25th MdFF Program Book

MARYLAND FILM FESTIVAL 25TH ANNIVERSARY

MAY 2-5, 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

3

25TH MdFF TEAM

4

SCHEDULE

6

FREE PROGRAMS

15

MAIN SLATE

16

FEATURES

26

SHORTS

36

RETRO MdFF

63

CINETECH

67

PANELS + TALKS

72

NIGHTLIFE

74

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

76

SUPPORTERS

77

KJ MOHR

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR AND DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING

GREETINGS, CINEMA LOVERS! Thank you for joining us on this momentous occasion. In imagining what we wanted the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Maryland Film Festival to look like, we were thinking first and foremost about our community. This is Maryland’s film festival, and we live in the heart of Baltimore, a vibrant and multifaceted city that is home to boundless creativity, innovation and spirit. We set out to reflect that in our programming and in our event planning, to build a destination festival for movie lovers and filmmakers from all over the country and around the world - but first and foremost for our hometown crowd. We want you to see yourself reflected in the images on screen and in the parties, conversations and opportunities the Festival presents. Welcome to the show and welcome home!

SCOT T. SPENCER BOARD CHAIR

WE ARE BACK! On behalf of the board of the Maryland Film Festival, I am proud and pleased to join KJ and the Festival team in this celebration of Baltimore and 25 years of film excellence in the Station North neighborhood. Behind the scenes, the team has been hard at work to bring back film favorites from early festivals, and create opportunities to find new favorites from a curated mix of spectacular, original films. We invite you to join us as the SNF Parkway looks forward to its renewed future of film, arts, and community programming at the corner of North and Charles.

And now it’s time for popcorn, movie candy, and your beverage of choice. I encourage you to engage with talented filmmakers and fellow attendees over the next few days to talk about which films moved or invigorated you. Movies invite us to dream and consider possibilities, to reflect on the realities of our time, and to laugh and cry. Whatever your genre, however you show up, I hope that you leave personally enriched for having attended.

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25th Maryland Film Festival

25TH MdFF TEAM PROGRAMMING STAFF KJ Mohr James A. Burkhalter Eric Cotten Jasmine Patrick Samantha Mitchell Q Ragsdale Garrett Stralnic Nzingha Kendall Camille Blake Fall

Festival Director and Director of Programming Programming Coordinator Programmer, Balti-Shorts Programming Associate Programmer Curator, CineTech Programmer, Q+ Shorts Programming Advisor Programming Advisor

MARKETING STAFF Q Ragsdale Bakari Jones Jaz Erenberg Garrett Stralnic Nicole Khoury-Atkinson

Director of Marketing Marketing Coordinator Key Art Designer Social Media Coordinator Press Relations Coordinator

OPERATIONS STAFF Eynar Pineda Greg Golinski Sheila Goodwin Mike Reilly Karol Martinez Sam Heth Katie Shinsato Tori McReynolds Aurora Lagang Abby Milligan

Festival Producer Parkway Theatre Manager Interim Director of Parkway Operations and Customer Service Volunteer Coordinator Venue Manager Hospitality Coordinator Assistant Operations & Volunteer Coordinator Operations Assistant Operations PA Communications and Sponsorship Assistant

TECHNICAL STAFF Chris Bredenberg Toby Leonard Margaret Rorison Tina Sorrow Terry Kilby

Technical Director Print Traffic Coordinator & Projectionist Projectionist Projectionist CineTech Technologist

DEVELOPMENT STAFF Jonna McKone Adrienne Peres

Development Specialist Development Advisor

SCREENING COMMITTEE Adam Desaulniers Adeline Brown Alejandra Velazquez Alex El Dahdah Alexandra Ade Amelia Evans Angel Jackson Bilgesu Sisman Brandon Bazemore Bree Crossland Camila Franco Ribeiro Gomide Camille Blake Fall Chung-Wei Huang CJ Jones

Clara Riedlinger Corey Frier Debra Williams Edmund Savage Eric Cotten Evan Bowen Ezzaray Bohanon Garrett Stralnic Gleb Osatinski Jade-Flower Foster James A. Burkhalter Jasmine Patrick Jenna Cipolloni Jim Almon Joe Tropea

Kimberly Joseph KJ Mohr Kristen Anchor Dr. LaShay Harvey Latasha Jones-Tayree Lauren Scott Londan Showell Megan McShea Merle C McCann, MD Miceál O’Donnell Q Ragsdale Rob Lee Samantha Mitchell Scot Spencer Shannon J Shird

Skizz Cyzyk Steven Lyu Tad Glenn Theo Booker IV Wendy K Callier Zoey Howell-Brown

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SCHEDULE PARKWAY 1

PARKWAY 2

Films | 5 W. North Ave

Films | 5 W. North Ave

PARKWAY 3

LAZARUS

Films | 5 W. North Ave

Films |131 W. North Ave

Parkway Lobby & Lounge 1

Opening Party

5 W North Ave

Parkway Lounge 2

CineTech Immersive

5 W North Ave (2nd floor)

Parkway Lounge 3

CineTech AR/VR/Gaming

5 W North Ave (3rd floor)

Filmmaker Lounge

Club Car

12 W North Ave

Hotel Indigo

Filmmakers Hotel

24 W Franklin St

Hotel Indigo

Filmmaker Conference

24 W Franklin St

Current Gallery

Trans Shorts Program

421 N Howard St

The Garage

One Night at the Dox & Closing Party

6 E Lafayette St.

The Crown

Q+ Afterparty

1910 N. Charles 5 W North Ave (1st floor lobby)

Box Office

6

Volunteer HQ

Impact Hub

10 E. North Ave

Fadensonnen

Filmmaker Meet-up

W. 23rd St.

25th Maryland Film Festival

THURSDAY, MAY 2 PARKWAY

OFF-SITE

9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm

LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH

7:30pm - 9:45pm

9pm 10pm 11pm

Parkway 1

LUTHER VANDROSS TRIBUTE WITH THE JONATHAN GILMORE PROJECT 9:45pm - 11:30pm

Parkway 1

12pm 1am

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FRIDAY, MAY 3 PARKWAY 1

PARKWAY 2

9am 10am ANIMATED SHORTS

11am

11:15am - 1:00pm

Parkway 2

12pm

THE HYPNOSIS

12:30pm - 2:19pm

Parkway 1

1pm 2pm

SMOKING TIGERS

2:30pm - 4:20pm

3pm 4pm 5pm

Parkway 1

RETRO MDFF

TRAPPED

2:45pm - 4:35pm

Parkway 2

A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY

4:45pm - 6:20pm

Parkway 1

ANIMALIA W/

JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE 5:00pm - 6:45pm

Parkway 2

6pm JOHN WATERS PRESENTS:

7pm

BUTT BOY

7:00pm - 9:00pm

Parkway 1

Parkway 2

8pm 9pm

MORE THAN HYPE 9:30pm - 11:20pm

10pm 11pm 12pm

Parkway 1

WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS 9:45pm -11:45pm

Parkway 2

BOOGER

W/ YOU’RE INVITED TO TUSCAN’S 5TH BIRTHDAY PARTY! 11:30pm - 1:20am

Parkway 1

1am 8

CORA BORA

W/ GOLDEN CHILD 7:15pm - 9:20pm

25th Maryland Film Festival

FRIDAY, MAY 3 PARKWAY 3

MICA LAZARUS

OFF-SITE

ART WORK SHORTS

12:30pm - 2:00pm

Parkway 3

FAMILY DYNAMICS SHORTS

3:00pm - 5:00pm

Parkway 3

ALL AGES SHORTS:

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE 3:30pm - 5:30pm

Lazarus

DESIRE LINES

W/ HYPERCONNECT 5:15pm - 7:10pm

Parkway 3

SUGAR CANE

5:45pm - 8:20pm

LOCAL/VISITING FILMMAKER MEET-UP

Fadensonnen 3 W. 23rd St.

4:00pm - 7:00pm

Lazarus

CHARACTER STUDY SHORTS

7:45pm - 9:45pm

Parkway 3

ANIMATED SHORTS

8:00pm - 10:20pm

Lazarus

CHAPERONE

10:00pm - 11:20pm

Parkway 3

NIGHTMARE ON NORTH AVENUE SHORTS

10:15pm - 12:30am

Lazarus

ONE NIGHT AT THE DOX

MORE THAN HYPE AFTERPARTY The Garage 6 E Lafayette St. 11:30pm - 2:00am

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SATURDAY, MAY 4 PARKWAY 1 9am

PARKWAY 2

CINETECH PANEL & EXPERIENCE 9:30am - 10:45am

10am 11am 12pm

Parkway 1

ALL AGES SHORTS:

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE 10:00am - 12:00pm

BODY AND SOUL

Parkway 2

W/ LIVE SCORE 11:00am - 12:55pm

Parkway 1

ANIMALIA

W/ JUST BELOW THE SURFACE 12:15pm - 2:00pm

1pm

Parkway 2

BALTISHORTS

2pm

1:15pm - 3:20pm

Parkway 1

2:15pm - 4:00pm

3pm 4pm

Parkway 2

WHEN MORNING COMES

3:45pm - 5:40pm

Parkway 1

5pm 6pm

ANY OTHER WAY:

THE JACKIE SHANE STORY 4:15pm - 6:15pm

Parkway 2

CHAPERONE 6:00pm - 8:05pm

7pm

A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY

Parkway 1

DILLI DARK 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Parkway 2

8pm CORA BORA

9pm

W/ GOLDEN CHILD 8:30pm - 10:35pm

Parkway 1

10pm

RETRO MDFF

VIVA

8:45pm - 10:50pm

Parkway 2

11pm 12pm

SUJO

PROPERTY

Parkway 1

Parkway 2

10:45pm - 1:00am

1am 10 25th Maryland Film Festival

11:00pm - 1:00am

SATURDAY, MAY 4 PARKWAY 3

RETRO MDFF

THEHIP-HOPFELLOW PRESENTED BY ERROR 4444 11:00am - 12:45pm

Parkway 3

CHARACTER STUDY SHORTS

1:00pm - 3:00pm

Parkway 3

SMOKING TIGERS

W/ DO YOU TRUST ME? 3:15pm - 5:10pm

Parkway 3

MICA LAZARUS

SCREENWRITER’S COMPETITION

11:30am - 12:30pm

Lazarus

SECRET MALL APARTMENT W/BOCA CHICA 12:45pm - 2:45pm

Lazarus

Q+ SHORTS

3:00pm - 4:45pm

Lazarus

BOOGER RETRO MDFF

DETENTION 5:30pm - 7:40pm

Parkway 3

W/ YOU’RE INVITED TO TUSCAN’S 5TH BIRTHDAY PARTY!

5:15pm - 7:30pm

Lazarus

TRANS SHORTS

THE HYPNOSIS 8:00pm - 10:00pm

OFF-SITE

7:45pm - 9:30pm

Lazarus

Parkway 3

Q+ MEET-UP

Current Space 421 N Howard St 5:00pm - 8:00pm

TRANS SHORTS

UNDER THE STARS WITH MICKEY R. MAHONEY & LILLY WACHOWSKI Current Space 421 N Howard St 8:15pm - 10:30pm

LATE NIGHT SHORTS

RETRO MDFF

THE CRAZY FAMILY 10:15pm - 12:30am

Parkway 3

9:45pm - 11:30pm

Lazarus

AFTERPARTY: GRLPWR

The Crown 1910 N Charles St 2nd floor

10:00pm - 1:00am

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SUNDAY, MAY 5 PARKWAY 1

PARKWAY 2

9am SIROCCO

10am RETRO MDFF SKIZZ CYZYK PRESENTS

11am 12pm 1pm

Parkway 2

DIVINE TRASH 10:30am - 12:30am

Parkway 1

WHEN MORNING COMES 11:30pm - 1:30pm

SQUEEGEE + DOC ETHICS PANEL

12:45pm - 3:00pm

2pm

10:00am - 11:30pm

Parkway 1

Parkway 2

ANY OTHER WAY: THE JACKIE SHANE STORY 1:45pm - 3:45pm

3pm

DESIRE LINES

Parkway 2

W/ HYPERCONNECT 3:15pm - 5:05pm

4pm

Parkway 1

FAMILY DYNAMICS SHORTS

4:00pm - 6:00pm

5pm

AIN’T NO BACK TO A MERRY GO ROUND

Parkway 2

5:15pm - 7:05pm

6pm

Parkway 1

DILLI DARK

7pm 8pm 9pm

6:15pm - 8:30pm

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS:

CLOSING NIGHT SHORTS PROGRAM 7:30pm - 9:30pm

Parkway 1

10pm 11pm 12pm 1am 12 25th Maryland Film Festival

Parkway 2

SUNDAY, MAY 5 PARKWAY 3

A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY 10:45am - 12:20pm

MICA LAZARUS

OFF-SITE

WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS 10:15am - 12:15pm

Lazarus

Parkway 3

SUJO

12:30pm - 2:30pm

Parkway 3

SUGARCANE 2:45pm - 4:45pm

Parkway 3

SECRET MALL APARTMENT 3:00pm - 5:10pm

REEL REFLECTIONS, FUTURE PROJECTIONS FOUNDERS TALK WITH JED & KJ Club Car | 12 W North Ave 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Lazarus

ART WORK SHORTS

5:00pm - 7:00pm

Parkway 3

PROPERTY

5:30pm - 7:30pm

Lazarus

MdFF WRAP PARTY WITH DJ TY ALEXANDER The Garage The Garage 6 E Lafayette St. 9:30pm - 2:00am

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STOP BY THE MERCH SHOP TO GET 25TH MdFF MERCH

THANK YOU 25TH MdFF VOLUNTEERS! We couldn’t do it without you!

14 25th Maryland Film Festival

FREE PROGRAMS GET TICKETS

SUNDAY, MAY 5 | 10AM | PARKWAY 2 FREE Family Program!

SIROCCO AND THE KINGDOM OF THE WINDS BENOÍT CHIEUX, 2023, FRANCE, ENGLISH DUB, 80 MIN. What happens when you get lost inside your favorite book? Juliette and her sister Carmen find out the answer to this question while staying at their neighbor’s house. Join them on their adventures inside Juliette’s favorite fantasy book, Sirocco and The Kingdom of the Winds. In this colorful world the two sisters take the form of humanoid cats. On their quest to return home they encounter flying divas, technicolor dragons, and other mindmelting creations, including the mysterious blue-haired wizard Sirocco, who can control the winds. Immerse yourself in this spectacular world that draws inspiration from Miyazaki and the art of Mobeius. Don’t miss the chance to experience this singular fantasy vision years in the making from director Benoít Chieux. (Garrett Stralnic)

SATURDAY, MAY 4 | 10AM | PARKWAY 2 FREE Family Program!

GET TICKETS

ALL AGES SHORTS: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE FULL DESCRIPTIONS UNDER SHORTS (PG 36)

Note: Only this 5/4 screening is free.

5/3 in Lazarus is full price.

SEE MORE FREE PROGRAMS IN PANELS + TALKS ON PAGE 72!

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MAIN SLATE MAIN SLATE IS THE CORE OF OUR PROGRAM, A SELECTION OF….

OPENING NIGHT

LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH

JOHN WATERS PRESENTS

BUTT BOY

SILENT FILM WITH LIVE MUSICAL SCORE

OSCAR MICHEAUX’S BODY AND SOUL

MORE THAN HYPE + ONE NIGHT AT THE DOX AFTERPARTY

TRANS SHORTS UNDER THE STARS PRESENTED BY MICKEY R MAHONEY AND LILLY WACHOWSKI

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS: CLOSING NIGHT SHORTS PROGRAM

CIELA JUDY’S GARDEN DYNASTY AND DESTINY

Our Closing Night Shorts program recognizes the innovation and artistic vision of the emerging and established filmmakers alike who have long been the raison d’etre of the Maryland Film Festival. As we close out our 25th Anniversary Festival, we celebrate these voices and stories that carry us into the future of the moving image and of visual storytelling.

THE STEAK ONE NOTE AUSPICIOUS RETURN THE SHADOW WRANGLER INCOMPREHENSIBLE DOKRA LOOK BACK AT IT

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OPENING NIGHT

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LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH Director

Dawn Porter

Luther Vandross always thought he would be a star.

2024, USA LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH, the long-awaited first Runtime 101 minutes feature documentary about the legendary singer, follows his fascinating journey from a young soul enthusiast to backup singer to worldwide fame. The film explores Vandross’s wide-ranging connections of inspiration and influence, on Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, David Bowie, Mariah Carey and even Sesame Street. LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH sets you in the front seat of spectacular live concerts crafted by a true showman and features extraordinary interviews with many of his beloved collaborators. This remarkable and uplifting film from celebrated MdFF alum Dawn Porter (Trapped, 2016) offers a glimpse of the sweet and ambitious man beyond the media’s sensational coverage of his weight fluctuation and personal struggles. LUTHER celebrates the generous reciprocal nature of inspiration that this timeless musician embodied throughout his life and career and celebrates a man who broke through the barriers that have long siloed Black artists. (Garrett Stralnic) A special documentary screening about the most velvety voice to ever exist isn’t complete without a musical tribute. After the film we will celebrate the RnB icon with the Jonathan Gilmore Project as part of our Opening Night reception and party!

DIRECTOR DAWN PORTER

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JOHN WATERS PRESENTS BUTT BOY In what has become a highlight of every MdFF, Baltimore’s own John Waters presents our audiences with often mind-blowing , confounding, shocking, devastating or just plain f’d up films chosen especially for a Charm City audience. The Pope of Trash presents his pick of the year. Always a crowd favorite!

Screening

Friday, May 3 7:00PM Parkway 1

Brilliantly played as a maybe-not-so-straight crime thriller / absurd villain origin story, Butt Boy delivers everything that MdFF audiences have come to expect from a John Waters selection: nudity, drugs, violence, vomit, gore, and of course, “the brown word.”

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SILENT FILM OSCAR MICHEAUX’S BODY AND SOUL WITH LIVE MUSICAL SCORE Screening Saturday, May 4 Have you ever seen an Oscar Micheaux film 11:00AM projected in a historic movie palace with a live score?

Parkway 1 We haven’t either! Starring Paul Robeson (in his film debut), Mercedes Gilbert, Julia Theresa Russell and Lawrence Chenault, Oscar Micheaux’s Body and Soul is an incisive portrait of religion and unquestioning faith in a small community.

For this event, we will be projecting a rare 35mm film print, lovingly restored from surviving elements by the George Eastman Museum. To replicate the 1920’s movie going experience, jazz pianist Aaron Hill will be improvising a fresh score to accompany the film. Deidre Thompson, resident film librarian at MICA, will provide a brief introduction.

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MORE THAN HYPE + ONE NIGHT AT THE DOX AFTERPARTY Screening Friday, May 3 More Than Hype celebrates hip hop history - in 9:30PM particular Baltimore Club music - and the vibrant Parkway 1 scene that was birthed in Charm City by the extraordinary musical artists highlighted in this doc.

Director and Bmore creative entrepreneur Larry “Whaddup” Caudle interviews the movers and shakers behind the Baltimore hip hop scene from past to present. From Scottie B to Kevin Lyles’s, K Swift to Rod Lee, he weaves together a personal version of this important part of our city’s history that is often overlooked or forgotten, while finding a way to bridge the gap in a city with a solid but struggling music industry.

After the film, head over to the Baltimore Club dance party with performances from Big Ria, Rye Rye, DDM, DJ Class, Rod Lee, DJ Rod Braxton, DJ Say Wut and other artists from MORE THAN HYPE and hosted by Pork Chop and Buckshot.

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MdFF PRIDE FILM COLLECTION

Celebrate the vibrant spectrum of LGBTQ+ experiences with our Pride Film Collection. From a heartfelt evening of Trans Shorts Under the Stars to empowering narrative and documentary Queer shorts, and culminating in a dynamic afterparty, this series promises profound insights and joyful celebrations of queer identity and artistry.

20 25th Maryland Film Festival

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TRANS SHORTS UNDER THE STARS PRESENTED BY MICKEY R MAHONEY AND LILLY WACHOWSKI In cahoots with the Maryland Film Festival, Mickey R Mahoney and Lilly Wachowski present an evening of Trans Shorts Under the Stars! Here is a collection of works assured to fill up your heart with trans and queer joy, love, artistry, and excellence. Join us in celebrating this vital movement of trans and nonbinary filmmaking! FILM LIST ON PAGE 41.

Screenings

Q+ MEET-UP

Saturday, May 4 7:45 pm Lazarus (no Q&A) Saturday, May 4 8:15 pm Current Space (Premium Event - Q&A with the filmmakers and curators)

Before the screening from 5:00pm to 8:00pm

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Q+ SHORTS A collection of narrative and documentary shorts that delve into LGBTQ+ love, struggles, and selfacceptance, capturing the essence and celebration of queer identities. FILM LIST ON PAGE 44.

Screening

Saturday, May 4 3:00PM Lazarus

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MdFF PRIDE AFTERPARTY After a day of screenings, turn up at a mega queer dance party with special drag performances.

MORE INFO ON PAGE 76.

Location

Saturday, May 4 10:00PM The Crown

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A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS:

CLOSING NIGHT SHORTS PROGRAM Our Closing Night Shorts program spotlights a few of our favorite things from this season’s crop of short films, recognizing the innovation and artistic vision of the emerging and established filmmakers alike who have long been the raison d’être of the Maryland Film Festival. As we close out our 25th Anniversary Festival, we celebrate these voices and stories that carry us into the future of the moving image and of visual storytelling.

22 25th Maryland Film Festival

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CIELA A young outcast with a vivid imagination, Ciela forms a secret friendship with an octopus in this impressionistic fable. As her fantasy world collides with reality, Ciela sets off a chain of events that disrupt her sleepy fishing village.

Director

Mauricio Sierra 2022, Mexico

Runtime

15 minutes

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JUDY’S GARDEN In Judy’s Garden, a woman is confronted by death and taken on a journey through her past. The garden is shown as a cosmic arena of continuous death and renewal, one which all living things, including the gardener herself, are a part of.

Director

Evie Metz 2023, USA

Runtime

7 minutes

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DYNASTY AND DESTINY A psychological portrait of the mother-daughter duo, Kanesha Jackson and Kortnee Solomon, bound together by their passion for the rodeo and the weight of their family’s legacy in the sport.

Director

Travis Lee Ratcliff 2023, USA

Runtime

7 minutes

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THE STEAK A birthday ceremony preparation gets upside down as something horrible takes place.

Director

Kiarash Dadgar Mohebi 2023, Iran

Runtime

8 minutes

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ONE NOTE After spotting a mistake in her Harvard application at the last minute, a neurotic but driven 17-year-old Chinese-American violinist embarks on a midnight rampage through her magnet high school, blackmailing a socially-awkward teenage hacker to deliver the perfect audition for the elusive Dean of Admissions before the deadline.

Director

Jamie Ting 2023, USA

Runtime

13 minutes

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AUSPICIOUS RETURN Sayeed, on vacation with his family, is perpetually wearing earphones and wandering off to nearby bodies of water. His connection to, and obsession with, open waters has been concerning and perplexing to his family, except for his Grandmother, who holds a secret only Sayeed can access.

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Director

Mahsati Fidel Moorhead 2024, USA

Runtime

5 minutes

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THE SHADOW WRANGLER An audiobook narrator is bombarded by disturbances as she tries to finish recording a western erotica novel in her closet. Featuring rising star Mitzi Akaha, whom you may recognize from the feature film Chaperone.

Director

Grace Rex 2023, USA

Runtime

13.5 minutes

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INCOMPREHENSIBLE DOKRA Incomprehensible Dokra (Dokra Keu Bojhey Na) is an animated documentary that explores the perils that the 4000 year old craft of Dokra faces in West Bengal, India. We converse with artisans and sellers to discuss the lack of patronage that may lead to the extinction of the craft and the possible ways to revive this artform.

Director

Sneha Das Monjima Mullick 2023, India

Runtime

8 minutes

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LOOK BACK AT IT A forty-something single mother gets her groove back with a little assistance from her teenage daughter in this Baltimore set comedy short.

Director

Felicia Pride 2024, USA

Runtime

12 minutes

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FEATURES An eclectic selection of narrative and documentary feature films from around the world and from the neighborhood.

AIN’T NO BACK TO A MERRY GO ROUND ANIMALIA w/ Just Beneath the Surface ANY OTHER WAY: THE JACKIE SHANE STORY BOOGER w/ You’re Invited to Tuscan’s 5th Birthday Party CHAPERONE CORA BORA w/ Golden Child DESIRE LINES w/ Hyperconnect DILLI DARK THE HYPNOSIS A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY PROPERTY SECRET MALL APARTMENT w/ Boca Chica SMOKING TIGERS w/ Do You Trust Me? SQUEEGEE + Documentary Panel SUGARCANE SUJO WHEN MORNING COMES WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS

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AIN'T NO BACK TO A MERRY GO ROUND “On the bus we’re put in the back—/ But there ain’t no back/ To a merry-go-round! Where’s the horse/ For a kid that’s black?” - Langston Hughes, “Merry Go Round”

Director

Ilana Trachtman 2023, USA

Screening

Sunday, May 5 5:15 PM Parkway 1

In June of 1960, inspired by other sit-ins protesting segregation across the country, a group of nonviolent student activists from Howard University set their sights on Glen Echo Amusement Park in Bethesda, Maryland. These Black students were joined by white protesters from the neighboring progressive white families in what turned into weeks of collaboration and picketing. This documentary Runtime tells the little-known stories of Hank, Dion, Esther, Tina, Helene, and Nancy – real people whose actions that summer helped to affect major progress for civil rights. (Samantha Mitchell)

90 minutes

WORLD PREMIERE GET TICKETS

ANIMALIA The animals are acting strangely. When a very pregnant Itto is separated from her husband and his family during a mysterious paranormal event, she must navigate the starkly gorgeous Moroccan countryside alone to reunite with them. Along the way, she witnesses a series of more and more bizarre behavior from the animals around her: birds, dogs, ants, and finally, humans. At once intimate and surreal, this enigmatic apocalyptic story taps into themes of religion, class, and our very humanity. (Samantha Mitchell)

Director

Sofia Alaoui 2023, France/ Morocco

Screenings

Friday, May 3 5:00PM Parkway 2 Saturday, May 4 12:30PM Parkway 2

In French, Arabic and Berber with Runtime 91 minutes English subtitles.

Preceded by Just Beneath the Surface Jimmy John Thaiday, 2023, Australia, 5 min.

A man goes spearfishing off the coast of Australia and comes face to face with the extraordinary and frightening power of mother nature.

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ANY OTHER WAY THE JACKIE SHANE STORY A star is reborn. With an outsize stage presence that eclipsed even the greatest R&B artists, trans soul singer Jackie Shane shattered barriers with raw talent, courage and an unbreakable commitment to truth. Through never-before-heard phone conversations, dazzling animation and an incredible soundtrack, the full scope of her extraordinary life and career is finally revealed in this remarkable portrait. The full scope of her extraordinary life and career is an epic journey, marked by family secrets, loss and love. From standing down the mob to telling off Ed Sullivan, Jackie lived as her most authentic self through talent, courage and an unbreakable commitment to truth. But on the eve of her return to the stage, fate had other plans. In Any Other Way, Jackie finally gets her second act.

Director

Michael Mabbott, Lucah RosenbergLee 2024, Canada

Screenings

Saturday, May 4 5:00PM Parkway 2 Sunday, May 5 1:45PM Parkway 2

Runtime

99 minutes

Or in her own words: “Oh, Honey! When it comes to Jackie, look out!”

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BOOGER A deeply psychological tale, Booger marks the return to MdFF of alum Mary Dauterman (Bette, 2022) with her debut feature. After her dead friend’s cat runs away, Ana (brilliantly portrayed by fellow MdFF alum Grace Glowicki) grows desperate to find him, ignoring the fact that her own life and body are totally falling apart. Booger is a full on adventure in the realm of body horror comedy from this up and coming director. (Eric Cotten) Preceded by: You’re Invited to Tuscan’s 5th Birthday Party Lee Eddy 2023, USA, 14 min.

Director

Mary Dauterman 2023, USA

Screenings

Friday, May 3 11:30PM Parkway 1 Saturday, May 4 5:15PM Lazarus

Runtime

75 minutes

In this comedic valentine to the chaos of parenthood, Tabitha wants the perfect day for her only son’s 5th birthday party. But things go awry, to put it mildly. While her husband and son search for her beloved dog that went missing in the mayhem, Tabitha is left alone to pick up the pieces.

28 25th Maryland Film Festival

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CHAPERONE Twenty-nine year old Misha (perfectly portrayed by up and coming actress Mitzi Akaha) doesn’t want a promotion. In fact, she’d like nothing more than to continue the carefree life she’s cultivated for herself living in her Hawaiian hometown, and she doesn’t understand why this bothers her family and friends so much. The only person who doesn’t seem bothered by her lack of ambition is 19-year-old Jake (Laird Akeo) – but this may be because he mistakes her for a fellow high school senior. As their relationship develops, Misha comes face to face with the reality she has long been running from. (Samantha Mitchell)

Director

Zoe Eisenberg 2024, USA

Screenings

Friday, May 3 10:00PM Parkway 3 Saturday, May 4 6:00PM Parkway 1

Runtime

102 minutes

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CORA BORA MdFF alum Hannah Pearl Utt (Before You Know It, 2019) is back with another crowd pleaser. After a failed attempt at a solo music career, pretty and privileged Cora (Meg Stalter) puts her life of random hookups on hold and returns home to Portland to try and save what is left of her open relationship. Once there, she slowly realizes, her romantic relationship is not the only thing that needs saving. (Jasmine Patrick)

Preceded by: Golden Child Hannah Levin, 2023, USA, 10 min.

Director

Hannah Pearl Utt 2023, USA

Screenings

Friday, May 3 7:15PM Parkway 2 Saturday, May 4 8:30PM Lazarus

Runtime

92 minutes

A young woman is reunited with her childhood friend at a pool party and reckons with the fact that he used to pee on her when they were kids. When she is met with indifference, she takes revenge.

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DESIRE LINES Does perusing queer artifacts tantalize you in more ways than one? Desire Lines is a celebration of underrepresented trans masc stories transcending the barriers of time. Follow an Iranian American trans man as he time-travels through an LGBTQ+ archive on an erotic quest to unravel his own desires. The film spotlights trans men who share their thoughts on everything from the philosophy of Derrida to fellatio, while also exploring the limitations and social baggage of the trans masc label. Director Jules Rosskam queers traditional documentary filmmaking, injecting fantasy and heart. Desire Lines mirrors the way our present informs our understanding of the past and vice versa. (Garrett Stralnic)

Director

Jules Rosskam 2023, USA

Screenings

Friday, May 3 5:15PM Parkway 3 Sunday, May 5 3:15PM Parkway 1

Runtime

77 minutes

Preceded by: Hyperconnect Jim Muntisov, 2023, Australia, 15 min.

Young artist Remy texts and draws and emotes in this experimental montage love story mixed with animation and longing.

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DILLI DARK As a Nigerian earning his MBA in Marketing in New Delhi, Michael Okeke is in the extreme minority. And his teachers, classmates, and neighbors are quick to remind him of that at every turn. In an attempt to cheer him up, one of Michael’s friends tells him the story of the 13th century queen of Delhi, Razia Sultan, who fell in love with a dark-skinned African slave-turned-nobleman named Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut.

Soon after, Michael develops a crush on an Indian woman and imagines the two of them living out a melodramatic Bollywood romance with a happy ending. But in reality, their interracial romance is extremely frowned upon, and the only hands-on Marketing experience Michael has attained— selling cocaine on the streets of New Delhi—cannot be listed on any job application. (James A. Burkhalter) In English and Hindi with English subtitles.

30 25th Maryland Film Festival

Director

Dibakar Das Roy 2023, India

Screenings

Saturday, May 4 2:30PM Parkway 2 Sunday, May 5 6:15PM Parkway 2

Runtime

100 minutes

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THE HYPNOSIS In this clever satirical social commentary, young couple Vera and André attend a competition where they pitch their female health app. As the competition progresses it becomes clear that Vera’s hypnotherapy may have done more than help her quit smoking, while André’s behavior changes under the mounting pressure. All of this culminates in an unforgettable family dinner in the final scene. (Garrett Stralnic)

Director

Ernst De Geer 2023, Sweden

Screenings

Friday, May 3 12:30PM Parkway 1

In Swedish with English subtitles.

Runtime

Saturday, May 4 8:00PM Parkway 3 99 minutes

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A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY Director Rachel Seed’s mother, famed journalist and photographer Sheila Turner-Seed, passed away when the director was just 18 months old. Seed has spent over a decade re-examining her mom’s extensive archive of filmed interviews with some of the most acclaimed photographers of her time, as well as old photographs, and home movies.

The result is an amazing composite recollection of her mother’s dynamic life and analysis of the influences that has made on her own life choices. Seed’s elusive film is a haunting portrait—nimble in execution and startling in its poignancy—that introduces her mother to a new generation. (Eric Cotten)

Director

Rachel Elizabeth Seed 2024, USA

Screenings

Friday, May 3 4:45PM Parkway 1 Sunday, May 5 10:45AM Parkway 3

Runtime

87 minutes

mdfilmfest.com 31

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PROPERTY To protect herself from a revolt by the workers on her family’s farm, a reclusive woman locks herself in her own armored car. Separated by a layer of glass, two universes are about to collide. This claustrophobic and impossibly intense thriller deals with class and social hierarchy in a way that feels fresh and intoxicating, even as its palpable sense of dread permeates over every ounce of the viewing experience. The Brazilian film industry has long been producing stories that force you to face the harsh truths of economic prosperity and the lack thereof, but none so deftly and terrifying as Property. If you’re not still thinking about this one a month after you’ve seen it, we’re pretty sure you’re from another planet. Property (Propriedade) took home the top prize for Best Picture in the main competition at the 2023 Fantastic Fest.

Director

Daniel Bandeira 2023, Brazil Portuguese w/English Subtitles

Screenings

Saturday, May 4 10:30PM Parkway 2 Sunday, May 5 5:30PM Lazarus

Runtime

101 minutes

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SECRET MALL APARTMENT In 2003, eight young Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment in a hidden space inside the Providence Place Mall and lived in it for four years, filming everything along the way. They snuck in furniture, tapped into the mall’s electricity, and even secretly constructed a brick wall with a locking door, smuggling in over 2 tons of cinderblock. Far more than just a wild prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all its inhabitants – a personal expression of defiance against local gentarification, a boundary-pushing work of public/private art, a clubhouse to coordinate their artistic charity, and finally, a 750 square foot space that sticks it to the man. This latest fascinating doc from Jeremy Workman (Lily Topples the World, 2021) is bound to be a new festival favorite.

32 25th Maryland Film Festival

Director

Jeremy Workman 2023, USA

Screenings

Saturday, May 4 12:45PM Lazarus Sunday, May 5 3:00PM Lazarus

Runtime

90 minutes

Preceded by: Boca Chica Ái Vuong & Samuel Díaz Fernández, 2023, USA, 13 min.

Unrestricted access to beaches is a public right in Texas. But for the little known, magical, and untamed stretch of beach called Boca Chica, that right is curtailed when SpaceX takes flight. Boca Chica uncovers the mesmerizing beauty of this fragile coastline and the fight for free access for its longtime visitors whose memories and spirituality are rooted deep among the sandy shorelines.

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SMOKING TIGERS Following her parents’ divorce, Korean American teenager Hayoung spends her time bouncing between two very different households. Terrified that her daughter will end up at a dreaded “state college,” Hayoung’s mother forces her to enroll in an expensive summer SAT boot camp. Meanwhile, her father, an easygoing door-to-door carpet salesman, lives in a storage unit and couldn’t care less about his daughter’s academic proficiency. Hayoung’s depressing summer takes a turn as she lets the popular girl in class copy her answers on a test. Suddenly, she is part of the cool crowd and is invited to their nightly house parties and desperate to keep up appearances. (James A. Burkhalter)

Director

So Young Shelly Yo 2023, USA Korean/English

Screenings

Friday, May 3 2:30PM Parkway 1 Saturday, May 4 3:15PM Parkway 3

Runtime

85 minutes

Preceded by: Do You Trust Me? Ronald James, 2023, Baltimore, 6 min.

In a serendipitous encounter, Jane and Ron, virtual strangers, embark on a date. Unexpectedly, Jane’s simple yet profound act of kindness sparks a transformative journey for Ronald, setting the stage for a captivating tale of new beginnings.

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SQUEEGEE This unflinching multi-layered portrait of the harsh realities of growing up in Baltimore takes the viewer on a journey, as seen through the eyes of four young people in the worlds they inhabit. Leroy Brown, Ericka Sparks, Desmond Rogers, and “Peanut” Davis transition to adulthood and fight for their futures as they squeegee to make a living in a city that treats them as disposable. Working collaboratively with the young people, the film interweaves verité footage shot by the filmmakers, along with lyrical, diaristic footage shot by the participants, offering unparalleled, unfiltered access into their lives. (Eric Cotten)

Director

Clarke Lyons Gabe Dinsmoor 2023, USA

Screenings

Sunday, May 5 12:45PM Parkway 3

Runtime

85 minutes

The film will be followed by a panel discussion on documentary filmmaking ethics with the filmmakers, participants, and Abby Sun of the International Documentary Association.

mdfilmfest.com 33

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SUGARCANE In this extraordinarily powerful film, a ground-breaking investigation of unmarked graves at an Indian residential school ignites a reckoning in the lives of survivors and their descendants, including the film’s co-director Julian Brave NoiseCat (Canim Lake Band Tsq’escen), whose father was born—and nearly buried—at the school. A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and ways of life - SUGARCANE, the debut feature documentary from NoiseCat and Emily Kassie - is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning.

The film empowers participants to break cycles of intergenerational trauma by bearing witness to painful, long-ignored truths – and the love that endures within their families despite the revelation of genocide.

Director

Julian Brave Noisecat Emily Kassie 2024, USA

Screenings

Friday, May 3 5:45PM Lazarus Sunday, May 5 2:45PM Parkway 3

Runtime

107 minutes

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SUJO Sujo is only 4 years old when his father is murdered by a Michoacan cartel. But this gripping drama is not your typical action-thriller. The violence of the drug wars lurk off screen, as we watch Sujo grow from child to young man. Raised by his quirky recluse and rightly fearful aunt, tempted to follow in his father’s footsteps by his cousins, and encouraged towards a different path by a literature professor who takes him under her wing, Sujo must decide for himself what kind of life he wants to lead. (Samantha Mitchell)

Director

Astrid Rondero Fernanda Valadez Mexico/France/ USA Spanish with English subtitles.

Screenings

Saturday, May 4 10:45PM Parkway 1 Sunday, May 5 12:30PM Lazarus

Runtime

34 25th Maryland Film Festival

126 minutes

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WHEN MORNING COMES In this quietly beautiful debut feature from director Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, nine-year-old Jamal is a wide-eyed and unassuming child living in rural Jamaica. He lives with his hard working single mother in a small shanty house.

Jamal gets into trouble at school as his mother is making plans for him to go live with his grandmother in Canada to start “a better life.” Feeling this is a punishment, Jamal travels around his town saying goodbye to his friends, listening to their perspective of his move to the ever elusive, and admired foreign land.

Director

Kelly FyffeMarshall 2022, Canada/ Jamaica

Screenings

Saturday, May 4 3:45PM Parkway 1 Sunday, May 5 11:30AM Parkway 2

Runtime

87 minutes

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WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS The latest project from 2012 MdFF alum Jodi Wille (The Source Family, 2012) unveils the fascinating true story of The Unarius Academy of Science, a long-running extraterrestrial-channeling, self-healing spiritual school in El Cajon, California. Ruth E. Norman, aka “Archangel Uriel,” the director of Unarius, was an outlandish spiritual leader and visionary filmmaker with a wealth of charisma and extravagant gowns. In the late 1970s students of Unarius became a wildly prolific filmmaking and art collective with an otherworldly mid-century aesthetic. Welcome Space Brothers chronicles Uriel’s predictions of alien Earth visitations, the unique relationships between her and spiritual/creative partners jockeying for her attention, and the spectacular cinematic creations of Unarius filmed long before CGI. (Garrett Stralnic)

Director

Jodi Wille 2023, USA

Screenings

Friday, May 3 9:45PM Parkway 2 Sunday, May 5 10:15AM Lazarus

Runtime

100 minutes

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SHORTS BALTISHORTS Q+SHORTS A NIGHTMARE ON NORTH AVENUE SHORTS ALL AGES SHORTS: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE FAMILY DYNAMIC SHORTS LATE NIGHT SHORTS ART WORK SHORTS ANIMATED SHORTS CHARACTER STUDY SHORTS

36 25th Maryland Film Festival

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BALTISHORTS Established in 2019, BaltiShorts has become a staple in the MdFF program, highlighting movies made by DMV creators or films about the greater Baltimore community. This year’s BaltiShorts program features docs, narratives, experimental work and animation spotlighting quintessential Mid-Atlantic stories and sensibilities. (Eric Cotten)

Saturday, May 4 1:15pm Parkway 1 98 minutes

EL CAMINO DEL PAN A BALTIMORE El camino del pan a Baltimore tells the story of José Vargas’s humble beginnings to uncovering the deep drive that led him and his family to owning and managing a 3-business bakery enterprise.

Director

Andy Dahl 2023, USA

Runtime

21 minutes

BaltiShorts

STRUT This film is the result of a Portuguese workshop focused on animation loops and the state symbol, a rooster.

Director Runtime

Lynn Tomlinson 2023, USA/Portugal 3 minutes

BaltiShorts mdfilmfest.com 37

SQUEEGEE BOY In a quest to find belonging and acceptance, a trans teenager yearns to become part of a tight-knit group of squeegee boys in Baltimore City.

Director

Chung-Wei Huang 2023, USA

Runtime

15 minutes

BaltiShorts

MAKING OUR SPACES SACRED A short documentary revealing how some exceptional Black Baltimoreans transform ordinary outdoor spaces into sites of extraordinary meaning.

Director

Lenett Partlow-Myrick 2023, USA

Runtime

4 minutes

BaltiShorts

FAMILY DINNER Already high and about to go out for the night, Vicky is instead forced to take her younger step-brother out to dinner. But she soon realizes that he may need this encounter more than she thought.

Director

Ethan Romaine 2023, USA

Runtime

15 minutes

BaltiShorts 38 25th Maryland Film Festival

BUG BOX A box full of bugs, snails, and the fleeting childhood memories of summer.

Director

Kat Navarro 2023, USA

Runtime

4 minutes

BaltiShorts

BEHIND THE BRAND: BALTIMORE BLK ASS FLEA MKT Rooted in high energy and positive sisterhood, the founders of the Black Ass Flea Market recount their journey.

Director

Bre Lang 2023, USA

Runtime

7 minutes

BaltiShorts

730 DAYS Dominic struggles to maintain his daily life as the two year anniversary of the loss of his partner approaches.

Director Runtime

LaDawn Manuel 2024, USA 9 minutes

BaltiShorts mdfilmfest.com 39

FAIDLEYS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE An energetic examination of the original 142 year old Faidley’s Market, the anchor of Lexington Market before moving into its new location, a transition full of strong feelings.

Director Runtime

Charles Cohen Gaybrielle Paredes 2023, USA 8 minutes

BaltiShorts

LANDMARKED PART FIVE: A TRIBUTE TO FANNIE LOU HAMER In this short experimental art film, the directors reference Director Fannie Lou Hamer’s famous 1971 speech, which finds new meaning in today’s unprecedented political era.

Runtime

Ada Pinkston Rachel Clift 2023, USA 11 minutes

BaltiShorts

THE FLACALTA EFFECT After a drug with anti-aging properties has apocalyptic consequences, two Black sisters fight for their lives—and looks—in this satirical take on toxic white beauty culture.

Director Runtime

Rochée Jeffrey 2024, USA 8 minutes

BaltiShorts 40 25th Maryland Film Festival

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TRANS SHORTS UNDER THE STARS WITH

MICKEY R. MAHONEY & LILLY WACHOWSKI In cahoots with the Maryland Film Festival, Mickey R Mahoney and Lilly Wachowski present an evening of Trans Shorts Under the Stars! Here is a collection of works assured to fill up your heart with trans and queer joy, love, artistry, and excellence. Join us in celebrating this vital movement of trans and nonbinary filmmaking!

Saturday, May 4 7:45 pm Lazarus (no Q&A) Saturday, May 4 8:15 pm Current Space (Premium Event - Q&A with the filmmakers and curators)

HERE WITH YOU When Imani goes to her friend’s housewarming party, she meets a boy who piques her interest. She invites him over to hang out while she gets ready for another party, only to realize that they have more in common than she thought.

Director

Here With You 2017, USA

Runtime

7 minutes

Trans Shorts

?

ARE YOU SURE

Transgender woman Sarah struggles to jump the same transition hurdle, again and again.

Director

Perette Barella 2023, USA

Runtime

10 minutes

Trans Shorts mdfilmfest.com 41

ALL THE WORDS BUT THE ONE World Premiere!

A dinner with her partner’s new boss becomes precarious when Maya realizes she’s also dining with someone from her past.

Director

Nava Mau 2024, USA,

Runtime

19 minutes

Trans Shorts

BURTON BEFORE AND AFTER Courtney Hermann

Director Fifteen years after Burton began his gender-affirming 2017, USA, transition, his longtime friend Courtney calls him up with Runtime 15 minutes news that she has uncovered a cache of home video footage from that time period. Courtney proposes that they go on-camera to revisit the old footage together.

Trans Shorts Burton Before and After is an intimate portrait of transition, memory, and friendship.

DILATING FOR MAXIMUM RESULTS A whacky, irrelevant comedy about a black trans woman who tries to dilate, after four years of not dilating, to hook-up Director IRL with her online boyfriend.

Runtime

Nyala Moon 2023, USA 14 minutes

Trans Shorts 42 25th Maryland Film Festival

SPOOKABLE Spookable is the story of two trans best friends, Sean and Tahmina, who go to vacation in the woods only to end up a part of the supernatural world.

Director

Jonathan Andre Culliton, 2023, USA

Runtime

15 minutes

Trans Shorts

I’M IN LOVE WITH EDGAR ALLEN POE World Premiere!

Two goth teens face an ingredient supply issue as they prepare to resurrect the soul of Edgar Allan Poe.

Director

Andrea Walter 2023, USA

Runtime

13 minutes

Trans Shorts

COMING OUT A tender stop-motion animation about identity, love, and giant monsters. Endorsed officially by Toho, the studio responsible for the iconic creature, this short brings awareness and support for LGBTQ stories into the Godzilla canon.

Director Runtime

Cressa Maeve Áine 2023, USA 3 minutes

Trans Shorts mdfilmfest.com 43

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Q+ SHORTS Narrative and documentary shorts about LGBTQ+ love and films about the struggles and importance of self acceptance.

Saturday, May 4 3:00pm Lazarus 97 minutes

GRACE Sixteen-year-old Grace prepares for her baptism in the rural 1950’s South. When she learns she must repent before the ritual, Grace contemplates her romantic feelings toward her best friend Louise.

Director

Natalie Jasmine Harris 2023, USA

Runtime

13 minutes

Q+ Shorts

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO PUSSY NOIR DC native Pussy Noir is a performer who challenges the boundaries of theater, drag and the traditional art scene.

Venture behind the scenes of her historic fellowship at the Kennedy Center and onto the catwalk of her fashion show that distinctively fuses queerness and couture.

44 25th Maryland Film Festival

Director Runtime

Amy Ode 2023, USA 23 minutes

Q+ Shorts

SASPORUMPET Tennis doubles partners participate in the Kansas State Championship and compete for each other’s attention. Their lively team has some interesting traditions, including a mascot that is a preserved shark in a jar named Saporumpet and who may not be a lucky charm after all.

Director

Brydie O’Conner 2023, USA

Runtime

13 minutes

Q+ Shorts

UNNAMED A talented trans volleyball player deals with his family’s disapproval when he tells them his plans for gender affirming surgery.

Director

Iranmehr Salimi 2023, Iran

Runtime

13 minutes

Q+ Shorts

BLUE SQUARE HEART A drag queen portrayed by Baltimore’s own Sextia N’eight is forced to reconsider his shockingly violent art when his estranged, conservative mother makes a surprise appearance at one of his performances, in an attempt to reconnect.

Director Runtime

William Means 2023, USA 30 minutes

Q+ Shorts mdfilmfest.com 45

A NIGHTMARE ON NORTH AVENUE SHORTS

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Friday, May 3 10:15pm Lazarus

“For no mere mortal can resist the evil of the thriller.”

A collection of horror shorts featuring demons, zombies, and perhaps the most devious of all: human beings.

(James A. Burkhalter)

87 minutes

THE LONELY PORTRAIT While staying at a rental home, a man stumbles upon a painting with otherworldly appeal.

Director

Marc Marashi 2023, USA

Runtime

17 minutes

A Nightmare on North Avenue Shorts

THE THAW Lacking enough resources to survive the harsh winter, a young woman brews a sleeping potion for her parents but botches the recipe.

Director

Sarah Wisner Sean Temple 2023, USA

Runtime

17 minutes

A Nightmare on North Avenue Shorts 46 25th Maryland Film Festival

INNER DEMONS Caught in the throes of depression, a college student wrestles with her inner demons.

Director

Jasmine J. Johnson 2023, USA

TW: Depictions of self-harm

Runtime

11 minutes

A Nightmare on North Avenue Shorts

THE BLOODY FAMILY A welfare officer inspects a family’s home after hearing rumors about their reclusive daughter.

Director

Amir Karami 2024, Iran

Runtime

15 minutes

A Nightmare on North Avenue Shorts

LONG FOR THE MISSING On the eve of their wedding, Jang-yeol’s fiancée suddenly vanishes into thin air.

Director

Jae-Hong Kim 2023, South Korea

Runtime

28 minutes

A Nightmare on North Avenue Shorts mdfilmfest.com 47

ALL AGES SHORTS: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

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Find inspiration in this collection of family-friendly documentaries, following subjects ranging from a youth women’s basketball league that continually churns out WNBA players to a singularly fabulous Chinese American drill team to a formerly homeless immigrant who becomes a world champion acrobatic pizza tosser. (Samantha Mitchell)

Friday, May 3 3:30pm Lazarus Saturday, May 4 10:15am Parkway 2 87 minutes

CAN'T RETIRE FROM THIS “Every story at its core is a love story,” and this is a love story about women’s basketball. With animation, interviews, and archival footage, we follow women and girls in the DC metro area who find community and inspiration in their youth basketball league.

Director

Melanie Page 2023, USA

Runtime

34 minutes

All Ages Shorts: Anything is Possible

HAKKI RISING Hakki Akdeniz, an immigrant from Turkey, faced homelessness when he first arrived in New York City.

With incredible determination and empathy, this film follows Hakki from his first job as a dishwasher in a pizza kitchen to becoming a world champion in acrobatic pizza tossing.

48 25th Maryland Film Festival

Director

David Larson 2023, USA

Runtime

30 minutes

All Ages Shorts: Anything is Possible

SHE MARCHES IN CHINATOWN For 70 years, the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team has delivered stunning performances that blend precision marching with elaborate classic Chinese costumes. Members of the group find belonging, sisterhood and community, despite living in a neighborhood targeted by waves of discrimination.

Director

Della Chen 2023, USA

Runtime

33 minutes

All Ages Shorts: Anything is Possible

FAMILY DYNAMIC SHORTS Every family has its quirks. From a deathbed rap battle with a grandparent, exploring generational differences regarding protests in Iran, or coaching your kids to lie on national television, these short films give us a potpourri of utterly unique family relationships.

(Samantha Mitchell)

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Friday, May 3 3:00pm Parkway 3 Sunday, May 5 4:00pm Parkway 2 90 minutes

END OF SUMMER After his grandmother passes away, a boy keeps seeing her ghost while helping his mother prepare for her funeral. He harbors a growing concern that his grandmother’s spirit will disappear after the ceremony.

Director

Weiqi Cai 2023, USA

Runtime

15 minutes

Family Dynamic Shorts mdfilmfest.com 49

BALLOON BOY In 2009, America watched on live TV as a large balloon floated through the skies of Colorado, apparently with a 6 year old boy on board. The truth is far stranger.

Director

Arlin Golden Brian Gersten 2023, USA

Runtime

93 minutes

Family Dynamic Shorts

ECHOES OF POMEGRANATE Furious after the tragic death of an Iranian woman who did not properly wear her hijab, Shirin takes to social media to show her support. While on a country road trip with her father, Shirin must confront her father’s fears about her protests as he remembers the bloodshed of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Director

Alex Bijan Zandi 2024, USA

Runtime

15 minutes

Family Dynamic Shorts

GOT LEAD? Myron was exposed to high levels of lead paint as a toddler in his family’s Baltimore home. A lawsuit filed by his mother led to a cash settlement – but the money disappeared within a year. Now, Myron seeks the medical and emotional support he needs on his own, with music as his guide.

50 25th Maryland Film Festival

Director

Myron Higgins 2024, Baltimore

Runtime

19 minutes

Family Dynamic Shorts

BOB’S FUNERAL The director sneaks a camera into his estranged grandfather’s funeral in this unexpectedly funny and touching exploration of grief and generational trauma.

Director

Jack Dunphy 2024, USA

Runtime

18 minutes

Family Dynamic Shorts

TERMINALLY ILL A rapper tries to keep his dying grandmother alive by giving his all to a madcap freestyle rap – just like she taught him.

Director

Christopher J. Cole 2024, USA

Runtime

8 minutes

Family Dynamic Shorts

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LATE NIGHT SHORTS The later it gets, the more we crave curious stories that take surprising, sometimes supernatural turns and films that find humor in the bizarre… (James A. Burkhalter and Garrett Stralnic)

Saturday, May 4 9:45pm Lazarus 101 minutes

mdfilmfest.com 51

H*LE Can you ever really know your partner holistically?

Is there anything they hide from you? A woman feels estranged from her boyfriend after realizing she’s never seen a certain part of him.

Director

Nick Beardslee 2023, USA

Runtime

6 minutes

Late Night Shorts

TONIGHT, WE EAT FLOWERS Jamilah works in a corporate office; Luis is a door-todoor “muzak” salesman. On one fateful day, their paths collide and sparks start flying.

Director

Bettina Escauriza 2023, USA

Runtime

22 minutes

Late Night Shorts

CRISIS Chip desperately needs 20 bucks. In a convenient twist of fate, he discovers that he’s related to an infamous family of billionaires.

Director

James Benson 2023, USA

Runtime

13 minutes

Late Night Shorts 52 25th Maryland Film Festival

A FERMENTING WOMAN On the brink of getting fired from her restaurant by new owners, visionary chef and master fermenter Marielle develops an incendiary new dish with a bewitching ingredient she’s convinced will save her career.

Director

Pricilla Galvez 2023, USA

Runtime

24 minutes

Late Night Shorts

GREETINGS Trish’s office is big on birthdays. Trish is unsure of what to write in her coworkers’ cards, but that changes after some strange coincidences start to occur.

Director

Stephanie Bencin 2023, USA

Runtime

13 minutes

Late Night Shorts

HAIR CARE After her hairdresser disappears mid-appointment, a frustrated Jamila chases the woman across space and time.

Director

Fatima Wardy 2023, USA

Runtime

12 minutes

Late Night Shorts mdfilmfest.com 53

A JOYFUL PROCESS Everything in moderation, they say. There is a season for everything, they say. But how does one know when it is time to move on to the next task at hand? When two men go fishing they have the time to collectively ponder the limits of morality.

Director

Alex Goldberg 2023, USA

Runtime

11 minutes

Late Night Shorts

ART WORK SHORTS It might stem from necessity to express oneself or desire to leave a legacy, but let’s face it, art-making is work. Each of these shorts profiles an artist who is completely devoted to their craft and puts in the time.

(Jasmine Patrick)

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Friday, May 3 12:30pm Parkway 3 Sunday, May 5 5:00pm Parkway 3 86.5 minutes

NOTHING LEFT UNDONE As Philadelphia artist G Kellum prepares for an upcoming gallery exhibition, he reflects on his artistic origins, life philosophy, and complicated relationship with success. We follow the flow of G’s thoughts, touching on everything from Serendipity to Binary Code.

54 25th Maryland Film Festival

Director

Matthew Ober 2023, USA

Runtime

18.5 minutes

Art Work Shorts

DON’T TOUCH MY HAIR Daisha lands the job she’s always wanted. When her first day doesn’t go as planned, she must decide between unleashing her full powers or playing along for the sake of her dream.

Director

Matthew Law 2023, USA

Runtime

16 minutes

Art Work Shorts

MEMPHIS BLUES Poet and painter seangarrison performs a moving piece, painting his feelings in the wake of another killing of a Black man.

Director

Khalid Ali 2023, USA

Runtime

5 minutes

Art Work Shorts

BLACK MAGIC A diversity hire in a writer’s room contends with the expectations of her boss at the cost of her identity.

Director

Cristin Stephens 2023, USA

Runtime

14 minutes

Art Work Shorts mdfilmfest.com 55

WOULDN’T MAKE IT ANY OTHER WAY Having built a colorful queer life in an American prairie town, an aspiring costume designer visits their island homeland of Guam to make costumes for a children’s theater and reconnect with distanced parents.

Director

Hao Zhou 2023, Guam

Runtime

20 minutes

Art Work Shorts

THE CALLBACK Molly is an aspiring actress looking for her big break. Blending fiction, animation, humor, and poetry, as auditions come and go, she calls out an industry where women are underrepresented and underwritten.

56 25th Maryland Film Festival

Director

Kara Herold 2024, USA

Runtime

13 minutes

Art Work Shorts

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ANIMATED SHORTS Friday, May 3 11:15am Parkway 2

These animated films tackle a variety of themes including the apocalypse and identity. Among them are charming narrative shorts and thought-provoking experimental meditations. (Garrett Stralnic)

Friday. May 3 8:00pm Lazarus 89 minutes

TENNIS, ORANGES A robotic vacuum suffering from burnout quits its job at a hospital and sets out to find community and a greater purpose on a quiet street where two lonely rabbits are stuck in quotidian loops.

Director

Sean Pecknold 2024, USA

Runtime

11 minutes

Animated Shorts

WHAT HUMANS DO A mesmerizing meditation on the human body and what it produces, reproduces and uses.

Director

Miranda Javid 2023, USA

Runtime

6 minutes

Animated Shorts

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THE MINOTAUR’S STRIKE The Minotaur longs to see the world outside the Labyrinth’s walls.

Director

Raphaël Lozano 2023, France

Runtime

13 minutes

Animated Shorts

THIS IS A STORY WITHOUT A PLAN Inspired by a dream, two otherworldly beings witness an explosion.

Director

Cassie Shao 2023, USA

Runtime

8 minutes

Animated Shorts

THE TIN WOODS While exploring an abandoned cabin, the Tin Woodman finds his original head. Based on the original Oz books by L. Frank Baum, this short stop-motion film explores the origins of the Tin Woodman and how he came to be made of tin.

Director

Nick Boxwell 2023, USA

Runtime

10 minutes

Animated Shorts

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MINUS PLUS MULTIPLY Minus Plus Multiply utilizes 2D animation, stop motion, sound and pottery to tell a story of the fragmentation of identity.

Director

Chu-Chieh Lee 2023, UK

Runtime

4 minutes

Animated Shorts

BRAINS: A POSTMODERN PROMETHEUS STORY A team of insectoid scientists lose their heads over new AI technology.

Director

Jim Doran 2023, USA

Runtime

10 minutes

Animated Shorts

VISION A hypnotic exploration of the power of eyesight and perception.

Director

Çağıl Harmandar 2023, Japan

Runtime

13 minutes

Animated Shorts

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THE SPRAYER In a world where growing plants is heavily regulated, a curious soldier finds a hidden seed.

Director

Farnoosh Abedi 2023, Iran

Runtime

9 minutes

Animated Shorts

REPARATIONS An exploration into the phenomenon of migration (forced and voluntary), through the fragmentation and modulation of an unlikely character: a chair.

Director

Wilson Borja 2021, Colombia

Runtime

10 minutes

Animated Shorts

CHARACTER STUDY SHORTS

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Beginning and ending, coming and going, difficult predicaments and ghosts of that past echo through these extraordinary narratives focused on strong characters and their challenges. (KJ Mohr)

Friday, May 3 7:45pm Parkway 3 Saturday, May 4 1:00pm Parkway 3 96 minutes

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KISS Haunted by her past kisses, Annie must confront the one kiss she refuses to acknowledge.

Director

Katja Roberts 2023, UK

Runtime

15 minutes

Character Study Shorts

RICKY An ex-offender struggling with new freedom pursues redemption at all costs when given a job from his neighbor.

Director

Rashad Frett 2023, USA

Runtime

20 minutes

Character Study Shorts

THE RED SUITCASE An Iranian girl decides to remove her hijab in a life changing situation.

Director

Cyrus Neshvad 2022, Luxembourg

Runtime

15 minutes

Character Study Shorts mdfilmfest.com 61

ZOOMER A runaway hitchhiker is picked up by a man trying to reconcile with a troubled past. When his plans to help the youth find his way backfire, the man’s old self begins to shine through.

Director

Patrick Elmore 2023, Maryland

Runtime

14 minutes

Character Study Shorts

JEDO’S DEAD When a girl finds her grandfather dead, she is forced to grapple with the earthly rituals and spiritual looseends of loss.

Director

Sara Nimeh 2023, USA

Runtime

12 minutes

Character Study Shorts

BARELY BREATHING After nearly dying in an embarrassing autoerotic asphyxiation accident (AEA), Sai is guilted into moving in with his father and stepmother. In order to get them off his back, Sai begins “hanging” with an AEA support group filled with loveable misfits in this dark comedy.

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Director

Derek Evans 2023, USA

Runtime

20 minutes

Character Study Shorts

RETRO MdFF An eclectic selection of narrative and documentary feature films from around the world and from the neighborhood.

BODY AND SOUL (1925) THE CRAZY FAMILY (1984) presented by ERROR 4444 DETENTION (1998) DIVINE TRASH (1999) presented by SKIZZ CYZYK THE HIP-HOP FELLOW (2014) TRAPPED (2016) VIVA (2007)

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BODY AND SOUL The Rt. Reverend Isaiah T. Jenkins is a charismatic preacher who commands the respect and reverence of his congregation in Tatesville, a small Black town in Georgia. Martha Jane, one of his devout congregants, is determined to have her daughter Isabelle marry the Reverend. Meanwhile, Isabelle is in love with Sylvester, the reverend’s twin brother. Unbeknownst to Martha Jane and the rest of the town, the reverend is actually an imposter and a fugitive who has been drinking, gambling and stealing the church’s collection plate for himself. Starring Paul Robeson (in his film debut), Mercedes Gilbert, Julia Theresa Russell and Lawrence Chenault, Oscar Micheaux’s Body and Soul is an incisive portrait of religion and unquestioning faith in a small community. (Deidre A. Thompson)

Director

Oscar Micheaux 1925, USA

Screening

Saturday, May 4 11:00AM Parkway 1

Runtime

105 minutes

Presented with an introduction from Deidre A. Thompson, Collection Services Librarian at MICA. Baltimore musician Aaron Hill accompanies Michaeux’s film with an original live score in the theater. Screening on 35mm film! mdfilmfest.com 63

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THE CRAZY FAMILY PRESENTED BY ERROR 4444 All notions of what it means to be a normal family are dropped into a blender and warped to hell in Gakuryû Ishii’s deconstruction of the nuclear household: The Crazy Family (1984).

Katsuhiko Kobayashi thinks his family’s trajectory is declining due to their “civilization sickness,” which he believes is perhaps a consequence of city living. He decides to move them to a more suburban setting away from the city, so they can settle more into the roles he imagined for them. But his plans are gradually disturbed by his own eccentric actions and the rest of the family’s rapid descent into madness.

Director

Gakuryû Ishii 1984, Japan

Screenings

Saturday, May 4 10:15PM Parkway 3

Runtime

106 minutes

Gakuryû Ishii is one of Japan’s leading filmmaking Punk visionaries, who aided in the creation of his country’s own cyberpunk movement. His body of work includes the punk-rock cyberpunk showdown film Electric Dragon 80.000 V (2001) and the psycho-thriller Angel Dust (1994).

(Samuel Antezana, Video Editor & Co-Owner of ERROR 4444 Distribution Company)

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DETENTION Released the very year that MdFF was being created, shot on Super-16mm film and supported by MdFF’s Producer’s Club, Detention is the 1998 feature debut of Baltimore’s own Darryl Wharton-Rigby, an accomplished TV writer and professor at Temple University’s Japan campus. Based on Wharton-Rigby’s own recollections of the Baltimore public school system, the film follows five exceptional students and one dedicated teacher as they experience an afternoon of detention. That particular event turns out to be a pivotal life changing experience for everyone involved. (Eric Cotten) Screening on 16mm film!

Director

Darryl Wharton-Rigby 1998, USA

Screening

Saturday, May 4 5:30PM Parkway 3

Runtime

83 minutes

Preceded by: Hearth Cameron Clay, 2023, USA, 13 min.

A family returns home to find a mysterious man, disheveled and unwelcome, at their suburban doorstep.

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DIVINE TRASH PRESENTED BY SKIZZ CYZYK John Waters’ Pink Flamingos is one of the most notorious Director cult films ever made. Filmmaker Steve Yeager was shooting behind-the-scenes footage of the production. Decades later, he combined that footage with other archival materials and Screenings newly shot interviews with the likes of Steve Buscemi, Hal Hartley, Jim Jarmusch, to create Divine Trash, a documentary that serves as not only a time capsule of Waters’ early Dreamland Productions days, but also the 1990s world of indie filmmaking. The film features the charming look of that decade’s low-budget 16mm filmmaking, just before the digital revolution changed the indie film landscape.

Runtime

Steve Yeager 1998, USA Sunday, May 5 10:30AM Parkway 1

97 minutes

Divine Trash premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, and brought home the prestigious Filmmakers Trophy for Best Documentary. The following year it screened at the inaugural Maryland Film Festival. (Skizz Cyzyk) Screening on 16mm film!

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THE HIP-HOP FELLOW A decade ago, MdFF featured a beloved film about Grammy Award winning producer Patrick Douhit aka 9th Wonder’s tenure at Harvard University, and those who caught the doc have been raving about it ever since.

As Harvard’s first Nasir Jones Hip Hop Fellow, Douhit indulges academics and hip hop heads old and new in the extensive history of hip hop, sampling, and crate digging via his class “The Standards of Hip Hop.” The film centers on the emerging significance of incorporating hip-hop studies into the academy and spotlights the scholars and musicians at the forefront of preserving 40 (and now 50!) years of hip-hop culture. (Jasmine Patrick)

Director

Kenneth Price 2014, USA

Screenings

Saturday, May 4 11:00AM Parkway 3

Runtime

78 minutes

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TRAPPED At least as relevant now as it was at our 2016 Festival, Trapped is Dawn Porter’s pointed investigation of U.S. abortion clinics fighting to survive. Since 2010, hundreds of laws regulating abortion clinics have been passed by conservative state legislatures, particularly in the South.

These restrictions, known as TRAP laws, (or Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers,) spread across America.

Faced with increased costs of compliance and the alarming fear of violence from protesters, the stakes for the women and men on the frontlines couldn’t be any higher. As the battle heads to the U.S. Supreme Court, Trapped follows the struggles of the clinic workers and lawyers fighting to keep abortion safe and legal for millions of American women, many of them poor and uninsured.

Director

Dawn Porter 2016, USA

Screenings

Friday, May 3 2:45PM Parkway 2

Runtime

80 minutes

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VIVA A fan favorite from our 2007 MdFF, Anna Biller’s VIVA Director Anna Biller is a cult freak-out retro 1970’s spectacle, about a bored 2007, USA housewife who gets sucked into the sexual revolution.

Abandoned by her perfect Ken-doll husband, Barbi is Screenings Saturday, May 4 dragged into trouble by her girlfriend, who spouts women’s 8:45PM lib as she gets Barbi to discard her bra and go out on the Parkway 2 town. Barbi becomes a Red Riding Hood in a sea of wolves, and quickly learns a lot more than she wanted to about the different kinds of scenes going on in the wild ‘70’s, including nudist camps, the hippie scene, orgies, bisexuality, sadism, drugs, and bohemia. VIVA is a highly stylized film that draws on classic exploitation cinema for its look and characters.

Runtime 120 minutes Saturated to the hilt with vibrant color, and exquisitely detailed in its depiction of the period, VIVA looks like a lost film from the late ‘60s. Whether you’re looking for naked people dancing, alcoholic swingers, stylish sex scenes, a sea of polyester, Hammond organ jams, glitzy show numbers, white horses, blondes in the bathtub, gay hairdressers, or psychedelic animation, VIVA has it all!

Preceded by MVgicky Mary Glen Fredrick, 2023, USA, 17 min.

In this music video-infused mockumentary, two covens competing in the National Collegiate Witchcraft Competition are each desperate to destroy the other. Meanwhile, stressed out film student is just trying to make a documentary to garner some attention.

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CINETECH Step into the future of storytelling at the CineTech Showcase, an exciting new addition to our festival.

The CineTech Showcase is a curated sidebar inviting audiences into immersive realms crafted by visionary artists. Experience a captivating array of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and interactive digital narratives that challenge the boundaries of film and digital art. CineTech is more than an exhibit; it’s a journey into the heart of innovation, where each interaction offers a glimpse into the future of cinematic experiences.

RECOMBINATION THE BALTIMORE GALAXY PROJECT THERE IS NO ONE WHAT WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU FOREIGN NATURE NOW IS THE TIME MAPPING BLACKNESS GARDENING FERENJ TRICYCLE BICYCLE CYCLE - “OUT OF CONTEXT” BELOW ED N’ROBOT

RECOMBINATION Dive into “Recombination” for an enveloping odyssey without words. Experience abstract journeys through fractal worlds, uniting music, space, and mathematics in a stunning visual symphony.

Director

Julius Horsthuis 2023, Netherlands

Screenings

ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE mdfilmfest.com 67

THE BALTIMORE GALAXY PROJECT Experience Baltimore like never before through animated scenes that offer a cosmic twist, merging the city’s urban landscapes with galactic imagery.

This project aims to inspire by bringing the stars a little closer to home, encouraging viewers to dream big and reach for the stars.

Director

Kyle Yearwood 2024, USA

Screenings

ALL DAY 2ND FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

THERE IS NO ONE WHAT WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU A multi-channel video installation delves into the impact of addiction on family and friendship. Storylines of a father, daughter, and friend intertwine within intimate settings—jail, rehab, and an art studio— weaving a narrative of tragedy and resilience.

Director

Dina Fiasconaro 2023, USA

Screenings

ALL DAY 2ND FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

Director

Julius Horsthuis 2022, Netherlands

Screenings

ALL DAY 2ND FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

FOREIGN NATURE Delve into a fractal universe, where architectural beauty is rendered in panoramic detail for a deeply immersive experience. Geometric lines and forms come alive in a captivating visual dance, blending mathematics with digital artistry to reveal the intricate essence of our digital and geometric world.

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NOW IS THE TIME Over sixty years after Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, its messages still resonate. Dive into a Virtual Reality experience, engaging with his vision through interactive gestures, connecting his historic struggle to today’s fight for justice and equality.

Director

Limbert Fabian 2023, USA

Screenings

ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

Director

Carla Lyn Dale Bishop 2024, USA

Screenings

ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

Director

Sarah Chen 2024, USA

Screenings

ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

MAPPING BLACKNESS An Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality archive chronicling the history of Black communities across the United States, combining micro-documentaries and immersive media. Join the celebration and bear witness to the preservation of a beautifully rich history and culture.

GARDENING Step into a generative musical experience that lets you cultivate your own symphony through gardening.

Immerse yourself in a lush landscape, choosing where flowers bloom to the tune of corresponding musical notes. Each bloom contributes to evolving harmonies, creating a unique and ever-changing composition crafted by your interactions.

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FERENJ A VR memoir blending memory, reality, and the digital, offering a post-spatial journey through EthiopianAmerican identity within a crowdsourced dreamscape.

This afrosurrealist world is an experimental form of emancipatory thought and resistance, redefining boundaries between fragmented artifacts of memory and the digital imaginary.

Director

Ainslee Alem Robson 2020, Ethiopia/USA

Screenings

ALL DAY 2ND+ 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

TRICYCLE BICYCLE CYCLE "OUT OF CONTEXT"

A fragmented, collaged 360° VR rock experience, bringing you closer to the indie vibes of a Pittsburgh band’s recording sessions like never before.

BELOW

Embark on a solitary journey through the eerie depths of a forbidden isle. This cinematic game merges survival, discovery, and visually rich narratives, appealing to both gamers and fans of stylized animation.

70 25th Maryland Film Festival

Director

Ryan Murray 2023, USA

Screenings

ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

Director

Kris Piotrowski Anthony Chan 2020, Canada

Screenings

ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

ED N'ROBOT North American Premiere!

Plunge into an Augmented Reality where ingenious paper robots humorously combat marine pollution.

This experience merges entertainment with activism, using AR to spotlight and question the pressing issue of marine pollution.

Director

Thibault Joyeux Julien Kadouri 2023, France

Screenings

ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

mdfilmfest.com 71

PANELS + TALKS

FILMMAKER MEET-UP

Calling all moving image creatives! Local and visiting filmmakers are invited to gather in the beer garden at one of our favorite neighborhood spots for casual drinks, bites and connection.

Time

Friday, May 3 4:00PM-7:00PM

Place

Fadensonnen

CINETECH PANEL

Join us for an engaging panel discussion moderated by the CineTech Programmer, featuring the visionaries behind the immersive and interactive experiences of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and immersive media at CineTech. Delve into the creative processes, inspirations, and technological innovations driving the future of cinema. This session is a must-attend for film buffs, tech enthusiasts, and the simply curious alike, offering a unique opportunity to interact with the creators shaping the narratives of tomorrow. Don’t miss this deep dive into the intersection of art, technology, and storytelling innovation.

72 25th Maryland Film Festival

Time

Saturday, May 4 9:30AM-10:40AM

Place

Parkway 1

THE BALTIMORE FILMMAKERS COLLECTIVE PITCH COMPETITION Local visual storytellers give it their best shot trying to pitch their media concept to three judges and the chance to win $1000.00. Free. Come and enjoy.

Go to the Baltimore Filmmakers Collective website event page to register.

Time

Wednesday, May 1 7:00PM-9:00PM

Place

Motor House

BALTIMORE SCREENWRITERS COMPETITION The Baltimore Screenwriters Competition is a project Time Saturday, May 4 of the Baltimore Film Office in conjunction with film 11:00AM-12:00PM programs at Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University. Submitted scripts receive coverage Place Lazarus from students in the Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University screenwriting programs and by local screenwriters and producers. The final screenplays are judged by industry professionals in film and television, including producers and writers working on projects for HBO, Netflix, and others. You’re invited to meet the participants, the judges, and to get a sense of tomorrow’s greatest cinematic stories.

REEL REFLECTIONS, FUTURE PROJECTIONS:

FOUNDER’S TALK WITH JED DIETZ AND KJ MOHR Join Maryland Film Festival founder Jed Dietz in conversation with Festival Director and Director of Programming KJ Mohr to hear more about how it all began and where it’s going.

Time

Sunday, May 5 3:30PM-4:30PM

Place

Club Car

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NIGHTLIFE

After watching films all day, it’s time to get out of a seat and turn up at one of our many nightlife events. Some Nightlife events require purchase of the accompanying film screening.

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LUTHER VANDROSS TRIBUTE WITH THE JONATHAN GILMORE PROJ.

Date

Thursday, May 2

Following the Opening Night Screening of Luther:aNever too Much A documentary about the most velvety voice to ever exist isn’t complete without musical tribute.

Time

After the film we will celebrate the RnB icon with the Jonathan Gilmore Project!

Location Parkway Theatre Admission: • Included with ticket to Opening Night • Not available for standalone purchase, must have ticket to screening

Featuring the Jonathan Gilmore Project performing Luther Vandross covers while we party the night away!

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ONE NIGHT AT THE DOX MORE THAN HYPE AFTERPARTY Baltimoreans know what the Dox is, but if you’re not familiar, the Paradox was an iconic house music nightclub that was a fixture in Baltimore City nightlife for decades. We are reviving the iconic atmosphere to dance the night away.

Date

Thursday, May 2

Time

11:30PM

Location

The Garage

Admission: • $30 Screening + Afterparty • $20 Afterparty only (limited quantity) Performances from Big Ria, Rye Rye, DDM, DJ Class, Rod Lee, DJ Rod Braxton, DJ Say Wut and other artists from MORE THAN HYPE and hosted by Pork Chop and Buckshot

74 25th Maryland Film Festival

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MdFF PRIDE AFTERPARTY We are celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride with several festival events culminating in a mega queer dance party with DJ duo GRL PWR, and special drag performances by Pussy Noir and DJ AAVE.

Photograph by Sihan Xu. Date

Saturday, May 4

Time

10:00PM

Location

The Crown

Admission: • Included with ticket to Q+ Shorts or Trans Shorts Under the Stars • $10 without ticket Performers/Special Guests: GRLPWR, special drag performances by Pussy Noir and DJ AAVE

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MdFF WRAP PARTY WITH DJ TY ALEXANDER No film festival is complete without a wrap party. After screening over 120 films in four days, we need to leave it all on the dance floor! DJ Ty, take us away!

Date

Sunday, May 5

Time

9:30PM

Location

The Garage

Admission: • Included with ticket to Closing Night • Not available for standalone purchase, must have ticket to screening All inclusive catered event Performers/Special Guests: DJ Ty Alexander mdfilmfest.com 75

2023-24MdFF BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Scot Spencer Chair

Camille Blake Fall Vice Chair

Dan Cronin Secretary & Treasurer

Linda Nathan Executive Committee

Ashleigh ‘AJ’ Lynn Executive Committee

Ronald J. Daniels

Adrienne Peres

Mathew Poovan

Angel Preston

Andy Schuleman

D. Watkins

Ex-Officio: Jack Gerbes Maryland Film Office

Honorary: Jed Dietz Founding Director

76 25th Maryland Film Festival

Debbie Donaldson Dorsey Baltimore Film Office

SUPPORTERS EXECUTIVE:

PRODUCING:

SIGNATURE: FILM OFFICE

FEATURED:

BALTIMORE FILM OFFICE AT BOPA GWEN DAVIDSON

ESTHER PEARLSTONE

SCREENING:

TAD GLENN

COMMUNITY:

Afro American Newspapers Andrew Schuleman Angel Preston Ann and David Koch Ashleigh ‘AJ’ Lynn Baltimore Spirits

Company Charm City Meadworks Club Car Current Space Ed Crandall Emile Bendit ERROR 4444 Fadensonnen Greedy Reads Hecht Levi

Foundation Hotel Indigo Jackie Noller Lord Baltimore Hotel Martin Lemelle Mathew Poovan Nepenthe Brewing SAGIndie

Samuel Hoi Scot Spencer Steve Ziger FAIA Union Brewing WYPR

CINETECH:

mdfilmfest.com 77

The Board wishes to extend our deepest appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to MdFF Founder and Board Emeritus member, Jed Dietz, for his unwavering dedication and exceptional service to our organization over the past decades.

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Jed's creative vision and steadfast commitment to the cinematic art form laid the foundation for the Maryland Film Festival and the SNF Parkway Theatre. His tireless efforts have not only enriched the cultural landscape of our community but have also inspired countless individuals to embrace the transformative power of film.

Through his innovative programming, Jed brought a dynamic range of independent and international films to Baltimore, providing a platform for emerging talent and showcasing the diverse voices that shape our global cinema. The Maryland Film Festival nurtured a new generation of filmmakers, empowering them to pursue their dreams and share their unique perspectives with the world.

As we look to the future, we are grateful for Jed's vision, leadership, and boundless enthusiasm. His contributions to the Maryland Film Festival and the SNF Parkway Theatre will continue to resonate for generations to come, serving as a testament to his unwavering dedication to the art of filmmaking.

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MORE THAN A FILM FEST MAY 2-5, 2024 MDFILMFEST.COM

ART MUSIC TECH FOOD PARTY