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FEATURES

 

EFFIGY – Poison and the City (1:25) (Berlin, Germany) 

(East Coast USA Premiere)  Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 8pm

Director: Udo Flohr

Synopsis:  1828 in the German port city of Bremen: Two very different women collide in an age that has no place for either of them. One strives for a career in law, at a time when women aren't even admitted to universities. The other has lived life outside the law and may now have to pay the tab. One of them needs to get her head together – while the other would do anything not to lose hers. --- Based on the true story of female serial killer Gesche Gottfried, and on original trial records.

Trailer:  https://vimeo.com/315461093

 

 

FROM THE VINE (1:34) (Ontario) CANADA (SC Premiere) Screens:  Sat, Feb 22, 7:30pm

Director: Sean Cisterna    (WINNER BEST FEATURE)

Synopsis: From The Vine is the story of a downtrodden CEO experiencing a moral crisis that travels back to Italy to recalibrate his moral compass. He discovers new life by reviving his Nonno's old vineyard, offering the small town of Acerenza a sustainable future and reconnecting with his family in the process. Combining magic realism and Italian neorealism, and set against the backdrop of wine country Italy, the film is about finding your roots in your family when you're at the bottom of the barrel. 

 

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/356686339/2c950d99d2

 

 

IMMORTAL (1:35) (USA) West Hills, CA  (SC Premiere) 

Screens: Fri, Feb 21, 7:30pm

Director: Jon Dabach  Tom Colley Danny Isaacs  Rob Margolies

Synopsis: IMMORTAL boasts career best performances from Tony Todd, Dylan Baker, Robin Bartlett, Samm Levine, and Agnes Bruckner. Thrown into the face of death only to emerge unharmed, the characters of Immortal are left staring at their lives in the face with uncertainty and fear like they've never imagined.

Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DWgZLigJPI

 

LAST CALL (1:16) (USA) N. Hollywood, CA (SC Premiere)

Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 3:35pm

Director: Gavin Michael Booth

Synopsis:  Shot in two true single takes, filmed simultaneously in two different parts of a city, Last Call, is a real time feature presented in split screen showcasing both ends of a wrong number phone call that has the potential to save a life. Last Call follows a suicidal alcoholic on the anniversary of his son’s death. When he attempts to call a crisis hotline, a misdial connects him with a single mother working as the night janitor at a local community college. The split screen feature showcases both characters in real-time as they navigate a life-changing conversation.  Trailer:  https://vimeo.com/338689151

 

 

 

STAR LIGHT (1:30) (USA) Los Angeles, CA (SC Premiere)

Screens: Fri, Feb 21, 9:30pm

Director: Mitchell Altierri and Lee Cummings

Synopsis:  A teen's life is turned upside down when he helps a world-famous pop star on the run to escape her violent pursuers.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/338365660/45f93b98c1

 

 

YES (1:44) (USA) New York, NY (SC Premiere)

Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 7:30pm

Director: Rob Margolies

Synopsis:  Based on Tim Realbuto's critically acclaimed Off-Broadway play, YES tells the story of washed up child star Patrick Nolan, whose life was ruined when he was involved in a scandal involving a minor. Years later, Patrick becomes entranced with a 17-year-old student, who he decides to mentor. What begins as an innocent acting lesson turns into something much more intimate between two surprisingly common minds.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/333899524

 

 

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

BAND GEEKS (45 Min) Ontario (CANADA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Fri, Feb 21, 9:40am

Director: Morgan Elliott

Synopsis:  For 70 years, The Burlington Teen Tour Band has been Canada’s Musical Ambassadors. They are Canada’s oldest and largest youth marching band and have literally marched their way around the world. With less than 5 months to go before the Rose Parade, of the 220 current Teen Tour Band members, 60 are brand new to the band! These kids will have to be brought up to speed, learn to march, learn the music (memorizing 15-20 pieces), and learn the field show, get conditioned and uniformed. There is a ton to do and the clock is ticking.  Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fWM3ae2flY&feature=emb_err_watch_on_yt

 

 

FLINT: THE POISONING OF AN AMERICAN CITY (1:26) (USA) Atlanta, GA (SC Premiere) Screens: Sat, Feb 22, 3:45pm (WINNER Susan A. K. Shaffer Humanitarian Award)

Director: David Barnhart

Synopsis:  100,000 people have been poisoned by lead, a lifelong affliction, yet somehow this shocking event has been normalized in the US. "Flint: The Poisoning of an American City" gives voice to the current struggle of city residents and follows the environmental history of the river and how the continued abuse and neglect of city infrastructure and environmental regulations have led to the poisoning of a city. 

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/222899000

 

 

I AM PATRICK SWAYZE (1:30) (CANADA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Fri, Feb 21, 1pm

Director: Adrian Buitenhuis

Synopsis:  An inside look at the life of Patrick Swayze as told by the people who knew him best.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFb2PxB_MwM

 

 

MY FATHERS BROTHERS (1:14) (USA) Charlotte, NC (SC Premiere)  Screens:  Thu, Feb 20, 12pm

Director: Shawn Kelley  (WINNER Best Documentary Feature and Audience Choice)

Synopsis:  Jack Kelley, a Citadel graduate, volunteered for Vietnam. As a Captain, he routinely led his company of 140 men on patrols in the jungles of Vietnam. The orders came down from higher command that on June 29, 1966 Capt. Jack Kelley, and the other company commanders, were to spread their platoons 1,000 meters apart in order to cover more area when looking for the Vietcong.

Trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd8-uS328_k&feature=emb_logo

 

 

WIND RIDERS (55 Min) (USA) New York, NY (SC Premiere)

Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 10:40am

Director: Emi Katayama 

Synopsis:  A feature documentary, “Wind Riders” tells the untold stories of three American balloonists who dedicate their lives to their sport – a masterful solo balloon pilot whose enthusiasm crosses generations and a 2 person team in a high-risk quest to defend their world title.

Trailer:  https://vimeo.com/262223877

 

 

DOCUMENTARY (SHORTS)

BORN IN AMERICA (35 Min) (USA) Orange, CA (SC Premiere)

Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 2:30pm

(Chapman University)

Director: Zhan Luo

Synopsis:  The documentary, Born in America, focuses on a Chinese family who comes to California to have their baby in order to obtain the privilege of American citizenship. Throughout the film, the audience will learn more about ‘birth tourism’ and why many Chinese families and investors are buying into these programs. Is it legal or not? How will American people be affected by birth tourism? The audience will figure this out with the help of these two families, the agencies, lawyers, and professors.

 Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WOi9oatBBI&t=2s

 

DIVIDED (19 Min) (USA) Orange, CA (SC Premiere) (Chapman University) Screens: Sat, Feb 22, 2:45pm

Directors: Brynne McKee, Jackie Palacios, Benjamin Allen, Jack Mullinkosson

Synopsis:  This film explores the American divide between red and blue post-2016 election, as seen by two queer women on opposite sides of the aisle.

The directors of 'Divided' hope that this examination of the post-2016 American political climate will motivate Americans of all backgrounds to come together for the future good of the nation.

Trailer:

 

 

ST. SIMONS: SURVIVING SUCCESS  (15 Min) (USA) St. Simons Island, GA (SC Premiere) Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 10:50am

Director: Lance Lipman

Synopsis:  Two retired filmmakers living on St. Simons Island, GA have created a short documentary to inspire and challenge island residents and visitors to play a more active role in the decisions affecting efforts to preserve the island’s character and charm. The project includes participants’ early island memories, an appreciation of the island’s natural environment and the depiction of current development and infrastructure pressures. The producers’ approach was to make the documentary entertaining, including upbeat pacing, dramatic landscapes and first-person storytelling. We’re attempting to promote island pride and make the issue of preserving St. Simons’ charm and natural beauty at the top of everyone’s mind. The documentary is intended to be a call to action.

Trailer:https://vimeo.com/311560654

 

 

WATERPROOF (31 Min) (USA) South Hampton, NY (SC Premiere) Screens: Thu, Feb 19, 9:20am

Director: Ross Kauffman  (WINNER Best Documentary Short)

Synopsis:  immersive and cinematic, WATERPROOF is the story of one community’s crusade to create a safe swimming environment in East Hampton, New York. Led by the incomparable Big John and Johnny Jr., these lifeguards give the best of themselves to train, compete and ultimately ensure the safety of locals and tourists alike at the eastern end of Long Island.

Trailer:

 

STUDENT FILMS

 

A LONELY DEATH (27 Min) Dodge College (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screen: Sat, Feb 22, 3:10pm

Director: Matthew Suppes   (WINNER Best Student Film)

Synopsis:  A quiet cleaner specializing in unattended or “lonely” deaths makes a discovery at an old man’s apartment, which leads him on a path to the man’s estranged daughter, and a new purpose to his life.

Trailer:

 

GHAZAAL  (15 Min) Dodge College (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 11:15am

Director: Ragini Bhasin

Synopsis:  A 13-year-old Afghan refugee hustles around in a refugee camp, trying to survive the harsh circumstances.

Trailer:https://vimeo.com/334238039

 

LOGGED ON (12 Min) UNCSA (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Sat, Feb 22, 9:40am

Director: Cameron McCormick

Synopsis:  A young teenager is trapped in her own home by a much older date after they meet for the first time.

Trailer:

 

OFF WITH YOUR HEAD (20 Min) Dodge College (USA) (SC Premiere) Screens: Fri, Feb 21, 9:15am

Director: Kaitlin Moore 

Synopsis:  In 1850’s London, Cora falls down her personal rabbit hole after being dropped off at an insane asylum, finding solace in the “Wonderland” she has fabricated in her mind. As a reaction to the abandonment by her father, Cora turns into none other than the evil Queen of Hearts.

Trailer:

 

PAINTED LOVE (16 Min) UNCSA (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Sat, Feb 22, 9:08am

Director: Michelle DeGrace 

Synopsis:  Stuck in her dreary job as a debt collector, an old-fashioned dreamer discovers a magical portal to a new world full of life and color.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/380827257

 

THE CHEF  (20 Min) AFI (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 1:15pm

Director: Hao Zheng 

Synopsis:  In the near future, when all labor works are replaced by humanoids, a Chinese chef, Pu (60s) is ordered to pass on his cooking skill to a humanoid robot William and to teach him Chinese cooking. Designed to satisfy his owner, William tries to follow Pu’s every instruction, but his robotic demand for precision and perfection is essentially contradictory to Chinese cooking. At the same time, the protests against AI replacing the human labor are more and more intense. Qiang, Pu’s apprentice is also one of the protestors. Since Qiang disappoints Pu time and time again in cooking, Pu starts to get closer with William, which pushes him to the opposite of human beings. Pu becomes at a loss in this dilemma. 

Trailer:https://vimeo.com/303402024

 

 

 

 

ANIMATION FILMS

 

MISGUIDED  (3 Min) RINGLING (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 9am

Director: Sean Kim (WINNER Best Animation)

Synopsis:  Tom, a clumsy guide retriever, take his eye off his blind master, Albert, because of a tennis ball for a while, and lost him. And Tom chases him to resolve the situation after witnessing he tumbled through the dangerous construction site.

Trailer:

 

 

MOCKING BIRD (3 Min) CLEMSON (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Fri, Feb 21, 9:06am 

Director: Katherine Crossan 

Synopsis:   Amocking bird and walnut tree experience the change of seasons.

Trailer:

 

 

SELFISH (3 Min) SHERIDAN COLLEGE (CANADA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 9am

Director: Po-Chien Chen 

Synopsis: The film is about human beings are consuming delicious seafood, but sea animals are suffering from the trash we made-- not only do we eat them but also make their living environment poisonous and miserable

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/332517802

 

 

 

 

THE HIDDEN RIVER OF MY LIFE (5 Min) EMILY CARR UNIVERSITY (CANADA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Fri, Feb 21, 9:am

Director: Kate Woodward 

Synopsis:  A multimedia music video set to Sufjan Stevens’ “The Hidden River of My Life” illustrates a cosmic, yet deeply intimate exploration of humanity: our past, our present, and the places we might go.

Trailer:

 

 

TIFFANY (7 Min) CENTRAL FLORIDA (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Sat, Feb 22, 9am

Director: Christina Christie

Synopsis:  While packing away her deceased grandmother's affairs, Pauline discovers that one of their stained glass sculptures has come to life. As the lights in the house go out and their memories together begin to dim, Pauline realizes there is joy in celebrating the legacy of those who have been lost.

Trailer:

 

 

SHORT FILMS

 

40 MINUTES OVER MAUI (14 Min) Los Angeles, CA (USA) (SC Premiere) Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 4:45pm

Directors: Michael Feld Josh Covett

Synopsis:  or 40 minutes on January 13, 2018, the fate of the world hung in the balance, for Larry and Penny... their Hawaiian vacation was ruined.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/297367769

AGE OF BRYCE (10 Min) Waco, TX (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 9:30am

Directors: David Feagan  Brian Elliott

Synopsis:mothered by an adoring, over-protective mom, 12-year-old Bryce Yancy Paul (Bip) is pushed to the brink of pubescent revolution. It’s time to ripen. Bloom. Break the shackles of parental paranoia. It’s the Age of Bryce. Sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.

 or 40 minutes on January 13, 2018, the fate of the world hung in the balance, for Larry and Penny... their Hawaiian vacation was ruined.

Trailer:

 

AS ONE   (15 Min) New York, NY (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Fri, Feb 21, 2:50pm

Director: David Spaltro

Synopsis:  ill must put one foot in front of the other to move through her grief, and with connection she discovers that every mile has a story.

Trailer:https://vimeo.com/341857914

 

 

AUDITIONING WITH MOM (10 Min) Marietta , GA (USA) 

(SC Premiere) Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 12:15pm

Director: Steve Coulter

Synopsis:  A sometimes-working-mostly-struggling actor is forced to ask his 80-year-old mom to help him with his TV audition.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/383290848

CARRY MY HEART TO THE YELLOW RIVER  (22 Min) St. Paul, MN (USA) (SC Premiere) Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 9:05am

Director: Alexis Van Hurkman

SynopsisTaking her hospitalized friend's place on a bike tour to the Yellow River, a high school graduate travels to faraway Gannan and races the clock to share pictures of the journey.

Trailer:https://youtu.be/A6twYJTkQuU

 

DARLING, DARLING WENDY (14 Min) Los Angeles, CA (USA) (SC Premiere) Screens: Sat, Feb 22, 11:20am

Director: Elise Robertson

Synopsis:  Fifteen years after her trip to Neverland, Wendy Darling is determined to go back for good. But Peter Pan has other ideas.

Trailer:https://vimeo.com/335324599

 

DICTATOR’S DON’T DIE (15 Min) Essen (GERMANY) (SC Premiere) Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 9:04am

Director: Serkan Öztürk

Synopsis:  A boy who ran away from Nazi camp begins to live in a forest. He never leaves the forest since then because he fears being abducted by Hitler. After many years, he is found by a nature photographer wandering around his home. She takes him to a senior center. However, he cannot make it in there, he goes back to the forest. Since, he saw the news about refugees and the people died for their freedom, his old fears hunts him again and he believes Hitler has never died and still lives among us..

Trailer:

 

ENTWINED (15 Min) Santa Barbara, CA (USA) (World Premiere)

Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 12:40pm

Director: Dale Griffiths Stamos

Synopsis:  Two people in their sixties find themselves standing in front of the same painting at a gallery. Joe is black and Lisa is white and almost 50 years ago, when in high school, they loved each other. Now they must face their troubled past, and feelings that time may not have erased.

Trailer:https://vimeo.com/345755831

 

FIFTY (19 Min) Los Angeles, CA (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Fri, Feb 21, 3:20pm

Director: Javier Dampierre

Synopsis:  A world-renowned psychiatrist is put to the test when a mysterious patient reveals his true identity.

Trailer:

 

 

 

 

 

HINDSIGHT (18 Min) Charleston, SC (USA)

Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 2:25pm

Director: Ian Kent

Synopsis:  A young artist struggling with his identity meets an elderly blind man who offers a way out of restricting one's soul.

·       Trailer: https://vimeo.com/346033926

·        

HOLLOWED (24 Min) Los Angeles, CA (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 3:30pm

Director: Cedric Thomas Smith

Synopsis:  After discovering their father is dying of cancer, a family struggles to face their unresolved issues before time runs out.

·       Trailer:

 

KNEELING SHEEP (15 Min) Los Angeles, CA (USA) 

(SC Premiere) Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 10:05am

Director: Hai Rihan

Synopsis:  A Mongolian single mother fights to save her son who is about to be executed, only to discover that the absence of justice is crushing her life.

 Trailer: https://vimeo.com/336538830

 

 

 

METHOD (15 Min) Livingston, MT (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 4:10pm

Director: Robert Grabow

Synopsis: A Machiavellian acting teacher pushes an aspiring actor to her breaking point with his unconventional “method.”

 Trailer:

 

MINER’S MOUNTAIN (18 Min) Wilmington, NC (USA) (SC Premiere) Screens: Sat, Feb 22, 11:55am

Director: Bennett Pellington  (WINNER Best Short Film)

Synopsis: A sheriff comes under fire when two S.B.I. Agents question his involvement in an unsolved murder that shares distinct similarities with a recent homicide.

 Trailer: https://vimeo.com/349103243

 

 

MS ROSSI (6 Min) Santa Clarita, CA (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 3:15pm

Director: Pat Battistini

Synopsis: While on her way to a business meeting, Ms. Rossi takes an interesting detour.

 Trailer:

 

NOTICE (15 Min) Atlanta, GA (USA) (World Premiere)

Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 1:50pm

Director: Phyllis Jackson  (WINNER Best Comedy)

Synopsis: He only has to make it one more day before he blows this popsicle stand. Or maybe he'll just blow a gasket.

 Trailer: https://vimeo.com/381950276

PIPE DREAM (20 Min) Roseville, CA (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Fri, Feb 21, 10:40am

Director: Chris King

Synopsis: Each year thousands of budding actors take that huge leap of faith and move to L.A. or New York in search of stardom. This is the story of once such actress who, with nothing but her talents and determination, would go from anonymity to Broadway stardom within a few short years. She would later become known as the beloved legend of stage and screen, Carol Burnett.

 Trailer:https://vimeo.com/296960231

 

 

POOR BABY (8 Min) Findlay, OH (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 2:05pm

Director: KC Allen

Synopsis:Darlene Tate is nine months pregnant and fiercely independent, and means to raise her baby on her own if she's approved for a loan. When her loan is denied she resorts to desperate measures.

 Trailer:

 

REFUGE (19 Min) Atlanta, GA (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 1:30pm

Director: Sara Logan Hofstein

Synopsis:After her recent move to Vienna, Rachel is overcome by the inherited trauma of her family’s Holocaust past when her life intersects with a homeless Syrian refugee family. With the philosophical guidance of a former Ethiopian refugee, she learns that true healing can begin with a single act of compassion. 

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxg2r61IxoI

 

SAFE & HAPPY (10 Min) St. Louis, MO (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 10:25am

Director: Richard Ulrich

Synopsis:RAY ROBINSON lives with his second wife, JOLENE, in a small town where they are raising his 13-year-old daughter, SHANNON, whom he brought into the marriage. But when it’s discovered that Shannon has leukemia and Ray is the only DNA match for her, Ray’s life suddenly starts to unravel.

Trailer:https://vimeo.com/339003439

 

 

SILENCER (16 Min) Atlanta, GA (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Thu, Feb 20, 9:50am

Director: Ahmed Lucan

Synopsis:A school shooting might stay in the news cycle for a few days, a week, maybe a month; so common have they become. But the repercussions of a shooting on the families of the victims, and on the family of the shooter, will last forever - leaving only the silence of tragedy behind. 'Silencer' is the story of two mothers trying to reclaim their voices after a parent's worst nightmare.

Trailer:

 

 

STOP (27 Min) Burbank, CA (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Sat, Feb 22, 10:40am

Director: James Brown-Orleans 

Synopsis:A routine traffic stop finds a New York State Trooper face to face with a storied stranger from his past. The chance encounter powerfully alters their fates...again. 

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2KM7Lf8dsI&feature=emb_logo

 

 

THE 11THORDER  (25 Min) Atlanta, GA (USA) (SC Premiere)

SANTINI PATRIOT SPIRIT AWARD WINNER (not in competition)

Screens: Sat, Feb 22, 2pm

Director: Joshua Defour 

Synopsis:The true story of two U.S. Marines who, in a span of six seconds, must stand their ground to stop a suicide truck bomb and protect the lives of the 150 Marines and Iraqi Police behind them.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/348915154

 

 

THE KEEPER (14 Min) New York, NY (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Sat, Feb 22, 10:10am

Director: Bob Celli 

Synopsis:

Trailer:https://vimeo.com/317290350

 

 

 

THE LONG COMMUTE (18 Min) New York, NY (USA) (World Premiere)Screens: Fri, Feb 21, 11:15am

Director: Miguel Garzón Martínez

Synopsis:A workaholic businessman attempting to reconnect with his estranged father discovers that time is unforgiving.

Trailer:https://vimeo.com/315156358

 

 

TRAPPED (24 Min) Bel Air, MD (USA) (SC Premiere)

Screens: Fri, Feb 21, 11:45am

Director: Billy Chizmar

Synopsis: When her weekend hike goes horribly wrong, Katie must use every ounce of strength to survive -- but is it enough? From the minds of Stephen King and Richard Chizmar.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/356259101

 

 

TRUCE (14 Min) Boiling Springs, SC (USA) 

Screens: Wed, Feb 19, 3pm

Director: John Niespodzianski

Synopsis: John Micelli sits in a hospital room, his mind and soul fractured after returning from Vietnam. His loving family is shattered as he tries to pick up the pieces and return to the man he once was. TRUCE tells the story of our wounded warriors -

Trailer:

 

 

 

 

SCREENPLAYS

 

AWAY WITH MY HEART (USA) LOS ANGELES, CA

WRITERS: : Hoyt Richards   and Lawrence Nelson II (WINNER Best Screenplay)

Synopsis:A washed up, womanizing, alcoholic country singer is forced to reevaluate his life when he discovers not only is he dying of cancer but he also has a twenty-year old daughter that he never knew he had.

 

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CONUNDRUM (USA) BOSTON, MA

WRITER: : Mark S Bourbeau

Synopsis:An Iraq War veteran is haunted by a tragic mistake he made on the battlefield. When the CIA accidentally kills his family in an illegal 
domestic drone strike intended for terrorists, they cover it up, 
but he is suspicious and sets out to investigate. As his quest for the truth unfolds, he must weather increasing attempts to deter him through deception as he crosses paths with an attractive FBI agent with a secret of her own, then dodge the CIA's attempts to kill him. The truth he uncovers shakes his faith in the government he served on the battlefield. Ultimately, with the clever assistance of an unusual and resilient young female co-worker, he achieves justice, can conquer his demons and start life anew. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HALF PLUS SEVEN (USA) TENAFLY, NJ

WRITER: : Wally Marzano-Lesnevich and Lindsay Adkins Marzano-Lesnevich

Synopsis:Nearing his 40th birthday, a bachelor falls for a younger woman and scrambles to fulfill a promise he made to his late father. The unlikely couple, and their families, learn that the equation for love is more complex than they thought.

 

 

MESTENGO (USA) VIROQUA, WI

WRITER: : Theresa Anne Carey

Synopsis:Conscripted to serve as a stable boy on a Spanish galleon bound for America, a young orphan’s life is forever changed when he befriends a wild Mustang and they must join forces to survive in this high-seas adventure based on the true origins of the wild mustangs of the American Southwest.

 

 

PRIDE & PRESIDENT (CANADA) TORONTO

WRITER: John Pisano-Thomsen

Synopsis:On her deathbed, First Lady Molly Fitzpatrick confronts her husband J.J of his torrid love affair with former chief speechwriter and now well-known TV journalist, Lucky Vega, provoking J.J. to reflect on his true nature and to re-pursue Lucky again.  At the same time, Reverend Billy Ray Blanchard, a prominent evangelical congressman from Nashville, struggles to suppress and change the sexual awakening of his teenage son, Nolan, while railing against liberals and the LGBT community.  Once the leader of the free world and a Southern teenage boy come to  grips with their identity, comedy and tragedy ensue to bring their two worlds together

 

 

 

THE POLITICS OF LOVE AND DANCE (CANADA) TORONTO

WRITER: John Pisano-Thomsen

Synopsis:Triangles arrested for homosexuality during the reign of the Third Reich. Through a 2011 interview with Dr. Theodore Bitten of the United States Holocaust Museum, Dietrich, at the age of 95, takes us back to 1935 where we are led into his young life as a successful ballet dancer with the Berlin Staatsoper; a gay man suppressed by the enforcement of immorality law Paragraph 175; a lover pursing an impossible romance with a conflicted childhood pal forced by his stepfather to be a Nazi officer; and a victim of tragic circumstance that leads to his internment in Dachau. 

 

 

THE WELL (USA) MAUREPAS, LA

WRITERS: Tom Bhramayana  and Michelle Barfield

Synopsis:A strong willed young doctor, Ava Lindley, and texan oil driller ,Jake Barringer, gets approval to start a water well for the people of Burundi, Africa. Little do they know how challenging mentally, emotionally, and spiritually this task will be.

 

 

 

BEST COMEDY NOMINATIONS

40 Minutes Over Maui (Short Film)

Age of Bryce (Short Film)

Auditioning with Mom (Short Film)

From the Vine (Feature Film)

Misguided (Animation)

Ms. Rossi (Short Film)

Notice (Short Film)  (WINNER)

Poor Baby (Short Film)

 

 

BEST DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS

 

UDO FLOHR (Effigy – Poison and the City)   Feature Film

ROBERT GRABOW (Method) Short Film 

CHRIS KING (Pipe Dream ) Short Film

ROB MARGOLIES (Yes)  Feature Film 

BENNETT PELLINGTON (Miner’s Mountain) Short Film

HAI RIHAN (Kneeling Sheep)   Short Film

SEAN CISTERNA (From the Vine)   Feature Film (WINNER)

 

BEST ACTRESS NOMINATIONS

 

SUZAN ANBEH (Effigy – Poison and the City) Feature  (WINNER) 

ANA ROSHELLE DIAZ (Trapped)  Short Film

LISA FERRIS (Pipe Dream)  Short Film

HONG MEI (Kneeling Sheep)  Short Film

MARIA SOUZA (Method)  Short Film

DEY YOUNG (Fifty)  Short Film

 

 

 

 

BEST ACTOR NOMINATIONS

DYLAN BAKER (Immortal)  Feature Film

SASHA GOLBERG (Fifty)  Short Film

ROBERT GRABOW (Method) Short Film

ANTHONY ROBERT GRASSO (The Long Commute) Short Film

JOE PANTOLIANO (From the Vine)  Feature Film 

TIM REALBUTO (Yes)  Feature Film  (WINNER)

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