2017 SCHEDULE
Saturday, Nov 4th
I Said Yes to the Vagina Monologues
Director: Ilse Tempelaar, France, 51 min
One night, actors who perform Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues find their lives transformed. After participating in the experience, they confide in their director Geneviève Robin intimate details of their lives and sexuality.
Runtime 1:19:28
Director: Valérie Leroy, France, 16 min
She’s a former swimming champion who has to give residents swimming lessons—this time, without a swimming pool.
Director: Patience 'Ovo Okhuofu, United States/Nigeria, 19 min
When the Warriors of Benin refuse to fight against their enemies because of the perceived misdeed of their king, Oba Esigie, the patriotic Queen Idia takes up arms to preserve the throne of the Great Benin Kingdom.
Director: Meaghan Horner, United State, 5 min
A young raccoon's dreams of stardom are dashed again and again as he searches for an appreciative audience.
Director: Jennifer Perrott, Australia, 23 min
When young Ruby's father returns unexpectedly from war, his volatile state makes it difficult for the family to reconnect. Ruby's anxieties are projected onto a pair of ravens, vigilantly defending their nearby nest, who becomes a catalyst for the troubled family's journey from crisis to healing.
Director: Diana Kaluza, United States, 8 min
Edward Woolf invites his closest friend over for a special occasion that he’s arranged. When she rejects his proposal, fierce negotiations ensure in which each struggles to gain control over their existential crisis.
Writer: Jasmine Navy, United States, 8 min
Director: George Reese
Dr. Pine has an appointment with the city's most notorious villain.
Runtime 1:22:58
Dare to Dream: Cuba's Latin American Medical School
Director: Jennifer Wager, Cuba/United States, 30 min
The largest medical school in the world, Cuba’s Latin American Medical School has trained nearly 30,000 doctors since 1999, including some from the United States. Follow the amazing, inspirational adventure of US doctors trained in Cuba as they return home to serve communities struggling with a health crisis.
Director: Molly Stuart, United States/Israel, 16 min
As a 19-year-old Israeli woman, Atalya is required to enlist in the armed forces. But having witnessed military rule in occupied Palestinian territories, a reality that most other young Israelis have never experienced, she instead becomes a conscientious objector.
Director: Sarah Gampel, Sweden/Israel,/Palestine, State of, 14 min
Invited to screen her film in Israel as part of a film festival bus trip, Sarah hopes for political discussions and friendship. However, when the conversation stops whenever she mentions the occupation of Palestine, she talks to her dead father over a noisy phone line instead.
Writer: Tayrece Wise/Franshay Lopez/Shawntel Smitherman, United States, 11 min
Director: John Psthas
Written, produced, and shot by four African–American high-school girls living in Chicago’s public housing, this short documentary of interconnected vignettes explores the impact of violence on young women through their eyes and in their words.
Directed: Elke Margarete Lehrenkrauss, Germany/Israel, 12 min
A young albino woman, Nadine is caught in a body whose skin—a thin, vulnerable membrane—cannot protect her from the outside world, in which her worst enemy is the sun. Despite having only 8% of normal human vision and suffering from nystagmus, a condition that makes her eyes flicker constantly—“With those eyes, you’ll never thrill anyone” she often hears—Nadine dreams of becoming an actress and thus whomever she wants on stage. This audiovisual journey through Nadine’s experience, in which dreams and reality merge like a summer night’s dream, lets you live her everyday life and fight alongside her for acceptance through art and for the love of a certain young man.
VICE Media's Broadly: Youth Interrupted
Writer: Diana Tourjee, United States,
"Youth, Interrupted" is a series from VICE's women's interest site, Broadly, on trans teens in the United States whose lives have been dramatically disrupted by anti-trans "bathroom bills" and other political battles. Host Diana Tourjee, a trans woman and Broadly writer, profiles three different kids from across the country, including Gavin Grimm, the Virginia high school student whose legal battle for civil rights was poised to go to the Supreme Court before the Trump Administration rescinded Obama-era guidelines protecting trans youth. Diana also meets with Trinity, a thirteen-year-old transgender girl, whose parents chose homeschooling in the face of anti-transgender bathroom laws at school and Vinnie, a fourteen-year-old transgender boy whose North Carolina school has refused to change their policy on transgender students and bathroom use.
Director: Whitney Butler, United States, 7 min
The story of a wrong turn that forever changed the life of a young girl and her journey out of the darkness to empowerment.
Director: Michèle Evouna, French, 15 min
Go under the skin of two women in jail and witness the crudeness, mental escape, dehumanization, and solidarity. Is there a worse prison than one’s own inner prison?
Director: Marina Bruno, United States, 7 min
A mentally ill patient violently resists getting any help from his therapist.
Director: Sydney Waltz, United States, 10 min
“In A Warm, Dark Place” is a psychological drama about a mother and her relationship with her newborn son. With the incessant crying of her child and lack of support from her husband, Clarissa is finding that motherhood is not as satisfying as she had hoped. When her newborn son goes missing, Clarissa blames herself.
Director: Vered Rodriguez, United States, 30 min
When Hailee, a brilliant physics student working towards her Ph.D. crosses paths with Troy, a charismatic music producer who lives the party life, their worlds crash. As things heat up between them, Hailee learns that in real life - just like in physics - opposites can attract in powerful ways.
Director: Monica Moore-Suriyage, United States, 13 min
Meryl has been crushing on Davey for a while now, so when her roommate Leah tells her to go for it, she musters up the courage to tell him how she feels at their party. When the zombie apocalypse breaks out in the middle of the party what seems like a disaster could actually work in Meryl's favor — if she survives that is.
Director: Stephanie Neroes, United States, 12 min
The day before Amy leaves for college, her parents prepare a going away dinner. Invited are Amy's best friend, Kaitline, and her boyfriend, Thomas. As the day of emotions comes to an end and her departure time grows nearer, Amy is left with a couple of surprises from both Kaitline and Thomas.
Director: Campbell X United Kingdom, 60 min
“Different for Girls” is a groundbreaking, sexy LGBTQ 5-part drama web series Enter a world where love, sex, and suspense meet betrayal, cruelty, and heartbreak.
Director: Helena Hufnagel, Germany, 01:24:38
Tells the story of Isi (27) stuck in a quarter-life- crises. With a graphic diploma in one hand and a drink in the other Isi is stuck in a strange place, in between university and real life.
Opening Night Mixer
Co- hosted by Cinematcher
Opening Night Mixer includes two hour open bar and light snacks.
Come mingle with filmmakers and film lovers at New Women Space, Brooklyn NY
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Vintage
Director: Patrice Francois, USA, 8 min
A young artist's summer romance comes to an unexpected end
Sunday, Nov 5th
Runtime 1:04:25
Director: Kasha Sequoia Slavner, Canada, 1:04:25
On her 16th birthday, teenage filmmaker and social justice advocate Kasha Sequoia Slavner sets out for six months on a journey around the world in search of stories of hope and resilience that shine a light on what it means to be a global citizen and how we can all make a difference
Director: Abigail Lamb, United Kingdom, 6 min
In the vastness of space, hope can be as simple as a melody; and for Lute, it’s something worth remembering.
Director: Erika Santosuosso & Jessica Afton, United States, 8 min
Amidst a tumultuous political climate, a couple fights to find the beauty in the face of an indefinite separation
Director: Nikhat Powell, United States/India, 28 min
Rishi, a young Indian taxi driver, struggles to make payments on his sole means of income: his taxi. Under the threat of repossession, he finds his daughter falling prey to an unknown illness that could take her life. When his taxi is repossessed and his wife is ready to leave him, Rishi must make choices that will affect his future and the life of his daughter.
Director: Geneviève Delouche, France, 15 min
Late for work, Julie, 35, gets harassed in the street by Karim, 25. Finally arrived in the company she works for, Julie discovers that the candidate with whom she must hold a job interview is none other than Karim. Determined to take revenge, she will show him what unnatural selection is...
Director: Elizabeth Ayiku, United States, 5 min
A young woman with childhood trauma takes a compassionate journey in order to heal herself.
Director: Manfred López Grem, Mexico, 3 min
A young woman on the run becomes trapped in an alternate reality where she’s doomed to suffer 100,000 times the same death
Director: Nilima Abrams/Ganga Boya/Aliveli BoyaMaheswari Boya/Saritha Pobhati/Nilima Abrams, India, 25 min
A nuanced view into the lives of roadside tent dwellers in India, filmed by their teenage children. An unflinching yet gentle exploration of the interplay between external oppression, internalized self-defeat and hope, highlighting the innate worth of all people.
Director: Emilia Stålhammar, Veronica Pålsson, & Elsa Lövdin, Sweden/Uganda, 15 min
Traveling the streets of Kampala is an energy-consuming dilemma of navigating chaotic traffic, endless queues, pollution, and motorcyclists and cars from every angle which is an energy-consuming dilemma.
Director: Sharifah Fadhilah Alshahab, United Kingdom/Philippines, 12 min
When you are raped, life as you know it shatters. When your rapist is a family member, the betrayal is heartbreaking. That is Carmen Raga’s reality.
Director: Jessica P. Jackson, United States, 11 min
Lack of knowledge has linked Wicca directly to old-school witchcraft and Hollywood has painted witches as gruesome. Our film shows nothing but the truth behind the Wicca religion and their peaceful methods. Through our expert interviews of a long-time Wiccan, a beginner Wiccan, as well as a researcher of Wicca, our film shares their experiences and informs our audiences of how the religion works.
Coming Out of the Shadows - Albinism in Fiji
Directed: Christine Nestel, Australia/Fiji 18 min
Fiji has one of the highest rates of albinos in the world - 1 in 700 of the indigenous population. Yet, until now, the huge challenges they faced in Fiji remained largely hidden. Finally - in this first film to document Fijian albinism - families are coming out of the shadows to tell their stories.
Directed: Mary Zournazi, Australia, 58 min
Dogs of Democracy is a documentary about the stray dogs of Athens and the people who take care of them. Filmmaker Mary Zournazi explores life on the streets through the eyes of the dogs and peoples' everyday experience.
Director: Nora Jaenicke, United States, 20 min
"Between Seconds" is the story of two musicians who have grown out of sync with their music and ultimately themselves. Adrian, a classically trained pianist, loses the ability to play in sync with his music when thoughts of his ex-girlfriend flood his mind. Alicia, a struggling opera singer, loses her ability to sing in sync when she realizes she can't really grasp her dreams. Both the musicians discover mysterious red envelopes which lead them inside of their clocks and into a surreal clock world. Here they must figure out how to synchronize themselves or they risk never being able to play their music again.
Director: Laurie Berenhaus, United States, 4 min
What happens when you look up? Take a leap and find where the lines between our everyday lives and the fantastical take flight. In mac/glidden’s psychedelic, awe-inspiring, and dance-filled music video “Mountains,” explore a new world that will leave you wanting more.
Director: Anna Haas, United States, 5 min
Singer/Songwriter Katie Garibaldi’s “Delightful” music video celebrates self-empowerment and independence and considers that happiness is a choice.
Director: Isabel Hickok, United States, 11 min
“Bloom,” whose literal Chinese translation is ‘flower open,’ explores the story of Rose, an Asian–American woman who struggles to find self-acceptance in a society whose white beauty standards work against her.
Director: Genevieve Bourassa, Canada, 6 min
Expecting a baby and unable to decide on a name, Sarah-Moon and Kim Kim reach out for help. But their neighbors are far weirder than they ever expected.
Director: Alicia Rose, Australia, 6:30 min
Alex and Marcus were destined to meet, just not in the way that they had intended.
Director: Margaret Katch, United States, 22 min
Character anthology web series set in an abortion clinic. It's a comedy! Based on real interviews, created by women, shot by women, with an all-woman crew.
Writer: Kincaid Walker, United States, 50 min
Director: Jason Eksuzian
Post-divorce and seriously broke, Gwen moves to LA and takes a reluctant deep-dive into the odd, hilarious subculture of professional snuggling
Director: Mischa Marcus, United States, 1:43:21
I Am Still Here, is the story of 10-year old Layla, who was stolen from her family and thrown into America’s child sex industry. Stories of courage drawn from interviews with trafficking survivors are the foundation for the fictionalized account of Layla’s journey as she confronts the monsters of her past and embraces the hope of her future.
Award Ceremony
Award Ceremony includes one hour open bar and light snacks.
Come mingle with filmmakers and film lovers and celebrate women filmmakers and storytellers.
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