Saturday, Jan 11, 6:45pm, Alcazar Room

A band of Appalachian women in Bent Mountain, Virginia fight for a decade to protect their land and their way of life against a greedy and corrupt natural gas pipeline corporation that threatens the environment and the lives of tens of thousands throughout Virginia and West Virginia.

Director& Writer: James Mottern / Producers: James Mottern, Diana Rae Harrington / Cinematographer: Jacob A. Hauser / Editor: Kristen Nutile / Contact: jnmottern@gmail.com

Director: James Mottern is an award-winning screenwriter and director. A recipient of the Academy Nicholl Award for Screenwriting, Mottern began his career in television documentaries for Discovery and BBC. He later wrote and directed the acclaimed film TRUCKER starring Michelle Monaghan about a female long-haul truck driver's search for identity and personal freedom. His film BY THE GUN starring Harvey Keitel and Ben Barnes tells the story of a young mob hitman who seeks to find the truth in a system of lies and corruption. Mottern's documentary film MARK, WHAT'S THE PLAN? is an unflinching look at social media and the man who controls the minds of billions including children, all for profit. Mottern's film company American Stories is now producing the feature documentary A BEAST TOUCH THE MOUNTAIN: Mountain Valley Pipeline and the Fight for Appalachia which he also directs.

Sunday, Jan 12, 12:30, Gamache-Koger

In a remote tribal region, young Bheru dreams of bringing electricity to his isolated hilltop home. Struggling with the lack of conventional power sources, he stumbles upon hope when he comes upon a miraculous invention.

One of my favorite films of SAFF15.  The performances are amazing – illustrating the caste system and the villager’s blind acceptance.  I was especially fascinated by the body language exhibited.  It is a very sweet film as well.  Kunal Mehta’s performance as Bheru, is especially moving.  Kudos to Jigdal for putting it all together.

Director, Writer & Producer: Jigdal Madanial Nagda / Cinematography: Gourav Sadoriya / Editors: Vatsal Doshi, Divesh Sonvania / Composer: Keshav Kundal / Cast: Kunal Mehta, Mehender Srivas, Rakhi Mansa, Jigdal Madanial Mgada / Contact: udaipurpictures13@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Jigdal Madanial Nagda is a postgraduate in Mass Communication from Mumbai University. At the age of 20, he attended an Asian film festival, which sparked his love and passion for filmmaking. For the past 9 years, he has been working in the film industry as an assistant and associate director, learning from some of the best talents including Anurag Kashyap, Onir, Manish Gupta, and Wilson Luis.

Jigar's passion for travel led him to embark on an India tour with just one rupee, an experience that had a profound impact on his life and way of thinking. Upon completing this journey, he decided to pursue his dream of making his own film. Anurag Kashyap, with whom he had worked as a director's assistant for Bombay Velvet, deeply influenced Jigar's perspective on filmmaking. Anurag's belief that if you don't find a producer, you should stand up for yourself and the world will support you, became Jigar's biggest motivation in making his film.

This belief turned out to be true as Jigar successfully completed his first film, "A Boy Who Dreamt with Electricity," and is now eagerly awaiting its release.

Saturday, Jan 11, 2:30pm, Gamache-Koger

Anthony, a rugged gambler living in a southern trailer park, reignites an old rivalry with Shiloh, a menacing loan shark, in order to fund his nitwitted nephew's ‘get rich quick’ scheme involving a nose-job, beach house, and online girlfriend. Things spiral into chaos after Anthony's other nephew, Lorenzo, becomes entangled in a star-crossed romance with Shiloh's daughter, Jamelia, and the three family members are plunged into a web of grave peril.

Director & Writer: Mitchell Voler / Producer: Thomas Rondinella, Nick Staglione / Cinematographer: Jack McClellan / Editor: James Vernon / Production Designer: Lauren Counts / Cast: Bobby Trovato, Jacob Skinner, Mitchell Cole, Jerome Cooper, Akira Jackson, Drew Brazell / Contact: mitchell.h.cole@gmail.com

Director: Born and raised in the Florida Panhandle, Mitchell Cole first discovered his passion for film after watching “Reservoir Dogs” at the ripe age of ten years old. His love for film grew as he found himself captivated by the rich narratives and visual styles of classic cinema. This early fascination ignited a lifelong passion and laid the groundwork for a career defined by creativity and innovation.

Unable to afford film school, Mitchell spent a decade balancing blue-collar jobs while pursuing his love for film. Starting as an actor, he immersed himself in the industry, progressing from student shorts to full-length features. His time on set honed his meticulous attention to detail and fueled his ambition to craft his own narratives.

Venturing into writing and directing, he created a series of acclaimed short films, leveraging film festival circuits to network and uncover new opportunities. Eager to transition to feature-length projects, he pitched an early script draft to Thomas Rondinella, a producer, who recognized its potential, paving the way for the film to be greenlit.

As Mitchell's career evolves, he remains committed to expanding the boundaries of cinematic expression, inspiring audiences with his distinct vision. Currently developing his next project, he continues to redefine storytelling in film, promising audiences more profound and visually stunning experiences in the years ahead.

Sunday, Jan 12, 6pm, Lewis Auditorium

The drama "Being Maria" reframes the short career and tragic life of "Last Tango in Paris" star Maria Schneider in a post-#MeToo light. "Happening" breakout Anamaria Vartolomei plays Schneider, while Matt Dillon takes on the role of her co-star Marlon Brando. The film in part tracks the controversial production and wrenching fallout of Bernardo Bertolucci's 1972 masterpiece -- a landmark that made Schneider an icon while locking her into a sexualized image she never could escape. Palud's sophomore feature also marks a fitting echo for the Gallic auteur, who kicked off her professional life on the set of Bertolucci's "The Dreamers."

Director: Jessica Palud / Writers: Jessica Palud (adaptation) (dialogue) (screenplay), Laurette Polmanss (adaptation) (dialogue) (screenplay), Vanessa Schneider (novel: 'Tu t'appelais Maria Schneider') / Producer: Marielle Duigou / Cinematography: Sébastien Buchmann / Editor: Thomas Marchand / Composer: Benjamin Biolay / Cast: Anamaria Vartolomei, Matt Dillon, Giuseppe Maggio, Celeste Brunnquell, Yvan Attal, Marie Gillain, Jonathan Couzinie, Melissa Barbaud / Contact: mwolkin@kinolorber.com

DIRECTOR: Jessica Palud was born in Paris, and has worked as an assistant director on films such as Bernardo Bertolucci’s THE DREAMERS and Sofia Coppola’s MARIE ANTOINETTE. She has directed the shorts DOLL (2016) and MARLON (2017). The latter was selected at Toronto IFF. Her latest film BACK HOME (2019) was selected in the Orizzonti section of the 76th Venice International Film Festival.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: I started my career on film sets at 19 years old, as an assistant director for The Dreamers, a film by Bernardo Bertolucci. I learned about what happened on Last Tango in Paris and always wondered how something like that could have come about. It stayed with me for years. Then, when Vanessa Schneider’s book came out, I was deeply moved by Maria’s story.

Sunday, Jan 12, 6pm, Gamache-Koger

Beyond the Ruins is a feature-length documentary unveiling what it means to be a Yucatecan Maya in the 21st century. The film starts at the ancient ceremonial center of Coba, the second largest Maya center in the ancient world, and slowly takes the viewer deeper into the jungle and villages of two indigenous families who have dedicated their lives to maintaining their heritage. The heart and soul of the film depicts the interconnectedness of all things, including nature, through the ancient Maya philosophy “in lak’ ech, a lak’ en,” meaning “I am you; you are me.”

Director: Brady Skye / Writers: Lance Hastings & Brady Skye / Cinematographer: Justin Wirtalla / Editor: Brady Skye /Featuring Elias cahum, Jose Cahum, Victor Cahum , Elogio Canul, Jesus Canul, Marisol Canul, Rene Canul, Rosa Canul, Bernardo Can Chuc / Narrator: 

Brady Skye / Contact: theskyelounge@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Brady Skye is an award-winning filmmaker based in St. Augustine, Florida with over a decade of full-time experience in film and television. With a keen eye for directing and editing, Brady has created over 2000 videos, from national TV commercials to long-form programs. He has collaborated with a number of ad-agencies and production companies, serving as a director, cinematographer, and editor. From 2015-2017 he produced and edited hundreds of commercials for the PGA TOUR and his works have been distributed by Paramount, CBS, NBC Sports, Golf Channel, and MTV.

Brady just completed his first feature-length documentary, Beyond the Ruins, receiving Best Documentary Feature at the 19th Orlando Film Festival. The film tells the story of two indigenous Maya families in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula who have managed to maintain their cultural heritage in the face of the 21st century, and explores what others could learn from them to improve their own quality of life.

Sunday, Jan 12, 4pm, Gamache-Koger

An inspirational story of two women triathletes, pioneers in the sport, during an era when competitions for women were frowned upon. The journeys of Dottie Dorion and Celeste Callahan are part of the movement that battles gender stereotypes and changes perceptions. Their stories shed light on events that became life-changing and progressive due to perseverance and community.

Their efforts resulted in the foundation of what Women’s Leagues and changes in the sports world after experiencing personal resilience towards adversity. The evolution of women’s sports in this documentary helps younger generations understand a sense of community and the value of giving back with “play it forward” efforts by women, including narrator Sika Henry, the first black woman professional triathlete.

Directors & Producers: Brian Bayerl, Chuck Malkus / Producers: Mackenzie Drewe, Ambie Hay / Editor: Brian Bayerl / Executive Producer: Chuck Malkus / Featuring: Dottie Dorion, Celeste Callahan, Sika Henry / Contact: cmalkus@malkus.com

DIRECTORS: Brian is a multi-award-winning cinematographer, director and editor. His work includes Ferrari Challenge, Swamp Wars, The Years of Living Dangerously, and Funny or Die. His film credits include 8: The Mormon Proposition and For Once in My Life with Grammy Nominated Mark Moormann winner of the Audience Award at SXSW. Bayerl’s additional films include Full Circle: Before They Were Famous chronicling Andy Warhol and Robert Indiana’s rise to international pop art fame; Datuna: Portrait of America (Winner, Raindance Film Festival, London), Taylor & Ultra: On the 60s, The Factory and Being a Warhol Superstar (Nominated Best Doc Short, Tribeca Film Festival, New York) and Foster Shock, an expose on the Foster Care System. Additional recognitions include a Focus on Florida Filmmaker by the Knight Foundation and a LA Cinematographers Award.

Chuck is an award-winning executive producer, director and author. His credits include the Netflix documentary series Heist, which was a Top 5 Most Watched across all streamers during summer, 2021. His book, Full Circle: The Remarkable True Story, is the basis for an Emmy-nominated ESPN documentary.  Malkus’ docs also include CNBC’s American Greed; Investigation Discovery’s Guilty Rich and Vice Network’s How to Rob a Bank. His recognitions include a National Association of Broadcasters award for work on CBS’ Neighbors 4 Neighbors and a National Association of Counties first place award for a Broward County tv series. Shock. an expose on the Foster Care System in Florida.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: In Beyond Triathlon, filmmakers share a unique perspective of pioneering women who helped make the sport what it is today … rejecting the social conventions of an era, these women broke a mold and formed everlasting friendships.

Saturday, Jan 11, 2pm, Lewis Auditorium

On the edge of the Gobi Desert in Northwest China, Lang returns to his hometown after being released from jail. While working for the local dog patrol team to clear the town of stray dogs before the Olympic Games, he strikes up an unlikely connection with a black dog. These two lonely souls now embark on a new journey together.

Winner of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section (which most value higher than the Main Competition), Black Dog is a crowd pleaser.  Don’t worry if you are wondering what’s going on during the first 10 minutes or so, it will all fall into line with the subtleties the director has put in.  The humor, for the most part, is dry, although some bits are spontaneous laugh-out-loud funny.  There is also a great deal of pathos.  And it goes without saying, if you like dogs, this will be a treat… perhaps bittersweet.

Director: Hu Guan / Writers: Rui Ge, Hu Guan / Producer: Jing Liang / Cinematographer: Weizhe Gao / Composer: Brenton Vivian / Cast: Eddie Peng, Jing Liang, Zhangke Kia, Liya Tong, Vision Wei, Hong Yuan, Yi Zhang, Yi Zhao / Contact: marksayre@theforge.biz

DIRECTOR: A graduate of the class of 1991 of the Beijing Film Academy, Hu Guan became 

the youngest director in the Beijing Film Studio. In the 1990s, Guan directed a handful of films, making a name as an important voice of the Sixth Generation, most notably with his debut, 1994's Dirt. A portrayal of Beijing's rock music scene, Dirt was filmed on a shoestring budget and was funded primarily by lead actress, Kong Lin. Dirt is often compared with another major Sixth Generation film about the Beijing rock scene, Zhang Yuan's Beijing Bastards. Unlike that film, Guan paid nearly US$2000 for state studio affiliation, allowing the film to be distributed in China and screened abroad with approval from state regulators.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: I've found that dogs share similarities with human beings. You can communicate with them. In the film, I see the black dog as not just an animal but as an individual like Lang, fighting both loneliness and prejudice.

Sunday, Jan 12, Noon, Lewis Auditorium

This film showcases the unprecedented, six-decade career of award-winning costume designer, Bob Mackie. And like his costumes, Bob Mackie is wholly unique and unfiltered, which makes for a compelling and candid subject.

The film examines Mackie’s unique upbringing, those whom he has held dear within his inner circle, and the familial surprises in his life that have all contributed to the optimism and audacity present in his work.

Because the film is fully authorized, Quixotic Endeavors was given access to the full Bob Mackie archive, which has been meticulously kept and curated with many rare and unseen artifacts, including the outfits that didn't make the cut. They also capture the over-the-top costumes, as they get sequined and beaded from sketch to stage. Specific highlights include some of the soon-to-be-lost art methods by old-world artisans that help make each outfit Mackie conjures into something to behold and remember.

The documentary includes original interviews with Bob Mackie clients and collaborators, along with designers, stylists, comedians and actors he has inspired. It also features Mackie’s first-person account of some of his most iconic looks, such as The Carol Burnett Show's Scarlett O'Hara dress, Cher's 1986 Academy Awards look with feathered headdress, and Tina Turner's iconic concert costumes. Mackie is a truly peerless and timeless costume designer, with interviews from Cher to Pink, Tom Ford to Miley Cyrus, and Rupaul to Carol Burnett a testament to that fact.

Director & Writer: Matthew Miele / Producer: Anne Chertoff Tavelin / Executive Producers: Anne Chertoff Tavelin, Mary D’Souza, Stephen McCarthy, Joe McFate, Matthew Miele, Clive Gershon, Benjamin Charbit & Ezmina Tauran / Cinematographer: J. Adam Giese / Edited by Matthew Miele / Featuring: Bob Mackie, Cher, Carol Burnett, Pink, Tom Ford, Miley Cyrus, RuPaul, Mitzi Gaynor, Bernadette Peters, Zac Posen, Gregg Barnes, Michael Berresse, Jennelle Hamilton, Steven Kolb, Vicki Lawrence, Fern Mallis, Joe McFate, Booth Moore, Martin Nolan, Mel Ottenberg, Lulu Porter, Law Roach, Hal Rubenstein, George Schlatter, Jeffrey Seller, Jan Strimple, Flody Suarez / Contact: hello@quixoticendeavors.com

DIRECTOR: A storyteller above all else, Matthew Miele has drawn upon his various experiences in music composition, publishing, and screenwriting to become a successful producer and director of critically acclaimed, and internationally renowned, feature-length documentaries.

Past films include Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s, Harry Benson: Shoot First, Always at The Carlyle and Alan Pakula: Going for Truth.

Up next for Miele and currently in production are fully-authorized documentaries on the legendary lyricist, Bernie Taupin, and an inside look at the renowned New York City comedy club, Comedy Cellar.

Saturday, Jan 11, 12:45, Alcazar Room

David’s bookstore in Brooklyn is going broke. His mother stops by to tell David that his father, Jesse, who he thought was long dead, has actually been living the highlife in the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately for David, he died of a heart-attack last week. Fortunately for David, he left him his Caribbean mansion. If David can sell the house, with the help of the charming real estate agent Maria, he can pay off his debts and turn the bookstore into the place of his dreams. His girlfriend Rachel is more skeptical. It should be simple: fly to the Dominican Republic, sell the house. As time stretches on and the house hasn’t sold, David discovers what drew his father to this tropical paradise and it's warm, welcoming people; and how much they truly loved him. Will David sell and return to New York with Rachel, or will the realtor Maria, along with the island and its people, win his heart?

Director: Geoffrey Cowper / Writer: Joseph Ciutat / Producers: Andres Rodriguez Zelnick, Pablo Losano, Carol Dudley / Cinematography: Jose Martin Rosete / Editors: Antonella Bosiak, Guillermo A. Chaia / Composer: Andres Rodriguez Zelnick / Cast: Jackson Rathbone, Clara Lago, Hector Anibal, Carol Halstead, Nashla Bogaert, David Maler, Ruiri Rhodes, Yasser Michelen / Contact: andresrz@veranerafilms.com

DIRECTOR: Geoffrey Cowper was born 1986 in Terrassa, Barcelona, to an Australian father and a Spanish mother, as far as he can remember Geoffrey always wanted to be a film director. In 2009 he graduated from Escuela Superior de Cine y Audiovisuales de Cataluña specializing in direction. Cargols! (Snails!), his graduation project, a romantic comedy featuring a giant snail, premiered in Sitges, and it was selected by more than 100 festivals around the globe. He co-wrote, co-produced and directed his feature film debut, Tercer Grado (Day Release), and was selected by more than 20 festivals and won over 15 awards. He then taught film for various years at university, while shooting many music videos for a diverse array of Spanish pop artists. In 2023 he directed an episode for NETFLIX of “Berlin”, the “Money Heist” spin off. Currently he combines teaching with the development of his next feature film project.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: I am a sucker for rom-coms so I wanted to direct Books & Drinks the moment I read Josep Ciutat’s script with its witty dialogue, captivating characters and humor. It’s a film with fast-paced dialogue and lots of heart, and shooting it in the Dominican Republic added a very special charm. As someone who knows both Spanish and English culture, I could identify with David’s being a fish-out-of-water and explore the comedic potential of those cultural differences. As a dreamer and a hopeless romantic myself I relate to David’s pursuit of his dreams and his determination to find the love of his life.

Sunday, Jan 12, 4pm, Lewis Auditorium

Siiri, a hardworking millennial, strives to be successful in her job as the advisor to the Minister of Economic Affairs. She craves a promotion. Siiri’s work takes her and her hard-to-handle minister, an unpredictable, eccentric woman, to a big tango festival in the small Finnish town, which just so happens to be Siiri’s hometown, that she escaped to get to the big city. This leads Siiri, a cynic of epic proportions, to a reunion of sorts with her relentlessly optimistic father, Petri. It should be known that Petri, a gentle, loving man, is also followed by a dark cloud of bad luck, leading some to think of him as a loser—lovable as he may be.

As Siiri grapples with maintaining her politician boss's sanity amidst marital strife, and Petri juggles his own facade of stability, they both confront the lies they've told themselves in a dance of self-discovery. This is a sweet and hysterical comedy.

Director: Jenni Toivoniemi / Writer: Anna Brotkin / Producer: Tekele Productions, Miia Haavisto / Cinematographer: Arsen Sarkisiants / Editor: Antti Reikko / Composer: Matti Ahopelto / Cast: Aksa Korttila, Jani Volanen, Leea Klemola, Hannu-Pekka Bjorkman, Katja Kuttner, Alex Anton, Jarko Pajunen, Frits Soetmann, Samuli Niittymakki, Kheba Touray / Contact: Yuan@picturetree-international.com

DIRECTOR: Jenni Toivoniemi is an award-winning, writer/director and playwright based in Helsinki, Finland. She is known for Force of Habit (2019), The Date (2012) and Games People Play (2020). She is married to Tuomas Klaavo.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: We wanted to make a modern summer comedy embracing Finnish weirdness and empathy towards its struggling main characters. To me fun and humor always co-exist with melancholy and sadness and you enjoy them most taken simultaneously. I got a dream cast of very skillful and talented actors and I was especially touched by Aksa Korttila's hilarious and heart-breaking performance as the overachieving main character Siiri.

Saturday, Jan 11, 4:45pm, Alcazar

Claire returns to Iceland, a place she visited decades earlier, to tend to a difficult task. While on the road she meets Iris, a young aimless hitchhiker, and together they connect and collide as they struggle to come to terms with the realities of their lives.

A fascinating character driven story featuring a septuagenarian in the leading role.

Director, Writer: Lynn Tjerrnan Lukkas / Producer: Lynn Tjerrnan Lukkas, Peter George Frenz/ Cinematography: Eric Schlichter, Lynn Lukkas / Composer: Phil Aaron / Cast: Barbra Anne Berlovitz, Annick Dall / Contact: lukkas@umn.edu

DIRECTOR: Lynn Lukkas, is a filmmaker, artist, and curator. Her award-winning films have been screened at, the Toronto International Women’s Film Festival, the International New York Film Festival, the Rochester International Film Festival, and the Venice Shorts International Film Festival. Lukkas’ film installation works have been shown internationally in the US, Germany, China, and South Africa among other locations.

She has traveled extensively and is a Fulbright Fellow recently completing a six-month research residency in Scotland in preparation for her next two films set in the Faroe Islands and Shetland Islands respectively. She has received artists fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bush Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, and the Jerome Foundation. Lukkas’ curatorial project, Covered in Time and History: The Films of Ana Mendieta, co-curated with Howard Oransky, (2015 – 2019) was presented at, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin; Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris; and the Berkley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives, San Francisco.

Lukkas is a Professor of Art in the Department of Art at the University of Minnesota where she has taught moving images since 2000. She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and currently resides there with her family. More information on her work and career is available on her website at www.lynntjernanlukkas.com.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: I am interested in making films about compelling female characters imbued with complexity and resilience. Creating such films allows me to collaborate closely with gifted women actors and together bring to life fascinating, challenging, and irrepressible characters. My films resist stereotypes and seek to reveal female characters with a full range of human strengths and vulnerabilities.

Ultimately, I am a visual storyteller. My films emphasize images, actions, and gestures to convey the story, providing my films with a visual, emotional, and tactile-like sensibility. I am interested in creating a visually rich character-driven cinema of emotion and empathy allowing the audience to identify with characters and see themselves in the characters.

Saturday, Jan 11, 2:45pm, Alcazar Room

During her first 25 years at Duval Elementary (Gainesville), Gloria Jean Merriex was a typical teacher. She adhered faithfully to her district’s rigid pacing guides. But after her school flunked its high-stakes state exam, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, she changed. Completely. As a result of failing the FCAT, Duval faced major consequences. They included a budget freeze and the threat of a shutdown. The state and district pressured Gloria and her colleagues to strictly follow the curriculum and guidelines.

Gloria fought back. In one year, she catapulted Duval to an A. She became a national model, giving us a blueprint for student success.

Featuring: Tamara Tunie (narrator), Gloria Jean Merriex, Leanetta McNealy, Greg Taylor, Emily Bonner, Don Pemberton, Buffy Bondy, Thomasenia Adams / Editor: Seth Schurman, Boaz Dvir / Cinematographer: Zachary Bennett, Boaz Dvir, Andres Farfan, Jorge E. Senisse / Graphics: Adhyaksh Amarnath / Music: Boaz Dvir, Blake Blanchard, Matthew Tiramani / Producers: Boaz Dvir, Emil Pinnock, Matthew Einstein / Writer & Director: Boaz Dvir / Contact: boaz.dvir@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Boaz Dvir tells the stories of ordinary people who transform into trailblazers. They include a teacher who emerges as a disruptive innovator (Class of Her Own); a World War II flight engineer who leads a secret operation to prevent a second Holocaust (A Wing and a Prayer); an uneducated truck driver who becomes a highly effective child-protection activist (Jessie’s Dad); and a French business consultant who sets out to kill his father’s Nazi executioner (Cojot).

Saturday, Jan 11, 4:30pm, Gamache Koger

Following his wife's recent passing, single father, Lucky, finds himself navigating the challenges of raising his son Mason, who has Down syndrome. Mason is an 11-year-old, exuberant boy who enjoys drawing and watching baseball with his dad. Seeking solace, Lucky and Mason embark on a journey across Metro Atlanta to attend their first baseball game together. Throughout their day-long trip, they encounter Murphy's Law. From car breakdowns to missed trains, the duo faces a series of obstacles that test their relationship. Despite the setbacks, they persevere, determined to reach the game. Together, Lucky and Mason learn that healing does not await them at the mountaintop, but can be found with every step along the path. Color Book provides an intimate portrait of a father and son, while exploring the experiences of raising a child with Down syndrome and highlighting the strength and resilience that emerge from their bond. Of special note, this is the debut performance of Jeremiah Alexander Daniels, who portrays Mason.

Director & Writer: David Fortune / Producers: Kiah Clingman, Kristen Uno, Autumn Bailey-Ford/ Cinematography: Nikolaus Summerer / Editor: Oriana Soddu / Composer: Dabney Morris / Production Designer: Jerrod Littlejohn, Mily Moreno / Costume Designer: Lisa Smedley-Calderon/ Hair and Makeup: Tiana Brown.

Cast: William Catlett, Jeremiah Alexander Daniels, Brandee Evans, Terri J. Vaughn, Kia Shine Coleman, Njema Williams, Adrian Jones, Ava Colvin, Deja Dee, Rhonda Johnson Dents, Sandra Jones, Rabiyah A. Karim-Kincey, Alonzo Jones, Candy McLellan, Rodney Perry, Lynne Ashe, and Romeo Romero / Contact: colorbookfilm@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: A graduate of Morehouse College’s CTEMS program and Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television, David Fortune, has participated in numerous directing fellowships, such as the Village Roadshow Emerging Talent Program, Indeed/Hillman Grad’s Rising Voices Program, Film Independent Amplifier Fellowship, and ViacomCBS - ViewFinders Directors Program, where he shadow-directed two episodes of Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why. In addition, Fortune participated in the Netflix Content Creator’s Program to direct his film, Us, and premiered his short, “Shoebox,” at the Tribeca Film Festival. 

Fortune was named the winner of the Tribeca - AT&T Untold Stories Program where he was awarded 1 million dollars to direct his first feature film, Color Book. As a writer and director, Fortune's creative vision centers on normalizing intimate narratives within inner-city communities and presenting an honest portrait of their lives.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: Color Book delves into multifaceted topics, from Black masculinity to disabilities, but at its core, the film explores the intimate bond between a father and his son. Ultimately, Color Book is a heartfelt homage to communities often marginalized and whose stories remain untold. Through our film, we aspire to capture the essence of their lives in a nuanced narrative that deeply resonates with us all.

Saturday, Jan 11, 9:45am, Gamache-Koger

At the start of WWII, Salvatore Todaro commands the Italian Royal Navy submarine, Cappellini. One dark night in October 1940, while navigating in the Atlantic, he comes upon an armed merchant ship sailing without lights. He shoots at the ship and sinks it. The Commander then makes a decision that was destined to go down in history.

It is most unusual to see films depicting the Italian Navy during World War II, even more so with a story surrounding a submarine crew (try to name another). Edoardo De Angelis captures the loneliness in a haunting, ethereal fashion that is frightening. A true story that stars Italy’s, Pierfrancesco Favino.

Comandante was the Opening Night Film of the 2023 Venice Film Festival.

Director: Edoardo De Angelis / Writers: Sandro Veronesi, Edoardo De Angelis / Producers: Edoardo De Angelis, Attilio De Razza, Nicola Giuliano, Pierpaolo Verga, Paolo Del Brocco, Francesca Cima, Carlotta Calori, Viola Prestieri / Cinematographer: Ferran Paredes Rubio / Editor: Lorenzon Peluso / Composer: Robert Del Naja / Cast: Pierfrancesco Favino, 

Massimiliano Rossi, Johan Heldenbergh, Silvia D’Amico, Arturo Muselli, Giuseppe Brunetti, Gianluca Di Gennaro, Johannes Wirix, Pietro Angelini, Mario Russo, Cecilia Bertozzi, Paolo Bonacelli / Contact: mike@darkstarpics.com

DIRECTOR: Edoardo De Angelis was born on 31 August 1978 in Naples, Campania, Italy. He is a writer and director, known for Indivisible (2016), The Vice of Hope (2018) and Perez. (2014). He is married to Pina Turco. They have one child.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: I wanted to make a film about strength. I was irritated by the way in which strength is often portrayed in relation to oppression and violence. Todaro represents another idea of strength, of an individual holding out their hand to the defenseless.

There was also another theme related to the questions I’ve been asking myself about what it means to be Italian. We’re a nation made up of people of all different origins, but in recent years, an idea has emerged that being Italian is somehow a privilege and an identity that is not open to others. I don’t agree with this. A nation born as a melting pot should be welcoming to others.

Saturday, Jan 11, 12:30, Gamache-Koger

The film documents, up close, the men and women searching for the ballplayers of tomorrow. It goes beyond the "Moneyball mindset" and features dozens of interviews with some of the scouting legends of the game, including five who helped build the 2023 World Series Champion Texas Rangers.

Traveling from Michigan to Florida, Illinois to Texas, and Georgia to Puerto Rico, the filmmakers interviewed scouts over a four-year period against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. What follows is an intimate profile of a uniquely American profession—a profession now under threat from biometrics, analytics and the big business that rules the game.

Narrated by former MLB pitcher, Jerry Blevins.

Director: H. James Gilmore / Producers: Tracy Halcomb, PhD / Camera & Editor: H. James Gilmore / Composers: Rick Morrone, Garret Schmittling / Featuring: Jerry Blevins (narrator) / Contact: hjames@acadiapictures.com

DIRECTOR: H. James Gilmore is a documentary filmmaker who focuses on history and culture, including: the transformation of suburban America (Chronicle of an American Suburb, 2002); the economic collapse of Detroit (Men at Work: Voices from Detroit’s Underground Economy, 2012); and the amazing women who broke through the glass ceiling of professional poker (Cracking Aces: A Woman’s Place at the Table, 2018).

Gilmore has worked for a number of broadcast organizations, including The Christian Science Monitor and New Hampshire Public Television. He holds a MA in Broadcasting and Film from the University of Iowa and a BA in Theater and Political Science from Kalamazoo College. Since 1995, he has been the executive producer of Acadia Pictures, an independent documentary production company based in southwest Michigan. A retired Clinical Professor of Journalism and Screen Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Gilmore is currently the Visiting Filmmaker of Cinematic Arts at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: My cousin, Brian Williams, is a scout for the Texas Rangers. During family gatherings, he would regale us with amazing stories of his life in baseball, and he offered to introduce me to the world of scouting. And that's how Fielding Dreams was born. Little did my producing partner, Tracy Halcomb, and I know that COVID would turn the world of baseball upside down, and our one-year project would expand to four. From Michigan to Florida, Illinois to Texas, Georgia to Puerto Rico, we started interviewing scouts and documenting their life stories. In the process we learned so much—and are proud to present a slice of this uniquely American profession.

Saturday, Jan 11, 6:30pm, Gamache-Koger

Matej and Zuzana Dolinay have many passions, but topping the list are venomous snakes and educating people. Combining the two into a single mission, this driving force has taken them across the globe in search of our planet’s rarest snake species, documenting these findings and sharing the results on their successful YouTube Channel, Living Zoology.

Their next adventure takes them to the remote jungles along the west coast of Africa, in the country of Togo. Here, they hope to make a documentary film about the “Western Green Mamba”, one of the most venomous snakes in the world. Out of the four mamba species spread out across Africa, this is the only one that has eluded the lens of the Living Zoology team.

As their educational expedition unfolds, a surprising similarity emerges, the ironic parallels between working with deadly snakes, and the tenets of living in a healthy relationship. These “Figures” progress throughout the film and romantically capture our zoologists, echoing the love they have for capturing snakes.

Director, Producer & Cinematographer: Rhett Cuttrell / Scientists: Zuzana Dolinay, Matej Dolinay / Composer: Eros Cartechini / Contact: rhett@figuresfilm.com

Director: Rhett Cutrell is an award-winning wildlife and outdoor adventure film producer, bringing Hollywood-grade productions to the most remote regions on the planet. His objective: expose wild stories that have true heart and capture their unique point of view in a way that does justice to their inherent power. After working on exhilarating productions for over 17 years, on six continents, and collaborating with industry giants like National Geographic, Destination British Columbia, and Discovery Channel, Rhett has gained the required knowledge to develop truly immersive experiences in the most difficult of production settings.

Saturday, Jan 11, Noon, Lewis Auditorium

Yianni and Plousia own a charming family diner by the beach, where Yianni is a convivial host. Lately, Plousia has noticed that her husband of 40 years is not quite himself and is often wistfully distracted.

The film is a wonderful combination of comedy, drama and reality setting in. The cast includes Joe Cortese (Green Book, American History X), Julia Ormond (Sabrina, My Week with Marilyn, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Smilla’s Sense of Snow, First Knight), Kevin Pollak (The Usual Suspects, A Few Good Men, The Whole Ten Yards), Rosanna Arquette (Desperately Seeking Susan, Pulp Fiction, After Hours), Eric Roberts (Pope of Greenwich Village, Star 80, Runaway Train), and Sofia Vassilieva (Medium, Lissa’s Trip).

Director & Writer: Christina Eliopoulos / Producers: Valerie McCaffrey, Nick Vallelonga, Colleen Camp, Joe Cortese / Cinematography: Russell Swanson / Composer: Forrest Gray / Cast: Joe Cortese, Julia Ormond, Kevin Pollak, Rosanna Arquette, Eric Roberts, Sofia Vassilieva, Colleen Camp, Baylen Bielitz, Rebecca Mozo, Federico Parra, Gene Silvers, George Pappas, Alex Paez, Stephen Badalamenti

DIRECTOR: Christina is a writer/director and first-generation Greek-American born in the fabled Asbury Park, New Jersey, exploring a mythic, fractured Americana in each project she creates.

Eliopoulos has directed and produced two documentary features, Demon On Wheels and Greetings From Asbury Park, and several documentary shorts, brand films, and commercials. She is the co-writer and co-creator of Old Made Men (in development) and the supernatural drama, The Schaduwen (in development). Next on her slate is the narrative feature film, Motherland, which Eliopoulos will direct from her own screenplay.

Eliopoulos was a finalist in the Academy Nicholl Screenwriting Competition for her script “King Of Florida,” which also won 1st Place in the Family/Animated genre in the Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: One day, in the course of my father’s battle with dementia, he imagined himself to be Johnny Carson. My Mom, his first love, was celebrated as a “special guest star” on the show that played in his mind. She happily played along in a chair beside him as he would interview her. Mom and I often wondered if the “show” was a kind of storehouse for his fading memories or if creating the show somehow soothed his fractured mind.

Here’s Yianni! is inspired by the story of my Greek parents, two nearly penniless dreamers who immigrated from their homeland and fell in love on the boardwalk of Asbury Park, NJ.

During the last years of Dad’s life, Mom became his fierce protector and lifeline. When Dad retreated further into the confines of his mind, Mom met him where he was residing. She was determined that no hardship or illness would deprive her or her husband one second of joy.

That time, way back when, was lost to Dad, so Mom celebrated the new man in the here and now. She created new memories for herself, for Dad, and me. Over and over, she would remind me of an old Greek saying, “Life can be bitter. But love can make it sweet.”

Sunday, Jan 12, 2pm, Gamache-Koger (with Unlikely Mermaid)

A symphonic poem by John Gottsch as performed by the South Florida Symphony Orchestra. The "tales," based on the composer's childhood memories with his father on the mystical Ocklawaha River, are impressionistically filmed by Emmy winner Mark Emery, and narrated by Peter Coyote. The film, which premiered on PBS WUFT on March 20th is written and produced by Emmy winner Steve Robitaille.

Director: Mark Emery / Writer: Steve Robitaille / Producer: Florida Defenders of the Environment, South Florida Symphony Orchestra / Composer: John Gottsch / Cinematography: Mark Emery / Editor: Dan Bramm / Cast: Dane Gottsch, Finn Workman, Dean Ward, Daniel Tommie, Shawnie Tommie / Contact: steve@fladefenders.org and jlorber@southfloridasymphony.org

DIRECTOR: Mark Emery is an award-winning filmmaker, musician, and photographer. He most recently shot footage for BBC's Live Alaska, PBS Live, BBC Natural World - Florida: The Sunshine State, and several sections of a 4-part series on North America for the Smithsonian Network.

WRITER:  Steve Robitaille was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he was first exposed to the lore of Herman Melville and the city’s storied fishing and whaling tradition. He later moved to Miami and fished its waters before attending the University of Florida on a journalism scholarship. He earned his Masters from the University of Hartford and PhD from UF. He is a retired college English professor and Emmy Award-winning documentary producer.

Sunday, Jan 12, 10:15am, Gamache-Koger

When the war in Ukraine breaks out, five women representing various generations and attitudes engage in a desperate fight to save themselves and their loved ones. Thrown together by life, they are protagonists in an uplifting story about life, courage, sacrifice and the power of human spirit.

Director: Maciej Ślesicki, Filip Hillesland / Writer: Maciej Ślesicki / Cinematographer: Mateusz Pastewka / Editor: Piotr Gorszczynski /Cast: Maria Shtofa, Cezary Pazura, Afina Ostapenko, Hryhorii Horobchuk, 

Daniel Dziubynsky, Luka Burakov, Tatiana Yurikova, Oleksandr Yarema, Oksana Cherkashyna / Contact: festival@szkolafilmowa.pl

Director: As a film producer, Maciej was twice an Oscar®-nominee for "Our Curse" and "The Dress". Founder and Chancellor of the Warsaw Film School. Author of the films "Trzy minuty. 21:37", "Tato", "Sara", "Show" and the sitcom "13 Posterunek". Winner of Złota Kaczka Award in 1995 and the Gdynia Film Festiwal Award for directing "Tato". In 1997, he received distributors’ award for his box-office hit "Sara". Producer of an award-winning "Rezerwat". Author of a number of initiatives aimed at helping young filmmakers make their debut films. "The Land", which is his latest and widely disputed production, is a result of cooperation with students and graduates of the Warsaw Film School.

Filip is a film and video game director. Creator of short films "Tropical Island" and "Toast" awarded at Polish and international film festivals, such as Polish Film Festival in Gdynia and ShortFest in Palm Springs. Co-director of the feature-length film "KRAJ", distributed globally on Netflix. Participant of the first Polish-American Forum for young filmmakers in Los Angeles. During his internship at CD Projekt, he participated in directing and implementing scenes in CYBERPUNK 2077. He directed the critically acclaimed adventure game "Best Month Ever!".

Friday, Jan 10, 10am, Lewis Auditorium

Playing the Changes shows the social impact of jazz music, by telling the story of jazz pianist Darius Brubeck (born in 1947), the eldest son of legendary jazz musician Dave Brubeck. People quite often see him as 'the son of’ but he has used this distinction with idealism. This story examines why and how jazz had a transformative role in different types of societies such as Poland and South Africa, and tracks Darius Brubeck’s involvement in both. Not only by embracing it but also by carrying on his father’s legacy in his own social, educational and musical way.

The film is so much more than a biography of Darius. It has tremendous historical impact as it illustrates the post WWII environment, communism and the Iron Curtain. It shifts to South Africa and is eye opening, detailing Darius and his wife Cathy’s unique contribution to the anti-Apartheid effort.

The film is filled with wonderful archival footage and photographs, not only of the Brubeck family but also society, here and abroad.  Oh, and of course, music, confirming Dave Brubeck’s genius and that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Director & Writer: Michiel ten Kleij / Producers: Michiel ten Kleij, David E. Richardson, Jr. / Cinematography: Jorne Tielemans / Editor: Maarten in ’t Hout / Featuring: Darius Brubeck, Catherine Brubeck, among many others / Contact: info@michieltenkleij.nl

DIRECTOR: Michiel ten Kleij grew up in front of the television and developed a broad taste in film. He decided to make films for himself. It led him to the Utrecht School of the Arts where he experimented with different genres and narratives. In his 3rd year, he went to Costa Rica to film a jazz documentary called, Un Mecato, on the life of Robin J. Blakeman. Robin is an English jazz musician who moved to Costa Rica to develop his love for Latin Jazz.

He later made the drama, Papier Hier, about a character called, Holle Bolle Gijs—a boy who is eternalized as a trash can in fairy tale-themed theme park. The film was a fairy parable to educate children with social skills. The film revolves around neglect, fat shaming and karma. Then, ten Kleij wrote and directed a film about his youth, Steven Caught a Star. A ‘broken home’ movie about a boy who grows up with divorcing parents, inspired by his childhood experience. He also made another doc on an Ukrainian vibraphonist living in Russia.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: The first time I met Darius was in London in 2016. I was there to film a promo for a documentary that I wanted to make about the Jazz Ambassadors program. I was an admirer of Darius’ father's music and when I shook his hand, I even thought: this is the son of the man who made Take Five, Rondo a la Turk and Unsquare Dance, among others. I also discovered that Darius was an impressive pianist when I listened to Years Ago, but Darius' story in South Africa was unknown to me. I was mesmerized by our conversations about his and Cathy's dedication to establish Jazz Studies at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal during apartheid, and realized how this resonates with the life of his father.

To me it feels as if Darius wanted to make his mark by doing something different in the jazz world. When I interviewed jazz lovers in Poland, I realized that everyone spoke about Dave, but nobody spoke about Darius. Many films have been made about Dave, but the story of Darius has not yet been told. I want to change that with this documentary.

Friday, Jan 10. 7pm, Lewis Auditorium

Queen of the Ring is inspired by Jeff Leen's Pulitzer Prize–winning book, chronicling the true story of Mildred Burke, the first million-dollar female athlete in history. Millie, a young single mother defies societal norms by becoming a professional wrestler during a time when female wrestling was illegal in most of the US. Starting her career by competing against men at carnivals, she builds an impressive record and paves the way for women's wrestling to gain acceptance.

Despite her success, Millie's journey is marked by personal struggles, including raising her son on the road, the tragic death of her wrestling protege, and a tumultuous relationship with her manager and ex-husband, Billy Wolfe. Her story highlights her triumphs, such as headlining main events, bringing women of color into the sport, and participating in the first female "shoot match" for a title fight. Queen of the Ring captures the golden age of female pro wrestling and celebrates Millie's role in changing the culture and achieving unprecedented success.

Director: Ash Avildsen / Writer: Ash Avildsen from the book by Jeff Leen / Producer: Aimee Schoof, Isen Robbins, Ash Avildsen / Cinematography: Andrew Strahorn / Editor: Craig Hayes / Composer: Aaron Guilhuis / Art Director: John Travisano / Cast: Emily Betts Rickards, Josh Lucas, Francesca Eastwood, Walter Goggins, Gavin Casalegno, Cara Buono, Deborah Ann Wohl, Marie Avgerpolis, Adam Demos / Contact: aimee@intrinsicvaluefilms.com

DIRECTOR: Ash Avildsen grew up in a single-parent household, never having met his father but knowing who he was and having his last name. He chose to pursue music first as an artist, touring in a band and teaching himself the business through a DIY lifestyle. Using all the knowledge he learned from the road, he started his own record label. Sumerian Records has now become one of the top independents in the world for rock and alternative music, with several Grammy nominations and record-setting Billboard chart metrics for the hard-rock genre. Sumerian Records recently celebrated a historic achievement with the first Grammy nomination in the history of the Recording Academy for a solo female artist in the “Best Metal Performance” category, featuring avant-garde singer, Poppy.

Avildsen’s first feature film, American Satan, won several awards on the festival circuit before being distributed by Miramax. The film had a theatrical release and was subsequently picked up by Showtime, where it developed a growing cult following. Avildsen expanded on this success by writing and directing the limited series spin-off, "Paradise City."

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: Queen of the Ring" tells the remarkable true story of Mildred Burke, the first million-dollar female athlete in world history and the longest reigning champion of female wrestling. Based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeff Leen, the film follows ‘Millie,’ a young single mother from a small town who defies societal norms by becoming a female pro-wrestler at a time when the sport was illegal across most of the United States.

Despite her success throughout the 40s and 50s, Millie's journey is marked by personal struggles, including raising her son on the road, the tragic death of her wrestling protégé in the ring and a tumultuous relationship with her manager and ex-husband, Billy Wolfe.

Her story highlights triumphs such as being the first woman to headline over men, bringing women of color into the sport, and participating in the first female "shoot match” i.e. real combat without a script for a title fight. Millie’s remarkable tale shattered the limitations of what a girl could become in entertainment and sports and is an unforgettable slice of post-war Americana.

“Queen of the Ring” captures the golden age of female pro wrestling when one gritty, glamorous woman risked everything in her life to change culture forever.

Sunday, Jan 12, 2:45pm, Alcazar

Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge (Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World) team up again for the follow-up to their award-winning documentary Reel Injun. Diamond travels to the corners of Turtle Island and across the Atlantic to dig into the world’s historical fascination with Indigenous Peoples. From fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi drawing inspiration from Nanook of the North to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School’s impact on the NFL, Diamond assembles a compelling collage packed with pop-culture references. Examples of appropriation are revisited by Indigenous scholars, artists and community members, who are revitalizing their cultures and dispelling the myths and lack of understanding that have persisted for more than a century. Clothing, sports, systems of government and agricultural practices all have clear lines to Indigenous ways of knowing and being. As a new generation of Indigenous Peoples draws strength from their ancestors and reclaims their rights, there’s hope for a future where credit is given where it’s due.

Directors & Writers: Neil Diamond & Catherine Bainbridge / Producers: Rezolution Pictures - Lisa M. Roth (Producer), Rebecca Lessard (Co-Producer), Catherine Bainbridge, Linda Ludwick, Ernest Web (Executive Producers), Brittany LeBorgne (Associate Producer), Joanne Robertson (Story Producer) / Composer: Jesse Zubot & Pura Fe / Editor: Rebecca Lessard / Contact: cvatrinet@f3m.ca

DIRECTORS: Neil Diamond is a Cree-Canadian filmmaker based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, born and raised in Waskaganish, Quebec. Working with Rezolution Pictures, Diamond has directed the documentary films Reel Injun, The Last Explorer, One More River, Heavy Metal: A Mining Disaster in Northern Quebec and Cree Spoken Here, along with three seasons of DAB IYIYUU, a series for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network about Cree elders.

In the 2008 docudrama The Last Explorer, Diamond explored the story of his great-uncle George Elson, a Cree guide who helped to map Labrador as part of an ill-fated 1903 expedition with Leonidas Hubbard and Dillon Wallace, and a return voyage in 1905 with Hubbard’s widow Mina Hubbard.

As of April 2011, Diamond is developing a project with Inuit filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk about the 18th-century conflict between Cree and Inuit, which lasted almost a century.

Catherine Bainbridge is the co-founder, executive producer, and VP of business and creative development at Rezolution Pictures. She directed the Emmy-nominated, Sundance and CSA award-winning feature doc, RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World, and co-directed the Peabody and CSA award-winning feature doc, Reel Injun. Catherine is also an executive producer on the Crave Original series, Little Bird. Through her work at Rezolution, Catherine has been instrumental in changing the narrative when it comes to diversity and representation in the entertainment industry.

Thursday, Jan 9, 2pm, Lewis Auditorium

Three young reporters get into a car for a journey that will change their lives forever:

• Serge, a moralist and workaholic journalist

• Paolo, a photographer as jovial as unconscious

• and Claude, a coward Swiss typographer who improvises himself as a filmmaker

In the year following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, young journalist Claude Baechtold finds himself in the war zone of Afghanistan. Not entirely voluntarily, the self-confessed anti-militarist from French-speaking Switzerland is dragged on a tour of the entire country by two fearless reporters. Equipped with a video camera he bought at a bazaar in Kabul, he follows them for two months on a daring journey. With impressive archive footage that was until recently thought lost, Baechtold captures in his humorous road movie doc how he inadvertently becomes a war reporter and is able to thereby deal with his own personal strokes of fate.

Riverboom is amazing because of three main reasons:  1. It is a suspenseful no holds barred thriller;  2. Somehow, it’s incredibly funny; and 3. It’s all true.  Winner Best Doc at FLIFF39.

Director & Writer: Claude Baechtold / Producers: Katia Monla, Luc Peter / Cinematography: Claude Baechtold / Editor: Kevin Schlosser / Production Manager: Aurélie Oliveira Pernet / Featuring: Serge Michel, Paolo Woods, Claude Baechtold/ Contact: g.heron@bacfilms.fr

DIRECTOR: Born in 1972 in Lausanne, Switzerland, Claude Baechtold graduated in Visual Communication from École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) in 1996. In 2002, he founded the RiverBoom collective while in Afghanistan and published offbeat travel books ever since. His innovative approach in photography makes him one of the lead figures of new reportage, awarded in 2006 by the Grand Prix Vevey Images and nominated for the Prix Elysée in 2018. He’s now an investigative journalist and a filmmaker.

Saturday, Jan 11, 6:15pm, Lewis Auditorium

When a desperate mom and her daughter encounter an outdated robot, T-0, their reluctant alliance becomes their only hope in a world dominated by household robots.

In the near future, robots are in every household, at the service of humans, replacing them in their daily chores. Forty-year-old Max, unemployed, and her daughter Paula struggle to earn their living.

Robot T-0 was one of the cleverest and most hilarious films at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Director & Writer: Giulio Callegari / Producer: TS Productions, Marianne Productions / Cinematographer: Aurélien Marra / Editor: Baptiste Ribrault / Production Designer: Anne-Sophie Delseries / Cast: Blanche Gardin, Xavier Lacaille, Edouard Suplice, Georgia Scalliet, Gavril Dartevelle, Laly Mercier / Contact: laura.rinker@francetv.fr

DIRECTOR: Giulio Callegari is a French director and writer. He was a co-writer of the 2020 comedy, Selfie. He wrote and directed the 2022 comedy, Erratum. In the pipeline, Giulio has written and directed Un Monde Merveilleaux, scheduled for 2025.

Friday, Jan 10, 2pm, Lewis Auditorium

The life, career, and personal struggles of Stella Stevens, one of the last starlets under the male dominated and misogynistic old Hollywood studio system, are explored, as well as the evolution of the new Hollywood, which coincided with her advocacy for women's rights and human rights of all races and identities.

Director-Writer-Producer: Andrew Stevens / Director of Photography: Adam Biddle / Executive Producers: Rick Moore, Adam Biddle / Editor: Mike Kuge / Featuring: Quentin Tarantino, Vivica A. Fox,  Leonard Maltin, Courtney Joyner, Lindsey Kongsore (as Stella Stevens) / Contact: astevens@astevensent.com

DIRECTOR: Andrew Stevens, President/CEO of Stevens Entertainment Group and Andrew Stevens Entertainment, has produced and/or financed over 190 films through his various production and distribution companies, Named, “One of the most prolific producers in Hollywood”, by the Hollywood Reporter, Stevens has functioned in almost every capacity in the entertainment business and is an accomplished screenwriter director, author, and was a award-winning actor for more than 20 years, garnering a Golden Globe nomination, an LA Drama Circle Critics Award and the Star of Tomorrow award from the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO).

Sunday, Jan 12, 10am, Lewis Auditorium

October 7, 2023, began like any ordinary day for concertgoers at the Nova Music Festival, located in Re'im, Israel. There were over 3,500 attendees from different countries at that week's festivities, immersing themselves in days of bliss and endless dance parties. Out of nowhere, as the sun rose that early Shabbat morning, the world changed forever. What started out as missiles hitting Israel's Iron Dome turned into Hamas terrorists infiltrating the area, shooting everyone in sight. What started out as a dance party, a place of comfort and simha, transformed into a bloodbath.

Piecing together dramatic eyewitness accounts from survivors and first responders, with real-time footage collated from multiple sources, Supernova provides a harrowing and detailed rundown of the massacre. In this moving film, festival attendees and first responders take us through their stories of survival, the indescribable horrors they witnessed, and their struggle to find their way back to life. Captured in the almost immediate aftermath—their trauma and raw emotions are clearly visible.

Directors: Yossi Bloch, Duki Dror Darwish / Executive Producers: Danna Stern, Arthur Essebag, Reinhardt Beetz / Producers: Reinhardt Beetz, Duki Dror, Eva Fouquet / Director of Photography: Uri Ackerman / Editors: Dima Keidar, Maya Stark, Jens Greuner / Contact: IsraeliFilms

DIRECTORS: Born in Tel Aviv and educated at UCLA and Columbia College in Chicago, Duki Dror Darwish is an internationally award-winning documentary filmmaker. His extensive body of work spreads over multiple topics and forms—character-driven journeys, experiment biographies, investigative docs, and historical epics—and has won him international recognition and success. With acute sensitivity, innovative style, and engaging storytelling, Darwish creates parables that convey human dilemmas and challenge the viewer's conventions.

Yossi Bloch is a globally renowned artist based in Tel Aviv, with a portfolio spanning international projects as well as local endeavors in Israel. His works include documentaries, such as Netflix's The Devil Next Door, in addition to his impactful work within the Israeli artistic scene. His latest project involved creating a video artwork displayed in a Tel Aviv gallery, delving into the essence of a well-known military scandal involving Elor Azarya. Bloch's artistic focus lies in the exploration of social conflicts, skillfully depicting the most vulnerable aspects as central protagonists in his narratives.

Thursday, Jan 9, Noon, Lewis Auditorium

A group of friends try to make a "film" to save their theatre company from falling apart during a pandemic. But filmmaking ineptitude, old affairs, and new betrayals may be the virus that ends their company before any global pandemic does.

A brilliant first-time feature Filmed-ENTIRELY-in-Broward.  The ensemble cast is spot on with the mercurial pulse of a non-profit theatre troupe, where everyone is equal, except not everyone knows it.  The secrets, the secret passions, the tip-toe-poverty, the Hey Mickey & Judy Let’s Do A Show spunk, just perfect.  Timothy Mark Davis handles his dual role as director of the piece and a plot-propelling member of the ensemble.  The single camerawork is a thing of beauty in this low budget but zenith-seeking romp.

Director: Timothy Mark Davis / Writers: Timothy Mark Davis, Luis Roberto Herrera / Producer: Timothy Mark Davis / Cinematography: Chris Behnen / Editor: José Ordóñez Jr. / Production Designer: Ryan Maloney / Cast: Krystal Millie Valdez, Timothy Mark Davis, Alex Joyel, Luis Roberto Herrera, Casey Sacco, Elizabeth Price, Ernesto Gonzalez, Roderick Randle, Abby Nigro, Ilana Jael / Contact: tim@finickypictures.com

DIRECTOR: Timothy is a film and theatre actor, director, producer, and writer. Most recently he produced the short films Konpa, which played in competition at the 2023 Tribeca Festival, and La Vie which premiered at the 2023 Miami Film Festival. In 2021 he wrote and directed the short film The Leap for the 48 Hour Film Project which garnered awards for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress. Previously he produced and co-starred in the feature film, Pompano Boy, which premiered at the Heartland Film Festival and received the Best in Broward Award at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. He is also the Producing Artistic Director for New City Players, an award-winning, non-profit, professional theatre company in Broward where he has produced nearly 20 productions. He holds an M.A. in Theatre Studies, received the 2017 Silver Palm Award for Outstanding New Theatre Company, the 2019 Remy Service Award for service to the South Florida Theatre League, and the 2020 Carbonell Award for Best Actor for his performance in New City Players’ production of Falling.

Friday, Jan 10, 4pm, Lewis Auditorium

What if you want to break up with your partner, but you either don’t have the guts to do it, or you can’t be bothered with the hassle? Dylan has the solution! This attractive guy with an equally attractive, carefree life and a smooth way with words, runs The Break-up Club. You can hire him and his best friend, Mick, to make a clean break for you. Everything is going great until Dylan is hired to dump control freak and journalist, Zoë, who leaps at the chance of a story about The Break-Up Club...

Director: Jonathan Elbers / Writer: Gerben Hetebrij / Producer: Tom de Mol / Cinematographer: Hidde Boorsma / Editor: Joost van der Wetering / Composer: Roel Gommans, Jules Reivers / Cast: Juvat Westendorp, Holly Mae Brood, Sarah Bannier / Contact: danielle@incrediblefilm.nl

DIRECTOR: Jonathan Elbers graduated in 2012 from the Dutch Film Academy. His graduation movie, The Club of the Ugly Children, was awarded by numerous international children film festivals. He’s passionate about directing comedy stories with loveable characters and surprising the audience with worlds (realistic or fantasy) they have never seen before.

Upon graduating, he began directing short films and commercials. His commercial for the film academy (2013) and for LG (2014) each won a Cannes Young Director Award. Elbers is now developing a screenplay for a dark comedy and a series about fairytales.

Sunday, Jan 12, 12:45pm, Alcazar Room

Javi, an undocumented immigrant facing imminent deportation, unexpectedly reunites with his long-lost best friend, Hunter, a vivacious bachelor seeking deeper connections. Together, they embark on a heartfelt journey to prevent Javi's expulsion from the only country he has ever called home.

A light-hearted comedy with two serious subplots.  Really likeable performances by the three leads, Denis Shepherd as Hunter, Rafael Silva as Javi and Caroline Portu as Tracy, win you over.  Spencer Cohen puts together a fun romp with just enough obstacles to keep you hopping non-stop from laughs to suspense.

Director & Writer: Spencer Cohen / Producers: Jennifer Potts, Sara Robin, Victoria Hersey, Alberto Sayan / Cinematography: Ben Heald / Composer: Sergio Torres-Letelier / Cast: Rafael Silva, Denis Shepherd, Caroline Portu, Dakota Lustick, Alfredo Huereca / Contact: spencerc@thecompatriotsfilm.com

DIRECTOR: Spencer Cohen, an award-winning Boston-based filmmaker, is renowned for amplifying unheard voices through his storytelling. His filmmaking journey began in high school, where he made endearingly awkward sketches using his father's old camcorder.

Spencer has held diverse roles in the film industry. He's been a cue card holder for actor Eric Roberts, worked in the art department as a gravedigger for a sci-fi zombie movie, and has significant experience as a film editor and producer

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: The story of my best friend Alberto (Beto) and his experiences as an undocumented immigrant. Despite our longstanding friendship since middle school, I was unaware of Beto's undocumented status and the constant fear of deportation he lived with until high school. The introduction of DACA in 2012 offered Beto temporary relief from this fear, allowing him to work legally in the US.

However, in 2016, when DACA's existence was threatened, Beto and I half-jokingly considered marriage as a desperate solution. It was a stark reminder that Beto, as American as myself, faced the possibility of being sent back to a country he barely remembered. This period of uncertainty and anxiety led me to begin writing "The Compatriots," not only as a personal outlet but also to spark conversation about immigration issues.

Through learning about Dreamers – undocumented Americans brought here as children – I realized the depth of their predicament: trapped in a system offering no clear path to citizenship. This film became a personal mission to shed light on the struggles of approximately 3.6 million people in the US who, despite being integral parts of American society, live in constant fear of deportation.

Despite widespread support for granting Dreamers permanent status, political action remains elusive. This film questions whether the lack of progress is due to the issue's low priority in political agendas or a lack of personal connection among most Americans.

"The Compatriots" aims to bridge this gap. While the character of Javi, loosely based on Beto, differs in many aspects, he represents the everyday challenges faced by undocumented individuals. My hope is for the audience to see Javi as a friend, to empathize with his plight, and to be inspired to advocate for policy changes that provide security and permanence for the millions like him in this country.

Lastly, reflecting on my own heritage as a descendant of immigrants who fled antisemitism in the 1920s, I recognize the importance of America's identity as a nation of immigrants. "The Compatriots" is a tribute to this heritage and a call to support all who seek a better life on these shores.

Friday, Jan 10, Noon, Lewis Auditorium

Rodrigo and Valentina are in a marriage crisis. The husband is in a severe economic crisis in the real estate company he inherited from his father. By chance, the wife becomes aware that the maid who works in their house has in her possession an old painting of Joaquín Sorolla, the Spanish artist. A painting of great economic value. Rodrigo and Valentina immerse themselves in an odyssey of deception and deceit in a quest to get that painting.

Absolutely delightful… a crowd pleaser!

Director: Gastón Horacio Revol Molina / Producers: Julieta Sanchez Ananes / Cinematography: Marcos Navarro / Editor: Marcos Navarro / Producion Designer: Federico Carabajal Nunez / Cast: Adrian Azaceta, Paula Brasca, Matias Benedetti, Fernanda Cangi, Raul Aliaga, Ronda Vazquez, Ivan Especi Gil, Ricardo Pinelle, Andrea Charras / Contact: grevol@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Gastón Horacio Revol Molina is a producer, writer, director and founder of Lupa Producciones and Cabustra Arts.

Sunday, Jan 12, 10:45AM Alcazar

50 years after the bust that made him famous, ex-drug runner Steve Lamb refuses to let his own legend fade. As he hustles his memoir around St. Pete Beach, FL, we witness what it’s like for a pirate to grow old.

Directors: Ethan Payne & Jodi Cash / Writer: Jodi Cash / Producers:  Jodi Cash, Gresham Cash / Cinematographers & Editors: Ethan Payne, Jake Gee / Composer: Gresham Cash / Contact: jodilynncash@gmail.com

DIRECTORS: Jodi Cash is a journalist from Atlanta living in Paris. "The Green Flash" is an extension of her story, “High Times and Low Tides at Reefer Beach,” which was published on The Bitter Southerner, featuring photos by Ethan Payne. Her work has also been featured in Hidden Compass, Scalawag, Paste, Kinfolk, ArtsATL, and Georgia Health News. She co-founded The Seed & Plate, which features stories about community through the lens of sustainable agriculture. In 2019, she published “Concrete Jungle: A Foraged Fruit Cookbook,” in collaboration with the Atlanta-based nonprofit of the same name. She’s a 2024 Hidden Compass Pathfinder Prize finalist. “The Green Flash” is her first film.

Ethan Payne is a documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Atlanta, Ga. His work has been featured in Pitchfork, Stereogum, Oxford American, Southern Foodways Alliance, and The Bitter Southerner. His short films have been included in festivals internationally, winning several awards. In 2022, his film “We Dance” played Tribeca and won awards in additional festivals throughout the year. In 2021, he received the Director’s Spotlight Award for “We Travel” at the Ouray International Film Fest, as well as the Short Stories Award at the Washington DC Intl Film Festival and Best Short Documentary at the Berlin Independent Film Fest. His short “Lou” won Best Editing at the Ouray International Film Fest. In 2022, his short “Bright Morning Stars” won the Judge’s Award at Boone Docs. This is his first feature-length documentary film.

Saturday, Jan 11. 7:45pm, Lewis Auditorium

The story of the colorful and controversial, legendary surfboard designer and builder, Dick Brewer.

Dick Brewer: The father of the modern-day surfboard

His designs have been interpreted, modified, and often copied through the gifted hands of shapers on every coast and in every decade since the 1960s. He has mentored, taught, and at a minimum, inspired the top shapers in the world. Today, his rails, his rockers, and bottom are intrinsic in the surfboard you ride. He is the counter cultural shaper to the brave surfriders.

Dick Brewer was arguably the most influential shaper of surfboards in the world in the 1960s and 1970s. BrewerSurfboards.com

I imagine most of my audience has never caught a wave atop a Dick Brewer board. This is a biography of a fascinating mind. On top of that, the cinematography and archival footage, coupled with this retro soundtrack, will take you back to a kinder, gentler nation that most of us would find as safe haven. This award-winning doc will set you free.

Director: Bob Campi / Writer: Jim Kempton / Producers: Teresa Tico, Allen Sarlo, Steve Morgan / Executive Producers: Bob Campi, Sherry Brewer / Cinematography: / Editor: Bob Campi
/ Featuring: Dick Brewer, Laird Hamilton, Kai Lenny, Garrett McNamara, Derrick Doerner, Jock Sutherland, Jericho Poppler, Sherry Brewer,  / Contact: haenagirl@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Bob Campi is a three-time Emmy award–winning cinematographer, and the executive producer who produced, wrote, and directed The Shape of Things. As an executive producer of several feature films and award-winning shorts, he’s currently in pre-production of the feature film, Tough Sledding, a bio pic chronicling the 2002 Gold Medal triumph of United States Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. As a worldwide photojournalist for NBC News and currently Director of Photography for Entertainment Tonight for 32 years, Bob has traveled the world with his camera documenting some of history’s most impactful events. He lives in Glendale, California, with his beautiful wife Kerry; daughter and screenwriter Lauren; and son music producer Brian.

Sunday, Jan 12, 4:45pm, Alcazar Room

Edgar believes he can see the future, but his wife thinks he's mad, his daughter thinks he's strange, and the agents from double star accounting will stop at nothing to get their data back.

Chris Messineo has put together a clever comedy that is story and character driven.  With tight script and terrific cast, the film will surprise and delight.

Director & Writer: Chris Messineo / Producers: Anthony Pettine, Chris Messineo / Cinematography: Teodoro Maniaci / Editor: Erica Freed Marker / Composer: Chris Hurn / Cast: Nili Bassman, Caleb Scott, Carmen Borla, Bates Wilder, John Beckwith, Carson Jean Holley, Athan Sporek / Contact: cmessineo@yahoo.com

DIRECTOR: Chris Messineo is an award-winning writer and director. As the owner and director of NJ Film School, he has taught the craft of independent filmmaking to hundreds of kids, teens, and adults - who have gone on to win their own awards for writing and directing.  "The Strange Dark" is his first feature length film.

STATEMENT: The only statement I have about “The Strange Dark” is, I hope you enjoy it. I do, however, want to share two stories about the making of it that you might find interesting.

First, I believe that film is a collaborative art and all those who work on it deserve to share in the rewards. Towards that end, our amazing cast and crew all own a piece of our movie.

Second, I’ve spent the last 24 years teaching screenwriting and filmmaking. “The Strange Dark” is my dream project and we had to turn to crowd-funding to help pay for it. I’m honored to say that 90% of the donations came from my students. I hope I’ve made them as proud as they make me.

Thursday, Jan 9, 4pm, Lewis Auditorium

Based on the best-selling Camino memoir of the same title, The Way, My Way tells the story of one man's journey along the 8ookm pilgrims trail, the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Searching for meaning, he didn't realize it was right in front of him, one step at a time. At times laugh-out-loud funny, at other times deeply emotional, The Way, My Way is an authentic account of walking the Camino, using a mix of actors and true pilgrims.

One of our favorite films of SAFF15, filled with humor, pathos and lovable characters.

Director & Writer: Bill Bennett / Producers: Bill Bennett & Jennifer Cluff / Cinematographer: Calum Stewart / Editor: Rishla Shukla / Cast: Chris Haywood, Jennifer Cluff, Laura Laskshmi, Pia Thunderbolt / Contact: fumie@scfilmsinternational.com

Director: Bill Bennett's career in film spans four decades. As a producer, director and writer he's made sixteen feature films and several documentaries. His work as a feature producer and director has been recognized with two Australian Film Institute Awards for Best Film and Best Director. Bill has been nominated for AFIs a further twelve times. He's also won two Logies for his journalistic and documentary work.

Bill's film career began in 1972 when he dropped out of medical school at Queensland University to pursue a career at the Australian Broadcasting Commission. He spent ten years working as a journalist, then as a producer/director on such programs as Four Corners, This Day Tonight, and the acclaimed documentary series A Big Country.

In 1982 he made his first independent dramatized documentary, screened on the ABC and the BBC. The film won the Sydney Film Festival Award for Best Documentary.

A few years later he made his first feature length film, A Street To Die. Bill received AFI nominations for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. The film won Best Picture at the prestigious Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

Bill has had two films in Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival, (Backlash and Malpractice) and his films have been distributed by most Hollywood studios. He's had three major international retrospectives of his work: in the US, Germany and India. The New York Museum of Modern Art has also screened his movies. He's won numerous Best Film awards at various international film festivals.

As an author, Penguin Random House recently completed publication of Bill's YA trilogy, Palace of Fires - one of their biggest selling titles in years.  Recently Bill wrote and directed and produced a feature length theatrical documentary on intuition, called PGS - Intuition is your Personal Guidance System. PGS screened to acclaim in cinemas across Australia and the US.

Saturday, Jan 11th 4pm, Lewis Auditorium

A young widower is deported as his daughter is scheduled for a heart transplant; this will lead him to orchestrate the boldest border crossing plan in history.

Director: Alonso Alvarez-Barreda / Writers: Alonso Alvarez-Barreda, Max Arciniega / Producers: Alonso Alvarez-Barreda, Alejandro Monteverde, Francisco Cordero, Eduardo Monteverde, Ricard Coeto, Omar Chaparro, Max Arciniega / Cinematographer: Tom Campbell / Editor: Vanessa Ruane / Composer: Roberto Murgula / Cast: Omar Chaparro, Will Rothhaar, Hector Jimenez, Max Arciniega, Jesus Ochoa, Leslie Garza, Gustavo Sanchez Parra, Al Coronel, Ramses Jimenez, Cesar Ramos / Contact: aabfilms@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Alonso Alvarez-Barreda was born in México city and raised in the small town of Tampico, on the eastern coast of Mexico. Despite his father's best efforts, he chose to forgo a career as a professional ping-pong player to pursue his passion for filmmaking.

Mentored by Alejandro Monteverde, Alvarez-Barreda directed his first short, Historia de un Letrero. The entire project was shot in Tampico on a $50 budget, using borrowed equipment and his friends as actors. In 2008, it won the Best Short Film Award at Cannes Film Festival.

Alvarez-Barreda's third short, Crescendo, is an 18th century period piece entirely in German and tells the story of the birth of Beethoven. The project was produced by Mexican business magnate, Carlos Slim. It screened in over 30 international film festivals, including Telluride and New York, and was a finalist for the 2013 Oscars®. The short also landed him the Best Director award at the NBCUniversal Short Film Festival and nominations for Best Writing and Best Film.

Bwinner Best Film and Best  Director FLIFF39

Sunday, Jan 12, 2pm, Lewis Auditorium

Three stories about wine intertwine to become a film. In the first, a photographer will have to photograph “the smell of wine”; in the second, a rich young man will be punished by going to the harvest; in the third, a somber wine merchant over sixty will fall in love like a teenager with a fifty-year-old biologist. Wine solves and is at the center of all stories. Each bottle contains a story.

Giuseppe Gandini is perhaps best known for his on-screen performances (see below), however, he has had extensive writing experience and it shows in the fun, aromatic film.  It captures the spirit and flavors of Italy wonderfully.  

Director, Writer, Producer: Giuseppe Gandini / Cinematography: Gianluca Braccieri / Editor: Davide Vizzini / Composer: Roberto Manuzzi / Cast: Massimo Olcese, Ignazio Oliva, Cristian Borromeo, Claudia Coli, Valentina Bruscoli, Gianantonio Martinoni, Matteo Bonuccelli. Marco Zannoni, Chiara Bono, Augusta Gori, Silvia Mazzotta, Paolo Romano, Luis Molteni, Federico Tocci, Elena Felloni, Aleandro Falciglia, Alisia Ferri, Vanni De Lucia, Mauro Silvestrini, Gaia Benassi, Francesca Fava, Roberto Attias, Emilia Gandini, Roberto Bruscoli, Luca Falocci, Nicola Falocci, Gianfranco Zampetti, Giuseppe Gandini / Contact: giugandini@hotmail.com

DIRECTOR: Giuseppe was born in Ferrara on March 5, 1972. Graduated in Theoretical Philosophy at the University of Ferrara, he has lived and worked in Rome since 1993, where he works as a director, writer and actor.  As director and author, he made the Teen series entitled Radioteen, for Rai Ragazzi broadcast from May 2021 on Rai Gulp and Rai Play.  He then wrote the screenplay On the Same Side of the Table, winner at the MIC of the Selective Contributions for Writing in 2019. In his career as a director he made 7 short films and one medium-length, winning the 1995 Silver Ribbon for the Best Italian Short with The Myth of Reality. In 2002 he directed I Giovani d’Oggi, recognized as being of national cultural interest. In 1999 he directed Una Canna con Goldrake, and won the Critics' Prize at the Messina Film Festival. In 2006 he directed the pilot episode of the sit-com Bar Sofi. He has extensive theater credits, having directed 12 plays, including classics of as Beckett and Chekhov, as well as contemporary texts. He has also written 4 screenplays for cinema and about ten subjects. The screenplay entitled What not… won the 2013 Award for Best Screenplay at the Busto Arsizio festival. In his acting career he won a Silver Ribbon in 1999 as best supporting actor for Ettore Scola's The Dinner. As well as with Maestro Scola he has worked in theater, cinema and television with: Vittorio Gassmann, Fanny Ardant, Stefania Sandrelli, Giancarlo Giannini, Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, Pierfrancesco Favino,  Ryan Murphy, Ridley Scott and many others, participating in more than 50 works of cinema and TV plus 30 theatrical performances.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: The philosophical concept of the film is that each bottle contains in
itself its own narration, an ever-changing story that springs from the very nature of wine and the work that Man has poured into it for millennia.

Saturday, Jan 11, 10am, Lewis Auditorium

In the late 1970s, Satish Bhaskar embarked on an epic journey along India’s coastlines and the spectacular Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where he uncovered the vital nesting beaches of sea turtles. During his death-defying quest, he unraveled mysteries surrounding these enigmatic ocean creatures – and sets out to save them from extinction. After a devastating tsunami struck in 2004, Bhaskar grapples with a pressing question: What happens to sea turtles when their nesting beaches disappear?

Director: Taira Malaney / Writer: Sam Rogers / Producers: Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Taira Malaney, Vikram Malaney, Angad Dev Singh / Executive Producers: Sean B. Carroll, Isabelle Couture, James Reed, Jared Lipworth / Associate Director: Krish Makhija / Cinematography: Krish Makhija/ Editor: Sam Rogers / Contact: jill@samasana.in

DIRECTOR: Taira is a writer, director, and producer from Goa, India. She tells deeply moving, character-driven stories exploring relationships between people and the natural world. Her films are developed alongside on-ground impact campaigns to address the social justice and environmental issues central to the film. Taira received a B.A. in Psychology in 2013 from Occidental College, where her focus was on fostering empathy in youth. Since then, she has written and directed several award-winning short films.

Sunday, Jan 12, 2pm, Gamache-Koger (with Ocklawaha)

An Unlikely Mermaid and her 79-year-old friend audition to be World Famous Weeki Wachee Mermaids.

Director: Lorraine Portman / Writers: Lorraine Portman, Jay Pennington / Editor: Jay Pennington / Featuring: Lorraine Portman, Margaret M. Nicholson / Contact: savingsophie@aol.com

DIRECTOR: Lorraine Portman has been swimming longer than she has been walking but did not dip her toe into documentary filmmaking until auditioning to be a Weeki Wachee mermaid with her friend Peggy, 79.

Portman has written and directed seven narrative short films and a feature. She taught Playwriting and Screenwriting for ten years at Flagler College in Saint Augustine, Florida.  She studied Theater at Smith College and Film at Florida State University. Portman attended the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Portman also directs theater productions.

Lorraine is a Screenplay Development Consultant for LA based Samaco Films.

Saturday, Jan 11, 10:45am, Alcazar Room

A young woman journeys to the source of the Everglades headwaters to better understand the historic challenges of water management and pollution that now threaten this fragile ecosystem. Along the way she will meet a new generation of advocates who are redefining the balance of women in conservation.

Director: Scott Barnett / Producer: Johanna Vega / Featuring: Chloe Barnett / Contact: scott@fuxionmedia.com

DIRECTOR: Scott is a producer and director with over thirty years of experience in documentary filmmaking and content creation. Recent productions include the 2-time Emmy winning Crossing Overtown and Telly award winning State of Rodeo both receiving distribution to over 75% of PBS affiliates. Scott was also the Showrunner and Director for the children's program Kid Stew, created by author James Patterson, winner of 8 Emmy Awards, with a total of three seasons now airing on PBS stations through APT. Previous work includes Osceola's Journey, a historical travelogue with the Seminole Tribe of Florida; Himmarshee - A History of Fort Lauderdale's New River; Midnight Basketball League, a youth sports league in Overtown and the RISE program with Miami-Dade, highlighting efforts to bring economic renewal to Miami’s smallest businesses adversely affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

DIRECTOR STATEMENT:  Chloe Barnett, the host of the program, grew up along the edge of this massive sheet of water that gently glides down the Florida peninsula into Florida Bay. Her passion for the water started with her early attempts to become a mermaid, only to realize those dreams through her passion for diving including participation in coral restoration activities in the Florida Keys as well as with the Rescue a Reef program. She was also an active member of the Everglades Foundation’s High School Leadership Committee as well as interning with the Frost Science Museum through a program with the Smithsonian as an Ambassador representing the Museum of the American Latino in Washington, D.C.

Chloe seeks to engage with women who are actively involved in conservation activities throughout the watershed to better understand the water challenges we are now facing. Everglades National Park represents only a fraction of the entire Everglades system that also includes the various waterways that lead through the Kissimmee River Basin, Lake Okeechobee, the Southern Everglades and Florida Bay.

Special Guest: Scott Barnett, Johanna Vega, Chloe Barnett