PAST YEARS' FILMS

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2008 ARCHIVES

My Other Mother

When her baby sister dies, Margo’s other mother shows her how to grieve.

Link to Filmmaker Diana Keam >

Director: Diana Keam, Capetown, South Africa

Awards: LA Short International Film Festival (finalist of Female category)

Screenings: Flying Broom International Film Festival – Turkey
Sithengi Film Festival – South Africa
The Right Eye Film Festival – South Africa

Did You Know? SIDS, or cot death, has existed for thousands of years, and is currently the leading cause of infant mortality, preceded only by congenital anomalies.
Sources:

Pan, Dr. Cindy. Keeping Baby Safe. Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia) March 21, 2004 Sunday

Infant Mortality Declines Overall, but Gap in Rates Persist Between Races. Family Planning Perspectives, Vol. 18, N. 6 (Nov-Dec, 1986) p. 276

Make A Wish

A young Palestinian girl will do whatever it takes to buy a birthday cake.

Link to Filmmaker Cherien Dabis >

Screenings: Sundance Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival
Dubai International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films

Did You Know? The custom of placing candles on a birthday cake originates from the Greeks, who believe lit candles send signals to the gods so that their wish could be answered more effectively.
Source:

(2007). History of Birthday Candles. Retrieved August 15, 2007, from Tokenz the gift shop Web site: http://www.tokenz.com/birthday-candles.html

Dona Ana / Mrs. Ana

A seller of medicinal plants shares the joys and hardships of her life along with her love of strawberries.

Animated by: Laura Acevedo & Carolina Escobar

Link to Filmmaker Marlon Vasquez & David Sanchez >

Screenings: Berlin Internacional Film Festival
Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival,
Madrid Festival of New Cinema and Contemporary Art,
Sao Paulo Internacional Film Festival
Slow Food Film Festival

Did You Know? Strawberries were cultivated in Ancient Rome and were used as a medicinal herb for a digestive or skin tonic.
Source:

(2007). Strawberry Harvests & Horticulture. Retrieved August 15, 2007, Web site: http://www.jamm.com/strawberry/harvests.html

Happiness

Iwona buys a box of happiness at a strange discount store and has to decide what to do with it.

Link to Filmmaker Sophie Barthes >

Awards: Los Angeles Intl Short FF (nominated Best Female Director)
Nantucket IFF (Showtime Tony Cox Award Best Screenplay in a Short Film)

Screenings: DokuFest (Kosovo)
Era New Horizon (Poland)
South By Southwest
Sundance Film Festival

Did You Know? 71% of women would buy more shoes if they could afford it, and 50% acknowledge they sacrifice comfort for style.
Sources:

Women’s Dress and Casual Footwear-US- Mintel Report. June, 2007. Mintel International Group Limited.

“Suffering for Fashion is So last season” Canadian Newswire, Toronto. January 5, 2007.

Godir Gestir / Family Reunion

Katrin leaves New York to visit her native Iceland, in this whimsical tale of family secrets.

Link to Filmmaker Isold Uggadottir >

Awards: Nominated for Icelandic Academy Awards (Edda Awards)
North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (Best Women’s Short)
Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival (Best Narrative International Female Short)

Screenings: Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival

Did You Know? Iceland’s Gay Pride Parade draws 40,000 people annually, a third of the entire population. Source:

(2007). Ilga-Europe. Retrieved August 15, 2007, Web site: http://www.ilga-europe.org/europe/issues

Daikon Ashi

A young girl struggles with adolescent rebellion and the reality of family ties.

Link to Filmmaker Ru Kuwahata >

Awards: Dong-A LG animation festival, Korea (2nd prize)
Student Academy Award regional finalist

Screenings: NY International Children’s Film Festival
Melbourne Animated Film Festival, Australia
Parsons DV and Animation Festival

Did You Know? The people of ancient Rome used radish oil to treat skin ailments and Chinese medicine has used the radish to treat weak appetites for centuries.
Source:

(2007). Radish Information. Retrieved August 15, 2007, from Monterey Bay Spice Company Web site: http://www.herbco.com/bulk_herbs/Radish.php

Breaking Boundries: The Sondra Van Ert Story

A documentary reflection on one female Olympic athlete’s determination and success.

Link to Filmmaker Jennifer Grace >

Screenings: Scene First, Wilmington, NC

Did You Know? Women were excluded from the original Olympic Games, so in 776 B.C. they formed their own games, The Games of Hera, honoring the Greek goddess of women and the earth. In 1900 women were allowed to join Olympic competitions.
Source:

(2007). Retrieved August 15, 2007, from History of Women in Sports Timeline Web site: http://www.northnet.org/stlawrenceaauw/timeline.htm

The Guarantee

A dancer’s hilarious story about his prominent nose and the effect it has on his career.

Link to Filmmaker Jesse Erica Epstein >

Awards: Newport International Film Festival (Best Short)

Screenings: AFI / Silverdocs Cocumentary Festival – Silversprings MD
Full Frame Documentary Festival – Durham NC

Did You Know? Women represent 90% of all cosmetic surgery patients, and patient rates have increased 55% since 2000.
Source:

(2007). Multi-Specialty Data. Retrieved August 15, 2007, from American Society of Plastic Surgeons Web site: http://www.plasticsurgery.org/media/statistics/2006-Statistics.cfm

Pockets

A pocket becomes an abstract metaphor for the journey of motherhood.

Link to Filmmaker Sophie Ohara >

Screenings: Fest-i-Kult Intercultural Film Festival, Ankara, Turkey
Heart of Gold Film Festival, Queensland, Australia
LA Children’s International Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA
San Francisco Children’s International Film Fest, San Francisco, CA

Did You Know? The average couple can now expect to live alone without their children for approximately 13 years after the last child leaves the home.
Source:

“A Cohort Analysis Approach to the Empty-Nest Syndrome among Three Ethnic Groups of Women: A Theoretical Position”. Borland, Dolores Cabic. Journal of Marriage and Family, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Feb, 1982), pp. 117-129.