The Shade

CANADA/IRAN - 2007
On a scorching hot summer day Nima blows a tire and finds himself stranded in a village two hours outside Tehran. A local girl tells Nima of a bus leaving for Tehran 5km away, a bus she was planning on taking herself. Because of the heat and Nima's attire, she offers to take the morning bus and insists on giving Nima her umbrella for shade as a gift and something to remember his visit with. Nima returns a few days later to give the umbrella back to the kind stranger only to realize that the bus she took the next morning crashed into the hillside, killing all on board.

CAST
Aryan Atri
Camyar Chai
Jaleh Chaichian
Shaghayegh Mohammadali
Shahryar Yamini

Directed by Mohammad Gorjestani

Soledad

SPAIN - 2007
Every day in Sandra's life is exactly the same: taking care of her mother, who suffers from alzheimer. Routine is a constant in her life. Until, one day, everything changes forever...

CAST
Maria Sola
Marga Loriente
Estel Sole
Agurtzane Zallo

Directed by Tony Garcia

Meeting Che Guevara & the Man from Maybury Hill

IRELAND - 2002
During the Cuban missile crisis in 1963 a young woman from a small Irish town has a fascination with H.G Wells “War of the Worlds” and slowly her imagination and reality merge between the potentially real war of the worlds and Science Fiction, as she sets out to meet Che Guevara in a bid to save the world from the Martian Invasion.

Unbeknownst to her, Che Guevara has stopped over on the West of Ireland to refuel on a flight from Cuba to Algeria, and its only a matter of time before she catches up with him to deliver a letter that the Man from Maybury Hill has told her to deliver. The real and surreal become fantastically blurred as they slowly and surely draw their plans against us.
CAST
Vincent Fegan ... Aide to Che
John Hurt ... Man from Maybury Hill
Fiona O'Shaughnessy ... Beth
Karl Sheils ... Che Guevara

Directed by Anthony Byrne

Asparagus

USA - 2007
Guy Camilleri (Danika, Rx) and Charles O’Hair (Secret Agent, Shamelove) star as brothers in this dramatic story of a seemingly perfect family, and the forbidden desire between two cousins that threatens to put an end to the family’s Christmas dinner.
During this reunion of both brothers’ families, Daniel’s existence is immediately threatened by Uncle Guy’s free spirit. When Daniel’s daughter Brie refuses to eat her asparagus, Daniel feels the need to teach his brother a lesson in parenting...
While their parents are arguing in the dining room, cousins Jacob and Gwen are sent to Jacob’s room to play with a jigsaw puzzle..
CAST
Guy Camilleri
Ho-Jung
Charles O' Hair
Caroline Bielskis
Renata Su Obal
Michael Jolly
Natalie Vigil
Directed by Roman Wyden

Sukki's Story

AUSTRALIA - 2005

Sukki's Story reflects on Thomas Leung's changing relationship with his mother when he leaves Hong Kong to start his new life in a new country.

Directed by Thomas Leung

Tiny Magic

USA - 2003
Nick will make you believe in magic!
It is open mic night at a local club. Nick takes the stage. His performance is nothing less than amazing, captivating the audience as he makes a magic wand float around the room. The trick is no simple illusion, Nick has magical powers.
Later that evening, he sits at the bar as a beautiful girl named Michelle walks up and orders a drink. Soft spoken, Nick attempts to strike up conversation. They make small talk, building interest and energy. Nick attempts to be charming. He performs a simple card trick – I can guess your card. After a touching soliloquy about tricks and the possibility of real magic, he slowly and methodically makes his selection. He picks the wrong card! An awkward moment ensues, she amused and he embarrassed. Just then he looks at her quizzically, as if something is different. There is. Michelle’s earrings are switched!Not to be outdone, Michelle performs a trick of her own. She asks Nick to close his eyes. She gives him a simple kiss, which penetrates his very being. He savors the moment, then opens his eyes. She is gone. Scanning the bar, he sees that she has returned to her friends. Nick performs one final trick before he leaves, a charm Michelle will later discover.
The film ends in Nick’s rundown apartment. As Nick falls asleep the tale of his magical power and his true situation unfolds. It is an ending that can only be described as magical.
CAST
MATT MESLER
STEPHANIE CADMAN
REBEKAH BOISVERT
KATE LOCONTI
PETER CUMBO
REED RANKIN
LISA VITRANO
DAVID "POKEY" RAASCH
STEPHEN BRISCOE
BRIAN ROBERT TABERSKI
ANDREW BOORADY
KELLY CRANGLE
GERALD INGLUT
AMY INGLUT
CHRISTINA COURTIN
ENRIQUE OVIEDO
Directed by JOHN TAKACS

Genesis and Catastrophe

USA - 2000
Should we slap the father or the mother--or the baby? The struggle for life is a double-edged sword in this gut-wrenching story, as a painfully difficult childbirth raises questions of fate, love and the meaning of humanity
In a squalid German hospital, an overworked doctor tends to the difficult childbirth of Karla. We learn that Karla has lost three previous babies, and her husband is pessimistic about the survival of this one. But both Karla and the doctor believe this one will survive unfortunately, it turns out."Genesis and Catastrophe" should be required viewing for all short filmmakers. With a perfect three act structure, pristine direction, eagle-eye cinematography, flawless editing, stellar performances, superb art direction, and dazzling producing, it is a masterpiece of the short film genre.

CAST
Connor Collins
Kenya De Rosa
Isabelle Flachsmann
Judith Griegossies
Nadja K. Rutkowski
Dieter Traier
Ulrich Trimpo
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman

Hippocrate

TURKEY - 2007
Life always want us to make promises. One must keep his/her promises when s/he makes a promise like doctors do. Their oath aims to prioritize the patient’s well-beingto their own lives. However, there is something that is not said to them in life.
Mehtap goes to meet her lover, Emre, in their usual place. Something unexpected happens just as another meeting is about to end in happiness. Mehtap who has had an accident is taken to the hospital. The hospital corridor and operating room become the center of an exciting suspense, self-contradictions and turn into a place of examination where the oaths taken are tested.
CAST
Bülent Yıldırım
Sevgül Akbuz
Yılmaz Yiğiter
Tuğba Ece Şakar
Directed by Abdulbaki Yavuz

Bus 44

CHINA - 2001
On the outskirts of a small town, a bus driver and her
passengers encounter highway robbers. "Bus 44" carries a
universal theme that travels across all boundaries and societies,
trespassing the dark side and bright side of human behavior.
CAST
Gong Beibi
WU Chao
LI Yixiang
ZHOU Kui
Directed by Dayyan Eng

Spank

CANADA - 2003
SPANK” is a short film, set 6 years into the future. The Year is 2013. Advanced Technology has made it possible for people to interact with one another over the internet via means of a virtual hologram program. This Hologram Interface Technology (or H.I.T. as it's sometimes called) allows the public to live out their deepest fantasies from the comfort of their living rooms.
In this techno-future with a twist, a common domestic psycho-drama is not all it seems. Whether counseling session or virtual reality masochism, an enterprising therapist/technician makes an unexpected change in the program. We follow a day in the life of one young actor/therapist, Chavez (Blaze), as he takes us through a typical day of his work. Ashlin (Hopps), one of his long-time clients, is the first to log-on this evening. Usually, she gets Chavez to act as her husband the night she told him about her affair with another man. What she isn't prepared for, is that Chavez has a different scene he is going to play with her tonight, and Ashlin is in for some long-awaited news.......
CAST
Christian Blaze ... Chavez
Leslie Hopps ... Ashlin
Todd Hann ... Jarvis
Aubrey Arnason ... Amber
Damon Gregory ... Brian
Mare Shepherd ... Older Ashlin
Directed by Christian Blaze

Who Wants To Be An Amerikan

CANADA - 2006

25-year-old director/producer/musician Aaron Beckum's “Who Wants To Be An Amerikan” is a satirical film set in soviet Russia where a young man appears on a game show offering the grand prize of a new life in America.Amerikan has received some negative comments from some though who think the closing statement, “People are more important than places,” to be anti-American.“I wanted to make a point about the ugliness of extreme nationalism, but I’m not anti-American and neither is the film,” Beckum says. He attributes his success in this increasingly violent and profane world to his walk with God and his commitment to uphold his values.
“I’m lucky to be pursuing my passions while surrounded by people I love. I thank God every day for the gift of being able to create and speak through art.”
CAST
Ben Martin
Anastacia Bendey
Alexandra Rea
Richard Bernard
Directed by Aaron Beckum

Trevor

USA - 1994
Trevor is your average 70's high schooler in Bible Belt, USA: He listens to records, hangs out with his friends, and goes to the movies. But one day things change: He hits puberty, and everything seems different. He doesn't want to make out with the girls at a party. He starts to pay more attention to the other boys in his class. He starts to realize that people make fun of him for his love of ballet and theatre and Diana Ross. Eventually, Trevor comes to the realization that he's gay. Now, his friends don't want to be seen anywhere around him, his parents ignore him, his priest accuses him of being a pervert, and his best friend Pinky tells him that he's a weak person. With no one offering any support, Trevor decides to kill himself. But help comes in an unexpected form.
A film that deals with the very real issue of one's self worth in the eyes of people that matter in your life.
Trevor is a film many people will identify with. It takes a sensitive yet blunt approach to suicide. It deals with a young boy's thoughts about his sexuality at a very important stage of his life.Whilst being a serious film it successfully manages to entertain the viewer at the same time. Trevor has a camp and very funny side. This helps makes the film all the more real. Anyone that has ever listened to a Diana Ross song and enjoyed it will relate. And if you have a theatrical bone in your body...
CAST
Brett Barsky ... Trevor
Judy Kain ... Trevor's Mom
John Lizzi ... Trevor's Dad
Jonah Rooney ... Pinky Farraday
Stephen Tobolowsky ... Father Jon
Cory M. Miller ... Jack (as Corey Miller)
Allen Dorane ... Walter Stiltman
Lindsay Pomerantz ... Cathy Quinn
Directed by Peggy Rajski

The Youth in Us

USA - 2005

Every once in while on WTTW’s Image Union (the long-running half-hour short film showcase) you come across a real gem. In this case, the jewel is The Youth In Us, and the good news is, you don’t have to TIVO Image Union (which I recommend) to see it, since director Joshua Leonard has constructed a modest website to share his work. Leonard, an actor who is best known (apparently) from The Blair Witch Project (the only human image that sticks with me from that film involves a flashlight and snot), shows talent with this 2005 short, his first directing gig. However, it is the writing and cinematography that make The Youth In Us stand out among the large population of short films that are made and never seen.
While short form cinema allows for multiple viewings, good short form cinema encourages it. On first blush here we have an intimate conversation between two kids in love, played with impressive restraint by Lukas Haas (Brick, Last Days) and Kelli Garner. However, both the structure of the script and its attention to detail produce one of my favorite cinematic experiences: the multi-layered reveal. Even though your brain will begin to untangle its mistaken assumptions after the “Oh” moment in the film, the second viewing provides an entirely different take on the same words. I love that. And while the writing keeps your interest, it is the photography which initially grabs it, using overexposure and color saturation to great effect. While not without flaws, The Youth In Us is a substantial little film.

CAST
Lukas Haas ... Jack
Kelli Garner ... Alicia
Nathan Norton ... Young Jack
Mariah Bess ... Young Girl
Directed by Joshua Leonard

Thomas

CANADA - 1995
Keith Behrman’s first short film, THOMAS, deals with a family waiting for a snowstorm to abate in order to bury their eldest son. It’s a stark, lonely story and more than a little reminiscent of Claude Jutra’s classic MON ONCLE ANTOINE
CAST
Adam Frost
Jamie Babb
Directed by Keith Behrman

Anna and The Soldier

2005 - GERMANY
Between 1943 and the end of World War II in 1945 Italy was occupied by troops of Nazi-Germany. It was a time of cruelty and inhumanity for the Italian people in their own country...
Italy, 1950. The 18-year old Italian girl Anna is haunted by her past. Six years ago she lost her whole family in a massacre by the German Wehrmacht. Again and again she is drawing her horrific memories. Suddenly one of the Nazi soldiers returns. The moment for revenge has come.
CAST
Pheline Roggan Anna
Steffen Schroeder Soldier
Directed by Sören Hüper&Christian Prettin

Finite

USA - 2005

Nothing lasts forever.
When a relationship is forced to change, how does one come to terms with the past and reconcile? Ultimately, relationships like life simply exist, persist, and endure for a limited period of time.
CAST
Rich McDonald
Gwendolynn Murphy
Directed by Eric Hyland&Dusty Culbertson

Farm Sluts

2003 - USA
A successful 30 something (Chris Parnell) is fired for accidentally visiting a pornographic web site during office hours. His life unravels when the false accusation prevents him from gaining alternative employment. In despair, he commences a series of hilarious suicide attempts.
Chris Parnell ... Larry
Arden Myrin ... Larry's Co-worker
Roy Lee Jones ... Larry's Boss
Erin Leigh Price ... Larry's Girlfriend (as Erin Price)
Rick Hoffman ... Rick
Elizabeth Keener ... Janet
Brian Reddy ... Larry's Father
Carol Mansell ... Larry's Mother
Steve Hytner ... Evil Male Executive
Lisa Ann Walter ... Sexy Feminist Executive
Greg Allen Johnson ... Larry's Uncle
Leslie Jordan ... Coroner

Directed by: Collin Friesen

The Engineers

FINLAND - 2007
Thoughts travelling far on a short coffee break - and a sudden realisation that life could be completely different.
CAST
Rabbe Smedlund Tuffe Möller Markus Riuttu.
Directed by Oskar Silén.