American Independent Competition: Short Films
Shorts Program 1: Lovers and Other Strangers
Shorts Program 2: True to Life
Shorts Program 3: No Way Out
Shorts Program 4: A Helping Hand
Shorts Program 5: Animated shorts

Shorts Program 1: Lovers and Other Strangers
Total Running Time: 98 min
Sunday, March 7, 12:00 PM at Regal
Wednesday, March 10, 4:30 PM at Regal

Pretty Dead Girl
USA, 2004, 20 min
directed by Shawn Ku

Mortie the morgue attendant (Christian Campbell, Trick) is a necrophiliac lusting after the beautiful corpses lying before him. Viola the nurse wonders if he could love a live girl. Did we mention this is a musical comedy?

SCRABBLE East Coast Premiere 2nd US Showing

Scrabble
USA, 2004, 10 min
directed by Jay and Mark Duplass

Rick and Amy play Scrabble, and then things get ugly.

ZEKE North American Premiere

Zeke
USA, 2003, 14 min
directed by Dana Buning

Newly neutered, Zeke the cat returns home and seeks revenge upon the man who made it happen.

CUT AND RUN World Premiere

Cut and Run
USA, 2003, 14 min
directed by David Harb

A tough talking, rough walking bounty hunter enrolls in beauty school and redefines Southern masculinity. Filled with righteous rednecks and really big hair.

THE M WORD Southeast Premiere

The M Word
USA, 2003, 4 min
directed by Rocky Morton

A corporate couple cooly calculate the costs of marriage. Written by Alan Ball (American Beauty, Six Feet Under).

THE WINTER PEOPLE

The Winter People
USA, 2003, 14 min
directed by John Stimpson

Are spirits living in your summer home during the off-season? That’s the question haunting young Sarah as she and her mom head to Cape Cod to close up their beach house for the winter.

THE FIRST THREE LIVES OF STUART HORNSLEY World Premiere

The First Three Lives of Stuart Hornsley
USA, 2003, 28 min
directed by Leigh Dana Jackson

Tunde Adebimpe (Jorge, Jump Tomorrow) stars as Stuart Hornsley, a lonely young physicist whose time machine is finally up and running. By tinkering with the past, he creates ever more surprising situations in the present in this smart and touching twist on a sci-fi theme.
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Shorts Program 2: True to Life
Total Running Time: 88 min
Saturday, March 6, 2:45 PM at Enzian
Thursday, March 11, 7:00 PM at Regal

DySENCHANTED Southeast Premiere

Dysenchanted
USA, 2003, 8 min
directed by Terri Edda Miller

What comes after "happily ever after"? A New Jersey divorcee joins a rarified group therapy session and discovers she’s asking the same questions as some of her favorite storybook characters. Featuring Alexis Bledel, Laura Kightlinger, Amy Pietz, Sarah Wynter, and Jim Belushi.

COG southeast Premiere

Cog
USA, 2003, 9 min
directed by Geva Patz

After three decades on the job, a factory worker encounters a little glitch in the system. Make that a big one.

UNDERGROUND southeast Premiere

Underground
USA, 2003, 11 min
directed by Aimee Lagos and Kristin C. Dehnert

Who are you afraid of--and why? The truth is not as simple as you may think.

MAREE (TIDES) southeast Premiere

Maree (Tides)
USA/Italy, 2003, 14 min
directed by James Pellerito
In Italian and Albanian with English Subtitles

An Albanian father and son flee war-torn Macedonia to seek a better future in Italy. Once there, the father must make the most painful decision of his life.

PUSH World Premiere

Push
USA, 2004, 16 min
directed by Tricia Nolan

A father has only one last favor to ask of his daughter--but it’s a doozie. The latest from the director of past festival favorite Rattler (FFF 2001), Push stars Law & Order’s Elisabeth Rohm and features a score by the great Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks).

RESTIVE PLANET East Coast Premiere 2nd US Showing

Restive Planet
USA, 2003, 13 min
directed by John Cregan

Bobby, a socially maladjusted teen, finds his acceptance within a retirement home challenged by Johnny (Alex Rocco, The Godfather), the leader of a geriatric gang of bullies. Can you say "scooter chicken"?

I AM STAMOS World Premiere

I Am Stamos
USA, 2003, 17 min
directed by Rob Meltzer

A wish come true leads to a case of identity theft--and the unholy wrath of Stamos! With appearances by Clint Howard and, yes, John Stamos.
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Shorts Program 3: No Way Out
Total Running Time: 104 min
Sunday, March 7, 2:15 PM at Enzian
Tuesday, March 9, 6:30 PM at Regal

NYLON East Coast Premiere

Nylon
USA/Iceland, 2003, 9 min
directed by Oskar Axelsson

A seemingly easy job for a rookie member of a gang of thieves becomes a hazardous journey into the feminine world of nylons.

CLAUSTROPHOBIA 2nd US Showing

Claustrophobia
USA, 2003, 7 min
directed by Brad McLaughlin

A 1960s family’s true feelings and fears are revealed when the living room walls start moving in on them in this oddly funny yet disturbing film.

LAST HAND STANDING Southeast Premiere

Last Hand Standing
USA, 2003, 8 min
directed by Paul Cotter

During an endurance competition to win a car, one contestant finds true love with his competitor. But will she come along for the ride?

DO ME A FAVOR World Premiere

Do Me a Favor
USA, 2003, 19 min
directed by Ben Bacal

Mike moves his family from NY to LA to enjoy the California life. Succumbing to pressure from his sociopath neighbor, his world seemingly turns into a disaster!

MARVELOUS CREATURES Southeast Premiere

Marvelous Creatures
USA, 2003, 4 min
directed by wago Kreider

Startlingly lit waxworks of Hollywood icons and diorama animals rapidly intercut with their subjects’ natural environments…classic movies and the zoo combine in a different sort of life lesson.

LA PUPPÉ Florida Premiere

La Puppé
USA, 2003, 9 min
directed by Tim Greenberg

Featuring a nuanced performance from Marty, the patriarch of the French new wave Plush-Toy Movement, this gentle parody is a loving homage to Chris Marker’s classic 1962 short, La Jetee, the inspiration for Terry Gilliam’s Twelve Monkeys.

CONVERSATIONS World Premiere

Conversations
USA, 2003, 16 min
directed by Ben Rock

A lonely small-town mortician with a need for social interaction takes matters into his own hands. Something new and creepy from the Production Designer of The Blair Witch Project and director of The Meeting (FFF 1999).

THINGS FALL APART World Premiere

Things Fall Apart
USA, 2003, 10 min
directed by Yaniv Raz

A city dweller/office drone, obsessed with material consumption, is forced to confront the violence of his surroundings after witnessing a brutal crime that knocks him out of his stupor. Music by Grandadddy.

FIVE DEEP BREATHS Florida Premiere

Five Deep Breaths
USA, 2003, 22 min
directed by Seith Mann

Winner of the 2002 Spike Lee Fellowship, Five Deep Breaths is the gripping story of a group of friends learning that no clear-cut rules dictate how to be a man--just choices . . . and consequences.
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Shorts Program 4: A Helping Hand
Total Running Time: 101 min
Saturday, March 6, 12:30 PM at Regal
Thursday, March 11, 9:00 PM at Regal

CRABWALK East Coast Premiere 2nd US Showing

Crabwalk
USA, 2003, 19 min
directed by Jeremy Saulnier

A lazy, 26-year old, college-educated freeloader gets an ugly dose of reality when his parents force him out of the house for a brutal day of job hunting. Winner—Best Narrative Short, 2004 Slamdance Film Festival.

A FAMILY X-MAS Southeast Premiere

A Family X-mas
USA, 2003, 14 min
directed by Warren Eig

Johnny the mob boss finds Santa in his living room on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, Johnny’s got a bone to pick with St. Nick.

HEAVEN World Premiere

Heaven
USA, 2003, 2 min
directed by Todd McCammon

A personal journey through the history of cinema culminating in its earliest form. Music by DJ Baba G and DJ Swamp.

NIGHT DAWN DAY World Premiere

Night Dawn Day
USA, 2003, 10 min
directed by Marc Pilvinsky

Weighed down by suburban angst, a young woman drifts to the bottom of a pool and imagines that she’s the last person on earth. The new film from the director of the wonderfully offbeat Indefinitely (FFF 2002).

THE CLIMACTIC DEATH OF DARK NINJA East Coast Premiere 2nd US Showing

The Climactic Death of Dark Ninja
USA, 2003, 12 min
directed by Peter Craig

Struggling to shoot his epic’s stunning finale, a pre-teen auteur battles heat stroke, a cranky lead actor, and rumors that a five-year-old PA is lost in the woods.

SPIDERMEN Florida Premiere

Spidermen
USA, 2003, 8 min
directed by Harry Kellerman

In the middle of the night, a little boy sneaks out to reclaim his Halloween candy that was confiscated by Mom.

JUNE & ORLANDO World Premiere

June & Orlando
USA, 2003, 12 min
directed by Scottie Gissel

While bathing her paralyzed husband, a wife rediscovers both intimacy and the deeper bond that holds the couple together.

WAKING DREAMS World Premiere

Waking Dreams
USA, 2003, 24 min
directed by John Daschbach

Is the office temp psychic or crazy? An executive (Ben Shenkman, Angels in America, Pi) ponders his options when the enigmatic woman shares her vision that his tropical vacation will end in bloody carnage.
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Shorts Program 5: Animated Shorts
Sponsored by LURE DESIGN
Total Running Time: 89 min
Wednesday, March 10, 7:00 PM at Enzian
Friday, March 12, 9:15 PM at Enzian
*Note: Due to the adult nature of some of the titles in this program, it is not suitable for children.

FOWL PLAY! Southeast Premiere

Fowl Play!
USA, 2003, 3 min
directed by Christopher DeSantis

Ducks and penguins face off on a virtual soccer field to find out which is the dominant species in this glorious computer animated romp.

PAPER CUT Southeast Premiere

Paper Cut
USA, 2003, 5 min
directed by Eric Towner

Which is mightiest of all? The sword? The pen? Some other similarly shaped object . . . or organ?

WILLIS SILLIM’S TALL TALE

Willis Sillim's Tall Tale
USA, 2003, 7 min
directed by Steffan Vala

Willis, the carnival tall man, falls in love with the Big Top’s belly dancer, but his height thwarts his efforts to meet her. Could a train accident finally be the chance for Willis to reach his true love?

LOST IN FOUND East Coast Premiere 2nd US Showing

Lost in Found
USA, 2003, 7 min
directed by Matthew Dills

A skeleton takes a stop-motion tour through the afterlife in this surreal look at love, grief, and what might have been.

FAN (A LOVE STORY) Southeast Premiere

Fan (A Love Story)
USA, 2003, 5 min
directed by Lori Samsel

A city girl on a hot summer’s day seeks relief from the heat and finds an unusual companion.

SOLDER MAN East Coast Premiere

Solder Man
USA, 2003, 4 min
directed by Dave Novak

Solder man opts for a sticky favorite when he runs out of life’s essential building block.

PLUGS MCGINNISS, SEEING EYE DOG East Coast Premiere 2nd US Showing

Plugs McGinniss, Seeing Eye Dog
USA, 2003, 3 min
directed by Aaron Augenblick

While on a routine trek to the post office, Plugs--alcoholic seeing-eye dog with a lust for the wild life--derails his unwitting owner into a debauch-erous adventure. From the director of Drunky (FFF 2002 ) and Ramblin’ Man (FFF 2001).

DROP Southeast Premiere

Drop
USA, 2003, 5 min
directed by Robert Mowen

The journey of a single raindrop serves as the jumping off point for a tour of a city in decay.

SUBWAY SALVATION Southeast Premiere

Subway Salvation
USA, 2003, 7 min
directed by Carolyn London

It’s just another day on a New York City subway until God appears as a half-eaten turkey sandwich.

THE TOLL COLLECTOR Southeast Premiere

The Toll Collector
USA/Czech Republic, 2002, 8 min
directed by Rachel Johnson

No one expects a toll collector to have dreams of becoming a ballerina, but for one lonely and terribly deformed woman, it’s all she’s ever wanted.

ANANDA Southeast Premiere

Ananda
USA, 2003, 6 min
directed by Mike Smith

Dali meets Bollywood in this psychedelic fantasy of a man wandering through the industrial wasteland of his own mind.

THE THREE OF US East Coast Premiere

The Three of Us
USA, 2003, 3 min
directed by Nirvan Mullick and Benjamin Goldman

A surreal love triangle featuring a mysterious two-headed creature. Inspired by a Ben Harper instrumental, and co-created by the director of last year’s Kobo Abe adaptation, The Box Man.

TERRA East Coast Premiere

Terra
USA, 2003, 7 min
directed by Meni Tsirbas

On an alien planet, a curious girl with a telescope must flee her father and government thugs when she makes a starling discovery about an approaching "planet" in the sky. From the director of last year’s crowd favorite, The Freak.

MAGDA North American Premiere

Magda
USA, 2004, 6 min
directed by Chel White

A man recalls his affair with a beautiful circus contortionist in this parable about lost innocence and the corruptibility of the human soul. The third in a series of the director’s remarkable adaptations of radio artist/author Joe Frank’s stories (Soulmate, FFF 2001 and Dirt, FFF 1999).

BID 'EM IN East Coast Premiere

Bid 'Em In
USA, 2003, 2 min
directed by Neal Sopata

A powerful and harsh reminder of America’s slave auction past set to the field-holler rap of Oscar Brown, Jr.

THE SPIRIT OF GRAVITY Florida Premiere

The Spirit of Gravity
USA, 2003, 6 min
directed by Victor Bellomo and David Pace

Animated with thousands of collaged photos, Friedrich Nietzsche sings his philosophy to a small town, arousing villagers to join him in defying the forces of nature. A b&w mini-musical inspired by "Thus Spoke Zarathustra."

LORENZO World Premiere

Lorenzo
USA, 2004, 5 min
directed by Mike Gabriel

New from Disney Animation! A fat and sassy cat is terrorized by his own tail--hilarity and ballroom dancing ensue.
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