2017

Best of Fest
Narrative Short
Iran
Runtime:
13 minutes
Director:
Milad Jarmooz

The story of a woman accused of infidelity on the day after her wedding.

Special Jury Award
Experimental
United States
Runtime:
7 minutes
Director:
Kristin Reeves

The Chicago Board of Education made history in 2013 approving the closure of 50 schools, the largest public school closing to date in the United States. I shot all 50 schools on a 100 roll of 16mm film while my DSLR caught vignettes of their communities. Direct laser animation and bleach were used to distress the 16mm film, which was then optically printed.

Special Jury Award
Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
13 minutes
Director:
Gayle Nosal, Beret E. Strong

The refugee crisis in Ugandas Kyangwali Refugee Settlement isnt new. For the people of this camp, being a refugee is a protracted circumstance endured for decades. SAUTI (Voice in Swahili) follows the efforts of five young women who were brought to the Settlement as children and who, as they approach adulthood; strive to pursue their dreams for a future beyond the constraints of a protracted refugee situation in an underdeveloped host country. Though safer than they were before, little else has changed since fleeing war and persecution years ago in their home countries of Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan. Transcending the label refugee has been especially challenging for the women of Kyangwali.

Special Jury Award
Documentary Feature
Mexico
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
36 minutes
Director:
Julio Carlos

THE GUY FROM OKLAHOMA narrates the story of Anado McLauchlin, a visual artist born in Oklahoma but whose chaotic life took him to San Francisco, New York and India before finally settling down in Mexico, where he has built an impressive art gallery in the middle of a desert village, on the outskirts of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.

Special Jury Award
Narrative Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
23 minutes
Director:
Dean Peterson

A comedy about two estranged sisters who are thrust back into each other's lives by the impending death of their grandmother and forced to try to repair their feral relationship.

Documentary Short
United States
Runtime:
15 minutes
Director:
Jordan Noel

Hip-hop artist Lil Iffy borrows characters, language, and situations from the Harry Potter books to tell his own version of typical hip hop stories and themes. This documentary explores the kinds of magic, real and unreal, which surround and permeate his life.

Narrative Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
20 minutes
Director:
Rachel Wortell, Dan Erickson

A brother and sister become consumed with investigating a mysterious woman they suspect has stolen their winning lottery ticket, endangering their summer party plans.

Narrative Short
United States
Runtime:
7 minutes
Director:
Dillon Ward

One afternoon during detention at a southern private school in the early 90s, Alex "Mac" McMurphy, a left-handed student, stands up to Ms. Skillern, a right-handed teacher.

Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
38 minutes
Director:
Shanden Simmons, Jeran Simmons

A documentary following local musicians selected to collaborate in a revitalized local landmark of Paducah, Kentucky: The Coke Plant. Hosted by the progressive rock band Fairseas, the film documents the process of writing, recording, and performing 5 original songs with selected local talent, from musicians to videographers and sound engineers, displaying the impact of collaboration and how it creates and reinforces the concept of community.

Narrative Short
United States
Runtime:
57 minutes
Director:
David M Dawson

Two slackers embark on a relaxing getaway over the 4th of July weekend only to find the seclusion slowly chipping away at their sanity.

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