2012 Film Selections

Producer: Andrew Reed
Feature Film
A man named Phil Campbell discovers a town that shares his name and decides to organize a convention in the town for all the Phil Campbells of the world. However, when disaster strikes the town the convention takes on an entirely different tone.

Director: K.V. Anand; Producer: Elred Kumar Santhanam, Jayaram Reddy
Feature Film, India
Ko is the tale of a valiant journalist's fight against the evil of a corrupt political mafia and gaping holes of democracy in a third world. The film is a fine blend - mixing influences of patriotism and streaks of love against the twisted minds of political honchos and wannabes who stop at nothing in their quest for the seat of power. Does the journalist make it through the betrayals, loss, political deaths and personal demons?

Director; Producer: Kenton Bartlett
Feature Film
A kidnapper takes two lonely souls and tries to make them fall in love by putting them through a series of unique situations.

Director: Klaus Schneyder; Producer: Angela Viscido
Professional Documentary - Short
It was in the late 70s that a youth culture evolved in the poorer parts of New York which combined several disciplines under the name of Hip Hop. Apart from the four classic elements of Graffiti writing, DJing, Breakdancing, and Rapping, the musical side of this culture was enhanced by a fifth element called 'Beatboxing'. From the hardship of poverty and the lack of instruments, a pioneer was inspired to imitate drum rhythms with his mouth - his brilliance creating the term 'Human Beatbox'. The documentary integrally covers a variety of musical technical abilities. Beatboxing has become a multilingual and diverse instrument applied in all genres of music. The documentary shows how this modern style of music has spread and how it continues to enrich the entertainment world.

Producer: Brandy Yanchyk
Professional Documentary - Short
Canada
Explores how immigrants, refugees, and temporary foreign workers from the local meat packing plant are changing and challenging the western cowboy city of Brooks, Alberta, Canada. It also explores the city's 100 year history as it celebrates its centennial anniversary.

Director; Producer: Andrew Reed
Professional Documentary - Short
This 20 minute documentary highlights the struggles of several farmers in Alabama. The general public is unaware of modern farming technologies and how difficult it is for farmers to even stay in business. This documentary is designed to provide insight into the lives of farmers and offer them a chance to defend their methods.

Director: Moon Molson; Producer: Jayda Thompson, Moon Molson, Jodi Redmond
Professional Narrative - Short
An African-American twenty-something finds his Nigerian-immigrant stepfather passed out drunk in their project-building hallway and is pressured by a friend into murdering him.

Director: Hans Montelius
Professional Narrative - Short
Sweden
A woman plays with dolls because her boyfriend wants her to. But the game takes a serious turn.

Director: Lucas Cody Garcia; Producer: Lucas Cody Garcia, Ralf Weinfurtner
Professional Narrative - Short
Candace, a neurotic young woman, seeks professional help in order to overcome her irrational fears. With the support of her boyfriend Henry, she appears to show progress...until someone takes the method of exposure therapy one 'stab' too far.

Director; Producer: Raymond Clayton Thomas
Shoals Spotlight
Little Boy Lost tells the story of a young man sourly affected by the modern situation. His downfalls and shortcomings have caused him to lose everything he once held dear, and his memories bring him only torment. The film deals with family, media, obsession, desire, religion, and reality.

Director; Producer: Beth McKinney
Shoals Spotlight
Cornelius, a new immigrant shares with Shimmel, a newer immigrant the ways of the business world. This is from his vast experience of one whole day in business.

Director; Producer: Tyler Martin
Shoals Spotlight
A man was involved in a terrible accident in the past where he lived but his loved one did not make it. On the anniversary of her death the man deals with the pain the same way each year. "Red Letter Day" shows how he tries to push the memories from that horrible day out of his mind.

Director: Jonathan Bougher, Nicholas Corrao; Producer: Jonathan Bougher
Student Documentary - Short
"Come on Down and Pick Me Up" paints the portrait of Fred Kress - a forty-six-year-old man within weeks of dying from terminal liver disease. After receiving the diagnosis, Fred has turned his room into a neon hallucination, covering the walls and ceiling with fluorescent alien masks, mannequin heads, skulls and animal carcasses. In doing so, he is creating his final resting place, decorating the room in which he hopes to pass away. Quick-witted and playful, Fred's work escapes the devastating reality of his disease while raising eternal questions of life, mortality and the true purpose of art.

Director; Producer: Lindsay Lindenbaum
Student Documentary - Short
A baker prepares the daily goods at his family's one hundred year-old business as he reminds us of the past, the importance of community, and to appreciate the simple things in life.

Director; Producer: Chithra Jeyaram
Student Documentary - Short
"Mijo (My Son)" is an evocative portrayal of a mother and child's intimate relationship in the midst of life altering medical events.

Director: Chris Bryant;
Producer: Sasha de Mello
Student Narrative - Short
A young veteran returns home from Afghanistan and is confronted with losing his girl and job. His anger is used by a local group of guys hell bent on destroying a local politician. When their group escalates to bombing the politician's speech, the young veteran learns the importance of taming his radicalized ideology. This filmmaker received a grant from The Princess Grace Foundation Awards.

Director: Zach Wechter;
Producer: Greg Balkin, Kevin Slee, Taylor O'Sullivan
Student Narrative - Short
A political thriller set in a high school student government...and there's nothing meaner than American high school politics.

Director; Producer: Kellen Moore
Student Narrative - Short
James, a kindhearted ten year old boy, is roped into the efforts of Ivy, his twelve year old sister, who is determined to raise S.A.T. prep funds by operating a neighborhood lemonade stand in hopes of getting into Harvard.

Director: Jody Cleaver; Producer: Robert Stephenson
Vanguard, Australia & India
The Crocodile’s Wife grows resentful of the ever-cheerful Monkey.

Director: Jon Reno; Producer: Jon Reno, Shane Bartlett
Vanguard
The all original rock band, The Grayces, traverse through various realities while jamming out to their single 'Just Another Thing'.

Director; Producer: Heather Freeman
Vanguard
"Pennipotens" is based on the Flemish fairytale "White Caroline and Black Caroline," first recorded by Edmund Dulac in 1916. Out of spite, a mother repeatedly tries to kill her 'beautiful' daughter, although her attempts are always secretly foiled by her beloved 'ugly' daughter.

Director: Hannah Sullivan
Young Filmmaker
A blank canvas: ready to be painted.

Director: Mathew Grodsky, Joe Flowers; Producer: Joe Flowers, Mathew Grodsky
Young Filmmaker
A down-on-his-luck high school athlete finds himself thrown into an advanced drama class, where he falls in love with a beautiful ingenue and makes enemies with the intensely aggressive class star. THE DRAMA is an original television pilot created and shot by the Advanced Drama students and their theater teacher at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona.

Director: Trevor Campbell; Producer: Tyler Jones, Kyle Kennan
Young Filmmaker
Ted, Sean, and Joey are three high school seniors who are hanging out at Ted's house while his father is away on business. During this time the three teenagers are smoking weed. Meanwhile, two young middle-school aged boys, Tyler and Chris, are pool hopping around the neighborhood. After some time the middle-school aged boys find themselves climbing the fence into Ted's backyard, but Tyler gets caught on the fence and it makes a loud noise. He attempts to get his friend to help him, but by this time Chris has jumped in the pool and can no longer help him. Ted and his friends must now deal with the situation they find themselves in.