PAST YEARS' FILMS
Select a Year:2008 - 2009
2007 - 2008 2006 - 2007 2005 - 2006
2004 - 2005 2003 - 2004 2002 - 2003
2001 - 2002
2009 ARCHIVES
Big Girl
Playfully competing with Mom’s new boyfriend, nine-year-old Josephine learns that letting people in can lead to wonderful things.
Link to Filmmaker Renuka Jeyapalan >
Director: Renuka Jeyapalan, Toronto, ON, Canada
Awards: Toronto International Film Festival (Bravo!Fact Short Cuts Canada Award)
Floating Film Festival -- the Caribbean (Best Short Film)
WorldFest Houston (Platinum Remi Award: Best Comedy - Romantic)
Interfilm Berlin (1st Prize, Children's Competition)
Screenings: Montreal World Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
Commonwealth Film Festival -- United Kingdom
Taipei Film Festival
Umbria Film Festival -- Italy
Kodomotachino Kinder Film Festival -- Japan
Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival
Did You Know? The National Association of Staredown Professionals requires that all staring contests take place on hardwood floors.
Source: National Association of Staredown Professionals. Official Rules and Regulations. 10 July 2008 http://www.prostaredown.com/NASP_Rule_Book.pdf.Fim-de-Semana (Weekend)
A country house. A weekend. A family. Time goes by. Silence prevails.
Link to Filmmaker Claudia Varejao >
Director: Claudia Varejao
Screenings: Pusan International Film Festival -- South Korea
Slamdance Film Festival -- Utah
IndieLisboa -- Portugal
Femina 2008 Festival -- Brazil
Cinesul -- Festival Ibero-Americano de Cinema e Video -- Brazil
Festival Paris Cinema
Did You Know? Portugal has one of the most liberal time-off policies in the world; every worker receives at least 35 paid days off each year.
Source: - Ray, Rebecca and John Schmitt. “No Vacation Nation.” Center for Economic and Policy Research. (May 2007). 9 July 2008 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/no-vacation-nation/.Sarah in the Dark
The little voice in Sarah's head has been let loose for too long.
Link to Filmmaker Jennifer Halley >
Director: Jennifer Halley
Awards: Stamford Short Film Festival -- United Kingdom (Runner Up)
Winnipeg International Film Festival (Outstanding Performance: Jennifer Halley)
Screenings: Baltimore Women's Fim Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
Did You Know? Social Anxiety Disorder, which affects 6.8% of the US population, is characterized by an intense, persistent, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others.
Sources:-“Statistics and Facts About Anxiety Disorders.” ADAA.org. Anxiety Disorders Association of America. 8 July 2008
-“Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder).” nimh.nih.gov. 2 April 2008. National Institute of Mental Health. 9 July 2008 http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/social-phobia/index.shtml.
Red Wednesday
Nine-year-old Sholeh attempts to revive her ailing mother with a Zoroastrian fire celebration.
Link to Filmmaker Nazanin Shirazi >
Director: Nazanin Shirazi
Awards: Student Academy Award Nominee 2008
USA National Film Festival (Finalist)
Screenings: Breckenridge Film Festival -- Colorado
Avignon Film Festival
Maine International Film Festival
Salento International Film Festival -- Italy
International Film Festival South Africa
Did You Know? In the decade following Iran's Islamic Revolution (1978-1979), the number of Iranian immigrants in the United States increased by 74 percent.
Source:- Hakimzadeh, Shirin, and David Dixon. “Migration Information Source: Spotlight on the Iranian Foreign Born.” Migration Policy Institute. 1 June 2006. 10 July 2008 http://migrationinformation.net/Feature/print.cfm?ID=404.
Grappling Girls
Ladies are making their way into one of the world’s oldest sports – and even taking on the guys.
Link to Filmmaker Lisa Blackstone >
Director: Lisa Blackstone
Screenings: Premiering at LUNAFEST
Did You Know? Women’s Wrestling was the only new sport introduced in the 2004 Olympics.
Source:- Battista, Judy. “Olympics; A Tiny Female Pioneer For Olympic Wrestling”. New York Times. (16 May 2004). 8 July 2008 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02E0D8173FF935A25756C0A9629C8B63.
34x25x36
A tour of the Patina V Mannequin Factory in the City of Industry, outside of LA.
Link to Filmmaker Jesse Erica Epstein >
Director: Jesse Erica Epstein
Screenings: Full Frame Documentary Film Festival -- North Carolina
SXSW -- Texas
The Independent Film Festival of Boston
The True/False Documentary Festival -- Missouri
Sarasota Film Festival
Rooftop Films 08 Summer Series -- New York
Curated by the YouTube Screening Room
Did You Know? A size 10 today is a size 16 of 40 years ago.
Source:- Schrobsdorff, Susanna. “Faith-Based Sizing: Designers Are Introducing New Supertiny Sizes. Are American Women Getting Smaller, or Is the Fashion Industry Messing with Our Minds?” Newsweek Web Exclusive. (18 Oct 2006). 10 July 2008 http://www.newsweek.com/id/39397.
Kaden
A transgender individual prepares for reconstructive surgery and reflects on what is left behind and what the future holds.
Link to Filmmaker Harriet Storm >
Director: Harriet Storm
Awards: Documentary Film Institute Award for Best Documentary 2006
Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films (Second Place Student Documentary)
Screenings: San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
Queens Museum of Art -- New York
Raindance Film Festival -- England
Mardi Gras Film Festival -- Australia
Inside Out, Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival
Torino, GLBT Film Festival -- Italy
Canadian Film Centre Worldwide Short Film Festival
Did You Know? Female-to-male chest reconstructive surgery costs up to $8,500, and is specifically barred from coverage by health insurance.
Source:- “Cost For Chest Reconstruction Surgery.” Hudson’s FTM Resource Guide. 10 July 2008 http://www.ftmguide.org/chest.html#costs.
My First Crush
A playful animation about awkward moments and young romance.
Link to Filmmaker Julia Pott >
Director: Julia Pott
Awards: Amsterdam International Film Festival (Audience Award)
Standing Rock International Film Festival -- Ohio (People's Choice Award)
YouTube Short Film Video of the Year 2007 -- Massachusetts
Screenings: South By Southwest -- Texas
Pangea Day Los Angeles
Lumen Eclipse
Did You Know? Romantic passion activates an area of the brain distinct from the area that recognizes physical attractiveness.
Source:- Cary, Benedict. “Watching New Love As It Sears the Brain.” New York Times. (31 May 2005). 8 July 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/31/health/psychology/31love.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3.
The Ladies
Sisters Vali and Mimi reflect on their craft, the importance of family and their creative spirits.
Link to Filmmaker Christina Alexandra Voros >
Director: Christina Alexandra Voros
Awards: Chicago International Film Festival (Gold Hugo, Best Documentary Short)
Slamdance Film Festival -- Utah (Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary Short)
Woodstock Film Festival -- New York (Honorable Mention, Documentary Short)
Screenings: Montreal World Film Festival
South by Southwest Film Festival -- Texas
Edinburgh International Film Festival
Melbourne International Film Festival
Did You Know? The United States has the largest population of ethnic Hungarians outside of Eastern Europe.
Source:- Department of Control Engineering and Information Technology of the Technical University of Budapest. “Facts about Hungary”. Hungary. 10 July 2008 http://www.fsz.bme.hu/hungary/facts.html.
Kuna Ni Nanang (My Mother Said)
Elena Bautista reflects on her 100 years of life.
Link to Filmmaker Jessica Sison >
Director: Jessica Sison
Awards: San Joaquin Film Festival -- California (Best Short Documentary)
Bare Bones International Film Festival -- Oklahoma (Honorable Mention)
Ashland Independent Film Festival -- Oregon (Finalist, Best Short Documentary)
Humboldt International Film Festival -- California (Finalist, Best Short Documentary)
Screenings: Tribeca Film Festival -- New York
The Inigo Film Festival -- Australia
Women in Fim Festival -- Canada
San Francisco Independent Film Festival
FACINE: The Filipino-American Cine Festival -- San Francisco
Did You Know? Historically, Filipino women have held powerful societal roles; two of the fourteen presidents of the Philippines have been women.
Source:- Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines. “Filipino Customs.” AsianInfo.org. 12 July 2008
