2021 Official Selections
Sunday, November 21th Screening Lineup
Specific Screening Times & Links Under Development.
Please check back frequently for updates or changes.
SCREENING 1
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We are a Petri Dish, GEORGIA ELIZEY, TIM RILEY, Directors: An observation of ephemeral life events - a waking dream-state of the whole past of disparate rememberings & impressions; 'We are a Petri Dish' considers these in the context of aging & dying. SW/P: Runtime 7:19
Grow a Pair, Conner Young, Director: 'Grow A Pair' listens to a young man's outlook on how others have treated him when he has dared to show his feelings in the past. It touches on the harsh reality that a lot of males are afraid to express their emotions due to the pressure placed on them by society from a young age. M/S: Runtime 2:01
The King is She, Ijeoma "E&J" Eke, Director: "The King is a She" is a coming of age poem. I wrote it when I finally learned
to love the "unconventional things" about myself. SW/P: Runtime 3:21
World What’s Made of? Goran Fazil, Dzevad Vrabac, Directors: This animation is about a world made not
out of particles but out of stories.SW/P: Runtime 4:19
Isn’t that just my life, Michael Montano, Richard Kuhlman, Directors: Here, Dorothy Parker meets Fleabag, as we step inside a single gal’s inner-most thoughts. Alone at the social event of the season, she discovers she has been sat between a toad and a Greek God. Let the theatrics begin!. LGM: Runtime 18:04
My Terms, Jenna Cornell, Director: Women have always struggled with society’s standards of being a virgin or vamp, a lady or tramp. “My Terms” dives into those twisted standards and brings with it a declaration: those labels
are only on my terms. SW/P: Runtime 1:03
Trust, Tova Beck-Friedman, Director: An exploration of
TRUST as a type of currency M/S: Runtime 4:37
“Excerpt” Joachim Glage, Director: An excerpt from Joachim Glage's short story. "When you just scrape by, beggarly and leaf-like, you can't help but thank the gods...". SpokenW/Poetry: Runtime 7:06
The Facts, Chris Bernstorf, Director: A video for a love poem of the same name. SW/P: Runtime 1:05
Out My Window, Thomas Pickarski, Director: I am horrified by the scope and frequency of atrocities police have either allowed, enabled, or participated in firsthand. Through serious and lighthearted storytelling and filmmaking with found footage, I explore some of the ramifications that ensued as a result of the protests and uprising following the murder of George Floyd at the
hands of Minneapolis police officers. M/S: Runtime 9:06
Unheard, Russell Agro, Director: A cinematic poem on themes of introspection, perception, and awareness. Exploring the transition of identity from the limitations of the mind to the expansive nature of consciousness itself. M/S: Runtime 4:00
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P.E.N.S.: “A Picture Perfect Time,” Mikell Limbrick, Director: There is a cultural tide rising in Houston. Amid the city's museums, historic landmarks, and vibrant nightlife exists
a cache of the nation's most prolific spoken word artists. The community of poets is as diverse as the city it represents. Their words are etched in the very fabric of
H-town. Their story, once the city's best-kept secret, will finally be told. SW/P: Runtime 3:34
Red Line Lullaby, Yehuda Sharim, Director: In a temple where safety is a mystery and breath dreams of telling stories of uprising, Red Line Lullaby moves across (sub)urban landscapes and reflects on loss, resilience, and the (im)possibility of belonging in America, a country in agony. LVM: Runtime 14:16
I Am Here, Blake Simpson, Morris Schmid, Directors: A hero's journey of overcoming struggle told through a series of visually adapted poems. SW/P: Runtime 4:16
No Words, Mariam Al-Dhubhani, Director: 'No Words' is a lyrical film that laments the poet's loss of words as to what is happening to his beloved city Taiz and the situation in Yemen. It utilizes 360-degree footage to place the audience at the camera's point of view as an observer to what is occurring in the city. SW/P: Runtime 5:00
SCREENING 2
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Allen Screw Loose, Orlando Cubitt, Director: Allen has emerged from protoplasmic estuarine silt with a warning to us all...he might not be the builder you're looking for... M/S: Runtime 5:21
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I Try To Dream, Braddon L Mendelson, Director: When a waking world invaded by random thoughts collides with existential surrealism, one can only hope to sleep; perchance to dream. SW/P: Runtime 6:25
151.42: The Film, Chris Bernstorf, Director: A short film for a poem of the same name. 152.42 is about the unending awe and joy of being alive. LG.V/M Runtime12:10
244 Years Later, Greg Berman, Director: A reflective and allegorical look at American society, both past, and present. SW/P: Runtime 2:00
Photographing New York, Cesare Bedogne, Director: This short film is based on a poem I wrote remembering the two weeks I spent in New York, back in 2004, on occasion of my first photo exhibition overseas. SW/P: Runtime 8:54
Pandora 8.5, Tova Beck-Friedman, Director: A cine-poem. Pandora, (Greek: “All-Gifts”) the first mortal woman molded of earth and water in Greek mythology. Bestowed with the Olympian gods’ largesse, she nevertheless was punished for her gift of curiosity - in turn humankind was punished along with her - opening the box unleashed evil into the world; only hope remained inside the jar/box. M/S: Runtime 2:32
Fake Love, David Anthony Butler, Director: A one night
stand that carries more than just passion has a sad awakening as their time together comes to an end.
M/S: Runtime 9:36
Rebirth of Venus, Robin Noorda, Director: Rebirth of Venus
is a short arthouse film by filmmaker and artist Robin Noorda, realized in stop-motion animation. This experimental film is based on a poem by Noorda, about inequality and oppression. SW/P: Runtime 9:00
Her Hips, Ijeoma "E&J" Eke, Director: "Her Hips" is dedicated to all women whose vibrations in their hips have been interpreted as ulterior motives. This poem is a part of a weekly poetry series entitled “#SundaySips,” which serves to address personal issues in an effort to create a community and encourage open dialogue and expression in a way that will appeal to a broader audience
SW/P: Runtime 2:29
A Community Fighting, Zoë FitzPatrick, Director: This short film marks the 20-year campaign sparked by the news that a waste company had arrived armed with plans to build a large hazardous waste incinerator at the end of a then undeveloped cul-de-sac in Ringaskiddy, the industrial heartland of Cork. SW/P: Runtime 4:24
Untitled, 2017, Naghi Bernard, Director: SW/P: Runtime 8:00
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Everyday an Apocalypse, Debra Watson, Writer/Performer:
A poem exploring eco-grief, twinning ecocide and covid19 as cataclysmic, apocalyptic events. A collaboration between poet Debra Watson, musician Alicia Macanas and videographer Mad Pirvan.
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Mother, Earth, Alejandra Vidal, Director: “Mother. Earth” explores the pressing need for humanity to care for our earth. Poet Krystle Ada Epum was inspired to write this poem when the wildfires began in California during the tumultuous year of 2020. SW/P: Runtime 1:13
Mia/Me, Annaliese Broughton, Director: In Mia/Me, Annaliese uses spoken word to explore deafness, communication, asylum-seeking, and love. LVM: Runtime 14:58
The Good Ole Days, Dionne D Hunter, Director: This Spoken Word piece places the artist’s thoughts alongside Francis Scott Key’s words to contrast the blind patriotism often eagerly bestowed to the National Anthem.
SW/P: Runtime 2:57
SCREENING 3
2021 WINNER'S ANNOUCEMENT FOLLOWS IMMEDIATELY!
Out to Pasture, Alison Gilbreath, Director: A monologue for all the women who feel they have disappeared in society right at the moment they feel the greatest power within themselves, Out to Pasture explores the many conflicting signals and societal pressures we experience as “middle-aged” women. LVM: Runtime 11:33
The Partisan, Walter Haussner, Director: A member of the French resistance during World War II, takes a moment to catch his breath and tell you his story. SW/P: Runtime 4:17
Sleep, Emilia Copeland, Director: A young woman, Rebecca, outwardly contemplates the illness and possible death of her partner who is laying next to her in the dark. M/S: Runtime 2:51
These Old Bones, Catherine Giarrusso: THESE OLD BONES is a short video poem about the wounds we carry from lifetime to lifetime, how they live in the physical body, what it takes to transform them and the tools we acquire along the way.Spoken-Word/Poetry: Runtime 2:26
Empty, Angel Puado Veloso, Director: Without you, everything is empty. SW/P: Runtime 9:15
On Waking, Marilyn Freeman, Director: During this time of an unrelenting virus, the climate crisis, political and racial turmoil, media artist and writer Marilyn Freeman considers the whys and ways to wake up in the contemplative film. Runtime 4:45
A New Dawn, Lauren C Moore, Director: The closing of one chapter to the dawning of a new day. M/S: Runtime 1:54
Woven, Joe Mischo, Director: Shelley Bruce narrates a
visual poem that explores womanhood and its
connection to nature. SW/P: Runtime 2:56
Ditches, Michelle Elrick, Director: “Ditches,” tells the story of two teens who come together after the death of a friend to find solace smoking cigarettes on the train bridge that spans the farm ditches of their hometown. SW/P: Runtime 2:33
Put Away, A.D. Cooper, Director: Every day, Prudence tells her story to the decaying walls of the mental hospital. Remembering her story is her way of trying to stay sane.. LVM: Runtime 10:42
I Can’t Breathe, Dionne D Hunter, Director: A Poem/Spoken Word piece that sums up the similarities between being physically choked to death and spiritually choked to death. SW/P: Runtime 5:30
Squib: When All of This is Over, Bax Sells, Director: How will you feel "When All of This is Over?" Award winning Poet Anthony Anaxagorou and One6th Animation Studio collaborate to create a poetry film in response to lock down and the provocation 'When All of This is Over.' SW/P: Runtime 2:20
I’m Here, Grace Kim, Director: This scene is not a new story, and although it’s been in the works for a bit, it’s especially relevant as this country experiences another surge of unjust shootings. It’s interesting how this country is called the “United States of America” when it’s so divided. It’s divided based on the color of people’s skin. M/S: Runtime 2:18
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ANNOUNCEMENT OF 2021 WINNING SUBMISSIONS!!!
Specific Screening Times & Links Under Development.
Please check back frequently for updates or changes.
