Past Films

For Sirah, a young Muslim girl raised in America, the private academy she attends is a lonely place. Sirah stands apart from her classmates because of her religious practices, specifically the covering of the head and body. This changes when she meets Amy, who opens the possibility of friendship. However, not everyone is as understanding, and ultimately, Sirah is pressured to choose between her family's beliefs and the culture which surrounds her.

Shot with a still camera and using basic animation techniques, this is a 'silent' movie played against Rachmaninoff's Variations on a Theme of Corelli. A woman, making tea over the course of a year, finds unexpected things with each variation. A blackberry. An egg which turns into a peach. A small plastic statue of Saint Clare who tries, unsuccessfully, to make her presence known. An old photo that falls out of a book. Tea made with chewing tobacco which brings on a frenzy of multi-tasking. A lump of coal which causes her displeasure on Halloween. A falling book that sets off a little explosion of starry-looking dust, which she inhales. An unseen female figure who forces her out of her house. A photograph of herself dead. An autumn branch that spills its leaves. Toy soldiers, a doll, and a rubber snake. A copy of the film Rebecca. Bark, which grows on her body. A golden stone, which she takes to a cemetery. A pair of glasses reminding her of a lost love. A camera that shoots into the future. A glass of water. A child who makes the woman disappear into a wilderness from which she struggles to get back home, where she faces her worst fears, and wins. Meanwhile, all of this has been foreseen on another plane.

The River's Edge Film Festival is proud to kick off the festival with the WORLD PREMIERE screening of 'A Still Life'. Director TOM PARRISH will be in attendence and will host a Q&A session after each screening.