FILM FEST PETALUMA
May 7, 2016, Mystic Theatre
Saturday Matinee Shorts (12:00pm)
THE BERNINATOR
Miles Levin, USA, 5 minutes
SRJC student Miles Levin satirizes the contemporary political landscape with the B-movie blockbuster The Berninator about a socialist superhero who sets out to turn the political establishment on its head.
ARIADNE'S THREAD
Claude Luyet, Switzerland, 13 minutes
The more things change, the more they stay the same in this beautifully animated tale of Ariadne’s life through laundry on a clothesline.
FOLEY ARTIST
Toni Bestard, Spain, 18 minutes
A foley artist becomes homebound after an unexpected injury and finds inspiration from a fellow tenant across his courtyard. Reminiscent of Rear Window, the film is a sweet homage to classic movies and the craft involved in making them.
FLASH
Alberto Ruiz Rojo, Spain, 7 minutes
After a mysterious woman unexpectedly appears in a photo, a lonely man attempts to unlock the mystery of the town’s supernatural photobooth. Official Selection of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
OVER
Jörn Threlfall, UK, 14 minutes
Set in a quiet neighborhood in West London, Over tells the story of a road and its inhabitants in the wake of a disturbing discovery of a man’s body in the middle of the road. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2015 Palm Springs International Shortfest.
ALIENATION
Laura Lehmus, Germany, 6 minutes
Charming stop-motion animation brings life to adolescents describing the hardships of youth, growing up, and the purgatory between childhood and adulthood.
LAND OF EXODUS
Skinner Myers, USA, 10 minutes
A Mexican street kid confronts the harsh realities of the border between the United States and Mexico as he attempts to assist an abducted American teenager.
THE GIFT
Gabriel Robertson, UK, 13 minutes
ONE NIGHT IN HELL
James Hall and Jason Jameson, UK, 7 minutes
A skeleton descends into Hell and finds a fantastical amount of disorder in this stereoscopic animation.
LOVE IS BLIND
Dan Hodgson, UK, 7 minutes
A woman’s deaf husband comes home from a trip earlier than she expected and her bad day begins. Nominated for a Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015.
Saturday Afternoon Shorts (3:00pm)
LA LIBERTE
Rita Amador, USA, 5 minutes
Written and directed by SRJC alumna Rita Amador, this whimsical tale follows the life of a young woman struggling to connect with her first true love.
HE WHO HAS TWO SOULS
Fabrice Luang-Vija, France, 17 minutes
An Inuit man wrestles with sexuality and what it takes to form a long lasting bond. This animated story explores gender norms, human sexuality, and companionship.
THE FANTASTIC LOVE OF BEEBOY AND FLOWERGIRL
Clemens Roth, Germany, 10 minutes
Peter is a keeper of killer bees and Elsa collects and crafts exotic flowers from around the globe. Though madly in love, these two lovers must struggle to find a compromise. Official Selection of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.
3 YEAR, 3 MONTH RETREAT
Dechen Roder, Bhutan, 21 minutes
Lhamo participates in a traditional Buddhist retreat in search of a higher state of consciousness but the harsh reality of the world from which she has been sheltered may prove more transformative. Official Selection of the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival.
KEEPING BALANCE
Bernhard Wenger, Austria, 5 minutes
Twenty year old Denise struggles to stay centered by riding the electronic carousel at the Viennese ‘Prater’ Amusement Park. Official Selection of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
ENFILADE
David Coyle, Australia, 10 minutes
Trapped in a room and only able to see his reflection in a hall of mirrors stretching into eternity, a man has to decide how he will get out of this confounding situation.
THE OLD MAN AND THE CAT
Damian Schipporeit, Germany, 10 minutes
An old man who longs for companionship throws himself an 80th birthday party with his one companion, his cat. When the doorbell rings and an unexpected visitor arrives, things might not be as they seem.
CHOP
Conner Bell, USA, 11 minutes
On a sparse rural farm, an older son tries to chop wood at the insistence of his father while his diabolical younger brother cruelly tests his fragile psyche. The result is an enthralling and suspenseful test of wills where the stakes rise every second.
GREEN THUMB
Phil Lorin & Kiel Murray, USA, 11 minutes
The life of a busy, modern couple takes an unexpected turn when their son brings his prize plant to their attention. Is his green thumb a blessing or a curse?
World Shorts Showcase (7:30pm)
IMPRESSIVE STACKS
Ian Powell, USA, 6 minutes
Local film director, Ian Powell, returns with a comedic short film about a desperate young college student who attempts to find love at his campus library.
ESCALATOR
Christopher Nielsen, Norway, 10 minutes
Three people trudge upward on a seemingly endless escalator. Is the goal to fight their way to the top or go with the flow to the stairs at the bottom?
#YA
Ygor Gama and Florencia Rovlich, Argentina/Brazil/Turkey, 15 minutes
Filmed on the streets of Istanbul, two young activists protest with paint bombs, twitter posts, and graffiti. A revolution in form and content, #Ya is an experimental love story that mixes dance and documentary in daring and dazzling ways. Crystal Bear Nominee at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival.
SRY BSY
Verena Westphal, Germany, 3 minutes
Combining a dark sense of humor with absurd elements, this quirky animation cleverly depicts the challenges of everyday work.
NINETEEN
Madeline Kelly, Australia, 10 minutes
Inspired by a personal true story, Ben receives an intimate birthday gift from his sister who’s trying to make his life as good as it can be while he’s still here.
CAREER GIRL
Fortunato Procopio and Johanna Watts, USA, 8 minutes
On the morning of the biggest meeting of her career, an ambitious executive wakes up with an unexpected problem. She may have to reevaluate her hectic, solitary life.
PRIDE
Cylan Shaffer, USA, 9 minutes
Director Cylan Shaffer returns with his elegantly choreographed film, Pride, a haunting on-pointe ballet performance which explores the duality of one of the seven deadly sins.
NADA S.A.
Caye Casas & Albert Pintó, Spain, 15 minutes
An innovative and darkly comic short follows the journey of Carlos who has been unemployed for years but has finally managed to land a job at the Nothing Company. Getting paid for doing nothing is not as easy as it might first appear.
DIVE
Matthew J Saville, New Zealand, 12 minutes
George has hit rock bottom. Even his reflection has turned its back on him and disappears altogether. George sets off on a quest through the looking glass to haul himself back from the abyss and face his grief. This stunning surrealist comedy claimed the top prize at Show Me Shorts, New Zealand’s biggest shorts fest.
BEAR STORY
Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala, Chile, 10 minutes
This gorgeous and heartfelt film tells the story of a street busking bear who reveals his haunted past through an elaborate mechanical theatre. Inspired by the story of Osorio’s grandfather who was forced into exile under Chile’s Pinochet regime, Bear Story has universal resonance with its powerful themes of family and freedom. Winner of the 2016 Academy Award for Best Animated Short.
Late Night Shorts (10:30pm)
OR
Luc Londe, USA, 10 minutes
Former SRJC student and local film director, Luc Londe, creates an impressive animation about Mr. Or, a two-dimensional creature in a 3D world who is in search of companionship and acceptance.
THE ONE
David Shane, USA, 4 minutes
In a dark and funny meditation on the nature of love, a man recounts his most recent breakup, though he may not be the most reliable source.
CARAPACE
Flora Molinié, France, 16 minutes
In this beautifully animated film, Lili, a woman in love, struggles to make love with her boyfriend, Leo. Afraid she will lose him, she begins a quest to overcome the constraints of her body.
THE EGGMAN
Mark Wagenaar, Germany, 7 minutes
A woman is desperate to win the affection of her ‘Eggman.’ Unfortunately, he seems to be far more interested in his chicken than in reciprocating her advances.
BOY-RAZOR
Peter Pontikis, Sweden, 11 minutes
Boy Razor combines verite filmmaking with nail-biting suspense in a story about a bullied little boy who is determined to take revenge against his tormentors at a rundown waterpark.
I SAID I WOULD NEVER TALK ABOUT POLITICS
Aitor Oñederra, Spain, 11 minutes
Don Mariano is in a plane on his way to a prestigious restaurant, where the specialties are quality red meat, with low fat and cholesterol. He meets with politicians including Hillary Clinton, Kim Jong-Un and Barack Obama.
GLUTTONY
Cylan Shaffer, USA, 11 minutes
Director Cylan Shaffer returns with another one of his seven deadly sins. Trapped in an abandoned slaughterhouse, a man confronts his addictions with a dark and energetic contemporary dance routine.
AFTER THE END
Sam Southward, UK, 11 minutes
Writer and pseudo-intellectual Rene Fustercluck struggles to exist after the apocalypse and it only gets worse when he meets Gordon.
METUBE 2 - AUGUST SINGS CARMINA BURANA
Daniel Moshel, Germany, 5 minutes
Director Daniel Moshel is back with Metube 2. This time Elfie and August do a playful rendition of Carmina Burana with a sexy operatic flash mob. Official selection of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.