NOT YOUR TIME (25:00) SHORT FILM
A short comedy starring Jason Alexander (of "Seinfeld" fame), as Sid, an aspiring screenwriter who comes up with an unorthodox, unintentional, hilarious plan to get his work noticed by the Hollywood elite. The film also stars Kathy Najimy, Broadway star Valarie Pettiford, and many of Hollywood's biggest "players" as themselves.
DIRECTOR BIO
Jay Kamen has been an award-winning film and sound editor for the past 34 years. Some of his credits include A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY, CLUELESS, THE QUCK AND THE DEAD, LOOK WHO’S TALKING 2 & 3, SNEAKERS, and HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. He has worked as a staff film editor at American International Pictures, Paramount, and is currently working as a staff film editor at Sony Pictures, preparing films for non-theatrical markets. NOT YOUR TIME afforded Jay the opportunity to explore his first love, directing, combined with his talents for song writing and his love of theater.
OTHER SCREENINGS/AWARDS
NOT YOUR TIME won "Best Short Film" at the 2011 Boston International Film Festival and both "Best Short" and "Best Picture" at the 2011 Los Angeles New Media Film Festival. Its cinematographer, Michael Nie, also won the "2011 Emerging Cinematographer's Award" from the International Cinematographer's Guild. The film also screened at the 2011 Cinequest Film Festival and 2011 Palm Springs International Shorts Film Festival in California earlier this year, and will screen later this year at the Friars Club Comedy Festival in New York and the Reel Shorts Film Festival in Canada.
CHALLENGING IMPOSSIBILITY (28:00) SHORT DOCUMENTARY
This short documentary chronicles the weightlifting odyssey of the late spiritual teacher and peace advocate, Indian-born Sri Chinmoy, who, at the surprising age of 53, took up weightlifting. Already an advocate of the necessity of physical fitness in the spiritual life, this New York City-based guru was inspired to demonstrate the tangible power of inner peace by performing incredible, but real feats of strength. His lifts were featured on hundreds of newscasts globally, including CNN, Fox, ESPN, and NBC affiliates. The film focuses on an exhibition he held on November 13, 2004, where he lifted a total of 200,408 pounds, at the age of 73 years old, and features appearances by Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.
DIRECTOR BIO
DIRECTOR BIO
Director/Cinematographer/Editor Sanjay Rawal recently became involved in film after a decade of working in government relations and nonprofit consulting. His work took him to over 50 nations, where he created grassroots initiatives in education, health and economic development. Sanjay continues to advise governments, NGOs and philanthropists through his consulting company, Illumine. In 2008 he was an adviser to the producers of the Tribeca Film Festival Best Documentary, "Pray the Devil Back to Hell." His first short documentary, "Ocean Monk," premiered in the fall of 2010 and has won awards at several festivals, including the St. Louis International Film Festival. "Challenging Impossibility" is his second directorial effort.
OTHER SCREENINGS/AWARDS
CHALLENGING IMPOSSIBILITY premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April 2011 and has since screened at 49 festivals worldwide.
EL CORTEJO (14:00, subtitled in English) SHORT FILM
Capi is the oldest gravedigger in the cemetery. Used to working amidst the suffering of others and the jokes of his colleagues, there is only one person capable of taking him out of his daily routine, Marta. Every month for the last couple of years he has waited for her to take flowers to the grave of her husband, and she is his last hope for love.DIRECTOR BIO
Marina Seresesky was born in Buenos Aires in 1969 and has won numerous awards for her filmmaking and scriptwriting. She is currently in preproduction on a documentary entitled "Mothers, 0.15 a Minute" and is preparing the script for her next feature film.
OTHER SCREENINGS/AWARDS
EL CORTEJO has screened in over one hundred festivals worldwide, and has won countless awards for Best Short Film, Best Actor, and Best Music.
Barber of Birmingham: (26:00) SHORT DOCUMENTARY
Mr. James Armstrong, the 85-year-old proprietor of Armstrong’s Barbershop in Birmingham, Alabama since 1955, experiences his unimaginable dream come true: the election of the first African-American president.
DIRECTORS' BIOS
The late Gail Dolgin is best known for her documentary film, Daughter from Danang, which won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary, and was nominated for an Academy Award and broadcast on the PBS American Experience series in 2003.
Robin Fryday is a photographer based in the Bay Area. She co-founded The Bay Area Heart Gallery, a collaboration between photographers and child adoption agencies working to increase adoptions. She uses her photographic skills to effect
social change.
OTHER SCREENINGS/AWARDS
BARBER OF BIRMINGHAM has screened at the Sundance Film Festival, The True/False Film Festival, Silverdocs. MountainFIlm, DocuWeeks, Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, the Jubilee Film Festival in Selma, Alabama and the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in Birmingham, Alabama. It won “Best Short Documentary” at the Ashland Independent Film Festival in Oregon, the “Audience Award” at the Hollywood Shorts Festival, and “Best Short” at the Wood Holes Film Festival in Cape Cod.
Chalk (18 minutes) SHORT FILM
When a young gymnast is selected for the national training camp, she discovers something new about bodies, boys and friendship.
DIRECTOR BIO
Martina Amati, born in Italy, moved into drama in 2008 with A' Mare, which premiered in competition at Sundance and won the BAFTA/LA Certificate of Excellence at Aspen and the UNICEF award in Bilbao. Her second drama, I-Do-Air, won the BAFTA for Best Short Film 2010. Martina is currently making a short film in collaboration with fashion designer Bella Freud and is developing a feature version of Chalk with Cowboy Films and Film 4 in the UK.
OTHER SCREENINGS/AWARDS
CHALK premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2011 and has since screened at a number of venues on the international film festival circuit, including, among others: SXSW, the Stockholm International Film Festival, the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Milan International Film Festival, and the Palm Springs Short Film Festival. It won “Best Live Action Film” at the 2011 New York International Children's Film Festival, “Best Short' at 2011 the Hamburg Film Festival, and “Best Editing” at the 2011 Palace Film Festival in Hungary.
