FILM FEST PETALUMA
May 1, 2010, Mystic Theatre
Afternoon Shorts Showcase, 2:30pm
HELP!
Isabel Fischer, USA, 3 minutes
The classic Beatles hit is revisited and re-envisioned by Analy High animator Isabel Fischer in this cleverly conceived comedic music video.
PATTERNS I
Jamie Travis, Canada, 9 minutes
In this first installment to a provocative trilogy, we are introduced to the strange world of Pauline, which is filled with houndstooth dresses, tiny dancing reindeer, and a mysterious telephone call. Haunting and beautifully stylized, The Patterns Trilogy is simultaneously a suspense thriller, a love story, and a musical extravaganza.
NUVOLE, MANI (Clouds, Hands)
Simone Massi, France, 8 minutes
Enchanting images abound in this intriguing story of a man and his dog as he journeys past a clothesline, through a field, and across time. Simone Massi’s beautiful hand drawn animation evokes a poetic austerity that exemplifies pure visual storytelling.
TOUCH
Jen Mcgowan, USA, 10 minutes
When a chance encounter occurs between two strangers in a subway the result is surprisingly a matter of a life and death. This heartfelt drama explores our need for interpersonal connection and empathy in overcoming isolation and sorrow.
PATTERNS II
Jamie Travis, Canada, 14 minutes
In answer to the central question of Patterns 1—who is on the phone?—we learn that it is Michael, a love-struck young man who is haunted by his own puzzling dreams of moving objects, paper airplanes, death and Chinese take-out.
BIDEO UNO
Jhonathan Florez & Avery Badonhop, USA
SRJC students Jhonathan Florez & Avery Badonhop reveal the wild thrills and risk taking lifestyle of a group of daredevil base jumpers in this artistic documentary. The film’s impressive imagery takes us on a base jumping road trip from Idaho to the European countryside.
MADAGASCAR, CARNET DE VOYAGE
Bastien Dubois, France, 11 minutes
Pages from a traveler’s notebook come to life as we discover Madagascar through the eyes of a western animator. Based on his personal journeys to the Red Island, Bastien Dubois depicts the customs and rituals of the Malagasy people with a bustling, spirited energy and a strikingly original collage-like aesthetic.
PATTERNS III
Jamie Travis, Canada, 19 minutes
The third installment in The Patterns Trilogy chronicles the bizarre neuroses of the feuding lovers Michael and Pauline during the breakdown of their romance. This triptych of surreal, stop-motion musical mockumentaries is exquisitely designed and explores an array of life’s patterns from the environmental to the unconscious.
THE KISS
Stefan Le Lay, France, 5 minutes
A young woman is waiting for her beloved for their first French kiss. Then everything suddenly turns upside down. Interwoven with amusing self-reflexion, The Kiss is a clever post-modern comedy of love found and lost..
World Shorts Showcase, 7:30pm
TRUE BEAUTY THIS NIGHT
Peter Besson, USA, 10 minutes
Last night, Rhett Somers met the love of his life. Now all he has to do is convince her that she’s the one. Not an easy feat considering how they met.
FARD
Luis Briceno and David Alapont, France, 13 minutes
With its muted color palette and clean lines, Fard evokes a dystopian vision of the future that represents an animated throwback to the days of Fritz Lang. While its stark visual style and disturbing themes are reminiscent of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Fard’s aesthetic remains undeniably modern.
JITENSHA (Bicycle)
Dean Yamada, USA/Japan, 21 minutes
After a humiliating job loss, Mamoru Amagaya is faced with the piece-by-piece theft of his last possession, a bicycle. In a quest to find the missing parts and reconstruct his bike, Mamoru unknowingly embarks on an uplifting journey of self-discovery and spiritual affirmation.
YULIA
Antoine Arditi, France, 6 minutes
After suddenly vanishing from her kitchen, Yulia finds herself in a mysterious room where she must manipulate a series of levers in order to produce her soul mate. Thoroughly inflected with absurd humor, Yulia surprises with its plot twist and clever concept.
LA CARTE (The Postcard)
Stefan Le Lay, France, 8 minutes
A young man living in a postcard becomes infatuated with a young lady from another postcard-and will do whatever it takes to be with her. Stefan Le Lay delivers an inventive comedy with an original concept and clever visual manipulations.
SLAVES
David Aronowitsch & Hanna Heilborn, Sweden, 15 minutes
This award-winning animated documentary depicts the tragic yet vital story of kidnapping and slavery in Africa. The film is based on a 2003 interview with Abouk, 9, and Machiek, 15, who, like thousands of children, were taken by the government-sponsored militia in Sudan, separated from their families, and forced to work as slaves.
DORME
Silvia Binsfeld, USA, 7 minutes
This playful depiction of a child’s whimsical night time journey is filled with wonder and imagination. Petaluma native Sylvia Binsfeld constructs an extraordinary visual design using a stylistic fusion of live-action and computer animation in this dreamy fantasy that is sure to impress.
THE ARMOIRE
Jamie Travis, Canada, 22 minutes
Eleven year-old Aaron plays a game of hide and seek in which his friend Tony is never found. Until Aaron is subjected to hypnosis, that is. At once a comedy, mystery, and a melodrama, The Armoire is the resounding finale to Jamie Travis’ Saddest Children in the World trilogy.
LOVE TAP
Mike Goode, USA, 5 minutes
Petaluma Film Fest Alum Mike Goode returns with a lighthearted comedy about Seth, an office assistant who seems to have a problem approaching women. When a friend’s words of wisdom give Seth the confidence boost he needs, he finds that love and happiness could be just one rear-ender away.
Midnight Shorts Showcase, 12:00am
BILLY THE KILLY
Luis Briceno, USA, 4 minutes
A man sets into motion a series of mechanized contraptions in a compelling study of motion and visual dynamism. This rhythmically driven experimental piece utilizes amazing visual construction and sound to communicate a purely cinematic experience.
WUNDERKAMMER
Andrea Pallaoro, USA, 13 minutes
Wunderkammer is an exploration of the dynamics of the codependent relationship between an aging woman and her mentally challenged son. Wrought with an extreme visual style and a dark edge, Wunderkammer is as cinematically magnificent as it is challenging and disturbing.
THE SADDEST BOY IN THE WORLD
Jamie Travis, Canada, 13 minutes
Timothy Higgins, picked last for the team, is the saddest boy in the world. Friendlessness, suburban complacency, and prescription drugs have conspired against the youngster to make this his worst year yet. This 2006 film is marked by the stunning production design and black humor that has become director Jamie Travis’ trademark.
THE CHICK
Michal Socha, Poland, 5 minutes
An encounter between a man and a woman ends in an unexpected and humorous way. This animated tale depicts infatuation and its consequences with irony and a compelling visual style.
MAQUINA
Gabriel Iganez, Spain, 15 minutes
A girl embarks on a frightening journey of sexual self-discovery in this experimental vision of fear, pain, love, and pleasure. A dynamic visual style and disturbing, intriguing thematic exploration make for a truly cinematic horror experience.
POTL (Penquin on the Left)
Rick Guinan, USA, 4 minutes
Global warming becomes an immediate threat when penguins are armed and dangerous! This cleverly twisted tale of habitat destruction and revenge is anything but cute.
THE THIRD LETTER (36 Stairs)
Gzregorz Jonkajtys, USA, 15 minutes
Gzregorz Jonkajtys returns to the Petaluma Film Fest with The Third Letter, a bleak portrait of a futuristic world in which technocratic repression and environmental degradation threaten human dignity and existence. When Jeffery Brief’s health insurance policy is cancelled, he must do what is takes to stay alive in a hostile world.
BROADCAST 23
Tom Putnam, USA, 8 minutes
Professor Russell Morgan is out to solve one of the great mysteries of the twenty-first century. He succeeds, but unfortunately for him and his team his success comes at a painful and deadly price.