Films
2013 West Chester Film Festival Official Selections
82
Calum MacDiarmid / London / United Kingdom / Drama / 6:30 / U.S. Premiere
A postman lets us into his dark world in quiet suburbia.
21st Century Farmer
Rueben Tschetter / AB / Canada / Documentary / 8:27 / U.S. Premiere
A documentary film describing the disappearance of the family farm, as mainstream agriculture and farming communities transition from the traditional family farm to corporate farms and Hutterite colonies. The story also describes the effects on rural towns and villages.
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30 Miles
Ronnie Cramer / CO / USA / Art/Experimental / 3:39 / U.S. Premiere / Best Art/Experimental Nominee
Two time-lapse accounts of the same 30-mile trip; taken 23 years apart and presented via split-screen. http://www.cultfilms.net
A Declaration of Interdependence
Tiffany Shlain / CA / USA / Documentary / 4:18 / World Premiere
Rewriting the U.S. Declaration of Independence as A Declaration of Interdependence, award-winning Director and Founder of the Webby Awards Tiffany Shlain and her team posted a script online and invited the world to participate in a crowdsourced film. Video, art, and translation submissions poured in from around the world, in over 50 languages from English to Swahili to ASL (American Sign Language). A Declaration of Interdependence quickly became an exhilarating montage of user-generated content, a global mash-up demonstrating the vast potential of creative collaboration in the 21st century. At four minutes, the film ends with an invitation for viewers to join thousands of others in ‘declaring their interdependence’ on an interactive map at letitripple.org.
Dog Bytes
OH / USA / Drama / 8:27 / World Premiere / PA Filmmaker
It’s Sunday in America’s Heartland when Alice arrives to cook an unforgettable breakfast for Daddy and his wife. Daddy likes his eggs with tomatoes, lots of hot sauce and no shells so Alice makes them just the way he likes them – or not.
Abiogenesis
Richard Mans / New Zealand / Animation / 4:20 / U.S. Premiere / Best Animation Nominee
In this breathtaking science fiction spectacle, a strange mechanical device lands on a desolate world and uses the planet to undergo a startling transformation, that has profound implications for an entire galaxy.
Always the son…
John Frohlich / ACT / Australia / Drama / 6:57 / World Premiere
In every father there is always the son. A film about men, for men, by men.
Apart
ACT / Australia / Student Animation / 5:03 / World Premiere / Best Animation Nominee / Best Student Filmmaker
Apart is a story of Love, loss and devotion. Two toys, abandoned by their maker, forgotten by the world and separated by unimaginable difficulties, working together to achieve the impossible. A chance to be together.
Apartment 15
Mattia Puleo / Italy / Drama / 16:41 / U.S. Premiere
Living room, 2 large bedrooms, bright look. Looking for tenants who wants to experience claustrophobia, fear and death.
Arrastre
Ana Teresa Fernandez / CA / USA / Art/Experimental / 6:18 / U.S. Premiere
Mythical underwater documentary of a white horse and artist Ana Teresa Fernandez.
Baggage
Ivan Kander / MD / USA / Comedy / 10:13 / World Premiere
At a special-type of ‘baggage counter’ where people go to check their emotional issues, one young man is trying to reclaim his lost luggage.
Bip Bip (Beep Beep)
Philippe Grégoire / QC / Canada / Comedy / 4:34 / U.S. Premiere
Francis wants to fall asleep beside the woman he loves, but Caroline’s watch goes ‘beep beep.’
Blindspot
Tamara Britza / WA / Australia / Student Art/Experimental / 15:34 / World Premiere / Best Art/Experimental Nominee
An experimental film in more ways than the obvious. My final uni film project was approached with a desire to find and experiment with techniques that would allow me to capture a genuinely true, RAW, AUTHENTIC essence for my main character, which ideally I hoped would then be reflected throughout the film also. There was no script. Just a basic premise, provided only to myself and my actor. Together we worked on detailing an in-depth character profile and developing a background story, which then became the ONLY source of information my actor could draw from, while taken out to an unknown location, in the remote vastness of the West Australian Outback, and then unleashed. The following ensued…
Bored, Game?
Joe Murphy / VIC / Australia / Comedy / 8:34 / U.S. Premiere
Two players discover they’re meant for each other over a very personal game of Guess Who?
Brain Power
Tiffany Shlain / CA / USA / Documentary / 10:41 / World Premiere / Best Documentary Nominee / Best Female Filmmaker Nominee
‘Brain Power: From Synapses to Hyperlinks’ is both a 10-min film and a new TED Book from award-winning Director Tiffany Shlain and her team at The Moxie Institute. Based on new brain research from Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child and University of Washington’s I-LABS, the film explores the parallels between a child’s brain development and the way the Internet is developing, offering insights into the best ways to shape both our children’s brains and the global brain of the Internet.
Customer Service
Karin Kellly / AL / USA / Comedy / 10:30 / World Premiere / PA Filmmaker / Best PA Filmmaker Nominee / Best Comedy Nominee
The story of Dean, a decent guy who loses his job trying to do the right thing, only to discover that the wheel of Karma can turn in your favor as well.
Die wundersame Welt des max x. – Büroalltag (The Strange World of Max X. – Office Paperwork)
Dave Packer / Berlin / Germany / Comedy / 2:44 / North America Premiere
Comedy meets digital animation in ‘The Strange World of max x.”max x.’, the hero of the series, is increasingly isolated and overwhelmed by his everyday battle for survival. In his humorous, sometimes philosophical manner, ‘max x.’ holds up a mirror to our 21st century lifestyles, without saying a single word. ‘max x.’ never gives up, he always finds an original solution.Episode ‘Office Paperwork’Life at the office can seem like a never-ending grind as work continually piles up. And that is just what ‘max x.’ is experiencing today. He tries to do his very best under the close supervision of his boss but this is a working day that drives him crazy.
Die wundersame Welt des max x. – Die neue Kamera (The Strange World of Max X. – The New Camera)
Dave Packer / Berlin / Germany / Comedy / 2:22 / North America Premiere
Comedy 2.0: ‘The Strange World of max x.’ Comedy meets digital animation in ‘The Strange World of max x.’, a series running once a week on DW’s euromaxx since January 2012. ‘max x.’, the hero of the series, is overwhelmed by his everyday battle for survival. In his humorous, sometimes philosophical manner, ‘max x.’ holds up a mirror to our 21st century lifestyles, without saying a single word. He simply interacts and reacts in a silent struggle against everyday objects. ‘max x.’ never gives up, he always finds an original solution. Episode ‘The New Camera”max x.’ tries out his new digital camera. But, surprise, surprise, things don’t go as planned. ‘max x.’ – a hapless hero in the daily struggle for survival.
Die wundersame Welt des max x. – Fahrradtour mit Hindernissen (The Strange World of Max X. – Bicycle Pump)
Dave Packer / Berlin / Germany / Comedy / 2:28 / North America Premiere
Comedy 2.0: ‘The Strange World of max x.’ Comedy meets digital animation in ‘The Strange World of max x.’, a series running once a week on DW’s euromaxx since January 2012. ‘max x.’, the hero of the series, is increasingly isolated and overwhelmed by his everyday battle for survival. In his humorous, sometimes philosophical manner, ‘max x.’ holds up a mirror to our 21st century lifestyles, without saying a single word. He simply interacts and reacts in a silent struggles. ‘max x.’ never gives up, he always finds an original solution. Episode ‘Bicycle Pump’ This time our colleague ‘max x.’ wants to set off on his bicycle but finds out he has a flat tyre. But that, of course, isn’t the end of the story.
Dirty Weekend
Dustin Lane / NSW / Australia / Drama / 6:06 / World Premiere
An everyday couple treat themselves to a weekend away at a luxurious hotel. Inside the hotel room they discover something belonging to the previous guest, who happens to be famous.
El Invento (The Invention)
Giovanni Granada / Cundinamarca / Colombia / Drama / 20:00 / World Premiere / Best Drama Nominee
What if a 12 year old boy had to devise an Invention to get the attention of his love interest? Monica has made it clear, she wants to be just friends… Sad, Danny starts working with his friend Andres in their workshop on a new invention, a big challenge for 12 year old boys; to solve the magic of photography and the mysteries of women. On a golden afternoon in 1976 they discover the power of friendship and love. It all starts with a magnifying glass, a small lantern and a broken heart….
Engage
Tiffany Shlain / CA / USA / Documentary / 2:11 / U.S. Premiere / Best Documentary Nominee / Best Female Filmmaker Nominee
Engage is about the importance of being an active member in society. Over the course of 6 months, we asked people from all over the world to send videos of themselves feeling their heartbeat and thinking about what it means. This 2 min cloudsourced film shows the power of hundreds of people coming together to collaborate and make a film together.
Fabula (Fable)
Agustín Falco / Argentina / Argentina / Drama / 13:32 / U.S. Premiere
A boy mows the lawn when his dog runs off to the next-door garden. There, a beautiful young girl is playing guitar.
For the Fallen
Matthew Evans / United Kingdom / Student Drama / 10:00 / World Premiere
Newport, South Wales 2010. Homeless War veteran JACK HOBBS (84) is distraught to discover that Second World War hero, SIR HENRY NEWTON (86) has died.Later, JACK is mugged for his small bag of possessions.JACK goes to the church where NEWTON’S funeral is being held, but runs away. Upset, JACK finds the muggers and takes back his bag. Returning to the church, JACK takes a photograph and a black box out of his bag and places them at the church altar. As he leaves, NEWTON’S SON discovers the box, containing a Victoria Cross. The photograph shows JACK and NEWTON as young soldiers. The photograph is inscribed: ‘For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.’
Freshwater
Trevor Smith / QLD / Australia / Drama / 16:38 / U.S. Premiere
Meet David Jennings. Fishing connoisseur, recluse and… psychopath. Two Police Detectives are investigating the suspected abduction of a fifteen year old girl. When Detective Christine Ambrose comes face to face with the chameleon David Jennings, her instincts sense something is wrong…
Watch the Trailer
Give Me a Sign
Greg Koorhan / PA / USA / Drama / 1:59 / PA Filmmaker / Best PA Filmmaker Nominee
A young man struggles to find a way to say how he feels at the end of a date.
Guests of a Nation
Daniel Speers / NJ / USA / Drama / 23:22 / U.S. Premiere
Guests of a Nation is set during the Irish War of Independence. It depicts the unlikely friendship of four men living in a secluded farmhouse. Bonaparte and Noble are members of the IRA, fighting to free their country from the tyranny of British rule. Hawkins and Belcher are British soldiers, taken prisoner during the war and being held captive in the farmhouse. Despite the war raging outside, the four become friends over late-night poker games and religious debates. The real world, however, cannot be held at bay forever. One night, Bonaparte is ordered to assist in the execution of his British captives, and he and Noble are forced to choose between loyalty to their country and loyalty to those they no longer consider enemies.
Happy Voodoo
Jenny Goddard / TX / USA / Comedy / 7:41 / U.S. Premiere / Best Female Filmmaker Nominee
Happy Voodoo follows Damien as he attempts to use voodoo dolls to alter the lives of his three best friends.
Harry Grows Up
Mark Nickelsburg / NY / USA / Comedy / 11:30 / World Premiere / Best Comedy Nominee
New York is a tough place to find love. Especially for an eighteen-month-old who lives on his own.
Hit & Run
Luke McKay / NSW / Australia / Drama / 8:00 / U.S. Premiere
A pregnant girl’s frantic taxi ride to a hospital takes an unexpected detour.
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Hospitals
Priscilla Anany / USA / Drama / 19:52 / World Premiere / Best Female Filmmaker Nominee
HOSPITALS is a contemporary drama about ailing maternal health in a remote village inthe Volta region of Ghana West Africa. With four female characters, the film summarizes the plight of hundreds of women who suffer due to the absence of regulated andaccessible health-care.
How To Kill Your Clone
Jack McWilliams / CA / USA / Comedy / 4:58 / World Premiere
Dick wants to kill his out of control clone, but due to their identical physical and mental abilities, he must hire the third party Clone Killer Corporation to do his dirty work.
http://www.puffedupproductions.com
In Real Life
Michael Long / PA / USA / Comedy / 12:29 / World Premiere
Amber is a typical lonely teenager looking for someone to love her. She meets a cute emo boy named Owen online and instantly falls in love. Her best friend tries to warn her, but she insists on meeting Owen in real life.
Invincible Pep
Ryan Quinn / PA / USA / Documentary / 26:00:00 / World Premiere / Best PA Filmmaker Nominee / Best Documentary Nominee
The legend of Pittsburgh’s most epic iron man.
Karen Returns Something to Scott
John Salcido / CA / USA / Comedy / 4:52 / U.S. Premiere / Best Comedy Nominee
A perfect wedding is only missing one thing…
Kunduz
Stefan Gieren / Germany / Germany / Drama / 27:00:00 / World Premiere / Best Drama Nominee
A German-afghan photographer witnesses the air-strike on two petrol trucks near Kunduz in September 2009. Heavily wounded he boards a plane that shall bring him out of Afghanistan. As the crew and a traveling doctor fight for his life he tells the true story of this fatal incident.
Madly Unto Eternity
Pikey Holdredge / NY / USA / Student Comedy / 12:38 / U.S. Premiere
In order to make amends with his girlfriend, Danny Lynch must overcome his lifelong anger issues as he attempts to thwart his brother’s nefarious scheme.
Watch the trailer
Make A Wish
Hee Jin Kim / NY / USA / Student Animation / 3:26 / World Premiere / Best Animation Nominee
There is a girl who is not satisfied with her appearance. She visits a magician cat and asks for a way to make her breasts bigger. She pays the fee with her pet, a hamster. She has to choose between getting bigger breasts and saving her hamster.
Me vs. The Tooth Fairy
Gregory D. Dixon / IL / USA / Student Comedy / 7:45 / World Premiere / Best Student Filmmaker
After first hearing of the Tooth Fairy, our young protagonist stays up all night to protect his sister from this molar-stealing monster.
Mistreatment
Andrew Handelsmann / NSW / Australia / Documentary / 11:08 / PA Premiere
In October 2002, Dr Andrew Hollo went to the house of his elderly patient, Mrs Elise Herrman, on what he says was a routine home visit. But when Mrs Herrman lapsed into unconsciousness a few hours later from an insulin overdose, Dr Hollo soon found himself charged with her attempted murder. Did the doctor try to kill his patient or was he just a victim of circumstance?
Mothers of No Tomorrow
Sixx King / PA / USA / Documentary / 29:37 / PA Filmmaker
Mothers of No Tomorrow is an intimate look at the journey American mothers are taking through the silent war in urban America.
Old Angel
Dony Chiang / Taiwan / Animation / 4:02 / World Premiere / Best Animation Nominee
Old Angel once hurt his wings. He came to the forest to mend his wings among the colossal trees. His wings have healed, but he’s been here for a long, long time. So long that he’s forgotten how it feels to fly. But he just can’t forget, the last time he tried to flap his wings, that excruciating pain, that crushing despair he felt. Time and again he’s walked to the edge of a cliff, at the edge of the trees, but he’s never summoned enough courage to fly. The autumn leaves have nearly all fallen, and migrating little angels arrives near the Colossal Forest. Dim rays of light piercing from the forest catch the eye of one Little Angel…
Private Sun
Rami Alayan / CA / USA / Drama / 25:00 / U.S. Premiere
Mariam is instructed by her doctor to sunbathe in order to reverse the vitamin D deficiency that is causing her a bone illness. But with nosy neighbors, an overbearing sister-in-law and Israeli surveillance planes, private moments under the sun are precious and rare.
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Record/Play
Jesse atlas / CA / USA / Drama / 9:50 / U.S. Premiere / Best Drama Nominee
A malfunctioning cassette tape captures more than just audio in this sci-fi love story.
Shabbat Dinner
Michael Morgenstern / NY / USA / Student Drama / 14:30
Friday night dinner is boring as usual. William’s mother is showing off, his father is drunk and berating their oddball guests, and he doesn’t have much in common with their son Virgo – that is, until they discover they both share a secret. The adults would be shocked to find out what is happening in the other room while they discuss trivialities.
Silent Wave
Sudeep Kanwal / NY / USA / Drama / 14:59 / U.S. Premiere
A man seeks redemption after a life altering incident tears his marriage apart.
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Spaghetti für Zwei (Spaghetti for Two)
Matthias Rosenberger / Germany / Comedy / 18:31 / U.S. Premiere
…when losers win.
Stalled
Shannon Kohli / AB / Canada / Art/Experimental / 15:52 / U.S. Premiere / Best Art/Experimental Nominee / Best Female Filmmaker Nominee
The entire script of STALLED has been pieced together solely using real quotes found in women?s washroom stalls across North America. What was shocking to discover was while there were several humorous quotations, there were countless pleas for help. The pleas are what make up this short film. Distinct characters were created out of the honesty of hundreds of people around the world. The story centers on THE JANITOR, a woman in her seventies. As she enters each stall, she becomes the woman who wrote the words on the walls. Each is dealing with a particular struggle and their honesty is heartbreaking. As she prepares to leave for the day, she realizes it may finally be her turn to speak.
Sweetheart
Victoria Naumova / United Kingdom / Drama / 9:00 / U.S. Premiere
Sara is intrigued when her ex-colleague, Matthew, invites her out for a drink. Is it a date? A friendly catch-up? Or something altogether different?
Swingers
Silvio Nacucchi / ITA / Italy / Comedy / 7:01 / World Premiere
Two couples try to solve their sexual problems. But they are not really convinced.
The Call
Stephen Messer / IL / USA / Drama / 8:00 / U.S. Premiere
On a perfect beach, a young teenage girl answers a life-changing call.
The Framing of Joe Paterno
John ziegler / CA / USA / Documentary / 29:59 / World Premiere
The story of how the news media rushed to judgment to ‘convict’ former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno for crimes which were committed by his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. The film examines what the media got wrong and seeks to correct the historical record about what really happened in this story. The film does not put forward a conspiracy theory, but rather uses the term ‘framing’ in figurative, not literal terms. The filmmaker behind this work has actually spoken to more people directly involved in the case than the investigators whose report condemned Paterno.
Watch the Trailer
The Introduction
John Hensley / CA / USA / Drama / 13:29 / World Premiere
Boy meets girl… Boy stalks girl… A love story.
The Patriot Act
Kyle Einhorn / CA / USA / Drama / 20:50 / World Premiere
A home invasion robbery crew plan the perfect heist, but once they begin the operation are waylaid by mistakes and circumstances that force them to examine who they really are as Americans.
The Things My Father Never Taught Me
Burleigh Smith / WA / Australia / Comedy / 7:00 / World Premiere
Melvin gives dating advice to his three-year-old son.
The Voices of Time Before They Are Silenced: The Holocaust
Darragh Friedman / PA / USA / Documentary / 29:31 / PA Filmmaker / Best PA Filmmaker Nominee
This film’s goal is to document and preserve history as told by those who have lived it and remember the Holocaust. Their lives were hard and their memories are painful, but they find solace in sharing both.
This Shining Night
Keith Oncale / NY / USA / Drama / 16:22 / U.S. Premiere
Mark (Eric Roberts) and Hank (Kevin Brown) live in the Connecticut suburbs with their two children. Their youngest and most precocious, Grace, has just started first grade. Meaghan, their oldest, is growing up and is drawn to a ghostly female figure in the nearby woods. On this night, Marc must let something go, so that he and his daughter can discover something new and precious. It is the story of the journey of a man and his daughters.
Titans of Newark
Mike Marino / CA / USA / Student Comedy / 24:13 / U.S. Premiere
Bored with their retirement, the Greek gods of ancient lore decide to toy with the destiny of one man: an out of work accountant in New Jersey.
Unlaced
Patrick Ortman / CA / USA / Drama / 6:40 / World Premiere
Based on a true story, Unlaced is about a man’s emotional journey to hell and back when the life he thought he had comes undone.
We Two Have Wandered
Jim Westrick / CA / USA / Student Drama / 24:00 / World Premiere / PA Filmmaker
A young man, who left his family and loved ones behind to pursue a music career, returns to his small hometown to try and rekindle lost love with ‘the one that got away.’
Yana
Boris Nikolov / Johanneshov / Sweden / Student Drama / 11:55 / World Premiere / Best Student Filmmaker
A twelve minute short that follows through the ordinary day of Yana, a girl that could be also nameless, one of the millions locked up creatures surviving by themselves in the world of violence and suppression.
Watch the Trailer
