PARALLEL VISION 2017
FEATURE FILMS
Born to Be Blue Director: Robert Budreau Writer: Robert Budreau Cast: Ethan Hawke, Carmen Ejogo, Callum Keith Rennie, Tony Nappo, Stephen McHattie, Janet-Laine Green, Dan Lett, Kedar Brown Genre: Drama/Biography Runtime: 98 minutes Country: Canada/United Kingdom Language: English/Italian Year: 2015 Fast life and mysterious death of jazz legend. Ethan Hawke lights up the screen as jazz legend Chet Baker, whose tumultuous life is thrillingly reimagined with wit, verve, and style to burn. In the 1950s, Baker was one of the most famous trumpeters in the world, renowned as both a pioneer of the West Coast jazz scene and an icon of cool. By the 1960s, he was all but washed up, his career and personal life in shambles due to years of heroin addiction. In his innovative anti-biopic, director Robert Budreau zeroes in on Baker’s life at a key moment in the 1960s, just as the musician attempts to stage a hard-fought comeback, spurred in part by a passionate romance with a new flame (Carmen Ejogo). Creatively blending fact with fiction and driven by Hawke’s virtuoso performance, Born to Be Blue unfolds with all the stylistic brio and improvisatory genius of great jazz. „Boasting a fantastic turn from Ethan Hawke, this is bold indie filmmaking. Budreau and his stars deserve a fanfare.“ – Total Film „By reducing Baker's story to just a couple of pivotal years, Budreau makes every moment matter, including a tense final scene that treats the preparation for a performance like a duel at high noon.“ – Los Angeles Times „A tough, uncompromising take on a jazz legend, lifted by a never-been-better Ethan Hawke — an early contender for Best Actor consideration come awards season.” – Empire Robert Budreau is a Canadian director, writer and producer, president of his own company, Lumanity Productions, based in Toronto and Los Angeles. After attending the Vancouver Film School, Robert wrote and directed a series of awardwinning short films. His debut feature film, ‘That Beautiful Somewhere’ (2006), was nominated for a Genie Award (the Canadian equivalent to an Academy Award). He wrote and produced ‘Cubicle Warriors’ (2013), and previously produced the Spanish comedy, El Jefe (2010), and the thriller, Solo (2013).
Elis Director: Hugo Prata Writers: Luiz Bolognesi, Vera Egito, Hugo Prata Cast: Andréia Horta, Gustavo Machado, Caco Ciocler, Zécarlos Machado, Lúcio Mauro Filho, Ícaro Silva, Júlio Andrade, Isabel Wilker, Nara Leão Genre: Drama/Biography Runtime: 115 minutes Country: Brazil Language: Portuguese Year: 2016 Her death, at the age of 36, shocked Brazil. And she is still regarded as the greatest Brazilian singer of all time by critics, musicians, and the whole nation. The life of Elis Regina—arguably the biggest Brazilian singer of all time—is set to an energetic, pulsating rhythm in this musical biopic. A cultural trendsetter who signaled a shift in styles from bossa nova to Brazilian popular music, the fiery “pimentinha” (brilliantly played by Andréia Horta) lived a turbulent life. While clashing with her country’s dictatorship, she struggled with her own personal demons. Elis is imbued with the soul of the singer and the country she loved. The film tells the story of the singer since her arrival in Rio de Janeiro with 19 years until her tragic and early death. Elis Regina died at the age of 36 in 1982, from an accidental cocaine, alcohol, and temazepam interaction.[1] More than 15,000 people, among friends, relatives and fans, held her wake at Teatro Bandeirantes, in São Paulo, with large groups of fans singing her songs. More than 100,000 people followed her funeral procession throughout São Paulo. „Scriptwriting, photography, dramaturgy, rhythm, soundtrack, period reconstitution and - especially - the choice of the actress for the title role: everything worked in the film…“ – Planeta Tela „It is SO good. Elis is great. And the actress who portrays her, Andreia Horta, is extraordinary.“ – Estadao (Sao Paolo) „A remarkably sensual film about the life of an iconic Brazilian singer. “ – Third Coast Review Hugo Prata is a film and television director. At TV Cultura he co-directed the award-winning shows Rá-Tim-Bum e Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum. He is one of the most renowned directors of the music industry having worked with some of the leading Brazilian artists including Ivete Sangalo, Lenine, Zélia Duncan, Os Mutantes, Titãs, Maria Rita and Djavan. He won several awards, including Best Director at the MTV Music Awards and Best Music Video at Multishow Awards. Elis is his first feature film.
Green Room Director: Jeremy Saulnier Writer: Jeremy Saulnier Genre: Thriller Cast: Patrick Stewart, Anton Yelchin, Joe Cole, Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, David W. Thompson, Mark Webber, Macon Blair, Eric Edelstein Runtime: 96 minutes Country: USA Language: English Year: 2015 Now. Whatever you saw or did. Is no longer my concern. But let's be clear. It won't end well. Down on their luck punk rockers The Ain’t Rights are finishing up a long and unsuccessful tour, and are about to call it quits when they get an unexpected booking at an isolated, run-down club deep in the backwoods of Oregon. What seems merely to be a third-rate gig escalates into something much more sinister when they witness an act of violence backstage that they weren’t meant to see. Now trapped backstage, they must face off against the club’s depraved owner, Darcy Banker (Stewart), a man who will do anything to protect the secrets of his nefarious enterprise. But while Darcy and his henchmen think the band will be easy to get rid of, The Ain’t Rights prove themselves much more cunning and capable than anyone expected, turning the tables on their unsuspecting captors and setting the stage for the ultimate life-or-death showdown. USA’s National Board of review selected Green Room as one of top ten independent films of 2016. „(D)elightfully cruel work of high tension, perfect in just how quickly and easily it gets under your skin.“ – Globe and Mail „’Green Room’ delivers a sharp punk aesthetic, but its real soul is pure lumbering death metal.. “ – Star Tribune “This is one smart chiller.” – Chicago Sun Times Jeremy Saulnier was born in Alexandria, Virginia and studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He directed and photographed the short film ‘Crabwalk’ (2004), which received the Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance. His sophomore feature, ‘Blue Ruin’ (2013) a quirky, crime drama set in a pretty, but grimier part of suburban America was a festival darling – a winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes, among other accolades - and supplanted his name within the independent movie scene. His most recent feature, Green Room premiered at the Cannes’ Director's Fortnight. Saulnier will next direct an adaptation of William Giraldi's 2014 thriller novel Hold the Dark for Netflix.
Beautiful Devils Director: James Marquand Writers: Sacha Bennett, Jennifer Majka Cast: Osy Ikhile, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Elliot James Langridge, Iain Glen, Alexa Morden, Dominique Provost-Chalkley, Rufus Hound Genre: Drama Runtime: 119 minutes Country: United Kingdom Language: English Year: 2017 A modern riff on Othello – set in the music world which explores what happens when a young band are signed by a major label. Ambition and envy clash, loyalty lies in tatters and manipulation rules the day. The friendship between two ambitious London bandmates is rent asunder by jealousy and treachery in this modern-day spin on Shakespeare's Othello. When a major label offers rock hopefuls The Beautiful Devils a contract, front-man Oz (Osy Ikhile) snaps it up. But there's a condition: volatile guitarist Ivan (Elliot James Langridge) must go. Angry and resentful, Ivan orchestrates a plot to sabotage Oz's career, beginning with his relationship with the band's third member: his girlfriend Darcy (Rachel Hurd Wood). Unfortunately, once the psychological poison kicks in, it spreads to everyone. Fueled by ambition and greed, and with the pressures of modern social media culture, this dark thriller portrays the youngsters’ bloody tragedy. „Marquand has crafted a surprisingly effective drama that boasts an impressive production design, as well as sound design, which accompanies his strong ensemble of performers.“ – Fakeshamp.net „It You don’t need to be familiar with Othello or even Shakespeare to be drawn into this fresh and exciting take on one of his masterpieces.“ – Britflicks „The classic revenge tale, cleverly updated.“ – Sky Cinema James Marquand is a Welsh film editor and director. As a child, much of his time was spent on film sets observing his father Richard Marquand (Jagged Edge, Return of the Jedi). Later, he worked as an editor on the Joe Eszterhas (Basic Instinct, Showgirls) penned Hearts of Fire. His first short film, The Lesson (1998), was nominated for a BAFTA Kodak Award. In 2005 he wrote, directed, and produced his first film, ‘Dead Man's Cards’. He is best known for ‘One Night in Istanbul’ (2014) and documentary ‘Pacific Warriors’ (2015). ‘Beautiful Devils’ is his fifth feature film.
PARALLEL VISION 2017
DOCUMENTARIES
Arctic Superstar Director: Simen Braathen Writer: Simen Braathen Genre: Documentary Cast: Nils Rune Utsi (Slincraze), Ole Kristoffer Hætta, Lars André Svehagen (Th Pug), Runtime: 72 minutes Country: Norway Language: Norwegian/Saami Year: 2016 Hundred words for snow. No words for yo. The indigenous, Samí rapper Nils Rune Utsi - aka SlinCraze - lives with his mother in Máze, a nearly abandoned town in the Arctic Highlands of Norway. Nils dreams of being able to make a living making music - and maybe even become world famous like his hero Eminem. Playing to sparsely attended shows, in remote locations, on makeshift stages, and usually for free, Niles uses his music to deal with the trauma of being bullied as a child and maybe even more importantly, prove to himself that he's not a nobody. The only problem is that less than 20,000 people in the world understand the endangered language he raps in. This festival hit will touch you, entertain you and amaze you. “FASCINATING! One of the best music docs in 2016” - Vice” “(B)y far one of the best music documentaries to come from Scandinavia… A must see!” – Cinema Scandinavia „Nils Rune’s lyrics and songs stem from his own painful experiences…. He doesn’t hold back or censor himself, and that’s why his message gets under your skin.“ – Rocumentti Simen Braathen is a writer, director and founder of the creative agency Brunch Oslo. He’s educated at Westerdals School of Communication and has studied Social Anthropology at NTNU. Simen has won international awards for his innovative advertising work and was part of the core team launching a New York office for advertising network Leo Burnett. He has also more than ten years experience from the Norwegian music industry as a journalist, songwriter and rapper. Braathen followed SlinCraze for almost four years, going on tour to Murmansk, New York, Tromso, Karasjok, and his hometown Masi. The result is Arctic Superstar, his debut as a documentary filmmaker, a tale of coming from a small place, but daring to dream big dreams.
Danny Says Director: Brendan Toller Writers: Brendan Toller Cast: Justin Bond, Mx Justin Vivian Bond, Judy Collins, Alice Cooper, Danny Fields, Danny Goldberg, Steve Harris, Fayette Hauser Genre: Drama Runtime: 104 minutes Country: USA Language: English Year: 2015 When the mode of the music changes, the walls of the city shake. Since 1966, Danny Fields has played a pivotal role in music and culture of the late 20th century: working for the Doors, Lou Reed, Nico, Judy Collins and managing groundbreaking artists like the Stooges, the MC5 and the Ramones. Film follows Fields from Harvard Law dropout, to the Warhol Silver Factory, to Director of Publicity at Elektra Records, to “punk pioneer” and beyond. Danny’s taste and opinion, once deemed defiant and radical, has turned out to have been prescient. ‘Danny Says’ is a story of marginal turning mainstream, avant garde turning prophetic, as Fields looks to the next generation. ‘Danny Says’ is lead by Fields voice and is largely crafted from over 250 hours of present-day interviews and items from Danny Fields’ immense archive. ‘Danny Says’ is the title of a Ramones song written by Joey Ramone, a Phil Spector production from the End of the Century album.’ „Rock gadfly Danny Fields reminiscences of the 1960's and 1970's are pure gold in Brendan Toller's documentary… Assembly is first-rate, with mix of sterling archival materials and starry talking heads echoing the subject's gossipy, profane, impudent manner. Several lively animated sequences further diversify the package. The soundtrack, needless to say, is a mix tape dream.“ – Variety „Superb... What emerges is a rich portrait of one of 20th century pop culture’s great facilitators, whose keen observations, quirky personality and natural affinity for the outré helped greatness happen.“ – Los Angeles Times „(’Danny Says’) plays like a greatest hits of rock 'n' roll recollections.“ – Radio Times Brendan Toller is a filmmaker based in New York City and New England. Toller's work has caused riots at the National Film Board of Canada, has been covered by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Dazed & Confused Korea, and has been supported by everyone from New York State Council on the Arts to Judy Collins. At 28, "Danny Says" is Toller's second feature documentary with "I Need That Record!" an elegy for a vanishing indie record store culture being his first (at age 21).
Pulp: A Film about Life, Death & Supermarkets Director: Florian Habicht Writer: Jarvis Cocker, Florian Habicht, Peter O’Donoghue Genre: Documentary Cast: Jarvis Cocker, Nick Banks, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey, Mark Webber, Leo Abrahams, Jean Cook, Richard Hawley Runtime: 90 minutes Country: United Kingdom Language: English Year: 2014 Sheffield, 1988, ‘The Day That Never Happened’. Following a disastrous farewell show in their hometown, PULP move to London in search of success. They find fame on the world stage in the 1990s with anthems including ‘Common People’, ‘Disco 2000’ and 'Babies'. In 2012 they return to Sheffield for their last UK concert: what could go wrong? Giving a career best performance exclusive to the film, the band share their thoughts on fame, love, mortality - & car maintenance. Director Florian Habicht (Love Story) weaves together the band’s personal offerings with dream-like specially-staged tableaux featuring people recruited on the streets of Sheffield. Unveiling the deep affection that the inhabitants of Sheffield have for Pulp, and the formative effect the town has had on the band’s music (and frontman Jarvis Cocker’s lyrics in particular) 'Pulp: A Film about Life, Death & Supermarkets' is a music-film like no other – by turns funny, moving, lifeaffirming and (occasionally) bewildering. “Touchingly beautiful, it’s one of the best music documentaries I’ve seen in recent years.” – Vanguard Red Magazine “Pulp is a smash. Pulp isn’t a concert film. It’s a love story.” – San Jose Mercury News „(I)t’s a filmic version of their hit ‘Common People’, and like the song, it’s understated and glorious.“ – Rolling Stone Florian Habicht was born in Berlin, and immigrated with his family to New Zealand in the early eighties. He studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts Auckland and Binger Filmlab in Amsterdam. Florian’s debut feature Woodenhead became a cult hit in New Zealand. Florian was acting on explicit instructions from 80's pop duo Milli Vanilli, who visited him in a dream. In 2010 Florian spent a year in New York, where he made the innovative feature romance Love Story. When Love Story screened at the London Film Festival, Pulp invited Florian to make a feature documentary about the group.
SHOT! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock Director: Barney Clay Genre: Documentary/Biography Runtime: 91 minutes Country: USA Language: English Year: 2016 An odyssey into the colorful and bohemian tales of rock 'n' roll's history. An icon-maker, and icon in his own right… A cinematic adventure that delves deep into the mind of one of rock's greatest living photographers: Mick Rock. Through the poignant lens of rock 'n' roll mythology; icon-maker, psychedelic explorer, poet, and custodian of dreams Mick Rock navigates his story from the glam rock shimmer of London to the snarl of NYC punk, and deep into the new millennium. Mick turns inward to face himself and the experiences as the visual record-keeper of myths and legends that propelled him into a living icon in this rock n’ roll comeback story. Mick's now infamous images of the likes of David Bowie, Queen, Syd Barrett (Founding member of Pink Floyd), Blondie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop are now imprinted on our collective psyche forever and generations to come. Presented in his own words, juxtaposed with spellbinding images and exclusive never-seen or heard archival film footage, audio recordings and original material, this film reveals an enigmatic Rock and his adventurous life both behind the camera and as an integral member of the artist’s entourage working with and shaping some of the most outrageous, recognized and accomplished musicians and personalities of the past forty years. „ Photographer Mick Rock makes a terrific subject in this documentary about the doyen of rock music snappers.“ – The Guardian „ If the central figure in Barnaby Clay’s documentary didn’t exist, rock ‘n’ roll would have had to invent him.“ – The Hollywood Reporter “Rock’s story itself is an incredible one: and one that is knowingly played up here.” – Empire Barney Clay is a British Film Director. After leaving school aged 18, Clay enrolled at the Wimbledon School of Art. After two years he quit and entered the London International Film School. He graduated in 1996, and moved into directing music videos and commercials. In 2003 Clay made his first documentary for Britain’s Channel 4, entitled ‘Greetings From Beartown’. He won multiple awards for his short films. In 2011 Clay re-worked Mick Rock’s classic music video for David Bowie’s ‘Life On Mars’. The installation was a part of Vice and Intel’s ‘Creators Project’ series, travelling globally under the name ‘Life On Mars Revisited’. Clay lives between New York and Los Angeles with his wife Karen O, lead singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and their son.
Supersonic Director: Mat Whitecross Cast: Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher, Paul Arthurs, Tony McCarroll, Peggy Gallagher, Alan McGee, Paul McGuigan, Marcus Russell Genre: Documentary Runtime: 118 minutes Country: United Kingdom Language: English Year: 2016 There were other contenders, but – love them or hate them – at the height of their powers, Oasis ruled the world. They were the last group to capture the zeitgeist in a way that seems inconceivable now. In August 1996, an indie band from the council estates of Manchester achieved something that had never before been done. Playing to quarter of a million people – with 2.5 million people applying for tickets – Oasis’s two concerts at Knebworth were at the time the biggest ever seen. If you grew up in the nineties, there was only one band that mattered. While Oasis is now no more, and the brothers to this day remain estranged, Knebworth can be looked at, in Noel’s words, “as the last great gathering of the people before the birth of the Internet.” That era of super bands is over. We live in a digital age of instant access, of gigs filmed on a thousand phones, uploaded in seconds to a worldwide audience. Back then, if you wanted to hear an Oasis track or see the band live, you had to put your money where your mouth was. And millions did. This is Liam and Noel as they really are: unruly and unguarded, affectionate and impassioned – filmed on the way up, in the eye of the storm, before anyone had a chance to grasp the impact they would have on the planet. „ Deliriously enjoyable!“ - Herald Sun (Australia) „’Supersonic’ boasts an ear-blasting, you-are-there immediacy, utilizing a treasure trove of archival photos and footage to make you feel present.“ Chicago Sun-Times „ A riotously enjoyable, appropriately deafening flashback to one of the last moments in music history when a bunch of knuckleheads with guitars could conquer the world on chutzpah alone.“ - Variety Mat Whitecross’s debut feature film “The Road to Guantanamo”, which he co-directed with Michael Winterbottom, won the “Best Director” award at the Berlin Film Festival in 2006. Since then he has gone on to direct music videos for various artists including Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Take That and Jay-Z. In 2009, Whitecross teamed up with Winterbottom again on “The Shock Doctrine”. “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” – a surreal biopic of punk legend Ian Dury – was released to critical acclaim and was nominated for a number of BAFTAs in 2010. Last year Parallel Vision presented his feature “Spike Island”.
PARALLEL VISION 2017
SHORT FILMS
Bob Dylan Hates Me Director: Caveh Zahedi Writer: Caveh Zahedi Genre: Short/Animation Runtime: 6 minutes Country: USA Language: English Year: 2016 Independent filmmaker Caveh Zahedi meets his childhood idol. It doesn’t go well. The fact that it’s extremely difficult to meet Bob Dylan and talk to him even briefly, is common knowledge. The Swedish Academy members experienced this on their own skin and the main character of ‘Bob Dylan hates me’, animated short of Caveh Zahedi, knows it very well. The alter ego of the director wants to meet the author of Like a Rolling Stone, but things will not easily unfold. A sharp and ironic short that blinks, for the humor and for the graphics, to the cult series South Park. Caveh Zahedi has experienced more than 50 celebrity encounters throughout his life and decided to document them in a series. And pilot for the series is ‘Bob Dylan Hates Me’, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival. “I got stoned one night and decided to make an animated series called Awkward Celebrity Encounters about my various encounters with celebrities over the years,” Zahedi said about the inspiration behind this film. „What strikes me about this short is how successful it is in spite of its simplicity.“ – Letterboxd „(Zahedi’s) diary-like approach to filmmaking casts the Iranian-American filmmaker as the bumbling star of an ongoing awkward comedy. “ – IndieWire “With a brilliant mind that meanders through the rabbit hole and turns it inside out, it’s anyone’s guess where Zahedi’s will pop up next — and in what condition.” – The Human Experience Caveh Zahedi is a filmmaker who defines himself as “independent and autobiographic”. His obcure, whimsical films have earned him a devoted underground following. He began making films while earning his BA in philosophy at Yale. After graduating, he traveled to Switzerland to try to work with famous French director Jean-Luc Godard. Godard refused to work with him after Zahedi called the film icon at 3 a.m. offering his filmmaking services. Among his most important are feature films The Sheik and I (2012) and I Am A Sex Addict (2005). Zahedi is an assistant professor of media and culture at Eugene Lang College.
Homeland Director: Sara Broos Writer: Sara Broos Cast: Raghad Kanawati, Morten Harket Genre: Short/Documentary Runtime: 14 minutes Country: Sweden Language: English/Swedish/Arabic Year: 2015 A story about the power of music and the meaning of the word homeland. A young woman escapes the war in Syria and ends up in the forest in Sweden. Music is a way for her to survive and brings her back in dreams and memories to her homeland. Specially one song has followed her all her life; a song by the Norwegian popband A-ha. She listened to them during her childhood in Damaskus and now that song becomes a link between the past and the present and holds a new meaning. She has a dream to meet the singer Morten Harket, someone she has admired since she was a child. The film was during two weeks the most popular and most watched film on Swedish Television. Morten Harket and Peter Kvint recorded a special acoustic version of ‘Hunting High and Low’ specially for the film and for Raghad. „14 minutes was all needed to make this gem of a film… This film must have a huge audience potential, not only at festivals for documentaries and short films but also on television “ – Filmkommentaren.dk „It’s a quiet story that creeps into the senses, creating a mood rather than carrying a plot — a necessary distinction for a film about a topic that’s ongoing, unresolved.“ – Huffington Post Sara Broos lives and works in Sunne, Sweden and Berlin. She has directed award winning documentaries, short films and experimental films. Her style is personal and sometimes experimental. She runs the independent production company Broos Film. She has received several awards as a filmmaker. Her debut feature length documentary “For You Naked” received a Dragon Award for Best Documentary at Gothenburg International Film Festival 2012, Best Nordic Documentary at Nordic Docs 2013. 2014 she was rewarded the prestigeous Bo Widerberg Prize. She is head of an advanced level screen writing program with base in Sweden, Copenhagen, Berlin, Gothenburg and Stockholm.
I'm You, Dickhead Director: Lucas Testra Writer: Larry Boxhall Cast: Anthony Gooley, Alan Flower, Olivia Pigeot, Anthony Taufa, Noah Moon, Tom Usher, Emma Palmer, Rae Johnston, Alistair Wallace Genre: Short/Sci-fi Runtime: 12 minutes Country: Australia Language: English Year: 2014 What would you do if you could travel in time? Richard, is an unrelatable moron. He receives permission to travel back in time to say a last goodbye to his mother. In reality, Richard pays for his time travel and goes to his tenth birthday party to force his 10-year-old self into learning the guitar so future Richard will be able to have more sex. Everybody knows a Richard (sans time-travel abilities). Richard is the stereotypical guy that would do anything to seduce women except something productive – like paying for guitar lessons instead of time travel. Because everyone knows a Richard, it comes as no surprise when he fails at convincing himself to learn the guitar. Failing to talk 10-year-old Richard into buying and learning to play the guitar, modern Richard buys 10-year-old Richard a guitar. After 10-year-old Richard’s mom takes his guitar away from him, modern Richard thinks up new ways of getting young Richard to listen to him - all of them involving mustaches. „It’s crude, funny, fast-paced and filled with enough punchlines and plot-turns to keep you enthralled throughout.“ – Shortoftheweek.com „Men will do ridiculous things to get laid, a fact that Australia's Lucas Testro plays to great effect in his hilarious scifi comedy short film“ – TwitchFilm “Most modern comedies can’t do much more than slapstick humor and semi-funny twists. ‘I’m You, Dickhead’ ends with such an unanticipated and fitting humor that it blows most full-length comedies out of the water.” – Hilltop Views Lucas Testro is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and producer. His credits include the award-winning short films I'm You Dickhead, Capes, Street Angel and Jigsaw Girl, and the television drama series Neighbours and Winners & Losers. He made his theatre directing debut in 2013 with the critically-acclaimed Melbourne Fringe Festival hit „Songs For Europe“.
So It Goes Director: Justin Carlton Writer: Justin Carlton Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ryan Kattner, Travis Grant, Genre: Short/Musical Runtime: 13 minutes Country: USA Language: English Year: 2016
Samantha Ressler
A sad woman sits alone in the park. Then, a complete stranger walks up and makes her day. As Samantha begins to record in a bathroom, she heard dogs barking outside. Frustrated, she walks out as her producer reminds her they have to finish. Just then, her sister arrives. Samantha had agreed to go to brunch, but she cancels due to the workload. She hasn’t slept in days. Her sister is angry for being flaked on, telling Samantha she can never keep a schedule — and she’s always busy with nothing to show for it. Samantha decides to take a walk to the park. As she sits on a bench, an odd stranger — with a bike locked to his leg — emerge from the bushes. She asks if he’s okay and they begin to make conversation. When he talks about waking up with a song stuck in his head, she help him out. They break out into a song and dance, which reminds her of why she loves to create music. With newfound inspiration, she goes back to the studio to record her song. Film showcase a cover of “Jackie Wilson Said” by Van Morrison, and also features some original music written by Ryan Kattner (Honus Honus) and sung by Winstead herself. „Sometimes the simplest films are the most charming. So It Goes certainly fits that description. It’s a hard film to encapsulate solely with a brief synopsis, but, give this one a go: I guarantee that it will put a smile on your face.“ - Shortoftheweek.com „ This film is a taut little musical delight “ – Film Wonk „…(A) musical little lark from Justin Carlton that combines a bright, lovely sincerity with enjoyably silly slapstick to good effect.” – Hilltop Views Justin Carlton is from Portland, Oregon. He has spent the last 17 years living and working in Los Angeles. Writing, making short films, music videos and a couple of non-fiction projects. He has most recently worked as a writer’s assistant on the Plan B/Netflix series The OA. This year he and his wife, Jamie Vega Wheeler, finished a feature documentary called ‘Use Your Delusion’, a story of a struggling musician on tour.
The Privates Director: Dylan Allen Writer: Dylan Allen Cast: Omar Maskati, Lilli Stein, Alex Herrald, Rachel Trachtenburg, Eddy Vallante, Eli Kleinsmith, Kuper Bank Genre: Short/SciShort/Sci -fi Runtime: 13 minutes Country: USA Language: English Year: 2017 While most new bands struggle to build a fanbase or keep all the members going in the same direction, The Privates struggle with the the fact that they play their music at a radioactive frequency that spontaneously combusts whenever they play out. Though talented, driven and full of promise, The Privates are haunted by a mysterious power that blows up amps, shorts circuit breakers and liquefies tape recorders when they attempt to play their own music. On the eve of their first (and possibly last) show, they have to decide whether to risk life, limb, and legacy for a 1:00 am slot on a Tuesday that could change everything. Or nothing at all... The film is inspired by and features the music of the Nashville-based band of the same name. Though the characters, story, and world are fictional, this film is the eventual result of a late-night basement show in 2005. „...(D)irector Dylan Allen does a fantastic job at creating a supernatural environment through the unusual premise, while the cast simply blows the roof off with a rockin’ witty performance.“ – Filmshortage.com „...Dylan Allen’s The Privates is the garage rock radioactive superpower cinematic amalgamation you never knew you needed, but but always wanted.“ – Shortoftheweek.com „Dylan Allen's short film The Privates is one one of my favorite shorts of 2017. It's funny, it's weird and it's chock full of a dynamic bunch of characters that jump off the screen and make you long for further adventures from this indie band of seriously nuclear oddballs.“ – ScreenAnarchy.com Dylan Allen is the founder of Amalgamated Picture Co, an award-winning production house based in Brooklyn, NY. His short film Epilogue premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival and was featured on Short of the Week, Vimeo Staff Picks, Fast Company, The Atlantic, io9, United Airlines, Film Shortage and NoBudge, where it was the most watched film of 2014. He is a card-carrying member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective.