Scottsdale Arts’ CANAL CONVERGENCE
Mini Film Festival EVENT PROGRAM
November 15–16, 2024
Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square
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Welcome
Entering its second year of activation, the Canal Convergence Mini Film Fest offers a two-day festival from November 15–16, 2024, with selections aligning with the 2024 Canal Convergence event theme, “Reflections.” This mini-series will screen short films that explore the concept of physical and psychological reflections and address Canal Convergence’s annual themes of water + art + light, sustainability, and interactivity.
The Canal Convergence Mini Film Fest is an opportunity to broaden not only the spectrum of art we feature at the annual event each year but also the concept of art and what it could look like for us beyond the context of physical artwork.
Because watching a film is an incomparable, immersive experience that allows viewers to process the world and observe it through the lenses of laughter, thrill, tears, and sometimes even fear, you will be challenged to contemplate and reflect on the spaces in which we exist. Through this series, filmgoers will watch a variety of shorts, ranging from comedy to romance to animation and everything else in between.
All genres evoke emotion and thought but, more specifically, also place viewers in the position of the film’s characters, questioning what they would do in specific roles, being inspired to make changes, and inevitably comparing their decisions, environments, and cultures to those in the film.
Our featured filmmakers have been tasked with testing and inviting exploration into humans’ perceptions of themselves and the world around them, which is no easy feat. We hope this experience will provoke self-reflection and dialogue within our audience and, at the very least, leave our filmgoers feeling inspired and reassured that even the smallest instances of reflecting on your role and influence in this world can have a significant impact.
Thank you to the filmmakers and curators who have made this event possible. I hope you enjoy it!
Please reflect kindly and responsibly.
Kiara Brown, Canal Convergence Event Coordinator
Friday, Nov. 15
Slow Dating
Comedy/drama | PG | 7 minutes and 51 seconds
Director: Adam Szudrich (Australia)
When an elderly lady tries speed dating, it leads to a night with a charming stranger and a heartbreaking revelation.
Director’s Note:
Caught between the realms of past and present, Ester grapples with the weight of unresolved emotions and regrets. Through this journey of reflection, she begins to unravel the complexities of her own identity, finding strength and resilience in the face of uncertainty.
Boxes
Comedy | PG-13 | 10 minutes
Director: Lucas Gingles (Argentina)
Alicia is summoned to act in an institutional video for an important box company. Upon reading the script, she discovers that these boxes are not typical cardboard boxes. They are made of something special.
Bears Ears
Animated | PG | 2 minutes and 23 seconds
Director: Mark Franz (United States)
Bears Ears is an experimental animated short film that weaves together imagery from Bears Ears National Monument. Through a fictional documentary structure, it blends interpretive visual poetry with messages of public awareness.
Director’s Note:
Bears Ears encourages audiences to think about the relationship between themselves and their surroundings. Particularly, it draws attention to protecting public lands.
Suitcase
Drama | G | 14 minutes
Directors: Saman Hosseinpuor and Ako Zandkarimi (Iran)
Far from his own homeland, a Kurdish refugee lives in his suitcase. In it he carries memories of his family. When someone steals the suitcase in the tumult of the foreign city center, he loses his home a second time.
Watch, for ye know not the hour.
Documentary | PG | 5 minutes and 18 seconds
Director: Gerard Walsh (Ireland)
An Irish sea rescue volunteer reflects on his life as he peers out into the ocean.
Rabies
Experimental | PG-13 |16 minutes
Director: Alberto Díaz (Spain)
Filomena’s life is struck by poverty and the sad obscurity of hardship and torment. Terrible occurrences will mark her character during her childhood, growing up in a Galician hamlet toward the end of the 19th century. Might she have the opportunity to change her fate?
In This Together
Animated sci-fi | PG | 48 seconds
Director: Jiamu Tao (United States)
A scientist looks into her microscope and finds a mini dimension on the other side that looks just like our own. After all, we’re all in this great universe together.
Blue
Experimental | PG-13 | 3 minutes and 30 seconds
Director: Bongani Ndaba and Ndivhu Mushanganyisi (South Africa)
Blue explores a young man’s dissociative outlook on the world and himself. Stepping away from his traditions, he finds it hard to come to terms with himself. The symbolism of color is important as it represents his dream state and his longing for freedom. Themes of water are also important as they speak to a baptism and rebirth of new ideas.
The Lovely Sky
Animated drama | PG-13 | 11 minutes
Director: Amir Mehran (Iran)
An impatient fighter pilot bombs cities every day. He returns to his little girl every night after completing his mission. The girl loves to fly, but the father doesn’t fulfill his daughter’s dream because of the bitter memory of his wife’s death. War is getting closer every day. One day, an incident changes their lives forever.
Entropy
Honorable Mention
Comedy | PG | 14 minutes and 18 seconds
Directors: Bamdad Aghajani and Arian Navabi (Iran)
A physics professor tries to teach the concept of Entropy in his class, but unusual things start to happen. However, these unusual events gradually become more and more familiar to us.
Estela, Is It You?
Drama | PG | 21 minutes and 41 seconds
Directors: Victor and Fabian Martin (United States)
A grieving woman communicates with her dead husband through her car radio.
Director’s Note:
Reflecting on the loss of a loved one can evoke strong emotions, deepened by the depth of that love. Estela, Is It You? is a story that examines that theme beautifully, forcing us to reflect on our relationships, past and present.
New Neighbour
Comedy | G | 4 minutes and 47 seconds
Director: Vincent Hazard (France)
Ben is moving into a new flat and is trying to make a good impression on his new neighbors, which is important when you’re visually impaired. However, Ben doesn’t seem to be able to connect with his next-door neighbor.
MADULU, The Sea Man
Documentary | PG | 22 minutes and 4 seconds
Director: Akley Olton (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
MADULU, The Sea Man is a lyrical documentary that attempts to preserve the rich history of a dying tradition in the wake of the economic struggle at the hands of the tourism industry. Interweaving documentary footage with animated sequences of young Amari’s drawings, the film uses a touch of magical realism to explore the divide between past and present and new interpretations of old traditions.
Wander of Light
Animated | G | 7 minutes and 15 seconds
Director: Agata Zych (United States)
Wander of Light pays tribute to authentic childhood vision, reminding us of the simplicity often lost in adulthood. It shows the beauty of our differences, highlighting how unique each of us is.
Director’s Note:
Wander of Light reflects the diverse ways individuals perceive and interpret the world. It emphasizes that everyone brings their own light to the world, offering new reflections, just like light refracted into a spectrum of different colors. The Mall Man
Comedy | PG | 7 minutes and 48 seconds
Director: Dustin Morrow (United States)
Death of a Salesman goes to the mall in this darkly comic satire of American consumerism and the fading status of shopping malls in contemporary society. In The Mall Man, a shopping mall manager undertakes a marathon session of wheeling and dealing in a last-ditch effort to bring life back to his failing mall.
Director’s Note:
This film is a reflection on what’s being lost—namely, communal spaces—as shopping malls close in the United States due to declining sales, competitive online retailers, and changing consumer habits. To address challenges, some malls are repositioning their usage. Despite efforts, the future of struggling shopping malls is uncertain.
Bottles
Drama | G | 18 minutes
Director: Yassine el Idrissi (Morocco)
Said is a 13-year-old boy who lives in the old Medina of Rabat. In the summer he has a side job, collecting empty beer bottles and selling them to a shop. With the money, he wants to buy food for a dog he is hiding. One time his closest friend tells him that it is “haram” to do that.
The Nice Guy Who Went Bad but Who Used to Be Nice
Social comedy | PG-13 | 15 minutes and 22 seconds
Director: Jauffrey Gallé (France)
Frederic Everyman is what people call a nice guy. Unemployed and penniless, he relies on benefits from his providential benefactors: the employees of the Center for Financial Assistance. But unfortunately, one sad day, a terrible disaster befalls Frederic’s file: a computer bug!
Director’s Note:
This film delves into the theme of “Reflections” in regards to society’s gaze upon those whom the system leaves by the wayside—those who are forgotten, the kind souls left behind. Inspired by a tragic event that occurred in France in 2012, the film tells the story of a man who, cornered by a cold and dehumanized system, immolated himself as a form of protest. It’s a contemplation on our system and the role we play in it as citizens.
Saturday, Nov. 16
Dancing Cloud
Drama | PG | 16 minutes and 31 seconds
Director: Platon Ogarev (Poland)
Aniela visits her sister in Berlin. On her way back to Poland, she gets off the train at one of Berlin’s stations. A night journey through colorful, dangerous, and fascinating Berlin will prove to be a lesson in growing up for teenage Aniela.
Dawn
Animated fantasy | G | 1 minute and 47 seconds
Director: Camila Messari (Canada)
A celestial being falls from the clouds onto Earth for reasons unknown to them. As they wonder about the purpose of their descent, they must find the courage to embark on a journey of discovery.
Fatih the Conqueror
Nature documentary | PG | 15 minutes
Director: Onur Yagiz (France)
This Saturday is a Turkish wedding day at Espace Venise (France). Huddled in a car in the parking lot, Fatih, 21, wants to get married. He has set his sights on Ipek, Recep’s sister. But neither Murat, his best friend, nor Recep, nor even Ipek are aware of this yet.
understorey
Nature documentary | G | 7 minutes and 6 seconds
Directors: Claire Riverland and Lily Newcombe (Australia)
Capturing the passion of Sarawak’s driven conservation community, understorey explores the adversity and hope in this field. The short documentary encapsulates the constant uphill battle to preserve the magnificent rainforests of Malaysia and its array of creatures, big and small, which inhabit them.
When We Meet Again
Romance/fantasy | PG-13 | 30 minutes
Director: Colin Huang (Taiwan)
While on vacation with his fiancée, Ben realizes that time has started to loop in the village they are in. Nobody seems to realize that they are stuck in the loop except for one other person: his ex-girlfriend June, who happens to be an artistin-residence in the same village.
Director’s Note:
The ability to face your past and to accept what has already happened is important to one’s personal growth. The characters are forced to face each other and their past through a fantasy premise, only then can they let go of their burdens and move on.
Peregrinus
Animated fantasy | PG | 8 minutes and 42 seconds
Directors: Alice Moschini, Andrea Mulas, Myrta Dell’Oro, and Martina Gammino (Italy)
The son of the king has fallen ill, and no one can heal him. As a last resort, the king and his people go on a journey to ask for their god’s help. Their plea will have a tragic and unexpected response.
Director’s Note:
The film addresses the fall of an idol and losing faith in what or who someone once believed.
Pan y vino
Comedy | PG | 1 minute and 10 seconds
Director: Ignacio Rodó (Spain)
Loneliness is better when shared, like bread and wine.
Varanus
Drama | PG-13 | 14 minutes and 59 seconds
Director: Kiaresh Bekaian (Iran)
Varanus is a drama about a hearing-impaired teenage boy, who is forced by a man to participate in secret and illegal competitions. He is unwilling to do this and tries to get rid of the man.
The Streetlight
Drama | PG-13 | 6 minutes and 48 seconds
Director: Sophia Parella (United States)
A man gains a deeper understanding of purpose after helping a talking streetlight through its existential crisis.
Director’s Note:
A man discovers what it means to serve one’s purpose while talking to a streetlight. The streetlight helps him find the inner light within himself.
Bird Drone
Animated romance | G | 8 minutes and 55 seconds
Director: Radheya Jegatheva (Australia)
Bird Drone is a heartfelt story of unrequited love explored through a lonely seagull struggling to accept that his newfound object of affection is a human-operated drone with limited battery life.
Lamia
Drama | PG | 17 minutes and 37 seconds
Director: Martina Claudia Selva (Italy)
Lisa, 30 years old, has a husband, a job, and many friends. Yet, it’s not enough; she doesn’t have a child. The pressures of delayed motherhood torment her, causing insomnia and a mysterious itching until a doctor reveals that she has snake venom in her body, and she’s preparing to undergo a metamorphosis.
Beautiful Eyes
Drama | PG-13 | 6 minutes and 25 seconds
Director: Abraham Jacintos Duarte (Mexico)
David does not know how to help his girlfriend anymore, so he goes to his mom for advice, learning the meaning of love.
The Little Stranger
Comedy | PG | 9 minutes
Director: Shakila Moezi (Iran)
A little girl goes to her grandmother’s house with a small black fish, and there she meets a strange boy who also has a fish in the pond. They disagree over dividing the pond for the fish.
The Right Vintage
Sci-fi | G | 4 minutes and 13 seconds
Director: Trace Winter (United States)
A conman reaches his 100th birthday and is released from prison to enjoy the time he has left, starting with a dram of his favorite whisky.
Shopping Day
Drama | PG | 13 minutes and 32 seconds
Director: Fernando Charry (Columbia)
María and Ramiro are a young couple who live in a rural area of a city. A new day begins, but this will be different. They must collect money by selling and buying different products and then go back and forth across the Magdalena River, with silence amid the sounds of existence itself. They carry things and come back empty.
Director’s Note:
Shopping Day largely takes place next to the river and the sea. It is a short film, where there is little dialogue, and the sound makes up the emotional concept and social context of the moment experienced by the protagonists. In this way, the film reflects life, humanity, and society.
Aevum
Experimental | PG-13 | 5 minutes
Director: Tashi Emma Nicola Higgins (Australia)
Isaac journeys through his dream landscape, encountering different manifestations of himself: the Naked Man and The Seer. Whilst his consciousness aims to reveal to him that part of himself he has ignored and suppressed for too long, it also tries to provide him with an antidote. Does he accept what is offered?
Director’s Note:
This film explores Plato’s allegory of the cave, which references the “inconspicuous reflections” we authorize and embody: The Joker, The Shadow, and The Child Self. Much of the story is rooted in dreams as a form of communication between the unconscious and conscious self. Aevum is about understanding the internal reflections we cast upon ourselves and to the world.
The Red Bike
Drama | PG | 14 minutes and 46 seconds
Director: Torben Bech (Denmark)
When Jack receives a red bike as a birthday present, no one could have predicted what it would lead to. In Pharr, Texas, a father builds a racing bike for his son Jack’s birthday. But when the bike disappears only a few days later, stolen by classmate Brian, the duo confronts Brian, only to be met with denial. Determined to get the bike back, they stake out Brian’s house to reclaim what’s theirs.
Director’s Note:
The circumstances that lead the main character to discover that all good intentions might not be perceived the way he thought encourages him to reflect on fatherhood.
The ultimate attempt at self reflection
Experimental | PG-13 | 2 minutes and 34 seconds
Director: Paul Bezuijen (Netherlands)
The ultimate attempt at self reflection is short film about self-reflection.
Conversations with a Monster
Fictional Documentary | PG-13 | 7 minutes and 53 seconds
Director: Jonah Bergman (United States)
This short is a fictionalized documentary on the life and troubles of a Hollywood Boulevard busker who has a strong affinity for classic horror.
Win Film Festival Passes
to the 2025 Canal Convergence Mini Film Fest
Since 2023, the Canal Convergence Mini Film Festival has expanded in scope and scale. It has evolved to encompass countless short films and feature filmmakers from across the globe, including places like Argentina, Ireland, Australia, Taiwan, and more! It also features programmed screenings exhibited over multiple days at Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square!
The Canal Convergence Mini Film Festival team would love to hear your feedback about this event to continue to grow and best serve you.
As a Canal Convergence Mini Film Festival ticket-holding patron, your input is integral, and we hope that you will take a few minutes to complete our survey.
Participants will be entered to win a pass to the 2025 Canal Convergence Mini Film Festival. Good luck!
Scan the QR code to participate in the survey.
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Special Thanks to Our 2024 Film Festival Partners: