Films for 2011
After 4 months without seeing each other, a girl receives a visit from her ex-boyfriend.
Presenting Sponsor: Bean Counters In a creepy government waiting room, our guilty little heroine, Pochsy (anagram for “psycho”), descends through seven levels of hell as she awaits the Tax Man’s wrath. Won Grand Jury Prize, Show Us Your Shorts International Short Film Festival, and Audience Choice Award, Dawson International Film Festival. www.pochsy.org Director’s Statement Pochsy works…
Presenting Sponsor: Costco Photo Centre When a beautiful woman enters Josh’s photocopy shop, he sees in her a love for her own job that equals his own. In this punny musical, he offers her his heart and finds out if love is as easy as A4 to A3.
Linda and Larry’s forthcoming wedding hits a snag when the local parish priest comes to their home to do some much-needed marriage counseling. Won Best International Comedy Short, 2010 Illinois International Film Festival. www.fletchfilms.com
On the edge of a galaxy far, far away (well Wales, actually) two brothers have established a Star Wars-based belief system that claims 3,000 followers. A domestic portrait about faith, family and future, this film reveals an extraordinary family whose hopes of salvation extend far beyond the world as we know it …
Barko runs away to join the circus even though he never wanted to be a performer. Yet he finds exactly what he was looking for in the arms of a caring boy. www.titmouseshorts.com
It seems as if Mamoru’s life can’t get any worse. Then his beloved bicycle starts disappearing … stolen one piece at a time. When he’s given a chance to retrieve the pieces, he embarks on a journey to rebuild his bicycle and finds that his own life is also being rebuilt. Won Best Dramatic Short…
A hamster chases his true love around the globe. Will he get her? Won the Audience Award at the 2010 AlpeAdriaCinema Trieste Film Festival. www.jacobfrey.de
Elsa and Bo are eagerly expecting their first baby. While Elsa gets the baby’s room ready, Bo composes a special musical piece for the occasion.
He is just 15 years old, but Vinh has already accepted his destiny – to be sick for the rest of his life with incurable arsenic poisoning. He dreams about going to Phnom Penh, becoming a karaoke star, and winning the affections of adoring fans. But his body is scarred by illness, and he expects the…
Presenting Sponsor: Capstan Hauling Ltd. A young boy has fun in the park firing a crossbow … at his sister.
A high school student relives the same day at school until he finally learns the error of his ways. A short film created by 15 Grade 7-12 students from Grande Prairie working together under the guidance of workshop leaders Scott Belyea, Scooter Corkle, and Michael Bourree during the Youth Filmmaking Challenge workshop Apr 26-29 (Alpha):…
Filmmaker in Attendance: Andrew Wainrib. On June 27, 1976, Air France Flight 139 en route from Tel Aviv to Paris was hijacked by German and PFLP terrorists and taken to Entebbe, Uganda. Seven days later the hostages were rescued by Israeli special forces in one of the most brazen rescue operations in history. This 2d and…
The misadventures of a frustrated Foley artist, curious children, and petrified poultry show the human cost of creating movie magic: the sacrifices can be enormous! Won Best Comedy at the Poppy Jasper Film Festival.
When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! Day and Night are frightened and suspicious of each other at first, and quickly get off on the wrong foot. But as they discover each other’s unique qualities – and come to realize that each of them offers a different…
A six-year-old child wakes up in the middle of the night with an urgent need to pee, but his fear of the dark keeps him from walking down the unlit hallway to the bathroom. Influenced by his mother’s advice, he asks God for help in the hope that some kind of miracle might happen. Won…
A musical comedy about five reluctant student dentists whose eyes are opened to the cruel consolations of their career by a sadistic tutor. Screened with the kind permission of Network Ireland Television and Jumper Productions. Won Honourable Mention at Galway Film Fleadh.
A lonely man courts danger by drinking a glass of milk with the expiration date just seconds away. Shot in the style of classic noir-era Hollywood thrillers, Expiration walks a hilarious line between comedy and suspense.
In a not too distant future, the world seems to work in a perfect and controlled way … But what if you got the opportunity to see what lies underneath the surface?
Nova Scotia artist and filmmaker Andrea Dorfman beautifully animates her own story of finding love with someone new as she discovers that the issue is not whether girl can get along with boy but rather whether girl can accept herself, imperfections and all.
Presenting Sponsor: Mr. Mikes Steakhouse & Bar Using classic, high-speed camera with dynamic and smooth jumps, and zooming in with 3D animation, Formic shows how a skateboarder (Dennis Gläser) disturbs the life of an ant and how it finally gets even.
Filmmaker in Attendance: Napoleon Ryan. A dark fable set in an unforgiving future in which two furnace stokers are supposed to burn all the music in the world. But soon they discover that some things just won’t burn. Furnace Four is based on the prize-winning play (Soho Theatre Westminster award) by Ali Muriel and stars…
Lounge-singing darts champion Raymond finds his prayers are answered – literally – when he receives a mysterious package of love-inducing darts. The catch is that the one woman he loves – Kelly, a drummer in his band – is already in love with Ray’s best friend Fozzie, the guitarist in the band. Romance is in…
What would the regular working class have thought of Shakespeare’s classic, Hamlet: Prince of Denmark? Join Roger and Philip, two gossipy castle guards as they try to endure a shift outside Castle Elsinore. When all the murder, madness, and mayhem come to a boil, they do their best to keep their wits about them and…
Border guard Phil thinks his wife is cheating on him. When he’s faced with a gaggle of ladies headed south for a weekend bachelorette party, his professional judgment appears to be slipping when he stops them from going through.
A single mother and her teenage son struggle to survive in a shattered and brutal near future where zombies roam the Earth.
When Zora’s lover Gérard leaves his wife and moves in with her, Zora faces a simple question: is committing to Gérard really her choice? www.larsen-lecourt.ch
In the spirit of 50’s and 60’s educational films, Let’s Pollute is a modern satire on how pollution is our heritage and keeps our economy growing strong, while instructing us on how to be better polluters for a better blighted tomorrow. Nominated for an Oscar.
As the pages of a journey diary turn, colourful pencil sketches come to life, revealing the majestic rolling landscapes of Madagascar and the people of the Malagasy culture. Nominated for an Oscar.
A fantasy re-envisioning of the classic fairytale Bluebeard by Charles Perrault, in which Perrault’s young wife reads herself into his dark allegory on marital mistrust. www.amybelling.com
Genius Marius Borodine’s spectacular new invention can transform any and all objects into drinkable water. But is it safe? Won Prix Coup de Coeur du Jury at the Fantasia Festival. www.holiafilm.com
A musical about a grocery store clerk who falls for a sexy real estate agent when he sells her a carton of milk. But she’s way out of his league … or is she? A contagious song and dance mash-up of English and Hindi, reality and fantasy, banality and Bollywood. Screened with the kind permission…
In 1994 there is a civil war in Burundi, a small country of Central Africa directly bordering Rwanda. Na Wewe (pronounced “Na wayway”) means “you too” in Kirundi and the film relates a sadly frequent episode of the fratricidal conflict between Hutus and Tutsis: the attack by rebels on a minivan carrying ordinary citizens. As…
Presenting Sponsor: Velocity Video An alcoholic transient, with only his dog for a companion, steals from summer cottages during the brutal winter of the off-season. When he ventures from his usual path in search of a full bottle, he makes a terrifying discovery that unravels his solitary existence. Nominated for the 2010 BAFTA Award for…
Three documentary filmmakers went to Calais to make a film about refugees trying to get into Britain, but then they met sixteen-year-old Abdul in a food queue. His first words were a story about being shot at by machine guns on the Iranian border and the filmmakers knew this was a character to focus on, but a…
Presenting Sponsor: Freson Bros. IGA Ormie is a pig in every sense of the word. Pig see cookie. Pig want cookie. But they are out of reach and Ormie will do anything to gain the warm sweet taste that is his obsession.
Sixteen-year-old Tomi tries to steer his twelve-year-old sister Aino in the right direction so she doesn’t follow in their mother’s footsteps, but her growing independence starts another pattern that threatens to repeat. Won Best Live Action Short Award at the Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto.
A space explorer crash lands on earth. Injured and highly distrustful, she needs to send an emergency signal but can’t do it alone. Place to Stay is a sci-fi drama about distrust between two strangers in the Finish countryside. www.placetostaymovie.com Director’s Statement In moments of crisis most find it hard to trust people they don’t…
Trapped behind enemy lines on France’s western front in World War I, two New Zealand soldiers find a baby under her dead parents in a muddy ditch in France. One of them wants to save her; the other does not. Based on true events, Poppy was written by the great-grandson of one of these soldiers.…
Rabbit à la Berlin is the story of the thousands of wild rabbits that lived in the Death Zone of the Berlin Wall. It was as if the green belt between the two walls was designed for these animals. Full of untouched grass, the predators stayed behind the wall and the guards made sure no…
Rob wakes up one morning to find out that his girlfriend has dumped him, with the news being delivered in the strangest possible way. Screened with the kind permission of Network Ireland Television and Lucid Dreams Ltd.
A salesman approaches a mysterious landowner with an offer to buy the man’s smoldering abandoned coal mine but finds that there is something far worse than a mine fire underneath the land. Won Best Short Film at the 2009 NYC Horror Film Festival. www.sinkholemovie.com Director’s Statement Sinkhole is ostensibly a horror film, but I believe…
Filmmakers in Attendance: Karl Mattson and Andrew Lodge. Sisters of Karnataka is a documentary about the unconventional spread of HIV/AIDS through the southern Indian countryside where poverty and tradition drive young women into the sex trade. Relegated to the lowest caste of society, they are highly susceptible to infection by HIV and other sexually transmitted…
A couple has an intimate conversation in a restaurant, unaware that their every word is being closely monitored. However, not all is as it seems. Table 7 website
A newly dead ghost must enlist the help of The Great Lloyd so that he can be returned to life and the young woman he loves. A short film created by 14 Grade 8-12 students from Valleyview, Hythe, and Beaverlodge working together under the guidance of workshop leaders Scott Belyea, Scooter Corkle, and Michael Bourree during the…
Splitting the bill after dinner with friends can often get awkward, but when Jesus and his 12 Apostles settle up after The Last Supper, not even the Lord Himself is immune to this deliciously sacrilegious send-up of social dynamics.
When an attempt to be romantic backfires in the worst possible way, a man does the only thing he can to salvage it … the Heimlich maneuver.
Quiet and sincere nine-year-old Sam is worried about making his first confession. His conscience is clear, therefore he cannot hope for any relief from the experience. He and his friend Jacob decide to remedy that situation, but their innocent prank turns unexpectedly tragic. Nominated for an Oscar.
Award-winning animator Bill Plympton pits idyllic farm living against modern farming realities in this hilariously provocative tale about a cow seduced by advertising.
Ardal, an 8-year-old schoolboy, is in love with his teacher, Miss Purdy. When she becomes engaged to her unworthy, crass boyfriend, Ardal is forced to take drastic action. Screened with the kind permission of Network Ireland Television and Purdy Pictures Ltd. Nominated for an Oscar.
Filmmakers in Attendance: Rio and Skyler Fitch. During an afternoon of play, a young boy must use his wits and creativity to recover from a minor tragedy.
Karen’s mother used to terrify her with tales of a sinister presence lurking in the stairwell. She returns years later to visit her elderly shut-in parents … and the childhood nightmare waiting for her in the shadows. www.the-elemental-movie.com
A bruised and battered man sits in an interrogation room dressed in a ghoulish costume caked in dried blood. With his alibi littered with two corpses, blood-curdling screams, and a tale of “the beast,” this furry man swears he can explain. Won Best Horror Short at the 2010 International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival in Phoenix.…
A magical tale about a mouse who takes a stroll through the woods and encounters three predators who all wish to eat him – a fox, an owl, and a snake. Based on the classic picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, the plucky mouse has to use his wits to survive. …
Edmonton filmmaker Trevor Anderson drops his camera from the High Level Bridge in memory of those who have jumped. Won Honorable Mention, Best Short Film at the American Film Institute’s AFI Fest in Los Angeles. www.dirtycityfilms.com
Winner of the 2011 Reel Shorts Film Festival Audience Choice Award. Starring Seán Cullen, this award-winning rock musical tells the story of Danny Zigwitz, a nerdy youngster who needs to save his fellow campers from a bloody massacre when a campfire ghost story comes to life. Won Best Horror Short Film at 2010 Fantastic Fest…
Based on the book of the same name by multi award-winning author and illustrator Shaun Tan, The Lost Thing tells the story of a boy who discovers a strange creature on the beach and decides to find a home for it in a world where people are too busy to notice it. Won the Oscar…
Having her sleeping husband near her gives a young woman a feeling of security and reassurance. When she unexpectedly meets an alluring street entertainer, she realizes that the routine that’s been keeping her steady may be holding her back. Won Best Short Animated Film at the Traverse Film Festival in Michigan.
Top soccer referee Martin Hansson had a successful journey towards his dream – to referee in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Then one dark night in Paris on November 18th, 2009, all hell broke loose. Won Best Football Film at the 2010 International Sport Film Festival in Palermo, Italy.
Ten-year-old Pico struggles to settle into the international boarding school high in the Himalayas of India that his British parents have enrolled him in. Picked on by bullies, he runs away. Travelling through a landscape he barely knows, can he find his way home? www.nomadosphere.com
A time travel app takes three high school students back to 1912 and they must find a way to recharge their iPhone in order to get back to the future. A short film created by 14 high school students from Hines Creek, Beaverlodge, and Grande Prairie working together under the guidance of workshop leaders Scott…
Matthew Rhys (Brothers and Sisters) is a delight as a man who, in the course of a first date, tries to decide how to respond when she asks him an awkward question.
For many years Urs has had to look after his aging mother, but now he sets out on a dangerous journey. He carries his mother up a mountain to find a better place for both of them, but she wants to stay at home. Nominated for an Oscar.
Each night the only border crossing between India and Pakistan on a 1000-km stretch becomes the sight of an extraordinary event. Thousands of people gather to witness the ritual closing of the border, after which the masses get as close as possible to the gate to greet their former neighbours. This daily ritual provides the…
When a fifteen-year-old boy discovers he has months to live, he is granted one wish from the Dreamscape Charity. However, David doesn’t want to go to Disneyland or meet a star footballer; what he really wants is an hour alone with a naked woman. Based on true events, Wish 143 tells the story of a…
Wood If profiles the work and process of world-renowned Vancouver artist and furniture designer Judson Beaumont as he creates a new piece and his previous work is shown with new context and perspective.