WINTER FILM AWARDS

Bronx Magic

MUSIC VIDEO UNITED STATES ENGLISH 5 MINS

FRIDAY FEB 17 5:15 PM-7:15 PM / TUESDAY FEB 21 2:30 PM-4:45 PM

The everyday magic of dance is everywhere in a Bronx neighborhood. Near the ice cream truck, under the elevated train, and at the subway station, everybody becomes part of the daily dance.

Since 2005, Marta Renzi has directed over three dozen short films, completing her debut feature film HER MAGNUM OPUS in 2017. She has received seven NEA Choreographic Fellowships, and a NY Dance & Performance Award (a “Bessie”). Awarded by Dancing in the Streets as a “fearless explorer” in 1995, her Project Co. regularly performed outdoors for free. Marta is a 2013 Bogliasco Fellow and a RAW supported artist. She has collaborated in theater (Andre Gregory), circus (Cecil MacKinnon) and film (John Sayles), and danced with David Gordon, Douglas Dunn, Kei Takei and with Twyla Tharp in HAIR.

Directed by Marta Renzi

Producted by Marta Renzi

Censor Of Dreams Le Censeur Des R Ves

SHORT FRANCE FRENCH 18 MINS

WEDNESDAY FEB 22 5:00 PM-6:45 PM

Night after night, The Censor and his team mold Yoko’s memories into fantastical dreams. Tonight nothing happens as planned.

Raphaël Rodriguez studied graphic design in Paris and worked in art direction and illustration studio on various artistic editorials, musical and video projects for popular indie French labels and bands including Because Music and Scratch Massive. Léo Berne was born and raised in Aix-en-Provence. After studying sociology he started his career as a copywriter at BBDO Paris and began producing hip hop and electronic tracks at Chinese Man Records. In 2009 they founded the collective Megaforce and have directed campaigns and music videos for Rihanna, Madonna, Tame Impala, Kid Cudi and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and won Best Director at the UK Music Video Awards. In 2018, their campaign “Nothing Beats a Londoner” for Nike was the most decorated commercial of the last 40 years at D&AD.

Directed by Léo Berne, Raphaël Rodriguez

Producted by Mourad Belkeddar, Charles-Marie Anthonioz

Consider The Sparrow

SHORT UNITED STATES ENGLISH

25 MINS

WEDNESDAY FEB 22 5:00 PM-6:45 PM / TUESDAY FEB 21 2:30 PM-4:45 PM

Differences in faith can be hard enough in a marriage, yet Tom and Lisa have made it work for twenty years. But when estranged friend Matt arrives presenting the opportunity of a lifetime and the only condition is a lie about God, well, what’s an American politician to do?

Eliza Foss is an actor, writer and director living and working in New York City for over twenty years. She has been seen on major stages in New York City and in regional theaters across the country as well as in episodic TV and independent films. Most recently, she was seen in the film INDIGNATION and an adaptation of ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE at The Barrow Group Theater in New York. She was the AD on Jeremy and Ann’s first film, PLOT. This is her directorial debut.

Directed by Eliza Foss

Producted by Ann Hamilton, Jeremy Folmer & Laurence Lau

Depths Of Night

ANIMATED HONG KONG CANTONESE

13 MINS

TUESDAY FEB 21 8:30 PM-10:45 PM / MONDAY FEB 20 3:00 PM-4:45 PM

This short film depicts the author’s fear of changes and distortions. How do you face these feelings in the past, present and in the future? It is as though the soul is broken into infinite pieces, but as long as we can survive, the depths of night passes eventually.

Step C. is an animation director, illustrator, educator and art director based in Hong Kong. She loves to use a variety of media to express the world in her imagination. Her animation TOXIC RELATIONSHIP (2018) was selected in more than 50 international festivals, and won 6 prizes, her next short film, LITTLE THINKS ( 2019 ) was selected in more than 30 international festivals, and won 4 prizes.

Directed by Step C

Producted by Step C

Desert Lights Estrellas Del Desierto

SHORT CHILE SPANISH

WEDNESDAY FEB 22 5:00 PM-6:45 PM

19 MINS

In Chile’s Atacama desert, where climate change continues to leave its mark, twelve-year old Antay and his friends see their town disappearing due to severe drought and the impact of copper mining. Soccer provides the only escape as they try to hang onto their childhood dreams and the ties that bind them.

Katherina Harder is a Chilean film and TV director. She is the co-founder and director of the Iquique International Film Festival and ‘La Gran Pantalla Barcelona’. Her short films have been exhibited in important international film festivals like Tribeca, La Habana, FICGuadalajara, Mar del Plata, Camerimage among others. Her short film DESERT LIGHTS has won more than 24 international awards and qualified for the Oscar. She is currently developing projects in Chile and Spain and is writing her debut feature film.

Directed by Katherina Harder

Producted by Elliot Morfi, Selva González

Echoes

ANIMATED SPAIN ENGLISH 6 MINS

SUNDAY FEB 19 12:00 PM-2:00 PM / MONDAY FEB 20 3:00 PM-4:45 PM

From birth to sacralization, change is the infinite path of being.

Iván Ordás is from Madrid, Spain. He has made multiple videoclips in Spain and is the co-founder of the audiovisual production company Blanco Atómico.

Directed by Ivan Ordas

Producted by Ivan Ordas

Emergence

DOCUMENTARY SOUTH AFRICA/KENYA/USA ENGLISH 12 MINS

SATURDAY FEB 18 12:00 PM-2:00 PM / WED FEB 22 2:45 PM-4:45 PM

The main character of the film is a Super Tusker named Lugard – he is considered a Kenyan national treasure. As large as Lugard is, he is not easy to find. Like most bull elephants, he is solitary. He is also not comfortable around humans. At 55 years old, Lugard has witnessed a multitude of atrocities including a massive poaching crisis in the ‘70s and ‘80s where the elephant population in the park was decimated. He continues to navigate the effects of climate change and is living through the worst drought the eastern horn of Africa has seen in 4 decades. The film also features Tsavo Trust, a remarkable NGO that works tirelessly to protect these incredible elephants.

Malcolm Randles has a passion for the preservation of Africa’s last remaining wilderness areas. Between 2003 and 2017 his job took him around the world and he was lucky enough to meet with individuals looking to experience his interpretation of an African safari. Shortly thereafter he formed Off Piste Africa - one of Africa’s leading responsible tourism companies. His frequent trips to Tsavo inspired Malcolm to make this movie about Tsavo’s super tuskers, and in particular, Lugard.

Directed by Malcolm Randles, Ant Hoard

Producted by Empowers Africa, Off Piste Africa

Essentially Amy

SHORT UNITED STATES ENGLISH/ MANDARIN 15 MINS

THURSDAY FEB 23 5:00 PM-6:45 PM

Amy is a young Chinese-American girl working at her local grocery store during the height of the pandemic. Amy must confront growing racism towards Asian-Americans, while at home, she must mitigate her mother’s expectations and personal bias towards African-Americans. After a brutal assault, Amy and her family must reevaluate their perceptions, and Amy must come to terms with who she really is and what she really wants.

Ari Groobman is a writer and director living in Los Angeles, California. He loves to tell bittersweet stories blended with dark comedy and horror to highlight culturally diverse journeys surrounding mental health and identity. Born in Colorado, Ari comes from a mixed heritage family. He graduated as an engineer and Boettcher Scholar, however, his undying love for film and television brought him into the industry. Ari has resided and worked in China, Brazil, and Israel.

Directed by Ari Groobman

Producted by Mitchell Schwartz, Ben O’Keefe & Ryan Ramsey

FÉ (FAITH)

MUSIC VIDEO BRAZIL PORTUGUESE 3 MINS

SATURDAY FEB 18 6:45 PM-8:45 PM

Fé (Faith) is a music video of the Brazilian artist IZA. Known for her meaningful and aesthetic pleasing music videos, IZA reflects on the human trajectory and its relationship with faith, overcoming the obstacles it presents and finding its true essence on the process of being alive. It brings a poetic and impactful to the audiovisual, using photography, body expression and contemporary dance as power to create new ways of seeing the world. It’s a sensitive film about life and death, dreams, cycles, and the connection with the divine.

A director with a strong aesthetic and authorial language, Felipe Sassi is responsible for directing music videos for the main Brazilian pop singers – such as IZA, Duda Beat, Gloria Groove, Karol Conka and more which add up to 1+ billion views.

Directed by Felipe Sassi

Producted by Diana Balsini

Finding Light

DOCUMENTARY UNITED STATES/ISRAEL ENGLISH 60 MINS

SATURDAY FEB 18 12:00 PM-2:00 PM

FINDING LIGHT is a multi-faceted film, which at its core seeks to use dance as a convener of conversation around issues related to the protection of human rights against bigotry and hate. The film explores how the events of 9/11 led a dance choreographer to seek deeper meaning in his work. Illuminated through the story of Holocaust survivor Naomi Warren, the film takes the audience on a journey that is simultaneously situated in the past while making relevant connections to the present told through the lens of dance.

Lone Star Emmy®-winning filmmaker, Paul Michael Bloodgood enjoyed a 20-year career as a professional ballet dancer and has a B.A. in Dance and the Humanities from St. Edward’s University. Paul Michael’s TRENCHES OF ROCK premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival, ultimately receiving 14 accolades across the globe. A SAG-AFTRA member and a 4-time Austin Critics Table Award recipient, Paul Michael credits his extensive background in film, music, and dance for his approach to creative storytelling.

Directed by Paul Michael Bloodgood

Producted by Paul Michael Bloodgood, Karen Bernstein

First Semester Of Second Grade

SHORT CHINA/UNITED STATES CHINESE 21 MINS TUESDAY FEB 21 5:00 PM-6:45 PM

With good intentions at the beginning, the young home tutor eventually can’t refrain from intruding into the family of a single mother and innocent son.

Chengqing Zhu is a Chinese filmmaker based in Shanghai and Los Angeles. Educated as a film director at the California Institute of the Arts, she makes fiction films about contemporary absurdity and people’s beliefs in general.

Directed by Chengqing Zhu

Producted by Siyuan Liu

Four Walls

WEB SERIES SOUTH AFRICA TSWANA/ ZULU 6 MINS SUNDAY FEB 19 12:00 PM-2:00 PM

Grace Molotsi, a married nurse from the township, feels trapped and at her wits end due to an abusive husband who has made her life a living nightmare. As she finally makes the decision to end his life, her house is invaded by two thugs on the run from a cash-in-transit robbery gone wrong who take her hostage. Will the thugs be able to trust Grace when they discover her tied up unconscious husband in the bedroom? How will Grace be able to explain the various revelations that arise once her husband regains consciousness? FOUR WALLS provides insight on the systematic societal issue of genderbased violence (GBV), posing the question ... just how far do victims have to go to be heard and protected?

Kgosana Monchusi is a Soweto born and bred creative who discovered his love of entertainment at a very young age. Other directing credits include the international award winning debut short film OPUS (2019) winner of the Best Short Film at Silicon Valley African festival, award-winning Queer short film FEMININE LOTUS (2020), and the hit romantic comedy A SAFE BET (2021).

Directed by Kgosana Monchusi, Menzi Mzimela

Producted by Kgosana Monchusi, Juvais Dunn