
Juan is a child who doesn’t have any friends; la nube is a cloud who doesn’t have any cloud friends.
FALLT (3 min)
Giovanni Maccelli, Director | USA | 2014 | Animation
A farmer struggles to keep his land when Mr. Fall's fault-finding goes too far. Gravity must be found and a judge must question his judgment.
WEDDING CAKE (9 min)
Viola Baier, Director | Germany | 2013 | Animation | MA PREMIERE
Two marzipan figures come to life on top of a wedding cake and start to sculpt the perfect marriage out of cake icing. Wedding Cake is a film that shows the bittersweet way in which every day routine, lack of effort and disappearing interest in one’s partner can affect relationships.
RICE AND MATCHSTICKS (9 min)
Javier Beltramino, Director | Argentina/UK | 2015 | Animation | MA PREMIERE
Grief dwells within an old man in overwhelming solitude. His wife’s death and the pragmatic indifference of his son and daughter behold the elderly figure clinging on to a long-used suitcase, custodian of his egotist ambitions. But something startling will shake his bitter lethargy, bringing about a magical redemption.
LA TROMPETA (10 min)
Andrés Nieves, Director | Spain | 2015 | Animation | US PREMIERE
In the Roaring Twenties, where debauchery, alcohol and jazz are at their peak, Jeffrey is a famous jazz trumpeter having fun playing with Larry and Glen every night at New Orleans clubs. Everything is fine until one night when the worst thing that can happen to a musician happens.
SWITCHMAN (5 min)
Hsun Chun Chuang, Director | Taiwan | 2015 | Animation
On a quiet normal Sunday, Dr. Evil Mantis enters K-City unexpectedly armed with an intent to destroy. Enter an unlikely young man, a superhero, and the legend is about to begin.
THE TIME OF REFLECTION (9 min)
Alba E. Garcia, Director | USA | 2014 | Animation
An inventor in the future loses her twin sister tragically.
1900 - 2000 (6 min)
Agathe Pillot, Armelle Renac, Benoît Berthe, Caroline Le Duff, Gabrielle Locre, & Vivien Risser, Directors | France | 2015 | Animation | US PREMIERE
The year is 1900, and Georges and Madeleine are auditioning for a stage show in which they exhibit the technological wonders of the next century. Unfortunately for Georges, his lovely assistant is fed up with the act, and, right in the middle of the show, she absconds with their time machine.
BENDITO MACHINE (12 min)
Jossie Mallis, Director | Spain | 2014 | Animation | NE PREMIERE
AIFF Best Animation Short
An exotic traveler comes from far away to discover the beauty of a supposedly unexplored territory. Instead, he finds himself in the middle of a turbulent conflict. Trapped against his will, he must wait patiently until the storm has passed.
MY KINGDOM (4 min)
Debra Solomon, Director | USA | 2014 | Animation
A not-so-meditative meditation on the nature of personal space.
PADRE (12 min)
Santiago "Bou" Grasso, Director | Argentina | 2013 | Animation
Argentina 1983 — the dictatorship comes to an end in the country, but not in this woman's life as she nurses her bedridden military father.
MUTE (4 min)
Job, Joris & Marieke, Directors | Netherlands | 2013 | Animation
A comic take on the idea of bursting to express oneself…with no ability to speak.
STRINGS (11 min)
Pedro Solís García, Director | Spain | 2013 | Animation | US PREMIERE
María’s routine at school is altered by the arrival of a very special child. Soon, they become close friends.
DÄWIT (15 min)
David Jansen, Director | Germany | 2015 | Animation
María’s routine at school is altered by the arrival of a very special child. Soon, they become close friends.
THE SEARCH FOR THE MONSTER OF THE LAKE QUANNAPOWITT (4 min)
Sarah Lynne Reul, Director | USA | 2015 | Animation
This is a thesis film, a three-minute, digitally hand-drawn animated short about the candidate search to fill an open lake monster position. The layouts are based on the landmarks of the real Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, MA.