July 2017 Selects and winners

Saturday 7/15/2017 Block 5

The Music Video for Baltazar’s Lluvia addresses the pressure that the indifference of the world can have on one person, it’s bigotry depicted by a town and a father showing the repercussions that their actions cause on a romantic relationship.

Be About You

Dir. Nicole Alexander

'Be About You' is up and coming new band Winston Surfshirt's debut music video. It features the five-piece band and their trusty dog 'Pop'.

Becoming Lucy

Dir. Luisa Novo

Lucy, 15, blames her mother for her father leaving them for a 24 year-old blonde. When she finds out her crush at school likes blondes, she dyes her hair to get the attention of both men.

Bon Appetit

Dir. Maria Gabriela Cardenas

Kate, a spontaneous college girl makes a surprise visit to her friend Emma who lives with her parents Derek and Nicole for her birthday. As they enjoy dinner and lots of drinks, Kate searches for a bathroom, but finds herself in a basement and sees Derek staring at her only to realize that, maybe, she might be their next dish.

Camelia

Dir. Yuechen Hao

A flower camellia infatuated with an artist, and makes a deal with a wondering soul to have a woman's body, at a cost of losing her life when the painter dies.

Chocolate

Dir. Thiago Dadalt

"Not All Who Wander are Lost" A suburban housewife and mother suddenly finds herself homeless and lost in downtown Los Angeles. A beautiful story of family and hope.

COMMON THREADS

Dir. William Shockley

Set in 1887, 3 generations of women are separated by tragedy and circumstance then ultimately reunited by the triumph of the human spirit.

Coyote Story

Dir. Daniel Seman

Native American tale of how Coyote tricks Ducks. Spoken in the traditional Chippewa/Ojibwe narration.

Crushed in Space

Dir. Janice Chun

The Asteroid Belt. An unrequited romance. They are coworkers.

Darklight

Dir. Daisy Betts Miler

A father is convinced that his missing son can be found within the walls of a local church, but he has no proof. He confronts the local pastor, but the answers he receives are inadequate. What level of depravity is excusable in the name of love? In the name of love, do the ends justify the means? There is darkness within us all, but for some, it takes love to bring it out.

Daughter

Dir. Jayna Sweet

When Jenny learns about her estranged father's failing health, she makes the journey back to her childhood home in attempt to rid herself of guilt, but what she finds there may set new revelations in motion as she's forced to face her inner demons.

Dead Color

Dir. Paul-Anthony Navarro

DEAD COLOR is a dark drama in the vein of the TV show “Tales from the Crypt”: bad people doing bad things and everyone gets their comeuppance. Lovers Joel and Hannah plot the demise of Rodney (Hannah’s husband and Joel’s brother) after he inherits a priceless painting.

Dear Cancer, Love Stacy

Dir. Stacey Summers

Stacy Middleman is a wife and mother who first had cancer at age thirty-five and was re-diagnosed for a second time eight years later. Dear Cancer, Love Stacy is a documentary short that follows her journey as she copes with the return of cancer. Her personal trials, tribulations, treatement, anger, confusion and fear are documented through her personal letters.

Doucheaholics

Dir. Sean McCarthy

Doucheaholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who exhibit poor behavior and want to better themselves in a supportive, healing, and nurturing environment.

Emerald City

Dir. Scott Coffey

Emerald City reflects the simple beauty of true friendship and the lessons in resilience and faith that Ireland teaches all who grace her shores.

Enough

Dir. Seri DeYoung

A short film that explores what it's like to grow up as a girl in today's society and struggle with negative body image and self esteem issues.

First Love

Dir. Cecilia Albertini

15 year old SOPHIA has a crush on her musician neighbour, DEREK, however she soon finds out that she has to compete with another woman to win his love.

Girl Code

Dir. Casey Gates

When girls talk, there's what they say, and what they're REALLY saying. The story is about two ex-best friends running into each other at the gym. But what you'll get is a closer look at female friendships and how women communicate, for better or worse.

Girl Friends

Dir. Clea DeCrane & Molly-Margaret Johnson

Girl Friends. That space in between can get real messy when you're as close as these two.

Goodbye Newburg

Dir. Alana Purcell

A kid learns a life lesson before dinner time.

Hear Me Out

Dir. Jenn Page

Music video for original single "Hear Me Out"

Ignofear

Dir. Jonathan Cocco

Based on true events. What happens when we blame one ethnic or religious group for all our problems? Can we learn from our past mistakes?

'Ignorance creates fear, which then turns into hate.'

Indoorsy

Dir. Eric Hunicutt

Three agoraphobics, looking to expand their worlds, decide to move in together and open a day spa inside their apartment. A sitcom web series created by Schuyler Helford.

It Happened Again Last Night

Dir. Gabrielle Stone & Roze

Paige has a choice to make. Caught in an abusive relationship with a man, she has fallen in love with her best girl friend, Kris. Terrified to leave him and embrace who she really is, she hides from the world until it becomes too dangerous for her to continue life as she's known it. Paige must choose between love and fear before she has no choices left to make.

Just One Thing

Dir. Alana Purcell

Artist Jocelyn Meggait describes her social practice art project.

La China

Dir. Jorge G. Camarena

The story of La China is composed of different elements that introduce us to the pilgrimage from Aztlan to Mexico Tenochtitlan through a symbolic perspective represented by the transformation of a woman (La China) and her path.

Lenses

Dir. Becca Roth & Laura Goehrke

Two female camera store employees express concern and confusion about a man who has the audacity to try to buy a camera.

Letters from Alcatraz

Dir. Madeline Rozwat

It is Christmas Eve Day, 1962 and a teenage girl living on Alcatraz Island runs the risk of losing one of her best friends: an inmate.

Lily Needs a Ride

Dir. Paloma Perez

After a fight with her mother, a teenage runaway meets a seemingly trustworthy man on a lonely highway and asks to catch a ride with him. He eventually agrees, but once she gets in his car she discovers something that reveals the man's true intentions and the real danger she is in.

Love Made Visible

Dir. Liang Zhao

Saturday 7/15/2017 Block 5

A 16 years old girl was brought to a house by a lawyer and she was told that this house belongs to her dad who she have never seen in 14 years. Strangely, she was told by her passed away mum that her dad died in a car accident long time ago. From not accepting her dad to once again bond with him again, what happened? What happened 14 years ago? We can find out the answer from her mums will and their confrontation.

Making It On Time - Christian Siriano

Dir. Sophia Banks

We celebrate our moment as women today. Today women celebrate that they can be bad-ass and taken seriously, whilst also being women, and recognized for their beauty as women.

Mantra

Dir. Mike Berge

Kerra is a manic woman with an intense adherence to time. She lives firmly by her staunch punctuality. When circumstances get beyond her control, she has to improvise... and things go south very quickly.

Martha

Dir. Florian Gottschick

Marthas life seems to be perfect: a big love, 3 beautiful daughters and a happy life... but a fateful blow makes her wonder if this life was really hers.

Movie Night

Dir. Rachelle Lynn

Engaged couple Melissa and Daryl "enjoy" watching a movie until Melissa Gonzalez a proud 'Afro-tina' unleashes her issues for not yet being married despite their recent engagement.

Niles Canyon

Dir. Sallyanne Massimini

On a desolate road, a troubled man encounters a mysterious teenage girl in distress. He makes a decision to help her, not realizing it will forever alter the course of their destinies.

Orange Lipstick

Dir. Gavin Michael Booth

An exhausted, working mom takes one night off from her daily routine to reclaim her youth.

Out of Touch

Dir. Lydia Hunter

Gina, a headstrong business woman deeply entrenched in her work, loses sight of the beauty in nature and within her self. An unlikely stranger gets Gina back in touch with what really matters.

Palpitations of Dust

Dir. Ann Huang

The five surrealist poems in one presentation represents the continuous and infinite patterns of a life in dreams and the dreams demanding synchronicity from it.

Part Of Me Now: Living With Breast Cancer

Dir. Emily Gerhardson

Part Of Me Now: Living With Breast Cancer targets the hardships and struggles those who've gone through Breast Cancer endure beyond their treatments. The film highlights a side to cancer that has yet to be focused on - the aftermath. It centers around the personal stories of individuals who will live with cancer in their bodies or as a lingering threat for the rest of their lives.

Pinned

Dir. Kathy Liu

Fashion and entertainment: this is the industry of never saying no. As a talented personal assistant’s career begins to take off, each step up the ladder is a step farther away from her unrequited dreams of being a “real writer.” And when the merciless work hours, the unclosed chapters of the past, and the mysteriously predatory eyes surveilling her come closing in, something–or someone–has to give.

Planta

Dir. Laurel Thomson

Planta is nearing the end of her pregnancy and worries that if she cannot save her dying plant, she will be unfit to raise a child.

Psycho Therapy

Dir. Staci Layne Wilson

When emotionally exhausted Tonia visits her esteemed psychiatrist, Dr. Walsh, to discuss her husband’s infidelity, the therapy session takes an unexpected turn. Tonia does not respond well to her doctor’s advice and he finds himself locked in a game of psychological hide-n-seek with a painfully disturbed patient.

ReAction

Dir. Lisa Nicole Lennox

Saturday 7/15/2017 Block 5

When a woman (Sarah McLean) ventures out of her comfort zone for a rare glamorous evening out, she attends a high profile gala honoring her ex (Peter Marr), which turns out to be anything but glamorous when the attendees find themselves under attack.

Road Less Traveled

Dir. Blair Hayes

Charlotte is struggling to balance her songwriting career and planning her upcoming wedding. After trying on countless wedding dresses, she knows the only one that’s right for her is her mother’s dress, which is at her grandmother’s house in Harmony, Tennessee.

Schrodinger's Cat

Dir. Gigi Bannister

Mr. Smith (Brad Simanski), finds a kitty (Annie) and falls in love with it.

Scratch

Dir. Emma Bell

When a repressed 1950's housewife is left alone by her philandering husband, she makes a horrifying discovery about the noises in the house that are coming from the walls.

Seer

Dir. Ben Gilbert

A woman begins to foresee terrifying events leading up to her husband's alien abduction. These visions have her living in a world of confusion and self doubt. She fears she's going crazy, but her strong intuition and her will to survive keeps her fighting for an answer beyond insanity.

Shero

Dir. Matthew Spradlin

Shero is a story of an imperfect female superhero trying to save a very imperfect world. A former super model, (named Elizabeth Jones), has been granted powers beyond those of mere mortals. However, the price tag for those powers have caused her to stop before she's barely started.

Sisters

Dir. Tony Chiu

Three independent sisters, entangled in a web of secrets, are forever changed by the action of just one.

Skinny Fat Girl

Dir. Brandon Baer

After losing 100 pounds, Annie struggles to get back out into the dating scene.

Standpoint

Dir. Erik Hirschhorn

A dancer tries to reach Prague with her family to escape the occupation in Nazi Poland.

Stardust

Dir. Christine Irons

A brother and sister spread their movie star grandmother's ashes at iconic landmarks in Los Angeles.

Stay

Dir. George Bessudo

In a matter of days a couple's entire world falls apart as they struggle to repair the damage brought on by mental illness.

Strand

Dir. Jennifer Gnirke

'Strand' is short film about a woman on the brink of a major life change who draws strength from the memory of her mother.

Stronger Than Pretty

Dir. Marjorie LeWit

A young mother's "American Dream" turns into a living nightmare, until she finds the inner strength to listen to a voice she hadn't heard before:

her own.

Taken

Dir. Hadas Yona

A young woman who has been subjected to sexual violence comes face to face with her tormentor.

The Bake Job

Dir. John Freeman

A simple heist to get rich leads to betrayal and murder.

The Dead Diaries: Initiation

Dir. Lauren Patrice Nadler

Friends Jason, Erik and Dre find themselves tied in a tough predicament. Despite the dire circumstances, Dre still finds a way to laugh it off, Erik gets some words in and Jason at the very least, has family with him. It can't be all that bad, when family and friends are around, right?

The Desert Left Behind

Dir. Jan Buttler

Luise, a young woman, takes on a position as kitchen staff at a boarding house for school groups in the Mecklenburg lakes region. Although both she and her colleague Maria are met with genuine interest and friendship by everyone, including the local young men, Luise remains shy, closed off and unreceptive to any attempts at intimacy. She even makes a point of avoiding the schoolchildren, who arrive in late fall to board in their castle-like accommodations. It soon appears as though a dark shadow trails her.

The Forerunner

Dir. Tatiana Samano

A story of a young woman in search of her mother. After searching for 10 years, she discovers ruthless operatives are after her.

The Interrogation of Olivia Donovan

Dir. Carl Mackenzie

Following the arrest of Bradley Donovan for the abduction of a young schoolgirl, DI Watkins and child psychologist Sarah Hardy set out to Donovan’s house in the hope of finding the missing victim. When they arrive, they are greeted by Donovan’s worried wife, Olivia. With Olivia’s state of mind in a very vulnerable place, Watkins and Sarah must use all their experience and tact to try to encourage Olivia to cooperate.

The Last Day

Dir. Stephen Gregory Curtis

A loving couple's marriage is put to the test when the husband loses his job and the wife must take over and keep the family afloat.

The Pen & The Sword

Dir. Chris Gallego wong

It’s an inspiring tale about a brave young woman who fights the enemy not with guns or swords, but by putting her story onto paper and passing it along to future generations.

The Rag

Dir. Zoe Vitale

Ruth, an innocent ten-year-old, must face the horrors of adulthood when a stolen thong causes her to begin her period during a middle school cross country race.

The Waltz

Dir. Lesley Demetriades

Two friends go for a hike in Los Angeles.

Tiff

Dir. Kimberley T. Zulkowski & Stephen Gregory Curtis

Tiff, a troubled young girl whose life is on a downward spiral, finds cutting as a means to escape and cope with the physical, verbal, and sexual abuse suffered at the hands of her drug-addicted mother.

To Quiet My Mind

Dir. Hollis Sherman-Pepe & Cole Woods

This is a mixed media film examining a man coping with loss. Is there a difference in the value of imagined thoughts and perceived memory? Painting is the only salvation for the protagonist. He searches for meaning after the death of his wife, a war photojournalist. Art is therapy to quiet the mind.

Uncle Eddy

Dir. Rommel Andaya

After missing her sister's phone call, slacker Veronica forgets to bring their sickly Uncle Eddy to his doctor's appointment. When Veronica tries to defend herself, her Type A sister Jessica doesn't let Veronica live her shortcomings down. After a feud in this potty-mouthed comedy, the sisters learn to come together despite their differences in an unfortunate event.

Union

Dir. Julia Myers

A father must face his past when his daughter Sophie, a surgeon in the Union army, returns home with an unexpected companion: a soldier whose arm she amputated.

Wash

Dir. Zhichun Huang

Newly immigrated mother and daughter from China who are living under the condition of water shortage in a shabby household in Los Angeles, are going through the threshold of cultural assimilation and racial displacement.

With Love, Trudi

Dir. Matthew Serrano

In 1946, a young German woman and an American soldier by the names of Trudi and Shelley, fell in love in post World War II Germany. 62 years later, Trudi must make a final phone call to say goodbye...

Zeek vs Zit

Dir. Tara Gordon