A GAME OF CHICKEN: Short narrative film, directed by Michael Hilf (USA). A man must face off against his greatest foe, thanks to a jammed pistol, leading to some unforeseen problems, in this unusual black comedy. (6 minutes)
A SHINE OF RAINBOWS: Feature narrative film, director Vic Sarin (Canada). Young Irish orphan, Tomás (John Bell), is harassed, bullied and ridiculed for his small size, timidity and stuttering by the other children in his County Donegal orphanage. He is called to the headmasters’ office to be greeted by Maire who has adopted him, and takes him back to her isolated island home, where Tomás is greeted coldly by her husband, Alec. Maire discloses she was an orphan too, never adopted, and that is why she picked Tomás, loving and ‘knowing’ him, due to her own experiences. As Maire’s influence on him begins to shine through, he starts to gain in confidence and becomes drawn to wildlife. They see a rainbow and she promises to take him into one, someday. Soon thereafter, Alec and Tomás get a little closer, and they go fishing. Together they find a young seal, apparently abandoned on the beach. and Tomás begins caring for the abandoned animal, showing it the compassion he’s longed for in his own life – US Premiere – Opening Night Film. (100 minutes)
A WILDERNESS WITHIN: Short narrative film, directed by Vangelis Maderakis (Greece) Screenplay written by Elizabeth English (USA). An elderly Greek man ponders his long and passionate life as a peasant boy at the turn of the century in Greece. Old Petros relates his unique, Zorba-esque tale of an undying love for his late wife; a tale of incredible, mystical adventures, a poignant quest for life lived to the fullest, and a venture into the realms of the impossible. Petros’ young wife, a strong-willed woman, is the equal to his story, and the tale becomes hers, too, in this internationally award-winning film. In Greek, with English subtitles. (18 minutes)
ATLAN: Feature documentary, director Moein Karrimoodini (Iran). In the Turkmen language, “Atlan” means ‘Mount a horse and depart!’ Horses are the most important element in the life of Iranian Turkmen.
Ali is a Turkman horse trainer, and horses are his life. Ilhan is the name of the horse that has won him so many prizes, and Ali plans to use the race awards money to pay for his wedding. But not everything goes favorably on the race course, and Ali needs to fight passionately for Ilhan’s championship. Horse races are some of the most significant social events in this vast land, called the Turkmen Sahara, a region in north-eastern Iran and homeland to Iranian Turkmen.
Great cinematography, beautiful film score music, and film direction from an Iranian woman director. In Farsi, with English subtitles. (62 minutes)
BEAUTY MARK: Feature documentary film, directed by Diane Israel (USA). A fresh, honest, award-winning film about self-image and the disconnect between our minds and our bodies. Beauty Mark exposes the myriad emotional, cultural and psychological influences that compel us to measure ourselves against an elusive standard of physical perfection-sometimes at the price of our own health. Beauty Mark is for anyone who has ever felt invisible because they didn’t conform to our culture’s impossible, unhealthy, abnormal beauty standards. This courageous film looks through the eyes of Boulder-based psychotherapist and former world-class tri-athlete, Diane Israel, a story is full of wisdom, hope and humor. (72 minutes)
BEHIND THE WALL: Short narrative film, directed by Bat-Sheva Guez (USA). This is an award-winning magical-realism tale about an injured dancer who has fled her old life and has moved into a strange new apartment, a home with a unique view into a world that moves differently from her own. (17 minutes)
BIG FLY: Short drone film, directed by Joris Favraud (France). A showreel which includes incredible images of sports car racing, ice climbing, flying through a church interior, extreme sports, Brittany landscapes, and all punctuated with a voice that transmits the Spirit of Big Fly. (3 minutes)
COLETTE ET LA SALLE B-12 (Colette and Room B-12) a Short narrative film, directed by Alexandra Karamisaris & Clémentine Charuel (France). Colette is at the visual arts department at the Sorbonne, looking for the room B12. She’s late, lost, frustrated, searching floor by floor, from door to door. Until a young man reaches out and helps her find her way, but he is only to be very surprised in the end. In French, with English subtitles. (10 minutes)
DEAR DREW: Short narrative film, directed by Dylan Shapiro & Maddy Laing (USA). ‘Dear Drew’ tells the story of a teenage romance through a narrated love letter. Weaving together a recollection of memories, the author attempts to explain their feelings, displaying a realistic portrayal of young love in the process. But the film takes a turn at the end, and reinforces the idea of love is love. (5 minutes)
DEMOCRACY IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT: Short narrative film, directed by Gail Gilbert (USA). A short film that shocks the viewer into thinking about the democratic system – why it works and how it could easily fail. A woman runs to catch a bus, but misses it. Frustrated, she climbs aboard the next bus and begs the driver to catch up to her husband, who is on the bus ahead of them. At first the bus driver is unwilling to even acknowledge her request, but a sense of camaraderie builds, as more and more passengers get involved and show their support. They finally pull up behind the first bus and the woman hops off to finally join her husband.
The passengers applaud & revel in their sense of accomplishment, as their bus pulls away from the curb. Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot cuts short the celebration…(8 minutes)
DISPLACED: Short documentary film, directed by Niamh Heery (Ireland). A film about people who have lost their place, about how people try to connect with what they have lost. It features refugees, emigrants, farmers and travelers, all of whom try hard to keep a grasp on the feeling of what is gone from their lives. (15 minutes)
ELLA (SHE): Animation film, directed by Juan Montes de Oca (Spain). In Palma de Mallorca, through the eyes of a 5 year-old innocent kid, a lovely and moving story unfolds of life’s coincidences, miseries and joys, as the boy learns about an old man’s stories of his ill-fated life in New York, and his long-lost love. But the boy is happy to see that, in the end, the old man finds his way to his life’s happiness, and even to the love of his life. Juan Montes de Oca has won more than 100 international awards for his animation work, and this is one of his best examples. (19 minutes)
HEAVEN’S FALLING: Music video, directed by Kimberley Williams (USA). A music video, connecting humans with the natural world, produced for Voices for Biodiversity about the contributing factors to biodiversity loss and actions we can take to turn it around. (5 minutes)
HEY!: Feature Film, Sneak Preview of a Work in Progress. Directed by Alex Jovanoski (Germany). This is a wonderfully poignant film, about two young, lost souls finding new hope, when they meet at their lowest point in life, and when they were both about to give up. Gambling debts force Leo to break into Ella’s apartment, a young woman and aspiring artist who was just diagnosed with a devastating and often fatal disease. Lonely and desperate as they both are, an unusual bond forms between the two, as they have more in common than they think, and it could change their lives forever. In German, with English subtitles – Free Screening. (70 minutes)
IN SEARCH OF THE GREAT SONG, Feature 
documentary film, directed by Michael Stillwater (Switzerland). From the Australian outback to the San Juan Archipelago, from Southern India to the Swiss Alps – the question is asked of scientists, artists, indigenous elders and philosophers: ‘What is the Great Song for you?’ Interwoven with music from around the world, fifty remarkable responses cross boundaries of culture, faith, arts and science, evoking a multi-faceted testament to our common spirit – US Premiere. (83 minutes)
LA NAISSANCE DES CAMBRIOLEURS (Born Burglars), music video, composed & directed by Anthony Cedric Vuagniaux, (Switzerland). It is 1944, a long time since their love affair was over, but the fabulous bombshell, Rosalie, calls her ex-lover, the handsome & debonair, Thibaud, to borrow his vintage airplane. Rosalie has a secret plan that Nazis and other traitors are trying to discover and she needs to escape before its too late, in this intriguing adventure. In French, with English subtitles. (3 minutes)
LA NAISSANC
E DES CAMBRIOLEURS (Born Burglars), music video, composed & directed by Anthony Cedric Vuagniaux, Switzerland. It is 1944, a long time since their love affair was over, but the fabulous bombshell, Rosalie, calls her ex-lover, the handsome & debonair, Thibaud, to borrow his vintage airplane. Rosalie has a secret plan that Nazis and & other traitors are trying to discover & she needs to escape before its too late, in this intriguing adventure. In French, with English subtitles. (3 minutes)
LETTERS FROM ALCATRAZ: Short narrative film, directed by Madeline Rozwat (USA). It’s Christmas Eve 1962, and like many 15-year-olds, Belle Baker wakes up in eager anticipation of the holiday. But things are different for Belle, who happens to live on Alcatraz Island with her prison-guard father. She has been secretly trafficking letters for an inmate since her mother passed away, a year ago. The unique perspectives — perspectives the audience might not otherwise have considered, are an integral element in this charming film. In Letters From Alcatraz, light is shed on this infamous establishment & that period in U.S. history, through the eyes of a grieving young girl. (20 minutes)
LIGHTNING BUGS IN A JAR: Short narrative film, directed by Ian Simpson & produced by Sara Wolkowitz (USA). When a mother and son with a caustic history are reunited to pack up their old house, sparks fly as long-buried secrets are revealed, and it just might fall upon the shoulders of the son’s boyfriend to help heal old wounds. (20 minutes)
MEETING WITH THE LEAF: Short documentary film, directed by Fazlollah 
Tari (Iran). An elderly woman whose husband has passed away a long time ago, believes that his soul has been reincarnated in a mulberry tree that has grown up next to his grave since his departure. So she believes that he is still alive. In Farsi, with English subtitles – World Premiere. (14 minutes)
MOUSSE, feature film, directed by John Hellberg (Sweden). What could be easier than robbing a small tobacco shop on the outskirts of town? It’s
during the year’s biggest horse race event, and the betting shop looks like the ultimate hit for some fast cash, in this award-winning, wacky, dark comedy of errors. Mousse is a man of pride and
principles, and is fed up with living as a second-class citizen, and really tired of the strenuous life at sea. He has
decided that this day will be the first in his new life. But what happens when
he faces principles different to his own? Keystone Kops police officers leave the crime scene in a motorcade of police vehicles and
vintage cars, with confused citizens waving French flags, as instructed. In Swedish, with English subtitles. (40 minutes)
OF STONES AND WATER: Short narrative film, directed by Tonia Shimin (USA). Meditative, poetic and vibrant, Of Stones and Water, by a young filmmaker, traces a dancer’s inner journey and response to a labyrinth of stone and to the sea, finding the point of connection where the two worlds come together with his own. (8 minutes)
OMESSA: Short narrative dance film, directed by Charlène Favier (France). Anna never leaves her backpack and does not often return to her father’s village from France. But upon discovering a lump in her breast, she goes to a gynecologist who tells her that it is worrying. For Anna, it’s the defining moment forcing her to return to Corsica, to face her history, her inheritance, and her difficult and despairing father. This award-winning film was shot in Corsica, and was entirely produced, written and directed by women. In French, with English subtitles – Closing Night Film. (30 minutes)
PILGRIMAGE 2: Short narrative dance film, directed by Soo Jin Kim (South Korea). 1992 A Nepalese youth came to work in South Korea. He is a mediocre worker, but the enterprising young person wants to achieve the dream of seeing a new world. But a derogatory label is pasted on all Korea ‘illegals’. (15 minutes)
PLAY DATE: Short narrative film, directed by Paige Morrow Kimball (USA). When a little girl discovers a homeless woman in her back yard she invites her inside for a play date, without her distracted parents noticing. “Play Date” is a magical realism family movie with a purpose, and reminds us that each one of us has a story. (17 minutes)
QUIERO A MI TIERRA (I Love my Land): Music video, directed by Ron Vigil (USA). Music is magical in that it educates, inspires, moves you emotionally, and is ageless. In Spanish with English subtitles. (7 minutes)
RIVERING, Feature documentary film, directed by Bill Parks (USA). An ode to the whitewater kayaking obsession, filmed in the New Zealand wilderness, and its wild rivers. It is an ode to being active, to being engaged, to being in the outdoors. This is an entertaining sports film that appeals not only to kayakers but also to the rest of us, for its scenic beauty. The filmmakers wanted to tell this amazing story of men & women of all ages, & youngsters daring the rivers. In a world ever more risk-averse and bubble-wrapped, kayaking (and the wilderness in general) are where one can find an escape. This is where you can rely on your common sense, your ability to analyze risk and depend on your skills, experience, and the skills of your fellow paddlers. (100 minutes)
RUSSIAN FACE: Short documentary film, directed by Tamar Rachkovsky & Noam Thomas (Israel). A mother’s paintings provoke a journey between family and art. “…they told you that if you wanted to be an artist you shouldn’t have children…” My mother was born in Moscow & chose to become a painter. I grew up in Jerusalem, an immigrant’s daughter, in a home that doubled as an artist’s studio. Is it possible to be simultaneously successful in art and in parenting? In Hebrew and Russian, with English subtitles. (30 minutes)
SANDBOY: Short narrative film, directed by Vittoria Colonna, co-produced by Julian Lennon (IRELAND). In a sleepy California desert town, sits an abandoned junkyard, an abandoned RV, and an abandoned young woman haunted by a terrible secret. Sandboy is a story about bereavement, atonement, redemption and hope. Grace is an outsider artist – imprisoned in the desert by her own mind. Full of longing and regret, Grace punishes herself for the horrific events that took place. As the film unfolds, we slowly come to realize that Grace holds herself responsible for the tragic deaths of her husband, child and an innocent woman. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes and dust to dust, the sand boy and family of sculptures are a visual reminder of Grace’s son and husband and the life she knew and held dear. We follow one woman’s journey into finding forgiveness after the tragic loss of her family. (23 minutes)
SQUARE ONE: Short narrative film, directed by Ryan Slattery (USA). Ryan is a 30 year-old alcoholic, yearning to escape the torment of his own behavior. Despite drowning in guilt and shame, his drinking habits have only worsened over the years. After the accumulation of countless mistakes, Ryan finally finds the courage to seek help. Through his path from rock bottom, to treatment, and life thereafter, Ryan highlights the challenges, thoughts, and lessons he experiences along the way. Square One illustrates the years leading up to, as well as following an alcoholic’s breaking point. (17 minutes)
THE BIG SWIM: Short narrative film, directed by Kat Green (USA). The Big Swim was filmed on location with wild bull sharks, without stunt doubles, cages, or special FX in Cozumel, Mexico. Starring Kimberly Leemans (Walking Dead) and Falk Hentschel (Hawkman, Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, The Flash).
When Rachel fears she might have breast cancer and suffer the same fate as her mother, she decides to face her fears by fulfilling her mother’s dying wish – swimming with sharks! Rachel sets out on a journey to Cozumel, Mexico, where she meets handsome Luca and realizes that sharks aren’t nearly as scary as reluctantly falling madly in love. (25 minutes)
THE BOY FROM GEITA: Feature documentary, director Vic Sarin (Canada). “Zero Zero” – translated literally as “nothing” – is what a young African boy like Adam is called in
Tanzania because of his albino complexion. Adam’s pale skin makes him vulnerable, not
only to the lethal sun’s rays, but to the most violent, hateful bullying & crimes imaginable. This large-scale
problem is made worse by local witch-doctors who propagate the belief that the
body parts of albino children bring good fortune. Ostracized from society and constantly
fearing for his life, Adam finds an unlikely kindred spirit in a Canadian
businessman who also has albinism. Together they embark on a journey that transcends
cultures and continents in hopes of raising understanding of and awareness for their shared genetic condition. (80 minutes)
THE BUS STOP: Short narrative film, directed by Justin Malone (USA). A poignant comedy-drama about two young boys coming to blows due to religious stereotypes learned from their parents, and a cinematic statement on how differences can, ultimately, be accepted. (14 minutes)
THE DAWNS HERE ARE QUIET: Feature narrative film, directed by Renat Davletyarov (Russia). It is late spring of 1942, and the Great Patriotic War is in full swing. A long way from the war’s front lines, at some god-forsaken junction, the Germans make an air landing operation in an attempt to get through to the Kirov railway and the Baltic Sea Canal. These aren’t just ordinary paratroopers. This is a team of seasoned and highly trained infiltrators, the elite of the Waffen-SS, super-humans. The only thing in their way is an anti-aircraft artillery unit of corporal Vaskov and five young women in training. The country’s main strategic transportation artery is at stake now. Can the corporal and his female petite newbies’ prevent Nazi sabotage, and at what cost? In Russian, with English subtitles (185 minutes)
THE DIVER: Animation film, directed by Damon Mohl (USA). A kid rummages through his toy box & uncaringly tosses one of his old toys, The Diver, into a pond. The diver now faces his new surroundings, and longs for his former companions in the toy box. Fabulous animation artwork by this multi-award-winning animator. (14 minutes)
THE FIRST TIME: Short film, directed by Britt Logan, (USA). “The First Time”, is about, well… the first time: losing your virginity, but with a little help from your wacky friends. There is a lot of anticipation and emotions leading up to it, but usually it’s a very awkward, funny, or sometimes a revealing experience. Remember your first time? (15 minutes)
THE INCIDENT AT TOWER 37 Animation film, Directed by Chris Perry (USA). In the middle of a dry, desolate landscape stands Tower 37: a shimmering water processing station, siphoning every last drop of water from a once-pristine lake. Day in and day out the station’s lone steward monitors the tower’s activities, never realizing that Tower 37 is slowly destroying an entire ecosystem. But when two unexpected guests arrive, the tower’s operator learns the high cost of his ignorance. ‘The Incident at Tower 37’ leverages the power of allegory and the beauty of computer animation to foster a debate about the ownership, use, and exhaustion of our natural resources. (5 minutes)
THE MORE THINGS CHANGE: Short documentary surfing film, directed by Nathan Myers (USA). Located on the southern tip of Bali’s Bukit Peninsula, the fabulous reef-break known as Uluwatu was first revealed to the surfing world in the classic 1972 film “Morning of the Earth”. When Gerry Lopez first surfed Uluwatu, the fabled wave was pristine, magical and empty. After a week of surfing and yoga, Gerry tapped into a spirit of place that continues to endure. From surfing you learn to be in the moment spontaneously and to go with the flow smoothly.” Film production sponsored by Patagonia.com (27 minutes)
THE SALT MAN: Short narrative film, directed by Seyed Sajad Moosavi (Iran). A genius artist, is obliged to work in a salt mine with his six-year-old daughter … The story begins when he receives award statuettes from various festivals, displaying his creativity, despite many existing limitations. Using a symbolic language, this artistic film presents new ideas, and inspires the audience to deeper contemplation. Family, children, daughter, genius, human rights, nature, and life, are the themes of this multi-award-winning film. In Farsi, with English subtitles. (18 minutes)
THE SEA AND THE FLYING FISH, Feature narrative film, directed by Mehrdad Ghaffarzadeh (Iran). Ehsan is an innocent young man who can neither hear nor speak, and is jailed at correctional camp. He communicates by painting beautiful artworks. During his imprisonment, he happens to discover that his father has sold his sister to pay for his debts. Ehsan determines to break out of the prison to rescue his sister, despite the terrible risks he knows he will encounter. In Farsi, English subtitles (78 minutes)
THE SHANGRI-LA CAFÉ: Short narrative film, directed by Lily Mariye (USA). The film is about a Japanese-American family who conceals their identity and reluctantly adopts discriminatory practices in order to operate a Chinese restaurant within the hostile cold war climate of Las Vegas in the late 1950s, and based on a true story. “A stirring evocation of a very personal place and time, ‘The Shangri-la Cafe’ serves up a tender, bittersweet childhood recollection of a not always glittering Las Vegas past.”
-Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter. (30 minutes)
THE SKY OVER BERLIN OF MY CHILDHOOD: Short narrative film, directed by Bakhtiyar Islamov & produced by Daria Korneeva (Kazakhstan). This is a film about lost children in a strange place. Three boys jump from zone to zone using a mystical teleportation box. “The Sky Over Berlin of My Childhood” is a surrealistic metaphor of the lost generation born in the post-Soviet. The images of the film are memories by the young people who passed through the collapse of the empire. In Russian, with English subtitles. (10 minutes)
THE SUPPORT GROUP: Short narrative film, directed by Begonia Randhav (Sweden). Five young women sit in a room, waiting for their therapist to start today’s session. They all come from different worlds and would most likely never be in the same room with the women next to them. But they all have one common denominator, which creates a bond between them. The support group is a film about sisterhood and surviving our contemporary rape culture – US Premiere. (15 minutes)
THE WAY HOME: Short narrative film, directed by Begonia Randhav (Sweden). After escaping the war in their home country where the circumstances still are life-threatening, Sabah and a part of her family ends up at the hospital in Sweden. And as if that wasn’t enough, Sabah is informed that their application for asylum in Sweden has been rejected. Slowly her entire world comes crashing down and the time is running out. The police will soon escort Sabah and her family to the airport for deportation. She has to make a choice. Stay with her family and return to the war or escape on her own and live as an undocumented migrant in a foreign country. (13 minutes)
THE WINDFISHERMAN Short narrative film, directed by Anna McRoberts, (USA). The Windfisherman lives in the windiest little town in the world, where he “fishes” for things that have blown away, and returns them to their rightful owners. His father, grandfather, great-grandfather & even great-great grandfather before him were all the town’s Windfishermen, but even though it is in his blood, it’s not in his heart, at least not until he learns one of life’s most valuable lessons, in this beautifully-filmed allegorical tale. (12 minutes)
TOMORROW EVER AFTER: Feature narrative film, directed by Ela Their (USA). Shaina is a historian who lives 600 years in the future. War, poverty, pollution, greed, depression, loneliness: these are things that she’s read about in history books. When a physics experiment goes awry, Shaina accidentally time-travels to the year 2015. Naturally, she assumes that everyone around her is honest, generous and caring, as she tries to recruit the help that she needs to get back home. While most futuristic films depict a dystopian society that is even colder and more inhuman than our own, this film explores the possibility of a future in which caring and compassion have triumphed. What if the future of humanity and the planet turns out exactly as we would want it to be? You can view the trailer at – http://TomorrowEverAfterMovie.
UNIT 731, Feature documentary film, directed by Chris Nebe (USA). This film covers the aggressive war waged by Imperial Japan against China, in an effort to conquer the entire world, with Nazi Germany. Before and during WWII, Japan conducted some of the most gruesome experiments to ever have been performed on living humans. Most of the victims were Russian and Chinese. The United States did not pursue war crimes prosecution, in exchange for the data collected from the experiments. This shocking injustice has contributed to the frustrations between China and Japan that continue to play out today in international politics. Donald Miller of San Bernardino Public TV commented: “Absorbing, powerful, haunting, insightful, historic, well done…. I couldn’t stop watching…” (60 minutes)
VICTORIANA: Short narrative film, directed by Elizabeth Giorgi (USA). Victoriana explores the dynamics of a couple on the brink of ending it. Is it better to say nothing? Or to fight for everything? Or will they be brave enough to let it all go so they can move forward without each other? When there is nothing left to fight about in a relationship, will you be silent? Or will you be brave enough to let go? (5 minutes)
WINNER: Short narrative film, directed by Timothy Gaer (USA). Love is (not) a competition, but two very unlikely Los Angelinos manage to find love. (12 minutes)
WINTRY SPRING: Short narrative film, directed by Mohamed Kamel (Egypt). Nour, a schoolgirl who lives alone with her father, goes through a crisis when she suddenly becomes a woman, and cannot tell her father. (16 minutes)