JDIFF 2023 Program Booklet

2023 FESTIVAL GUIDE APRIL 20-24

TITLE SPONSORS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT

Sarita Koneru

Community Leader

PAST PRESIDENT

Beth Gilbreath

Keller Williams Legacy Group

VICE PRESIDENT

Tom Wagner

Wagner Accounting

TREASURER

Cheryl Sheldon

Dubuque Regional Airport

SECRETARY

Sharon Kuttler

Community Leader

MEMBER

Kathy Kahle

Midwest One

MEMBER

Dr. Jeff Manternach Key City Vision

MEMBER

Dwight Hopfauf

Hotel Julien Dubuque

MEMBER

Bob Woodward

Telegraph Herald

MEMBER

H.R. Cook

VenuWorks

MEMBER

Austin Putman

Premiere Bank

MEMBER

Chet Medinger

Kunkel & Associates

MEMBER

Charles Andrew Gardner

Actor, Educator, Entrepreneur

Chicago Local SAG-AFTRA President

FESTIVAL STAFF

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Susan Gorrell

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Ali Levasseur

VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS

Dave and Ruth Assmus

MARKETING & ACCOUNTING

Travel Dubuque

SOCIAL MEDIA

Amanda Munger

OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Digital Dubuque

PUBLICIST

Beatrice Kimmel

VOLUNTEERS

Thank you to the people who volunteer their time to make the festival happen each and every year.

OUR MISSION

The Julien Dubuque International Film Festival is dedicated to enriching the community and bridging cultures through education and promotion of arts through independent film.

THANK YOU TO OUR TITLE SPONSORS:

WELCOME TO IOWA.

We’re glad you’re here. And according to MovieMaker Magazine, you’re one of the cool people attending this film festival in the heart of historic Dubuque.

Dubuque is a cool city and in between screenings I invite you to check out the rest of the area to scout for your next film. Northeast Iowa offers some of the most beautiful countryside in Iowa from the rolling hills of Grant Wood country to the towering limestone bluffs of the Driftless Area to the panoramic views of historic Mississippi River towns. We think you’ll discover that our open spaces inspire creativity and provide production value on screen.

Please keep Produce Iowa in mind so we can help connect you to opportunities here. We invite you to review our online Production Directory to assist your next project with crew and support services, as well as our Location Database to find that perfect spot to film.

And if you live in Iowa and want to become involved with productions, consider creating your own free directory listing and then be sure to keep it updated throughout the year.

One of the greatest opportunities we offer Iowans are our Greenlight Grants that support entrepreneurial film and media projects that can accelerate businesses and careers in Iowa. Grants range from $10,000 to $50,000 to produce in Iowa and applications are due May 1.

So whether you are a cool visitor or resident, our state is ready for your story and my office can help you to go from script-to-screen here in Iowa.

LIZ GILMAN State of Iowa Film Commissioner produceiowa.com

SARITA KONERU Board of Directors President

LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT

On behalf of The Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, welcome to Dubuque, Iowa, for our 12th annual film festival. Our beautiful city is located on the lovely Mississippi River and is a true hidden gem in Iowa. We hope you will experience its beauty and meet all the amazing and very welcoming people. The arts are such a big part of Dubuque, and we hope you will enjoy all of it.

In addition to our wonderful filmmakers, actors, actresses and producers, we welcome our viewers and filmgoers as you experience the powerful impact of film. The buzz you will feel the next few days is vibrant and energetic. It will very likely stay with you for days to come just like the films you are going to experience here in our lovely city.

The Julien Dubuque International Film Festival would not be possible without the generosity and continued support of our sponsors, the extreme dedication and passion of our executive director, Susan Gorrell, and the tireless work of our inspiring group of volunteers.

We, the JDIFF Board of Directors, look forward to celebrating this special event with you, welcome you to our city, and hope you experience our unique local businesses around town while enjoying the incredible stories told through film and making great memories. Enjoy the festival!

Sarita Koneru

SUSAN GORRELL Executive Director

LETTER FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

I’m so excited to welcome you to the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival. It’s such an honor to be part of this great event that keeps growing every year, and that’s hugely in part due to the wonderful donors, sponsors and volunteers! The financial and physical contributions of these amazing people, and those who buy tickets to events and the screenings, provide our funding. They are the reason why we can continue to grow and bring the best in independent film.

Film is a form of Art. It creates all types of emotions and conversation. That’s what an independent film festival is all about. A conversation piece where you are able to watch amazing films, meet people from all over the world, and learn.

I hope that you enjoy the festival, meet amazing people and have great things to tell your friends about your experience here and then plan to come back year after year!

Susan Gorrell

THE DETAILS

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7 National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium Journey Theater (Inside Paddle Wheel Building) 350 East Third Street

8 Phoenix Theater 555 JFK Road

TICKETS

Visit julienfilmfest.com/tickets for a full list of ticket prices, including special screenings and events.

FILM TICKET: $12 (Student/Child $6)

DAY PASS: $60

(Student $30) Access to unlimited films for the day

3-DAY ALL ACCESS PASS: $150

($75 for students) Free access to all films and evening events during 3 day period

5-DAY ALL ACCESS PASS: $200

($100 for students) Free access to all films and evening events during 5 day period

Please note: There is a processing fee charged with all orders. To receive a student discount, tickets must be picked up at the Hotel Julien Dubuque and students must present a valid student ID.

WHAT TO EXPECT

• Pre-purchase your tickets to guarantee seats at your screening

• Masks optional

• Dress appropriately for comfort, variances among climate-controlled venues and the weather

• Stop by the JDIFF Box Office & Information Center located at the Hotel Julien Dubuque for information on updated schedules, shuttles, and more

• Saving seats in screening venues is not allowed, nor is saving space in line

• Recording equipment of any kind is not permitted in any screening venue

• Please turn off all mobile devices before film presentations

• Please refrain from talking during film presentations

• Don’t forget to submit your digital audience member ballot with the venue volunteer after each film screening

• Please exit promptly and discard all trash in the appropriate containers

FREE DAY

Enjoy free general film screenings

Thursday, April 27, thanks to Runde Auto Group.

STUDENT FREE DAY

Students can enjoy free general film screenings (stop in the Box Office for a wristband) Friday, April 28, thanks to GreenState Credit Union.

Tickets can be purchased online and printed from home OR purchased at the Hotel Julien Dubuque Box Office. In order to guarantee a seat, tickets must be either ordered ahead of time either online or at the box office, printed, and presented to the volunteer at the venue. This also applies to any pass holder, voucher, or certificate. Limited seats are available for each screening. There will be no reserved seating for pass holders without a ticket. Ticket holders will be seated first, and any pass holders without a ticket will be seated last if spots are available.

JOEY B. MCNAMER MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

June 2, 1986

August 10, 2018

SPECIAL EVENTS

STAY UP TO DATE

For a Full list of EVENTS, WORKSHOPS, PANELS, and COFFEE TALKS, check Festival HQ at Hotel Julien Dubuque, the official festival app, social media, or scan this QR code.

MEET & MINGLE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2023 - SPONSORED BY

CELEBRATE CANADA NIGHT + AFTER PARTY

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2023

WITH FILM MIDNIGHT AT THE PARADISE. SPONSORED BY

INTERNATIONAL FILM + EST STUDIOS AFTER PARTY

THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2023 - WITH FILM BOLAN’S SHOES.

WORLD PREMIERE + 90S THROWBACK PARTY

FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2023 - WITH FILM PLIGHT. SPONSORED BY

AWARDS NIGHT + AFTER PARTY

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2023

SPONSORED BY THE JOEY B. MCNAMER FOUNDATION.

CLOSING FILM

SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2023 - WITH FILM TEACHER.

PRE-RECEPTION TAKING PLACE BEFORE THE EVENT WITH FREE APPETIZERS & A CASH BAR. SPONSORED BY

LAST CHANCE MEETUP

SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2023

MORE SPECIAL EVENTS

CELEBRATE CANADA

THURSDAY SCREENINGS

FRIDAY SCREENINGS

DOCUMENTARIES

Listed on pages 34-40.

A LONG WAY FROM NOWHERE Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: PAUL SCHEURING, CHRIS WARD

PRODUCED BY: CHRIS WARD, JOSH DRAGGE, PAUL SCHEURING

Sponsored by What compels a person to run 150 miles through the desert at the height of summer? Is it the need for achievement, the competitive instinct, or something deeper—a spiritual need for hardship, for catharsis, and from it, healing? A LONG WAY FROM NOWHERE is a different sort of extreme sports film—one centered not around winning—but instead one focused upon the human spirit—on why individuals push themselves to, and sometimes beyond, the breaking point.

60 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

ADAPTING TO DIVE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: DAVID MARSH

PRODUCED BY: DAVID MARSH

Seven days before leaving to make a documentary with Diveheart, a nonprofit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities through scuba diving and related activities, his son dies of a drug overdose. He decides to go anyway--but doesn’t tell anyone about his loss. He learns about healing and adapting from these adaptive divers.

65 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

AFFIRMATION GENERATION

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: L. E. DAWES

PRODUCED BY: VERA P LINDNER, DIMITRI KANCHE

A documentary on medical ethics, “Affirmation Generation” reveals the push to medicalize non-conforming youth, exposes the damage already done, and warns of an epidemic of medical malpractice to come. It features twelve leading experts, six subjects, and cites 45 academic medical articles.

90 MIN, GA, *NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN, USA, ENGLISH

AMERICAN: AN ODYSSEY TO 1947

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: DANNY WU

PRODUCED BY: DANNY WU, LAURA WILLIAMS, SHANIA KUMAR

In the early 1940s, director Orson Welles navigates his meteoric Hollywood rise. As WWII begins, a Japanese-American boy visits abroad, and an African-American soldier enlists in the Army. The film explores such topics as Japanese internment camps, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, emergence of the Civil Rights movement, and the beginning of the Cold War.

102 MIN, GA, CANADA, ENGLISH, ANIMATION, INTERNATIONAL

ANXIOUS NATION

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: VANESSA ROTH

PRODUCED BY: LAURA

MORTON, STEVE PURCELL

Sponsored by Bob and Beth Woodward. Academy Award-winning director Vanessa Roth and first-time co-director Laura Morton unfold the epidemic of anxiety and explore why we are such an anxious nation. The film lifts the shroud of shame around mental health and gives insights into how anxiety affects our children and families, and what parents’ contributing role may be. The filmmakers present insights into how we got here and what we can do to harness anxious energy for good.

100 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

BEYOND

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: THIAGO DA DALT

PRODUCED BY: DRU MILLER

This film follows Tamara Mark, a former rising Broadway/Hollywood star, to a full-time single mother of two nonverbal autistic adults. She fights for her dream to build a community for those alike to live a better and safer life.

81 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, DRAMA

DEVIL PUT THE COAL IN THE GROUND

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: PETER

HUTCHISON, LUCAS SABEAN

PRODUCED BY: PETER HUTCHISON, DAVID KUHN, LUCAS SABEAN

Uniquely structured upon the personal storytelling of native West Virginians, “Devil Put The Coal In The Ground” is a meditation on the suffering and devastation brought on by the coal industry and it’s decline. From the realities of a crumbling economy, to the ravages of the opioid epidemic, to the irreparable environmental damage and its tragic impact on human health – the film is a cautionary tale unfettered corporate power, and an elegy to a vanishing Appalachia.

82 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GREENER PASTURES

DIRECTED BY: SAMUEL-ALI MIRPOORIAN

PRODUCED BY: SAMUELALI MIRPOORIAN, IAN ROBERTSON KIBBE

Greener Pastures

captures the day-today lives of four small, multigenerational family farms over the course of three years. Through an intimate, observational lens we examine the various farm stressors, policies and politics farmers must maneuver to survive, connecting the dots between mental health, industrialization, food production and climate change. It is a story of perseverance, patience and determination that tackles nothing less than the future of farming in America.

82 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GARDEN CITY, KANSAS

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: BOB HURST

PRODUCED BY: TESS BANION

On the High Plains of Southwest Kansas, a thriving community sustained for decades by waves of immigrants becomes the target of white nationalists intent on killing the latest arrivals: Muslims. When they attempt to recruit a local man with a conscience he infiltrates them, partnering with the FBI and risking his life to prevent the attack and bring the domestic terrorists to justice. Animated courtroom testimony of the plot is interwoven with the inspiring story of immigration and the determination of a community to welcome the world.

78 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

JERRY’S LAST MISSION

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: LOUISA

MERINO

PRODUCED BY: LOUISA

MERINO, ED CUNNINGHAM

P-51 fighter pilot Jerry Yellin flew combat missions on Iwo Jima and over Japan, including the last combat mission of World War II. He returned home with PTSD, suffering with survivor’s guilt and daily thoughts of suicide, and with a deep hatred for the Japanese. This is the story of how Yellin overcame PTSD and how he was forced to face his enemy once again when his youngest son moved to Japan and married the daughter of a Kamikaze pilot.

58 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

KING OF KINGS: CHASING EDWARD JONES

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: HARRIET MARIN JONES

PRODUCED BY: HARRIET MARIN JONES, QUINCY JONES, DEBBIE ALLEN

Sponsored by Ann and Brian Cooper. Gangster for some, philanthropist for others, who was really Edward Jones? In the ’30s and ’40s, this descendant of slaves becomes one of the richest men in the US thanks to the Policy business, an illegal numbers game, that ultimately became the modern State Lottery. But in these times of segregation, his success and unfailing support to the African American community soon become a problem.

99 MIN, GA, FRANCE, ENGLISH, INTERNATIONAL

LABELED: THE MISSING, MURDERED, AND FORGOTTEN

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JUSTIN KUEBER

PRODUCED BY: JUSTIN KUEBER, SAM REID, ANDREA HEINZ

Sponsored by Women Religious of the TriState Area. Labeled: The Missing, Murdered, and Forgotten is a harrowing, intimate journey into the lives of three Indigenous women who were abused, exploited, and harmed during their time in Edmonton’s sex industry. This documentary provides an in-depth and unfiltered exposé of the intergenerational trauma and racism that many Indigenous people face – trauma which is deeply rooted within Canadian identity – and brings awareness to the 4000+ Women and Girls who are Missing, Murdered and Forgotten across Canada.

53 MIN, GA, *NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN, CANADA, ENGLISH, INTERNATIONAL

KINNICK: THE DOCUMENTARY

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: CHRISTOPHER

COOK, PAUL D.H. BENEDICT

PRODUCED BY: SCOTT

SIEPKER, BRENDAN DUNPHY

Sponsored by Dr. Randy and Kelly Lengling. The story of Nile Kinnick: child of the Depression, winner of the Heisman Trophy, and pilot in WW2. The story of a man becoming myth unfolds in cinematic detail in this feature documentary, revealing what pushed a young man from Adel, Iowa to reach ever higher and ascend to the realm of legend in the minds of sports fans across the nation.

92 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

OKLAHOMA BREAKDOWN

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: CHRISTOPHER

CHARLES FITZPATRICK

PRODUCED BY: CHRISTOPHER

CHARLES FITZPATRICK

Mike Hosty is a one-man band freak of nature who also tells jokes. His musical talents are world-class and his improv skills produce original performances on the fly. A cover of his song was #1 for all of 2007, but few knew who wrote it or what genre it came from. This documentary reveals why a legend of the underground has reservations on chasing the limelight, when he could be a millionaire.

92 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, DRAMA

Family Suitable for all ages M: Mature Contains mature themes & strong language Indicates Nominee

PATOU: IN BLACK & WHITE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: FIONA COCHRANE

PRODUCED BY: FIONA COCHRANE

With a career spanning four decades, Jamaican singer Pat Powell (Patou) is one of Australia’s most accomplished yet hidden vocal talents. He is the artist that everyone wants to work with – the singer’s singer who sings with 15 bands.

55 MIN, GA, AUSTRALIA, ENGLISH, INTERNATIONAL

PUPPY LOVE

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: GAIL GILBERT

PRODUCED BY: BARBARA STIEGLITZ, AMANDA MARIEN, JULIA DEVOS

When a healthy litter of pups suddenly becomes paralyzed and the vets say the dogs should be put down, a group of dedicated women rally together to fight for their survival.

80 MIN, F, USA, ENGLISH

RADIOACTIVE: THE WOMEN OF THREE MILE ISLAND

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: HEIDI HUTNER

PRODUCED BY: JUDITH

HELFAND, SIMEON HUTNER, RICHARD SAPERSTEIN, HEIDI HUTNER, SUZANNE KAY

This documentary covers the Three Mile Island meltdown of 1979, the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history, and the neverbefore-told stories of four intrepid homemakers, two lawyers who took the local community’s case to the Supreme Court, and a young female journalist caught in the radioactive crossfire. RADIOACTIVE features activist and actor Jane Fonda, whose film, CHINA SYNDROME, a fictional account of a nuclear meltdown, opened 12 days before the actual disaster in Pennsylvania. In this thrilling feminist documentary, indomitable women fight back against the nuclear industry Goliath to expose one of the worst cover-ups in U.S. history.

77 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

TEACHER

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ADAM GACKA

PRODUCED BY: ADAM GACKA

Sponsored by

At a time when teachers are leaving the profession in droves, Nkanga Nsa chooses to become a teacher in the nation’s third-largest public school system, Chicago. With unprecedented access to the classroom, we get an inside look at what it’s really like to be a teacher, explore the root causes of the teacher shortage, and the need equity in education.

50 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

THE 90S CLUB

Iowa Premiere

THE ARTIST AND THE ASTRONAUT

DIRECTED

BY:

ROBERT DARWELL

PRODUCED BY: ROBERT DARWELL, SHERI WARD

This charming documentary showcases the vibrant wisdom and life lessons of a dozen diverse individuals in their 90s. Through the touching and open stories shared by the “cast” (including beloved actor Dick Van Dyke), we can gain some perspective for our own lives as we grow older.

87 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: BILL MUENCH

Pat and Jerry grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same schools. Pat would travel thousands of miles and Jerry would travel millions of miles before they would meet in Houston. This film centers around an American couple’s captivating story during the pinnacle of American exploration and social change. Although this film is in essence a love story, Pat and Jerry lived entire lives before they even met each other in 1976.

100 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

THE EXCHANGE. IN WHITE AMERICA. KAUKAUNA

& KING: 50

YEARS

LATER

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JOANNE I WILLIAMS

PRODUCED BY: JOANNE I WILLIAMS, DEBBIE PASCHKE

In 1966, a social studies teacher in all-white Kaukauna, Wisconsin, wanted his students perform the controversial play, “In White America”. So, along with a Black English teacher in Milwaukee developed a twomonth student exchange with a mostly Black high school. This is the story of an experience during the Civil Rights era brought into the time of Black Lives Matter.

62 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

THE SIXTRIPLEEIGHT

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JAMES WILLIAM THERES

PRODUCED BY: JAMES WILLIAM THERES, MALCHOLM REESE, EDNA CUMMINGS, ELIZABETH HELM-FRAZIER

They faced racism, sexism, and the Nazis—in that order. They were undaunted and unafraid. Led by Major Charity Adams, the highest-ranking black woman in the U.S. Army during World War II, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was the only all-black female unit of the Women’s Army Corps to serve in Europe during the war. They were 855 black women, built of the same mettle as the “Hidden Figures” of the U.S. States military. Like the “Hidden Figures” women of NASA, the women of the “SixTripleEight” will receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

73 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

F: Family Suitable for all ages M: Mature Contains mature themes & strong language Indicates Nominee

UNTREATED & UNHEARD: THE ADDICTION CRISIS

IN AMERICA

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: LAURA CASEY, SPENCER PARKER

PRODUCED BY: SPENCER PARKER, JENNY LEE, LAURA CASEY

Substance use disorder kills more people every year than any other disease and yet only 1 in 10 people who need treatment get access to it. These are unheard stories of the addiction crisis from families whose lives have been forever changed by addiction and the experts dedicated to changing the outcome for those suffering from this fatal disease.

77 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

WOMEN BEHIND THE WHEEL

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: HANNAH CONGDON, CATHERINE HAIGH

PRODUCED BY: HANNAH CONGDON, CATHERINE HAIGH

Two British women drive Central Asia’s Pamir Highway, connecting the stories of the women who live along it.

90 MIN, GA, UNITED KINGDOM, ENGLISH, INTERNATIONAL

WINE, WOMEN, AND DEMENTIA

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: KITTY NORTON

PRODUCED BY: BETH RIGAZIO, GREG BYERS, TAKI OLDHAM

Sponsored by Beth Gilbreath. Former dementia family caregiver, Kitty Norton, set off on a cross-country RV adventure to meet five dementia family caregivers who had become online friends through their shared care experiences. Meeting in-person for the first time they share intimate, humorous, heartfelt stories providing a vivid picture of dementia life through the lens of family caregivers who have come to accept the beauty and the brutality, the hilarious and the horrific, for themselves and their dementia person. Wine, Women, and Dementia explores the themes of perseverance, familial devotion, and most importantly how to celebrate LIFE on a long road to death.

87 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

FEATURES

Listed on pages 41-47.

ASPHALT

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: CHARLOTTE MADSEN

PRODUCED BY: MORTEN

RASMUSSEN, PETER BECH

When the past catches up with you - Do you turn around?

82 MIN, M, DENMARK, DANISH (SUBTITLES), DRAMA, INTERNATIONAL

BLACK BAGS

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JOSHUA BRANDON

PRODUCED BY: BL FLEISCHER, PETER FOLDY, RONNIE WISKUP

On a lonely Greyhound bus, a chance encounter between Sara (Laura Vandervoort) and Tess (Olesya Rulin) with identical black travel bags sets off a deadly game of cat and mouse when Tess discovers she’s swapped bags with a killer, and that their meeting may not have been an accident.

87 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH

BOBCAT MORETTI

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ROB MARGOLIES

PRODUCED BY: ROB MARGOLIES, VIVICA A FOX, TARYN MANNING

An obese multiple sclerosis patient takes up his late father’s sport of boxing to overcome personal tragedy and find inner peace. This feature was filmed over the course of 10 months, during COVID-19, allowing the lead actor to lose 154 pounds and embody the role.

96 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH, DRAMA

BOLAN’S SHOES

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: IAN PULESTONDAVIES

PRODUCED BY: TERRI DWYER, DEAN FISHER

Sponsored by

This story takes us on a tumultuous journey from the height of T. Rex mania in 1970s Liverpool to the present-day poignancy of what would have been Marc Bolan’s 75th birthday. It captures the heady exhilaration of glam rock mania through the experiences of a group of over-excited kids from a local children’s home before a devastating road accident changes their lives forever. Bolan’s Shoes is a joyful celebration of Seventies culture and brims with the energy of that vibrant era but, like Marc Bolan’s legacy, its retro glitter is dimmed by the tragic repercussions of that deadly road accident.

96 MIN, M, UNITED KINGDOM, ENGLISH, INTERNATIONAL

CENTRAL VALLEY

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: NOVE

KLAINER, GABRIEL OLIVA

PRODUCED BY: TRAVIS

ANDRE ROSS, TODD MYERS

Tim is a 35-year-old drug peddler, drifting through the desolate streets of the central valley in California. His brother suddenly passes away, leaving his 10 year old son under Tim’s care.

90 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH

GET FREE

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: DANIEL

CHARLES WIDDOWSON

PRODUCED BY: CRAIG PETER

GILES, AMANDA LOUISE

GILES, MASON GRADY

Acclaimed director Daniel Widdowson and AA Gilesberg bring “Get Free,” a gripping film that shines a light on the urgent issue of abduction and human trafficking. Inspired by real-life events, the movie tells the harrowing story of seven young girls taken into modern-day slavery. Drawing inspiration from purpose-driven blockbusters like “Taken,” and “Bombshell,” “Get Free” is a cinematic tour-de-force set against Australia’s Central Coast. The film provides searing insight into the dark forces that threaten our most vulnerable, combined with a powerful message of women’s strength and resilience.

106 MIN, M, AUSTRALIA, ENGLISH, DRAMA, THRILLER, INTERNATIONAL

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MIKE CHESLIK

PRODUCED BY: RYLAND

BRICKSON COLE TEWS, MATT SABLJACK

In this 19th century, no dialogue, supernatural winter epic, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

108 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH, ACTION, COMEDY, ROMANCE

LAND OF GOLD

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: NARDEEP

KHURMI

PRODUCED BY: PALLAVI

SASTRY, KEERTANA SASTRY, SIMON TAUFIQUE

When truck driver Kiran hears pounding on a shipping container and finds a young Mexican-American girl inside, his already tumultuous life takes a drastic turn as he seeks to reunite her with her family.

105 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, SPANISH (SUBTITLES), DRAMA

LET THE PARTY BEGIN

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: AKI AVNI

PRODUCED BY: DORON ERAN

After winning an award at the Cannes Film Festival, successful producer

Yonatan Harel is facing a family and business crisis.

When his wife plans to surprise him with a party, he wires his house with cameras, to be a fly on the wall at his event. While watching the monitors he is exposed to conversations and actions of those closest to him and reveals the true face of who he thought he knew.

88 MIN, GA, ISRAEL, HEBREW (SUBTITLES), DRAMA, INTERNATIONAL

MAAMANITHAN (THE MAN)GREAT

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: SEENU RAMASAMY

PRODUCED BY: YUVAN

SHANKAR RAJA

A soulful drama about a simple man who gets into trouble when his aspirations for a better education for his kids backfire into dangerous problems for the whole family.

119 MIN, GA, INDIA, TAMIL (SUBTITLES), INTERNATIONAL

F: Family Suitable for all ages M: Mature Contains mature themes & strong language Indicates Nominee

MIDNIGHT AT THE PARADISE

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: VANESSA

MATSUL

PRODUCED BY: BILL

ROBERTSON, PAUL BARKIN

Sponsored by Consulate General of Canada. When they were teenagers, Iris and Alex went to see the sexy French movie ‘Breathless’ and fell in love. But life had other plans. Twenty years later, Iris is married to workaholic doctor Geoff, stressed out by motherhood and caring for her dying, self-centered film critic father, Max. Tonight she has scheduled a screening of ‘Breathless’ at the rundown Paradise Theater in Max’s honor, and on a whim invites Alex. But when Alex shows up with his fiancée, Iris’ world is turned upside down and the two ex-lovers spend the evening contemplating the past and plotting a future together.

96 MIN, GA, CANADA, ENGLISH, INTERNATIONAL

PINBALL: THE MAN WHO SAVED THE GAME

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: AUSTIN

BRAGG, MEREDITH BRAGG

PRODUCED BY: ROB

PFALTZGRAFF, STACEY

PARKS, LANA LINK

Sponsored by

The story of Roger Sharpe, the GQ journalist and real-life pinball wizard. In 1976, he single-handedly overturned New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball machines.

90 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, DRAMA, COMEDY, ROMANCE

PERFECTLY GOOD MOMENT

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: LAUREN GREENHALL

PRODUCED BY: JULIAN

SELTZER, AMANDA JANE

STERN, LAUREN GEENHALL, STEPHEN CARLILE

This psychosexual thriller asks the question: what happens when the things that make your relationship passionate and exciting are the same things that make it toxic? Ruby and David have been on-and-off for 8 years. Six months after Ruby last ran out on him, she has returned. But Ruby has more in store than just a reunion.

72 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH, DRAMA, ROMANCE, SCI-FI, THRILLER

PLIGHT

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MJ ALHABEEB JR

PRODUCED BY: MJ ALHABEEB

JR, HEATHER G. WEBB, SETH MICHAELS, RACHEL LEIGH

Sponsored by

A Ukrainian woman (Valentina) comes to the States to care for her sister after she and her fiancée are victims of a hit and run. Her fiancée’s father (Joe) pushes the authorities to find those responsible but faces a dead-end. With nowhere left to turn he decides to take matters into his own hands, enlisting the help of Valentina to bring justice.

81 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH (SUBTITLES), THRILLER

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

SCRAP

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: VIVIAN KERR

PRODUCED BY: RACHEL

STANDER, VIVIAN KERR

After getting laid off, a young single-mom (Vivian Kerr) finds herself living in her car and struggles to hide her homelessness from her estranged brother Ben (Anthony Rapp) and his wife (Lana Parrilla).

105 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

SEAPER POWERS MYSTERY OF THE BLUE PEARLS

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: KIM CAMERON

PRODUCED BY: KIM CAMERON

In this animated feature for children, diver and ocean researcher Emma is assigned to find mysterious blue pearls deep in the Caribbean. She seeks the help of underwater friends from the past, Octopus and Starfish (voiced by Vanilla Ice). Threatened by pirates, she must make a choice: protect an important secret or risk destroying an underwater world vital to our oceans.

66 MIN, F, USA, ENGLISH, ANIMATION

SIBEL’S SILENCE

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ALY YEGANEH

August 2014. ISIS invades the city of Sinjar, home to the Yazidis, a religious minority, in northwest of Iraq. Sibel, a 13-yearold girl, witnesses the slaughter of her entire family. Alongside thousands of other women and young girls from her community, she is then kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery.

95 MIN, GA, FRANCE, FRENCH (SUBTITLES), INTERNATIONAL

THE BEEHIVE

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ALEXANDER LASHERAS

PRODUCED BY: ALEXANDER LASHERAS, ARUN FRYER, MIKE JOHNSTON

In this dramatic sciencefiction tale, a family living on a farm experiences a strange and mysterious cosmic event. The brave and curious Rosemary finds what she thinks is an unusual beehive growing on a tree branch and decides to keep track of its progress every day, only to discover that it’s not a beehive after all. The story showcases up and coming Indigenous talent and Canada’s beautiful scenery.

86 MIN, M, CANADA, ENGLISH, DRAMA, SCI-FI, INTERNATIONAL

THE CLOAKED REALM

Iowa Premiere

THE CROSSROADS

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY:

MARISA COHEN, PETER ISSAC ALEXANDER

PRODUCED BY: MARISA COHEN, PETER

ISSAC ALEXANDER

Set in 19th century

London, Baden, and New York City, The Cloaked Realm is an adaptation and reimagining of two of history’s greatest but now forgotten science fiction stories from over 100 years ago. “Moxon’s Master” and “The Ablest Man in the World” are thoughtprovoking and mind-bending stories that question everything from the nature of reality to the rise of artificial intelligence.

81 MIN, F, USA, ENGLISH, SCI-FI, ANIMATION, THRILLER

THE DUEL

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JUSTIN MATTHEWS, LUKE SPENCER ROBERTS

PRODUCED BY: ZACHARY SPICER, GORDON STRAIN, JUSTIN MATTHEWS, JOE MATTHEWS

When Woody finds out Colin has been sleeping with Abbie, their friend group starts to unravel, taking them on a zany and drug fueled adventure over the border to a mysterious and stunning estate. As the boys attempt to live up to their idea of historic manhood, the line blurs between heroism and toxic masculinity as each attempt at reconciliation fails.

96 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH, DARK COMEDY

DIRECTED BY: DOUGLAS

ALAN RAINE

PRODUCED BY: DOUGLAS

ALAN RAINE

After picking up an ailing hitchhiker, Star, an ex-cowboy war vet, Logan, finds little in common with this singer/ songwriter from Los Angeles. Star flees her past while Logan deals with his. Logan survives through routine. Star is a rebellious free spirit. Both strive to hide their pasts, but common thread binds them together, when they open up to each other, a relationship builds.

96 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH

THE GROTTO

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JOANNA GLEASON

PRODUCED BY: LAURE

SUDREAU, SEAN AKERS, TIM KIRKMAN, TODD SHOTZ, KELLY WOYAN

Sponsored by Eric and Linda Lucy.

When her fiance dies unexpectedly, Alice Kendall inherits half ownership of The Grotto, a struggling desert nightclub where she discovers eccentric performers and a heartbreaking secret. As Christmas approaches, Alice is on the brink of a leap of faith as forces both seen and unseen beckon her toward her future.

90 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

THE SISTERS KARRAS

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MICAH STATHIS

PRODUCED BY: CLARE LOUISE

FROST, MICAH STATHIS

Sponsored by Dr. Sudhir Koneru.

A story about the things that matter: Family, legacy, success, and textiles. Yes, textiles. Two estranged half-sisters form a complicated bond as they work together to retrieve their rare and precious inheritance, which their late father inexplicably leaves to the mysterious Marco.

83 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, COMEDY, DRAMA

THE YEAR OF THE DOG

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ANDREW MCGINN, MICHAEL PETERSON, ROBERT GRABOW

PRODUCED BY: ROBERT GRABOW, HEATHER HANLEY

Matt, a loner alcoholic at rock bottom, struggles to maintain sobriety for 30 days so he can honor his mother’s dying wish, to visit her in hospice, sober. His book-thumping AA sponsor, Fred, offers him refuge at his farm, where Matt finds Yup’ik, a stray Husky with a unique talent. The man and dog relationship is precarious at first, but with the help of a closeknit Montana community, the two strays find a connection and discover what it takes to pull through to the finish line.

96 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

UNDER THE INFLUENCER

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ALEX HAUGHEY

PRODUCED BY: MASHA

KO, ANNA GRIGORIAN, MARLAINA SMITH KELTON WHITE, ALEX HAUGHEY

A successful Youtuber is aging out of the platform in her mid-20s, and struggling to redefine herself in the world outside her social media bubble.

91 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, DARK COMEDY, DRAMA, COMEDY, ROMANCE

UNFRIENDING

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: BRETT BUTLER, JASON BUTLER

PRODUCED BY: BRETT BUTLER, JASON BUTLER

Blake and his girlfriend, Simone, host a dinner party at Blake’s parents home for their closest friends, including Blake’s oldest friend, Isaac. The dinner party is actually a set up for a life intervention for Isaac, where the friend group tells him all the reasons he has become a burden to them, and society in general, letting him know that he should just give up and kill himself already.

88 MIN, M, CANADA, ENGLISH, DARK COMEDY, DRAMA, INTERNATIONAL

F: Family Suitable for all ages M: Mature Contains mature themes & strong language Indicates Nominee

FILM GUIDE

SHORTS + FUTURE FILMMAKERS

Listed on pages 48-67.

SPECIAL SCREENING NIGHT OF THE COOTERS

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: VINCENT D’ONOFRIO

Sponsored by Dr. Tom and Anne Benda.

Follows the time when martians invaded Pachuco, Texas, in the 1800s.

34 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

APRIL 26 AT 4:00 PM - FIVE FLAGS THEATER

APRIL 27 AT 4:15 PM - NATIONAL MISSISSIPPI

RIVER MUSEUM JOURNEY THEATER

SPECIAL SCREENING ALL CANADA SHORTS

Sponsored by the Consulate General of Canada. Join us in viewing the shorts from Canada.

SHOWING: BABATOURA CHERRY BLOSSOMS IN MARCH

BELLE RIVER

SNAP, ARCHIE’S STORY

APRIL 26 AT 10 AM - FIVE FLAGS THEATER

SHORT BLOCK 01

104 MIN

THE RINGMASTER

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MAY ALBANESE

Alma feels she’s finally found an escape from her disturbing family life when she discovers a secret world of circus performers, but as she becomes the new muse to its enigmatic ringmaster, the fantasy devolves into a nightmare that feels uncannily familiar.

15 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH

BANSHEES RIDGE

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: TRISTAN BARR

Based on outback folklore, a bushranger who mourns the death of his daughter searches for a missing girl who has been taken by the corruptions the Australian settlers call “Banshees.”

11 MIN, M, AUSTRALIA, ENGLISH

GO WITH HER

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: YUSHI CHE

In a lonely and distant space station, BAI, a female scientist, and other partners spent five years inventing a chip that can convert human emotions into extraordinary physical performances. BAI and one of her partners, DU, have developed a certain chemistry with each other. But, as a wife and a mother, BAI has kept her feelings for DU deep in her heart.

15 MIN, GA, CHINA, MANDARIN CHINESE (SUBTITLES)

BLACK DRAGON (RỒNG ĐEN)

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ALEXANDER THOMPSON

A Vietnam War-set psycho-horror-fable inspired by the real-life Mỹ Lai Massacre.

15 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH, VIETNAMESE

DENALI

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ALBERTO ORTEGA

Marina hires the services of Soul Data, a company that creates digital consciousness through data generated in life, to claim her deceased father for his part of the inheritance until she comes across new secrets.

12 MIN, GA, SPAIN, SPANISH

WOMAN IN RETROGRADE

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: IMOGEN HARRISON

An Irish woman (Saoirse Reilly) in the 1980s in rural Ireland suffers a terrible tragedy and as a copy mechanism assumes the identity of the infamous American Flapper girl Zelda Fitzgerald.

18 MIN, M, IRELAND, ENGLISH

DANA

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: LUCÍA FORNER SEGARRA

After being attacked one night, Diana believes that something must change and decides to do her justice. This is why she names herself “Dana,” meaning “the one who does justice.”

18 MIN, M, SPAIN, SPANISH (SUBTITLES)

NOMINEE: WOMAN IN RETROGRADE

F: Family Suitable for all ages M: Mature Contains mature themes & strong language Indicates Nominee

SHORT BLOCK 02

THE FOURTH

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JOHNNY KIRK

Eager to celebrate the Fourth of July, a group of young Black and Latino friends experience a police encounter that shatters the meaning of the holiday.

12 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH

SOLO UN ENSAYO

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: HUGO SANZ

Two sisters, seven and eleven years old, are hiding inside a closet in a house. The little sister thinks they are rehearsing for a game but the older one knows that a terrible threat lurks outside.

9 MIN, GA, SPAIN, SPANISH (SUBTITLES)

THE GHOST OF LOS ANGELES

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: BOBBY LOUISE WHITE, BRIG WHITE Research has linked loneliness to high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and even death. And Los Angeles is the loneliest city in the world. All of us trying so hard to be someone, living our isolated lives, yearning for real connection. Immigrant, elderly, and LGBTQ+ populations experience loneliness more often than other groups. Loneliness has been on the rise since COVID-19, making it a more critical social issue than ever. The Ghost of Los Angeles is a story about the mental health struggles of a young woman and her search for any type of meaningful human connection.

11 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

DIE UNSICHTBARE GRENZE (THE INVISIBLE BORDER)

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MARK GERSTORFER

A deportation in Vienna in the middle of the night. Police officer Nancy and her colleague Albert have the task of evicting a family. The events of the night leave everyone involved traumatized.

28 MIN, GA, AUSTRIA, GERMAN (SUBTITLES)

109 MIN

BLACK SOLDIER

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JIMMY LAPAROL-TRÉSOR

France, 1986. When Hughes, a young man from the French West Indies, discovers the new Freetime ad, it is a shock : France, the country where he was born, to which he owes his life and his identity, considers him a cannibal. This is the start of a radical awareness fueled by anger and frustration.

27 MIN, GA, FRANCE, FRENCH

HOW NOT TO BE A JUNKIE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MICHELLE PEERALI

Based on a true (Iowa) story. 22-yearold Lex thinks she has mastered the art of shooting up and getting just high enough not to wake up dead. But today, things didn’t go as planned. When an overdose and a raging abscess bring Lex to a busy emergency room and she is stuck alone with her thoughts, an even deeper childhood wound opens. But will a chance encounter with an ER nurse and a teenage girl change the course of Lex’s life forever and save her from her biggest demise…herself?

20 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

SHORT BLOCK 03

108 MIN

TWITCHING

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MADELAINE MOORE

When Ella discovers that her internet date, the recently bereaved Mark, sleeps in a giant bird’s nest made of clothes, she must choose whether to stay in her own comfort zone, or take part in his unconventional grieving process.

15 MIN, GA, UNITED KINGDOM, ENGLISH

THE CRITIC

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: FRANK KELLY

With a World Premiere at this years “Dances with Films”, ‘The Critic’ is a romantic thriller that tells the story of Meghan Dupane (Julia Collier), a reserved and cosmopolitan hotel critic who travels the globe reviewing luxury hotels incognito. That is until her next assignment changes everything. After checking into The Biltmore Hotel for what appears to be another routine review, her stay quickly spirals into an adventure of a lifetime when she meets Jack Tupper (Nick Puya), a charming and mysterious golfer who discovers her true identity and offers her a proposition she cannot refuse.

24 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

LETTERS FOR LOST LOVERS

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: FAISAL AHMAD

An intimate portrait of two lovers suffering from dementia and their fractured existence, set across three timelines and centred on the true, tragic love story of Héloïse d’Argenteuil and Abélard in 12th century France.

23 MIN, GA, UNITED KINGDOM, ENGLISH

TRUST

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: DIANE LANSING

Trust is inspired by true events that are all too familiar today. A moment in time set in Varese, Italy during WW2, when a young Jewish girl is questioned by a Nazi Lieutenant who wiles her with chocolate and outdoor play then tries to trick her into revealing her families true identities by switching languages to expose her family is Jewish.

14 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, GERMAN

A LOVE WORTH FIGHTING FOR

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: TOBY FOUNTAINE

A German and an English soldier, in the first uneven throes of war, meet by chance. They are interrupted by a French woman who brings them together. When the naïve German later kills the English, his world comes crashing down...

15 MIN, GA, UNITED KINGDOM, ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN

HEDGEHOG

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: D. MITRY

As the war starts in Ukraine, 6-year-old Nina is sent to her grandmother’s remote village. In the shack outside, Nina discovers a badly wounded Russian soldier.

17 MIN, GA, USA, RUSSIAN, UKRAINIAN (SUBTITLES)

NOMINEE: HEDGEHOG

F: Family Suitable for all ages M: Mature Contains mature themes & strong language Indicates Nominee

SHORT BLOCK 04

107 MIN

LE BALLON BLEU (THE BLUE BALOON)

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: KATHERINE GRIFFIN

A curious blue balloon leads a girl on an adventure through the streets of Paris, but when she crosses paths with a little boy and his red balloon, it becomes clear there’s a greater magical force at work between the balloons. The 1956 classic French film Le Ballon Rouge has a single scene with a girl and a blue balloon. Le Ballon Bleu is her story and serves as a prequel and a continuation to the story of the boy and the red and blue balloons at the heart of that classic children’s film.

15 MIN, F, FRANCE, FRENCH (SUBTITLES)

REST IN PIECE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ANTOINE ANTABI

Midyan decides to run away from his wartorn home. He packs his bag with objects that remind him of his loved ones and embarks on a journey into the unknown. Soon he is starving and resorts to eating the objects he has packed. The effects are monstrous yet they give him the strength to carry on through the scorching desert.

10 MIN, F, FRANCE, NO DIALOGUE

MR. MAYONNAISE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: PATRICK RAHILL

A young adult’s imaginary friend returns to remind him of an unfulfilled contract they agreed to as children.

13 MIN, F, USA, ENGLISH

LUCE AND THE ROCK

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: BRITT RAES

One day, out of nowhere, a giant Rock lays in the middle of the peaceful little village where Luce lives. The villagers can’t even open the door to their houses anymore! Luce is angry: go away Rock, you don’t belong here! And why are you here anyway?

13 MIN, F, BELGIUM, ENGLISH

THIS WILD ABYSS

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MATTHEW CARLSON

Sponsored by A former cowboy turned janitor with an eighth-grade education, Milt Humason forms an unlikely friendship with astronomer Edwin Hubble and assists him at Mt. Wilson Observatory, a partnership that leads to their discovery that the universe is expanding.

23 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH

NAKAM

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ANDREAS KESSLER

In Ukraine during World War II, a 12-yearold violinist, Mitka, is supposed to carry out a partisan movement’s planned attack on a gathering of SS officers. But this attempt will also put his only friend’s life in danger.

33 MIN, F, GERMANY, GERMAN, RUSSIAN, UKRAINIAN, YIDDISH (SUBTITLES)

NOMINEE: NAKAM

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

SHORT BLOCK 05

108 MIN

THE ERRAND

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: AMANDA RENEE KNOX, MIRA OLSSON

When a young girl hitchhiking is picked up by a stranger, who ends up taking whom on a ride?

11 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

TOY PHONE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: GABE BRADEN

When her young son starts “speaking” to his recently deceased father on a toy phone, a mother is forced to confront the loss she never quite dealt with.

15 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

PIVOT PALS

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: DORON DREW FELDMAN

An uptight boy attempts to derail his mom’s relationship with her man-child boyfriend after reluctantly agreeing to spend the day with him.

19 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

NOMINEE: MAYFLY

MAYFLY

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: KEITH ANDREEN

Best selling self-help author Aaron Driscoll may look like a successful motivational speaker on the outside, but inside, he hides a dark secret, which he thought would remain buried deep in his past. After a long day of talk shows, book signings and motivational speaking, he returns home to his mansion and passes out, only to be startled awake by what initially appears to be an obsessed fan holding him at gunpoint, demanding the truth about his shameful past, and forcing him into a painful reckoning that will either kill him or be his salvation.

27 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

HOME

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: STEPHEN ROBINSON, ERIC PHAM

Two Vietnamese sibling refugees must navigate their new lives in Houston, Texas following the Vietnam war.

15 MIN, M, USA, VIETNAMESE (SUBTITLES)

CHIPPER

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: SHAUN MACLEAN

After receiving a mysterious letter, a wayward son returns to his childhood home to wrestle with a dark family secret.

21 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH

F: Family Suitable for all ages M: Mature Contains mature themes & strong language Indicates Nominee

SHORT BLOCK 06

TARNEIT

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JOHN SHEEDY

Tyrone lives with his distressed mother and her boyfriend Pommy, a lowlife who despises immigrants and homosexuals. Tyrone’s best friend Clinton, a refugee, lives with his overworked mother and older brother Shaker, who also has firm ideas about race and sex. Despite these obstacles, Tyrone and Clinton are deeply bonded. Partly because they’re both Deaf, partly through a shared sense of neglect, but mostly because they share a dream of one day escaping the harsh violence that swirls around them.

22 MIN, M, AUSTRALIA, ENGLISH (SUBTITLES)

OUR SECRET

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: RYAN WARD

A young girl imagines she and her mother are part of an ancient consciousness that has always existed.

8 MIN, GA, CANADA, ENGLISH

DADDY’S EYES

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: DREW ANN ROSENBERG

In this haunting tale of hope and despair, a mother and her daughter, separated for over twenty years by race, fame, and heroin addiction, struggle to find each other before it’s too late. This modern Greek tragedy examines the sacrifices that must be made to make it to the top of the music world.

15 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

SAFE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JOSEMA ROIG

Somewhere in the US a family hears an unsettling bump in the night

10 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

107 MIN

BALIKBAYAN

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: REBECCA RAJADNYA

A Filipina immigrant grapples with the physical distance from the family she left behind and the cultural disconnect from her daughters in the United States.

18 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, TAGALOG

A REAL ONE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MCKENZIE CHINN

Different as night and day, Lauren and Keisha’s friendship is “us against the world.” They’re 17 and live on Chicago’s largely Black south side. Their friendship is tested when Lauren reveals a tightly-held secret to Keisha, and the two friends must take matters into their own hands in a landscape where the only thing they can truly count on is each other.

15 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

PICTURE DAY

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: KELLY PIKE

The day before school pictures, a newly transplanted tomboy’s decision to pierce her ears sparks a family crisis.

16 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

SHORT BLOCK 07

109 MIN

JACOB AND THE QUISLING

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ANDERS TEIG

From award-winning writer and director Anders Teig, a film inspired by George Orwell’s, “A Hanging,” and historical events. In post-war Norway, the lust for revenge runs high. Twelve-year-old Jacob, forced by his father to take a job sweeping floors in the police station, meets a quisling—a traitor— who awaits execution. Two souls are dealing with different kinds of pain. A child can see humanity where hatred blinds war-weary men. But acting with compassion instead of hate is not without consequences.

25 MIN, GA, NORWAY, NORWEGIAN (SUBTITLES)

THE MANGO TREE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: LORRIS COULON

Tsiory, a metropolitan teenager is sent to spend the summer with his grandmother Mirana on Reunion Island. Their meeting is a source of tension. Tsiory discovers an important part of his heritage, that of a Malagasy family marked by the slavery.

25 MIN, GA, FRANCE, FRENCH (SUBTITLES)

WHAT THEY FOUND

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: RYAN DARBONNE

Two black men on a fishing trip stumble across the body of a dead white man and debate what to do with it.

14 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH

I HAVE NO TEARS AND I MUST CRY

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: LUIS FERNANDO PUENTE

Maria Luisa is ready to escape immigration limbo, but when her green card interview takes an unexpected turn, she faces the anxiety of losing the life she had planned.

13 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, SPANISH

GOING DOWN SOUTH

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JOSUA PAUL MESSARGE

Two protective brothers, Donnie and Mickey, are approaching a crossroads when Donnie decides to leave their violent, criminal world behind to travel down south and start fresh.

20 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH

BABATOURA

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: GUILLAUME COLLIN

Benoit and Catherine, a couple in their late twenties go to his parents’ house for dinner. It is with surprise and apprehension that they learn that the whole family is invited for supper and that the evening may not go as planned!

11 MIN, GA, CANADA, FRENCH (SUBTITLES)

NOMINEE: JACOB AND THE QUISLING

SHORT BLOCK 08

H A N G M A N

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: SAM UPTON

Dr. Joyce Hendricks (Annabeth Gish), a professor of psychiatry at the Harvard School of Medicine, specializes in the study of violent individuals, specifically serial killers. She and her colleague have been documenting their work. On their first day in Huntsville, Texas, they meet Bobby (Peter Stormare).

22 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH

FOR THE CLEAN UP

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MOHAMMAD MORAVEJ

A fallen-from-grace old man tries to change things for good.

10 MIN, M, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN, PERSIAN (SUBTITLES)

PARADISE

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ALEXANDER ARMAS TURPIN

A group of children hides in an old bunker by the coast, preparing for war. Their parents were given paradise, but are all to blame for its destruction. The children draw future visions of how Earth should be saved, which get darker as the group prepare themselves to feel the pain that their parents are causing. Seven-year-old Dagny still nurtures hope that her mother will understand, that she will listen.

16 MIN, M, NORWAY, NORWEGIAN (SUBTITLES)

COME FIND ME

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: NELA WAGMAN

A sensitive five-year-old girl searches for comfort and ballast when a tragic event engulfs her family in grief. In a futile search for support, she drifts into a world of fantasy.

13 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

IT’S RAINING

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: EDWARD LAI

This short film tells the story of a Taiwanese father and son who reunite after thirteen years, focusing on the emotional relationship and distance between Chinese fathers and sons.

28 MIN, GA, CHINA, CHINESE, CHINESE MIN NAN (SUBTITLES)

THE HIRED HAND

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MOHAMMADE REZA KESHAVARX FEYZ ASA

Kamran and Neda are going to a different party. They inevitably travel with Neman, an Afghan day laborer. The argument between Kamran and Neda, with Neman’s intervention, changes everything and the old monster wakes up ...

15 MIN, GA, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN, PERSIAN (SUBTITLES)

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

KEEP/DELETE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: KRYZZ GAUTIER

In a future where memories are stored like files, broken couples are offered the ability to wipe every trace of a relationship from their minds.

19 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

THE THIRD DEFECTOR

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JOHN GRAY

What seems like a simple assignment for a spy to keep tabs on an Iranian defector becomes a more complicated game of cat and mouse in the streets of Paris.

17 MIN, GA, FRANCE, FRENCH (SUBTITLES)

A MIND CANNOT TOUCH

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: GEOFFREY PRATHER

A Mind Cannot Touch is a short film about loss and how one grieving mother will go to any lengths to bring her daughter back from the dead. The film asks, “What if you could bring a loved one back after their physical body has died?” and explores the moral implications of this hypothetical.

15 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

NOMINEE: A

CHERRY BLOSSOMS IN MARCH

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: RILEY RHEYAN

In this mother-daughter story, a young woman explores her own mortality through art and poetry as her terminal illness holds her back from a normal life.

18 MIN, GA, CANADA, ENGLISH

LUNCHBOX

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ANNE HU

When a Taiwanese American woman prepares lunches from her childhood, she struggles to forgive herself for pushing away her immigrant mother.

16 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, MANDARIN CHINESE

A QUESTION OF SERVICE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ERIN BROWN THOMAS

From the cliffs of Wales, to the basement of MI6, to a Wisconsin farmhouse, “A Question of Service” follows Joseph, an MI6 interpreter...who may or may not be a Russian spy. Joseph’s family drama, inner tension, and a complicated relationship with his boss reveal that personal baggage can be just as complex as an espionage deal gone awry.

25 MIN, GA, UNITED KINGDOM, ENGLISH, FRENCH, RUSSIAN, SPANISH, GERMAN

MIND CANNOT TOUCH

SHORT BLOCK 10

THE STORM CHASER

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JACK PIRIE

The Storm Chaser is a labor-of-love short film project from writer/director Jack Pirie. The film follows storm-chasing legend Thomas Traversa as he embarks on a perilous journey in search of a mythical storm, the likes of which the world has never witnessed. A genre-blurring documentary about the profound encounters between humans and nature at its extremes, and the harmony that can be found within.

7 MIN, GA, UNITED KINGDOM, ENGLISH

BELLE RIVER

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: GUILLAUME FOURNIER, SAMUEL MATTEAY, YANNICK NOLIN

Spring flooding in Mississippi hits record highs. In Louisiana, the residents of PierrePart are preparing for the worst. Barring an unexpected turn of events, local authorities will soon be forced to open the floodgates of the Morganza Spillway, in order to save the cities of New-Orleans and Bâton-Rouge from further uncontrolled flooding. Faith and resilience are the two best weapons they still have in the face of uncertainty.

11 MIN, GA, CANADA, ENGLISH

UKRAINE - WARTIME DIARIES

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MOUHSSINE ENNAIMI

Sponsored by Beth Gilbreath. Under the laws of war, civilians should be protected. But in Ukraine it looks like they were targeted. As Russian troops withdraw, the brutality of their occupation is revealed. Liberated areas become crime scenes. Some were killed or left for dead. Others were tortured or held captive.

40 MIN, GA, TURKEY, ENGLISH, UKRAINIAN

KAMAT+A

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: OREANA FRANCHY

Mari Luz, a Kukama Kukamiria indigenous leader from the Peruvian Amazon, tries to save the Marañón River from oil contamination by filing a constitutional complaint with the Peruvian government to demand that the river be subject to rights.

20 MIN, GA, PERU, SPANISH (SUBTITLES)

108 MIN

SNAP, ARCHIE’S STORY

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: GEORGE STAMOS

SNAP, Archie’s Story is a short video conceived and directed by George Stamos featuring the legendary dancing, distinct voice and story of NYC vogue-dance icon Archie Burnett (Grandfather of the House of Ninja). In this rare and vulnerable portrait, vivid imagery, humour, movement, and Archie’s narration come together to tell his remarkable story of resilience and unwavering fierceness. Both playful and contemplative SNAP explores the precarious and sometimes punishing world of professional dance as dancers uphold images of strength and a “the show must go on” mentality, despite pain and adversity.

7 MIN, GA, CANADA, ENGLISH

SWIMMING THROUGH

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: SAMANTHA SANDERS

As the brutal Chicago winter draws near, Deirdre, Helen and Jennifer—avid open water swimmers—make a pact to continue through the snow and ice as the pandemic rages on. This intense commitment becomes their salvation from lockdown and helps alleviate each of their personal struggles. Initially just acquaintances, Swimming Through follows their friendship as it coalesces around their commitment to the daily ritual of swimming at sunrise in Lake Michigan.

15 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

YELLOWSTONE 88 - SONG OF FIRE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JERRY VAN DE BEEK, BETSY DE FRIES

In the summer of 1988 dry lightning sparked a fire in the parched and drought ridden landscape of Yellowstone Park, igniting a blaze that would scorch over 1.5 million perimeter acres of the park.

6 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

SHORT BLOCK 11

ROADKILL

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: WILLIAM ANGELICO

Two highway cleaning personnel disagree on whether or not to disturb a strand of roadside memorials. They learn the hard way that these pieces are more than clusters of roadside junk.

8 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

IT’S NOT REAL

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: TINA CARBONE

Jess wonders whether the creepy incidents in her creaky old apartment are actually happening.

8 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GOOD RIDDANCE

DIRECTED BY: JAKE J ROTH

A twisted story of witchcraft & revenge.

9 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

SHUT THE BOX

DIRECTED BY: BRITTANY BENEDICT

As Jennifer finds herself aged out of the foster care system, she must clear out the house her grandfather left her. She enlists the help of her two friends, other fosters, she met in the system. Shawn is hopeful this is the opportunity he’s been waiting for to take his relationship with Jennifer to the next level. That is until Nick a laid-back partier shows up to add a little excitement to the mix. Things take a dark turn when Nick suggests they play a simple game and unleash the supernatural powers of Roma.

16 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

BURN IT ALL

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JACK HICKEY

After her father leaves her mother for her best friend, a devastated Bobbie embarks on a chaotic campaign of revenge.

20 MIN, GA, IRELAND, ENGLISH

95 MIN

CALL OF THE VOID

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JACK MCDONALD

A defected member of a religious extremist group, searching for spiritual enlightenment, must come to terms with his past as he recalls the most traumatizing and guilt-ridden moment of his life, or face the wrath of a mysterious judge.

14 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

THE SPRAYER

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: FARNOOSH ABEDI

In the land occupied with the sprayers army, no one has the right to grow any kind of plants either in public or private. So many of the people and soldiers do not even know how does a plant grows or look like until one day one of the soldiers finds a seed buried deep down in the dust and his curiosity is just the beginning of something extraordinary, something big, something revolutionary.

9 MIN, GA, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

THIS FEELS RIGHT

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JONATHAN THOMAS COLEMAN

A bickering couple get lost on a dead-end road and stumble into a horrifying time loop that will change their lives forever. A comedy.

9 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

THE GIANT

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: BRENDAN SULLIVAN, NOAH KENTWORTZ

From the Digital Animation Center (DAC) at the University of Colorado Denver, comes a new 3D short. Set in 1939 war-torn Poland, a precocious young girl, Klara, takes the audience on a nightmarish adventure of epic proportions, to better understand her own heinous world.

5 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

F: Family Suitable for all ages M: Mature Contains mature themes & strong language Indicates Nominee

SHORT BLOCK 12

OUT OF WATER

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MADI STINE

When a disenchanted mermaid-for-hire is mistaken for a real mermaid, she plays along to disastrous consequences.

13 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

WHEEL

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: HONORA TALBOTT

WHEEL is a character-driven comedy about a Wheel of Fortune audition in a less than ideal audition environment. A volatile casting director gets hit with some bad news while helping her eccentric neighbor tape her Wheel of Fortune audition. Tensions are high, nerves are shot, confidence is shaken, and it’s awkward as hell.

9 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

UNBRIDALED

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: CHELSEA BRYN LOCKIE

After a bachelorette party gone wrong, a buttoned-up bride and her party-girl sister find themselves lost in the woods on the day of the wedding.

15 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

TOOTH

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JILLIAN CORSIE

Fed up with decades of suffering through the forced perfection of modern beauty standards, a tooth takes matters into its own hands and launches a full-scale attack.

4 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

REGULAR RABBIT

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: EOIN DUFFY

With story and visuals purposefully separated, a Regular Rabbit battles a comically absurd onslaught of disinformation. He is not the nightmare being told. He is as shown, a regular ol’ stupid rabbit doing his usual rabbit stuff! The narrator is full of s#!t!! How is this so hard to believe?! Fake news!! Where’s the evidence?! Agh!!! He is nothing more than a Regular Rabbit!

8 MIN, GA, IRELAND, ENGLISH

83 MIN

A FEW DAYS HOME IN JOHNSON COUNTY

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: RYAN BECK

When a son returns to his Midwestern childhood home, he finds that his father has put together a “death binder” containing his exact plans for the end of his life. Everything must go in a box, and his dad wants to be next.

14 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

OFF FAIRFAX

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ERICA ENG

Quinn Park, still reeling from the sudden disappearance of his black activist mother twenty years earlier, has dedicated his life to solving local mysteries in his LA neighborhood. Quinn is accompanied by his two best friends to a diner on Fairfax Avenue on his latest hunt to solve the murder of a popular musician which as by a twist of fate ends up shedding light on Quinn’s mothers disappearance.

7 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GOOD GRIEF

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ASH BLIDGETT

A young woman goes to spread her father’s ashes on a sea cliff, only to accidentally dump them on an unsuspecting man below who might just be the only person who understands her grief.

18 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

SPEED DATE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: EMIL LUNDMARK, QUIG LAN, RACHEL MIN

A young bachelorette tries to navigate the dating scene in search of her perfect match. She soon realizes all the chaos that comes with trying to find a suitor, and discovers that there may be more to life than romance.

3 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

SHORT BLOCK 13

THE WORD

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ROB NEILSON

The one percent decide to give all African Americans reparations...but there’s a catch.

10 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

THE LAST HURRAH

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MIA WEINBERGER

Emma and Hunter are breaking up. But not until they spend one last perfect day together. A bittersweet romcom, “The Last Hurrah” is a love letter to the relationships we leave behind.

16 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

CORA IN REFLECTION

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ASHLEY BRANON

A public-access TV crew’s talent show coverage is hijacked by a woman seeking to avenge her younger self.

6 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

WEI-LAI

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ROBIN WANG

Tired of getting pushed and punished by his own parents, Wei-Lai, an 11-year-old Chinese American boy, decides to show up at his best friend’s family and offer himself up for their adoption.

14 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, MANDARIN CHINESE (SUBTITLES), STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

THE LINE JUMPER

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ROB UNDERHILL, HUGH MURCHISON

Would YOU jump the line?

6 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

THEY GROW UP SO FAST

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JOHN F. BEACH

When Brian meets Amy after a night out on the town, things move a little faster than he anticipated.

10 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

103 MIN

FUNDAMENTAL SHAPES

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: COLIN ALISTAIR CAMPBELL

Jacob, an unemployed actor seeking a steady day job, stumbles into an unusual gig: nude figure model for a fine arts class. When his next-door neighbor turns up in the class, he must find a way to keep his identity hidden, and their budding romance intact.

15 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

JULIA

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JACK DONNELLY

Touring actors, Jasper and Dario, arrive at ‘digs’ one evening and walk into a peculiar setup. Unintentionally they inflate tensions with their odd host when one causes a blowup between him and his unusual ‘wife’.

8 MIN, GA, UNITED KINGDOM, ENGLISH

SOCIAL ANNXIETY

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JASON C. BROWN

Everyone loves a party. For Annie, a social gathering is an opportunity to live out every worst-case scenario before stepping foot through the door. Really, what’s the worst that could happen?

8 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

F: Family Suitable for all ages M: Mature Contains mature themes & strong language Indicates Nominee

SHORT BLOCK 14

THROWN AWAY CHILD

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JD DONNELLY

Failed by a care system that continuously ignored evidence of the abuse she suffered as a child in the UK, Louise was saved by her determination to escape home and become an artist. Fifty years later, Thrown Away Child explores how her case was able to slip through the cracks, and how she uses her past to fight for the rights of looked-after children.

31 MIN, GA, UNITED KINGDOM, ENGLISH

WHAT WE’LL NEVER KNOW

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: LAUREN READY

We’ll never know what happened inside the interrogation room where a teen confessed to a crime he did not commit. 17-year-old Oshay Sims was taken into custody on June 2nd, 2018. Nearly 7 hours later he confessed to murder. The law prevents us from knowing what police did to get his confession. So, the fight continues to clear his name and change the law.

15 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

THE BIG IDEA: BIRTH WITHOUT BIAS

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: SARAH KLIEN, TOM MASON

Motivated by her own harrowing birth experience, journalist Kimberly Seals Allers is disrupting the hospital system to transform Black maternal health outcomes in the U.S. Her app turns reviews from Black and Brown birthers into a powerful tool for hospitals to change their practices -- but are they ready to listen?

24 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

112 MIN

ANDREW AFTER ANGOLA

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: WILL LACALLE

ANDREW AFTER ANGOLA follows a re-entry program created to help former prisoners rebuild their lives in Louisiana and explores the complex background of the program’s founder, Andrew Hundley. Andrew is in a unique position to speak to this experience, having spent years in Louisiana’s largest prison, known as Angola, for seconddegree murder, a crime he committed at age 15. Observational scenes capture important conversations and moments of drama through the perspective of those who have served decades behind bars. The film allows time to consider the tough questions it raises, namely, whether Andrew and the people he works with deserve a second chance.

40 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

SHORT BLOCK 15

THE MIAMI VICE INCIDENT

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: TIM KIRK

The Miami Vice Incident explores a 35-year rift in a family caused by an episode of Miami Vice.

20 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

GEORGE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MATT RICHMOND

Sponsored by John B. Donovan. George Manias has operated a shoe shine shop for 76 years, ever since escaping the Nazi occupation of Crete at 14 years old. Today, at 91, the loss of his sister Angela haunts him as he struggles to decide whether to retire, and whether to visit Crete again without Angela by his side.

29 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

FANFARE FOR CROSSING THE ROAD

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ANN-MARIE LEQUESNE

Before each performance, the musicians— opera singers, trumpet players, percussionists, and speakers—are filmed at rehearsals mimicking the sound of the crossing signal for the blind. We see them in Cardiff, Lisbon, London, New York, and Helsinki. For the performances they were dressed in uniforms.

6 MIN, GA, FINLAND, IRELAND, PORTUGAL, UNITED KINGDOM, USA, ENGLISH

THE TRUCKET LIST

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MICHAEL ZIMBALIST

Pat Coen is a teacher and veteran who has spent his entire life in the pursuit of helping others. George Kittle, Pat’s nephew, decided it was time to give something back. In this episode of the Trucket List, George Kittle presents his uncle with a dream fishing truck setup.

22 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

DUGOUT DICK

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: HARROD BLANK

A heartwarming portrait of an Idaho hermit, Richard “Dugout Dick” Zimmerman, who lived in caves that he dug on the banks of the Salmon River. It was the hope of finding precious metals that kept him digging and mining, but ultimately it was his simple life of living off the land that sustained him.

17 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

F: Family Suitable for all ages M: Mature Contains mature themes & strong language Indicates Nominee

SHORT BLOCK 16

ROUGH HANDS

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ALEX HOWARD GRIMES

Danielle and her Father don’t let their diagnosis get in the way of living their lives the way they want to live them.

35 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

TEN DAYS

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: YERZAT MEIRAMBEK

After enduring ten horrific days in the basement of their Kiev home during the early days of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Anastasia, her mother, and her daughter set out on a long, harrowing trip to safety in the United States.

15 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, RUSSIAN, STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

THIS IS MAJOR

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: SCOT SAX

A Charismatic and beloved hip-hop artist from South Philadelphia puts his lyrical poetry and love to the world. But in the face of recent loss and a pandemic, he spirals into struggles with mental health.

34 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

108 MIN

RESURGENCE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: KRUSHAN NAIK

Ryan De Vries, a professional canyoneer, encounters a near-death experience in the canyons of Southern Utah. Post the accident, his friends and family witness a changed person as Ryan battles with himself due to the trauma caused by it—crippling his everyday life. The documentary highlights Ryan’s struggles after losing his identity, along with the disparity in his journey of physical recovery, mental healing, and emotional resurgence, and how they affect one another.

19 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

SHORT BLOCK 17

OLD WINDOWS

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: PAUL HOLBROOK

A struggling cafe owner is intrigued when a mysterious, elderly stranger takes an interest in her seemingly mundane life.

17 MIN, GA, UNITED KINGDOM, ENGLISH

VESTIGES OF MY PAST

USA Premiere

DIRECTED BY: YIFU FAN

It narrates the story of a boy, Yu, who wants a pair of skates in winter in a small city of northeast China.

23 MIN, GA, CHINA, CHINESE (SUBTITLES), STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

LEAVING YELLOWSTONE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: KAYLA AREND

What starts as a romantic trip in the wilderness, turns ugly as Tessa fights for her life in the winter of Yellowstone National Park. Tessa is excited to visit Yellowstone National Park with her new boyfriend, Mark. However, when they arrive, Mark changes, aggression and cruelty building as Tessa starts finding disturbing artifacts around his cabin. What begins as an idyllic winter weekend slowly becomes a nightmare as Tessa realizes she’s alone in the woods with a man she really doesn’t know at all.

23 MIN, M, USA, ENGLISH, STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE LEMONS

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: CAITLIN PRESBERG

A young woman comes home after the death of her abusive father to reconnect with the sister she left behind.

13 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

105 MIN

HOLLYWOOD

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: KEBU GRUBER, ALEX REINBERG Breakthroughs don’t come easy. Especially for up-and-coming actress Anna. Rejected from her most recent audition, Anna returns home to find that her dad has already made other plans for her life. Her last chance: playing the victim in training exercises for the local fire department. Whether she is rescued from car wrecks or placed under toppled trees, Anna gives it everything she’s got, because a job at the local bank seems utterly unthinkable.

29 MIN, GA, AUSTRIA, GERMAN (SUBTITLES)

F: Family Suitable for all ages M: Mature Contains mature themes & strong language Indicates Nominee

SHORT BLOCK 18 101

BALL & VASE

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: DAVID BARAM

Professor and magician Ed Coleman is ailing. He is 92 years old, widowed, a World War II veteran and living alone in a small apartment in Hoboken, NJ. He has been all but forgotten. Ed does have one thing that keeps him going—an upcoming visit by his grandson on Christmas. But a change of plans leaves Ed with one last opportunity to reconnect with the world.

31 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

WHO

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: CARLOS MARTIN

Luis, a totally dependent disabled man, has just arrived at a social center where he will be cared for the rest of his life. There he meets Ana, a nurse who will give him back the will to live.

18 MIN, GA, SPAIN, SPANISH (SUBTITLES)

FOR PALOMA

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: SURAJ SAVKOOR

After the traumatic birth diagnosis of her newborn daughter, Ally’s world is turned upside down. If only she had known the beauty of what was to come.

10 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

BREAKING DAWN

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: WENQING CHEN

Daisy, 24, a Chinese painter living alone abroad, has been suffering for the past three months since her love, Oliver’s death. She doesn’t want to acknowledge his passing. Every day, Daisy finds a different model to paint a portrait as a way to re-live her memories with Oliver. One day, she realizes that he is actually gone. How will her life change?

14 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH, STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

BABEL

Iowa Premiere

MIN

DIRECTED BY: ALEJANDRO SAN MARTÍN

Several people at a given time, are in a situation in which they speak nonsense, only being able to verbalize a disjointed phrase. Society, in the face of ignorance, isolates them to proceed with their study.

9 MIN, GA, SPAIN, SPANISH (SUBTITLES)

ON THE EDGE (AM GRAT)

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: MATTEO SANDERS

During an ascent up the mountain Felix (17) realizes that his older brother Paul’s (24) chronic illness multiple sclerosis has already severely limited his mobility. While they walk memories of their childhood are awakened and a deep fear about an uncertain future grows.

19 MIN, GA, AUSTRIA, GERMAN (SUBTITLES)

GENE’S 6TH SYMPHONY

Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JORDI GARCIA

The original animated short “Gene’s 6th Symphony” is based on a true story and was born with only six notes of music that became a symphonic magical story that defines true love and a life-long journey ending with a hope that lives forever.

6 MIN, GA, SPAIN, ENGLISH (SUBTITLES)

GA: General Audience Suitable for most audiences. May contain adult situations/language.

FUTURE FILMMAKERS 01

60 MIN

SUMMER FUN TIME

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: TYLER HOLME, TALI RABINOWITZ

A group of six best friends stumble upon a mysterious film that will change their lives and relationships forever. 17 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

POLISHED World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: SARAH ROSE SANTOS

A spoiled girl gets sent away to camp, there she discovers it’s the little things in life that have the most meaning. 6 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

LAWYER UP World

DIRECTED BY: CRUZ GENET

FUTURE FILMMAKERS 02

66 MIN

LION’S

MAW

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: DIEGO RAMIREZ-DELEON

A young boy grapples with his emotions regarding his crush. 6 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

VESTIGE World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: BLAIRE BROWN

August has been given the responsibility of speaking at a funeral, but he is conflicted about what to say. 8 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

FAITH World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ANNSLEY HELENHOUSE

Premiere

James Bateman, a TV injury lawyer, must learn that his charismatic and comedic strategies aren’t enough to help him win an attempted murder case. 9 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

A FILM ABOUT A BOX

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: WES TIAN

While two teenagers are on their way to Chuck E Cheese, they find a time machine that could change the course of humanity itself. What could go wrong? 15 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

SHE SAID THERE’D BE COOKIES World

Premiere

DIRECTED BY: JESSICA NEEDHAM

While stuck in detention, a group of misfits plan the ultimate prank on their principal. The game is on, the trap is set, nothing can go wrong...unless you count the fact he lives with his mom.

11 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

SENIOR NIGHT World

DIRECTED BY: JOSH WILLENSON

Premiere

A group of seniors in high school are excited for a “Senior Night” party. Little do they know, a different type of seniors will make it quite an interesting evening. 7 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

After his close friend from camp goes missing and a rough injury to the head that affects his memory, Kai is interrogated by local law enforcement and struggles with vivid flashbacks of the day before. 8 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

DANGUN Iowa Premiere

DIRECTED BY: CRESTWOOD 4TH & 5TH GRADERS

The mythical foundation of the first kingdom of Korea, animated and retold by the 4th and 5th grade students of Crestwood Elementary school in Madison, WI. 8 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

I PROMISE World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: PAULINA OLSYZNSKI

After the loss of their parents and desperate to care for her sisters, the oldest must face the consequences of her actions to keep her family safe. 12 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

WELL, WE TRIED World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: ELLA RADOJKOVIC

Four students try finishing a school project at the last minute. They hope to get an A, but they really end up with disasters and a teacher who doesn’t believe them. 4 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

WHERE THE STONE PATH LIES

World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: AUSTIN PEYTON

A girl’s best friend provides support for her as the girl grieves the death of her boyfriend, but a startling truth is revealed about his death. 8 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

THE TREATMENT World Premiere

DIRECTED BY: TREVOR KRAVITS

A young girl is in for a shocking surprise while waiting with other kids for an experimental treatment. 6 MIN, GA, USA, ENGLISH

F: Family Suitable for all ages M: Mature Contains mature themes & strong language Indicates Nominee

JOBS