Opening Night Shorts
6pm Friday September 18, 2015
All film screenings will take place at the Edmond Town Hall Theater located at 45 Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470. All screenings are completely free and open to the public, we hope to see you there!
We’re opening the festival with a variety of animated and live action shorts from around the world! This program begins with a documentary with the powerful message for gender inclusiveness. Also included are an exploration of dreams, the misadventures of an island romance, a doll and her curious animal friends, and a meditation on lightness and darkness. Finally, we’ll join a young girl on her weird and wondrous animated journey into the future in Don Hertzfeldt’s World of Tomorrow. 63 mins
Appropriate for all ages.
Appropriate for all ages.
|
A Place in the Middle
A PLACE IN
THE MIDDLE is the true story of a young girl in Hawaiʻi who dreams of
leading the boys-only hula group at her school, and a teacher who
empowers her through traditional culture. This kid-friendly educational
film is a great way to get students thinking and talking about the
values of diversity and inclusion, the power of knowing your heritage,
and how to create a school climate of aloha – from their own point of
view!
Runtime: 25 minutes Language: English, Hawaiian Story creator: Kumu Hina Wong-Kalu Produced and directed by: Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson Editor: Nels Bangerter Animation: Jared Greenleaf and Jed Henry Original score: Makana |
About the Filmmakers
|
Dean Hamer (Co-Producer/Director) is an educator, scientist emeritus at the National Institutes of Health, New York Times Book of the Year author, and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker with a long history in communicating complex and controversial ideas to diverse publics. He formed Qwaves with his spouse Joe Wilson to make documentaries that emanate from the voices of those on the outside, that inspire creativity, that incite us to abandon our comfortable role as spectators and compel us to question and to act. Their work, which has been supported by Sundance, PBS, Pacific Islanders in Communications and the Ford Foundation, has won awards at film festivals around the world and used by a wide range of schools and community organizations. In addition to his film work, Hamer is the author of several best selling nonfiction books, a consultant for BBC and Discovery ,and a sought-after lecturer and guest on TV documentaries and news shows including Nightline and Oprah. In 2011, Dean and Joe moved to the north shore of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i to begin work on a series of films about Pacific Islander voices, history and culture.
Joe Wilson (Co-Producer/Director) got involved in documentary filmmaking following a career in international development and human rights. Frustrated by the limitations of traditional organizing and advocacy, he picked up a camera with hopes of reaching broader audiences with stories that would inform and compel people to act. His short films with spouse Dean Hamer were part of the pioneering days of citizen-generated content on the Internet and cable television, and have been used as advocacy tools by a wide range of educational groups. In 2004, Wilson returned to his hometown of Oil City, Pennsylvania, to produce and direct the Emmy Award-winning documentary OUT IN THE SILENCE, which premiered at Human Rights Watch International Film Festival to great critical acclaim. Through national PBS broadcast and more than 1,000 grassroots screenings across America, this film has become part of a national movement to open dialogue, counter school bullying, and support equality for all in small towns and rural communities. Joe and Dean live in Hawai‘i where they are working on films about Hawaiian culture and the lessons it holds for contemporary society. |
|
About the Filmmaker
Kevin is a 2015 graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design and majored in Computer Animation. He enjoys animating, songwriting, and voice acting, and hopes to one day create his own animated television series.
|
Ahola Hohe
Today is the day Hohe becomes a true member of the Tiki Tribe and can finally be with Alana, the tiki girl of his dreams. The village crowns Hohe as the new "Mohai" and celebrates in song, carrying him to the top of a volcano. However, they then inform him that his role as “Mohai” is to be a sacrifice to the volcano gods. Now, Hohe must decide if he will sacrifice himself or flee and doom everyone in the tribe, including his one true love.
Runtime: 2:22 mins
Language: English Directors Kevin Temmer Writers Kevin Temmer Key Cast Kevin Temmer Hohe / Chief Tiki / Alana / Background Tikis / Volcano Georden Whitman Pineapple Tiki 
|
|
DériveEAST COAST PREMIERE
A teenage girl finds herself dreamless and bored in the middle of the night. Unsatisfied with this, her dream self decides to go exploring the dreams of her family. She drifts through the walls of her house, jumping into these dreams of different animation mediums, which she fill her with color, experiences, and adventure.
Runtime: 5:57 mins
Directors: Cassandra DenDanto, Carly Davidson Producers: Cassandra DenDanto, Carly Davidson, Olivia Burgher Dream Animators: Connor Field, Patrick Sullivan, Megan Hooley, Ally Ditzig, Liza Freidman Lead Animators: Cassandra DenDanto, Carly Davidson Post Production: Olivia Burgher, Chris Thomas, Megan Hooley, Eric Bass |
About the Filmmaker
Cassandra DenDanto (Executive Producer/Director/Lead Animator) is a recent graduate of Ithaca College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Cinema Production. She has had a full four years of cinema and television production experience, including working on dozens of student films, directing photography for ICTV’s first musical show, Staged, and traveling to/interning for productions in New York, London, and Los Angeles. Her internship experiences include positions at documentary company Seftel Productions, animation studio Rohan Wadham Creative, NBC Sports for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures’ The Queen Latifah Show and CBS’s The Big Bang Theory. She has also produced film festival selected short film, Isabella’s and two short animated films, Solar Sauté and Desk Dreams. Cassandra is created this thesis film as a way to combine many of her experiences and acquired skills into one project. The piece represents her love for cut paper animation, photography, studio shot productions, and dreaming big. The mixed-media aspect reflects Cassandra’s many interests in the world of media production. Cassandra currently resides in Los Angeles where she works as the stage production assistant for season 9 of CBS's the Big Bang Theory.
|
Winter's Light
US PREMIERE
The Light of the fading sun slowly disapates to reveal the night. A light creates the form of a small man, as he begins to explore the world around him other lights start to appear. The lights of winter have returned to discover a deserted town in the middle of the night as they celebrate and play throughout the city, transforming into animals of all sorts. As the sun appears on the horizon the
lights fade to return to another land tired from a night of playing. Runtime: 1:50 mins
Cameron Pappas – Director Aaron Murdoch – Producer John Bortolazzo – Lead Animator Rob Moss - Music |
About the Filmmaker
|
Hey Everyone, my name is Cameron Pappas and im the director of Winter's Light. I currently live in Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia but am originally from Sydney, i moved to be able to attend Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga for their Amazing Bachelor of Arts (Animation and Visual Effects) degree of which i graduated at the end of 2014. Winter's Light is one of the Graduation Animation
pieces that i worked on throughout the year with two of my classmates Aaron Murdoch and John Bortolazzo. It took us a total of 9 intense weeks to create the film where we were out every night in temperatures around 3-10 degrees celsius. I am also currently in the middle of a Second degree at CSU; a Bachelor of Creative Arts and Design (Graphic Design) and will be graduating a second time in 2016. i am looking forward to making more animations and getting into the industry as quick as i can. |
|
|
PAWOPAWO (Tibetan for »being brave«) is the magical adventure of a little toy figure, who finds herself in a curious world. Thanks to some strange companions, she gradually becomes aware of her strength and skills …
Runtime: 7:38 mins
Directors Antje Heyn Writers Antje Heyn Producers Antje Heyn Key Cast Alexander Isert Animation Caroline Hamann Animation Johanna Hochholzer Clean Up Peer Kleinschmidt Music Peter Sandmann Foley Art Steve Klingelhöfer Sound Editing Robert Jäger Re-Recording Charles Rettinghaus Voices Norman Matt Voices Sarah Riedel Voices Sven Hasper Voices |
About the Filmmaker
|
Antje Heyn is a Berlin based animation director and illustrator. Besides setting her heart on creating characters and bringing them to life she teaches animation at art academys and is running the Protoplanet Studio.
|
|
About the Filmmakers
Babak DOB: Sept 1978. BA in Graphics - 2003 - University of Tehran. Lecturer in Animation Film Making - 2004 to present - University of Tehran and Tehran University of Art. Director and Animator, Co-founder and CEO of Gonbad Caboud Studio.
Behnoud DOB: Feb 1982. BA in Graphics - 2003 - University of Tehran. Lecturer in Animation Film Making - 2008 to present Director and Animator. Co-founder and CEO of Gonbad Caboud Studio. |
StripyAll the workers in a factory have been instructed to paint stripes on the boxes. The work is getting done in the usual mundane way, until one of the workers decides to paint the boxes differently.
Runtime: 3:33 Directors Babak Nekooei Behnoud Nekooei Writers Babak Nekooei Behnoud Nekooei Producers Babak Nekooei Behnoud Nekooei Abolfazl Hezaveh Key Cast Ehsan Ansari Hessam Javaheri Mahnaz Solymannejad AmirAli Ashouri Pegah Arabi Maryam Riyazi Omid Tohidi |
|
World of Tomorrow
WINNER: GRAND JURY PRIZE FOR SHORT FILM 2015 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
A little girl is taken on a mindbending tour of her distant future.
Runtime: 17:00 mins
VOICE CAST Julia Pott ..........................................................................................................Emily Winona Mae .....................................................................................................Emily Prime |
About the Filmmaker
Don Hertzfeldt is an Oscar nominated American independent filmmaker whose animated films include It's Such a Beautiful Day, The Meaning of Life, Billy's Balloon, and Rejected. His work has played around the world, receiving over 200 awards, and recently appeared in a special guest appearance on The Simpsons. Seven of his films have screened in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, where he is the only filmmaker to have won the overall Grand Jury Prize for Short Film twice. His first feature film, It's Such a Beautiful Day, was named by several critics as one of the Top Ten Films of 2012. In 2014, Time Out New York named It's Such a Beautiful Day # 16 on their list of the "100 Best Animated Movies Ever Made." In 2014, Hertzfeldt wrote, directed, and animated a special two minute intro for the season premiere episode of The Simpsons. After creating animated films for nearly twenty years using traditional tools (pencil, paper, and 35mmbcameras), World of Tomorrow represents Hertzfeldt's first 100% digital production.
The voice cast stars English illustrator Julia Pott alongside Hertzfeldt's fouryearold niece, Winona. Winona's voice was quietly recorded while she and Hertzfeldt drew pictures together and talked about the world. From these raw sessions, Hertzfeldt took her candid reactions and partially rewrote the story (and Julia's lines) to create their characters' seamless conversations.
The voice cast stars English illustrator Julia Pott alongside Hertzfeldt's fouryearold niece, Winona. Winona's voice was quietly recorded while she and Hertzfeldt drew pictures together and talked about the world. From these raw sessions, Hertzfeldt took her candid reactions and partially rewrote the story (and Julia's lines) to create their characters' seamless conversations.
