Shorts
Poetic memories of a five-year-old boy who ends up in a dramatic car accident with his dad. Film Contact Jacob Jarek Email: jacobjarek@gmail.com
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Jonen is having a crisis of faith. In his youth, he was a punk-rock musician, creating noise and onstage spectacles. Now he’s settled into a life as a Buddhist monk with a wife and five-year-old son. During his career-day speech at a local high school, however, Jonen has a public breakdown that leads to a deep depression when he realizes the importance of music to his life. In an attempt to raise Jonen’s spirits, the compassionate chief monk suggests he play a live show. As he plans for the concert, Jonen faces challenges from past loss, small-town resistance, and the possibility of alienating his family. Full of authenticity and charm, Abraxas is a subtle exploration of a man’s journey to reconcile the spiritual and secular. Director Naoki Katô cinematically renders the film to complement its philosophy by uniting the everyday and the transcendent. Rich, rewarding, and profoundly moving, Abraxas affirms peace and happiness within and posits "once a punk rocker, always a punk rocker." Film Contact Yuji Sadai Email: info@bitters.co.jp
World Cinema Documentary Competition
In a world plagued by stolen elections, secret government agendas, and a renewed interest in the exploitation of African natural resources, what value does democracy offer, particularly in the tumultuous region of West Africa? For Ghana, a nation that has been Africa’s barometer of political stability, democracy may mean the difference between peace and prosperity—and murderous chaos under military coup. An African Election is a remarkable documentary that grants viewers unprecedented access to the anatomy of Ghana’s 2008 presidential elections. Capturing the intrigue of electioneering, the intensity of the vote-counting process, and the mood of the countrymen whose fate lies precariously in the balance, director Jarreth Merz’s coverage unfolds with all the tension of a political thriller, revealing the emotions, passions, and ethical decisions that both threaten—and maintain—the integrity of the democratic process. An African Election illuminates a beacon of hope for Africa and for the value and vitality of democracy today. Film Contact Jarreth Merz, Urban Republic Email: info@urbanrepublic.org
New Frontier Performances and Installations
In Ghostcatching (1999), Bill T. Jones dances a series of original and haunting choreographic sequences accompanied by his own vocalizations as OpenEnded Group captures and portrays the movement using a customized technique. After Ghostcatching expands this work to incorporate 3-D technology, immersing audiences inside the dance and allowing them to experience this wondrous world of virtual movement with new depth. Film Contact OpenEnded Group and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company Email: inquiries@openendedgroup.com
Shorts
A man in his mid-30s searches for meaning in the aftermath of a relationship. Film Contact Jef Taylor Email: jef@leakytent.com
Special Panels
The twenty-first-century storytelling environment is about great storytelling and audience engagement, whether it’s watching, buying, organizing, or tweeting. Hear the masters and mistresses of film impact discuss the ways they broke new ground in the storytelling-and-change arena—from multiplatform strategies and games to geolocational apps and straight-up strategy. With Pamela Yates (Granito), Steve James (The Interrupters), Ted Richane (Cause & Affect), and Maren Grainger-Monson (The Revolutionary Optimists).
Award Winner Screenings
ANOTHER EARTH Rhoda Williams, a bright young woman recently accepted into MIT's astrophysics program, aspires to explore the cosmos. John Burroughs, a brilliant composer, has just reached the pinnacle of his profession, and is about to have a second child with his loving wife. On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, tragedy strikes, and the lives of these strangers become irrevocably intertwined. Estranged from the world and the selves they once knew, the two outsiders begin an unlikely love affair, which reawakens them to life. But when one of them is presented with the opportunity to travel to the other Earth and embrace an alternative reality, which new life will they choose? In this auspicious debut, director/cowriter Mike Cahill offers a taut, superbly conceived science-fiction romance that marks the emergence of the multitalented actor/cowriter Brit Marling. Marrying character with high concept, Another Earth lures audiences to go where no one has gone before.
Shorts
The director of Tarnation takes us on a guided tour through the shattered remains of memory and identity. Film Contact Myriam Achard, PHI GROUP Email: myriam@phi-montreal.com
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