SCREENING NOVEMBER 10 at 7:15 PM
Post-screening Q&A with the Filmmakers.
This year's shorts program features the following films:
The Bad Man - "90's Kid"
Director: Patrick Pierson | USA | 3 min.
Pure punk the way it was intended. Messy and glorious.
Cop Killer
Director: Phillip Harder | USA | 7 min.
Filmed on 16mm, Ice-T's Body Count performs in Minneapolis and CBGB's. Set against the police beating of Rodney King of 1991 and the trial and LA uprising of ‘92. Eerily similar to the George Floyd uprising thirty years later.
Blue Cranes w/ Edna Vazquez - "Tatehuari"
Director: Sarah Whelden | USA | 6 min.
An exploration of what it means to experience the raw heat of life together: excitement, joy and rebirth, tempered by grief, death and pain. Kept company and grounded by the voice of a central character, viewers are guided through this human spectrum and shown how their own existence is clarified by others.
Gradual Ascent - US PREMIERE
Director: Dian Albrecht | USA | 4 min.
Gradual Ascent celebrates four queer, interracial couples finding intimacy and connection admist a global pandemic and social uprising.
Don't You Go Nowhere
Director: Bryan Poeser | USA | 8 min.
A jazz dynamo belts his way through his weekly set until he makes an unexpected connection with an audience member in this short film about the power of music over memory.
Supaman - "Alright"
Director: Phillip Baribeau | USA | 6 min.
Native American hip hop artist Supaman has dedicated his life to spreading a message of hope, pride, and resilience that empowers and resonates with people across cultures, geographic boundaries. His latest and most ambitious music video to date is inspired by Back to the Future.
Four Tracks
Director: Kian Doughty | USA | 4 min.
In this documentary by award-winning student filmmaker Kian Doughty, 18-year-old Carl Luers reflects on his artistic journey as he enters a new stage of life.
Tank Fairy
Director: Erich Rettstadt | Taiwan | 10 min.
In Taiwan, "song wa si de" are workers who routinely supply gas tanks to street vendors and old residential buildings. The magical Tank Fairy delivers her tanks unlike any other - with sass, stilettos and a healthy helping of glitter. Her arrival upends the life of Jojo, a lonely ten-year-old who dreams of dancing and drag. Outcast by classmates and misunderstood by his stern, single mom, Jojo is inspired to live out loud by his fierce, propane-toting fairy godmother.
Kaya Stewart - "Honey" - MIDWEST PREMIERE
Director: Paul Boyd | USA | 2 min.
Powerhouse singer/songwriter Kaya Stewart’s upward trajectory came spiraling down around her in the midst of a global pandemic, as her anxiety and OCD started to challenge her own definition of who she is.
Indelible
Director: Shane Rock Nelson | USA | 9 min.
John, a charming 97-year-old man who plays the piano at a memory care facility, triggers cherished memories for his audience. Surrounded by devoted aides and a motley crew of residents, John's music evokes love, humor, and nostalgia, showing what it means to be in a caring community at any age and the importance of creating our own memories.
Onry - "1955"
Director: Martin Melnick | USA | 7 min.
In "1955", award-winning opera singer Onry honors the legacy of Emmett Till, an African American teenager whose murder catalyzed the civil rights movement. In grieving this act of violence, Onry honors his ancestors, creates space for Black imagination, and asks what we must do in 2022 and beyond to create an inclusive, spacious future. This powerful short film explores the time slippage of generational trauma, drawing real and imagined parallels between 1955 and 2022.
Ilona Telmanyi - A Musician First And Last - NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Director: Sinne Lundgaard | Denmark | 14 min.
Danish violinist Ilona Telmányi - daughter of Emil Telmányi - is 83 years old. Music has meant everything to her and her family all their lives. Ilona still practices daily on her three instruments, teaches music, and plays at concerts.
American Football - "Fade Into You"
Director: David M. Helman | USA | 8 min.
American Football offers up a dazzling cover of Mazzy Star’s 1994 hit single, "Fade Into You."
Stranger Than Rotterdam with Sara Driver
Directors: Lewis Kloster, Noah Kloster | USA | 10 min.
In 1982, the completion of Jim Jarmusch’s sophomore film, Stranger Than Paradise, hinged on producer, Sara Driver’s duty to hand carry the only existing print of the world’s most controversial rock documentary, Cocksucker Blues, across the Atlantic Ocean.
For more information and full synopses please visit soundunseen.com