Thursday, September 24, 2009

VFF09 Shorts Programs

SCI-FI SHORTS: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 @ 5:30PM

2095 (USA/24MINS)
Directed by Troy Romeo
A young man who falls in love with a woman he thinks is his co-worker, discovers that his own computer may offer him more than any human ever could.

CIVILIAN (USA/4MIN)
Directed by Seaton Lin
A short film based on the Betty and Barney Hill alien abduction of 1961. This film is a glimpse into the hypnosis sessions that took place between Dr. Benjamin Simon and Betty Hill shortly after her abduction.

THE DEVIL UNDER MY SKIN (USA/8MIN)
Directed by Justin Golightly
Not far from today, a rise in crime and social outcry forms the Criminal Psychosis Unit (CPU). An experimental police unit that uses new technology which allows them to experience the memories of criminals and their victims. Their mission is to understand and in time, predict crime. But at what cost to officers like Marcus Withers? Where's the line between understanding criminals and becoming one. ADVISORY: Graphic images & violence.Enigma

ENIGMA
(USA/43MIN)
Directed by Jason & Matt Shumway
Floating dead in space, transport ship Genesis becomes an unsolvable mystery. All hands on board have been killed. Follow along as we look back at the mission and see if you can discover the ENIGMA.

Sci-Fi Shorts Program screens on Thursday, 10/1 @ 7:30pm. Purchase tickets here.

DRAMATIC SHORTS #1: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 @ 5:30PM

BRICKS AND ASHES (USA/14MIN)
Directed by Ron Rogge
In the Old West, life is hard, and characters clash, sometimes with dangerous results. In these times, vengeance is served daily, and frequently blurs the lines between good and evil. ADVISORY: One line of adult language
Forgotten
FORGOTTEN (USA/25MIN)
Directed by Reuel Kim
An undercover FBI operation attempts to bust an Asian Human Trafficking Ring, but in a botched raid, only one girl survives. This is the story of an FBI agent who tries to make a difference and ultimately must stop one of his own men from siding with the bad guys. ADVISORY:
Gun shot violence. Also, In English & Korean

HAPPY PILL (USA/9MIN)
Directed by Clay Humphrey
HAPPY PILL is a dark love story. CJ wants to kill himself to join the love of his life in heaven.

LIMINAL (USA/14MIN)
Directed by Stephen Keep Mills
Think it's a dream? INA and JOY are naked and locked in a battle of elimination. INA must reverse the power to survive. Are they lovers or is JOY the "killer-within"? ADVISORY: Full frontal female nudity

RAYMOND CARVER MOMENTS (USA/4MIN)
Directed by Avi Glijansky
Brad is feeling like a third wheel. His buddy Dave is trying to pick up some girl outside their local 7-11 and he's stuck waiting for him in the parking lot. Then he sees her. She looks like she's been crying and she's just a few feet away. What does one do in those situations? Do you go to her or give her the privacy she probably wants? Brad is about to make a choice.

Dramatic Shorts Program #1 screens on Friday, 10/2, @ 5:30pm.Purchase tickets here.

"GIRLS ON FILM" SHORTS PROGRAM: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 @ 7:30PM


ALL DRESSED UP (USA/14MIN/COMEDY)
Directed by Jeremy Frindel
Quirky Daphne searches for her true love... in costume!

A COUPLE OF WHITE CHICKS AT THE HAIRDRESSER
(USA/22MIN/DRAMEDY)
Directed by Roxanne Messina Captor
A Couple of White Chicks
A COUPLE OF WHITE CHICKS AT THE HAIRDRESSER is a dramedy about two very different women who develop an unexpected friendship that is sometimes poignant, sometimes hilarious. And always very real. In the pathos of their competition they find their adversary becomes their best friend.


Featuring: Shelley Long (Barbara), Deborah Theaker (Liz), Harry Shearer (Marc Gavin), James Kyson Lee (Shu Men), Kate Linder (Soap Opera Star) ~ Cast & Crew in Attendance!

NO ONE ISLAND (USA/23MIN/DRAMA)
Directed by Stacy Marr and Vanessa Ruane
By all accounts, Sydney seems to have it all: a beautiful home, a wonderful career, and numerous, well to do friends who are never in short in supply. But appearances can be deceiving; underneath the congenial exterior, Sydney is a cutter.

SIMPLE ROASTED CHICKEN WITH GWYNETH PALTROW (USA/5MIN/COMEDY)
Directed by Beth Einhorn
Tune in to Gwyneth Paltrow's blog, Goop, as she cooks a SIMPLE ROASTED CHICKEN.
ADVISORY: Some explicit language

STARVING (USA/15MIN/Drama)
Directed by Sierra Lisa
Set in an arts high school, a young actress struggles to be thin, but how much will she lose before nothing is left?

STARving is based on the true story of writer/director Sierra Lisa's life as an actress at an arts high school where the pressure to be thin caused some girls to exercise instead of eat at lunch and even develop eating disorders. STARving hopes to raise awareness about the struggles many young women face and stresses the powerful role those around them can play. Having surmounted bulimia herself, Sierra now strives to illustrate the unhealthy consequences of accepting our society's absurdly oppressive standard of beauty and hopes to help shape a healthier, more balanced, cultural viewpoint.

"Girls on Film" Shorts Program screens on Friday, 10/2, @ 7:30pm.Purchase tickets here.


COMEDY SHORTS: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 @ 7:00PM

ALL THE TIMES (USA/5MIN)
Directed by Mark Wilkinson
LA spoken-word artist, Rich Ferguson, recounts all the times he's done various things in his life--everything from getting things stuck up his nose, to wearing swim fins in public, to yelling for some band other than Lynyrd Skynyrd to play "Free Bird," to saying "Under Dog" instead of "Under God" when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance as a kid.

CABBIE (USA/15MIN)
Directed by Donlee Brussel
Marty has a dream of one day driving a cab. The only thing holding him back? He's never had a drivers license. CABBIE follows Marty as he discusses his passion for driving a cab, what it has cost him, and what he hopes it will bring to his life.

DEADSPIEL (CANADA/8MIN)
Directed by Jay Molloy
DEADSPIEL is the greatest zombie/curling movie ever! Cultures clash during a championship game between the human Team Olmstead and the zombie Team Romero. Things go horribly wrong when a disputed call tests humans and zombies as players must choose between sportsmanship and
bl
oody carnage.

EL TUX (USA/7MIN)
Directed by Paco Farias
Bobby Gomez gets invited to a quinceañera by default, but when he can't find a tuxedo large enough, he's forced to wear his father's monstrosity from 1972 which turns out to be a blessing in disguise.

JUST THE THREE OF US (USA/25MIN)
Directed by Chil Kong
When a speed dating event goes awry, Lily chooses to date both Brandon and Martin...as a team...that is, until, they meet her overprotective mother who's a psychiatrist.

THE LITTLE ACORN (USA/11MIN)
Directed by Dan Hirsch
THE LITTLE ACORN is a bittersweet comedy about a middle-aged ‘serial’ sperm donor who has grown older but has never grown up. A charming cad with an overblown ego, his bubble is burst one day when he is visited by a series of surprising and humiliating events.

OCHOPHOBIA (USA/10MIN)
Directed by Cameron Fay
OCHOPHOBIA is a fear of vehicles, not the Spanish number eight. It’s a debilitating phobia that forces individuals to plan their day around the excessive time it takes to get from point A to point B in the modern, high speed world. Cameron, an ochophobic who ventures on a 3-ho ur journey to meet some friends for lunch, and Kandis, a multi-tasker who’s getting her oil changed on her lunch break, connect for the first time while on their respective journeys.

Comedy Shorts Program screens on Saturday, 10/3, @ 7:00pm.Purchase tickets here.


DRAMATIC SHORTS #2: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 @ 3:00PM

FREE LUNCH (USA/35MIN)
Directed by Rick Curnutt

Walter Tanner Jr. is done with handouts, he's done with his privileged past, and he's done with having to answer to people. Realizing the value of hard work, Walter sets off on the road to the American dream, in a lunch truck. Together, Walter and his friend Casey serve the working people of LA, while Walter struggles with the realities of business and being a fish out of water. Will the struggle prove to be too much?

KHODA (SCOTLAND/5MIN)
Directed by Reza Dolatabadi

KHODA is a psychological thriller animated from over 6,000 paintings.

REACH (USA/7MIN)
Directed by Aaron Moore

REACH is the story of Dominique, a young, ambitious woman trying to climb her way up the corporate ladder. But on her way to work, while her contemporaries are standing in line at Starbucks, she pays a visit to a homeless man living on the streets of Los Angeles. She'll offer the man her lunch and a moment of kindness. Unusual gesture for a stranger? Maybe.

SOTTO IL MIO GIARDINO/UNDER MY GARDEN (ITALY/19MIN)
Directed by Andrea Lodovichetti

Marco, a 10-year old boy who has a passion for insects, is convinced that his neighbor has killed his wife and has buried her under his garden, the evidence being a large ant-nest he has been carefully examining for a while. He thus decides to carry out some investigations; he only reveals his thoughts to his little friend, Sara.

Dramatic Shorts Program #2 screens on Sunday, 10/4, @ 3:00pm.Purchase tickets here.

"MADE IN THE (818)" SHORTS PROGRAM: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 @ 5:00PM
HURRICANE (USA/3MIN/MUSIC VIDEO)
Directed by James Gerrity

The missing opening credits sequence for 1964’s HURRICANE. Music by The Volcanics.

THE LAST TENANT (USA/22MIN/HORROR)
Directed by Michael Halper

Ed Hinsley, a serial rapist and murderer, gets the tables turned on him and is killed in his own apartment. Five years later, Rachel moves into the same apartment with the help of her best friend, Jen. When they ?nd Hinsley's journal in a peculiar opening in the wall, they discover the last tenant was a rapist and murderer. Unbeknownst to Rachel and Jen, the discovery releases Hinsley's spirit and allows him to return.

SHOWMAN (USA/15MIN/DRAMA)
Directed by Roman Mykytyn

Adam Ranken wants to compose classical music. His mentor urges him to follow the family tradition of professional clowning. His girlfriend, on the other hand, sees no use in either clowning or composing and insists that he pursue a business career. As the pressure upon him builds, reality becomes as confused as Adam's own future...

A SILENT WHISPER (USA/12MIN/DRAMA)
Directed by Darrell Lake

A troubled young man decides to reveal his darkest thoughts and desires to his psychologist, in hopes that he will be helped. With unveiling the terrifying thoughts and compulsions that goes on in his head, his psychologist decides that it is best to betray his trust, and have him sent to confinement. Upon discovering his fate, he decides to take matters in to his hands.

THE WHEEL (USA/12MIN/COMEDY)
Directed by Jonathan Miller

Three criminals try to escape from bounty hunters while together to a wagon wheel.

"Made in the (818)" Shorts Program screens on Sunday, 10/4, @ 5:00pm.Purchase tickets here.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Digital Filmmaking: Production to Delivery

FILMMAKER FORUM
Digital Filmmaking: Production to Delivery

The Valley Film Festival has rounded up local vendors with products and services for all your digital filmmaking needs: Electric Picture Solutions, EVS - Express Video Supply, Filmlook, and Monkeyland Audio! Moderated by Christopher Roth, you'll learn how these vendors can help you take your next project from production to delivery.

This free panel takes place on Sunday, 10/4 @ 11am. Space is limited. RSVP

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

VFF09 Documentary Programs

Greetings From The Fabulous (818):
The Valley Film Festival (VFF) is fast approaching and, in the coming weeks, we'll be providing you with information on our programming. Today, we're showcasing our documentary selections.

The 9th Annual Valley Film Festival will screen daily from Wednesday, September 30 through Sunday, October 4 at the El Portal Theatre, located at 5269 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood. Tickets are $10-$15. Click here for more information and tickets.

Interested in volunteering? Email us with your availability.


ToyTigerTOY TIGER (98min) **World Premiere**
Directed by Brad Little

From 1972 to 1976, Nova Scotia's Art Hafey terrorized L.A.'s boxing rings with his punching power and is forever remembered as one of the most deserving fighters not to receive a shot at the world championship. This film is an examination of the factors that went into the burning out of one of Canada's brightest stars. From the sport's corrupt "governing" bodies, to his controversial trainer, the effects of a mysterious neuromuscular disorder and finally to an examination of the man himself, Toy Tiger presents Art in all of his neck-snapping, bone-crunching, unfulfilled glory.

Art was also known as the "Mexican Assassin" during this Golden Age of Boxing in Los Angeles and will be in attendance with Ruben Castillo, and Rubén Olivares -- one of Mexico's greatest fighters!

Toy Tiger screens on Saturday, 10/3, @ 3:30pm. Purchase tickets here.



ACCORDING TO DOM (45min) **LA Premiere**
Directed by Deren AbramDom w/David

This is Life according to comic actor, Dom DeLuise. Share rare but casual moments with his family and friends, like Burt Reynolds, Charles Durning, David DeLuise, Jeffrey Ross, Dick Van Patten, Carol Arthur DeLuise, Jack Sheldon, Lloyd Battista, Joe Sicari, Ruth Buzzi, Lan O'Kun, and more. These Hollywood greats entertain and reveal some of the greatest stories, jokes, music and songs.

According to Dom screens on Sunday, 10/4, @ 1pm. Michael DeLuise, Charles Durning & Burt Reynolds in attendance (subject to availability). Purchase tickets here.



BEHIND THE GLASS (22min) **LA Premiere**
Directed by Gabriel RhodesBehindTheGlass

As digital projection technology replaces century-old projectors in theatres across the country, motion picture projectionists prepare to make their last stand against the encroaching forces of technology. Behind the Glass traces the evolution and decline of this romanticized craft as it profiles projectionists from drive-ins, movie palaces and multiplexes who lead the fight against the cheapening of America's favorite form of entertainment.

Behind the Glass screens on Sunday, 10/4, @ 1pm, and precedes According to Dom. Tickets for the program can be purchased here.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Dear Filmmakers...We Do Watch Your Films

Dear Filmmakers,

In continuing with the warm & fuzzy feeling today, we're happy to read that one VFF reviewer, Sarah Hollander, is not only following our golden rule: watch the film from start to finish -- no exceptions -- but she's writing about it too!

VIVA (818)
-VFF

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Dear Filmmakers...We Love You!


Dear Filmmakers,

The Valley Film Festival (VFF) is currently engaged in watching your shorts, features, music videos, trailers, etc., but it hasn't stopped us from getting excited about the emails you've been sending, asking about the status of our programming and telling us why it's important to you to screen with VFF. It gives us a warm & fuzzy feeling to hear your stories and ask that you keep them coming.

Since launching VFF in 2000, one of our goals has always been to connect the global filmmaking community to the fabulous (818) and, in our 9th year, we've received more international submissions than ever before. It's fun to hear how you discovered us and that you're thinking about The Valley from across the globe! We're also aware that with 195 countries in the world, we have more outreach ahead of us. We'd love to hear your thoughts on how to better connect with filmmakers in every country, so don't hesitate to contact us.

Have no fear, local filmmakers, you're our priority! We're not called The Valley Film Festival for nothing! We're dedicated to screening films produced in the San Fernando Valley and digging your favorite memories of the El Portal, Studio City Theater, The Sherman Oaks Galleria, and even the Victory Drive-In!

We are fully aware that without you, we'd have nothing to screen! Please know that we truly appreciate the opportunity you've given us to consider your films. We love your enthusiasm, online and off, and look forward to working with all of you!

VIVA (818)!
*******
The 9th Annual Valley Film Festival will take place September 30-October 4, 2009, at the historic El Portal Theatre in the NoHo Arts District. Our 2009 showcase will be announced and a festival schedule will be available by August 15th at: ValleyFilmFest.com