2019
FILMS

The Chef
Hao Zheng

"In the near future, when all labor works are replaced by humanoids, a Chinese chef, Pu (60s) is ordered to pass on his cooking skill to a humanoid robot William and to teach him Chinese cooking. Designed to satisfy his owner, William tries to follow Pu’s every instruction, but his robotic demand for precision and perfection is essentially contradictory to Chinese cooking. At the same time, the protests against AI replacing the human labor are more and more intense. Qiang, Pu’s apprentice is also one of the protestors. Since Qiang disappoints Pu time and time again in cooking, Pu starts to get closer with William, which pushes him to the opposite of human beings. Pu becomes at a loss in this dilemma."

The Grey Zone
Brian Gersten

"The Grey Zone" documents the last land dispute between the US and Canada, which is a 20-acre island in the Gulf of Maine. 277 square-miles of ocean surrounding the island is also disputed, and lobster fishermen from Maine and Canada compete over this precious fishing ground also known as "The Grey Zone". Through interviews with lobstermen, government officials, and international affairs experts - as well as cinematic observational sequences and archival footage - the film sheds light on the complexities and absurdities that revolve around unresolved border conflicts, and encourages audiences to reflect upon our incessant preoccupation with borders.

The Hunt
Jean-Pierre Dupuy

One day in November 1973, a father takes his eight-year-old son hunting for the first time.

The Mission of the Church of Safe Injection
Marshall Crook

"In the state of Maine, the ongoing opioid crisis kills around one person per day. The endless death and disease led to the formation of a loose network of health activists. They call themselves the Church of Safe Injection, and they’re preaching the gospel of harm reduction.
It all started when a local public health advocate named Jesse Harvey opened an illegal needle exchange out of the trunk of his car. Jesse's harm reduction philosophy argues that since people will use drugs anyway, society has a responsibility to make sure they use safely. He created the Church of Safe Injection as a way to rally his community to provide support to drug users.
So, on a frigid night in Lewiston, Maine, church volunteer Kandice Child drives around and illegally distributes fresh needles and the anti-overdose drug, Naloxone. Kandice knows she can’t stop drug use but by providing clean needles and support she hopes she can help an ostracized community and maybe save some lives along the way."

Under Review: Gold Butte
Kelly Todd

"Under Review is an environmental dance film series that will be shot at various American national monuments in 2018. By drawing attention to public lands that are under review by President Trump, the series aims to increase public awareness of the threatened lands and promote protection of our nation’s disappearing wild lands. On December 4, 2017, the President drastically reduced the size of two national monuments in Utah to allow for oil and gas development: Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. This reduction puts 25 other national monuments and 40 national parks at risk for oil and gas extraction, mining, logging and commercial development, destroying the already limited untouched wildlife and nature in this country.
Under Review: Gold Butte, takes place in Gold Butte National Monument outside of Mesquite, Nevada. The story uses mythology from the Paiute tribe to convey the dichotomy between governmental corruption and the earth’s natural purity. Gold Butte’s choreography explores three underlying schematics for movement - geological events, Paiute folklore of the wolf and coyote, and the oscillating dynamics of a symbiotic relationship."

VENTAJA
Kristian McKay

Mondo (Jose Andrade) saves his worst enemies life unknowingly, but it is enough for Camilo (Michels Skwierinski) to abandon his plan for revenge as a game of chance, risk and waiting begins.

When the Music Changes
Joseph Lambert

When the Music Changes follows two college students, Peter (Junior) and Kemi (Freshman), as they explore more about themselves. For Peter, this means challenging the future his successful parents have laid out for him, and for Kemi, this means diving into her heritage and understanding who she truly is. This short film was created for people to relate to if they've ever experienced a "what if" moment in their life, whether it be with their job path, family, or just their future in general.

Where There Is Darkness
Sean Bloomfield, Cimela Kidonakis

Having devoted his life to helping the less fortunate, Fr. Rene Robert was regarded as a ""living saint"" in the tight-knit community of St. Augustine, Florida.
But when Fr. Rene began helping ex-convicts get their lives together after prison, the people closest to him worried that he was putting his life at risk—especially the local sheriff, David Shoar, one of Fr. Rene’s longtime friends.
So, in April, 2016, when Fr. Rene failed to show up at a church service, Sheriff Shoar immediately put his best detectives on the case and local residents joined in searching for the beloved priest. It quickly became apparent, however, that Fr. Rene was not just missing—someone had taken him against his will.
True crime documentary WHERE THERE IS DARKNESS follows the nationwide search for Fr. Rene, which resulted in a series of shocking revelations and the discovery of a 20-year-old letter in which Fr. Rene seemed to foretell his own fate.

White on Black
Sophia Noel, Deacon Stone

Stuck between two worlds of good and evil, "Asher" finds himself in a messy loop of deal making and retreats to "Lola", a ditsy sin consultant to help cover up his evident wrong doings. The more he tries to keep up with this deviant pattern, the more involved he becomes in the vicious cycle.

With the Tide
Keith Hodder

A grieving man seeks solace and solitude in the confines of a mysterious home.

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