2023 FILMS (alphabetic)

SCREENINGS WERE HERE OCTOBER 9 - 15, 2023
13830 Kewanna Trail  US  Experimental Documentary
dir. Kelly Wittenberg
A reaction to late-night searching on Zillow, where the filmmaker discovers that a house she lived in as child is now worth over $600K. It's hard to convince a majority of voters to support large-scale housing reform when millions of middle-class Americans are financially invested in the current system.
dir. Kelly Wittenberg
A reaction to late-night searching on Zillow, where the filmmaker discovers that a house she lived in as child is now worth over $600K. It's hard to convince a majority of voters to support large-scale housing reform when millions of middle-class Americans are financially invested in the current system.

Bach Ma  Canada, Viet Nam  Narrative
dirs. Darlene Huynh
A woman decides to step out of her modern life and journeys to a remote monastery in the Bach Ma mountains of Vietnam, where she lives alongside a group of stoic monks. Her silent struggle to adapt to the peculiar setting leads her to a wholehearted search for something worth believing in.
dirs. Darlene Huynh
A woman decides to step out of her modern life and journeys to a remote monastery in the Bach Ma mountains of Vietnam, where she lives alongside a group of stoic monks. Her silent struggle to adapt to the peculiar setting leads her to a wholehearted search for something worth believing in.

Cloistered  USA  Documentary
dir. Catherine Finsness
An intimate glimpse into the lives of cloistered nuns in New Jersey, USA.
dir. Catherine Finsness
An intimate glimpse into the lives of cloistered nuns in New Jersey, USA.

Development  Australia  Narrative
dir. Rebecca Metcalf
Bored and isolated in a suburban development, two teenagers' budding romance rides an uncomfortable line between flirtation and violence. But, like all toxic relationships, the romance continues to develop despite the havoc it wreaks.
dir. Rebecca Metcalf
Bored and isolated in a suburban development, two teenagers' budding romance rides an uncomfortable line between flirtation and violence. But, like all toxic relationships, the romance continues to develop despite the havoc it wreaks.
He Won't Belong  USA  Narrative   
dir. Dominic Mercurio
In the midst of a storm on a desolate strip of California’s lost coast, Theo spots a young shivering stranger named Connor on the side of the road and brings him back to his home for shelter. While they wait for the storm to pass, they begin to uncover each others’ past wounds.
dir. Dominic Mercurio
In the midst of a storm on a desolate strip of California’s lost coast, Theo spots a young shivering stranger named Connor on the side of the road and brings him back to his home for shelter. While they wait for the storm to pass, they begin to uncover each others’ past wounds.
Iwao Hakamata: Rituals of Deliverance  Japan  Documentary
dir. Noah Matsuki Halbur
After 45 years, Iwao Hakamata was delivered from a death sentence upon a reexamination of evidence. However, due to physical and emotional torture, he now suffers mental illness. His daily rituals continue to revolve around illusions he developed while incarcerated.
dir. Noah Matsuki Halbur
After 45 years, Iwao Hakamata was delivered from a death sentence upon a reexamination of evidence. However, due to physical and emotional torture, he now suffers mental illness. His daily rituals continue to revolve around illusions he developed while incarcerated.

Jiabao,Jiaping  Canada, China  Documentary
dir. Yijie Yang
After being married for fifty years, the filmmaker’s grandparents decide that their personality differences will force them to live apart.
dir. Yijie Yang
After being married for fifty years, the filmmaker’s grandparents decide that their personality differences will force them to live apart.
Lego Oma  Germany  Documentary   
dir. Karina Sturm
Rita Ebel, aka the Lego Oma, is a German grandmother and wheelchair user. A car accident broke her lumbar spine and caused paralysis from her waist down. When she noticed that most of the stores in her hometown Hanau were inaccessible to her, she decided to make a statement by building wheelchair ramps from Legos, each a unique piece of art.
dir. Karina Sturm
Rita Ebel, aka the Lego Oma, is a German grandmother and wheelchair user. A car accident broke her lumbar spine and caused paralysis from her waist down. When she noticed that most of the stores in her hometown Hanau were inaccessible to her, she decided to make a statement by building wheelchair ramps from Legos, each a unique piece of art.
Magnified City  Japan  Animation   
dir. Isaku Kaneko
When a magnifying-glass-human wanders in ruined city, he finds a photo of a beautiful city, but he accidentally burns the photo by observing it. Meanwhile, a secret society of projector-humans plot to recover the ruined city by using the magnifying-glass-human’s convex lens.
dir. Isaku Kaneko
When a magnifying-glass-human wanders in ruined city, he finds a photo of a beautiful city, but he accidentally burns the photo by observing it. Meanwhile, a secret society of projector-humans plot to recover the ruined city by using the magnifying-glass-human’s convex lens.

The Marrons Glacés  Belgium  Animation
dir. Delphine Hermans, Michel Vandam
As an old lady wanders the halls of the hospital, images from her life loop past, inspiring her to help a pregnant younger woman.
dir. Delphine Hermans, Michel Vandam
As an old lady wanders the halls of the hospital, images from her life loop past, inspiring her to help a pregnant younger woman.

Martha  Belgium  Narrative  
dir. Leo Medard
A mother dishonestly picks up her daughter from school and takes her to the sea. Trapped in the momentum of a destructive love, the mother struggles most against herself.
dir. Leo Medard
A mother dishonestly picks up her daughter from school and takes her to the sea. Trapped in the momentum of a destructive love, the mother struggles most against herself.
Notice of Rejection  US  Animation
dir. Steven Vander Meer
The protagonist appears to be unmoved by historical barbarism and societal injustice – until rejection hits home – then it's a different story. After multiple failed applications, he decides to see if rejection can be turned around, made benevolent, and perhaps even grow into something that changes his life.
dir. Steven Vander Meer
The protagonist appears to be unmoved by historical barbarism and societal injustice – until rejection hits home – then it's a different story. After multiple failed applications, he decides to see if rejection can be turned around, made benevolent, and perhaps even grow into something that changes his life.
The Old Young Crow  Japan, US  Animation, Narrative
dir. Liam LoPinto
In the twilight of his life, Mehrdad, now an elderly man, reminisces about his transformative journey from Iran to Japan, a poignant journey that began in the wake of his mother's passing when he was just a young boy. His narrative unfolds around a heartwarming encounter with an elderly Japanese woman, forged amidst the hushed serenity of a graveyard and facilitated by the pages of his cherished sketchbook.
dir. Liam LoPinto
In the twilight of his life, Mehrdad, now an elderly man, reminisces about his transformative journey from Iran to Japan, a poignant journey that began in the wake of his mother's passing when he was just a young boy. His narrative unfolds around a heartwarming encounter with an elderly Japanese woman, forged amidst the hushed serenity of a graveyard and facilitated by the pages of his cherished sketchbook.

One Day in Lim Chu Kang  Singapore  Documentary
dir. Michael Kam
A filmmaker recalls a unique outing with his parents to ritually exhume his grandfather. A contemplation on life, death and the ever-changing landscape on this small island.
dir. Michael Kam
A filmmaker recalls a unique outing with his parents to ritually exhume his grandfather. A contemplation on life, death and the ever-changing landscape on this small island.

See You Tomorrow  United Arab Emirates  Narrative
dir. Iga Zelazny
Ali is a lonely man facing the threat of losing his eyesight. He has an emotional 24 hours to decide whether to have the risky surgery.
dir. Iga Zelazny
Ali is a lonely man facing the threat of losing his eyesight. He has an emotional 24 hours to decide whether to have the risky surgery.

Seven Pieces of My Sensei  France  Documentary
dir. Julien Suaudeau
Yann Dedet is one of the great French film editors, yet he does not sit around all day in an editing room. He karate-fights imaginary dragons. He walks with the winter’s wind. He reads about life and death. He cuts, but not film. He looks on as water goes by under a ghost bridge. He speaks the otherworldly language of cats. He writes, in Japanese, on being different.
dir. Julien Suaudeau
Yann Dedet is one of the great French film editors, yet he does not sit around all day in an editing room. He karate-fights imaginary dragons. He walks with the winter’s wind. He reads about life and death. He cuts, but not film. He looks on as water goes by under a ghost bridge. He speaks the otherworldly language of cats. He writes, in Japanese, on being different.

So You Wanna Vogue Huh ?!  Belgium  Documentary
dir. Zelda Fitzgerald, Ila Pittaluga
An antidote to the misinformation that comes with the re-explosion of ballroom into the public consciousness. A venom against the appropriation of the culture.
dir. Zelda Fitzgerald, Ila Pittaluga
An antidote to the misinformation that comes with the re-explosion of ballroom into the public consciousness. A venom against the appropriation of the culture.
Specs 3  USA  Animation, Experimental
dir. Dan McHale
Our camera pans across rectangular zones of color. What happens if we increase our speed and indulge diagonal trajectories? Inspired by a painted wall in San Francisco, this abstract animated short plays with shifting chromatic shapes, and speed, flicker, arrival.
dir. Dan McHale
Our camera pans across rectangular zones of color. What happens if we increase our speed and indulge diagonal trajectories? Inspired by a painted wall in San Francisco, this abstract animated short plays with shifting chromatic shapes, and speed, flicker, arrival.

Still Breathing  Denmark  Narrative
dir. Emma Birkø
Anna’s life has stagnated. While having a casual relationship with her ex-boyfriend she is working as an intern at a public school. Nothing seems to make sense, and when Anna finds out she is pregnant she has to make a choice. Because is it morally justifiable to bring new life into a world on fire?
dir. Emma Birkø
Anna’s life has stagnated. While having a casual relationship with her ex-boyfriend she is working as an intern at a public school. Nothing seems to make sense, and when Anna finds out she is pregnant she has to make a choice. Because is it morally justifiable to bring new life into a world on fire?
These Were Not Simple Deaths  UK  Documentary, Experimental
dir. Jordan Baseman
Features Lilian Black OBE discussing her father, Eugene Black, the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust. Lilian discusses their families subsequent visits to Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camps 40 years later.
dir. Jordan Baseman
Features Lilian Black OBE discussing her father, Eugene Black, the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust. Lilian discusses their families subsequent visits to Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camps 40 years later.