2005

Animation
United States
Runtime:
5 minutes
Director:
John Cernak

As the search is given up for Emma's latest husband, Tucker, a private look reveals that Emma has a secret and uncontrollable dark side.

Best Of the Fest
Narrative Short
United States
Runtime:
23 minutes
12 seconds
Director:
Steven Chang

When Mudan, a frightened, young asian girl, is forced into modern day slavery by the brutal child brothel owner, madam Zhao, the only solace she finds is through the memory of her mother and the promise that she would one day find Mudan and take her away to America: the place where dreams come true. Despite her hostile surroundings, Mudan finds sympathy, compassion, and friendship in an unexpected brothel girl, Faye. Through each other, they find the courage and the hope to live their lives as innocent, ordinary little girls. but even the bonds of friendship cannot stop the bleak future that awaits them as their time of innocence runs out.

Feature Film Award
Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
32 minutes
Director:

Shakespeare Behind Bars follows an all-male Shakespeare company working behind bars at Kentucky’s Luther Luckett Correctional Complex. For one year a cast comprised of convicted felons rehearse and perform Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' 

Short Film Award
Documentary Short
United States
Runtime:
11 minutes
Director:
Tom Putnam
Juror's Documentary Award
Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
7 minutes
30 seconds
Director:
Chris Metzler, Jeff Springer

As narrated by legendary counterculture filmmaker john waters, there was time when the Salton Sea, tucked into the southeast corner of California was known as the Riviera of the West— a haven for jet-setters and vacationers. Originally created by accident, it’s now one of the country’s worst ecological disasters: A fetid, stagnant, salty lake, coughing up dead fish and birds by the thousands. Still, a hardy few have hung on there, hoping for help to come along and restore the lake to its former glory. Congressman sonny bono himself was once dedicated to saving the lake, until he went skiing one day... Eccentrics abound in this surreal landscape: The naked guy who waves to passing RVs; the man who built his own holy mountain; beer-loving Hungarian hunky daddy; the guys who plan to get rich someday when this virtual sewer becomes a Riviera again. Hair-raising and hilarious, part history lesson, part cautionary tale and part portrait of one of the strangest communities you’ve ever seen, this is the American dream gone as stinky as a dead carp. 

Juror’s Award
Narrative Short
United States
Runtime:
11 minutes
Director:
Jack Beck

Joe likes to swim. Joe likes to make music. Culled from over sixty old, mostly educational, discarded films. The music was largely produced by manipulating sound clips from the original image sources.