Schedule 2017
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1-800-Give-Us-Your-KidneyDirector: Samantha Smith | Country: United States | Native of Nevada | Student
An intimate portrait of two strangers – as different from each other as they can be. Watch the differences begin to blur as we hear personal and candid details about one of the country’s first altruistic kidney donations and why one decided to risk surgery to help a complete stranger.
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The Alley CatDirector: Marie Ullrich | Country: United States
A road movie on a bike that takes place over one night, Jasper leaves an underground bike messenger race and goes on a physical and spiritual journey, through Chicago’s nighttime streets, to an emotion-filled destination.
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CanineDirector: Kicki Kjellin | Country: Sweden
Karin and Peter have been married for almost 15 years. On the surface they appear happy. Behind closed doors, however, all is not well. Enter Orion. A stray dog that forces them to view their relationship through new eyes. A chilling tale of power, isolation and abused love.
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Dogs and TacosDirector: Steven Bachrach | Country: United States
High school junior Alma Pantaleon arrives at her after-school work shift at a local South Los Angeles taqueria. Instead of tacos-and-burritos-as-usual, things get complicated when she finds herself stuck baby-sitting a former boyfriend's younger brother, who's no longer the "sweet little boy" she remembers.
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Dogs of DemocracyDirector: M. Zournazi | Country: Australia, Greece
Dogs of Democracy is a documentary about the stray dogs of Athens and the people who take care of them. Filmmaker Mary Zournazi explores life on the streets through the eyes of the dogs and peoples' everyday experience.
Shot in location in Athens, the birthplace of democracy, the documentary is about how Greece have become the ‘stray dogs of Europe’, and how the dogs have become a symbol of hope for the people and for the anti-austerity movement.
A universal story about love and loyalty and what we might learn from animals.
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DrylandDirector: Liv Prior Colliander | Country: United States | Student
Reeling in the aftermath of her mother’s suicide attempt, a young swimmer works through her trauma in the water while desperately trying to break the wall of silence at home.
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Get Wed SoonDirector: Kathrina Bognot | Country: United States | Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)
Faced with her parents' desire for her to marry, a Filipino millennial takes dating to absurd lengths.
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A Girl Walks Home Alone at NightDirector: Ana Lily Amirpour | Country: United States
Residents of a worn-down Iranian city encounter a skateboarding vampire (Sheila Vand) who preys on men who disrespect women. Persian language.
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The Governor CallsDirector: Richard Faverty | Country: United States | Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)
Local photographer Richard Faverty is mistaken for the governor of North Dakota.
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Happy F-ing Valentine’s DayDirector: Jeremy Dehn | Country: United States
Valentine’s Day provides the backdrop for this comedy short that asks the question: How can trying to do something so good turn out so f-ing wrong?
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I Am Still HereDirector: Mischa Marcus | Country: United States
I AM STILL HERE is the story of 10-year old Layla, who was stolen from her family and thrown into America’s child sex industry. Stories of courage drawn from interviews with trafficking survivors are the foundation for the fictionalized account of Layla’s journey as she confronts the monsters of her past and embraces the hope of her future.
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In Their EyesDirector: Gina Levy | Country: South Africa
A tense thriller shot on location in South Africa, 'In Their Eyes' follows a confident young African-American woman who finds herself alone in Africa, not sure whom she can trust. Exploring the felt experience of women as we journey forth from our homes, the film addresses questions of women's freedom, fears and the choices we make to try to keep ourselves safe.
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January HymnDirector: Katherine Canty | Country: Ireland
A reflection on grief, January Hymn sees Clara return home for the first anniversary of her father's death.
Taking the form of a fractured narrative, the film considers how Clara's experience of grief shapes her poetic relationship to a home which has been forever altered by loss.
Shot on location in the director's home county of Laois, Ireland, January Hymn was made with the support of the Irish Film Board's Signatures scheme.
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Juliet RememberedDirector: Tamzin Merchant | Country: United Kingdom
A short film about a former actress with dementia who cannot recognise her son, but remembers every line of her favourite role: Shakespeare's Juliet.
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Kayayo, the Living Shopping BasketDirector: Mari Bakke Riise | Country: Norway, Ghana
Kayayo means “girl-carrier” in the Ga language.
In the capital of Ghana, 10 000 girls from the ages of 6 work as real life shopping baskets - called Kayayo, carrying heavy loads on their head (from 130 to 220 pounds), earning very little and some end up in prostitution to make ends meet so they will get enough money to support their family and so their brothers can go to school. This documentary is about Bamunu, an 8-year old girl who hasn’t seen her family since she was sent away from home, two years ago, to work as a Kayayo to support her family. We follow her incessant longing to get away from the harsh markets, her journey back home and what awaits there. -
KurtisDirector: Jennifer Dean | Country: United States
KURTIS has a problem with impotence. Is it all in his head? He’s in therapy with Dr. Marta. What will come up?
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The Last CallDirector: Marco Antonio Varela | Country: United States | Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)
People think of Frank Hayden in odd ways....or do they?
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Life's Just HardDirector: Crystal Powell | Country: United States | Nevada Filmmaker (Reno) | Student
Two child abuse survivors struggle to overcome their pasts, learning while the memories never go away, there's life after violence.
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." Maya Angelou
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LimboDirector: Konstantina Kotzamani | Country: Argentina, Greece
The leopard shall lie down with the goat.
The wolves shall live with the lambs.
And the young boy will lead them.
12+1 kids and the carcass of a whale washed ashore… -
Lost and FoundDirector: Joshua Helmick | Country: United States | Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas) | Student
A young woman, whose life of abuse and prostitution that has numbed her emotional awareness, fights to regain control when she finds an abandoned baby in an alleyway.
(Nevada State College Student.)
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MomDirector: Sarah Harper, Lexee McEntee | Country: United States
A short about a rabble-rousing woman unsatisfied with her reality and her attempt to make it better.
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MomDirector: Sarah Harper, Lexee McEntee | Country: United States
A short about a rabble-rousing woman unsatisfied with her reality and her attempt to make it better.
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The New 35Director: Michelle Bossy | Country: United States | Native of Nevada
Single New Yorker Kat is celebrating her 35th birthday her own way but by the end of the night, her past has come to collect...and conceive?
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Picking the Right GymDirector: Penny Wiggins, Richard Faverty | Country: United States
Life is full of temptations.
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Picking the Right GymDirector: Penny Wiggins, Richard Faverty | Country: United States | Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)
Life is full of temptations.
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PlentyDirector: Avery Williams | Country: United States
A talented, street-forged young woman struggles to break from exotic dancing to be recognized as a legitimate actress.
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Send Hollywood My LoveDirector: Deborah Richards | Country: United States | Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)
When failed artist Jack Van Gough turns his hand to writing his first ever screenplay (ZARKS - Zombie Sharks) nobody expected it to become the most profitable movie of all-time. Two years on and Tinseltown now wants to know if Jack can deliver the goods a second time.
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Sourdough StarterDirector: Gail Noonan | Country: Canada
Sourdough Starter is based on a song of the same name that takes a tongue-in-cheek look at online dating in conjunction with practical directions on how to make sourdough starter. References to various online sites are cryptically written into the lyrics in the search for both love and leavening.
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Struggle and HopeDirector: Kari Barber | Country: United States | Nevada Filmmaker (Reno)
Among the wealth of untold stories in American history is the rise and slow disappearance of all-black towns that sprung up in the American West following the end of the Civil War. Founded in an effort to convince the U.S. to create an all-black state, most of these towns have now been swallowed up by nearby counties and cities, or are clinging desperately for their survival. Struggle & Hope mines the stories of the last-remaining residents of these towns, while charting their heroic efforts to ensure their town retains its independence, character, and even hopes for a better future.
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Sunflower SingsDirector: Emma Selinski | Country: Australia, United States
A physically and emotionally exhausted single mother is trapped in a work-obsessed world. The growth of a giant magical sunflower will show her the path to joy.
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The TrackDirector: Brett Levner | Country: United States | Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)
When a woman from the suburbs crosses paths with a sexually exploited teenage girl working the streets of Las Vegas, the two strike up an unlikely friendship which blossoms into a mother-daughter relationship that saves both their lives. Purchase Tickets
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Truth is BeautyDirector: Brandon Katcher | Country: United States
Truth is Beauty, a 55-foot sculpture that symbolizes the trust, freedom and expression of a woman striving to reach her most authentic self, free from fear or violence. This is the story of how the arrival of this iconic and revolutionary artwork ignited a sleepy town to reshape itself into a center for change. Her presence has empowered the community to advocate for equality and begs the question, “What would the world be like if women were safe?”
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ViableDirector: Mary Gyulay | Country: Canada | Student
High school senior and promising pianist Violet has her world turned upside down when she is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis days before her audition with a world-renowned music school.
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The WastingDirector: Carolyn Saunders | Country: United Kingdom
Sophie is on the brink of womanhood, in love for the first time, and fighting for her life. She’s anorexic, a result of a battle with her overbearing father Ilyas for control of her life. He’s a chef; refusing food is her only weapon, and her secret boyfriend Liam her only relief. When Sophie starts having nocturnal visits from a horrifying ghost, everyone she loves dismisses it, believing she’s having anorexic hallucinations. Her credibility lost, Sophie leans on Liam and they become more intimate. Suspicious Ilyas cracks down harder, while Sophie’s possessive mother is disturbed sensing she may lose her virginity. Pressure builds, the anorexia and the attacks increase. Sophie’s life is on the line and a dark family secret surfaces as the battle of wills becomes a battle for survival.
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Where to, Miss?Director: Manuela Bastian | Country: Germany, India | Student
Becoming a taxi driver is Devki`s biggest wish. To reach this goal, Devki has to stand up first to her father, then her husband and at the end even her father-in-law. Devki's story in 'Where to, Miss?' tells us why it is difficult for Indian women to step out of their deep embedded roles.
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Young Filmmakers' ShowcaseDirector: Young Filmmakers | Country: United States | Nevada Filmmakers | Student
This block is a showcase of the productions from the Young Filmmakers’ Workshop which took place at UNLV, March 4, 2017.