OCTOBER 11 TH—15 TH, 2017

SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 1 Inform. Welcome The Santa Cruz Film Festival celebrates its 15th year this season, and I’m honored for the opportunity to play a small part in this tradition, directing the festival for the 2nd year at the Entertain. Tannery Arts Center. Over the years the festival has seen changes and innovations to the program as well as special traditions maintained throughout it’s history. A tradition I’m proud to honor is the screening of fi lms in our Earth Vision category. Santa Cruz was home to an Earth Vision Film Festival for 10 years before the launch of the Santa Inspire. Cruz Film Festival, and we continue to keep that festival’s vision alive through a segment dedicated to environmental fi lms. Increasingly, independent fi lm is able to raise awareness about the preservation of our natural world through it’s use of engaging visual imagery – seeing the scenic beauty of our earth in fi lm has always had an impact — combined with documentary style story telling about what’s happening to our planet. This year we have several wonderful Earth Vision selections including a special short fi lm program with an ocean theme. So many artists call Santa Cruz home, that it is natural for our festival to attract artistic fi lms. With our new venue at the Tannery Arts Center, we’ve begun a new tradition for bringing more fi lms about the arts. This year we look at the art of fi lm from the insider’s vantage of a travelling fi lm festival in rural India with The Cinema Travellers, our opening fi lm. We’ve brought back a ground breaking fi lm Thelma and Louise, and a documentary fi lm that explores the resonance of that fi lm 25 years later. We have several fi lms exploring the life of the musician, and music takes on a special theme this year. Something you might not see in commercial theaters are fi lms featuring subjects with disabilities. This year’s festival includes several fi lms where we can fi nd inspiration from those who have overcome tremendous obstacles to live rich and rewarding lives. It just so happens our festival runs on Friday the 13th, and this year we’ve decided to give a nod to fi lmmakers who tell their stories through variety of fears and thrills. We hope you enjoy both our time tested traditions and artistic explorations in the 15th year of the Santa Cruz Film Festival.

Catherine Segurson Director Santa Cruz Film Festival, 2017

GoodTimes.SC SantaCruz.com

delighted sponsor of SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 3 Santa Cruz Film Festival The Colligan Theater Oasis Tasting Room

Located at 1010 River street, The Colligan Theater has 182 seats and Kitchen with two aisles and more distance between rows for better 415 River St, near the Tannery Arts Center is a leg room. With a higher rise from one row to the next there multifaceted, warehouse-chic bar & kitchen with is a better view of action on the stage. Inside you’ll enjoy the shareable New American bites & local brews. spacious lobby with concessions bar, and outside you’ll find a beautifully landscaped patio and garden, relics of the old Tannery, Oasis will be hosting our opening night party along and also dozens of free adjacent parking spaces exclusively for with Uncommon Brewery and Hallcrest Winery. theater patrons.

The Dead Cow Cafe Courtyard and Corridor Theaters at Located on the center courtyard of the Tannery Arts Center, the Tannery World Dance Centers the café offers a variety of creatively inspired appetizers, salads, flatbread pizzas, sandwiches, and deserts. The bar menu includes Tannery World Dance & Cultural Center is a studio, performance, a variety of creative cocktails named after artists, as well as wine, and cultural space housed inside the Tannery Arts Center, right champagne, and craft beers. The Dead Cow is open daily from on the main courtyard. We’re calling it our “Courtyard Theater.” 11:00-9:00pm. This unique hub is surrounded by loft artists, galleries, sculptures, and the Dead Cow Cafe. The Black Box theater, we’ve named our “Corridor Theater” situated in the corridor between the cafe and the art studios is home to professional dance artists from all over the world. We have code-accessed, clean, public restrooms and ample, free parking!

Radius Art Gallery

Radius Gallery is a professional art venue and gallery at the Tannery Arts Center showcasing the work of local, regional and international artists. Curated exhibitions are year-round and present all art disciplines. Radius Gallery is also available to rent for events, receptions, workshops, and other creative projects. This year we will be hosting educational panels, tech demon- strations, and evening DJ parties during the festival. Our Italian themed closing party and awards ceremony will be in the gallery.

4 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 5 4 Wheel Bob A Life In Waves DOCUMENTARY FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Colligan Plaza Theater 4:45 pm, 1 hr 12 mins Courtyard Theater 4:45 pm Saturday, October 14 Thursday, October 12

Scheduled to attend: Tal Skloot (director), Synopsis: A Life in Bob Coomber (subject) Waves explores the life and innovations of Synopsis: 4 Wheel Bob tells the story of Bob composer and electronic Coomber, an intrepid adventurer who sets music pioneer, Suzanne out to be the first wheelchair hiker to cross Ciani. the 11,845 foot Kearsarge Pass in the Sierra Nevada. Director: Brett Whit- comb is an award-win- For Bob in his wheelchair, this adventuring is ning filmmaker from fraught with danger. He must deal continu- Houston, TX. His credits include, “The Rock-afire Explosion,” “GLOW: The Story of the Gor- ally with altitude sickness and the threat of geous Ladies of Wrestling,” and “County Fair, Texas.” Most recently, Brett served as producer on diabetic coma, not to mention possible fatal Peter Berg’s 10-part docu-series, QB1: Beyond the Lights. or crippling falls in the steep terrain. This story of overcoming immense obstacles will inspire us to look at our own self-imposed limitations and perhaps reach beyond what we think is possible. A Moving Image SCREENING WITH: NARRATIVE FEATURE Pittari Colligan Plaza Theater 4:45 pm, ANIMATION Thursday, October 12 4 mins Synopsis: A Moving Image is an award winning Synopsis: A horned creature’s destructive rampage is halted by a stubborn adversary. Loosely multimedia feature film about gentrification in based on Tom Robbin’s depiction of Tanuki, a Japanese mythical creature known for his mischief, Brixton, incorporating fiction, documentary and “Pittari” is scored to an old phonographic gospel recording to help illustrate a relentless resistan- performance art. We follow Nina, a young stifled ce to the creature’s gritty penetration. artist, as she returns to her community after a long absence - she is soon painted as a symbol of Director: Animator Patrick Smith is known for his bizarre hand-drawn interpretations of human gentrification. As she struggles with her own emotions and identity. His formative years were spent as a storyboard artist for Walt Disney, and complicity, we follow her mission to create a piece other major studios in New York and Los Angeles. “Pittari” is his seventh independent short. of art that can bring her community together. On her journey we speak to real people affected by gentrification in Brixton, blurring the line between reality and fiction. Director: Shola Amoo is a graduate of the National Film and Television School. His graduate film Touch won Shooting People’s Film of The Month competition, chosen by Oscar nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto. Touch also toured the UK as part of The BFI’s Sci-Fi season. Shola’s debut Feature is the multimedia Film A Moving Image.

SCREENING WITH: The Curious End to the War Against Ourselves LOCAL SHORT California premiere 6 mins

6 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 7 Scheduled to attend: Andrew Purchin (director), Michael Reinhold (co director/editor), Stu television series, movies for television, and cable television features in association with CBS Wilson (sound design) Entertainment Productions. Currently, NuHouse develops projects independently. He is the Co-Producer/Director of the documentary film, Agents of Change. Synopsis: How do we not hate the hater? Armed with art supplies and a 170 foot linen scroll, an artist and psychotherapist and his team provided relief from the frenzy at the 2016 Republican and Democratic National Conventions. About 150 people listened to a guided art making me- ditation while marking and dancing on the canvas. Just about everybody reported feeling more calm. And a number of people noticed how they became less judgmental towards those whom Rain the Color of Blue with A Little Red In It they disagreed with. (Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai) Director: Andrew Purchin is an interdisciplinary artist, psychotherapist and filmmaker whose NARRATIVE FEATURE practice brings him on art making pilgrimages to places and events such as the Apple Store, Corridor Theater 7 pm, 1 hr 15 mins presidential inaugurations, political conventions and funerals. Saturday, October 14

Synopsis: A revolutio- nary story of guitars, motorcycles, cell phones, Agents of Change and the music of a new DOCUMENTARY FEATURE generation in Nigeria. Courtyard Theater 4:45 pm, 1 hr 5 mins The film is called Saturday, October 14 Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai—a Tuareg Scheduled to attend: Frank R. Dawson (co-director) phrase that literally Synopsis: Agents of translates to “rain the Changes examines the color of blue with a little untold story of racial red in it” (the Tuareg are conditions on college a semi-nomadic Berber campuses that led to group in North Africa, protests across the and their language, also country at over 1000 known as Tamashek, has no word for the color purple). Rooted in the Nigerien city of Agadez, colleges. Through the the film stars the self-taught guitarist Mdou Moctar as an enigmatic, motorcycle-riding, stories of the film’s purple-robed musician trying to a make a name for himself in the city “where guitars are king.” characters who were Director: Christopher Kirkley in collaboration with Mdou Moctar and Jerome Fino caught at the crossroads of the civil rights and Winner of the Prix du Jury prize at F.A.M.E. in Paris black power movements Christopher Kirkley is a music collector and archivist focused on the Sahel of West Africa. His at a pivotal time in work examines contemporary popular music in the evolving technological landscape, the inter- American history, their play of localized traditions with global influences, and new modes of cultural transmission. He struggle echoes the questions about inclusiveness, identity and racial stereotyping that lie at the releases records under the label Sahel Sounds and maintains a blog exploring arts and music of heart of the Black Lives Matter movement of today. the region. Directors: Abby Ginzberg, has been producing award-winning documentaries about race and social justice for the past 30 years. She is the co-producer and co-director of Agents of Change, which premiered at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles and won the Jury and the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary. Abby attended Cornell during the time depicted in the film. Frank R. Dawson is an Associate Dean, and former Chair of the Communication and Media Studies Department at Santa Monica College. Frank is also a Producer, writer, and founding partner in NuHouse Media Group, a Company originally formed to develop and produce

8 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 9 An Evening of Eternity The Bay of Life STUDENT FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Corridor Theater 2:30 pm, 1 hr 25 mins Corridor Theater 12 pm, 1 hr Sunday, October 15 Sunday, October 15

Synopsis: Jonas, the Synopsis: Renowned young owner of a vinyl wildlife photographer record store, stumbles Frans Lanting’s fi lm into a mysterious tavern celebrates the Monterey by chance one evening. Bay, his home ground for The tavern is detached the past 30 years. Frans from time and people explores images and from all kinds of diff erent stories about the eras meet there. He falls Monterey Bay regi- in love with a Jazz singer, on--one of the hottest Eva Elana, from the 60s. But the time between the two will become their greatest enemy... hot spots for biodiversity in North America, Director: Constantin Maier was born in 1991 in Hanover, Germany and began pursuing his pas- according to The Nature sion to make fi lms from an early age. At the age 13 he completed his fi rst animated fi lm after two Conservancy. He years of work. From then on he made many short fi lms and in 2016 he completed his fi rst feature portrays the Monterey fi lm, An Evening of Eternity. Since 2011 he studies fi lm at the University of Applied Sciences and Bay the way he has profi led exotic ecosystems on other continents, but with a personal Arts Hanover. perspective embedded in the story. His images feature a remarkable cast of characters, from mountain lions and condors to sea otters and elephant seals, in a place that represents a unique SCREENING WITH: convergence of land and sea, where endangered endemics mix with cosmopolitan migrants. Albedo Absolute Directors: Frans Lanting has been hailed as one of the great nature photographers of our time. NARRATIVE SHORT His infl uential work appears in books, magazines, and exhibitions around the world. For three Corridor Theater decades he has documented wildlife from the Amazon to Antarctica to promote understanding 15 mins about the Earth and its natural history through images that convey a passion for nature and a sense of wonder about our living planet. Synopsis: The fairytale adventure of Violet and Savannah, two sisters who disobey their parent’s warning by venturing into a brooding forest. There, they discover a large plug wedged into the fo- Chris Eckstrom is a writer, editor, and videographer whose work celebrates the wonder of the rest fl oor. What lurks beneath the plug? The girls cannot resist fi nding out. Their curiosity sends natural world and seeks to explore how people and wildlife can coexist. For the past twen- them down a kaleidoscopic drain pipe and into a strange and startling journey of no return. ty-fi ve years she has worked with her husband and partner, Frans Lanting, on fi eld assignments from the Amazon to Mongolia. Director: Vlad Marsavin’s fi lm career began producing the documentary Mama, I’m Going to Kill You (2013), which chronicled abuses in Russian orphanages. The documentary won the 2014 Amnesty International Jury Award and compelled the Russian government to change abusive SCREENING WITH: practices in the Russian orphanage system. In 2014, Marsavin completed an autobiographical Back to CAMP animated fi lm, Sebastian. Film won Best Short Film at the Black Hills Film Festival and screened DOCUMENTARY SHORT in more than sixty fi lm festivals worldwide. 9 mins ALBEDO ABSOLUTE is Marsavin’s fi rst live action fi lm. Having completed the fi lm, the direc- Synopsis: At 40 years old, Ashley fi nds herself at mid-life and questioning the meaning of all tor turns his attention to his debut feature fi lm, currently in production. that came before it. Feeling empty, confused and uncertain how to move forward in her life she decides to go back to the one place that never changes, but always changes you...Summer Camp. Director: Ashley Mosher

10 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 11 Behind The Curtain: Todrick Hall the other attempts to capture these works in an entirely new way with his own stylistic approach to photography. It is a story that explores art from different perspectives and the challenges of DOCUMENTARY FEATURE meeting ‘Between Worlds’ to create something new and original. Courtyard Theater 4:45 pm, 1 hr 40 mins Thursday, October 12 Director: Brad Kremer is an award-winning director, producer, and cinematographer based in San Francisco. He began his career in film-making in action sports where he produced and di- Synopsis: Todrick Hall rected many of snowboarding’s most influential films. Nike once described Brad as a “legendary launches his most filmmaker.” Brad has won over 100 industry awards under his direction, including three Movie of ambitious project yet: the the Year awards, a 2013 National Gold ADDY award for his short film for Nike set in Montafon, full-scale original musical, Austria and an Emmy in 2014. Straight Outta Oz. From a small town in Texas to big-time show business, SCREENING WITH: comes an inspiring Frans Lanting: The Evolution of LIFE documentary of grit, DOCUMENTARY SHORT perseverance and the 22 mins redemptive power of art. We watch him struggle to Scheduled to attend: Steven Kochones (director), Frans Lanting (subject), Christine Eckstrom write songs about growing (subject) up gay and black in Synopsis: Embark on a dazzling journey through time via the remarkable images of National small-town Texas, his difficult relationship with his mom, and the harsh realities of trying to make it Geographic photographer Frans Lanting and his epic “LIFE” project, which presents a stunning in show business. With limited time and budget the odds are against him, but Todrick’s passion and interpretation of life on Earth from the Big Bang to the present. The film also recounts Lanting’s his team of talented performers overcome all obstacles to bring this story to the world. own evolution from natural history photographer to visual chronicler of life on the planet. Director: Katherine Fairfax Wright is the director, editor and cinematographer of BEHIND THE Director: Steven Kochones is a film director specializing in award-winning non-fiction films. -Sin CURTAIN: TODRICK HALL and CALL ME KUCHU, the story of the last year in the life of the ce 2009, he has directed 16 documentaries about photography and photographers, including the first openly gay man in Uganda. Katherine produced IMPERIAL DREAMS, starring John Boyega. critically acclaimed “Who Shot Rock & Roll,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and She was raised in LA and studied Film and Anthropology at Columbia University. screened at 25 other festivals, earning four awards. His music documentary “Country: Portraits of an American Sound,” was released in 2017 on Netflix, iTunes and other premium outlets. Kocho- nes has also tackled gritty and global subjects, such as “The War Photographers” and “Water: Our Thirsty World,” produced in association with National Geographic. Between Worlds DOCUMENTARY FEATURE California premiere Colligan Plaza Theater 2:30 pm, 1 hr 5 mins Sunday, October 15

Scheduled to attend: Brad Kremer (direc- tor), Andres Amador (subject), Christopher Frey (executive producer), Philippa Frey (associate producer), Troy Alexiadis (motion graphics), Baine Secuya (editor) Synopsis: Between Worlds is a documentary that follows the first-of-its-kind collabora- tion of two award-winning artists using two different mediums and two vastly different relationships with time, coming together for the creation of a singular vision. One is renowned for his expansive works of beach art that are lost to the elements shortly after completion, while

12 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 13 Bigly Yellow from the University of California, Santa Cruz, followed by an MFA in Documentary Media from Northwestern University. Jesseca was a finalist for the 2016 American Society of Cinematogra- DOCUMENTARY FEATURE pher’s Vilmos Zsigmond Award for her thesis film EMERALD ICE and a 2015 Southern Exposure California premiere Film Fellow for the Southern Environmental Law Center in Birmingham, AL. Jesseca currently Colligan Plaza Theater 7 pm, 1 hr 2 mins holds the Filmmaker in Residence position at Northwestern University. Friday, October 13

Scheduled to attend: Nigel Deans (director) & Toby Oliver (advisor) Black Cat Come on a 21 Synopsis: NARRATIVE FEATURE year journey where the California premiere twin gods of creation and destruction hold hands. A Corridor Theater 9:15 pm, 1 hr 25 mins musical prodigy at 15 and Friday, October 13 playing with Australia’s Scheduled to attend: Peter best, jazz trumpeter, Pardini (director/writer), Grant trombonist and Garry (producer/actor), composer Simon Kent is Katherine Muise (actress/ as talented as he was executive-producer) troubled as he endures a life long battle with Synopsis: When a near-deca- mental health issues. A de old murder case involving distorted tour through the private rehearsal spaces and hospital hallways of a musician on the a movie star threatens to fringe, into a land of sliding night shadows, slithering and peaked with bent notes, creative highs, reopen, adult child Duke babies and lithium smoothed breakdowns. Moody decides to make a true crime documentary, financed Directors: Born in Christchurch New Zealand, raised in the Wimmera wheat plains of Victoria by his mother. Australia, Nigel Deans studied Film at Swinburne/VCA Melbourne. Director: Peter Pardini has found success directing the official documentary about the history of Nigel made several short films while working on Bigly Yellow, which has taken 20 years to com- the legendary rock group Chicago, Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago, which aired on plete, his first feature film, co-directed and co-produced with Nubar Ghazarian. CNN on New Year’s Day to #1 ratings. He has also made several short films and his 2011 feature Nubar Ghazarian started as a freelance film editor for the ABC in Melbourne (1979-84), then film following Chicago’s 2011 World Tour played in over 500 theaters around the country. a lecturer at the VCA School of Film & TV (1984-2005). Nubar’s own work has been recog- nized internationally including an AFI Award for Best Editing (“Kick Start”) in 1987. SCREENING WITH: Hallucinalien SCREENING WITH: LOCAL SHORT Emerald Ice 5 mins LOCAL SHORT Scheduled to attend: Davis Banta (director), Benjamin Canant (editor), April Bennett (makeup 15 mins and prosthetics), Eric Baade (actor), Matt Kazee (special effects), Max Bennett-Parker Scheduled to attend: Jesseca Ynez Simmons (director), Noemi Zarate (actress) (soundtrack) Synopsis: Emerald Ice is a cinematic journey exploring the mind of the American poet Diane Synopsis: When an employee misses three days of work, he has to have an explanation. Not say- Wakoski. Narrated by the poet herself, the audience assumes the side of the reader as facts of ing it’s aliens...but aliens. Will his story stand up to scrutiny, or be written off as a hallucination? the author’s life weave through enigmatic, fantastical and fractured stories. Director: Davis Banta has a background in film, theater, and improv comedy. He studied film and Director: Originally from the Strawberry capital of the World: Watsonville, CA, Jesseca Ynez Digital Media at UCSC, and graduated in 2009. He co-founded his theater company, SideReal Simmons is a filmmaker and artist currently based in Chicago, IL. She received her BA in Politics Productions in 2013.

14 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 15 Unlikely Temptations Bobby Khan’s Ticket to Hollywood NARRATIVE SHORT NARRATIVE FEATURE 9 mins Colligan Plaza Theater 9:15 pm, Saturday, October 14 Scheduled to attend: Cory Reeder (director) Scheduled to attend: Atif Mirza (director) Synopsis: After thirty nine days and nights wandering the desert, Jesus suffers the ungodly chal- Tarun Shetty (lead actor/producer) Lak Rana lenge of the Devil’s most bizarre and tantalizing temptations. (actor) Yalda Sadiq (production manager) Director: Raised in Southern California, I was that bubbly, towheaded kid that had a permanent Deema Mauladad (actor) Brian Swineheart tan, and mastered a 2.0 GPA. Mom a homemaker and dad bringing home the bacon (I love (actor) Sana Nazim (makeup) Mike Tsirklin bacon). They could tell from an early age I was more artistic than academic because I was cons- (actor) tantly drawing, painting, or making films with my dad’s Super 8. Synopsis: A Bollywood actor comes to Hol- lywood to “make it” and discovers that fame is not all it’s cracked up to be. Bobbi Jene Director: Atif Mirza has been making creative content for over ten years. He was made short DOCUMENTARY FEATURE films, commercials, music videos, and a feature length comedy. He also works for a Bollywood tv Corridor Theater 2:30 pm, 1 hr 35 mins show - which inspired the character of Bobby Khan. Thursday, October 12

Synopsis: After a decade of stardom in Israel, American dancer Bobbi Jene decides to leave behind Burning Paradise her prominent position at the DOCUMENTARY FEATURE world-famous Batsheva Dance California premiere Company, as well as the love of her life, to return to the U.S. to create Courtyard Theater 4:45 pm, 1 hr 14 mins her own boundary breaking art. Friday, October 13 Tracking the personal and professi- Synopsis: Burning onal challenges that await her, Elvira Paradise / por la Lind’s film lovingly and intimately necesidad essentially is a documents the dilemmas and story about carboneros inevitable consequences of - indigenous charcoal ambition. BOBBI JENE delves into what it takes for a woman to gain her own independence in makers - who are slowly the extremely competitive world of dance and to find self-fulfillment in the process. and reluctantly destroy- Director: Born in 1981 in Copenhagen, Elvira Lind graduated from City Varsity - School of Media ing their forests just to and Creative Arts in Cape Town in 2006 majoring in documentary film. She has worked within earn enough to eat. The that field since directing and shooting documentaries of various lengths for TV, cinema, and web only other choice they on four different continents. Elvira now lives and works out of New York, where she also writes have is to migrate. The on various fiction projects. Elvira’s first feature documentary Songs for Alexis competed at IDFA film does not focus on in 2014 and screened at a long list of international festivals; she received CPH:DOX new talent data or statistics and offers no solutions. To the extent that it reflects five years of living with award in 2015; and her first international documentary TV series “Twiz and Tuck” launched on Indigenous peoples in the sierra Mixteca de Oaxaca, it offers viewers an opportunity to relate to Viceland this year. BOBBI JENE is Elvira’s second feature documentary, which premiered at indigenous Oaxacans in visceral, non rhetorical terms. The thesis of the film simply is that Tribeca 2017. migration for these people is an environmental issue, and so contrary to our rhetorical ideas of “migrants,” they are instead presented as displaced and indispensable assets in the fight for maintaining biodiversity. Director: Greg Rainoff spent twenty years in Hollywood as a visual effects artist during which

16 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 17 time he won four Emmys for his work on the Star Trek Television series. Upon leaving LA he went to the border where he learned Spanish, earned a graduate degree in Latin American studies and Change: completed his first film “el Muro”, about the social and environmental effects of the border wall EarthVision and Documentary Shorts Program separating San Diego and Tijuana. His most recent work, “Burning Paradise” is about indigenous charcoal makers in the sierra Mixteca. He now resides in Oaxaca where he continues to study Corridor Theater 4:45 pm the relationship between migration and environmental degradation. Sunday, October 15 Program runtime: 1 hr 36 mins Change is coming. These short films profile the activists who are leading the way.

Catching Sight of Thelma & Louise DOCUMENTARY FEATURE The Draft and The Vietnam Generation Northern California premiere DOCUMENTARY SHORT Colligan Plaza Theater 2:30 pm, 1 hr 27 mins California premiere Saturday, October 14 48 mins

Scheduled to attend: Scheduled to attend: Jennifer Townsend Beth Sanders (director), (director), Sarah Ferrier Mike Rotkin (featured in (editor) the documentary) Synopsis: A powerful, Synopsis: What would award-winning docu- you do if your govern- mentary, Catching Sight ment ordered you to fight of Thelma & Louise dives a war you opposed? Mil- off the edge, into the lions faced that dilemma truth of women’s expe- during the Vietnam War. rience in the world. Clips Featuring ordinary Ame- from Thelma & Louise ricans, including Santa serve as a catalyst for in- Cruz’s own Mike Rotkin, timate stories by viewers who were impacted by the film in 1991 and wrote letters about it. Today who tell their own stories the same women and men connect past and present, asking what, if anything, has changed in the of opposition to the draft, this engaging new documentary reveals the individual moral decision way women are treated by the world. making that fueled a powerful movement against an unjust war. Director: Jennifer Townsend came to filmmaking in her mid-70’s, after several careers which in- “At a moment when resistance again to state wrongs is on the rise, this film is a wonderful cluded law and commercial real estate. Her fascination for the depth and breadth of the human reminder of the bravery, costs, and necessities for such a stance.” — Professor Susan Reverby experience drew her to documentaries. She is self-taught and says her ‘learning curve’ never curves; it keeps going straight up. Director: Director/Producer Beth Sanders’ past works include Fear and Favor in the Newsroom, a documentary on self-censorship within the American press narrated by Studs Terkel, and Jennifer began with a series of short films called ‘Old Folks at Home.’ She discovered a talent Making the News Fit which examines American press coverage of the war in El Salvador. Beth for making her subjects feel comfortable and safe. ‘Catching Sight of Thelma & Louise’ is her currently lives in Seattle. first feature film. Jennifer’s wish is to continue making films until she reaches ‘a ripe old age.’

18 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 19 Arrested (Again) DEEJ DOCUMENTARY SHORT DOCUMENTARY FEATURE 4 mins Courtyard Theater 2:30 pm, 1 hr 11 mins Friday, October 13 Synopsis: Activist Karen Topakian has been arrested dozens of times for using nonviolent civil disobedience to protest nuclear proliferation, human rights abuses, environmental issues, and Synopsis: Abandoned by war. What drives her to repeatedly put her body on the line? his birth parents and presumed incompetent, Director: Dan’s fi rst fi lm, “ub2”, about language related to HIV, was an offi cial selection of 37 U.S. DJ Savarese (“Deej”) and international festivals, while his second, “Equal Justice Under Law”, about the U.S. Supre- found not only a loving me Court’s marriage equality decision, played at 20 festivals around the world. Dan is currently family but also a life in in production on “5 Blocks”, a long-form documentary about a San Francisco neighborhood words, which he types on undergoing its most dramatic change in 50 years. Dan is a graduate of the San Francisco School a text-to-voice synthesi- of Digital Filmmaking and has served on the screening committees of the San Francisco Green zer. As he makes his way Film Festival and the Sebastopol Documentary Festival. He is currently in the incubator program through high school and at San Francisco’s Ninth Street Independent Film Center. dreams of college, he confronts the terrors of his past, society’s obstacles to inclusion, Women’s March and the sometimes paralyzing beauty of his own senses. Deej is a story told largely from the DOCUMENTARY SHORT inside, by DJ – not by his parents or autism experts. 30 mins Director: Robert Rooy was formerly a fi rst assistant director in the mainstream fi lm industry and as such is a veteran of more than forty productions, including LONESOME DOVE, HONEY- Scheduled to attend: Mischa Hedges (director), Lillian Dignan (impact producer), Iliani Matisse MOON IN VEGAS, MINORITY REPORT and THE WEST WING. He has also worked in more (producer) than twenty countries creating media with and for international anti-poverty, human rights and Synopsis: On January 21, 2017, hundreds of thousands of women marched on Washington, DC. environmental organizations. His encounter with Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank That same day, hundreds of sister marches took place across the country and around the world. in Bangladesh and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, led to producing and directing TO OUR CREDIT, a two-part PBS series that aired in 1998. TO OUR CREDIT was the fi rst in-depth Shot on location in fi ve U.S. cities, the fi lm explores several women’s motivation to march. examination of microcredit, an innovative antipoverty strategy, to air in the United States. After For some people, it was their fi rst time marching. For others, it was the continuation of a a brief additional stint in Hollywood, he resumed the creation of social issue media. On the basis decades-long fi ght for human rights, dignity, and justice. For all, it was an opportunity to make of the latter work, he was recently given a Distinguished Alumnus Award by his undergraduate their voices heard. alma mater, Calvin College. It grew into the largest one-day protest in American history.

Director: Mischa is Founder and Chief Storyteller at TrimTab Media. He brings over a decade of SCREENING WITH: experience producing award-winning documentaries, commercials and online videos. Women’s Les Cloÿs March is his fi fth documentary fi lm production. DOCUMENTARY SHORT 9 mins

Synopsis: Four young men in Paris speak their own version of French that brings them closer together, even as they feel separated from the rest of Parisian society. Director: Julia Hechler is a fi lmmaker based in Seattle. She makes documentaries, edits all types of videos, and works as an editor at MedBridge.

20 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 21 Earthquake and periodically for UCLA Extension. His latest feature film “Fear, Love, and Agoraphobia” is scheduled for release in 2016. NARRATIVE FEATURE Colligan Plaza Theater 9:15 pm, 1 hr 41 mins Thursday, October 12 SCREENING WITH:

Synopsis: Leninakan, The Ascent Armenian SSR, USSR, LOCAL SHORT 1988. After the devasta- California premiere ting Spitak earthquake of 9 mins December 7th, Konstan- Synopsis: A young woman returns to a centuries-old redwood grove -- the site of a long-ago tin Berezhnoy, a environmental protest -- to face her past, 250 feet in the air. 50-year-old Russian, and Robert Melkonyan, a Director: SORREL BRAE (director/writer) is an award-winning filmmaker and director of com- 28-year-old Armenian, mercials for major American brands, including GE, Toyota, Mizuno, and the National Football work together to rescue League, among many others. He won the Young Director Award at the Cannes Lions festival, the desperate survivors. along with many other awards. His short films “The Trial of Barnaby Finch,” “A Film By Vera Vaughn,” and “Love and Stuff” have screened nationally and internationally, at the New York Director: Born in 1988 Shorts Film Festival, LA Shorts Fest, the International Festival of Cinema and Technology, and in Yerevan, Armenia, by beyond. He was born and raised in Arcata, California. the age of 29, Sarik Andreasyan became a top-3 highest grossing Russian directors according to Variety Russia. Directing a successful remake of the Russian cult classic “Office Romance” at the age of 23 puts him on the map and the widely beloved box office hit “Moms” cements his positions as one of the most talented and profitable directors in his country. The sequel to “Moms” - “Happy New Year, Moms!” sees Sarik working with the ensemble cast studded with the legend himself - monsieur Alan Delon.

Fear, Love, and Agoraphobia NARRATIVE FEATURE Northern California premiere Corridor Theater 9:15 pm, 1 hr 30 mins Saturday, October 14

Synopsis: An agoraphobic man and female Marine struggle to escape their personal prisons. Director: Alex D’Lerma got his start in show business as a radio personality at the age of seventeen. His popular show got him on the air in Los Angeles where he trained and worked as an actor and filmmaker. In 2006 he founded “The Cinema Gym” Acting & Directing for camera workshop and “The Looping Walla Group.” Mr. D’Lerma teaches acting and directing at his Cinema Gym in Burbank

22 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 23 Program

24 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 25 Folk Heroes: Cab Elvis DOCUMENTARY SHORT Documentary Shorts Program 10 mins Colligan Plaza Theater 12 pm Synopsis: Dave Groh, a cab driver who dresses like Elvis, finds himself not only in a battle with Thursday, October 12 Program Runtime: 1 hr 14 mins the city of Seattle but also the dark side of Elvis. Featuring a live musical saw performance! Director: Andrew Franks is a Seattle based director, editor, and cinematographer driven to capture the nuance of human narrative on film.

Don’t Sell My Guitars DOCUMENTARY SHORT Northern California Premiere Legacy-Tom Scribner and the Santa Cruz Saw Festival 20 mins LOCAL SHORT World premiere Scheduled to attend: Marysue Montgomery (featured in documentary) Synopsis: A documen- Synopsis: A beloved country western musician whispers a final request to his wife, “Honey, don’t tary about the world-fa- sell my guitars.” The surprising revelation of what happened to his treasured, six dollar, Sears mous saw player, Tom Silvertone first guitar is the focus of this moving love letter that explores loss, redemption and Scribner, whose bronze how far a father will go to protect his family. statue is seen on Pacific Director: Lynn Montgomery won a Los Angeles Emmy for the documentary, Child Abuse, The Day Avenue in Santa Cruz. After, about the failings of the child protective custody system. She won a Writer’s Guild Award Narrated by Bruce for Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, starring Jean Stapleton, Shelley Duvall and Joan Cusack. She created a Bratton and saw players series for NBC and Disney, The Torkelsons, about her mother’s family in Oklahoma. She produced from Tom’s 39th annual a nationally syndicated radio show aired on over 100 rock and roll stations around the country for saw festival. Westwood 1. She wrote an award winning children’s book, Butt Ugly. Don’t Sell My Guitars is her Director: Denise Gallant directorial debut. has been doing video and film for over 40 years, including news editing at NBC, LA, CBS NY and Boomtown graphics at ABC, NY. She DOCUMENTARY SHORT yearly creates mini-documentaries for musicians at the NAMM TEC Awards event in LA. Denise 16 mins also teaches video editing and production at Cabrillo College. Scheduled to attend: Robert Bryant (director), Dave LeCompte (director) Synopsis: The Washington Post called Battle Mountain, Nevada the ‘armpit of America.’ What would inspire an attorney and an electrical engineer to abandon comfortable city lives for such a locale? An inextinguishable passion for consumer fireworks. Meet Steve and Earl Cassorla. Friends and family questioned their sanity, but never their spirit. Their store serves countless customers from around the world and from every walk of life, all fueled by a love of family, friends, freedom, and anything with a fuse. Despite a dizzying selection of items, Steve insists they’re in the ‘the memory business.’ And business is booming. Director: Robert Bryant and Dave LeCompte are hopelessly habitual makers of things. Together they created Barn Built productions to tell stories, make beautiful messes, gather talented friends together and above all, have fun.

26 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 27 Forbidden Cuba Friday The 13th Thrills: NARRATIVE FEATURE California premiere Narrative Shorts Program Colligan Plaza Theater 7 pm, 1 hr 20 mins Courtyard Theater 9:15 pm Thursday, October 12 Friday, October 13 Program Runtime: 1 hr 21 mins If you love thrillers and mysteries, Friday the 13th is your lucky day! Scheduled to attend: Art Jones (director/writer/ producer), Raphael Duvernay (co-dp / co-producer), Joe Foley Alfred J Hemlock (co-dp / co-producer) NARRATIVE SHORT Synopsis: An American 14 mins businessman travels to Cuba to find an executive Scheduled to attend: Edward Lyons gone rogue, and finds his (producer, co-writer, director) Melissa eyes opened to the be- Lyons (producer, co-writer) auty and vibrant culture Synopsis: When Emily’s boyfriend of Cuba, challenging his abandons her in the night, her only corporate directives, his way home is through an alleyway whe- identity and everything re she is terrorised by the mysterious he has known. Without permits, permission or a Plan B, we filmed “Forbidden Cuba” guerilla-sty- entity Alfred J Hemlock. le across the island to help bridge cultures and reveal a nation on the verge of dramatic change. Our film is the first American feature made in Cuba since the revolution of 1959. Director: Edward has a degree in English from Sydney University and a Director: Art heads Great Jones Productions in New York, and as director/producer, fuses Master of Media Arts and Production filmmaking with community-building to spark social action. His narrative films, “Dodgeball,” from the University of Technology, “Going Nomad” and “Lustre” played on HBO, PBS and in theaters, parking lots and bare-bulb Sydney. His first short film, ‘Can I Call basements across America. His documentary, “The Blood in this Town” traveled to all 50 shares, You’, was sold to ‘Fangoria’ magazine. In 2013 the Australian Writers’ Guild honoured him with an sharing revitalization know-how with struggling small towns and cities. Art graduated from AWGIE nomination for his screenplay ‘Drive-By’. His previous short film, the award winning ‘A Brown, lives in Brooklyn and serves as Adjunct Professor of Film at Hunter College. He’s been Man On The Edge’, screened in over 50 international festivals. nominated for Film Independent’s John Cassavetes Award and does all stunts without a net.

Running Condition NARRATIVE SHORT 15 mins

Synopsis: When a mysterious recluse experiences first love, his carefully constructed world quickly begins to destabilize.

28 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 29 Wandering Soul Frederick NARRATIVE SHORT NARRATIVE SHORT 13 mins Northern California Premiere

Scheduled to attend: Josh Tanner (writer/director), Jade van der Lei (writer/producer) 15 mins Synopsis: A Viet Cong soldier stationed in the claustrophobic tunnels of Cu Chi during the Synopsis: Frederick is the story of a high profile painter and art gallery owner, who suffers from Vietnam War finds himself haunted by the ghost of a fallen comrade after the burial ceremony is an intense version of artist’s block. However, his passion reignites when he has an idea for a new compromised. controversial project. To his surprise, he receives an unexpected visit from an intimidating yet oblivious policeman, Detective Marks, who interrogates him about the disappearance of several Director: Josh Tanner is an Australian writer/director. In 2013, he co-wrote and directed short young fashion models. Frederick and Marks play a game of cat and mouse, culminating in a film THE LANDING, a period drama/Sci-Fi, which won Best Short Film at the Sitges Internati- mysterious yet frightening exhibition. onal Film Festival, qualifying it for the 2015 Academy Awards®. The film went on to win fifteen awards at international festivals before a successful online release, gaining Vimeo Staff Picks and Director: Traci Hays developed her directing sensibility under the mentorship of Larry Moss (ac- receiving over 300,000 views. Josh is currently in development for feature versions of both THE ting coach), Martha Coolidge (Real Genius) and Randal Kleiser (Grease). Her recent directing LANDING and WANDERING SOUL, and is represented by The Gotham Group in Los Angeles. credits include the Web Pilot, Seer, Produced by MyTeeVee, the TV Pilot, Alive Again, Produced by Legacy Films and Media, the documentary Ecstasy Lives out of Balance, produced for the County of Santa Clara, and a short 1800s period film, Lions Among Men starring Johanna Watts (American Warship) and Dayo Okeniyi (The Hunger Games, The Spectacular Now). World War Anywhere NARRATIVE SHORT US premiere 14 mins George: A Love Letter to a Cold City NARRATIVE FEATURE Scheduled to attend: Scott Antifave – Director Corridor Theater 7 pm, 1 hr 11 mins Synopsis: An attack on the city thrusts a couple into a fight for their lives. Friday, October 13

Director: Scott is a writer/director with experience in all aspects of production. As a 1st Assistant Synopsis: George is left behind at a Minneapolitan gas Camera with the International Cinematographers Guild Chapter 669, he spends day in and day station by an interstate bus. What follows is a night of out making films and TV for audiences worldwide. encounters with well-meaning strangers, low-level Utilizing the skills learned from working with professionals whose resumes span from “Game of criminals, and an eager freelance tour guide. Unable to Thrones” to “Streets of Fire”, Scott applies this knowledge to every project he undertakes. make a real human connection and constantly subject to the mischief of Luck, George tries to scrounge together enough money to buy a ticket out of town. Director: Aswar Rahman (born March 14, 1994) is a Kong’s Bangladeshi-American independent filmmaker. Rahman NARRATIVE SHORT has written and directed six feature-length films and is the Local Premiere founder of Cineapolis, a filmmaking organization dedica- 10 mins ted to increasing feature production in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Scheduled to attend: Ian Schiller (director), Thomas Nores (co-writer), Molly Salz (producer), Andy Olson (gaffer) In 2015, Rahman formed the Cineapolis coalition with actors and crew from the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Synopsis: When a low criminal makes his move against an old friend, it thrusts him into the deep The organization embarked on a dense production sched- end of a criminal world where his next move could be his last. ule of six films, all written and directed by him. Achilles Director: Ian Schiller is a Director living in Santa Cruz, California. He’s intrigued by characters (2015), Salone (2016), and The Best of India, Late at NIght (2016) are considered Cineapolis’ living outside the margins of normal. He’s known for arresting evocative imagery. Kong’s is Ian’s first volume of productions. Rahman lives in Uptown Minneapolis. short narrative film Directorial debut.

30 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 31 SCREENING WITH: Synopsis: A girl, a gun & a last chance. State of Emergency Motherfucker! Director: Scott Ballard is an award-winning Portland-based Director, Producer and Director NARRATIVE SHORT of Photography. His most recent feature film, Death On A Rock has won 11 awards, playing at 5 mins 39 festivals around the world. North & Nowhere, his most recent short is currently in festivals, winning Best Director at the 2017 Albuquerque Film & Music Experience. He is producing and Synopsis: State of Emergency Motherfucker! is a surreal comedy that depicts a society where filming two micro-doc series and is in early preproduction on his fourth narrative feature film. He police violence and invasion of privacy are routine, normal, tedious. The victims themselves are holds an MFA in Film Production from Boston University and teaches at the NW Film Center, used to it. Even the police are used to it. Samy and Mehdi aren’t paying attention to it anymore PCC and PSU. either. The real question Mehdi wants answered is: did Samy get some on Valentine’s? Director: Sebastien is a Belgian director who started his career as a 1st AD before directing him- self. His short films Family for Sale in 2015 and Pink Velvet Valley in 2016 have been nominated in various festivals (Palm Springs, BFI London, etc). (External) LOCAL SHORT 7 mins Infinity Baby Scheduled to attend: Brandon E. Lee (director, writer, producer, actor), Jonatan Garibay NARRATIVE FEATURE (composer), Luis Berumen Lopez (cinematographer), David Wallace-Goldstein (digital effects), Corridor Theater 7 pm, 1 hr 12 mins Robert Cardinal (art director), Aaron Monajjemi (actor) Saturday, October 14 Synopsis: A highly insecure artist encounters a strange man while out during a night of intros- Synopsis: A comedy pective drinking. about babies that don’t Director: Brandon E. Lee was born and raised in nearby San Jose. Throughout his childhood, age. he frequently gravitated towards film and television. He joined the Boy Scouts, and eventually Director: Bob Bying- earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout. In 2014, he began studying Film at UC Santa Cruz. He ton grew up in Lincoln, hopes to go on to have a successful career in directing and acting. Nebraska, and studied at UC Santa Cruz and University of Texas at Austin. His film Olympia Island Earth (1998) opened South by DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Southwest Film Festival, Courtyard Theater 2:30 pm, 1 hr 3 mins after which he took a Sunday, October 15 decade-long hiatus from filmmaking. Recent films include Harmony and Me (2009), Somebody Synopsis: A rich tale of a Up There Likes Me (Festival 2013), and 7 Chinese Brothers (Festival 2015). He’s also acted in young indigenous scientist’s films by Hal Hartley, Alex Ross Perry, and Andrew Bujalski. Somebody Up There Likes Me won struggle for truth between the Special Jury Prize at the 2012 Locarno Film Festival. science and tradition as he enters an industry that many SCREENING WITH: feel is threatening his North & Nowhere homeland. His complex journey through the inner NARRATIVE SHORT California premiere workings of GMO chemical companies and traditional 11 mins Hawaiian elders reveals Scheduled to attend: Scott Ballard (director), Jordan Eusebio (sound designer), Beth Martin ancient values that can save (co-producer), Cassie Shankman (soundtrack), Kevin Forrest (dp), Molly Preston (producer/ our future. editor)

32 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 33 Director: I was lucky enough to find what I wanted to do at a young age and have worked to June finds herself unable to let Harley go and forget what might have been. But eventually she make it my life. It’s been a crazy journey which has allowed me to settle on four acres in the Co- must move forward, no matter how painful. lumbia River Gorge east of Portland, Oregon. These days I’m working on film projects and pro- Director: June Falling Down marks Rebecca Weaver’s feature film debut. She previously wrote/ viding media and marketing services for Guayaki Yerba Mate, Reef, Adorama Camera Retailers, directed/acted in two short films, Winter Guest and Cam Companion. She studied theater at Hydroflask and Manda Naturals. Northwestern University and dramatic literature at New York University. Raised in Wisconsin, she currently resides in Los Angeles and is writing her next feature. SCREENING WITH: Paintbrush Harvest DOCUMENTARY SHORT 9 mins Kuleana Scheduled to attend: Claudia Ballard (co-producer, editor) NARRATIVE FEATURE Colligan Plaza Theater 4:45 pm, 1 hr 35 mins Synopsis: Renowned Ashland artist Betty LaDuke’s recent work honors farmworkers as they Saturday, October 14 plow, prune, weed and harvest our food. This 10- minute documentary, set in Southern Oregon, provides a glimpse into Betty’s creative process and the people she so colorfully captures. Betty’s Scheduled to attend: work reminds us of the timeless and universal process of growing food and flowers. Brian Kohne (director) Director: Katherine Roselli (K-rose Productions) reinvented herself as a documentary filmmaker With life hula perfor- in her early 60s , collaborating with editors to create short films that have been shown in film fes- mances from Kuhai tivals around the country. Her most successful collaborations have been with Claudia (Storyline Halau O Mehana! Pictures. ) Claudia has been an editor for commercial videos and documentaries for the past 10 Synopsis: A Vietnam vet years winning numerous awards. must rediscover the Ha- waiian warrior within to protect his family, defend their land, and clear his June Falling Down father’s name. NARRATIVE FEATURE Director: Hawaii’s Brian Kohne is an award-winning music producer (BAREFOOT NATIVES, Colligan Plaza Theater 7 pm, 1 hr 55 mins WILLIE K) and independent writer/director/producer (GET A JOB, KULEANA). The San Jose State graduate (Art and Radio/TV/Film) returned home to Maui in ’05 from Silicon Valley having Saturday, October 14 excelled as national director of sales and marketing, in corporate video, sports broadcasting, and Scheduled to attend: as senior user interface architect for an interactive television corporation. Kohne is active on the Rebecca Weaver (writer/ festival circuit with his latest motion picture KULEANA, a feature mystery/drama slated for ini- director/actor), Chris tial theatrical release in the islands, and is principal of both MALAMA PONO PRODUCTIONS Irwin (producer/camera/ and HAWAI’I CINEMA INC, an island-based marketing/publicity company. sound) Synopsis: After traveling aimlessly for the first year after her father’s death, June returns to Wiscon- sin for her best friend Harley’s wedding. Once home, she confronts the rush of memories of her father’s cancer and the fact that Harley has moved on, after having loved her for years without her loving him back. As she falls back into her small town and her mom and brother she left behind,

34 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 35 Land of the Little People The Legendary Giulia and Other Miracles NARRATIVE FEATURE NARRATIVE FEATURE California premiere Sponsored by the Dante Alighieri Society of Santa Cruz Courtyard Theater 9:15 pm, 1 hr 23 mins Colligan Plaza Theater 7 pm, 1 hr 45 mins Saturday, October 14 Sunday, October 15

Synopsis: Four young Synopsis: Diego, a car salesman (Luca Argentero); Claudio, a failed store owner (Stefano Fresi); kids who live in a village and Fausto, a watch pitchman (Edoardo Leo), are three unlikely partners thrown together by of military officers circumstance when they make a last minute decision to buy an old property and turn it into an families, form a small agro-tourism inn. Anyone who has ever dreamed of leaving that 9-to-5 day job in pursuit of gang. An old abandoned the bucolic life of the countryside will admire the comic antics of the four innkeepers—and the army base, located in the young woman who can cook and decorate circles around them. Based on Fabio Bartolomei’s surrounding fields, turns book Giulia 1300 E Altri Miracoli, The Legendary Giulia is a heart-warming comedy about two into their camp. A war serious subjects: the drive to do at least one thing that is beautiful and meaningful in one’s life begins and most men are and the courage it takes to resist the violence and pressure of criminals, by any means necessary. drafted. When the kids Director: Edoardo Leo began his career as an actor on stage, screen, and television, becoming return to their camp they well-known to Italian audiences for his role in the sitcom Un Medico in Famiglia. A crucial event discover two soldiers in his career was his encounter with director Claudio Fragasso, who directed him in TV movies who deserted their units, using their camp as a hideout. Ruthless struggle develops between the such as Operazione Odissea and Blindati, and in his first leading role in La banda (2001). 18 groups, and the soldiers, who sought refuge from the war outside, find themselves in another Years Later (Special Mention at the Rome Independent Film Festival, 2010 and N.I.C.E’s City of war, which turns to be as dangerous and bloody. Florence Award, 2010) marked Leo’s directorial feature film debut. He also wrote and directed Director: Born in Israel, Yaniv is a graduate student from the MFA program at the Film Depart- Out of the Blue (2013). In 2014 he starred in the box-office hit I Can Quit Whenever I Want, The ment, Tel-Aviv University. His short film EVEN KIDS STARTED SMALL, about school children Penguin Move and wrote the script for Remember Me? taking over the school, was official selection of the CINÉFONDATION, Cannes Film Festival. He filmed for six years a documentary about a military company of reserve soldiers in the IDF, which was made into the award winning documentary THE ALPHA DIARIES. LAND OF THE LITTLE PEOPLE is his first narrative feature, which like his previous works deals with the traumatic pro- cess of becoming a child-soldier in a violent militaristic society. Nat Bates For Mayor DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Courtyard Theater 7 pm, 1 hr 15 mins SCREENING WITH: Saturday, October 14 Sansei Dream Scheduled to attend: Eric EARTHVISION ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM Weiss (co-director) 6 mins Synopsis: Nat Bates For Scheduled to attend: Gabriel Veenendaal (director), Mallory Veenendaal (wardrobe) Mayor tells the story of the Synopsis: After the sudden passing of his mother, a young sansei farmer learns the truth about outrageous 2014 mayor’s her dark past. As previously undiscovered truths unravel, he internalizes her troubled history race in Richmond, home to through a subconscious dream state. California’s second largest refinery. Chevron spent Director: Gabriel Veenendaal has been making films since 2001. Since that time, his work more than $3 million to has screened across competitions, festivals, streaming platforms and over the air broadcasts back 83-year-old Afri- including: The United Nations Headquarters in New York City, The Los Angeles Film Your Issue can-American stalwart Nat Awards, and a private screening of short film Innocence Lost [Director, Editor], during the 2007 Bates. Sundance Film Festival. Bates makes a Faustian bargain with the city’s corporate behemoth to preserve the long-stand- ing but waning power of Richmond’s African-American working-class community. It’s black

36 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 37 against white. It’s David versus Goliath. Is Nat Bates the savior or stooge? The movie is a wacky Director: Born in Minsk, Belarus. Lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Graduated from the ride with some of the most entertaining political characters you’ll ever meet. Department of Design at Belarusian State University (Minsk) and School-Studio of Animated Film “SHAR” (Moscow). Since 2003, Yulia has worked as a director, animator, illustrator and Directors: Bradley Berman writes mostly about cars, for publications such as The New York motion designer for independent projects for brands, musicians, and non-profit clients with her Times. Eric Weiss was the associate publisher of Mother Jones magazine and now teaches Eng- focus in the animated short film. Yulia has been teaching animation classes and wor shops. lish to refugees in San Francisco. Nat Bates For Mayor is their first movie.

November NUTS! DOCUMENTARY FEATURE NARRATIVE FEATURE Corridor Theater 4:45 pm, 1 hr 19 mins Corridor Theater 4:45 pm, 1 hour 45 mins Friday, October 13 Saturday, October 14

Synopsis: In this tale of Synopsis: NUTS! is love and survival in 19th about Dr. John Romulus century Estonia, peasant Brinkley, an eccentric girl Liina longs for village genius who built an boy Hans, but Hans is empire in Depression-era inexplicably infatuated America with a goat by the visiting German testicle impotence cure baroness that possesses and a million watt radio all that he longs for. For station. Using animated Liina, winning Hans’ reenactments, interviews, requited love proves archival footage, and a incredibly complicated in hilariously unreliable this dark, harsh landsca- narrator, NUTS! traces pe where spirits, Brinkley’s rise from werewolves, plagues, and the devil himself converge, where thievery is rampant, and where souls poverty and obscurity to the heights of celebrity, wealth and influence in Depression-era are highly regarded, but come quite cheap. With alluring black and white cinematography, Rainer America. Along the way, he transplants tens of thousands of goat testicles; amasses an enor- Sarnet vividly captures these motley lives as they toil to exist—is existence worth anything if it mous fortune; is (sort of) elected Governor of Kansas; builds the world’s most powerful radio lacks a soul? station; invents junk mail, the infomercial, the sound-truck and Border Radio; hosts some epic parties; and annoys the heck out of the establishment, until finally his audacious actions force Director: In his 48 years of existence, Rainer Sarnet has directed five films, lived with three -wo the federal government to create regulations to stop him. How he does it, and what happens men, accumulated about ten friends, passionately loved Fassbinder and directed theatre plays when it all comes crashing down, is the story of NUTS! by Przybyszewski, Gorky, and Jelinek. He mostly writes his own scripts but usually bases them on literary classics. He is captivated by the different facets of the human soul. Director: Penny Lane is a Sundance award-winning nonfiction filmmaker who was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2012 and a Chicken & Egg Breakthrough Award winner in 2016. Penny Lane is her real name. Nuts! is her second fea- SCREENING WITH: ture-length film. And The Moon Stands Still ANIMATION Corridor Theater 4:45 pm, 10 mins Saturday, October 14

Scheduled to attend: Yulia Ruditskaya (director) Synopsis: The presence of the moon affects all under its glow. The film explores the lunar cycle and the energies invoked by its radiance.

38 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 39 Ocean Shorts: Souls of the Vermilion Sea EARTHVISION ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM EarthVision Shorts Program 28 mins COLLIGAN PLAZA THEATER Souls of the Vermilion Sea is a new half hour documentary from non-profit me- Friday, October 13 Program duration: 1 hr 39 mins Synopsis: dia company Wild Lens. The film tells the story behind the struggle to save the vaquita - the 12 pm world’s most endangered marine mammal. This unique species of porpoise is found only in These short films explore the state of our oceans and the work of ecological activists. the northernmost waters of the Gulf of California in Mexico, and is being driven to extinction by a nefarious illegal wildlife trade. The swim bladder of a fish called the totoaba is worth tens of thousands of dollars in China, and the booming illegal fishery for this species has driven the vaquita frighteningly close to extinction. Dancing with Dragons Director: As the director of Wild Lens’ Eyes on Conservation series, Sean works closely with partner organizations to develop a production plan, and oversees each step of the filmmaking DOCUMENTARY SHORT process from pre-production to distribution. Additionally, Sean has directed a number of the 15 mins short films in our EOC series, including The Maasai Giraffe, The Forgotten Migration and all the Synopsis: As a boy films highlighting the work of The Marine Mammal Center. In addition to being a part of the Wild growing up in the bush of Lens team, Sean actively works with a wide variety of wildlife species as both a biologist and pho- Zimbabwe, Forrest tographer/videographer, including the Hawaiian Monk Seal, Stellar sea lions, Northern elephant Galante was deeply seals, Northern Fur Seals, Pacific fishers, black bears, and the elusive Ivory-billed woodpecker. aware of the predators He received his BFA in Sculpture and Cinematography from Stephen F. Austin State University. that surrounded him. Now he wants to enter the water with the most dangerous of all, the crocodile, and dance with Straws dragons. EARTHVISION ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM 32 mins

Scheduled to attend: Jacki Nunez (Interviewee); Steve Elb (Interviewee),, Wallace J. Nichols (interviewee) Fishermen Without a Sea Synopsis: Used once and tossed, billions of plastic straws wind up in landfills and streets finding STUDENT SHORT their way to oceans. Actor/Director Tim Robbins narrates the history and story of STRAWS, and California premiere marine researchers, citizen activists, and business owners discuss how it’s possible to make a sea 20 mins of change, one straw at a time.

Synopsis: In Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay, fishermen try to maintain their traditional way Director: Linda Booker is a water-loving traveler and founder of By the Brook Productions based of life through fishing, and to support their families despite the Bay’s overwhelming pollution. in central North Carolina. Linda’s childhood play instilled a respect for nature that today influen- Sérgio, a wise old man of the sea at only 65, reminisces about the old days when the sea teemed ces her mission to make films that entertain as well as inspire possibilities for a healthier planet. with marine life and points to the forces that are destroying artisanal fishing. With less than a Prior to STRAWS, Booker produced and directed “Bringing It Home,” an award-winning film year until the start of the Olympic Games, the mainstream media is concerned about the health about the many benefits and uses of industrial hemp. She received a Certificate in Documentary of the athletes sailing in races on the Bay. But what about the people who already live there? Studies from Duke University in 2005. Director: Native to Brazil, Lucas Bonetti grew up in Los Angeles where he studied photography. He later got a Master’s degree in Social Documentation from UCSC. His topics of interest inclu- de social and environmental issues, especially related to water.

40 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 41 Streams of Plastic Synopsis: A man performs a routine back up on his brain only wake up weeks later in a different body and accused of a heinous crime. Meanwhile a political battle rages over the ethics and EARTHVISION ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM limitations over the government’s ability to access our brains. 4 mins Director: Ryan was born in Phoenix, AZ, raised in Newton, MA, and educated in Santa Cruz, CA, Synopsis: There is a Global Alert on Floating Trash Rivers and creeks are like arteries flowing to where he studied Film and Music. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY where he works as a soft- our heart, the Ocean. Plastic pollution is like cholesterol trying to get to the heart, downstream. ware engineer and makes short films when he can. He has directed over 10 award winning short Director: Gary Bencheghib is a 22-year- old French born and Bali-raised filmmaker and producer films. His films focus on the future intersections of technology and humanity. determined to use film and music to inspire people to live a more sustainable life. His passion for the environment began at a young age, when he witnessed his home island of Bali completely change overnight with trash overflowing its once picturesque beaches. In response, he founded Make A Change Bali at 14-years old: a non-profit organization and me- Song of Granite dia-outlet aimed at educating the local community about the effects of plastic waste and the NARRATIVE FEATURE importance of sustainable waste management. Colligan Plaza Theater 2:30 pm, Thursday, October 12

Synopsis: Enigmatic and complex, Joe Heaney Prodigy was one of the greats of NARRATIVE FEATURE traditional Irish singing Colligan Plaza Theater 9:15 pm, 1 hr 18 mins (sean nós). Shaped by Friday, October 13 the myths, fables, and songs of his upbringing in Scheduled to attend: Brian Vidal (co-writer, co-director), the west of Ireland, his Alex Haughey (co-writer, co-director), Howard Vidal emergence as a gifted (executive producer) , Terre Carrubba (grand daughter of artist came at a personal Alfred Hitchcock) cost. Featuring perfor- Synopsis: A psychologist engages a dangerous, young geni- mances from Colm us in a battle of wits -- unaware of the supernatural power Seoighe, Macdara the girl possesses, or that her life hangs in the balance. Ó’Fátharta, Jaren Cerf, Lisa O’Neill, Damien Director: Alex & Brian’s story is a classic “director meets Dempsey, and sean nós singers Micheál O’Confhaola and Pól Ó Ceannabháin, and beautiful director” tale. They met at USC 10 years ago, where they black and white cinematography, SONG OF GRANITE is a distinct portrait of Heaney’s life and a discovered a mutual passion for filmmaking, mirth-making marvelous exploration of music and song. & sandwich-making. After a decade of friendship and collaboration, they decided to take their relationship to the Director: Pat Collins has been making films since 1998 and has directed over 30 films – feature next level... embarking on their first feature film together. films, documentaries, and short experimental works. He has made documentaries on the writers Prodigy is that film. Michael Hartnett, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, John McGahern and he co-directed a documentary on Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami. He completed the feature film ‘Silence’ in 2012 which had its international premiere at the London Film Festival and was distributed by Element Films in SCREENING WITH: Ireland and New Wave Films. Song of Granite is his second drama feature film. Backup Plan NARRATIVE SHORT California premiere 6 mins

Scheduled to attend: Ryan Gallagher (director)

42 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 43 Susanne Bartsch: On Top Directors: DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Shirley Abraham: Director, Producer, Sound Recordist, Editor. Shirley came to love the movies Corridor Theater 9:15 pm, 1 hr 25 mins because she was prohibited to watch them. There used to be a movie on television on Saturday Thursday, October 12 night but the children were bundled into bed for the Sunday church service. She was scared to be on the wrong side of angels when they separated the wicked from the just on Judgement Synopsis: An intimate, Day. The first film she saw happened to be ‘The Angel’. She was watchful, covering the televi- impressionistic immersion into sion screen with a dark cloth and peeping in, so the escaping light wouldn’t betray her. The film the world of nightlife and showed her the benign side of the angles that the Bible had warned her against. Interested in fashion icon Susanne Bartsch. how cinema can give form to the many faces of the human imagination, Shirley began to make Seamlessly mixing past and movies. present, the film explores how Susanne has influenced NYC Amit Madheshiya: Director, Producer, Director of Photography, Editor. One winter night, Amit culture and trailblazed her own sneaked out of his grandparent’s home in the village. They were screening a movie in the school’s singular trajectory through courtyard to celebrate a wedding. He crawled inside the white wedding tent to find his friends, motherhood and aging, while plumes of smoke, and a huge screen lit with images. In the morning, Amit’s grandmother found ultimately struggling to come him sleeping, wrapped in the lose flaps of the tent. She pulled him out of the swathes of canvas to terms with her legacy. and touched his forehead for signs of fever. He was fine and was punished for his indiscretion. All afternoon, Amit worked on compost being prepared to plant mango saplings. Since then, Director: Directors: Anthony&Alex are not strangers to each other; they have been working Amit has found the musty smell of the compost indelibly intertwined with his first memories of together since 2011 with the short film Zoot Woman: More than Ever. They went on to make cinema, rooted deep in his grandmother’s mango orchard.. several other shorts together. Susanne Bartsch: On Top is their first feature-length documentary film collaboration.

The Last Smile NARRATIVE FEATURE The Cinema Travellers Colligan Plaza Theater 12 pm, 1 hr 27 mins DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Saturday, October 14 Colligan Plaza Theater 6 pm, 1 hr 36 mins Wednesday, October 11 Scheduled to attend: Shankey Srinivasan Synopsis: Cannes (director), Jeevan Zutshi prize-winning The (executive producer), Cinema Travellers is a Kristine Lowe (producer) journey with the traveling cinemas of India, which Synopsis: A bereaved bring the wonder of the father wants to know movies to faraway what happened to his villages annually. Seven son, even if that means going up against a multi-billion dollar company. His grief drives him to decades on, as their seek justice. His love drives him to defend lives and the private detective he consults, will stop at lorries and cinema nothing to exploit the malicious underbelly of the company responsible for the loss. Peek behind projectors crumble and the curtain shrouding the politics of health industry in this noir-style film set in modern America. film reels become scarce, Inspired by true events, THE LAST SMILE examines a broken system filled with corruption and their audiences are lured greed that underlies the unregulated health supplement industry. by slick digital technolo- Director: Shankey Srinivasan is an award winning Indian-American filmmaker based in the San gy. Filmed over five years, The Cinema Travellers accompanies a shrewd exhibitor, a benevolent Francisco Bay Area in California. He moved from India to US to pursue higher studies and recei- showman and a maverick projector mechanic who bear a beautiful burden - to keep the last ved degrees in Film Production and Electrical Engineering. His films have played at prestigious traveling cinemas of the world running. events around the world and won awards in competition.

44 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 45 The Master Cleanse culture. Kak’s paintings have exhibited widely across the Americas. He also produces performan- ce, video, and documentary to bring attention to the plight, rights, and struggles of his people. NARRATIVE FEATURE Courtyard Theater 7 pm, 1 hr 21 mins Charles Fairbanks grew up in Nebraska and wrestled at Stanford, where he studied Art and STS. Friday, October 13 The founding professor of Media Arts at Antioch College, Fairbanks has also taught videoarte and cell-phone videography in Mexico. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Synopsis: The Master Foundation, MacDowell Colony, and the Wexner Art Center’s Film/Video Studio Program. Cleanse centers on a heartbroken man who attends a spiritual retreat, SCREENING WITH: only to discover that the Pushing Myanmar course releases more DOCUMENTARY SHORT than everyday toxins and 11 mins traumatic experiences. Synopsis: Documenting the emerging skateboard community in Yangon and the positive change Director: Bobby Miller the first international standard skatepark had on the youth there. is a filmmaker known for making comedies that Director: James Holman is an award-winning director, cinematographer and editor based in are secretly kind of sad. Queenstown, New Zealand. His short film “Tub” and feature debut “The Master Cleanse” also add horror, fantasy, and little creatures to the mix. The films’ world premiered at Sundance and SXSW respectively. The Rebound DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Colligan Plaza Theater 2:30 pm Friday, October 13 The Modern Jungle Synopsis: The Rebound DOCUMENTARY FEATURE follows the underdog Corridor Theater 2:30 pm, 1 hr 11 mins journey of the Miami Saturday, October 14 Heat Wheels wheelchair Scheduled to attend: basketball team, in their Rosario Sotelo quest for a national championship. Despite a Synopsis: The Modern disappointing elimination Jungle is a portrait of the year before and the globalization filtered team’s dwindling through the fever dream resources, adaptive of a Mexican shaman, athletes rally towards the don Juan, who falls title while each striving under the spell of a pyra- for their own dreams, mid-scheme-marketed second chances, and to nutritional supplement. win against all odds. Juan’s neighbor Carmen lives simply, in harmony Director: Shaina Allen is an award-winning director, DP and editor focused on telling impactful with the land her martyred husband paid for with his life. THE MODERN JUNGLE documents stories with creativity and purpose. Her experience includes a broad range of work in docu- their struggles and encounters with outside forces: from capitalism and commodity fetish, to the mentary and cinematic storytelling, editing for sports and news broadcasting, creative content culture of cinema, and the directors of this film. production, and award-winning lifestyle cinematography. She is a graduate of James Madison’s University’s School of Media Arts and Design (GO DUKES!), currently Creative Director and Director: Saul Kak is an artist, activist, speaker of Zoque, and member of this thousand- year-old Co-founder of Shaina Koren Cinematography.

46 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 47 SCREENING WITH: Ruggers The Storyteller’s Purpose: LOCAL SHORT Documentary Shorts Program 6 mins COURTYARD THEATER Thursday, October 12 Program Runtime: 1 hr 12 mins Scheduled to attend: Alison Hoffman (director) Michael Bryant (co-director) 7 pm Synopsis: Ruggers tells the story of how one rugby player sparked a movement at Southern Ore- These varied shorts explore the experiences that have motivated individuals to convey the gon University, how the rugby team began, and how the sport changed each Rugger’s life. stories of loved ones, strangers, and the discovery of their own truths through media as diverse Director: Alison Hoffman is a recent graduate of Southern Oregon University where she as painting, performance, music, and the magical arts. found her passion for both filmmaking and the sport of rugby. Alison now works in the camera department on various films and TV shows. Michael Bryant is also a recent graduate of Southern Oregon University, and is now a documentary filmmaker with a passion for exploring stories of courage, authenticity, and humanity. The Wizard Oz DOCUMENTARY SHORT 22 mins

Scheduled to attend: Oberon Zell-Ravenheart Synopsis: Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, known simply as “OZ”, is a self-described wizard who created a life for himself that is truly stranger than fiction. His tale conjures stories of unicorns, mermaids, a serial killer and the most cryptic magic of all, love. Director: Danny Yourd is an award winning director and creative producer. He produced Sundan- ce-winning documentary Blood Brother and Almost Holy which premiered and sold at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Danny’s short film, Elgin Park, has screened at over 45 film festivals all over the world. His work has been featured on National Geographic, Apple, Independent Lens, De- vour, Vimeo Staff Pick, Netflix, Gizmodo, Colossal and many others. Danny is currently a creative at Animal and an executive at Animal Media Group.

Faces of Santa Ana EARTHVISION ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM 13 mins

Scheduled to attend: Daud Sani (director), Wendy Campbell (producer), Laura-Lynn Rivera (editor), Brian Peterson (subject), Vanessa Peterson (subject)

48 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 49 Synopsis: “Faces of Santa Ana” is a fi lm about Brian Peterson, a talented, impassioned pain- went on to win over half a dozen awards & screened at nearly two dozen festivals across the US.. ter living in Santa Ana, California. He walks the streets befriending homeless individuals in his His latest fi lm White Face premiered this past April at Ashland Independent and has gone on to neighbor. Once trusted, he paints their portraits, sells the portraits and puts those funds into an be programmed over a dozen times since. account for that individual. He uses the money to help with medical needs, blankets, walkers, or other necessities. In an era where the subject of ending homelessness has been wide-sweeping, yet often ineff ectual, Brian’s one-on-one interaction with each homeless person he helps is proof that love and compassion on a personal level works. Woody’s Order! Director: Daud Sani is an award winning cinematographer and director based in Los Angeles. He DOCUMENTARY SHORT has spent years cultivating a distinctive style for his work having shot feature fi lms, commercials, 16 mins music video, shorts, and non-scripted content. Being a unique blend of cinematographer and director, Daud is able to help others execute their vision with exact precision while at the same Scheduled to attend: Ann Talman (star, producer) time knows how to work independently when needed. From narrative to documentary, Daud’s Synopsis: For the fi rst time, actress Ann Talman performs her solo show for its muse: her brother work has been featured in over 20 fi lm festivals including The Los Angeles Film Festival, The with cerebral palsy. Napa Valley Film Festival, and The American Documentary Film Festival. Director: Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, and Jeremy Newberger are Ironbound Films, the direc- tors of WOODY’S ORDER! Their last documentary THE ANTHROPOLOGIST premiered at DOC NYC, screened at 50 fi lm festivals, hit theaters via Argot Pictures, and enjoys a 100% rating Between Wagons and the Moon on Rotten Tomatoes. EVOCATEUR: THE MORTON DOWNEY JR. MOVIE premiered at Tri- beca, hit theaters via Magnolia, aired on CNN, and was a New York Times Critics’ Pick. Their PBS EARTHVISION SHORT documentary THE NEW RECRUITS and Sundance hit THE LINGUISTS were both nominated 14 mins for Emmys. Scheduled to attend: Brian Oh (director) Synopsis: A Colombian-American musician, La Muna resides in Nogales, Sonora along the US-Mexico border where she writes songs about migrants and deportees she meets. Director: Brian Oh was born in Illinois, USA, raised in South Korea and spent time living in Ger- Thelma & Louise many as a teenager. Dropping out of college in South Korea, he moved to Chicago to pursue his NARRATIVE FEATURE fi lm studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Soon after graduating from the school, Corridor Theater 12 pm, 2 hrs 10 mins he moved to New York City and has worked on several short fi lms, documentary, music videos Saturday, October 14 and multi-media projects and shown his works to several screenings and exhibitions. Synopsis: Thelma and Louise - a bored housewife and a straight-laced waitress at White Face a coff ee shop - are best NARRATIVE SHORT friends who are sick of 21 mins what they’ve settled for. Deciding to escape the Scheduled to attend: Either Mtume Gant (Director) or Justine Stock (Executive Producer) or tedium of their everyday both of us lives, the pair sneak off in Synopsis: New York actor Charles Rodgers hates his skin and all the hardship that comes with it. Louise’s ‘66 T-bird Feeling trapped by his race, Charles believes he has found the solution to his problems - change convertible for a his appearance to embody “Whiteness” - erase all that he has ever been and join the group that three-day fi shing trip with no husbands, no boyfriends and no problems. But things don’t go believes he should be a part of. But is this ever possible? quite according to plan when an encounter with a drunken, foul-mouthed, would-be rapist transforms their quiet getaway into a cross-country escape that will change their lives forever. Director: Mtume is a Director hailing from NYC. A graduate of NYC’s Laguardia HS & The Ac- ting Conservatory at SUNY Purchase he has worked heavily on stage, screen & TV, most notably Director: Ridley Scott is an acclaimed English director and producer whose notable hits include as a cast member of the HBO show OZ. He made his directorial debut in 2015 with SPIT which ‘Alien,’ ‘Thelma & Louise,’ ‘Gladiator,’ ‘Black Hawk Down’ and ‘The Martian.’

50 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 51 Toad People Visionaries: EARTHVISION ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM Courtyard Theater 4:45 pm, 1 hr 16 mins Innovation and Creativity Shorts Sunday, October 15 Courtyard Theater 2:30 pm Saturday, October 14 Program runtime: 1 hr 14 mins Synopsis: Toad People is a story about hope, This diverse group of shorts profiles individuals with inspiring visions of what the world can be. community and the struggle to save the western toad. The documentary showcases families in different Montage: Great Film Composers and the Piano regions of British DOCUMENTARY SHORT Columbia, working to 26 mins save species at risk in their backyards. Synopsis: Six legendary film composers each Directors: Mike McKin- write an original piece for lay was born in North a classic pianist to Vancouver and raised in the Okanagan Valley. During his 15 years as a cameraman/DP, Mike’s film perform. subjects have varied; from non-fictional narrative to wildlife and environmental awareness films, Mike has had the opportunity to work within both the corporate and documentary world. Director: Joey Forsyte has worked on over 50 Isabelle Groc is a freelance writer and wildlife photographer, focusing on environmental features and television science, wildlife natural history and conservation, endangered species, marine mammals and films starting out as an ecosystems. She is inspired by the Western toads’ tenacity and gentleness. electrician and gaffer for Robert Altman and the SCREENING WITH: Coen brothers. She has shot numerous feature Return of Harbor Porpoises to San Francisco Bay films including Naked in New York, produced by Martin Scorsese. In 2009, she helmed “Freeloa- EARTHVISION ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM ders” a comedy produced by Adam Duritz of Counting Crows and directed by Dan Rosen. Courtyard Theater 4:45 pm, 9 mins Sunday, October 15

Synopsis: By the end of World War II in 1945, San Francisco Bay had become a dead body of wa- ter. Stringing a large net across the Bay to trap Japanese and German submarines also prevented Washed Away large predators such as porpoises, dolphins, whales and sharks from entering or leaving the Bay. DOCUMENTARY SHORT Director: Jim Sugar worked as a photographer for National Geographic for 22 years. He traveled 16 mins extensively, both in the U.S. and around the world, producing more than 30 stories. He has won Synopsis: There are many days that Brandon Anderton cannot get out of bed. But on the days the NPPA Magazine Photographer of the Year Award and was a runner-up in the White House he can, he creates sand mosaic masterpieces only to see them enveloped by the tides hours News Photographers Photographer of the Year competition. He has illustrated two entire books later. He captures the scope and beauty of his art from a drone he flies overhead. In the hours for the National Geographic Book Division. He has won numerous awards for individual photo- while he is creating his art, his chronic pain fades into the background and sometimes vanishes graphs and for various Art Director’s awards for his photo illustrations. all together, only to return with a vengeance after so many hours on his feet. He said he has mastered many aspects of photography including photojournalism, lighting, Director: DANA NACHMAN (Director / Writer / Producer) Nachman’s 2015 film “Batkid and now digital imaging. He says mastering post-production digital workflow has presented his Begins” was bought and distributed by Warner Brothers. Previously she wrote, directed and biggest challenge in photography. co-produced the documentaries “Witch Hunt,” which premiered at the 2008 Toronto Internati- onal Film Festival; “Love Hate Love,” which premiered at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival; and “The

52 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 53 Human Experiment,” which screened at the Mill Valley and IDFA Film Festivals. She has won Waiting on Mary a number of awards over the course of her career, including three regional Emmy Awards, The NARRATIVE FEATURE Edward R. Murrow Award, and more than a dozen Jury and Audience Awards at film festivals. California premiere Courtyard Theater 9:15 pm, 1 hr 18 mins Thursday, October 12 Litterbugs Scheduled to attend: Corey Horton (producer/ NARRATIVE SHORT director) Joseph Papa 15 mins (producer/cinematogra- Synopsis: An unlikely hero defeats the town bullies and finds unexpected friendship. pher) Director: Peter Stanley-Ward is an award-winning filmmaker with several short films as well Synopsis: An actor as a zero budget feature in his repertoire. In 2010 he co-founded Treehouse Digital, a ‘Story in denial of his recent Laboratory’ specialising in high concept family entertainment. Peter currently has several family divorce retreats into the feature films in development with Mighty Atom Entertainment and Ingenious Media, and a persona of a colonial tween television series ‘Tales From The Web’ with Executive Producer Tim Patterson (former scout and explores his Nickelodeon VP, Director of Programming) of Larkshead Media. Peter is represented by Jane new futuristic landscape. Villiers at Sayle Screen. Director: Corey Horton is an Orlando based pro- ducer/filmmaker. He graduated from the College of Mass Communications at the University of South Florida. After graduation he moved to Los Angeles. In his time there, he gained experience Assisted Mobility working alongside Indie filmmakers and received an internship at Ridley Scott’s company Scott Free Productions. Since then, he has created several short films, commercials and corporate STUDENT SHORT videos. Waiting on Mary is his first feature film, and he is very grateful to the group of talented World premiere individuals in the cast and crew that helped him share his vision. 17 mins

Scheduled to attend: Taylor Lewis (director), Jason Murray (cinematographer) SCREENING WITH: Synopsis: I use an electric longboard to explore the space between walking and a wheelchair. Today Everything is Something Else Physical disabilities are as diverse as the people living with them. Shouldn’t assistive devices be NARRATIVE SHORT too? 10 mins

Director: I was born in the East, raised in the West. I am a skater, a snowboarder, and a disabled Synopsis: It’s just not Mark’s day. athlete. I take photographs and make documentaries. Director: Nikolai von Keller has written for Comedy Central, ESPN, G4, Spike TV, The Simp- sons Tapped Out (one of the world’s most popular mobile games), and Toby Turner (Youtube’s ninth most popular channel). He has produced exclusive content for Cracked, Mondo Media, New Media Rockstars, and Savings.com, and has won or placed in both the LA Comedy Shorts Festival and the LA Comedy Festival. And he has written, produced, or directed more than 60 sketches, shorts, and web series that have been featured on Funny or Die, Channel 101, Fark.com, Atom.com, and DipDive, among many others.

54 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 55 Water Makes Us Wet — An Ecosexual Adventure Woodsrider DOCUMENTARY FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Sneak preview Colligan Plaza Theater 4:45 pm, 1 hr 12 mins Colligan Plaza Theater 12 pm, 1 hr 20 mins Sunday, October 15 Sunday, October 15 Scheduled to attend: Cambria Scheduled to attend: Matlow (director), Beth Stephens (director), Synopsis: Tucked in the trees of Annie Sprinkle (director), Oregon Mount Hood, an intros- Keith Wilson (producer), pective young snowboarder camps Sandy Stone (narrator), alone, anticipating a winter of Josh Tuthill (animator), adventure and self-renewal. Alessia Cacchet (Editing assistant), Donna Director: Cambria Matlow received Harraway (interviewee), the inaugural 2016 Oregon Filmmaker’s Residency Award to write a feature length narrative Jordan Freeman (aerial script for an environmental fable about Mexican women set in the high desert during the Rogue photography) River Wars (1855-56) in Southern Oregon. Synopsis: With a poetic Her latest feature film, WOODSRIDER, is an immersive documentary portrait of a female blend of curiosity, snowboarder on Mt Hood, slated to premiere on the festival circuit in 2017. humor, sensuality and BURNING IN THE SUN (2010), about a young man who starts a local solar energy business in concern, this film chronicles the pleasures and politics of H2O from an ecosexual perspective. Mali, West Africa, was her directorial debut. The film was selected for IFP’s Documentary Lab Travel around California with Annie, a former sex worker, Beth, a UCSC art professor, and their and Independent Film Week, broadcast on Al Jazeera and PBS, and seen in festivals worldwide, dog Butch, in their E.A.R.T.H. Lab mobile unit, as they explore water in the Golden State. Along including Rooftop Films, FICMA Barcelona, New York African Film Festival and Addis Int’l Film the way, Annie and Beth interact with a diverse range of folks including performance artists, Festival, eventually winning the Cinema for Peace International Green Film Award in Berlin. biologists, water treatment plant workers, scholars and others, climaxing in a shocking event that reaffirms the power of water, life and love. Narrated by Sandy Stone. SCREENING WITH: Directors: Beth Stephens & Annie Sprinkle have been partners and collaborators for fifteen fer- tile years. Their Ecosex Manifesto launched a movement and officially added the E to GLBTQI. Marshall Their award winning documentary film about coal mining in Beth’s home state West Virginia, STUDENT SHORT Goodbye Gauley Mountain—An Ecosexual Love Story now available on Netflix & iTunes. For World premiere the past year, their films and art projects have been presented in the prestigious art exhibition, 13 mins Documenta 14, in Germany. Scheduled to attend: Ben Judkins (director, dp, editor), Dylan Hutchinson-Enos (actor, writer), Sophia Zaklikowski (writer), Kai Killion (score), Lucas Heinel (sound), Synopsis: “Marshall” is a fictional short film aimed at understanding the balance an individual must find between the natural world and the manmade, concrete world. It questions and studies our relationships with ourselves, with our families and communities, with material objects, and with urban humanity and nature. The film is divided into four chapters, each symbolic of an element (water, land, fire, and wind), audio-visually representative and connected to the human experience. It functions as a meditative and self-reflective film for the viewer, grappling with what is most important to us as human beings. Director: Ben Judkins was a recipient of the 2016-2017 UCSC Dean’s award for his short film “Marshall”. With a camcorder in one hand and a skateboard in the other, Ben began creating entertaining videos at the age of eight and there’s no stopping in sight. He’s currently working on several new film projects featuring water, wilderness and wanderlust.

56 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 57 needs. Beginning with documentary footage and ending with fiction, For a Good Time is a come- You’re Not Alone: dy born of a tragedy, and fable about a bathroom stall meeting that lasts forever. Narrative Shorts Program Director: Aemilia Scott is a filmmaker living in Los Angeles and Chicago. She studied History and Corridor Theater 2:30 pm Photography at Columbia University. Then, she moved to Chicago and performed professionally Friday, October 13 Program Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins with Second City, iO, and the critically acclaimed satirical curch, Best Church of God. On tele- vision, you can see her on Chicago Fire, Sirens, and Married. Her first film, Best If Used By, was These narrative shorts explore the sweetness of human connection along with the satisfaction an official selection of Clermont Ferrand, Aspen Shortsfest, Palm Springs International, Rhode of disconnecting and embarking on a path of our own choosing. Island International, Seattle International, and Cleveland International Film Festivals, among others. It won a BAFTA honorary mention at Aspen, an Honorary Mention at USA Film Fest Dallas, an Honorable mention at REGARD Quebec, Best Screenplay and Audience Award at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, and Best Short of 2013 by New La femme et le TGV Filmmakers Los Angeles. NARRATIVE SHORT 30 mins

Synopsis: Elise Lafon- taine has a secret routine Deafblind Couple -- every morning and NARRATIVE SHORT evening for many years, 4 mins she has been waving at the express train that Synopsis: Winner: Audience Award 2017 Ann Arbor Film Festival. passes her house. One Deafblind Couple is a short cinematic ode to the sensation of touch and the feeling of intimacy (faithful) day, she finds a with another human being. A man and woman who can neither see nor hear wake up in bed letter from the train next to each other, communicate, and rekindle their relationship through touch alone. Through conductor in her garden the use of experimental sound design and increasingly intimate cinematography, Deafblind and her lonely life is Couple illustrates the simultaneous deep isolation and true moments of connection between turned upside down. She its two characters. engages in a promising correspondence through Director: Esteban Pedraza directed his first short film, “People I Know,” which won an award poetic and thoughtful letters where the two anonymous writers share their worlds with each in the UK presented to him by Tony Blair in 2010. He pursued a degree in Film through Tisch other. But Elise fairytale is cut short when the train line permanently detours for a shorter route School of the Arts at NYU and graduated in 2013 after co-directing a TV pilot, “The Saggy Sadd- to Paris. Not willing to do without her daily delight, Elise prompts a daring escape from her le,” under mentors Gary Shimokawa and Rudd Simmons. comfort zone and sets out to find the train conductor. LA FEMME ET LE TGV is inspired by true In 2011 he began his creative partnership with fellow NYU student, Aaron Pryka and they events and stars actress Jane Birkin in the leading role. formed Movie Time Picture Company. Movie Time premiered a short documentary series in Director: Born 1989 in Zurich, Timo von Gunten is the founder of BMC Films and works as a 2014 called “The Songwriter,” in Esteban’s hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. The series can screenwriter and director out of Switzerland. now be seen at YouTube.com/thesongwriterseries. Their latest short film, “Deafblind Couple,” won the Audience Award at the 2017 Ann Arbor Film Festival and played at Woods Hole, Cucalorus, and Tallgrass International Film Festivals among others.

For a Good Time DOCUMENTARY SHORT 20 mins

Synopsis: For a Good Time is the story of Jane who, grieving over the loss of her mother, has a meltdown in a flower shop. Out of options and out of her mind, she decides to call a number written on the wall. The person who answers is the last one you’d expect, and just the one she

58 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 59 Growing Apart Treintañera NARRATIVE SHORT STUDENT SHORT California premiere 9 mins

7 mins Scheduled to attend: Tamara Bunker (writer, actor, producer), Joe Basile (production consul- Scheduled to attend: Eitan Loewenstein tant) Synopsis: A troubled couple puts the future of their relationship in the hands of a garden. Synopsis: Valentina, torn between love and career, is persuaded by her Abuela to have a quince- añera party on her 30th birthday to help her find a man. On the same day, she gets offered her Director: Eitan Loewenstein lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife, three children, and yippy dog. dream job. Eitan graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in electrical engineering before breaking his parents’ hearts by going into the entertainment industry. He’s worked on the production side Director: Tamara Bunker is the writer, actor, and one of the producers of “Treintañera”. She was of TV shows, for a film production company, won a few awards nobody’s ever heard of, written/ born in Mexico City of an English mother and a Mexican father. Before moving to Los Angeles, directed several shorts, and has appeared as an actor in a few TV commercials. she studied theatre in Puebla, Mexico. She then went on to London, UK, to study special effects makeup, along with acting for film. After graduating with an MFA in Acting in LA, she has worked He is currently developing a few feature films which he hopes to shoot soon. on a few projects including directing the short film “Sheep, Goats & Cows”. She is currently Need more Eitan? Visit EitanOfFilms.com or Twitter at @AnotherEitan turning “Treintañera” into a feature, and writing the script for her next short film.

Kill Your Dinner Dogs & Tacos NARRATIVE SHORT NARRATIVE SHORT 12 mins 16 mins

Synopsis: Things have been tough between Rhys and his dad Lawrence since the divorce. But Synopsis: High school junior Alma Pantaleon arrives at her after-school work shift at a local after meeting a new woman and discovering his “spiritual” side, Lawrence comes up with a brilli- South Los Angeles taqueria. Instead of tacos-and-burritos-as-usual, things get complicated ant plan to reconnect with his son: to kill and eat a cow together. It going to be a really meaning- when she finds herself stuck babysitting a former boyfriend’s younger brother, who’s no longer ful experience. the “sweet little boy” she remembers. Director: Bryn Chainey is a British-Australian director and screenwriter based in Sydney. His Director: Steve Bachrach was born in San Diego, CA, near the international border. He earned short films have explored family, mortality and the imagination, and screened in over 150 festivals a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley (Political including Berlin, Palm Springs and Edinburgh. At the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival a jury Science) and later an Interdisciplinary Masters in Film and Fine Art from California Institute of led by Stephen Daldry awarded Bryn the emerging director prize for his absurdist short, Jonah the Arts. Steve’s subsequent trajectory as a writer-director took an unexpected turn soon after, and the Vicarious Nature of Homesickness. Aside from film, Bryn has exhibited photographic when he was approached by Virginia Preciado, Principal of South-Central Los Angeles’ Jefferson and mixed media pieces at galleries in Germany and Italy, and worked closely with indie bands High School, to establish a filmmaking program at the school. What he’d thought of originally across Europe on music videos and live visuals. In 2014 he co-founded the Pustnik Screenwriters as a short-term experience evolved into 17 years of inner-city art instruction and community Residency which is hosted in Romania. His feature screenplay Nothing Else Mattress received activism, graduation rates double the rate of the school at large, 20 student films exhibited at a World Production Award at the 2015 Torino Film Lab and is currently in development with the The Sundance Festival, a few thousand quality relationships, and numerous awards. Steve also support of Screen Australia. maintains a residence in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, where he founded an after-school program, “La Chozita”, for indigenous Mayan elementary and secondary school students in 1997.

60 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 61 Donors

Executive Producers: $5,000 - $9,999 Nion McEvoy, George Newell, University of California at Santa Cruz School of the Arts

Indie Royalty: $1,000 - $4,999 Bud Colligan, Carolyn Hyatt, Angela Chesnut, Nina Koocher, Hon. James Emerson (Ret.) Mediator, ADR Services Inc., Catherine Segurson

Supporting Cast: $100 - $999 Kenneth Smith and Daryl V. Dichek, Noha Gowelly-Hamdy and A. Hamdy, Scott Walecka and Martha Seaver, Ronna Schulkin, Beth Regardz, Jennifer Cornell, Joyce Anderson, Athena Wolfe, James Duisenberg, 515 Kitchen and Cocktails

Staff

Catherine Segurson: Director Logan Walker: Programmer James Duisenberg: Technical Director Meilin Obinata: Assistant Programmer Photography: Arun Nevader

Festival Interns: Richard Mora Philip Lee Christopher Smith

Board of Directors: Joyce Anderson Catherine Segurson: President Athena Wolfe Jennifer Cornell: Treasurer James Duisenberg Nina Koocher: Secretary

62 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017 COURTYARD THEATER RADIUS GALLERY CORRIDOR COLLIGAN THEATER THEATER

DIGITAL MEDIA AND CREATIVE ARTS CENTER

Downtown SC RIVER STREET Felton (HWY 9)

1050 1060

FILMMAKER LOUNGE

COURTYARD THEATER

FESTIVAL HUB AT RADIUS GALLERY DEAD COW CORRIDOR RESTAURANT THEATER

64 SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 2017