2017 Official Selections – Films

Click on any film title to learn more.

90 Minutes of the Fever
A Meditation
A Scream That’s Trapped Inside
Anastasia
Arg Stairs
Chatsworth
From Ashes to Immortality
Full Circle
Holly’s Girl
Hope
I Cherish Women
Immersion
Joya Mia
Letters
Mismatch and Lighter
Mouse Mess
One More
Rebirth
See How Easy That Was?
See Yourself Out
Some Bunny’s Story
Sound of the Future: Haiti
Stay
The Faceless Man
The Pooka
Tirachinas (Slingshot)
Transmission
Us.

2017 Official Selections

(Films are in alphabetical order.)

90 Minutes of the Fever

102 mins
A family trapped in a house, airing all their long held secrets as the end of the world approaches.

Director: Michael Sean Hall
Writer(s): Michael Sean Hall
Producer(s): Joan Carlson, Michael Sean Hall, Monica Cooper
Key Cast: Glenn Plummer, Parker McKenna Posey, Marcus Paulk, James Black

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A Meditation

16 mins
A man who is a little lost finds himself connecting with a surprising woman who shows up to buy the DVR he is selling on Craigslist.
Director: Joe Petricca
Writer(s): Joe Petricca
Producer(s): Maggie Biggar, Brian Mancini
Key Cast: Harold Perrineau

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A Scream That’s Trapped Inside

15 mins
Mara comes back home from her boyfriend’s funeral to experience a mind game full of guilt. Jake, her boyfriend, prepared a scavenger game and placed some notes around the house that lead to an anniversary present.

Director: Savvas Christou
Writer(s): Savvas Christou
Producer(s): Amari Agee
Key Cast: Birgit Ludemann, Dustin Ardine

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Anastasia

5 mins
When Studying on her own fails her she goes to Lucy for help, and begins to learn English and also makes a new friend.

Director: Herschey Liss
Writer(s): Herschey Liss
Producer(s): Herschey Liss
Key Cast: Aurora Pranzo, Masha Malinina

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Arg Stairs

100 mins
A comedy adventure about a resourceful cavemen who conceives one of the most over looked creations in human history, the stairs.

Director: Kyle Romanek
Writer(s): Sean Morse-Barry
Producer(s): Kyle Romanek, Sean Morse-Barry
Key Cast: Anthony E. Williams, Christopher Hollobaugh, Alexandra Hvrinak, Kyle Romanek, DC Cathro, Amber Watson, Sean Morse-Barry, Gaby Dunn

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Chatsworth

19 mins
Deep in the San Fernando Valley, 3,000 miles away from the bright lights of Broadway, Foster is struggling to finish writing his latest musical. Danica works for her abusive movie producer boyfriend, who she wants to break away from and pursue her dream of being a real movie star. With a little help from their “friends”, they just might make it.

Director: La Monte Edwards
Writer(s): La Monte Edwards
Producer(s):
Key Cast: 

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From Ashes to Immortality

23 mins
Synopsis: A dark, human story about an innocent girl, a disturbed father, a troubled neighbor, and a tale of magic.

Director: Eric Hyde
Writer(s): Mike Anderson, Eric Hyde
Producer(s): George Dean, Eric Hyde
Key Cast: Wes Studi, Blake Robbins, Kevin Willmott, Delilah Rose Pellow, George Dean, Mike Anderson

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Full Circle

4 mins
My film is about a boy named Pablo, who is riding a subway train to school with his homework that was due that day. When he gets off the train, he realizes he left his homework on the train. He watches the train door close in his face and the train takes off. My film shows the homework’s journey around the city and how it makes its way back to the classroom unbeknownst to Pablo.

Director: James Labuda
Writer(s): James Labuda
Producer(s): Tommy and Leily Labuda
Key Cast: Pablo Berruto

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Holly’s Girl

9 mins
Holly’s Girl is about breaking down the stereotypical image of an eating disorder and exposing the real story. The story of the other being who takes control over our lives and breaks us down until we feel worthless. This is the reality. The reality that I and many other women know all too well.

Director: Paulina Lagudi
Writer(s): Paulina Lagudi, Molly Welsh
Producer(s): Paulina Lagudi
Key Cast: Malika Moro, Francia Raisa

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Hope

4 mins
Moving documentary about how music and hope inspired a young cancer survivor.
Director: Ella Mazer
Writer(s): Ella Mazer
Producer(s): Ella Mazer
Key Cast: Jaxon Blumenthal

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I Cherish Women

4 mins
Thirty artists and activists unite to deliver a bold statement to “defend human rights and right human wrongs in the Trump era.”

Director: Judith Lynn Stillman
Writer(s): Judith Lynn Stillman
Producer(s): Judith Lynn Stillman
Key Cast: Becky Bass, Katherine Kazarian, Lori Phillips, Sarah Pothier, Hannah Resseger, Sheila Resseger, Nadya Okamoto, Tina Cane, Sumbul Siddiqui, Zoya Tsvetkova, Ashley Bell, Michelle Pretto, Julianna McGuirl, Sarah Cheng, J.J. Zen Wu, Adam Klein, Ronya Traynham, Joseph Charles Beutel, Tim LaFontaine, Jennifer Valle, Juan Ahumada, Juan del Bosco, Matthew Quinn, Nathan Bahny, Elisabeth Shoup, Halley Gilbert, Teresa Eickel, Judith Lynn Stillman

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Immersion

7 mins
A man mysteriously finds himself in a room with a couple dead guys, a gun, some money, and a dubious gentleman observing from the shadows.

Director: Mikhael Bassilli
Writer(s): Mikhael Bassilli
Producer(s): Mikhael Bassilli, Brandon Miree
Key Cast: Troy Mittleider, Gonzalo Bouza, Tomas Boykin

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Joya Mia

6 mins
Julia grows up with a fierce bond with her grandfather, and as she gets older, so does he – and his memory is disappearing. One day he sees Julia as a complete stranger, and that devastates her, and must learn how to cope the best way she can.

Director: Ella Warner
Writer(s): Ella Warner
Producer(s): Ella Warner
Key Cast: Alison Robertson, Fred Warner, Ava Boris

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Letters

13 mins
Bereavement is something that is inevitable. However, the mental illness that may arise from it seems to be an unspoken issue in our society. How do we deal with it?

Director: Reggie Jernigan
Writer(s): Reggie Jernigan
Producer(s): Reggie Jernigan
Key Cast: Reggie Jernigan

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Mismatch and Lighter

17 mins
A quirky therapist takes it upon herself to play matchmaker to all her unsuspecting clients.

Director: Mark Datuin
Writer(s): Mark Datuin
Producer(s): Mark Datuin, Krzysztof Bryjak
Key Cast: Anastasia Kokolakis, Samantha Kaine, Krzysztof Bryjak, Josh Vokey, Kathleen Pollard

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Mouse Mess

7 mins
A woman has to rise to the challenge of dealing with a stranger in her midst.

Director: Miles McCrudden
Writer(s): Miles McCrudden
Producer(s): Miles McCrudden
Key Cast: Annica McCrudden

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One More

8 mins
Moving into college is a big step for both a single mother and her only child.

Director: Nate Hapke
Writer(s): Nate Hapke
Producer(s): Sophia Zach
Key Cast: Danielle Rayne, Aaron Sanders

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Rebirth

12 mins
A young woman gets her beauty and vanity taken by a masked figure.

Director: Jill Von D
Writer(s): Jill Von D
Producer(s): Anirudh Pisharody
Key Cast: Natalie Sifferman

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See How Easy That Was?

8 mins
A distressed young man is startled when he finds a hobo in an alley.

Director: Marina Bruno
Writer(s): Marina Bruno
Producer(s): Marina Bruno
Key Cast: Will Lafrance, Randy Mars, Joel Jakob

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See Yourself Out

22 mins
When unforeseen circumstances throw Wallace and Reggie into each other’s orbit, they discover that they share an unhealthy common ground.

Director: Kevin Nielsen
Writer(s): Kevin Nielsen
Producer(s): Kevin Nielsen, Zach Voss
Key Cast: Nicholas Paul Garcia, Aaron M. Kiefer

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Some Bunny’s Story

4 mins
When a young girl receives a toy bunny, it becomes more precious to her than she ever imagined.

Director: Isabella Masrouga
Writer(s): Isabella Masrouga

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Sound of the Future: Haiti

19 mins
This film follows the story of the most well known modern Haitian musician, Michael Brun, as he takes it upon himself to show his fellow countrymen that Haiti is worth fighting for.

Director: Luke Versalko
Key Cast: Michael Brun

 

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Stay

93 mins
Can a good man do terrible things? A man holds a woman captive in hopes that in time she will fall in love with him.

Director: Christopher Cramer
Writer(s): Christopher Cramer
Producer(s): Christopher Cramer
Key Cast: Devin Brooke, Zach Kanner, Blake Berlin, Ariel Barber, Tommy Flemming

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The Faceless Man

13 mins
An offbeat fable about a disillusioned man who discovers his face has transformed into a mirror and must venture out into the world to reclaim his identity.

Director: Jeremy Foley
Writer(s): Sara O’Reilly, Jeremy Foley
Producer(s): Sara O’Reilly
Key Cast: William O’Leary

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The Pooka

15 mins
In a desperate attempt to aid a lost soul, a benevolent oversized rabbit must find a way to rekindle a forgotten spark.

Director: Luke Boyce
Writer(s): Alissa Dean
Producer(s): Brett Hays, Jennifer Shelby, Chris Sullivan
Key Cast: Chris Sullivan, Lily Rains

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Tirachinas (Slingshot)

17 mins
It’s 4th of July in rural Western America. A rock fired by Valery’s slingshot unfolds an avalanche of emotions.

Director: Pedro Patricio
Writer(s): Pedro Patricio
Producer(s): Bryce Morgan, Tim Deters
Key Cast: Emma Maddock , Jacob Ketchum, Abe Martell, Lisa Ermel, Michelle Grisaffi, Daniel Olson

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Transmission

18 mins
Welcome To Britannia. Together We Stand Alone.

Directors: Varun Raman, Tom Hancock
Writer(s): Varun Raman, Tom Hancock
Producer(s): Varun Raman, Tom Hancock, Peter Robinson, Thomas Shawcroft
Key Cast: James Hyland, Michael Shon, Kelby Keenan

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Us.

4 mins
A brief and positive telling of America’s history using clay and stop motion animation

Director: Remy Boul
Writer(s): Remy Boul
Producer(s): Remy Boul, Wendy Boul, Dan Boul

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