The Loneliest Planet
Director: Julia Loktev
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Hani Furstenberg, and Bidzina Gudjabidze
Runtime: 113 mins
Alex and Nica are young, in love and engaged to be married. The summer before their wedding, they are backpacking in the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. The couple hire a local guide to lead them on a camping trek, and the three set off into a stunning wilderness, a landscape that is both overwhelmingly open and frighteningly closed. Walking for hours, they trade anecdotes, play games to pass the time of moving through space. And then, a momentary misstep, a gesture that takes only two or three seconds, a gesture that’s over almost as soon as it begins. But once it is done, it can’t be undone. Once it is done, it threatens to undo everything the couple believed about each other and about themselves. All the while, they are not alone. They are always with the guide, who witnesses their every move. The film plays off the relationship between young travelers and the places they travel to, between guide and guided. But at heart, it is a love story -- a tale about betrayal, both accidental and deliberate, about masculinity, failure and the ambiguities of forgiveness.
Rock the Boat (CANADA)
Director: Randi Mercouffer
Runtime: 50 mins
In the artificial landscape that is Los Angeles, where even palm trees are imported, nothing epitomizes man’s short-sighted efforts to reshape the face of the earth more than the LA River: modified beyond recognition, its flow tapped before it even reached the surface, the river was used, abused and essentially forgotten. But when an unassuming boater insists on seeing it as a river again, a local controversy takes on national dimensions, and the once-derided eyesore turns into a source of hope for the City of Dreams. ‘Rock the Boat’ is a fun, high-energy and, ultimately, moving film that tells this every-man’s adventure and looks at the price nature has to pay for our urban lifestyle.
WagonWorks is launching the new standard for managing and executing releases with Digital PA, an iPad app designed to streamline the releasing process for the film and television industry. The Digital PA app solves one of the most arcane, vexing problems facing the industry. Digital PA creates a paperless solution with offline execution, storage, search, accuracy and security all combined for the first time in one easy-to-use, powerful app. Built by international software specialists, designed by a veteran in the Reality TV business, Digital PA is the latest in a line of new releasing apps that turns a manual, labor-intensive requirement into an efficient, simple process. Hank Wagenbach creator of Digital PA will be in to talk about why releases are so important to the industry, and how Digital PA integrates the whole production into the legal world of releasing.
Heads Up (USA)
Director: Alex Merkin
Runtime: 13 mins
Heads Up' is an edgy, comedic story of two long time friends, partners in crime, and somewhat surrogate siblings who love each other to death. When suspicions of trust and loyalty arise at the weekly poker game the situation erupts in an extreme way - because nobody fights like siblings do!
The Chronicler (Hungary)
Director: Krisztian Koves
Runtime: 24 mins
Almos is a member of the secret Chronicler Order dating back to Egyptian times. They are the chosen ones who record the true history of mankind in a rather unconventional way. For thousands of years they have been born without eyes, yet they are capable of seeing people’s memories via touch. . Through this ability, they can access information that the writers of history and the consumers of directed news cannot: the TRUTH. Despite his young age and polite manner, he is cynical and despondent. Then one day, an injured female felon stumbles into his shop. Soon thereafter, an Envoy of the Order, Kaleb, also turns up. This is the first time in years that the Order has made any form of contact with Álmos. He is given an assignment.
Blue Hole (USA)
Director: Erik Gardner
Runtime: 12 mins
Michael takes his fiancee Amy deep within the Pine Barrens of New Jersey to a vacation cabin where he plans to propose. Upon arriving, they're attacked by a madman who claims an eerie pond near the cabin called 'Blue Hole' can bring back the dead. Reality mixes with illusion as we try to figure out if Blue Hole is real or if our madman is truly insane. Inspired by a true story and a real place in New Jersey.
Marked (USA)
Director: Rockmund Dunbar
Runtime: 12 mins
Marked is a film about the forces of good and evil with no less than the fate of the world at stake. The rise of the antichrist to power can only be stopped by one. A four year old child named Ryan , the chosen one. Unfortunately the Vatican believes Ryan is in fact the omen. They launch a full scale mission to seek and destroy him. His family is forced to go on the run.
Initiative #435 (USA)
Director: Shawn Costa
Runtime: 6 mins
A sci-fi action thriller about a detective who hunts down an escaped cyborg and in the process discovers a shocking truth about himself.
Dog It Down (USA)
Director: Mark Haapala
Runtime: 29 mins
On Dec. 7th 1941, 3 US Navy Sailors became entombed aboard the USS West Virginia during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. 'Dogged Down' inside an airtight storage supply room, the men managed to stay alive for 17 arduous days on the bottom of the ocean floor; living off of canned peaches, before ultimately succumbing due to a lack of fresh air on Christmas Eve. Based on actual events.
Things I Don't Understand
Director: David Spaltro
Cast: Molly Ryman, Aaron Mathias, Grace Folsom
Runtime: 109 mins
Grad student dealing with eviction in Brooklyn forms a cathartic relationship with a local bartender hiding his own secrets and a terminally ill hospice patient she's interviewing for her thesis on what happens after we die.
The era of social commerce has arrived and Social Networks are hands down the most powerful tool in a filmmaker's arsenal for marketing and distributing their films. As a filmmaker in today's marketplace, it's becoming ESSENTIAL you understand how to use Social Media to your advantage.
Marketing has changed from a TOP DOWN system (paid advertising, direct mail/e-mail, and expensive PR) to a bottoms up GROUNDSWELL system. Word of mouth marketing is the most POWERFUL marketing out there. Just ask any distributor from the major Studios, on down to the indie DVD distributors.
Learn how to build a core audience for your film, and you are suddenly in the drivers seat. Whether you are self-distributing, going the traditional distribution route, or both. And the best part is, Social Networking doesn't cost you a thing. The sooner you start, the more of an edge you'll have over other filmmakers that haven't yet joined "the Facebook Era". Learn to leverage Social Media to your advantage and start growing an audience for YOUR film right now.
HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL LEARN AT THIS SOCIAL MEDIA BOOT CAMP FOR FILMMAKERS:
• How to use Social Media platforms like Facebook, My Space, and Twitter to build the core audience for your film
• How to create your OWN Social Media Marketing Plan
• How to build and maintain an EFFECTIVE Facebook page for your film
• How to leverage Social Media to get distribution for your film
YOU'LL LEAVE THIS WORKSHOP NOT ONLY WITH A CUSTOMIZED FACEBOOK PAGE , BUT A SOLID PLAN TO LEVERAGE IT FOR DISTRIBUTION OF YOUR INDEPENDENT FILM!
* ALL attendees should bring along a laptop (with wireless capabilities) AND digital assets for their films(including video clips, still photos, synopsis, reviews, etc.). Complimentary wireless internet access will be provided at the venue for all participants.
Hajduk (Short Doc & Book Signing)
Director: Branka Bezic Filipovic
Country of production: Croatia
Author Branka Bezic Filipovic will be presenting her book and short documentary about the last 35 years of the “Hajduk veterans” soccer club, one of the leading and the most famous soccer teams of Croatia and Former Yugoslavia. All of their world tours were organized by Croatian expats around the world. Hajduk visited San Pedro, CA, in 1986. Both the book and accompanying DVD include photographs and footage of the fans, players, and events that brought “Hajduk” to the peak of its fame and glory. The book spans the the first introduction of soccer to Croatia to the most recent 100 year anniversary of the club’s existence.
Branka Bezic Filipovic, was born in Split in 1955. She is currently the Director of the Split Chapter of the Croatian Heritage Foundation (Hrvatska Matica Iseljenika) and this is her 6th work-related book that she has written on the subject of Croatian immigrants and their heritage, especially the history of sport. The author will be available for book signings.
El Invento (COLOMBIA)
Director: Giovanni Granada
Runtime: 20 mins
Danny starts working with his friend Andres in their workshop on a new invention, a big challenge for 12 year old boys; to solve the magic of photography and the mysteries of women. On a golden afternoon in 1976 they discover the power of friendship and love. It all starts with a magnifying glass, a small lantern and a broken heart...
Get A Move On (CROATIA)
Director: Petar Oreskovic
Runtime: 20 mins
Country of production: Croatia
The film tells the story about futility of life of main character, Miro – yuppie whose life consists of repeating everyday routine. His sense tells him he is unhappy so he swamps into imagination and decides to change his life.
A Midsummer Nightmare – The Betrayal (USA)
Director: Joshua Siegel
Runtime: 17 mins
England, 1596. The Brotherhood of St. George uses William Shakespeare to trap the Faerie Court within an enchanted book, sparking a secret war with the pagan Feyists. 250 years later the book is opened and the magical beings are freed in a California forest. Lord Oberon and Queen Titania are not happy after their long imprisonment, unleashing their wrath upon mankind. Three cowboys fight to survive long enough to stop the vengeful faeries and the murderous prankster called Puck.
When Skies are Blue (USA)
Director: Tony Nawrocki
Runtime: 17 mins
A troubled teen battles his inner demons with rock & roll.
Elegy For a Revolutionary (USA)
Director: Paul van Zyl
Runtime: 22 mins
Based on a personal true story. Encouraged by his friend, a young, idealistic journalist joins the African National Congress (ANC) to protest apartheid. When their acts of sabotage turn to murder, their relationship falls apart. The notoriously brutal police are hot on the trail. When captured, do these two friends turn on each other for survival or remain quiet, facing torture and death?
Night Boats
Director: Igor Mirkovic
Cast: Ana Karic, Radko Polic, Rentata Ulmanski
Runtime: 100 mins
There are hundreds of stories about first love. This is a story of a last love. A story of a romance unexpected, a romance that would never happen if Helena and Jakov had not eloped like a pair of 17-year-old teenagers jumping over a fence at a retirement home. Like fugitives they take on one last adventure trying to make it on a ship Helena didn't board 60 years earlier.
Ugly Duckling (Short) (CROATIA)
Director: Mia Rogic (11 years old)
Runtime: 3 mins
Ugly duckling is hatched from the egg and finish in the lake, but later it goes in school, grow up, and found a girlfriend.
*plays before 'Night Boats'
Love or Whatever
Director: Rosser Goodman
Cast: Tyler Poelle, Jennifer Elise Cox, Joel Rush, David Wilson Page, Jenica Bergere
Runtime: 84 mins
LOVE OR WHATEVER is about Corey who thought he had it all: A successful career, a lesbian sister who’s his best friend and most of all, a bright future with his boyfriend, Jon. But when Jon dumps him—for a woman!—Corey sets off on a wild journey of self-discovery that leads him to a GRINDR connection, a new love and a life changing choice: Love Or Whatever.
Saturday Oct 13, 9pm, Croatian Cultural Center
Nobody’s Child (USA)
Director: Dennis Nollette
Runtime: 24 mins
Annie and Paul have been best friends for years. Annie discovers she may have breast cancer and wants Paul, who is gay, to raise her son if anything happens to her, rather than the boy's father. Paul, young and in love with a fast gay lifestyle, is not so sure that's such a great idea.
Lake Effect (USA)
Director: Michael Chadwick
Runtime: 10 mins
‘Lake Effect’ is a short film exposing the complexity of grief that accompanies tragedy. Written and directed by Michael Chadwick and produced by SHEP Films, it follows a grieving father, Alex, whose daughter has recently drowned, as well as Alex’s girlfriend, Julia, who joins him on the lake for the first time since his daughter’s death. By exploring the inner recesses of the grieving mind and expressing the beautiful, mysterious, and violent associations that come with mourning over a loved one, ‘Lake Effect’ considers what it means to share one’s pain in a relationship.
Forgetting Regret (USA)
Director: Chris Kato
Runtime: 29 mins
Conrad is a young man who had it all - a great girlfriend, a supportive family, and a baseball scholarship to Stanford University. His life unraveled when his high school sweetheart, Dana, told him she was pregnant. Despite being kicked out of his house and having to reject his scholarship, together, he promises, they would get through this.
RomKom (Croatia)
Director: Zvonimir Rumboldt
Cast: Goran Bogdan, Bojan Navojec, Iva Mihalić, Robert Kurbaša, Ana Majhenić
Runtime: 36 mins
How do you remember your lines? Are you really naked when you shoot a love scene? How can you kiss a stranger and pretend to be in love? Every actor has heard these questions at least once...We meet Her and Him, embracing for the cameras on the set of a soap opera. They are the main characters in a hit series, and the antiheroes of their own lives. As make-believe emotion turns to real passion, one of them will mistake it for love; while the other will sacrifice this new romance when a richer and more powerful suitor comes along.
Happy Birthday (Switzerland)
Director: Kathrin Frey
Runtime: 4 mins
A man goes out for a late night stroll.
He walks down alleys lost in thought, musing about a hopeless love affair.
On hearing a mysterious sound,
his lonesome wanderings seem to come to an end...
Join us for our IndieCon event, How to Make Your First Feature Film at the San Pedro International Film Festival. We'll give an in-depth look into the business of filmmaking. Whether you are a filmmaker, industry professional or film lover, you will enjoy learning from our panel of industry experts Sean Albertson, Film Editor (Warrior, Rocky Balboa and upcoming Killing Season), Larry Karaszewski, Writer/Director/Producer (People Vs. Larry Flint, Man on the Moon, and 1408), Matthew Wilder, Writer/Director (Your Name Here and the upcoming Inferno - Linda Lovelace Story) and more. Panel will be moderated by former WGA President, Producer, Entertainment Attorney and Television Showrunner, Charles Holland (JAG, Soul Food and Naked Ambition) Stream of this event will be brought to you by Film Armada.
Edita Felix (USA)
Director: Zac Wong
Runtime: 5 mins
A young ballet dancer prepares for an audition.
Stejně Jako Já (Czech Republic)
Director: Deana DiSalvio & Michael Freise
Runtime: 8 mins
LUKAS is taught by his older brother, PETR, how to shoot a gun hidden in a shed on their farm. Unbeknown to their mother, BARA, who left PETR in charge of his little brother for the day, the boys set up a makeshift shooting range. They spend the day shooting all the cans, when one can remains, PETR instead shoots a bird on a nearby branch. PETR runs back to the house to replenish their supply of bullets, leaving the shocked LUKAS with the bird and the gun outside.
Two Car Garage and a Swimming Pool (USA)
Director: Alex Sparks
Runtime: 15 mins
A young guy, Adam, spends his free time breaking into different houses around the city. However, he means no harm. Rather than burglary or vandalism Adam instead chooses to live a day in lives of the houses' regular occupants. He eats their food, wears their clothes, listens to their music, and experiences the world from their point of view. One day when he mistakenly enters the house of an old high school acquaintance, his exploration is interrupted when she, Lislie, returns home unexpectedly. Instead of being upset, Lislie surprisingly decides to tag along with Adam to his next house. The two quickly realize they have more in common than they ever imagined as they enjoy the day, hopping from house to house and life to life. Ultimately, their curiosity and moral dilemma push them to the limits of their 'harmless' experiment with the lives of others.
Water on Mars (USA)
Director: Chase Smith
Runtime: 22 mins
Unhappy with his unstimulating home life, 9-year-old Daniel yearns to be abducted by aliens. He sneaks out of his house to relive the kind of adventures he once shared with his dad, but encounters a seedy cast of characters on his journey to see the universe.
Alone Together (USA)
Director: Ben Kadie
Runtime: 23 mins
A story of shipwrecks and love -- After a terrible ocean storm, Brendan finds himself on a Chilean island with Eloise, the girl of his secret dreams. Alone together for the first time, the two grow close, yet Brendan worries: if they leave the island will Eloise still need him? Director Ben Kadie (age 16) filmed throughout the beautiful Pacific Northwest including underwater in Lake Washington and on the 100-year-old tugboat Arthur Foss. The film stars Seattle-area actors Asher Jordan and Bria Lynn Massie.
Hourglass (USA)
Director: Julian Surface
Runtime: 32 mins
After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Doctor Henry White's life is turned upside down, when he gets haunted by Death. He destroys his life, piece by piece, in his obsession to come up with a redeeming drug, only for Death to finally confront him. He manages to outrun Death, throwing every last piece of himself in the way, only for him to finally realize what his obsession has truly cost.
FilmBreak aims to be the world’s largest virtual studio, offering audience aggregation, financing, and distribution capabilities in one fully integrated online platform. FilmBreak’s virtual studio takes the form of an online marketplace that connects all the key players in the value chain: filmmakers, investors, distributors, and most importantly – film audiences around the world.
Presenter Taylor McPartland will address the issue of audience aggregation and the importance of building a fan base around a project for its visibility as well as its marketability upon completion. He will conclude with a brief demonstration of the FilmBreak platform and how it addresses these needs for the modern filmmaker.
Cosmic Journey (USA)
Director: Jonathan Kitzen
Runtime: 20 mins
Journey through the universe among stunning new stereoscopic rendered images from Hubble and Cassini which have been imparted with new found depth and motion. Audiences are immersed in amazing depth of the clouds of Jupiter and Saturn and scores of gaseous nebula. With an engaging sound mix and informational graphics, to help the viewer understand what they are seeing, audiences will get a sense of the scale and natural beauty of space like no film has ever before been able to deliver.
The War of Wars (USA)
Kalisti Media
Runtime: 20 mins
Using a collection of over 10,000 never-before-seen stereo photos from the battlefield, and the first combat film ever taken, SOMME gives life to the past by using the voices of contemporary combat veterans to share their own stories of battle. The film centers on the Battle of the Somme which was the largest battle in human history claiming six times the casualties of D-Day just in the first opening hours, and where the British lost more men then they did in all of WW2. Somme is a somber reminder of the realities of war not just on the battlefield but within the minds of those who have to experience it first hand. It is both a historical film and a tale of contemporary issues at the same time and puts the viewer in the perspective and mind of combat veterans. Available for special 1 week limited runs for veterans/armistice day 20 min, 40min 2D & 3D 2k, 4k.
Reality Clock (USA)
Director: Amanda Tasse
Runtime: 8 mins
The Reality Clock is an experimental animated portrait of an elderly watchmaker's struggle to accept the influence of early stage Dementia on his identity and sense of time. The film was shot in full stereoscopic 3D, using stop-motion animation, live-action and time-lapse photography to further immerse the viewer in the internal experience of the character. The Reality Clock poetically references specific tests and dialog drawn from autobiographical works written by individuals with Dementia, while delicately expressing broader themes of loss. Through contemplating who the raw essence of a person is when stripped bare of new memories and rational clarity, The Reality Clock searches for a sense of beauty and peace amidst the confusion
Zombie Chic (USA)
Director: Todd Cobery
Runtime: 7 mins
A stuffy, upscale dinner party is interrupted by the zombie apocalypse in this gory black comedy.
The Choice (HUNGARY)
Director: Krisztian Koves
Runtime: 11 mins
A woman is faced with making a life or death choice. Which will she choose?
TECTONICS
Director: Peter Bo Rappmund
Runtime: 60 mins
Country of production: USA
A survey of the physical qualities and metaphysical quandaries of the United States-Mexico border. Follows the boundary and its immediate surrounding topography incrementally from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.
Quest for Energy
Director: Vinit Parmar
Runtime: 10 mins
Four million islanders want electricity. For eons, they had survived in the dark, lit by dim kerosene lamps. They still burn wood for fire. Millions live like this around the world. The people of the Sunderbans live less than hundred miles away from Kolkata, India, residing in the largest wetland in the world adjacent to one of the most populated urban areas.
This World Heritage site boasts about two hundred fifty wild, white Bengal tigers, only fifty-two of the hundred-two islands are human-inhabited. These islanders have witnessed massive flooding and realize their islands will be under water because of rising sea levels from climate change. Two islands recently disappeared. The UN reports that 75% of the landmass will be under water due to climate change.
Return to Byzantium – The Art and Life of Lilian Broca
Director: Adelina Suvagau
Runtime: 50 mins
Country of production: Canada
After a life-time dedicated to her art which brought her international recognition and awards in the mosaic world, Lilian Broca returns to her childhood home in her native country, Romania, for the first time in 52 years.
Return to Byzantium is the story of a homecoming – an artistic and physical return to a Romania which Lilian’s family was forced to flee more than half a century ago but which she never abandoned.
Early Learning
Director: Marcin Bortkiewcz
Runtime: 35 mins
Country of production: POLAND
Mikołaj, an oceanography student, arrives to do his internship at the Marine Station in Hel. Under the watchful eye of his boss, Professor Krzysztof Skóra, he cares for a new born male seal, called Hel. Mikołaj teaches him how adapt to life in the wild. Before he can be released into the Baltic, Hel has to learn how to live with the herd, find his own food and, most important of all, how to avoid contact with humans.
CROOKED ARROWS
Director: Steve Rash
Cast: Brandon Routh, Gil Birmingham, Crystal Allen
Runtime: 65 mins
Family Friendly Film
A mixed-blood Native American, Joe Logan, eager to modernize his reservation, must first prove himself to his father, the traditionalist Tribal Chairman, by rediscovering his spirit. He is tasked with coaching the reservation’s high school lacrosse team which competes against the better equipped and better trained players of the elite Prep School League.
Joe inspires the Native American boys and teaches them the true meaning of tribal pride. Ignited by their heritage and believing in their new-found potential, coach and team climb an uphill battle to the state championship finals against their privileged prep school rivals…will they win?
Director: David O. Russell
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Julia Stiles, Chris Tucker, and Jacki Weaver
Runtime: 120 mins
Life doesn't always go according to plan. Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything -- his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother (Jacki Weaver) and father (Robert DeNiro) after spending eight months is a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat's parents want is for him to get back on his feet-and to share their family's obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he'll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.
