2009 Official Selections

Long Island International Film Expo 2009
July 9-19 2009
Official Selections (Alphabetical order)

15-40 (Subtitled) (22m, Denmark, USA)
Set amidst the turmoil of World War II, 15-40 is the true story of Danish tennis player, Kai Hansen who, during the greatest match of his career, has to make the decision of his life. Student project.
Director: Christian Bagger. Producer: Doug Shaffer. Writers: William Schneider, Robert Ian Simpson

Abbie Cancelled (16m, USA)
The dinner was supposed to be for six, but when their mutual friends cancel at the last second Amanda and Amir are forced to play dinner party with reluctant hosts Karen and Grayson, who are clearly undergoing relationship issues. A hidden agenda of job groveling reveals itself as the night becomes anything but small talk. Inappropriate behavior amongst these true to life characters, some of which may involve a little bit of electricity, creates both laughable and emotional moments that lead to an unexpected ending. Premiere, Shot on location in Brooklyn which is technically a part of Long Island.
Director/Writer: Dumb Bunny (Jessica Burstein and Robbie Norris)
Producer: Bartow Church.

Act As If (17m, USA)
One woman’s secret to winning at life is to “act as if”, which transforms her from a feisty blue collar Boston kid into the championship basketball coach at Harvard where she masterminds one of the greatest victories of all time and overcomes cancer using the power of positive thinking. ACT AS IF is the story of Kathy Delaney-Smith, a diminutive jester-who-became-queen.
Director/Producer: Melissa Johnson (1st project)
Producer: Amanda Hughes. Writer: Melissa Johnson.

Against the Wind (10m, USA)
In the twilight of his life, Ned reflects on his past, his remaining years, and discovers how his role in life has changed. The winner of 10 awards and official selection of more than 30 film festivals worldwide, “Against the Wind” is a sentimental film that shows the old truly are young at heart and that universal emotions live within us all.
Writer/Director: Dan Masucci.

Alessandra (7m, USA)
An attractive woman seduces an unfaithful man in a nightclub. Her intentions aren’t what they seem. Contains sexual situations, so if that’s something for you, you might also want to Dive right in and stream free hdpornvideo xxx. It’s a student thesis film and also a premiere.
Director: Wioleta Kolano. Producer: Garrett Fennelly. Writers: Wioleta Kolano and Jeremy Pugliese.

Anytown (85m, USA)
Anytown, starring Matt O’Leary (‘Brick,’ ‘American Son’) revolves around a middle-American teenage boy whom is negatively affected by the proliferation of the media surrounding terrorism and the war in Iraq. As a result, he and his friends become involved in an isolated High School altercation that escalates into a hate crime against an East Indian classmate that shocks the entire nation. Contains profane language, violence, sexual situations and drug use. Content may be reminiscent of tubev.sex at times.Stars: Matt O’Leary (Brick, American Son), Marshall Allman (Prison Break), Paul BenVictor (The Wire, Entourage, True Romance).
Director: Dave Rodriguez (L.I. native).Producer(s): George Kostuch, Matt Keith and Dave Rodriguez. Writer(s): Zak Meyers and Dave Rodriguez.

Appointment with Death (8m, USA)
A Mafia hit-man is forced to face his own inner demons in the form of his next victim. Shot on Long Island in Valley Stream. Contains profane language and purported violence.
Produced by Sal Manzo, Victor Moreyra and Ben Fiore.
Director/Writer: Ben Fiore.

Art From the Streets (72m, USA)
Art From the Streets is an award-winning documentary about an extraordinary program for homeless artists. The volunteer-run program provides a space and supplies for homeless people to create art ending the year with a sale of the work. By following five of the artists over the course of a year, we experience their struggles to survive and how this program enriches everybody involved. New York premiere. Some adult language.
Producer/Director: Layton Blaylock (1st Feature)

Audio Guide (13m, USA)
A young woman leaves the Metropolitan Museum of Art and forgets to return her audio guide, only to discover its magical powers in her everyday world. First film.
Director: Caroline Lesley, Writers: Caroline Lesley, Jon Erlichman, Producers: David O’Connor, Caroline Lesley, Jon Erlichman.

Bathtub to happiness (Badewanne zum Glück), (26m, Germany)
Victor and Marie have never met before tonight. But several chaotic coincidences later they both find themselves in the same bathtub. Without any clothes on.
On top of all that, the bathtub they are sitting in starts to glow and hum in very un-bathtub-like ways. One can wonder if it will lead to more tips to Male Chastity, or to another end entirely… Sexual situations, nudity, subtitles. Director/Producer: Melissa Johnson (1st project)Producer: Amanda Hughes. Writer: Melissa Johnson.

Beneath The Sheets (8 m, USA)
Roy Offerman, a virgin, falls in love for the first time. Friendships are tested. Love is questioned. What happens when everything isn’t as it seems? Shot in Dix Hills and Levittown, NY. Profane language and some adult situations.
Written/Directed by Ryan O’Leary. Produced by Matt Rosenberg. 1st film/student film.

Big Sur (30m, Switzerland)
Two strangers, one van, and a mysterious mission to the cliffs of Big Sur… American Premiere .
Directors/Writers: Pierre-Adrian Irle & Valentin Rotelli.
Producer: Pierre-Adriann Irle.

Bohemibot (25m, USA)
A great cyborg harpist, forced to serve as a pilot in the last war on his planet, struggles to overcome a debilitating injury and the loss of his family. His encounter with a young enemy captive reveals that even the din of war can never silence the voice of the heart. Student project. Director/Writer: Brendan Bellomo.
Assistant Director: Emilie Deschamps. Producer: Victor Bellomo.

Bridge the Gap: Tanzania (18m, Africa)
Join 22 year-old Chris Bashinelli as he travels to the poorest countries on Earth to find ways to help. Through interviews with leading experts, viewers are educated about the situation abroad. The excitement happens when a young man from Brooklyn is thrown into the world of rural Africa! Subtitles in English and Swahili.
This is Chris Bashinelli’s first film as a director.

The Broken Heart of Gnocchi Bolognese (18m, USA)
The pursuit of romance leads Gnocchi Bolognese down a tragicomic road to the origins of her unusual name. Student project.
Director/Writer: Katherine Vondy.
Producer: William Kwok, Samantha Niemoeller.

The Broken Treehouse (15m, USA)
A Young Woman’s struggle to gain control of her life, after she finds out about an unexpected pregnancy. Student project.
Director/Producer/Writer: Joseph Cassaro (1rst project)

Bronx Paradise (100m, USA)
Wayne, a small time hood, is an exercise in dichotomy: a brutal, bigoted, misogynist with an African-American wife and children at home he loves. At times the film seems to step into satire, and it often makes strong, bold, memorable stylistic choices. Profane language, violence, sexual situations, nudity, drug use. Starring: Arthur Nascarella, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Wayne Gurman. Director: William Lappe. Producer: Wayne Gurman, James McSherry. Writer: Wayne Gurman.

Caged (14m, USA)
‘Caged” is a self-referential documentary that defines autism through the microcosm of the family. This is a portrait of 19 year-old Victor and his family as they define their relationships with him and the effect of Victor’s disability on their lives. Student project.
Director/Producer/Executive Producer: Anthony Padronaggio (1st feature/project)

Capes (14m, USA)
Animation. A young man plummets from the height of future civilization to the depths of primal Hell. In his quest for salvation, he ultimately finds peace and camaraderie in death.
Writer/Director/Producer of Animation: Bryan Cohen.

Cardinal Sins (13m, USA) `
Norma Shaw, a sweet, little old Grandmother is PETA person of the year for her work with endangered ducks. However, when Norma discovers that a cardinal is pecking at her bedroom window; morning, noon and night… it’s war! Norma tests her beliefs and values trying everything she can think of to free herself of the tenacious, little red bird..
Director: Ade Richardson, David Graziani (co-directors). Executive Producer/Writer: David Graziani (1st Project). Produced by David Graziani, Ade Richardson.

Carpe Diem (9m, Ireland)
A meek & mild-mannered clerk gets mysterious and disquieting notes that force him to re-evaluate his entire existence. A visit to the Manager’s office -far from clearing things up -leads to a crushing climax.
Director: Michael Corish. Producer: Stephen Don. Writer: Stephen Don. Lead Actor: Stephen Don

The Cave: An Adaptation of Plato’s Allegory in Clay (3m, USA)
An adaptation of Plato’s, ‘Allegory of the Cave’ animated in clay.
Producer: Timonthy Schultz.
Director/Producer/Writer: Michael Ramsey
Production Assistant: Meaghan Lamond.

Change We Need (4m, USA)
‘Change We Need” is a short film inspired by the historic 2008 elections. In this world where there is so much change – are we truly seeing the Change We Need? This thought provoking and poignant piece explores those questions and sheds light and hope on society.
Director/Producer: Danielle Eisman. Producer: Joelle Soresen. Executive Producer: Lori Miller. Writer: Tracy Andreen.

Christopher Dispossessed (15m, USA)
He’s too late to stop the wedding, but not too late to stop the marriage. Student project.
Executive Producer/Writer: Amy J. Higgins. Director/Producer: Matthew Watts.
2nd Assistant Director: Chad Beauvry. Co-producer: Amy Gossels, Iris Jyoung

Cigarettes and Fresh Air (20m, USA)
Charlie lives in a poorly functioning assisted living facility and attends group therapy with eight other residents of the home. One day, he reveals to the group and to the young therapist what it is that he wants: to die. Contains mild profane language. Student project.
Director/Writer/Producer: Brian McDermott.

Cold Turkey (18m, USA)
Stanley must sober up or face hard time. The trouble is, he doesn’t believe he has a problem. When court ordered AA meetings fail to do the trick, Stanley receives some… special attention. Enter Harvey Gunn, a sobriety specialist who is about to take Stanley for the ride of his life in a harrowing 12 step struggle for survival. Contains violence, language and implied sexual situations.
Writer: Kyle Spleiss. Director: Kyle Spleiss. Producers: Stephen Berke, Kyle Spleiss, Jason Porter.

The Confessional (14m, USA)
John Darcy wants his life to be normal, but after one incident, his life is changed forever. John goes to confession to confess. Knowing that what is said in Confession must stay in Confession. Making the life of Father Xavier more complicated then it should be.
Director (1st project)/Producer/writer: Christopher Gazzo.
Producer: Drew McCoy, Joseph Berlangero

Cost of Living (15m, USA)
Sunday, July 12
4:30 pm Film Block
A cautionary comedy about life after global warming starring veteran comic Jim J. Bullock, Molly Hagan, Terry Ray & Greg Mullavey.
Director/Producer/Writer: Larry LaFond. Co-Producer: John Dodt. Producer/Writer: Terry Ray.
Assistant Director: Amanda Bliss Taylor.

Crescendo (14m, France) (Subtitled)
Steph, a young mother, lives in precarious conditions with JB, her abusive boyfriend.
How will she get out of this nightmare drifting her towards violence? Violence, sexual situation, language.
Director/Producer: Pierre Terrade (1st film); Producer Didier Woldemard (1st film).

Crimson Mask 85m, USA)
Two desperate men, from different worlds, find themselves unwitting pawns in an ancient ritual. Greed, Lust, Pride, Anger, and Envy have consumed the lives of Thomas Caine, a seemingly wealthy businessman, and Parker, a down on his luck pro wrestler. Both are overwhelmed with insurmountable debts and struggling to break free by any means. As their lives quickly unravel, so does an age-old secret conspiracy that leads the two men down a deadly path of redemption. 1st Feature Film , Violence, Adult Language
Starring: Robert Clohessy, Josh Burrow, Chrishell Stause ( star of ABC’s All My Children). Writer, Director: Elias Plagianos. Produced by: The Bros Plagianos.

The Curse of Micah Rood (35m, USA)
Based on an old legend from Norwich, Connecticut… Micah Rood, cherishes his privacy and his precious apple orchard. When a wily peddler stays the night, Rood accuses him of stealing his apples, and commits a violent deed that soon taints the fruit of his orchard with the blood of guilt. Mild language. Stars: Ron Palillo ( Horshack from 70’s TV show “Welcome back Kotter”).
Alec Asten – Director (1st project). Nick Checker – Screenwriter / Producer. Eric Toriello – Producer.

Cut Back: Facing Ageism (73m, USA)
This documentary brings to light the often subtle and the not so subtle sting of ageism. With her focus on the workforce director Patricia Sahertian takes a look at a diverse group of people across the nation who have been affected by age discrimination. In their own words, they tell their personal story about how ageism has touched their lives.
Director/Producer/Writer: Patricia Sahertian (1st project/1rst feature)
Collaborating Director: Jacob Sahertian, Damian Kelley, Rosena Radenberg

Daisy Eyes (11m, USA)
A college student falls in love with a young woman selling daisies on campus. But after being rejected, he meets a mysterious gypsy who offers him a love potion. Will it help him to win over the woman of his dreams?
Director/Writer: Mitchell Kase.

The Death of Oliver Bacialle (Subtitled) (22m, France)
A man is in full catalepsy crisis. He cannot move at all but he can still see and hear very well. Decision is made to bury him…
Director/Wrtier: Thibault Dentel (1st project/feature)
Co-Director: Laura Gitton

The Deer (11m, USA)
Adam’s father is dying. His last wish is for his son to back to his cabin one last time before he sells it. Once there Adam decides to go on a hunt for a trophy of his own something to make his father proud. But will Adam be able to pull the trigger when the time comes.
Director/Producer/Writer: Dean Martinez (1st project) Producer: Richard D’Angelo, Ryan Pearce (1st project), Tom Calandrillo.

Dinner With Raphael (10m, USA)
A guy brings his fiancee home to meet his family, including his brother who thinks he’s a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
Director/Writer: Joey Boukadakis.

Distraxion (2m, USA)
‘Distraxion’ is a character driven short film about the personification of an office worker’s late night annoyance; his bosses cheesey jazz music. Student project.
Director/Producer: Michael Stern.

The Drama Kids (18m, USA)
High school thespians, while they are on stage, can transform their imagination into reality. Danny Diaz was born and raised in Hicksville. Student project.
Director/Producer: Danny Diaz Co-Producer: Darci Alishouse, Ernie Agustin Writer: Danny Diaz (1rst project) Co-Writer: Jonathan Hall, Justin Jimenez

Draw (23m, USA)
The only way out…is to get back in. Student project.
Director/Writer(1st project)/Producer: Ryan Pearce.

Drifter (8m, USA)
A man who is brutally assaulted in the middle of night finds refuge in a 24 hour laundromat, where he encounters a mysterious stranger. The man cannot figure out whether this stranger is friend or foe until it is too late. Shot in Oyster Bay, NY. Contains profane language and violence.
Director/Co-Producer: Robert Albrecht. Writer: Marqus Bobesich

Dunes (6m, Australia)
A young man is lost in the desert and struggling to survive. When he stumbles across what seems to be a vivid mirage, he soon learns that every action has its consequence.
Director/Producer/Writer: Nick White.

The Eaters (90m, USA)
‘The Eaters’ follows a rag-tag ‘band’ of friends as they fight their way out of zombie-infested, post-outbreak Brooklyn in a half-baked plan to escape to Long Island. Can the crew survive on the streets while fending off flesh-eating zombies? Shot partially on Long Island. Zombie violence, blood, gore, profanity, minor drug use.
Producer: Elizabeth Lee (IX). Director/Producer/Co-Writer: Katie Carman (1st feature). Writer: Elizabeth Lee (IX) (1st project)

Eating Buccaneers (88m, Canada)
A comedy about four self-absorbed advertising executives and one officious client who crash-land their small plane into the north woods. They survive the crash, but can they survive each other? It’s The Office meets Lord Of The Flies. East Coast Premiere. Some comic profane language.
Director: Bill Keenan. Writer: Bill Keenan. Producers: Mark Montefiore, Jennifer Mesich

E’ Finita la Commedia (Subtitled) (13m, Belgium)
A car is parked in a residential area. Inside the car a father and son are having an intense conversation about life, love, sex, death and the wife/mother of the family. The two appear to be in collaboration over something and it is obvious that they have an unusually close relationship.
Director/Writer: Jean-Julien Collette, Oliver Tollet. Producer: Anthony Rey.

Emergency Exit (Nodutgang) (13m, Norway)
A young man wishes to leave his old life and travel the world. While at the bank to withdraw his savings the bank is robbed and the young man taken hostage. Both he and the robber must solve their predicaments before time runs out.
Director/Writer: Tomas Solli. Producer: Magnus Gabriel Nordstrand.

Even in My Dreams (8m, USA)
Michael, an elderly, world-worn widower, in his pattern of mundane daily urban meanderings, happens upon an erotic male doll in a sex shop display window. His bemused subconscious fascination with the doll is the trigger for a belated and reluctant sexual self-discovery at the end of a lifetime of sexual repression. Profane language.
1st film/Student film. Written and Directed: Flavio Alves. Producers: Randall Martusis and Nick Eisenberg

Evergreen (20m, USA)
When Vivian finally has the strength and courage to speak up to Nicholas about the physical abuse in their marriage, it forces Nicholas to deal with his complex past. In doing so it creates serious consequences they must deal with for the rest of their lives. Violence. Director/Writer/Producer: Rolando Sanchez

Evil Things (79m, USA)
On January 9th 2009, five college students left New York City for a weekend in the country. 48 hours later, all five students simply vanished without a trace. There were no leads and no evidence…until now. Director/Producer/Writer: Dominic Perez (1st project, 1st feature). Producer: Mario Valdez.

Faded Glory (91m, USA)
Faded Glory is the true story of a men’s amateur baseball team that reunites after 17 years to compete in the 2007 Men’s 38+ Amateur Baseball World Series. The journey centers around one man’s search for his higher purpose; to find his old friends in order to give them hope, redemption and the wonderful game of baseball in these times of economic turmoil and despair. Some archive footage was shot on Long Island as the filmmaker went to Hewlett HS and grew up in the Five Towns. Profane language, some adult content, minor drug use. NY premiere. Director: Rick Cohen. Exec Producer: Rick Cohen, Chris Pullaro. Producer: Rick Cohen, Chris Pullaro, Chris Bruno.

Failing Better Now (94m, USA)
Mia, a flakey failed writer with a penchant for lying, loses her perfect sister’s cat. She falls for an aspiring rockstar who joins her on her wild search through the East Village and challenges her to take on the story of her own life. Can she get it together before she has to move to Jersey and become a florist? Stars Joyce DeWitt. Contains mild profane language and sexual situations. First feature/premiere.
Executive Producers: Pazit Levitan and Peter Schelfhaudt. Devin Sullivan, Aglika Dotcheva, Keren Atzmon. Producer: Lia Mayer-Sommer.
Writer: Keren Atzmon and Jennie Allen. Director: Keren Atzmon .

The Fairy Princess (14m, USA)
A dark Halloween night in a quiet suburban neighborhood, kids out with their parents. A little girl dressed as a fairy making the rounds alone seeing his opportunity, a neighbor snatches the girl, takes her into his basement where their game of cat and mouse begins… and ends. Filmed on location in Williston Park, Long Island. Contains mild profanity and violence. Director: Stephen Lyman. Producers: Jane Petrov, Roy Havrilack, Stephen Lyman. Writers: Wenonah Wilms & Stephen Lyman.

Familiar Voices (67m, Canada/USA)
‘Familiar Voices’ is an independently financed, feature length, not-for-profit documentary on reactions to the ongoing crisis in Darfur. Through voices and visuals, old messages regarding responsibility and hope are delivered in new ways – ones that are direct, concrete, and accessible. Feturing Mia Farrow.
Director/Producer: Danny Mendoza (1rst feature) Executive Producer (1rst feature): Mimi Belt, William J. Gonzalez

Feet 13m. (USA)
Meet several people with little in common besides an unusual interest in feet. A shoe fetishist, a reflexology expert, a podophobic, a yoga instructor, a cultural historian, a pedicurist and a neuro-psychologist, join with others in a lively conversation about the very bottom of our bodies. Includes sexual situations.
Director: Natalie Milbrodt. Co-Producer: Charlene Dwyer, Natalie Milbrodt

Fifty Percent (6m, United Arab Emirates)
Movie speaks about 3 classes of people 1)Rich 2)Medium 3)Poor. It shows how rich man tries to degrade the medium man and forces him to remove his car from the parking slot and park his car near the waste bin and he parks his car in the car parking slot. The poor man (thief) steals the medium man’s car and the medium man is left with nothing in the end. Student project.
Director/Producer: Ahmad Kinj (1st project).

F Minus (10m, USA)
LIFTF Minifest winner. A once successful scriptwriter attempts to pitch his next big idea to his pistachio-loving agent. Will his ideas redeem his career, or will he get an F Minus? Profanity.
Directed by Kerriann Farrel.

Front Man (85m, USA and Italy)
A love story entangling a rock band front man and a beautiful stranger who meet accidentally. Their ‘destined’ relationship is embroiled in turbulence when her jealous and abusive gangster husband, uncovers her intentions and sends his henchmen out to ‘terminate’ the affair. Mostly LI, some NYC, and Italy. Specific locations include Sea Cliff (bike scenes), Massepequa (rowboat scene), Jones Beach, Bellmore Movie theater (dance scenes), Lindenhurst (Auto Salvage and Jamhouse Studios), EKO Studio (Deer Park), and a catering hall in Westbury (wedding scene). Contains mild profanity and violence.
Writer/ Director: Ray Genadry. Producers: Franco Novembre, Fiorella Genadry

Fuego (Got A Light?) (Subtitled) (30m, Paraguay)
A young photographer wants to smoke a cigarette, he asks his friends for a light but instead of helping him, people ask him favors and this gets him into a chain reaction of problems which makes his long day very crazy. Taking us on a multi-genre tour of sensations mixed with surrealism.
Producer: Juaquin Serrano Director/Producer/Writer: Sergio Marcos (1st project)

Ghost-Eyed Tree (11m, USA)
Take a journey with two children through the woods of a magical town where they encounter a haunted tree known as The Ghost-Eye Tree. Experience the wonder of their imaginations as they embark on an adventure they will never forget. Shot entirely on Long Island at Belmont Lake State Park (wooded trails, bridge), Queens County Farm Museum (historic home, wooded trails), Suffolk County Farm and Education Center (HistoricBarn). This is Nicholas Piotrowski’s first film to hit the festival circuit. It’s a student film crewed entirely by Five Towns College students and alumni!
Director: Nicholas Piotrowski. Based on the book by John Archambault and Bill
Martin Jr. Screenplay by: Nicholas Piotrowski. Contributing Writer: Michael Schulman. Producers: Brian T. Baker, James P. McEvoy, Nicholas Piotrowski.

Ghosts of Long Island (30m, USA)
A documentary TV show based on the popular books by Kerriann Flanagan Brosky,
Ghosts of Long Island, Stories of the Paranormal(2006) and Ghosts of Long Island II, More Stories of the Paranormal(2008). Pilot takes place at The Country House
Restaurant in Stony Brook Long Island. Combines local Long Island history and
ghost stories which focus on the spiritual side of communication.
Director/Producer/Writer: Terrence Smith

Gifts of Seeing (15m, USA)
A woman looks back at her life through the eyes of her sister’s doll. Another woman marks historical events with her two pet ducks. A third remembers a beloved dog, and the animator adds a story of her own about learning to animate! This compilation celebrates time passed with special people, animals and toys that help to make life memorable. Student Project. Director: Andrea Olivier,Producer/Executive Producer: William Shewbridge.Co-Director: Barbara Kurz, Jeri Mullinix, Tommy Koch. Producer: Robert Cappelletto.

Harry S. Truman: Samurai Detective (9m, USA)
Harry S. Truman: Samurai Detective is every Bogart film you’ve ever seen, that is, if Bogart were played by a sword-wielding Asian tailor. 1st Film (Mitch Yapko). Festival Premiere. Starring Avery Clyde (Medium, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, Dawson’s Creek, etc.) and Cary Y. Mizobe (Kung Pao: Enter the Fist, Duel of Legends, Strictly Background, etc.).
Written & Directed by Mitch Yapko & Allen Rueckert Produced by Allen Rueckert, Mitch Yapko, Matt Dobbs and Rob E. Clyde.

Help (40m, USA)
We follow Roman on the night he sets out on a mission to save his dying Mother’s life. Contains profane language. Writer/Director/Star: Val Lauren (“Help” “24” “Dallas 362”) Golden Globe nominee Adam Beach (“Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”, “Law and Order SVU”) Mark Thompson (“The Mark and Brian Show”).
Producers: Max Effatian, Mark J. Greenberg (“Scrubs” “Kath n Kim”,”Entourage”)
Val Lauren, Molly Conners.

Hero Hero (Subtitled) (5m, USA)
Follow Tommy in his everyday rush living in New York City.
Director/Producer/Writer: Angelo Bonsignore Assistant Director: Tyler Cartner

Hicksville, 11801 (45m, USA)
The filmmaker uses her immigrant grandparent’s history as one rung and the documentation of local historians as another rung, together creating a double helix that is the DNA of Hicksville and its environs. This was shot in Hicksville and Jericho, NY. Student film.
Director/Executive Producer: Jennifer Uihlein

Hide (20m, USA)
From the beginning to the bittersweet ending, HIDE spans the intimate relationship of two closeted gentlemen who share their true sexuality with each other. Being trapped in marriages of convenience, they discover the consequences of what they may have to tell their wives and what the future might hold for their relationship.
Executive Producer: Daamen Krall (1st project) Director (1st project)/Writer: Robert Shellby

The Hitchhiker Project (17m, Canada)
Beauty, lust and betrayal lurk around every corner in a world full of glamour. A chance meeting will change three lives forever. There is profane language, sexual situation, minor nudity and some drug use. This is a student film.
Director/Writer: Cuong Ngo. Producer/Writer: Igor Szczurko.

The Homecoming (La Retour) (20m, USA)
After studying abroad in France, Katherine returns home to southern California and struggles to readjust. Student project.
Producer: Kate Nelson. Director/Writer: Rachel Earnest (1st project).

Hope (14m, USA)
The story of a fearful and timid child (Sean) from the projects of Queens, who witnesses his father’s (Henry) hopeless collapse after losing his job. Sean, who hasn’t spoken since his mother passed away, sets out a on a personal journey boarding a bus for Washington, DC the day before the inauguration.

Hope Deferred (46m, USA)
Stem cell research is one of the most important issues of our time. Hope Deferred captures this importance and captures its promise. Producer: Nicki Sacco.
Director/Writer: James Siegel. Collaborating Director: Brooke Ellison.
Co-Producer: Pier DiCarlo.

House of Numbers (87m,Australia, Canada, France, Germany, South Africa, Switzerland & United Kingdom)
An AIDS film like no other; the HIV/AIDS story is being rewritten. This is the first film to present the uncensored POVs of virtually all the major players; in their own settings, in their own words — it rocks the foundation upon which all conventional wisdom regarding HIV/AIDS is based. ‘House of Numbers’ could well be the opening volley in a battle to bring sanity and clarity to an epidemic gone awry.
Director/Producer: Brent Leung (1st project/1st feature).

I’m Only Sighing (7m, USA)
One day spent among the regulars at a hip East Village coffee shop in New York City.
Producer/Director/Writer: Michael Kleiman.

In Another Life (19m, USA)
With a theme as ancient as the bible and as current as the morning headlines, this controversial romantic drama explores the love that can only be found in the arms of someone you were taught to hate. When a Palestinian-American and an Israeli are introduced under the false pretenses of being “from the same place,” the untimely discovery of their true identities is met with shock, disappointment and a fight that changes them forever. Student project. Director/Writer: Karine Nissim. Producer: Dwjuan Fox.

In Search of Miracles (6m, USA)
Every Easter thousands of special-needs children from around the world journey to Lourdes, France. And for the past 7 years, NYC Police Detective Steven McDonald of Malverne has traveled with the kids on the pilgrimage. News 12’s Danielle Campbell traveled to Lourdes with the special group and she brings you their story of faith and healing.
Director/Producer/Writer: Danielle Campbell

Interpretation (8m, USA)
One day spent among the regulars at a hip East Village coffee shop in New York City.
Director(1st project)/Executive Producer/Co-Writer: Lin Oeding Writer: Matt Olmstead

Iowa Girls (28m, USA)
‘Iowa Girls’ is about the unique game of six-on-six basketball played by generations of women in Iowa decades before Title IX. Six-on-six was the number one spectator sport in the state for nearly a century. It was so popular that the girls regularly played before sellout crowds, and attendance at their games often exceeded that of the boys’ games. Student project. Director/Producer/Executive Produce/Writer: Donna Reyes (1st project)

Joint Custody (15m, USA) DV Cam
In this debut from writer-director Keith Aumont, new kid in town, 15-year-old Bobby Silvio, suffers the indignity of joining his mother on a picnic date – with a local police officer, the lovable, but bumbling Officer James. Minor drug use.
Producer: Ben Urquhart. Director/Writer: Keith Aumont

Kalaripayat: When the Body Becomes All Eyes (Subtitled) (23m, India)
This documentary is about the Indian style martial arts ‘Kalaripayat’, which is said to be the source of all Eastern martial arts. It was shot in Kerala, South India and features the different aspects of the art, such as the connection with Ayurveda and massage therapy, the four levels of the style, the weaponry, but it also touches upon subjects such as the place of women within Kalaripayat, the aspect of religion and of keeping the art form pure.
Director/Producer: Ilse Rumes.

Karearea: The Pine Falcon, Chance of a Lifetime (48m, New Zealand)
Wildlife photographer George Chance spent the 1970’s following and studying the New Zealand Falcon; now some thirty years later he is suffering from ill health and going blind. Filmmaker Sandy Crichton gets ever closer to a remarkable wild population of falcons as he attempts to realize George’s dream by adding movement to his photographs.
Executive Producer: Richard Thomas. Director/Producer/Writer: Sandy Crichton (1st project).

Kenny (37m, USA)
A man’s life-long battle with a rare skin disorder teaches how powerful the simplicity of love and ‘human touch’ can be…Kenny’s courage inspires others who feel alienated or different to overcome obstacles. Director/Producer/Writer: Lisa Regina (1st film).

Kill, My Lovely (28m, USA)
Stan Verito is a recently turned cynical detective investigating the homicide of a storeowner. While questioning a worker, he becomes attracted to her. Stan and Jessie Bellhorn quickly fall in love, but problems arise with the case. Does Jessie have something to do with the murder? Will he turn her in or help her out? Implied sex. Student film.
Written and Directed by Justin Seibel. Produced by Mike Daeley and Justin Seibel. Associate Producer Mun Kang
Mark Arnold starred in Teen Wolf, over 50 other films and has appeared on Desperate Housewives, Threat Matrix and Las Vegas.

The Kingdom (Nel Reinu) (Subtitled) (12m, Spain)
Following the death of his father, a man returns to the north of Spain, to the home he ran away from thirty years ago. Told through the eyes of his American daughter, he discovers, through her, an enduring connection to his past, one that transcends the politics that still tears his family apart. Director/Writer: Victor Suarez (1st project). Producer: Carlos Navarro.

The Lake Passage (20m, USA)
A young couple, Richard and Jacqueline, find themselves caught in the troubles of World War II. But as tragedy strikes, Richard must find a way to reverse the events at hand, taking him on a journey through life and death. Student project. Shot on Long Island at Chelsea Preserve, Sands Point Preserve and at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building. Director/Producer/Writer: PJ Germain.

The Last Moments of Leopoldo Berenguer (Subtitled) (10m, Spain/USA)
The Last Moments of Leopoldo Berenguer is the story of a man facing his decadence. Every person is king in his own life. Shot in Manhattan. Student film, first film.
Director: Jaime Dezcallar. Producer: Marta Garcia Larriu.

Last Night (7m, Australia)
The final moments in a relationship. It contains one of the most ambitious continuous 35mm shots ever conceived in an Australian live action short film.
Director/Writer: Ed Park. Assistant Director: Ben Arthur. Executive Producer: Ben Ferris. Producesr: Alan Mitchell, Katharine Thornton

Layla (33m, USA)
A drama about a father-daughter relationship turned business partnership in the dangerous world of drug smuggling. First five minutes is subtitled. Drugs, language, sexual situations.
Producer: Keta Brown, Shanta Payne. Executive Producer: Jason Chicione. Director/Producer: Lydia Martinelli. Writer: Malcolm Johnson, Lydia Martinelli.

The Lesson (15m, France)
In this contemporary film noir, a beautiful teacher who is imprisoned for supposedly raping one of her underage students learns that the boy in question set her up. After
four years of physical and mental torture, she is released to seek revenge and teach him one last lesson about love and betrayal. Contains sexual situations and nudity. Student film. New York premiere.
Director and writer: Paul Natale (born in Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York now residing in Woodside, Queens, New York). Producer: Alexandra Connor (Producer) and Barbara Mignot (Executive Producer).

Let Me Die Quietly (95m, USA)
The life flashing before his eyes is not his own! Mario is an alcoholic psychic who is able to relive the last moments of a victim’s time on earth. An encounter, a location, or even a touch can bring him the last sensations of a dead victim. But because no one believes him–and he himself is unsure if he is going insane–Mario becomes an exquisite pawn in a sinister murder plot. Violence, language, sexual situations, nudity.
Producer/Writer(1st feature): Charles Casillo. Executive Producer: Kelvin Dale.

Let Me Go (7m, USA)
Guy sees the girl. Guy likes her. She kinda likes him back. Guy gets the girl. Is that it? Not by the long shot!
Director, Producer, Writer: Alan Raskin

Lightswitch (25m, Australia)
Danielle is a struggling writer until she meets Shauna and her story begins to write itself. Their instant connection and attraction take them on a challenging journey of self-discovery and inevitable angst as Danielle learns that sometimes a story has to be lived before it can be told.
Director: Emma Keltie. Writer/Producer: Natalie Krikow.

Little Lies (Subtitled) (53m, Czech Republic)
Jiri is determined to rebuild his relationship with his son, Ondra. However, his son has only agreed to go on holiday with him if his grandfather can go too. Both men are hiding secrets. Neither man wants to confess to their mistakes. A family holiday, an unwelcome guest and the lies we tell to avoid facing the truth. Student project.
Director/Writer: William Lee. Producer: Lukas Karvanek. Co-Writer: Eugen Liska.

Little Shop of Wonders (17m, USA)
People came from all over to The Little Shop of Wonders to view their collections as well as to seek their advice about gemstones and healing. Mark and Rosalyn also worked with an assortment of animals in need. Eventually, due to the overflow of artifacts, customers, friends and curiosity seekers, they moved to a storefront on the main street in town. The Long Island Rock and Lapidary shop was a fixture in the town of Bellmore, N.Y. for 48 years. Director/Producer: Lesley Abbey.

Loss of Hope (7m, USA)
Paul Kratka (Friday the 13th Part 3) plays a man who witnesses a false flag nuclear terrorist attack. Due to this severe and grim situation, he and his daughter lock themselves in their basement, in hopes of surviving. Shot in Glen Cove, NY / Welwyn Preserve. Contains mild profane language.
Director/Producer: Scott Goldberg. Writer: Jennifer Baltusis. Contributing Writers: Scott Goldberg & Paul Kratka.

Lost Boy (71m, USA)
Like many in the 1960s, Greg Laurie was on a search for the meaning of life. Born out of wedlock to an alcoholic mother who married seven times, Greg’s life was suddenly changed when he encountered a group of young Christians on his high school campus in Newport Beach, California.

Love Conquers Paul (90m, USA)
Paul leaves nothing to chance, to the point of forcing serendipitous encounters on mysterious women he feels a connection to. Stars Peter Riegert.
Director/Producer/Writer: Colin Bannon.

The Lunchbox (Subtitled) (34m, Slovakia)
In the life of an older man, routine helps him get through the day. When his wife suffers a stroke, his system collapses. Now nothing will be the same. Student project.
Director/Writer: Lubomir Mihailo Kocka. Producers: Lubomir Mihailo Kocka, Lubomir Kocka, Walter Ulan, Mira Trizmova

Meant to Be (8m, USA)
LIFTF Minifest Winner. Jeff builds up courage to tell the girl of his dreams his true feelings, despite the fact she has a boyfriend who recently disappeared. The comedic duo of Ryan Lynch and Cory Roberts star in this dark comedy. Profanity and comical violence.

Meatballs, Tomatoes and Mobsters (31m, USA)
A dysfunctional crime family boss attempts to reinvent the family but is stopped dead in his tracks. Filmed in Rocky Point, NY, Wading River, NY, and Ozone Park, NY. Actors include Joe Rigano from “Casino” and “Analyze This”, Frank Albanese from “Godfather” and “Sopranos”, and Tony Ray Rossi from “Find Me Guilty” and “Sopranos”. Contains mild violence and some sexual humor. Director: Philip “Chick” Faicco – 1st short film. Writer: Philip “Chick” Faicco. Producers: Philip “Chick” Faicco and Vincent Labate.

The Miracle (29m, USA)
For a chance at redemption, Tekki Lomnicki, a little person, will need all her courage, humor and imagination to face the truth about her life. Student project.
Executive Producer: James Aull. Director/Executive Producer/Writer: Jeffery Jon Smith Producer: Jerry Prochazka.

Mirror Image (7m, USA)
Sharon’s psychotic break leads her to create an alter ego to take control of her body when her abusive husband, Jack, forces her to give up her singing career, family and friends. Sharon is confronted by her alter ego in a face-to-face conversation where her alter ego decides it is time for Sharon to take responsibility for her own life. Shot on Long Island in Bellport, NY. Film contains profane language, adult themes, drug use and violence. Premiere. Director/Producer/Writer: Andrew Damon Henriques.

More Than Skin Deep: Skin Cancer in America (57m, USA)
There will be more cases of skin cancer diagnosed in the United States this year than all other cancers combined. Skin cancer is a complex medical and social issue that is both biological and behavioral. ‘More Than Skin Deep’ examines the cultural, historical and social facets of skin cancer, as well as its patient, treatment and research aspects.
Director: Stanley Kozma. Producer: Joseph Costa

More Than Words (12m, USA)
A short documentary about a fascinating New York City photographer who photographs his family over 35 years and shows the growth and bond he has with his brother who has a disability.
Writer/Producer/Director: Hilton Ariel Ruiz.

Mr. Laughs: A Look Behind the Curtain (60m, USA)
A documentary that takes you through the life and journey of veteran comedian, Sal Richards Celebrity friends offer testimonials including those by Sid Caesar, Don Rickles, Red Buttons, Jackie Mason, Jerry Stiller, Soupy Sales, Jerry Vale, Joy Behar, Fyvush Finkle, Norm Crosby, Joe Vitterelli, Julius LaRosa, Lanie Kazan and Freddie Roman.
Director/Writer: Gregory Principato (1st feature).

Musically Inclined (13m, USA)
A man takes a ride on the NYC subway and as he sits listening to his ipod his mind begins to wander, stereotyping what he thinks each person does for a living. As he slowly dozes off he falls into four dream sequences dreaming of the last person he was staring at on the train. One scene shot at Kings Point Park on Long Island. 1st film.
Director/Producer/Writer Storenzo Domenech.

My Lucky Day (7m, USA)
Kate finds a shiny penny in the park, it brings her a shiny Knight of honor; the man of her dreams. Director: Sophia Robbins. Executive Producer: Archer King Ltd
Writers: Anna Orkoulas & Sophia Robbins.

Nadal vs. Alien (2m, South Korea)
Friday, July 17
7:15 pm Film Block
The tennis star Rafael Nadal plays tennis with an alien.
Producer: Hyungkee Lee. Co-Producer: Kyung Jin Kim. Director: Tak Hoon Kim. Writer: Dae Woong Choi. Co-Writer: Youn Hui Hong.

The Next Gotta Have it Thing (17m, USA)
The guys at Humungo Toys have a problem. The holiday season is fast approaching but all they have to offer is the same old lackluster product lineup. Their last hope for a revolutionary new toy idea that will rescue the company from bankruptcy rests with Dorfman, a meek young toymaker with an idea so simple, so preposterous, it just might sell. Photographed almost entirely on Long Island: Melville, Bohemia, Islip, Woodbury. Premiere.
Director/Producer: Michael Cravotta. Writer: Michael Cravotta & Joseph Daniele. Executive Producer: John Moucha.

Nicaragua: A Journey of Hope (9m, Nicaragua/USA)
21 Long Island High School kids, who are part of a grassroots organization called ‘Project Nicaragua’ set out on a journey of hope. Despite the challenges of a third world country, these Long Island teens managed to change lives. Danielle Campbell documents their journey of Hope and how these Long Island High School kids managed to bring that hope back home.
Producer/Writer: Danielle Campbell (1st project).

Night for Day (99m, USA)
A musician must break free from the secret, occult underworld society of sex, murder, and blood addiction he is tied to and survive the night in order to get to the woman he loves by sunrise. ‘Twilight’ for adults.
Director/Producer/Executive Producer/Writer: Russ Camarda. Executive Producer: Vicki Baum.

The Night Janitor (9m, USA)
A lonely janitor falls in love with a beautiful secretary and spends his quiet night shift dreaming of her. Student film. First film. Director/Producer/Writer: Adam Harvanek (1st project).

The Ocean’s Lover (15m, USA)
Sorting through her mother’s things, Lindsey finds a drawing she had made as a child of a story her mother used to tell her-the story of a young girl, known in her village as the ocean’s lover, for it brought her flowers on its waves. The discovery of this drawing sends Lindsey and her grandmother Adelaide on a journey through space and time, back to the place where Adelaide was born. There, in the small fishermen’s town, the true story of the ocean’s lover unfolds…
Director/Producer/Writer: Giorgio Caridi. Co-Producer: Mika Gill. Co-Writer: Sarah Bray.

Old Dogs (12m, USA)
Three guys in their seventies (John Saxon, Basil Hoffman, Larry Gelman) reclaim their vitality when mistakenly picking up a bag full of cocaine puts them between the cops and the mob. Phil LaMarr also stars. It’s ‘Cocoon’ meets ‘Pulp Fiction…
Producer/Director/Writer: Jonathan Fahn. Producer: Tom Fahn (1st project)

On a Clear Day (10m, USA)
On A Clear Day is a dramatic journey about loss and love… ‘What happens when you have everything, but you really have nothing at all’.
Director/Executive Producer: Nelson Vasquez (1st project). Writer: Nelson Vasquez.

Only Love (15m, USA)
‘Only Love’ is a tragicomedy about a Dictator, a Rebel, and Love. It is a darkly humorous tale of a dictator facing the ghosts of his past misdeeds, a man’s eternal search for love, and the terrible price one sometimes has to pay for it. Student project. Long Island premiere.
Director/Producer/Writer: Lev Polyakov. Co-Producer: Yuri Shkuro.

On the Road to Tel’ Aviv (18m, Israel)
“On the Road to Tel-Aviv” is a drama (with comedy elements) that shows how, under the tense reality of war and terror, enemies can sometimes find themselves in the same boat (or in the same bus). It is a story of a young Israeli who finds himself in a frightening situation when a suspicious looking Arab woman enters the same bus as his fiancée.
Producer: Adva Benur. Director: Khen Shalem. Writer: Khen Shalem, Hadar Galron.

Oral Fixation (80m, USA)
A woman’s obsession with her dentist drives her to masochism, madness and murder
Contains: Nudity, sexual situations, some profane language, violence. First feature film. Premiere.
Director: Jake Cashill. Writer: Jake Cashill. Producers: Matthew J. Pellowski, Billy Mulligan.

Override (100m, USA)
Drugs, fights, a broken marriage and the only person Taylor Braithwaite hates more than himself is the terrorist who murdered his daughter. But before he can avenge her, Taylor must battle through his own prejudice to accept the friendship of a Muslim- American cop. Only then does he have a shot at vengeance and just maybe a new life. Shot in east end of Long Island in Hamptons, NY. World premiere.
Writer/Producer/Screenplay: Randall Krongard. Director: Robert Frank (First Film).

Painter of Skies (O Pintor De Ceos) (Subtitled) (20m, Spain)
From the darkness of the lost cliffs, a crazy painter marked by his past, and his faithful assistant try to find a solution against perpetual storms. The sea is destroying their home. A magic boiler and some tormented ghosts will help them to find the light.
Director/Co-Director/Executive Producer/Writer: Jorge Morais Valle (1st film) Co-Writer: Silva Pazos Hermida.

Pants (6m, USA)
A shocking look into the reality of high fashion.
Written and Directed by: Dennis Neary and Tom Rizzuto. Location: Shot in Northport, Fort Salonga and Huntington, NY.

Paper Dreams (18m, USA)
A lonely young boy with an obsession for paper airplanes avoids dealing with his life problems by fantasizing about himself as a hero. When he saves an oddball girl from the clutches of two school bullies, the boy experiences friendship for the first time. But when the bullies seek their revenge, he is forced to realize that sometimes the real world isn’t made of fairy tale endings. Student project.
Executive Producer: Brian Alvarez (1st project). Director/Executive Producer: Michael Marino (1sst project).
Producer: Patrick Carr (1st project). Writer: Michael Marino.

Parent-Teacher Night (8m, Canada)
Out-smarted by a fifth grader. A satire about perception, anxiety and the student, parent, teacher dynamic. It’s also a cautionary tale about how modern technology, even in the hands of a child, can turn a devilish lie into the perceived truth.
Writer/Director/Editor: Stephen Roscoe
Writer/Producer/Actress: Lucy Filippone.

A Parkwork Orange (6m, USA)
‘A Parkwork Orange’ is a cinematic poem that captures the scope and magnificence of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s installation, ‘The Gates’, in New York’s Central Park.
Director: Joan Brooker-Marks.

The Pawn Shop (6m, Canada)
A young man walks into a pawn shop with the intention of buying an engagement ring, but the crusty owner is determined to make him jump through some existential hoops in this wry comedy with a twist ending from Picnicface member Andrew Bush.
Director: Andrew Bush. Producer: Angus Swantee. Writing: Evany Rosen (1st project).

Peace of Mind (23m, USA)
A snapshot of a New York relationship. The eye of the camera brings you into an escalating romance between two people who meet by chance, and then slows down to capture a moment that alters both their lives forever. It tells a cautionary tale of the dangers we face when we fail to take the time to know those we become intimate with and how the secrets of our past can never stay hidden forever. Sexual situations, language.
Director/Producer/Executive Producer/Writer: Nathan Crooker. Executive Producer: Sal Del Giudice. Producer: Sydney Fisher.

Perspective (13m, USA)
A cynical claymation artist is given a film camera that reveals an outlook on reality that he is not familiar with. Some profane language and sexual situations. Student film shot in East Orange NJ and Bronx NY.
Director: Laura Meoli. Producers: Magdalena Polec, Catherine Love, Laura Meoli. Writers: Laura Meoli, Rasheem Johnson, Chris Bresky

A Piece of My Heart (14m, USA)
A lonely convenience store clerk is shot through the heart during a robbery by a beautiful bandit. After his miraculous physical recovery, he finds himself still mentally damaged and is constantly haunted by unfathomable dreams about her.
Directed by: Stephen McKendree. Written by: R. Presley Stephens. Produced by: Chris Rish, Matthew Fish, R. Presley Stephens, Stephenn McKendree

Pink Bag (2m, USA)
A naive woman emerges from a pink bag into a retro kitchen where appliances attack. Can she break free? Student project.
Director/Producer/Writer: Susan Hippen. Assistant Director: Don Solosan

Pitch Me (14m, USA)
A writer with a dream to make a movie has one shot to make it happen. But in order to make his dream come true he will have to make his pitch (to independent film producers). And he will have to pitch like no one has ever pitched before. Filmed on Long Island (Vittorio’s Restaurant, Village of Amityville and in Farmingdale, NY).
Writer, producer and director- Anthony Biscardi. 1st Film and Film premiere.

A Place to Visit (8m, USA)
A young girl’s magical adventure of love, sex, politics, greed, violence, heartbreak and rebirth. Filmed in: Pound Ridge, NY. Student Film – School of Visual Arts
Writer/Director/Producer: Brian Gonzalez.Exec Producer: Robin Pickering.

The Plumber (10m, USA)
A blue collar worker on the verge of retirement offers invaluable advice to his young apprentice, revealing the true nature of his chosen profession. Violence.
Director/Producer/Writer: Chris Rodgers. Producers: Monica Bellenger, Ryan Cooper.

The Prey (La Preda) (Subtitled) (18m, Italy)
Out of school, a father fetches his two kids and drives them to their country house. The father gives the older a shotgun as birthday present. The next day they all make their way into the woods to go hunting.
Director/Writer: Francesco Apice (1st project). Producer: Tommaso Arrighi.

The Price to Pay (Le prix a payer) (24m, France) (Subtitled)
A black and white crime movie with jazz music, a beautiful car, and a beautiful girl – in the trunk of the car. Subtitles.
Director/Writer: Paul Gayard. Producer: Julien Gittinger.

Prom Night in Mississippi (90m, Canada)
On April 19, 2008, Charleston High School in Charleston, Mississippi, held its historic, first-ever integrated Senior Prom, ending a long tradition of segregated, parent-organized White Proms and Black Proms. Academy Award-winning actor, Morgan Freeman, who lives in the community, stimulated this change by paying for the Prom. Producer: Patricia Aquino (1st project).
Director (1st feature)/Producer: Paul Saltzman. Writer: Paul Saltzman (1st project). Associate Producer: Paul Hay, Thabi Moyo.

Real TIME – It’s Just a Game (Subtitled) (26m, Germany)
(echtZEIT – ist doch nur ein Spiel…)
A spy ring infiltrates the internet online game with real missions. Heidingsfelder (Roland von Kummant) is an addicted nerd and walks into the trap. He accomplishes the illegal assignments for bonus points. Journalist Heppler (Doreen Dietel) is collecting evidence and suddenly becomes a mission target herself.
Director/Producer: Steffen-Christian Mueller. Co-Director: Hans Hege. Co-Producer: Philippe Klose. Writer: Christopher Klein. Co-Writer: Steffen-Christian Mueller

Rebecca and the Fish (13m, USA)
Rebecca, a free-spirited young woman, has kept her beloved pet fish since she was a young girl. She is pressured into obtaining ‘meaning’ in her life by her friends who set her up at a spatula sales company. She is at first unsuccessful, and as a result her boss tells her to give up her pet fish. Rebecca must decide between becoming a part of the working world or to staying true to her fish. Student Film.
Director/Writer/Producer: David Yim.

Sacred Eyes (3m, USA)
A visionary story about the gift that’s given to a young blind girl with the ability to interpret what she has seen through the eyes of her mind. Student project.
Director (story by): Joe Pomarico. Assistant Director: Dean Martinez. Writers: Brandon Gorsira, Kerri Farrell.

Scum (13m, USA)
LIFTF Minifest winner. “Scum” follows Generation-Why tattoo artist Bart Sellers, and his lazy sedentary lifestyle. Alan Smith, Bart’s squeaky clean, un-tattooed, polar opposite neighbor, opens his own tattoo store. Bart, angered by the threat to his lifestyle and livelihood, begins an escalating feud of ridiculous proportions with Alan showing some people weren’t born to play nice. Profanity, mild violence.
Director: Michael McInerney.

Shana’s Rainbow (4m, USA)
The story is a colorful and lighthearted but informative cartoon set in the surfing community of Monmouth Beach on the Jersey Shore. The cartoon offers an endearing story where teenagers explain the warning signs and symptoms of Bacterial Meningitis.
Director/Producer/Executive Producer: Madeline Wasserman (1st project). Co-Writer: Brian Prinsell.

Shoebox Redhead (15m, USA)
A magical Polaroid camera takes a heartbroken 20-something, his scatty friend and a sardonic clown on an offbeat adventure to find a mysterious redhead. Profane language. (minor). Student thesis film, Boston University
Writer/Director/Producer: Matt Lawrence.

Sick (15, United Kingdom)
As Brian’s story slides backwards through 15 years of therapy, his daughter’s crashes forward over one devastating night and they collide on that evening – the catalyst of his condition.
Writer/Director (1st project)/Producer: Michael Rymer

Situation (5m. USA)
Situation is about three men with a dilemma. While they have a random conversation something still looms over their heads. Stars Joseph Ganascolli from The Sopranos.
Director/Writer: Damian Voerg. Producer: Ron Keilly.

Sleeping River (22m, USA)
“Sleeping River” interweaves breathtaking expanses, wounded characters and a psychological method of editing to create an indelible return home for Tim, who can’t seem to remember the details of a traumatic event from his childhood. Set in Colorado’s north eastern grasslands.
An MFA student film written, directed and produced by David Marek.

Slingers (15m, USA/United Kingdom)
Tommy, Joey and Rascal feel that this could finally be their year to take home the prize in an annual game of cowboys against the local bullies. And what of the prize? To make out with the local beauty.
Director/Writer: Rory Kindersley.

Small Voices (Subtitled) (16m, Pakistan)
Based on true events, “Small Voices” recounts the story of Alam, a Pakistani boy abducted by human traffickers, and his struggle to survive through years of captivity far from home. Smuggled across the sea to the Arab Emirates, Alam and his fellow captives, all aged between 5 and 12 years— from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and the horn of Africa— are trained to race camels for the pleasure of the wealthy sheikhs.
Director: Sofian Khan. Producer: Khalid Latif.

Sober (20m, USA)
A man is held captive for possessing key information which can change the outcome of a brutal war. He claims he is just a civilian and screams ignorance, but his interrogator doesn’t believe him, and then resorts to extreme lengths in getting the prisoner to talk. Student project. Violence, language. Producer: Ander Del Rio Naiz (1st project).
Director/Producer/Writer: Frank Bolonga (1st project). Co-Producer: Jeff Milone, Myke Furhman

Somewhere Beyond (46m, USA)
Late one night in 1984, an intruder broke into a home and raped a young woman. Soon after, the man is caught, and sentenced to life for sexually assaulting her and three others. Twenty-three years later, the woman decides to confront the man who raped her, and speak to him, in prison, face to face. That encounter would change both their lives – and the lives of many others – forever. Director/Producer/Executive Producer: James Babanikos. Writer: Gretchen Howard.

Split (15m, US Outlying Islands, USA)
A flawed relationship consumes a young enthusiastic couple who also happen to be highly competitive short distance runners. They both struggle to keep an even pace with each other (physical and emotional), due to the self esteem issues each possesses. World premiere. Sexual situations. Student project.
Co-Producer; Marques Jacobson Director/Producer/Executive Producer/Writter: Desmond Devenish.

Step Seven (13m, USA)
A man abandons his wife and children after convincing himself that he was meant for something “greater.” Starring Ian Ziering. Brief Nudity. Profane language. Violence. Sexual situations.
Director/Executive Producer/Writer: Christopher Luccy. Executive Producer: Guiliana Zapata. Producer: Jennifer Wright, Keith Barten, PJ Sodowski, Molly O’Connor.

The Stoned-Vegas Honeymoon (4m, USA)
In 2006, New York City rock band, The Stoned exploded straight out of 1972 and into 1973. The music video for “Vegas Honeymoon” is directed by Adam Dubin and stars Ric Menello. Together, Dubin and Menello directed the classic Beastie Boys music video “Fight For Your Right To Party.” The concept for “Vegas Honeymoon” comes from vintage, late-night TV rock shows from the 1970s like The Midnight Special and Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert. The narrative portions of the music video were shot on Long Island in Quogue. World premiere.
Directed by Adam Dubin

Striking Metal (Tira Bakal) (Subtitled) (25m, Philippines)
This documentary outlines the Santos family’s “panata” (pledge) to God. The family shows their commitment to their late grandfather’s pledge as they imitate the sufferings of the Lord in this annual event.
Director/Producer(1rst Project)(1rst Project)/Executive Producer(1rst Project)/Writer: Scott Wurth.

The Substitute (Subtitled) (16m, USA)
A story about missed opportunities and Asian diversity in New York City, with each character speaking a different language. After many years apart, a married man meets up with the woman he believes he was meant to be with. From this meeting, conflict occurs and emotions heighten as he tries to understand what he truly wants.
(Spoken language is Mandarin, Japanese, and Taiwanese) This is the premiere/first festival screening of the film. Writer/Director/Producer: Eddie Lebron.

The Tangent (13m, France) (Subtitled – La Tangente)
A young man washing his car offers an attractive woman a ride wherever she wants to go. The two set off on a journey with no plans and no direction, but as their relationship grows, can they continue living their life of the rock-and-roll aesthetic or will they have to compromise and settle down?
Director/Writer: Vincent Vesco.
Producer/Writer: Vlad Sprinceana.

Tapped (78m, USA)
Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce? From the producers of Who Killed the Electric Car and I.O.U.S.A., Stephanie Soechtig’s debut feature is an unflinching examination of the big business of bottled water. NY/World Premiere.
Directors: Stephanie Soechtig. Codirected by Jason Lindsey.
Producers Stephanie Soechtig, Sarah Gibson. Co produced by Jessie Deeter, Ellen Mai. Writers: Stephanie Soechtig, Jason Lindsey, Josh David.

A Thing of the Past, A (15, Canada)
Alex’s ex-boyfriend is an ex-gay.
Writer/Director/Producer: Nick Butler.

Thinking… (11m, USA)
A short, funny, surprising meditation on the ‘nature of meditation’ from the point of view of a young woman utterly distracted by thoughts of new love, her surroundings, and her colorful imagination.
Director/Producer/Writer: Marci Adilman (1rst project directing and producing). Associate Producer: Dan O’Hare. 2nd Assistant Director: Miranda Sajdak. Collaborating Director: Patrick Donnelly. Producer: Randy Harrison.
Assistant Director: Yori Tondrowski

Three’s Horrible (2m, USA)
‘Three’s Horrible’ is a satirical treatment of the great horror movie monsters of the 30s, 40s and 50s. Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and the Wolf-Man all live together in a dirty, old, ranch-style apartment house waiting for the next time they’re wanted again. Personalities are introduced and ultimately clash in this first part of a new series.
Director/Producer/Writer: Stephen Brooks (1st film).

Tomorrow (25m, USA)
What happens when indecisive Sonny has one night to choose between proposing to his perfect girlfriend or running off to Cuba with his free-spirited best friend?
Writer/Director/Producer: Neil Navani.
Subtitles (Hindi)

Traffic School (18m, USA)
28-year old Brad Hutchinson is your average guy stuck in traffic school. Annoyed by the elementary class material and surrounded by foreigners, he meets the beautiful Emily Desmarais. His attempts to flirt and make conversation are successful until the instructor, Donald Johnson, intervenes. Mild profanity. 1st film. NY Premiere.
Director/Writer/Producer: Matt Wechsler (1st project)

Turn Right (Subtitled) (7m)
A business executive rents a car to get to an important meeting but quickly learns the provided GPS not only has a thick French accent but has an evil mind of its own.
Producer/Writer: Berty Cadilhac. Co-Directors: Paul Barry, Tristan Kenyon.

Unbreaking Up (13m, USA)
Programmer Alex regrets breaking up with dancer Sasha. He’s invited her to an art show with every intention of winning her back. Showing up for their ‘just friends’ date 15 minutes early, Alex is determined to debug the situation and figure out what he has to say to undo their breakup. Director/Writer: Boris Kievsky (1st project).
Producer: Boris Kievsky, Paul Hernandez (1st project). Co-Producer: Jeff Sherid, Oscar Avalos. Assistant Director: Travis Sentell.

Valley of the Moon (10m, USA)
An unscheduled overnight bus trip provides a chance meeting between a world-famous, self-absorbed Chicago architect and brilliant eleven year old Nebraskan boy, a meeting that proves to be a life-changing test of wit and will. Production company is from Deer Park. Writer/Producer: Frank Monteleone. 1st film.
Director: John Monteleone. 1st film.

The Veiled Commodity (6m, USA)
“The Veiled Commodity” is a short film that deals with slavery’s past and present day issues. The film employs various design and animation techniques to tell a concise history of slavery and the problems of its present day counterpart; the trafficking and victimization of people around the world. Director/Producer/Writer: Dickson Chow. Co-Director: Vinh Chung.

The Video Guys (91m, USA)
Official Opening Night Feature Film
A comedic look at the wedding business through the eyes of the men that shoot
them, and what happens when one of them has to shoot his ex-wife’s wedding. Shot all over Long Island.
Director/Writer: Dan Brennan (1st Feature) Producer: Jeanne Brennan

What’s the Worst Part of Your Life (8m, USA)
A traffic cop, an immigrant single mom and a wealthy lawyer share a bus ride to New York City. Inside the bus, a poster of a rum advertisement triggers a question that makes them realize that life should be better. Mild profane language and sexual situations. Student project.
Director/Writer: Carlos Deuringer (1st project). Producers: Ysrael Capriles, Elise Hall

Willets Point (78m, USA)
Willets Point is a heartfelt drama of a struggling Latino family dealing with the issues of terminal illness and eminent domain during the Christmas season. Writer/Director/Producer/Executive Producer: TJ Collins.

Worth (7m, USA)
When a non-descript violin shows up at an upscale auction it seems wildly out of place. But who decides what something or someone is really worth? The answer may surprise you.
Writer/Producer/Director: Kathi Care