LA PREMIERE
20 min. (2009) by Nick and Michael Regalbuto, New York, NY
The late 1800’s were a time of invention and exploration. Science, chemistry and ingenuity were rapidly changing the way people lived. La Premiere is a recreation, a photoplay, of the race between Thomas Edison and the Lumiere Brothers.
The brothers, Auguste and Louis dreamt of projecting movies large enough to be seen by groups of people all at once and Edison was out maneuvered in this recreation even as his electric light bulb was key to the Lumiere’s success in this engaging re- creation narrated by actor James Earl Jones.
JUST ABOUT FAMOUS
14.50 min. (2009) by Jason Kovalsev and Matt Mamula, c/o Blue Collar Films, Los Angeles, CA
Is that actually Robert DeNiro doing a sort of standup routine about the hassles of being recognized? Celebrity lookalikes for Oprah, Whoopie Goldberg, Sarah Palin, Britney Spears, Robin Williams, Dame Edna, President Obama and
George Bush and Elvis populate this spoof- like documentary.
GRANDPA LOOKED LIKE WILLIAM POWELL
4.33 min. (2010) by David Levy, Brooklyn, NY
Sometimes a memento only reminds one of how little one knows of someone. What remains behind of a person’s life may tell a bit about the past but there’s a mystery to the discovery. When the animation artist came to possess his
grandfather’s high school photo album/autograph book from 1924 the divide between the two generations became very tangible. David Levy created this original work in which a sketchbook comes alive and questions surface about
his grandfather’s world.
LUCKY CHARM
10.5 min. (2010) by Heather Ostrove, Sherman Oaks, CA
Can a silver dollar bring luck? What does one do when a wish is fulfilled instantly? Colin is an average kind of guy. Everyday he takes the metro train to the jewelry store where he works. One day Colin crosses paths with a mysterious coin and experiences miraculous but not always welcome repercussions.
CARPE DIEM
5 min. (2010) by Alison Neale, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
This campy and biting musical satire, takes place aboard a flight from big oil crazed Houston, Texas to Ft. McMurray, the capital of the Alberta, Canada Tar Sands. The “VP” of Hexxon oil finds his world collapsing around him as the
market goes into a tailspin and investors jump ship. The “VP” is confronted with a two- headed fish; evidence of big oil’s environmental impact in this over- the- top hors- d’oeuvre operetta.
TOMORROW – YEAAAAH!
13 min. (2010) by Daniela Abke, Borgholzhausen, Germany
There is no other sport in which players spend more time in the air – by their own means and using no technical aids to do so – than basketball. Fascinated by the squeaking of sneakers, sudden changes in direction, acrobatics and energy of
the game, the filmmaker takes viewers into a wholly absorbing experience that captures the levitation and gravitational aesthetics of the sport.
MRS. BUCK IN HER PRIME
9.5 min. (2010) by James Franklin Gould, Washington, NC
Mrs. Buck in Her Prime is a tender documentary portrait of a spirited 104 year old African American church pianist who, despite her physical frailties, carries on playing the piano with verve and vigor at services in her small hometown of Washington, North Carolina.
LETTERS HOME
9 min. (2010) by Melissa Hacker, New York, NY
A telling documentary, Letters Home was created around letters written by the filmmakers great- aunt, Freda who during 1945- 46 Freda traveled through Germany and Austria as a member of the Women’s Army Corps.
CYCLE OF LOVE
3.75 min. (2010) by Catherine Marshall, Providence, RI
This is a whimsical animation anthropomorphizes a child’s tricycle, endowing it with tender feelings for a grown up racing bicycle that’s way out of its league.