The San Luis Obispo Film Festival (March 13-18) has announced its full slate of films with a jam-packed schedule of events of film, wine, and food, including a Bollywood themed Opening Night Gala featuring Shubhashish Bhutiani’s HOTEL SALVATION, and SLO’s signature ode to surfing with their annual “Surf Nite” blow out and a “Movies by the Bay” surfing movie double feature. Special Presentations include screenings highlighting The Beat Generation, “Movies for Wine Lovers,” a Central Coast Filmmakers Showcase, and movie classics, in addition to an impressive lineup of narrative and documentary films in competition. The line-up includes 139 films (20 narrative features, 34 documentary features, and 85 short films) representing 19 countries.

Four new documentaries will make their world premieres at SLO: Conor B’ Lewis’s asbestos expose, DIRTY LAUNDRY; Julie Simone’s music doc on the Old Time and Bluegrass community, FIDDLIN’; Michael Arlen Davis’s exploration of the world of SAT/ACT student testing, THE TEST & THE ART OF THINKING; and Charlie Samuels’s New York City skateboard doc, VIRGIN BLACKTOP: A NEW YORK STATE ODYSSEY.

“This year’s film program reflects the past year of political adversity, environmental concerns, an exciting new focus on women’s rights, and a whole slew of other current affairs that have made for some very provocative movies. With a film schedule including everything from clever animation to hilarious comedies, exciting sports films and fascinating documentaries, we’re confident that we’ve come up with a very diverse and high-quality program that offers something for every taste,” said San Luis Obispo Film Festival Director Wendy Eidson. “The San Luis Obispo Film Festival is quickly becoming a filmmaker’s and film-lover’s mecca full of visiting directors, producers, actors and industry pros. We’re very proud and happy to welcome all of them to our friendly and open-minded community.”

Shubhashish Bhutiani’s HOTEL SALVATION follows the adventure that ensues when an old man convinces his son to journey with him to the holy city of Varanasi so he may end the cycle of rebirth by attaining salvation. Once they arrive, his son struggles to deal with his father as well as issues at home, while the old man Rajiv struggles to juggle his responsibilities back home, while his father flourishes at the hotel. The Gala evening will include Indian dancers from the Cal Poly Student Association entertaining on the Mission steps, while guests will be treated to party favors, Central Coast wine, beer and a mixture of savory Indian and American food, prior to the screening at the Fremont Theatre (1035 Monterey Street).

One of the signatures of the San Luis Obispo Film Festival, is “Surf Nite,” celebrating the surfing culture and community via films featuring the gigantic waves and the people that seek to conquer them captured on the big screen. This year, Tim Bonython’s latest film, THE BIG WAVE PROJECT, which includes footage of what has been called “the biggest wave ever attempted” and Aaron Gold’s infamous massive paddle-in wave at Jaws, in Hawaii, will make it’s North American premiere, screened along with Ross Haines’s THE AGAVE GUN, featuring Gary Linden, the founder of The Big Wave Tour. Directors Tim Bonython, Ross Haines and film subject, Gary Linden, with more special guests yet to be announced, will all be in attendance. “Movies by the Bay” will be highlighted by a double feature including Ira Opper’s DESERT POINT, about a rarely experienced surfing location in Indonesia, and surfer and filmmaker James Fazio’s TIME WELL SPENT which profiles four young surfers from Indonesia, Hawaii, Peru and Australia – both of which will be screened at the Bay Theater in Morro Bay (464 Morro Bay Blvd.).

Special Presentations include a focus on The Beat Generation including; Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s HOWL (2010), starring James Franco as a young Allen Ginsberg attempting to find his true voice as an artist during the birth of a counterculture; Chuck Workman’s definitive documentary THE SOURCE: THE STORY OF THE BEATS AND THE BEAT GENERATION (1999), on the time and the legendary writers, artists, and personalities that were part of it; Roger Corman’s cheapo classic A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1959); and Robert Frank and Alfred Leslie’s short PULL MY DAISY (1959) based on an incident in the life of Beat icon Neal Cassady and his artist wife, narrated by Jack Kerouac narrates and starring poets Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky and Gregory Corso.

Other special highlights include a screening of Feras Fayyad’s Academy Award-nominated documentary LAST MEN IN ALEPPO. This is the first Syrian film to ever be nominated for an Oscar, and Fayyad will be in attendance for this fundraiser for the “White Helmets”. Also screening are France’s Oscar submission, Robin Campillo’s B.P.M. (BEATS PER MINUTE), and Michael Gallagher’s Slamdance hit, FUNNY STORY, which stars Matthew Glave, (Argo, FX’s “Better Things”) and Emily Bett Rickards (CW’s “Arrow”) in the story of a lesbian couple’s wedding plans going awry after the father of one of the brides sleeps with her partner en route to the nuptials. SLO will also offer a trio of family-friendly classics from three of the directing greats (William Wellman’s BUFFALO BILL (1944), Fred Zinnemann’s OKLAHOMA! (1955), and RUBY GENTRY (1952) from San Luis Obispo’s own, King Vidor.)

Women are the focus of several films and special events, including one called “Women BELONG in the Kitchen.” Female chefs and restaurant owners will compete in a “Chopped”-style competition, before the screening of A FINE LINE, a new doc about the rarity of women in commercial kitchens. Female wine, beer and cider makers will serve their wares during the competition. A short film that documents the SLO Women’s March will be followed by CATCHING SIGHT OF THELMA & LOUISE, 79-year-old first-time filmmaker Jennifer Townsend’s in-depth look into the effects of that iconic film many years after its release.

Films selected for the Narrative Competition, include Kyle Rideout’s ADVENTURES IN PUBLIC SCHOOL, Brandon Dickerson’s AMANDA AND JACK GO GLAMPING, Harris Doran’s BEAUTY MARK, Scott Smith’s CHASING THE BLUES, Sandra Vannucchi’s GIRL IN FLIGHT, Sam Upton’s GUN, Dustin Cook’s I HATE THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT, Adam Cushman’s THE MAESTRO, Peter Luisi’s STREAKER, and Charles Garrad’s WAITING FOR YOU.

Documentary Competition selections include Joanna James’s A FINE LINE, Shane Anderson’s A RIVER’S LAST CHANCE, Ivo Marloh’s ALL THE WILD HORSES, Mark Tchelistcheff’s ANDRE: THE VOICE OF WINE, Robert Lieberman’s ANGKOR AWAKENS: AN INSIDE LOOK AT CAMBODIA, Moon Chang-Yong, and Jeon Jin’s BECOMING WHO I WAS, Tony Lee’s THE CAT THAT CHANGED AMERICA, Fr3der1ck Taylor’s COUNTER HISTORIES: ROCK HILL, Conor B. Lewis’s DIRTY LAUNDRY, Julie Simone’s FIDDLIN’ Justin Koehler’s FLOATING HORSES: THE LIFE OF CASEY TIBBS, Allie Humenuk, and Amy Geller’s THE GUYS NEXT DOOR, Peter L. Stein’s JACQUES PÈPIN: THE ART OF CRAFT, Poli Martinez Kaplun’s LEA AND MIRA, Susan Kucera’a LIVING IN THE FUTURE’S PAST, Joel Fendelman’s MAN ON FIRE, Delila Vallot’s MIGHTY GROUND, Guy Fiorita’s MOLE MAN, Nick Taylor’s THE ORGANIZER, Zeljko Mirkovic’s THE PROMISE, Chelo Alvarez-Stehle’s SANDS OF SILENCE: WAVES OF COURAGE, Mark Hayes’s SKID ROW MARATHON, Michael Arlen Davis’s THE TEST & THE ART OF THINKING, and Paige Tolmach’s WHAT HAUNTS US.

Passes are now on sale and information on the film festival can be found at https://slofilmfest.org.

 

The 2018 San Luis Obispo Film Festival official selections include:

OPENING NIGHT GALA

HOTEL SALVATION

Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani

Country: India, Running Time: 102 min

When an ominous dream convinces 77-year-old Dayanand Kumar that his end could be near, he decides he wants to breathe his last breath in the holy city of Varanasi and end the cycle of rebirth, by attaining salvation. His dutiful son Rajiv is left with no choice but to drop everything and make the journey with his stubborn father. They check into the Hotel Salvation, and as the days go by, Rajiv struggles to juggle his responsibilities back home, while Daya starts to bloom in the hotel.

 

 

SURF NITE

THE BIG WAVE PROJECT                                       NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director: Tim Bonython

Country: USA, Running Time: 104 min

In THE BIG WAVE PROJECT, the progression of the skill level of big wave surfing happily collides with the best swell season in 30 years and the narrative is both real and downright terrifying. It includes what has been called “the biggest wave ever attempted” featuring Aaron Gold’s infamous massive paddle-in wave at Jaws, in Hawaii.

 

THE AGAVE GUN

Director: Ross Haines

Countries: USA/Mexico, Running Time: 10 min

Featuring Gary Linden, the founder of The Big Wave Tour, who is one of the few remaining masters of his craft, still skillfully shaping surfboards by hand. At 68, he still experiments with untested materials, like the wood from agave, the plant tequila is made from. This film takes us through the growth cycle of the agave, the shaping of a board, and the joy of the end product.

 

SKATEBOARD EVENT PRESENTATION

VIRGIN BLACKTOP: A NEW YORK STATE ODYSSEY    WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Charlie Samuels

Country: USA, Running Time: 83 min

VIRGIN BLACKTOP: A NEW YORK STATE ODYSSEY is an uplifting and sometimes heart-breaking coming-of-age story about a super funky crew of suburban New York City kids. When they met in 1977, they had nothing in common except a passion for skateboarding. Despite their vastly different ages, races and economic backgrounds and with their parents hands off approach, they formed a competitive, traveling team of spirited outsiders called the “Wizards”. Now, nearly 40 years later, they remain friends but their lives have followed very different paths, from board rooms to jail cells.

 

MOVIES BY THE BAY

SECRETS OF DESERT POINT

Director: Ira Opper

Country: USA, Running Time: 45 min

In the early eighties, while sailing in crude, leaky boats off remote Lombok island in Indonesia, young California surfer Bill Heick and his friends stumbled across the perfect wave… a pristine barreling left reeling endlessly and empty over a shallow, live-coral reef. They named it “Desert Point” for its dry forbidding nature. These pioneers kept their treasure off the map for more than a decade and made it their life’s mission to surf uncrowded Desert Point at the highest level possible… no matter the cost. But Paradise comes at a price. Take a journey on one of the last great dirtbag adventures with Bill and his friends… you won’t be disappointed.

 

TIME WELL SPENT

Director: James Fazio

Country: USA, Running Time: 83 min

TIME WELL SPENT is about four young men from different challenging backgrounds of pain and hardships, who have found refuge in the ocean. The film takes you to each boy’s front doorstep in Indonesia, Hawaii, Peru, and Australia, to hear their stories and learn where they come from. In hopes to give them a trip they’ve always dreamt of and to show them that they can make a difference in this world, filmmaker and surfer James Fazio takes the four to Bocas Del Toro, Panama, to surf the best waves of their lives – and to help others in need.

 

 

MOVIES FOR WINE LOVERS

ANDRE: THE VOICE OF WINE

Director: Mark Tchelistcheff

Country: USA, Running Time: 98 min

Mark Tchelistcheff tells the epic story of his great uncle Andre, a Russian émigré who changed the world of wine forever. Andre Tchelistcheff, born into an aristocratic family in Moscow, remarkably survived the upheaval of the Russian revolution and the civil war. After moving to California in 1938, he came to be known as the “Dean of American Wine.” With his uncompromising passion and vast knowledge, he introduced new techniques that helped move the wine industry from its virtually moribund post-Prohibition state to its renaissance, putting Napa Valley and other wine regions like our own San Luis Obispo County, on the map.

 

BACK TO BURGUNDY

Director: Cédric Klapsich

Country: France, Running Time: 113 min

After a 10-year absence, 30-something Jean returns to his hometown when his father falls ill. Reuniting with his sister Juliette, and his brother Jérémie, is not easy, and as they deal with future plans, they must rebuild their relationships and trust as a family again. This story of sibling camaraderie and rivalry unfolds against the backdrop of a picturesque Burgundy winery, so sumptuous and gorgeous you can almost taste it!

 

DREAMING OF WINE

Director: David Fernandez de Castro

Country: Spain, Running Time: 60 min

Priorat: a region boasting 150 wineries with high-end wines on worldwide top ten lists and at fancy restaurants across the globe. But only thirty years ago it had just four wineries producing table wine. Eight centuries of wine production were on the brink of extinction. A handful of pioneers (now known as the Magnificent Five) who came to Priorat in the early 80s had a dream of reviving the region. They brought with them youth, talent and perseverance, and the locals supported them with hard work and measured optimism. Together, they turned a declining area into one of the most vibrant wine producing regions in Spain and the world. This film will screen as part of a special event at Tolosa Winery when they unveil their new Spanish wine.

 

HEART OF PARADISE                                             WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Dina Mande

Country: USA, Running Time: 29 min

Two bachelors united by a passion for winemaking collide with a mother-daughter duo whose surprise arrival at Heart Hill reveals more than what they bargained for. A double romance blossoms in unexpected soil, warming a widower’s heart and changing the course of a young bride’s life forever. A story of four hearts who learn it’s never too late to find new love. Produced & Directed by Dina Mande, with screenplay by Casey Biggs.

 

THE PROMISE

Director: Zeljko Mirkovic

Countries: Serbia/Belgium, Running Time: 74 min

A century ago, Rogljevo was incredibly prosperous for a remote village in the far eastern corner of Serbia. The wines of Rogljevo were to be found at exhibitions in Bordeaux and Paris. But today this region is poor and deserted. Recently, a young French family decided to move in to grow grapes and produce wine, and they believe they have discovered a promised land – one of the top five wine regions in Europe. Their arrival has sparked high hopes with some villagers, and great resistance and mistrust among others. Can these young upstarts revive Rogljevo’s former fame as a world-class wine region? Only time will tell…

 

 

SPECIAL PRESENTATION FILMS

A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1959)

Director: Roger Corman

Country: USA, Running Time: 66 min

A dimwitted, impressionable young busboy at a Bohemian café is acclaimed as a brilliant sculptor when he accidentally kills his landlady’s cat and covers its body in clay to hide the evidence. When the boy is pressured to create similar work, he becomes murderous.

 

 

BPM (BEATS PER MINUTE)

Director: Robin Campillo

Country: France, Running Time: 140 min

It’s the early 1990s. With AIDS having already claimed countless lives for nearly ten years, ACT UP-Paris activists perform multiple actions to fight general indifference. Nathan, a newcomer to the group, has his world shaken up by Sean, a radical militant, who throws his last bits of strength into the struggle. After premiering in Cannes in 2017, it was France’s official submission to the 2018 Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

 

CATCHING SIGHT OF THELMA AND LOUISE

Director: Jennifer Townsend

Country: USA, Running Time: 87 min

Filmgoers are taken on a wild ride with THELMA AND LOUISE, beginning when they leave on their weekend getaway and ending when they sail off the canyon’s edge. We revisit their extraordinary journey through the lens of viewers who saw the namesake film in 1991 and, in a survey, wrote about the feelings it engendered at that time. Twenty-five years later, the same viewers share their present-day perceptions, comparing them with their first reactions, as do some of the original cast members. Clips from the original film serve as a catalyst for intimate, personal stories of women’s experience in the real world. This is a fascinating study of then and now, and how much or how little things have changed since THELMA AND LOUISE first startled movie-going audiences.

 

FUNNY STORY

Director: Michael Gallagher

Country: USA, Running Time: 84 min

After cheating on his wife for a woman half of his age, Walter (Matthew Glave, (Argo, FX’s “Better Things”) is facing a mid-life crisis. When he decides to reconnect with his daughter (Jana Winternitz, “The Thinning”) he invites himself to stay with her in Big Sur, and sets off on a journey up the Central Coast with his daughter’s friend Kim (Emily Bett Rickards, CW’s “Arrow”) who is dealing with her own crisis. Direct from its premiere at Slamdance, FUNNY STORY teaches us about the destructive power of narcissism, the healing power of forgiveness, and our willingness to do karaoke after drinking enough tequila.

 

 

HOWL (2010)

Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman

Country: USA, Running Time: 84 min

It’s San Francisco in 1957, and an American masterpiece is put on trial. Using three interwoven threads: the tumultuous life events that led a young Allen Ginsberg to find his true voice as an artist, society’s reaction (the obscenity trial), and animation that echoes the poem’s surreal style, all three coalesce in a hybrid that dramatizes the birth of a counterculture. Premiered at Sundance in 2010 and stars James Franco as Allen Ginsberg.

 

LAST MEN IN ALEPPO

Director: Feras Fayyad

Country: Syria, Running Time: 104 min

Winner of the Grand Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and a 2018 Oscar nominee for Best Documentary, Syrian filmmaker Feras Fayyad’s breathtaking work is a searing example of boots-on-the-ground reportage. His film follows the efforts of the internationally recognized White Helmets, an organization consisting of ordinary citizens who are the first to rush towards military strikes and attacks in the hope of saving lives. Incorporating moments of both heart-pounding suspense and improbable beauty, the documentary draws us into the lives of three of its founders — Khaled, Subhi, and Mahmoud — as they grapple with the chaos around them and struggle with an ever-present dilemma: do they flee, or stay and fight for their country?

 

PULL MY DAISY (1959)

Directors: Robert Frank, Alfred Leslie

Country: USA, Running Time: 26 min

Based on an incident in the life of Beat icon Neal Cassady and his artist wife, the film tells the story of a railway brakeman whose wife invites a respected bishop over for dinner. However, the brakeman’s bohemian friends crash the party, with comic results. Directed by Robert Frank and Alfred Leslie, the screenplay was adapted by Jack Kerouac from the third act of his play, Beat Generation. Kerouac narrates and it stars poets Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky and Gregory Corso

 

SCREAMING QUEENS: THE RIOT AT COMPTON’S CAFETERIA (2005)

Directors: Victor Silverman, Susan Stryker

Country: USA, Running Time: 57 min

In 1966, three years before the famous riot at Stonewall Inn in New York City, transgender women and drag queens fought police harassment at Compton’s Cafeteria in San Francisco’s Tenderloin. This documentary by writer/directors Victor Silverman and Susan Stryker, tells their story utilizing great archival images, reenactments, and interviews. The film is a testament to the trans community’s struggle to be accepted, and to simply survive, especially in the face of the police brutality of the era. Director/writer Victor Silverman will be in attendance for a Q&A.

 

THE SOURCE: THE STORY OF THE BEATS AND THE BEAT GENERATION (1999)

Director: Chuck Workman

Country: USA, Running Time: 88 min

This comprehensive documentary by Chuck Workman traces the “Beats” from Ginsberg and Kerouac’s initial meeting, to the deaths of Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs. Three actors (Johnny Depp, Dennis Hopper, and John Turturro) provide dramatic interpretations of the work of these three writers, and the film chronicles their friendships, travels, and their connection with bebop, abstract expressionism, and living theater. Great interviews with Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kesey, Ferlinghetti, Jerry Garcia, and others.

 

 

OLDIES BUT GOODIES

BUFFALO BILL (1944)

Director: William A. Wellman

Country: USA, Running Time: 90 min

Starring Maureen O’Hara and Joel McCrae, this is a fictionalized account of the life of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody. A hunter and Army Scout in the early part of his life, he rescues a US Senator and his beautiful daughter, who becomes his wife. As one of the rare ‘white men’ who admires and respects the Native Americans he encounters, he finds himself in the middle of a classic ‘Western’ battle with them. His exciting adventures and life story interest writer Ned Buntline, who helps turn “Buffalo Bill” into a sensation, leading to his later Wild West shows that made him a household name internationally. Joel McCrae’s grandson, Wyatt, will introduce the film.

 

OKLAHOMA! (1955)

Director: Fred Zinnemann

Country: USA, Running Time: 145 min

Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae star in this larger than life RKO musical, made in 1955. Based on the earlier Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway musical that opened in 1943 and set a record for the most performances of a musical, Oklahoma! was originally titled Away We Go but was changed to the name of the popular song in the show shortly after it opened. The movie was Shirley Jones’ film debut, and she went on to an illustrious career in film and TV after that. It was shown in Cinemascope about a year after it premiered and was director Fred Zinnemann’s only musical. It cost a then astronomical $6.8 million!

 

RUBY GENTRY (1952)

Director: King Vidor

Country: USA, Running Time: 82 min

Lust, betrayal and revenge all collide in King Vidor’s 1952 romantic drama RUBY GENTRY set in a small town riven by strict social divisions deep in the swamp lands of North Carolina. Only it’s not North Carolina. The legendary director didn’t want to stray far from his Willow Creek ranch in Paso Robles so nearly the entire film was shot around his ranch and in various San Luis Obispo County locations including Morro Bay and Pismo Beach. Starring the luscious Jennifer Jones (who worked with Vidor on another melodrama, DUEL IN THE SUN) and a young Charlton Heston, this potboiler cuts to heated action with startling energy. Jones demanded patience and gentleness on the set, Vidor once said, but he was “rewarded a hundred-fold with a sensitive and intriguing performance.”

 

NARRATIVE FILM COMPETITION

ADVENTURES IN PUBLIC SCHOOL

Director: Kyle Rideout

Country: Canada, Running Time: 86 min

Helicopter parents are given an hilarious working over in Kyle Rideout’s disarming film. Home-schooled by his mother (Judy Greer), teenage Liam is the quintessential über-nerd. But when he meets Anastasia, an enigmatic beauty who has lost a leg to cancer, he is Instantly smitten and purposely flunks an exam so he will have to redo his last semester in her public high school. What follows is a crash course in high-school dynamics, ranging from bullying to hallway flirting, as Liam timidly pursues his muse. Nominee Best Canadian Film at the Toronto Film Festival in 2017.

 

AMANDA AND JACK GO GLAMPING

Director: Brandon Dickerson

Country: USA, Running Time: 94 min

With his marriage on shaky ground, dejected one-hit author Jack Spencer (David Arquette, Never Been Kissed) goes “glamping” with his wife, Amanda (Amy Acker, Person of Interest), in search of a spark. When the isolated retreat suddenly becomes anything but private with the arrival of honeymoon hipsters and a super-hunk landowner, Jack must learn to get over himself as he dives deep off the grid into a comedic exploration of love, failure, relevance… and miniature donkeys. Academy Award nominee June Squibb (Nebraska) also stars.

 

BEAUTY MARK

Director: Harris Doran

Country: USA, Running Time: 87 min

An empowering story inspired by true events, Beauty Mark follows a poverty-stricken young mother forced to move when her house is condemned. With no money and no options, she must confront her abusive past in order to save her family. The nuanced screenplay and direction by Harris Doran, brilliant break-out performance by Auden Thorton, and haunting score by Kentucky songwriter Ben Sollee, all help us through its challenging but very topical subject matter.

 

CHASING THE BLUES

Director: Scott Smith

Country: USA, Running Time: 77 min

Two rival record collectors attempt to con an old lady out of a rare but cursed 1930s blues record. When a series of unfortunate circumstances sends them to jail, the feud festers for over 20 years until they are released from prison and get a second chance at snagging the record – this time from a more formidable foe. Grant Rosenmeyer (Temps, The Royal Tenenbaums) and Ronald L. Conner (Chicago PD) play off each other with great timing and physical comedy. Great cameo performances by Steve Guttenberg (Cocoon) and Jon Lovitz (SNL).

 

GIRL IN FLIGHT (La Fuga)

Director: Sandra Vannucchi

Countries: Italy/Switzerland, Running Time: 78 min

Inspired by real events, this is the story of 11-year-old Silvia whose small-town Tuscany life is consumed by her mother’s clinical depression. When no one will take the time to fulfill her dream of visiting Rome, Silvia runs away, determined to see it for herself. On the train she meets a Roma girl, Emina, and follows her through the streets of Rome to her gypsy camp. Shot by award-winning cinematographer Vladan Radovic in a real Roma camp using resident non-actors, what follows is the tender, at times frightening, emotional journey of a girl coming into her own.

 

GUN

Director: Sam Upton

Country: USA, Running Time: 90 min

A washed up, alcoholic ex-prizefighter makes a comeback to boxing after his top-middleweight-contender son is wrongfully blinded in the ring. This is Sam Upton’s tour-de-force, and his performance is touchingly raw and utterly believable. Upton (Gone, Lincoln Lawyer) wrote, directed, and stars in this award-winning gritty story of redemption in the ring. Mark Boone Jr. (Sons of Anarchy) is excellent as Jimmy, the reluctant guide. Exciting action sequences too!

 

 

I HATE THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT

Director: Dustin Cook

Country: USA, Running Time: 103 min

Lonely and isolated, Claude is still grieving the murder of his wife. When he’s reluctantly coerced by his obnoxious co-worker to join him for some salsa lessons, Claude develops an unexpected crush on his instructor, Kyra. Unfortunately, he’s not sure how to move forward with this budding romance since he still has his wife’s killer chained up in the basement! Stars Chris Marquette and Nora-Jane Noone (THE DESCENT).

 

THE MAESTRO

Director: Adam Cushman

Country: USA, Running Time: 96 min

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco immigrated to the US in 1939 and became known as one of the foremost guitar composers of the 20^th century. Mentor to some of Hollywood’s most celebrated musical talents (Henry Mancini, Randy Newman, Andre Previn), he composed music for over 200 films. He got credit for 7. The film explores his life through his relationship with his student, Jerry Herst, a talented but insecure musician. The Maestro takes us back to that heady post-WWII era, blending great music, nostalgia and romance in a heartwarming tribute to this talented musician and teacher.

 

STREAKER (Flitzer)

Director: Peter Luisi

Country: Switzerland, Running Time: 95 min

Remember streaking? Well, it’s back in this hilarious Swiss film. High-school teacher Baltasar has managed to gamble away all the money that had been collected for the school’s new athletic grounds. His hairdresser suggests taking bets to earn back the money. But on what? The solution: having a streaker run across the field during a soccer game. How long can the naked guy (or gal) last until officials lead him away and the game can continue? One minute? Three minutes? Baltasar organizes the volunteers – fat, thin, male, female, old, young – so well that this run becomes a trendy sport in its own right!

 

WAITING FOR YOU

Director: Charles Garrad

Country: UK, Running Time: 92 min

The story revolves around Paul (Colin Morgan) whose father lies dying, delirious and in pain, hinting at something he lost, something taken from him by his former commanding officer in the British Army. After he passes away, the angry and grieving Paul heads to the South of France where he meets the mysterious Madeleine (Fanny Ardant). Thus begins a game of cat and mouse between them. Both have dangerous secrets to reveal, and when all the painful truths seem to have been pulled into the light out comes Madeleine’s final astonishing revelation.

 

 

DOCUMENTARY FILM COMPETITION

A FINE LINE

Director: Joanna James

Country: USA, Running Time: 71 min

When Joanna James began working on the film, it was going to be about her mother’s journey as chef/owner of Val’s Restaurant in Holden, Mass. But when Joanna learned that less than 7 percent of chef-restaurant owners are women, the movie morphed into a larger investigation of gender inequality. World-renowned female chefs are “stirred into” the central narrative focusing on Val. This personal story helps advance the national dialogue on issues of gender inequality, the challenges of balancing motherhood and career, and how inequity in the kitchen is not the only place in which it exists.

 

A RIVER’S LAST CHANCE

Director: Shane Anderson

Country: USA, Running Time: 67 min

The Eel River in Northern California is one of the most unique, diverse and dynamic rivers in America and it is perhaps one of our last best chances for wild salmon abundance on the West Coast. But it is also in jeopardy. Flowing through some of the world’s largest redwood forests, it has weathered decades of abusive logging, over-fishing, catastrophic floods and a hydropower dam. And now it’s being threatened by the booming cannabis business and the multi-billion-dollar wine industry. Beautifully shot, this is a timely and important film – a must see for anyone who cares about the future of our rivers.

 

ALL THE WILD HORSES

Director: Ivo Marloh

Countries: UK/Canada, Running Time: 90 min

Five international riders from the USA, Canada, South Africa, Ireland and the UK have a crazy compulsion to race across Mongolia… and we’re all just along for the wild ride! This multi-horse, multi-station race over 1000 kms of breathtaking Mongolian steppe is the longest and toughest horse race on the planet. The riders are out on their own and navigate from station to station using GPS. They change their horses every 40 kms, and spend nights out in the wild or with nomad families along the way. The race throws up twists and turns as it builds to an unexpected, nail-biting finish.

 

ANDRE: THE VOICE OF WINE

Director: Mark Tchelistcheff

Country: USA, Running Time: 98 min

Mark Tchelistcheff tells the epic story of his great uncle Andre, a Russian émigré who changed the world of wine forever. Andre Tchelistcheff, born into an aristocratic family in Moscow, remarkably survived the upheaval of the Russian revolution and the civil war. After moving to California in 1938, he came to be known as the “Dean of American Wine.” With his uncompromising passion and vast knowledge, he introduced new techniques that helped move the wine industry from its virtually moribund post-Prohibition state to its renaissance, putting Napa Valley and other wine regions like our own San Luis Obispo County, on the map.

 

ANGKOR AWAKENS: AN INSIDE LOOK AT CAMBODIA

Director: Robert Lieberman

Country: USA, Running Time: 85 min

This is an extremely compelling look at modern Cambodia — a society at a tipping point, where one of Asia’s youngest populations is rebuilding its culture and learning about its past. Director Robert H. Lieberman, a child of the Holocaust, begins by taking us back in time to explore the parallels between two genocides. The film sweeps from the ancient Angkor Kingdom to today’s modern Cambodia as it emerges from the recent horrific past its elders are uncomfortable talking about. Creative animation helps tell this important, cautious tale.

 

BECOMING WHO I WAS

Directors: Moon Chang-Yong, Jeon Jin

Country: South Korea, Running Time: 95 min

In northern India’s sparsely populated and mountainous Ladakh region, an impoverished young boy is discovered to be the reincarnation of an esteemed, high-ranking Tibetan monk. But having been born away from his original monastery in Tibet, he is denied his rightful place. Amid growing doubts and mounting expectations in the community, the boy and his elderly godfather embark on a grueling but stunningly beautiful trek across India to return the young monk-to-be to his rightful monastery before it‘s too late. Filmed over eight years, we witness the growing bond of friendship between the young boy and his mentor/servant, whose devotion and sacrifice is truly touching.

 

THE CAT THAT CHANGED AMERICA

Director: Tony Lee

Countries: UK/USA, Running Time: 50 min

P22 is the most famous mountain lion in the world, living in Griffith Park, right in the heart of Los Angeles. He was born in the Santa Monica Mountains, and then crossed two of the busiest freeways in America, the 405 and the 101. P22 is now sadly hemmed in by freeways and urban sprawl, with little chance of ever finding a mate. The development of a wildlife crossing at Liberty Canyon could solve the problem – if residents and conservationists can raise $50 million, and overcome resistance from public ignorance and the spread of rodenticides.

 

COUNTER HISTORIES: ROCK HILL

Director: Fr3der1ck Taylor

Country: USA, Running Time: 56 min

It’s 1961 and the Civil Rights movement is stalled with protest after protest, arrest after arrest, in the segregated South. Students at a small local Baptist college in Rock Hill, South Carolina, decide to sit in at their local lunch counter. They get arrested, go to jail and remain there. Their action brings the national attention the movement seeks and becomes an important incident in the social justice movement. With excellent reenactments and creative visuals, Counter Histories: Rock Hill breaks with documentary conventions to connect with a new audience and tie the historical movement to present day struggles.

 

DIRTY LAUNDRY                                                      WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Conor B. Lewis

Country: USA, Running Time: 75 min

Two cousins journey across the United States by bicycle, fueled by curiosity about their elderly grandmother’s sudden passing from a rare cancer: mesothelioma. What they slowly uncover through a variety of fascinating interviews and research, is a trail of broken families, all bound by the common thread of asbestos exposure. Part exposé, part entertaining travelogue, part family drama, this story, told by first-time filmmakers, reminds us all that “Big Business” probably doesn’t have our best interests at heart.

 

FIDDLIN’                                                                    WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Julie Simone

Country: USA, Running Time: 103 min

Wayne Henderson, a world-renowned luthier known as the “guitar god,” is both a master craftsman and master storyteller. HIs friendship with 11-year-old guitar prodigy Presley Barker shows just how closely knit a community of musicians can be. The endearing relationship between them is a testament to music’s power. Fiddlin’ pays tribute to Old Time and Bluegrass music, in abundance at the annual Fiddler’s Convention in the Appalachian Mountains. We are witness to some off-the-charts pickin’ and fiddlin’. And when the top 10 finalists in the ultra-competitive Adult Guitar Competition are announced, we’re in for an exciting and unexpected musical climax.

 

 

FLOATING HORSES: THE LIFE OF CASEY TIBBS

Director: Justin Koehler

Country: USA, Running Time: 94 min

In 1942, at the age of 13, Casey Tibbs left home to pursue his dream of becoming a rodeo star. Despite his dad’s lack of support, Casey was determined to succeed and, sure enough, he became a huge star, not just on the rodeo circuit, but in Hollywood as well! Floating Horses tells his amazing rags-to-riches life story, with great vintage material and interviews with notable friends, including Central Coast resident Steven Ford. Tibbs was a nine-time world champion and his unpredictable journey is as exciting as one of his wild rides. Get ready to “Let ‘er buck!”

 

THE GUYS NEXT DOOR

Directors: Allie Humenuk, Amy Geller

Country: USA, Running Time: 75 min

Not many people have a “normal” family life, do they? But some people’s families are more unique than others. Erik and Sandro are a gay couple whose good friend Rachel is the surrogate for their two daughters. Rachel is a married Jewish woman in her forties, with an understanding, supportive husband and three children. The two families form a very unusual extended family. This lyrical documentary tackles some of the most pertinent issues of our time: gay marriage and parenting, surrogacy, nature vs. nurture. Elegantly shot and edited, and told with candor and humor, THE GUYS NEXT DOOR is an inspiring story of family, friendship and gay rights.

 

JACQUES PÈPIN: THE ART OF CRAFT

Director: Peter L. Stein

Country: USA, Running Time: 54 min

Discover the story of French-American chef Jacques Pépin, a young immigrant with movie-star looks and a charming Gallic accent. His mastery of cooking and teaching helped him become an early food icon—joining James Beard and Julia Child among the handful of Americans who transformed our nation’s food. Not content cooking in French palaces, where he was the personal chef to three French presidents, Pépin’s journey took him into the kitchens of the then-in-vogue Howard Johnson’s, where his commitment to great taste and technique influenced American popular food. Narrated by Stanley Tucci.

 

LEA AND MIRA

Director: Poli Martinez Kaplun

Country: USA, Running Time: 52 min

Lea and Mira tells the story of two Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors, now in their 90s. Surviving the horrors of Auschwitz was, in their own words, ”un milagro,” and they found friendship many years later in their adopted country of Argentina. In this profound tribute to their strength and resilience, the women share how they were able to face the world after living through unimaginable pain and trauma. The filmmaker, herself the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, chose them as her subjects “because in their testimony one can find the flame of life.” You’ll also be very glad you met Lea and Mira! 52 min.

 

LIVING IN THE FUTURE’S PAST

Director: Susan Kucera

Country: USA, Running Time: 83 min

Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges produced and narrates this beautifully filmed tour de force of original thinking on who we are and the environmental challenges we face. He, alongside prominent scientists and authors, weaves elements of evolution, entropy, dark ecology, and what some are calling the end of nature, into a story that helps us understand our place among the species of Earth’s household. Challenging our current way of thinking, it provides original insights into our subconscious motivations, their unintended consequences and the changes we need to make, in order to solve the ecological crises we have brought upon ourselves.

 

MAN ON FIRE

Director: Joel Fendelman

Country: USA, Running Time: 54 min

Grand Saline, Texas, a town east of Dallas, has a history of racism, a history the community doesn’t acknowledge or talk about. This shroud of secrecy ends when, in 2014, Charles Moore, an elderly white preacher, self-immolates in order to shine a spotlight on the town’s dark past. MAN ON FIRE grapples with the pieces of this extreme act of protest and, in the process, explores the wider issue of continuing racism in our society. Written and directed by two-time SLO Film Fest alum Joel Fendelman (DAVID, REMITTANCE).

 

MIGHTY GROUND

Director: Delila Vallot

Country: USA, Running Time: 85 min

Ronald Troy Collins has a story to tell. Having spent over 25 years in and out of the prison system, Ronald lives on the streets of Los Angeles, invisible to most people who walk by him – until he starts singing. With a soulful voice and song lyrics about a lifetime full of pain, Ronald commands attention. Now, with the help of documentary filmmaker Delila Vallot, he has an opportunity to fight his addictions and fulfill his dream of recording music. As Ronald’s path to sobriety takes unexpected turns, MIGHTY GROUND proves that music can heal by connecting people when they need it the most.

 

MOLE MAN

Director: Guy Fiorita

Country: USA, Running Time: 85 min

Meet Ron, a 66-year-old autistic man who has spent the last five decades building a 50-room structure in his parents’ backyard. Using no nails or mortar, Ron instead creates perfectly balanced structures from scavenged materials he finds in the woods outside his Pennsylvania home. After his father passes away, Ron is left living alone with his loving but aged mother. Meanwhile, his siblings are left to figure out what will happen to Ron – who has never been officially diagnosed with autism – when his mother can no longer care for him. This is the story of an extraordinary life, family bonds, and the beauty of thinking differently.

 

THE ORGANIZER

Director: Nick Taylor

Country: USA, Running Time: 100 min

Before its infamous demise following several highly-publicized scandals, ACORN was the largest community organization in the US. Wade Rathke, a former anti-war and welfare rights organizer had founded the organization in Little Rock in 1970, and over the next decades had shepherded its growth into a national political powerhouse for the poor. His entrepreneurial vision helped build ACORN – but internal conflict and external pressures led to its downfall. Drawing from a wealth of archival material and interviews, this is a film about people who have dedicated their lives to the often messy and always controversial job of building power for the powerless.

 

THE PROMISE

Director: Zeljko Mirkovic

Countries: Serbia/Belgium, Running Time: 74 min

A century ago, Rogljevo was incredibly prosperous for a remote village in the far eastern corner of Serbia. The wines of Rogljevo were to be found at exhibitions in Bordeaux and Paris. But today this region is poor and deserted. Recently, a young French family decided to move in to grow grapes and produce wine, and they believe they have discovered a promised land – one of the top five wine regions in Europe. Their arrival has sparked high hopes with some villagers, and great resistance and mistrust among others. Can these young upstarts revive Rogljevo’s former fame as a world-class wine region? Only time will tell…

 

SANDS OF SILENCE: WAVES OF COURAGE

Director: Chelo Alvarez-Stehle

Countries: USA/Spain, Running Tine: 86 min

In her 15-year quest to expose the underworld of sexual exploitation and trafficking from Asia to the Americas, Spanish reporter, Chelo Alvarez-Stehle, meets Virginia Isaias, who had bravely escaped with her baby from a sex trafficking ring in Mexico. After raising her daughter, Virginia has now begun to speak out about her ordeal. She has become a US citizen and a prominent advocate for other survivors in the Latino community in Southern California. SANDS OF SILENCE: WAVES OF COURAGE is a personal documentary about a journalist who, inspired by the transformation of the sex-trafficking survivors whose lives she is documenting, finds the courage to break the silence about sexual abuse in her own life. #MeToo!

 

SKID ROW MARATHON

Director: Mark Hayes

Country: USA, Running Time: 85 min

When Judge Craig Mitchell visited the Midnight Mission on Skid Row in L.A. in 2012, he was asked if he could think of any way to contribute. The judge was an avid runner, and he worked nearby. So he offered to start a run club in the shelter. What he didn’t know was just how profoundly running would change so many lives. As the club’s members – a motley group of homeless drug addicts and criminals – train together to run marathons, they learn to dream big as they are re-acquainted with their own dignity. Uplifting and entertaining! Winner Best Doc at Napa Film Fest.

 

THE TEST & THE ART OF THINKING                    WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Michael Arlen Davis

Country: USA, Running Time: 85 min

Like it or not, the SAT/ACT college entrance exams are a true rite of passage for teenagers in the United States. For some students, it’s the bogeyman standing between them and their dreams; for others, it is something to train for as intensively as an elite athlete might train for a championship. But what does the SAT/ACT ask of its takers? What kind of skill and training does it encourage? What kind of thinking does it reward? This film explores those compelling questions, and delves deeply into the role of the SAT/ACT in modern America.

 

WHAT HAUNTS US

Director: Paige Tolmach

Country: USA, Running Time: 67 min

When Paige Tolmach hears about the suicide of yet another former high school mate, she begins to take a deeper look at the past and starts to ask questions almost no one in Charleston wants to answer. As the story unwinds, like that of a classic mystery, she uncovers the shocking truth about a beloved teacher and sports coach who wasn’t the wonderful guy they all thought he was. Her obsession to uncover the truth becomes a story about our obligation to speak up and protect those who can’t protect themselves, about how silence is complicity. There is remarkable footage in the film with the sexual predator on camera talking openly about about what he has done.

 

CENTRAL COAST FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE

A LAND FOR WAR

Director: Enid Baxter Ryce

Country: USA, Running Time: 20 min

Shot over a 10-year span, this experimental film describes the effect of the military on the land and the people, featuring thousands of hidden murals and portraits of Fort Ord’s homeless veterans.

THE ARTIST & THE GREAT BEAR

Director: Jeff McLoughlin

Country: USA, Running Time: 26 min

Artist Patti Jacquemain, a founding behind the Wildling Museum of Art & Nature, and of the Dome of the Great Bear, creates evocative mosaic portraits of the extinct California grizzly bear. This film is a testament to her talent and her efforts to rekindle appreciation for wild things and places through art.

 

BASHA MAN

Director: Daniel Chein

Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min

Basha, a rural mountain community in China, and home to “The Last Tribe of Gunners,” is undergoing rapid development and change. Villagers in Basha find creative ways to maintain their music and livelihoods, but tourism and other factors continue to threaten their traditions.

 

THE BOAT MAKER

Director: Casey McGarry

Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min

In 1991, architect Ken Minor began construction in his backyard on his dream sailboat: a wooden 30′ Bristol Channel Cutter. There isn’t one square inch of the boat that Ken hasn’t built by hand, helped design, or installed himself. This is a story about a man, his boat, a community, and the passion it takes to fulfill a dream.

 

BREAKING BREAD: A DANCE FOR THE CAMERA

Director: Diana Stanton

Country: USA, TRT: 9 min

Imagine a dance performance in a beautiful sunlit barn around a family dinner table. Breaking Bread explores the importance of the family dinner through the abstracted symbolic language of movement, and features not only student dancers but also intergenerational performers that highlight diversity in age, body type and character.

 

BROKE: THE SANTA BARBARA OIL SPILL OF 2015

Director: Gail Osherenko

Country: USA, Running Time: 55 min

On May 19, 2015, Plains All-American Pipeline spilled 140,000 gallons of crude oil onto the Gaviota coast and into the ocean…and Gail Osherenko started filming. She captured the wildlife struggling for life, the rescues, the community marches, cleanups and demands for more stringent spill prevention and re- sponse. Has anything changed?

 

CAL POLY SHORT CUTS

Director: Various

Country: USA, Running Time: 110 min

A program of short films written, produced and directed by Cal Poly students. These films convey stories of self-discovery through love, loss, and lots of laughter while transcending generations. Get a glimpse of tomorrow’s filmmakers at work today: the best of creative writing, cinematography, and film editing at Cal Poly.

 

DADDY

Directors: John Gallen, Alex Faoro

Country: USA, Running Time: 30 min

In 1993, Curtis Malone founded the DC Assault, an amateur basketball team whose mission was to keep inner city boys off the streets by helping them earn college scholarships. Over the next two decades he built the Assault into a national powerhouse. But in 2013, he was arrested for his involvement in one of the largest drug trafficking operations on the East Coast. This is his story.

 

DON’T SELL MY GUITARS

Director: Lynn Montgomery

Country: USA, Running Time: 20 min

In this loving homespun portrait of her dad, Kenny, Lynn Montgomery traces his roots from his early days in Oklahoma, to life in Califor- nia, and his growing guitar collection. Now, in the final days of his long life, he has one last request – “Don’t sell my guitars!”

FINDING HOME

Directors: Stefanie Pollitz, Cassandra Garibay, Brian Truong, Emma Kumagawa, Shanti Herzog, Kelsey Prins

Country: USA, Running Time: 19 min

Last year, six Cal Poly journalism students went on assignment to interview six American immigrants. These are their stories.

 

FROM GOLF COURSE TO WETLANDS

Director: Lisa Stratton

Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min

A golf course in Santa Barbara is converted back to the wetland it was historically, in an ambitious and inspiring environmental victory.

 

GONE FISHING

Director: Jenna Vaccaro

Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min

The last Southern California commercial trawl fisherman has no choice but to leave the state. Meanwhile, the community he leaves behind in Morro Bay must grapple with the ever-in- creasing fishing regulations that affect the future of their industry.

 

 

 

 

I FEEL FINE

Director: Emily Hay

Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min

Jane Sawyer is a 17-year-old girl who must de- cide what she wants to do with the rest of her short life when she and her friends hear about an asteroid that will hit earth in 55 hours. This was screened in the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s “10-10-10” competition.

 

LET IT SHINE: THE STORY OF THE WOMEN’S MARCH SLO

Director: Robert Williams

Country: USA, Running Time: 22 min

Like many marches happening around the world on January 20, 2017, the Women’s March SLO was a unifying event for a wide variety of causes and peoples. This is a fun look back at how a true grassroots effort led to the largest assembly of its kind in San Luis Obispo – 10,000 strong!

 

MAUDIE

Director: Haley White

Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min

Inspired by Harper Lee’s masterpiece, To Kill A Mockingbird, this short film follows a woman from her childhood to her deathbed as she deals with prejudice, loss, and love.

 

MY ANXIETY

Director: Elizabeth Kell

Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min

Young filmmaker Elizabeth Kell bravely shares her fears and insecurities which many experience but might be afraid to talk about. Fears about success, school pressure and disappointing others can make a person feel very isolated, but her goal is to remind anxiety sufferers that these feeling are okay and normal.

 

MY LIFE AS AN AMERICAN PERSIAN JEW

Director: Melody Delshad

Country: USA, Running Time: 20 min

This documentary shows the viewer a light- hearted, yet entertaining look at the quirky side of the Iranian Jewish culture in Los Angeles. From Iranian Jewish history, to the uniqueness of Iranian weddings and parties, this film has a refreshing playfulness so needed at a time when tensions continue to rise.

 

THE NEXT STEP

Director: Rachel Medeiros

Country: USA, Running Time: 16 min

Sofia and her two siblings thrive in their imaginary world, but that begins to crumble when their brother’s physical limitations prevent him from fully immersing himself in that world. Sofia quickly finds herself unprepared to deal with her brother’s reality.

 

ON THE AIR WITH KCPR

Director: Jason Reed

Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min

Recently ranked the No. 1 college radio station in the nation, 91.3 KCPR (located on the Cal Poly campus) has a long tradition of innovation and passion over the course of its 50-year history. Narrated by KCPR alum, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, we witness the enduring legacy of the station from the perspective of its DJs, past and present.

 

THE E.N.D.

Director: Maximilien Saint Cast

Country: USA, Running Time: 26 min

Created by French high school exchange student, Maximilien Saint Cast, this is the dramatic story of a group of teenagers, just trying to survive months after the Apocalypse. Shot in France last summer.

 

THERE SHE WAS

Director: Kyle Plummer

Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min

We’ve all been there! So we sympathize with the internal ramblings of a young college student who has a crush on a girl and is trying to gather the courage to talk to her, in this fun coming-of-age romantic comedy.

 

THIS PLACE: A BIRDS-EYE VIEW OF THE MAJESTIC CENTRAL COAST

Director: Robin Chilton

Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min

Take a spectacular flight over the Central Coast with local cinematographer, Robin Chilton, as he takes us on a journey over well-travelled, and lesser known vistas. The artistic and breathtaking scenes set to hypnotic music will cause locals to fall in love with SLO County all over again… and visitors will be smitten too!

 

THREE SECONDS

Director: Ryan Grau

Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min

Three 12-year-old girls who are co-dependent on technology and consumed by social media find themselves ill-prepared for an unforgettable sleepover. Completely oblivious to their changing reality, they finally realize their surroundings, seconds too late.

 

TORC FOLA

Director: Oscar Marcial

Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min

Pat McGowen is a small-scale, Central Coast vintner with a robust love of wine. Learn how his expertise in the field of pharmacy blends together with his passion for the grape to produce award-winning wine out of a neighborhood garage on California’s Central Coast.

 

WATER

Director: Mark Knight

Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min

Take a spectacular, watery journey to some of the planet’s most spectacular glaciers, waterfalls, beaches, rivers and waterways. Destinations include Iceland, Brazil, Louisiana, California, Colorado, and the Dominican Republic.

 

YEGUA

Director: Behrad Gramian

Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min

Yegua Moreno has been training her whole life to be the first girl in history to win a high school State wrestling championship. Now she has a real shot at doing just that, until she discovers a tumor in her breast and must decide between pursuing treatment and forfeiting her title, or keeping her illness secret and fighting… for her life.

 

SHORT FILMS

 

 

NARRATIVE SHORTS

17 YEARS TOGETHER (17 Años Juntos)

Director: Javier Fesser

Country: Spain, Running Time: 15 min

 

A WHOLE WORLD FOR A LITTLE WORLD

Director: Fabrice Bracq

Country: France, Running Time: 15 min

 

ALL THE MARBLES

Director: Michael Swingler

Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min

 

CHOCOLATE

Director: Thiago Dadalt

Country: USA, Running Time: 21 min

 

CORKY

Director: Ty Primosch

Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min

 

CUPS & ROBBERS

Director: Jim Simone

Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min

 

DON’T BE AFRAID (Daro Mat)

Director: Lakshmi Devy

Countries: USA/India, Running Time: 20 min

 

FANTASY IN D MINOR                                             WORLD PREMERE

Director: Alex Miranda Cruz

Country: USA, Running Time: 20 min

 

GARDEN PARTY

Directors: Théophile Dufresne, Florian Babikian,

Gabriel Grapperon, Lucas Navarro, Vincent Bayoux, Victor Caire

Country: France, Running Time: 7 min

 

THE IMMACULATE MISCONCEPTION

Director: Michael Geoghegan

Country: UK, Running Time: 25 min

 

INTRUDER MAN

Director: Peter Nelson

Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min

 

 

 

LABORATORY CONDITIONS

Director: Jocelyn Stamat

Country: USA, Running Time: 16 min

 

LOCKDOWN

Director: Max Sokoloff

Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min

 

MY GIRLFRIEND’S GAY FRIEND

Director: Mark Lester

Country: USA, Running Tine: 7 min

 

NEW NEIGHBORS

Director: E.G. Bailey

Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min

 

NIGHT CALL

Director: Amanda Renee Knox

Country: USA, Running Time: 18 min

 

OVUM                                                                         WEST COAST PREMIERE

Director: Luciano Blotta

Country: Argentina, Running Time: 17 min

 

RECEPTION                                                                           WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Joe Gillette

Country: USA, Running Time: 21 min

 

SAM DID IT

Director: Dominic Burgess

Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min

 

SECURITY DEPOSIT

Director: Will Eisenberg

Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min

 

STRAY

Director: Drew Boylan

Country: USA, Running Time: 18 min

 

TWO STRANGERS WHO MEET FIVE TIMES

Director: Marcus Markou

Country: UK, Running Time: 12 min

 

WALT & ICH

Director: Yaz Canli

Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min

 

 

 

 

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

73 QUESTIONS

Director: Leah Nichols

Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min

 

BASEBALLET: INTO THE GAME

Director: Matthew McKee

Country: USA, Running Time: 28 min

 

CAVIAR DREAMS

Director: Brian Gersten

Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min

 

FOREVER UNDER SIEGE                                                    WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Stacey Stone

Country: USA, Running Time: 37 min

 

FREDDY CARRILLO’S DAY OFF                                        WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Maggie Franks

Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min

 

HOLLYWOOD’S GREATEST TRICK

Directors: Sohail Al-Jamea, Ali Rizvi

Country: USA, Running Time: 24 min

 

JOURNEY OF A YES

Director: Caleb Chamberlain

Countries: USA/Haiti, Running Time: 45 min

 

LITTLE POTATO

Directors: Wes Hurley, Nathan M. Miller

Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min

 

LOVE LETTER RESCUE SQUAD

Director: Megan Rossman

Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min

 

MY INDIANA MUSE

Directors: Ric Serena, Jen Serena

Country: USA, Running Time: 43 min

 

PRINCE OF SMOKE

Director: Matthew Gelb

Countries: USA/Cuba, Running Time: 24 min

 

THE TREE PROPHET

Directors: Tucker Marder, Christian Scheider

Country: USA, Running Time: 29 min

 

 

 

FILMMAKERS OF TOMORROW SHOWCASE

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL

A DOG’S DREAM (4 min)

Directors: Martha Parra, Devyn Downing

 

CANDY HEIST (3 min)

Directors: Aiden Spurlock, Kaleb Woods, Omar de la Cruz, Jessica Mendez

 

FEARING DOGS (4 min)

Directors: Aiden Spurlock, Coen Carlberg

 

THE HEROIC KNIGHT (1 min)

Director: Owen Moss:

 

HOW TO KEEP WILDLIFE SAFE (3 min)

Director: Logan Gilbert

 

IVY (7 min)

Directors: Gavin Kimmel, Rashmi Raveendran, Lizzie Kristal, Gracie Tilney-Kaemmer, Henry Vlietstra

 

MAYBE THE MONSTER (3 min)

Director: Isabella Masrouga

 

MORP? (3 min)

Directors: Collin Barlett, Liliana Mendez, Rudy Salinas, Madison Chairez

 

THE WILD CHILD (9 min)

Directors: Liliana Monge, Sage Taub, Kai Monge

 

 

HIGH SCHOOL

CALIFORNIA ADVENTURES/CAMBRIA (1 min)

Director: Aurora Torres Heyerdahl

 

CYCLE, CYCLE, CYCLE (5 min)

Director: Yiwen Gong

Country: China

 

THE GOURMET STRAY (2 min)

Director: Leonardo Perez

 

HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU (5 min)

Director: Ashley Kramer

 

JASMINE STUNG (5 min)

Director: Partho Gupte

Country: India

 

JUST STORIES (5 min)

Director: Ishan Modi

Country: Singapore

 

LOVE LETTER (3 min)

Director: Abigail Reese

 

MINDTRAP (10 min)

Director: Grant Thorshov

 

ONE LIFE (4 min)

Director: Gregory Thom

 

PEEL (10 min)

Director: Raymond

 

PICNIC PERFECT (6 min)

Director: Cal Thacher

 

REALITY (5 min)

Director: Justin Castillo

 

UKIYO (4 min)

Director: Sophie Gilmour