Schedule 2017

2017 NWFFest Film Lineup

Please see our schedule for dates and times of screenings!

 

  • 1-800-Give-Us-Your-Kidney
    Director: Samantha Smith  |  Country: United States  |  Native of Nevada  |  Student
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Documentary  |  Run Time: 17 minutes

    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.

  • The Alley Cat
    Director: Marie Ullrich  |  Country: United States
    Category: Feature Film  |  Genre: Drama  |  Run Time: 70 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: https://vimeo.com/100740257

    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.

  • Canine
    Director: Kicki Kjellin  |  Country: Sweden
    Category: Feature Film  |  Genre: Drama  |  Run Time: 46 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://www.breidablick.se/

    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.

  • Dogs and Tacos
    Director: Steven Bachrach  |  Country: United States
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Drama  |  Run Time: 17 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: https://vimeo.com/166767471

    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.

  • Dogs of Democracy
    Director: M. Zournazi  |  Country: Australia, Greece
    Category: Feature Film  |  Genre: Documentary  |  Run Time: 58 minutes

    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. 

  • Dryland
    Director: Liv Prior Colliander  |  Country: United States  |  Student
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Drama  |  Run Time: 22 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://www.drylandfilm.com/

    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.

  • Get Wed Soon
    Director: Kathrina Bognot  |  Country: United States  |  Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Comedy  |  Run Time: 9 minutes

    Faced with her parents' desire for her to marry, a Filipino millennial takes dating to absurd lengths.

  • A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
    Director: Ana Lily Amirpour  |  Country: United States
    Category: Feature Film  |  Genre: Thriller  |  Run Time: 107 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://www.imdb.com/videoplayer/vi3493441305?ref_=tt_pv_vi_aiv_1

    Residents of a worn-down Iranian city encounter a skateboarding vampire (Sheila Vand) who preys on men who disrespect women. Persian language.

  • The Governor Calls
    Director: Richard Faverty  |  Country: United States  |  Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Comedy  |  Run Time: 4 minutes

    Local photographer Richard Faverty is mistaken for the governor of North Dakota.

  • Happy F-ing Valentine’s Day
    Director: Jeremy Dehn  |  Country: United States
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Comedy  |  Run Time: 14 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://happyf-ingvalentinesday.com/

    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?

  • I Am Still Here
    Director: Mischa Marcus  |  Country: United States
    Category: Feature Film  |  Genre: Drama  |  Run Time: 103 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: https://vimeo.com/207897505

    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.

  • In Their Eyes
    Director: Gina Levy  |  Country: South Africa
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Thriller  |  Run Time: 13 minutes

    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.

  • January Hymn
    Director: Katherine Canty  |  Country: Ireland
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Experimental  |  Run Time: 13 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: https://vimeo.com/constancenoelle

    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. 

  • Juliet Remembered
    Director: Tamzin Merchant  |  Country: United Kingdom
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Drama  |  Run Time: 19 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://www.julietremembered.com/

    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.

  • Kayayo, the Living Shopping Basket
    Director: Mari Bakke Riise  |  Country: Norway, Ghana
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Documentary  |  Run Time: 30 minutes

    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. 

  • Kurtis
    Director: Jennifer Dean  |  Country: United States
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Comedy  |  Run Time: 7 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: https://vimeo.com/170999911

    KURTIS has a problem with impotence. Is it all in his head? He’s in therapy with Dr. Marta. What will come up?

  • The Last Call
    Director: Marco Antonio Varela  |  Country: United States  |  Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Thriller  |  Run Time: 11 minutes

    People think of Frank Hayden in odd ways....or do they?

  • Life's Just Hard
    Director: Crystal Powell  |  Country: United States  |  Nevada Filmmaker (Reno)  |  Student
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Documentary  |  Run Time: 38 minutes

    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

  • Limbo
    Director: Konstantina Kotzamani  |  Country: Argentina, Greece
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Experimental  |  Run Time: 30 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://limboshortfilm.com/

    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 Found
    Director: Joshua Helmick  |  Country: United States  |  Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)  |  Student
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Thriller  |  Run Time: 11 minutes

    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.)

  • Mom
    Director: Sarah Harper, Lexee McEntee  |  Country: United States
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Dramedy  |  Run Time: 9 minutes

    A short about a rabble-rousing woman unsatisfied with her reality and her attempt to make it better.

  • Mom
    Director: Sarah Harper, Lexee McEntee  |  Country: United States
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Dramedy  |  Run Time: 9 minutes

    A short about a rabble-rousing woman unsatisfied with her reality and her attempt to make it better.

  • The New 35
    Director: Michelle Bossy  |  Country: United States  |  Native of Nevada
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Comedy  |  Run Time: 10 minutes

    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?

  • Picking the Right Gym
    Director: Penny Wiggins, Richard Faverty  |  Country: United States
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Comedy  |  Run Time: 1 minutes

    Life is full of temptations.

  • Picking the Right Gym
    Director: Penny Wiggins, Richard Faverty  |  Country: United States  |  Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Comedy  |  Run Time: 1 minutes

    Life is full of temptations.

  • Plenty
    Director: Avery Williams  |  Country: United States
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Drama  |  Run Time: 30 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://www.averyowilliams.com/

    A talented, street-forged young woman struggles to break from exotic dancing to be recognized as a legitimate actress.

  • Send Hollywood My Love
    Director: Deborah Richards  |  Country: United States  |  Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Comedy  |  Run Time: 30 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://sendhollywoodmylove.com/

    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.

  • Sourdough Starter
    Director: Gail Noonan  |  Country: Canada
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Animation, Music Video  |  Run Time: 3 minutes

    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.

  • Struggle and Hope
    Director: Kari Barber  |  Country: United States  |  Nevada Filmmaker (Reno)
    Category: Feature Film  |  Genre: Documentary  |  Run Time: 65 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://www.struggleandhope.com/

    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.

  • Sunflower Sings
    Director: Emma Selinski  |  Country: Australia, United States
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy  |  Run Time: 11 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://www.sunflowersings.com/

    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.

  • The Track
    Director: Brett Levner  |  Country: United States  |  Nevada Filmmaker (Las Vegas)
    Category: Feature Film  |  Genre: Drama  |  Run Time: 90 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://www.thetrackfilm.com/read-me/

    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

  • Truth is Beauty
    Director: Brandon Katcher  |  Country: United States
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Documentary  |  Run Time: 26 minutes

    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?”

  • Viable
    Director: Mary Gyulay  |  Country: Canada  |  Student
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Drama  |  Run Time: 36 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://www.viablefilm.com/

    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.

  • The Wasting
    Director: Carolyn Saunders  |  Country: United Kingdom
    Category: Feature Film  |  Genre: Thriller, Horror  |  Run Time: 93 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://www.thewasting.com/

    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.

  • Where to, Miss?
    Director: Manuela Bastian  |  Country: Germany, India  |  Student
    Category: Feature Film  |  Genre: Documentary  |  Run Time: 82 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://wheretomiss.de/

    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.

  • Young Filmmakers' Showcase
    Director: Young Filmmakers  |  Country: United States  |  Nevada Filmmakers  |  Student
    Category: Short Film  |  Genre: Children  |  Run Time: 45 minutes  |  Trailer or Website: http://www.nwffest.com/2017-young-filmmakers-workshop

    This block is a showcase of the productions from the Young Filmmakers’ Workshop which took place at UNLV, March 4, 2017.