453652015 VTEDDY WINNER: SPECIAL AWARD – CINEMATIC VISION & IMAGINATION SYNOPSIS 45365 captures the complexities and ambiguities of one town’s shared experience. It is a patient and inquisitive look at the lives and landscapes that make up this community of 20,000 people. Multiple storylines eventually coalesce into a mosaic of faces, places, and events. It is Read More…
- Acadian Nights
SYNOPSIS Marked by vibrant color, hypnotic interludes, and sensual appeal, Acadian Nights is an experiential art film inspired by the universality of dreams- particularly dreams of houses and the spaces that contain us. Elements of hybridization, collage, and animation blur the boundaries between fantasy and reality. Archetypes of family emerge from Weiss’s constructed images. The Read More…
- A Farmer’s Road
SYNOPSIS A Farmer’s Road tells the story of how two PhD soil scientists traded the security of academic tenure for the challenges and economic uncertainty of operating a goat dairy and farmstead creamery in Illinois. Surrounded by commodity-based agribusiness, they strive to embody the principles of sustainability, showcasing artisan products during slow-food dinners. Their mission to Read More…
- Akash
SYNOPSIS Faced with her bible abiding, hard working father’s failing health and his inability to provide for her education, eight-year-old Bargavi learns the ways of courage and hope by giving us an unapologetic and honest account of her life in Chennai slums. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Friday, August 28, 2015 Time: 1:30pm Location: Marquis Theater The Read More…
- Alien Communications
SYNOPSIS SYNOPSIS: Sometimes communicating with the opposite sex can be as alien as communicating with well… an alien. This slightly sci-fi short film is a touching coming of age story that the awkward in all of us can relate to. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Friday, August 28, 2015 Time: 10:30am Location: Marquis Theater The Complete Festival Read More…
- All Systems Go
SYNOPSIS When Sam, a socially isolated 11 year old, finds out that his all-time hero, Neil Armstrong, will be visiting his small Vermont town in the fall of 1969, it becomes his mission to meet Armstrong and ask him to bring his toy astronaut on a trip to space. However, when Sam’s older sister and Read More…
- Almost There
SYNOPSIS For many, Peter Anton’s house embodies an end-of-life nightmare: heat and electricity are shut off, floorboards are rotting, and the detritus of a chaotic life is precariously stacked to the ceiling. For the filmmakers, Anton’s home is a treasure trove, not to mention Anton himself, a character worthy of his own reality TV show. Read More…
- Among the Believers
SYNOPSIS Charismatic cleric Abdul Aziz Ghazi, an ISIS supporter and Taliban ally, is waging jihad against the Pakistani state. His dream is to impose a strict version of Shariah law throughout the country, as a model for the world. His Holy War is motivated by the government’s 2007 leveling of his flagship mosque that killed Read More…
- And Counting
SYNOPSIS Living two decades longer than he ever imagined possible with HIV, Quin’s life unfolds in this artistic representation of his loss, love and celebration. ‘And Counting’ takes you on an experimental journey and invites you to create your own cinematic experience by embracing what you don’t expect. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Friday, August 28, 2015 Read More…
- Approaching the Elephant
SYNOPSIS Year one for Lucy, Jiovanni and Alex at the Teddy McArdle Free School, where all classes are voluntary and rules are determined by vote – adults and children have an equal say. Wilder is there from the beginning to end of the school year, documenting and observing founder Alex Khost and an indelible cast Read More…
- Archie’s Betty
SYNOPSIS The filmmaker, a devoted Archie fan, makes an independent documentary search for the real-life people behind the characters in the ever popular Archie comics. Were Archie, Betty, Veronica, Moose, and Jughead based on actual students whom Bob Montana, the original Archie cartoonist, knew in high school in the 1930s in Haverhill, Massachusetts? SCREENING INFORMATION Read More…
- The Armor of Light
SYNOPSIS The Armor of Light follows the journey of an Evangelical minister, Reverend Rob Schenck, anti-abortion activist and fixture on the political far right, who breaks with orthodoxy by questioning whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life. Reverend Schenck is shocked and perplexed by the reactions of his long-time friends and colleagues who warn Read More…
- As It Appears
SYNOPSIS Engin invites his co-worker friend Esin for a date at his house. While he’s trying to hide the fact that he’s living with two flatmates, Engin gets anxious as the date is turning into a chaos. After Esin passes out during dinner all of a sudden, Engin decides to invite his flatmates in order Read More…
- Associations
http://vimeo.com/135623669 SYNOPSIS An abstract short film made during the most dreadfully slow period of a Vermont winter. Associations is a daydream- an homage to the places that the mind can wander. Using light experiments including a time-lapse inside of a camera obscura, the piece explores the interaction of time and movement in a peaceful yet Read More…
- Asymmetric
http://vimeo.com/135636223 SYNOPSIS This short experimental documentary explores the similarities and differences between a person’s appearance and how they perceive them self. Asymmetric treats the human face as a landscape. The short film employs intimate camera angles and unconventional interviews to examine the human face as if it were something foreign to the viewer. SCREENING INFORMATION Read More…
- Barnyard Slop Trough
SYNOPSIS After another poorly received show, pop-up restaurateur Fredrick Klise finds inspiration from his family farm and his red-diaper upbringing to craft his most revolutionary pop-up yet: Barnyard Slop Trough. Seeing the farm-to-table movement as having been hijacked by bourgeois anti-consumerism consumerism, Fredrick decides to serve slop in a giant trough as a way to Read More…
- Blue Light
SYNOPSIS If the average human lives to be around 80, they spend 20 years of their life staring at a screen. “Blue Light” shines light on the often overlooked topic of technology addiction and over use by teenagers and adults in Vermont and our world, through interviews and statistics. It challenges its viewers to start Read More…
- Blunderbus
http://vimeo.com/134214058 SYNOPSIS “Blunderbus” is a coming of age comedy about two life-long friends living in a tent in Brooklyn to save money for a cross country road trip planned since childhood. Tensions are high after a long summer of tent living, and their adventure across America cannot come soon enough. Just before they leave, unpleasant Read More…
- Building Trails, Building Communities
SYNOPSIS Working with the U.S. Forest Service, Vermont Mountain Bike Association, Middlebury Bike Club, and VYCC, the Jolly Rovers Trail Crew was able to facilitate and help build a sustainable and creative “turnpike” through one their workshops. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Friday, August 28, 2015 Time: 1:30pm Location: Marquis Screening Room The Complete Festival Schedule FILM Read More…
- Bumblebees
SYNOPSIS Despite being told as a child he would never speak or walk, Vance accomplished what doctors thought was impossible. But now he has a new challenge: dating. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, August 29, 2015 Time: 10:30am Location: Town Hall Theater The Complete Festival Schedule FILM INFORMATION Length: 4 min Language: English Country: USA CREDITS Read More…
- By and By: New Orleans Gospel at the Crossroads
SYNOPSIS A multi-generational story in the spirit of 1982’s celebrated documentary Say Amen Somebody, By and By uses the power of raw gospel music, spirited sermons, and poignant interviews to document how the Crown Seekers, now in their 48th year, have struggled to reclaim and redefine their broken community — and in the process, have Read More…
- Call of Duty
SYNOPSIS CALL OF DUTY is a portrait of New York City Jury Duty Clerk Walter Schretzman who has learned how to lull thousands of his fellow grumpy New Yorkers into Jury Duty compliance. He plays the role of Government worker, crisis negotiator, and borscht belt comedian and shares his wisdom with Jurors during their days Read More…
- Can’t Get There From Here
My film explores the reasons why young Vermonters are choosing to leave Vermont. I have interviewed students, young people in the workforce, and professionals who work at schools. I have also included my own personal opinions in my film. I think it is important that today’s youth doesn’t stay at home, but venture out into the world and possibly bring back those experiences to Vermont later in their lives. Read More…
- Cowgirls
SYNOPSIS “Cowgirls” is a portrait of a mother, Claudia Ogilvie, and her two adult daughters Blue and Skye. The film is a window into the daily lives of these three working women and their relationships with each other, their horses, and the landscape in which they live. It is an exploration of what it means Read More…
- Completely Normal
SYNOPSIS An awkwardly dark, romantic comedy set in NYC. Greg, a hopelessly awkward romantic who takes things a bit too far, could be described by some (perhaps all) as a stalker. Gwen is trying to survive in NYC as a maid and her personality disorder leaves it hard to accomplish anything or even consider a Read More…
- Connections
SYNOPSIS Amy Plambeck was 14 when she created Connections. Amy writes: “The connection between capitalism and racism isn’t always made obvious, and by ignoring this connection we continue to drive these issues deeper into the fabric of our society.” Amy drew and coupled her animation with a powerful segment of an interview with Yusef Shakur, Read More…
- Crooked Candy
SYNOPSIS Kinder Surprise eggs are enormously popular all around the world. From the foil wrapper to the chocolate shell, the plastic yolk capsule to the clever toy inside, Kinder eggs are practically a global rite of childhood. That is, except in the United States, where they’re considered a choking hazard and are illegal. This is Read More…
- Desert Cathedral
SYNOPSIS A broken real estate developer, played by Lee Tergesen (Oz, Generation Kill, Monster), mysteriously disappears into the Southwest in 1992, leaving behind a series of cryptic VHS tapes. Without the aid of the police, his wife hires a private investigator, played by Chaske Spencer (Banshee, The Twilight Saga), to bring him home. Based on Read More…
- The Dinkytown Uprising
SYNOPSIS This documentary chronicles the unprecedented 40-day, 40-night continuous Dinkytown ‘occupation’ to prevent construction of an unwanted hamburger joint. From film programmer-turned-filmmaker Al Milgrom, the story is recounted by seven participants whose varied remembrances about defending the neighborhood becomes a microcosm of the memorable ’70s Generation. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Sunday, August 30, 2015 Time: 1:00pm Read More…
- Dirty Beautiful
SYNOPSIS In a comically nightmarish mash-up of opposites attracting, a struggling writer brings a shiftless young beauty into his L.A. apartment, where her bad habits crash head-on with his orderly life. Just as they’re about to completely destroy each other, fate throws them an unexpected curve. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Friday, August 28, 2015 Time: 4:30pm Read More…
- The Distant Touch
SYNOPSIS The Distant Touch is a 2D animation about a baby fox’s quest to find his mother. It shows an animal’s inner world that has been destroyed by human beings. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, August 29, 2015 Time: 10:30am Location: Marquis Theater The Complete Festival Schedule FILM INFORMATION Length: 5 min Language: English Country: USA Read More…
- The Dollar-A-Day Boys: A Portrait of the Civilian Conservation Corps
SYNOPSIS “The Dollar‐A‐Day Boys” revisits the Great Depression era through the memories of old men who lived through those “hard times” as enrollees in the Civilian Conservation Corps, the most successful of F.D.R.’s New Deal programs. The film is woven around the personal story of the filmmaker’s father, just one of 3 million enrollees. Despite Read More…
- Eben Markowski: The Elephant Project
http://vimeo.com/134624904 SYNOPSIS Vermont Sculptor Eben Markowski creates a lifesized elephant from iron, steel and chain. This short film explores the evolution of his creative process and the artist’s view of the world through discovery of materials, concept and skill. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, August 29, 2015 Time: 10:30am Location: Dana Auditorium The Complete Festival Schedule Read More…
- Eminent Domain
SYNOPSIS Jim Bishop has been building a castle in the mountains of Colorado for more than 45 years. His limitless capacity for manual labor is matched by his fiercely opinionated diatribes about the state of the world. Weaving conspiracy theory rants with pleas for his newsworthiness and jokes about Viagra, Bishop regales, and offends, the Read More…
- Emma’s Fine
SYNOPSIS A woman goes to great lengths to hide her daily struggle. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Friday, August 28, 2015 Time: 4:30pm Location: Dana Auditorium The Complete Festival Schedule FILM INFORMATION Length: 11 min Language: English Country: USA CREDITS Director: Miguel M. Matias Writer: Miguel M. Matias Producers: Miguel M. Matias, Amy Demas
- F35: A Noisy Problem
The F-35 is a revolutionary new fighter jet with impressive capabilities. In the next few years, it may become the military’s primary fighter jet. However, the F-35 is far from optimal. One key problem: It’s loud. The noise level of the F-35 is so extreme, it can cause permanent cognitive problems in children. Worse yet, the jet will be stationed in Burlington, VT: Over a thousand local children will have to tolerate its roar. Read More…
- Figurine
2015 VTEDDY WINNER: FEATURE SYNOPSIS Karin leads a quiet life working at a truck wash and ushering part-time at the hockey arena. Her solitary routine is broken when she meets James, a truck driver seeking work in the city. As autumn approaches winter, Karin opens herself to the possibility of romance. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, Read More…
- Foureyes
2015 VTEDDY WINNER: SHORT SYNOPSIS A 10-year-old boy is thrust into the tumultuous world of puberty when he gets a new pair of eyeglasses. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, August 29, 2015 Time: 7:30pm Location: Town Hall Theater The Complete Festival Schedule FILM INFORMATION Length: 13 min Language: English Country: USA CREDITS Director: Conor Byrne Writer: Read More…
- F R E E
SYNOPSIS What is it like to grow up in one of the nation’s most violent cities? Capturing the raw beauty and powerful grace of a dance company for at-risk youth, F R E E journeys behind the curtain to spotlight the intimate stories of five teenagers in Oakland, California. This uplifting documentary showcases art’s ability Read More…
- Good Business
SYNOPSIS What role can business play in transforming a society? By exploring the story of Raymond Ackerman (founder of a South African retail giant- Pick n Pay), we encounter the power that love, forgiveness and compassion can have in overcoming the injustice, prejudice and hatred of the apartheid era in South Africa; and begin to Read More…
- Helio
SYNOPSIS HELIO is a short, visceral film centered on a post-apocalyptic underground society where miners work for light to survive. But when a dying rebel thrusts the unexpected onto an unassuming worker’s lap, all hell breaks loose. What begins as one man’s race to escape the hostile government quickly escalates into a city-wide uprising of Read More…
- How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)
SYNOPSIS In Thailand, all males turning 21 years old must participate in the annual military draft lottery. A black card grants exemption, while red results in two years of military service. On the morning of his draft lottery, Oat reflects back on his childhood – when his older brother Ek faced the possibility of being Read More…
- Hurt
http://vimeo.com/126934385 SYNOPSIS A group of college friends set out for a relaxing week at the lake. When they encounter an abandoned car on the back roads of Vermont a search ensues and what they discover that night will change their lives forever. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Friday, August 28, 2015 Time: 7:30pm Location: Marquis Screening Room Read More…
- The Incredible Adventures of Jojo (and his annoying little sister Avila)
SYNOPSIS When Jojo and his sister Avila are left to their own devices after a car accident injures their mother, they must survive in the woods on their own. Among the travails and harrowing experiences is a deranged hobo, ravaging wolves, abandoned couches, and dirty diapers. But don’t fret for the little ones; they have Read More…
- Inspector Goes To Breakfast
SYNOPSIS With his cool logic and professional demeanor, the world belongs to the Inspector. This all changes when he arrogantly attempts to seduce a strange and beautiful lady. Drawing from the powers of Hecate and Medusa, she traps him in her own web of sorcery, and the Inspector soon finds himself ensnared in a mystic-feminist Read More…
- John the Baptist
2015 VTEDDY WINNER: SHORT SYNOPSIS “John the Baptist” is a short documentary film that follows the title character through a day of intense work. Despite his arduous routine, John still finds the strength and inspiration to bring joy to the people of his city. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, August 29, 2015 Time: 10:30am Location: Town Read More…
- June, Adrift
SYNOPSIS Emma’s an aspiring sound designer in LA paying the bills creating sound effects for pornos. Barkley pretends she didn’t drop out of her Masters program so her Polish family doesn’t find out she fizzled. Rachel’s a great elementary school teacher but her life is empty outside of work. When Emma’s parents trash her failed Read More…
- Junk Girl
http://vimeo.com/134025493 SYNOPSIS There once was a girl / who was made up of junk / She looked really dirty / and she smelled like a skunk / She was always unhappy / or in one of her slumps-perhaps ’cause she spent / so much time down in the dumps / The only bright moment / Read More…
- Lady and the Frog
SYNOPSIS A frog wakes up in a bag of mixed vegetables at a supermarket. A lady runs by and grabs the bag. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Sunday, August 30, 2015 Time: 10:00am Location: Marquis Theater The Complete Festival Schedule FILM INFORMATION Length: 3 min Language: English Country: USA CREDITS Director: Tina T. Hsu Writer: Tina T. Read More…
- Lady Luck
http://vimeo.com/117601475 SYNOPSIS Lady Luck is a magical fantasy film that tells the story of a young boy’s attempts to win back his mother’s love after the family falls on hard times. The film is based on DH Lawrence’s story ‘The Rocking Horse Winner’ – a story which is often named as one of the top Read More…
- The Land
http://vimeo.com/89009302 SYNOPSIS The Land is a short documentary film about the nature of play, risk and hazard set in The Land, a Welsh “adventure” playground. At The Land children climb trees, light fires and use hammers and nails in a play-space rooted in the belief that kids are empowered when they learn to manage risks Read More…
- Landfill Harmonic
SYNOPSIS Landfill Harmonic follows the Recycled Orchestra, a youth group who plays instruments made out of garbage. When their story goes viral, the orchestra is catapulted into global spotlight. However, when the largest flood devastates their country, they must become the source of hope for their community. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Sunday, August 30, 2015 Time: Read More…
- Last Dance on the Main
SYNOPSIS An animated documentary on the demolition of a row of historic buildings on Montreal’s St Laurent boulevard, also known as “The Main”, by politicians and building developers, and the resistance put up by the burlesque artists and the local community. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, August 29, 2015 Time: 10:30am Location: Dana Auditorium The Complete Read More…
- Lullaby
SYNOPSIS A man attempts to cope with the over stimulation of contemporary society. Is a mysterious package he purchases the solution? SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Sunday, August 30, 2015 Time: 10:00am Location: Town Hall Theater The Complete Festival Schedule FILM INFORMATION Length: 12 min Language: English Country: USA CREDITS Director: Stuart Valberg Producer: Jason Booth, Woodrow Read More…
- Mail.Man
SYNOPSIS With letters something of an endangered species in the Internet age, “Mail.Man” dramatically illustrates their continued importance in a moving but light-hearted fashion, with modern technology still playing an important role. Inspired by a character-driven nod to Frank Capra, the story unfolds through the endearing experience of a veteran mail carrier, with a twist Read More…
- Malady
SYNOPSIS Attempting to escape her grief and fulfill her mother’s last dying wishes, Holly ventures out of the confines of the family home to find love. She meets Matthew, a man troubled by a secretive and obscure past. Together they find solace and begin to create something beautiful. They then encounter Matthew’s mother Loralei, who Read More…
- Marathon
SYNOPSIS Evvie is a young woman trying to put the missing pieces from her past back together. Her search brings her to an unfamiliar town where she fixates on running a marathon which leads her to discover that the truth is more complicated than she imagined. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, August 29, 2015 Time: 1:30pm Read More…
- Mavis!
SYNOPSIS MAVIS! is the first documentary on gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her group, The Staple Singers. Featuring powerful live performances, rare archival footage, and conversations with friends and contemporaries, MAVIS! reveals the intimate stories of her journey. At 75, she’s making the most vital music of her career, winning Read More…
- The Melancholy Doorman or: With Great Serotonin Levels Comes Great Responsibility
http://vimeo.com/134234324 SYNOPSIS While going about his professional duties, a doorman discusses his struggles with depression, and finds hope in the origin stories of superheroes. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Sunday, August 30, 2015 Time: 10:00am Location: Town Hall Theater The Complete Festival Schedule FILM INFORMATION Length: 10 min Language: English Country: USA CREDITS Writer: Michael Greer Director: Read More…
- Men Go To Battle
SYNOPSIS Kentucky, 1861. Francis and Henry Mellon depend on each other to keep their unkempt estate afloat as winter encroaches. After Francis takes a casual fight too far, Henry ventures off in the night, leaving each of them to struggle through the wartime on their own. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, August 29, 2015 Time: 4:30pm Read More…
- Milk with Dignity
http://vimeo.com/135507383 SYNOPSIS Right now, farmworkers are struggling to secure their basic human rights and create a more just dairy industry in Vermont. In this short documentary, farmworker-leaders tell their stories of hardship, dignity, organizing, and hope as they launch a groundbreaking initiative known as “Milk with Dignity.” As they document the many realities of life Read More…
- Minimum Wage
http://vimeo.com/135490233 2015 VTEDDY WINNER: SHORT SYNOPSIS While hustling into the bar where she works, Kit is reminded that rent is due…rent she doesn’t have. Hours later – questionably fired, car towed with her wallet inside, phone dead – she is forced to walk home. When a stranger mistakes her uniform for a prostitute’s, Kit takes Read More…
- Mr. Badluck
http://vimeo.com/99479063 SYNOPSIS A loving married couple goes away on their long – awaited holidays with their child and their dog. It seems that away from the bustle of the city nothing can disturbed their peace. However, a small incident – as in a genuine thriller – introduces tension and makes them take surprising steps. SCREENING Read More…
- Muck
SYNOPSIS Mel, a young female open mic comedian who lives with her tabloid-obsessed mother in Queens, misguidedly seeks companionship with a misogynistic male comedian. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Friday, August 28, 2015 Time: 7:30pm Location: Town Hall Theater The Complete Festival Schedule FILM INFORMATION Length: 14 min Language: English Country: USA CREDITS Director: Bruce Smolanoff Writers: Read More…
- My Gal, Rosemarie
2015 VTEDDY WINNER: SHORT SYNOPSIS Somewhere on the outskirts of Los Angeles, Rosemarie and Ray pass time in an apartment packed and cluttered with the detritus of a half century of marriage. With their meager social security checks gone straight to covering rent every month and nothing in savings, Ray collects cans to get a Read More…
- Nasbandi
http://vimeo.com/117970918 SYNOPSIS Nasbandi tells the stories of four women in a remote village in Uttarakhand, India, as they reflect on their decisions to get – or not get – sterilized. Through these narratives, the film explores the larger issues surrounding India’s family planning policy, such as pervasive gender inequality, and how the policy affects the Read More…
- Obsolete
http://vimeo.com/135465471 2015 VTEDDY WINNER: SHORT SYNOPSIS Retiree Donald (Brian Cresswell) is thrown into the frightening complexities of new technology after being assigned the task of entertaining his grandson little Jimmy (Sasha Kuzmenko). This causes an intense mental battle to rage within Donald’s mind – represented through a 1940’s office block. Brain Cortex Executive Orson Belles Read More…
- Of Men and War
SYNOPSIS The warriors in Of Men and War have come home to the United States, but their minds are stuck out on the battlefield. Like figures from a Greek tragedy, all have traumatic memories that haunt them to this day. Wives, children, and parents bear the brunt of their fractured spirits. The film explores their Read More…
- Omo Child: The River and the Bush
2015 VTEDDY WINNER: FEATURE SYNOPSIS For many generations, Kara people in the Omo Valley (southwest Ethiopia) believed some ‘cursed’ children bring disease, drought and death to the tribe. The curse is called ‘mingi.” Mingi children are killed. One young educated Kara man, Lale Labuko, decided he would challenge this horrific tradition. This is his story. Read More…
- The Other Barrio
SYNOPSIS “The Other Barrio” follows investigator Roberto Morales as he sifts through the suspicious circumstances of a fatal fire in a residential hotel in San Francisco’s rapidly gentrifying Latino Mission District and finds himself face to face with murder in the streets, corruption at City Hall and the mysterious Sofia Nido, a beautiful but dangerous Read More…
- Parallel Chords
2015 VTEDDY WINNER: SHORT SYNOPSIS Parallel Chords (overture) is the true story of a young violinist struggling to assert her individuality amidst the intense pressure of her pianist father and the formidable weight of her own musical ability. Surreal images fill her interior life, and provide her with some escape, until she ultimately breaks free Read More…
- Picking Up the Pieces
SYNOPSIS The film explores the perspectives of Jewish Child Holocaust Survivors as they rebuilt their lives after the Second World War, answering the question, “How do you “live” after surviving the Holocaust?” Nine survivor’s voices are interwoven into a choral ensemble telling the previously untold story of the efforts of child survivors to build normal Read More…
- Pretend We’re Kissing
SYNOPSIS Benny is a hapless romantic, stuck in his own head. Things start to change for him as he experiences a whirlwind weekend romance with a young girl hell-bent on finding a magical kind of love. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, August 29, 2015 Time: 7:30pm Location: Town Hall Theater The Complete Festival Schedule FILM INFORMATION Read More…
- Posthumanismaniarama!
SYNOPSIS Posthumanismaniarama! explores the increasingly blurred line between human and machine. Through a series of vignettes, we follow the evolution of our relationship with technology, up to the present and beyond. At times unsettling and darkly comedic, this short wrestles with the looming issues of singularity, robotics, and the future of mankind. Will these changes Read More…
- PROJECT: ICE
SYNOPSIS Formed by ice, filled by ice, often covered by ice, the Great Lakes encapsulate human exploration, migration, development and where we’re headed. PROJECT ICE views North America’s freshwater inland ocean through the prism of ice, from the crossroads of history, science and climate change. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Friday, August 28, 2015 Time: 4:30pm Location: Read More…
- Puppet Master
http://vimeo.com/134107385 SYNOPSIS In “Puppet Master” a young woman forgets her smartphone at home after a stressful morning. Distressed by the thought of how many messages she might be missing at that very moment she has to make her way downtown. There she eventually realises how dependent people have become on their smartphones and social media. Read More…
- Romeo is Bleeding
2015 VTEDDY WINNER: FEATURE SYNOPSIS A fatal turf war between neighborhoods haunts the city of Richmond, CA. Donté Clark transcends the violence in his hometown by writing poetry about his experiences. Using his voice to inspire those around him, he and the like-minded youth of the city mount an urban adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Read More…
- Sabra
SYNOPSIS This labor of love by Hollywood screenwriter Bill Phillips, profiles Sabra Field. Born in 1935, Vermont-based Field achieved fame for masterful printmaking. The film explores Field’s most popular images – New England pastoral motifs – and asks why some critics dismiss the pastoral as an appropriate subject for contemporary art. The film investigates her Read More…
- The Scenes
SYNOPSIS Meet the 5th grade comedy troupe known as What the Heck Was That. While their public school focuses on sports and STEM, these ‘proudly-weird’ kids create their own arts education. Without any adult help and despite a few nasty bullies, these kids come together to learn, grow and shine. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Sunday, August Read More…
- Shaun the Sheep
SYNOPSIS When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with The Farmer, a caravan, and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City and it’s up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely Read More…
- Simon
http://vimeo.com/134977024 SYNOPSIS SIMON is a genre-crossing, dizzying dive; an inside-outside passage through dance. Passage from the imaginary to the real, from childhood to adulthood. No one is more alone than the actor who enters the stage. No one is more alone than the child who’s about to join adulthood. And when the imaginary joins reality, Read More…
- SOMEWHERE
SYNOPSIS A heartwarming, mid-life coming-of-age story. A stuck-in-the-suburbs mom forms an unlikely friendship with a new neighbor. Together they defy community and family expectations on a quest to find somewhere they each belong. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, August 29, 2015 Time: 1:30pm Location: Marquis Theater The Complete Festival Schedule FILM INFORMATION Length: 18 min Language: Read More…
- The Sound and the Shadow
2015 VTEDDY WINNER: FEATURE SYNOPSIS When the 6-year-old girl next door goes missing, Harold realizes that his secret audio recordings of the neighborhood may provide clues to the case. But when his overzealous new roommate Ally pushes him into a dangerous investigation, Harold’s world is turned upside down. Against the backdrop of an urban community’s Read More…
- Stunned (L’Etourdissement)
http://vimeo.com/134030132 2015 VTEDDY WINNER: SHORT SYNOPSIS Following the accidental death of a colleague, Eddy is charged with the task of announcing the terrible news to the wife of the deceased. His colleague, Georges, offers to accompany him for support, taking advantage of the opportunity to leave work early. Upon arriving at the widow’s house, the Read More…
- Sunakali
SYNOPSIS Sunakali is set in Mugu, Western Nepal, one of the least developed regions in the country. According to the 2011 Nepal Census, 90% of women in Mugu are illiterate. Set against the harsh but beautiful backdrop of the region, Sunakali is an uplifting documentary of Mugu’s women’s soccer team and its journey to the Read More…
- (T)ERROR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZYanRN6VUc SYNOPSIS (T)ERROR is the first documentary to place filmmakers on the ground during an active FBI counterterrorism sting operation. Through the perspective of Saeed “Shariff” Torres, a 63-year-old Black revolutionary turned informant, viewers get an unfettered glimpse of the government’s counterterrorism tactics and the murky justifications behind them. Taut, stark and controversial, (T)ERROR illuminates Read More…
- Tchoupitoulas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCRD0wbbZqw 2015 VTEDDY WINNER: SPECIAL AWARD – CINEMATIC VISION & IMAGINATION SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, August 29, 2015 Time: 1:30pm Location: Marquis Screening Room The Complete Festival Schedule FILM INFORMATION Length: 82 min Language: English Country: USA CREDITS Director: Bill and Turner Ross Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn, Ed Rieker, Billy Peterson, Herb Campbell
- Thaw
SYNOPSIS On a winter weekend getaway, a woman meets a musician who ignites her creative passion. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Friday, August 28, 2015 Time: 7:30pm Location: Marquis Screening Room The Complete Festival Schedule FILM INFORMATION Length: 10 min Language: English Country: USA CREDITS Director: Sheryl Glubok Writer: Sheryl Glubok Producers: Sheryl Glubok & Macrina Newhouse
- This Is Home
SYNOPSIS Aidan Powell created This is Home when he was 15, on the Conversations From the Open Road trip to Appalachia. Aidan was inspired by his personal connection to Vermont’s Green Mountains. Thus, it was especially poignant to witness the practice of mountaintop removal currently devastating the Appalachian Mountains. Aidan was inspired by the words Read More…
- Tired Moonlight
http://vimeo.com/117126469 SYNOPSIS Tired Moonlight travels through the lives of a town’s inhabitants — Sarah, a young single mother and her daughter,as they traipse through fields under endless skies, the owner of a failing video store, Crazy Mike (Girls star Alex Karpovsky), who faces the loss of his home and his livelihood, and his buddy Charles, who spends Read More…
- The Vow
SYNOPSIS Under the waning light of a solar eclipse, two young best friends, Alice and Kristi, journey to a magical desert garden. Their mission is to capture an elusive and powerful sun drop, with which they plan to murder Alice’s monstrous father. The real world intertwines with the magical in this journey into the power Read More…
- Wald
http://vimeo.com/135114957 SYNOPSIS Based on a folk tale by Italo Calvino, Wald is the story of a girl who, upon encountering a cunning snake, is gifted with powers of material excess and natural beauty, which eventually prove to be a terrible curse. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Friday, August 28, 2015 Time: 4:30pm Location: Marquis Screening Room The Read More…
- Wedgerino
SYNOPSIS An original and upbeat comedy, Wedgerino explores just how much friendship can bend before it breaks. Best friends and roommates Carl and Larry are perpetually out of work, and their new landlord is angrily demanding rent. With no job prospects in sight, all looks bleak until they meet Johnny, a charismatic stranger with a Read More…
- Western
http://vimeo.com/134418223 2015 VTEDDY WINNER: SPECIAL AWARD – CINEMATIC VISION & IMAGINATION SYNOPSIS For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, TX, from Piedras Negras, MX, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life. SCREENING INFORMATION Date: Saturday, August Read More…
- The Wolfpack
SYNOPSIS Locked away from society in an apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Angulo brothers learn about the outside world through the films that they watch. Nicknamed the Wolfpack, the brothers spend their childhood re-enacting their favorite films using elaborate homemade props and costumes. With no friends and living on welfare, they Read More…
- Young Bull
http://vimeo.com/122049042 SYNOPSIS A story of redemption in the face of harsh circumstances, YOUNG BULL follows JJ, a young drug addict on the streets of Los Angeles. After his release from rehab, JJ returns to his neighborhood and begins approaching family and friends looking to rebuild each broken relationship. But, always weighed down by an unresolved Read More…
