Festival History ◊ 2006 ◊ Films: A - C

 

 

Alone and Inhuman Writers/Producers: Andrew Fisher, Leonid Mandel; Director: Leonid Mandel Alone and Inhuman is part horror flick, part absurdist comedy, and part fable. It tells the story of an evil farmer who raises puppets for their feces and then sells it as a date rape drug. It's your basic Puppetshit redemption tale. When the evil farmer tosses a freshly dead puppet into his wood chipper the proverbial straw breaks the pachyderm's spine and Scuttlebutt (leader of the puppets) is forced to take action. He pleads his fellow captives to follow him into battle against the man who has enslaved them. (Web Site) Fantasy, USA, 13 min

 

The Analyst's Goodbye Writer/Producer/Director: Michael Simon An stock analyst is having the worst day of his life and heads to a dive bar to drink himself to death.  Getting fired, divorced and losing custody of his daughter on the same day, send him on a tail spin.  The bar is deserted: no bartender, no customers.  After helping himself to a shot of Jack Daniels the analyst encounters the territorial bartender.  She is a life worn woman with many stories to tell and lessons to teach.  The analyst will have to decide if he will say “goodbye” to his life forever or be taken over by the bartender’s influences. Drama, USA, 14 min

 

And Now a Word from Our Sponsors Writers: Jennifer Niemeyer, Shane English, Wojciech Lorenc; Producer: Jennifer Niemeyer; Director: Wojciech Lorenc A young man's quest for a condom turns strangely surreal as he is bothered by an army of supermarket sellers soliciting their products. If he doesn’t outsmart them on time he will lose his chance with a beautiful girl waiting in his apartment. Will he make it on time? And what surprise will he find once he arrives? Comedy, USA, 9 min

 

Assumption Writer/Director: Christopher Keller; Producers: Christopher Keller, David Rodriguez, Matthew Klawitter John, the chief suspect in a criminal investigation, finds himself in a hospital with amnesia. Doctors Crenvalt and Utterborg are charged with helping John regain his memory. When John claims that he is from another planet, one doctor thinks he’s lying to avoid prosecution, and the other thinks he may be mentally ill. A nurse, who has more at stake than meets the eye, is willing to risk everything to make sure that John doesn’t get away with murder in this sci-fi mind bender.  Staring James Denton (Desperate Housewives). (Web Site) Science Fiction, USA, 16 min

 

Badgered Writer/Director: Sharon Colman; Producer: Jamie Wolpert Nominated for the 2006 Academy Award, Badgered is the story of a Eurasian badger who only wants to be left in peace so he can nap.  If only he can get the crows, and the military, to leave him alone. Animated Comedy*, United Kingdom, 7 min

 

Bananas Writers/Director: Zach Parrish Bananas is a humorous short story of a test subject monkey, named Bruce. The story explores the urges of greed. Bruce really wants a banana. But, when he is given a banana, he wants more. The story explores just how far Bruce will go to satisfy his greedy desires. Animated Comedy, USA, 2 min

 

Big Red Ball Writer/Producer/Director: Chuck Moore Artful. Poetic. Downright silly. Big Red Ball is the compelling tale of an oversized playground ball who meets, then loses, the yellow ball of his (its?) dreams in the big city. Using no special effects or animation, director Chuck Moore employs evocative cinematography and a smoky jazz and blues score to create a playful homage to the classic French short, The Red Balloon. Fantasy, USA, 8 min

 

Bon Appetit Writer: Brett Simmons; Producer/Director: Justin Lutsky With choice wine and fine dining, Sherman and the rest of this five-star wait staff have to be ready for anything. However, nothing could have prepared them for tonight’s special order: Two million dollars for the life of one very special guest. Dragged into the middle of a sniper’s hostage scenario, Sherman and his gang of eclectic, table-waiting, aspiring action-film actors discover that tonight’s main course… is danger! Bon Appetit is an entrée of action-packed fun, garnished with laughs and seasoned with surprises! (Web Site) Parody, USA, 25 min

 

The Cacophone Writer: Casey Hayward, Ryan Farriss; Producers: Kristen Maxwell; Director: Ryan Farriss The Erfinder family is full of great musicians — except for Suzy. Seemingly bereft of her family’s musical skills, she labors as a librarian, yearning for the excitement and adventures found in the books that surround her. Things take a turn for the bizarre when she is approached by a strange old man who offers to teach her to play the Cacophone, a mysterious and ungainly instrument with a long and sordid history. Her playing leads to a series of strange events that ultimately force her to confront her family’s destiny and solve the mystery of the peculiar instrument. (Web Site) Fantasy, USA, 25 min

 

The Call of Cthulhu Writers: Sean Branney, H.P. Lovecraft; Producers: Sean Branney, Andrew Leman; Director: Andrew Leman A man inherits a collection of documents pertaining to the Cthulhu Cult, and bit-by-bit, pieces together the dread implications.  He makes investigating the cult his own crusade as his sanity begins to crumble. In the end, he passes the torch to his psychiatrist, who in turn hears Cthulhu's call.  Based on HP Lovecraft's most famous story, The Call of Cthulhu embodies HPL's nihilistic world view, his cosmic perspective, and his sense that mankind is doomed by its own insignificance. And it's a pretty good globe-trotting adventure story. Horror, USA, 47 min

 

Cannes Do Writer: Anat Levy; Producer/Director: Steve Tobenkin This isn’t a documentary about gun control, terrorist attacks, or the failing American health care system. It’s about something much more personal. It’s about three men deciding to create their own destinies, when fate hasn't stepped up to the plate. Although Ken, Todd and Steve have successful careers as a lawyer, graphic novelist and advertising executive, they've each heard the siren call of Hollywood. When they couldn't get their projects 'greenlighted' by the big Hollywood studios, they decided to 'greenlight' themselves. How far are they willing to go to produce and sell their own project, knowing that the odds are against them? Documentary, USA, 59 min

 

Centsless Writer/Producer/Director: Kelsey Wander We all have had our bad ideas, but putting those ideas into action separates those who are senseless from those who are not.  When Benny sees the biggest coin he has ever seen, he does not choose the best method of obtaining it. Thus, making his choice and outcome Centsless. Animated Comedy, USA, 7 min

 

Checkout Writers: Dan Eckman, Dominic Dierkes; Producer: Meggie McFadden; Director: Dan Eckman Black Shadow, a recently graduated ninja assassin, returns home from his training to begin his career; however, due to the tight job market, he is forced to take on a job as a stockboy at the local grocery. Mike and Drew, two fraternity brothers, hop from convenience store to convenience store exploring the competitive side of the “beer run.” And Janitor Joe goes to great extremes to prove to everyone at the grocery store that he can, in fact, be a “creepy janitor” as these three seemingly disparate storylines converge in a large-scale grocery store fiasco. (Web Site) Comedy, USA, 20 min

 

Chingaso The Clown Writers: Ezequiel Martinez, Robert Hayes, Manny Elias; Producers: Christien Tinsley, Jim Kass, Joseph Guzman; Director: Elias Matar Messiah was prosperous, until a circus rolled in and the clowns took over.  Soon, the mime's rebelled.  The War between the Clowns and Mimes has raged for decades and there seems to be no end in sight. A man named Chingaso, whose parents were victims of the ruthless clown boss, Bastard The Clown, must now become what he hates most. To find vengeance—and possibly end the brutal war between the mimes and the clowns in the province of messiah—He must become...CHINGASO THE CLOWN Thriller, USA, 15 min

 

The Cobbler's Daughter Writer/Director: Donna Thorland; Producer: Charles DeRosa Inspired by the visual style of Edward Gorey and Ingmar Bergman, and thematically based on the fairy tale, Rumplestiltskin, The Cobbler's Daughter is the story of an artisan, fallen on hard times, whose young daughter encounters a mysterious Tinker. The Tinker sharpens and enchants the Cobbler's tools, but such fey magic always has a cost. For a time the Cobbler profits handsomely and his daughter grows into a maiden of great charm and vivacity, while the fateful toll falls on his customers. In the end, however, the Tinker returns a final time to claim his true payment. Fantasy, USA, 6 min

 

Crooked Mick of the Speewah Writers: Philip Smith, Pat Edwards; Producer: Luke Eve; Director: Philip Smith Speewah and Crooked Mick yarns have been told since Europeans started getting lost in the Australian bush. Created to poke fun at the incredibly harsh and alien landscape, the Speewah downplayed reality by exaggerating itself.  It is said that the Speewah lies west of the sunset, where the crows fly backwards, to keep the dust out of their eyes. Crooked Mick lives on the Speewah. He is literally larger than life—needing to go outside, just to turn around. When he was born, he started growing so fast that his father tried to slow his growth by ring-barking his legs. It didn't work, but it did give him a nasty limp—and the name Crooked Mick! (Web Site) Fantasy, Australia, 11 min

 

The Curling Stones Writers: Jason Young; Producers: Jason Young, Pascal Franchot; Director:Pascal Franchot Inspired by the Olympic sport of curling, Canadian artist Jason Young, creates a “curling” match installation out of highly polished aluminum “curling-stone” sculptures. The warm or cool color inlayed stones leak their colors as they glide down a rink of resin that mutates color as each team takes a turn. “Sweepers” use blowtorches to accelerate the stones as they advance toward the “spotter” in front of the target at the far end. The game is over when all eight stones have been thrown. Documentary, USA, 5 min

 

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