SHORTS PROGRAM 1 3 Faces of Evelyn Casting Notice Congratulations Mr. Gonzalez Men or Mice Thank You For Washing The Real T Types In Stereo Urban Lullaby
SHORTS PROGRAM 4 Chains Good Intentions Harrow Island Mr. Graham Positive Buy Silent Night The Truth About Lies
SHORTS PROGRAM 2 Cuts Gordita Katrina’s Son Quietly Roos Djaj (Chicken Heads) Say Grace Before Drowning The Cycle
SHORTS PROGRAM 5 44 Hear Me The Forgiven The Troy Shawn Welcome Story Yellow
SHORTS PROGRAM 3 Clap Clap Close Cookie Empire Corner Gimme Grace Grace Paramour Tags Train
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS PROGRAM Jr. Posse Kid Capri Presents Loaded Lux’s Lionz Den Laredo, Texas Manifest Hope: DC One of These Mornings Our Path, Our Voice, Our Journey
Special Screenings
4
Narrative Features
6
Documentary Features
7
Narrative Shorts
8
Documentary Shorts
14
Screening Schedule
16
Shorts Program Overview / Ticket Information
18
Ticket Information ADMISSION: $13.50 WEBSITE: www.urbanworld.org BOX OFFICE: AMC Box Office 34th Street
Rush line tickets will be available 30 minutes prior to scheduled screenings to sold out films on a first come, first serve basis as available (CASH ONLY).
Schedule Subject To Change
18 | SHORTS PROGRAM OVERVIEW | TICKET INFORMATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Opening Night Film Night Catches Us USA/2009/88min/Color DIRECTOR: Tanya Hamilton In 1976, after years of mysterious absence, Marcus returns to the Philadelphia neighborhood where he came of age in the midst of the Black Power movement. While his arrival raises suspicion among his family and former neighbors, he finds acceptance from his old friend Patricia and her daughter. However, Marcus quickly finds himself at odds with the organization he once embraced, whose members suspect he orchestrated the slaying of their former comrade-in-arms. In a startling sequence of events, Marcus must protect a secret that could shatter everyone’s beliefs as he rediscovers his forbidden passion for Patricia. Thursday, Sept 16, 7:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 9
Closing Night Film I Will Follow (World Premiere) USA/2010/81min/Color DIRECTOR: Ava DuVernay I WILL FOLLOW chronicles a black woman struggling with the death of a loved one as she moves out of the home they once shared. As her moving day progresses, she is sidetracked by a series of personal encounters that trigger grief, guilt and eventually, emotional freedom. Saturday, Sept 18, 7:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 9
SPOTLIGHT SCREENINGS Africa Rising KENYA/MALIA/SOMALIA/ TANZANIA/2009/62mins/Color DIRECTOR: Paula Heredia
4 | SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Every day, 6,000 girls from the Horn of Africa to sub-Saharan nations are subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM). With fierce determination and deep love for their communities, brave African activists are leading a formidable, fearless grassroots movement to end 5,000 years of FGM. An insightful look at the frontlines of a quiet revolution taking the continent by storm, this extraordinarily powerful film is one of the first to focus on African solutions to FGM. Friday, September 17, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11 Sunday, September 19, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12
Boardwalk Empire (Presented by HBO) USA/2010/50min/Color WRITER: Terence Winter From Terence Winter, Emmy® Award-winning writer of “The Sopranos” and Academy Award® -winning director Martin Scorsese, BOARDWALK EMPIRE is set in Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition, when the sale of alcohol became illegal throughout the United States. America in 1920: The Great War was over, Wall Street was about to boom and everything was for sale, even the World Series. It was a time of change when women got the vote, broadcast radio began and young people ruled the world. Saturday, Sept 18, 10pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 9
Bouncing Cats (New York Premiere) Uganda/2010/74min/Color DIRECTOR: Nabil Elderkin Uganda has been called on of the worst places on earth to be a child. In 2006, Abrahmz Tekya, an AIDS orphan, created the Break Dance Project Uganda - B.P.U. The dream was to establish a workshop teach kids about B-Boy Culture. Based in Kampala, Uganda, and recently expanding permanent regular classes in Gulu, Northern Uganda, Abrahmz teaches classes three times a week to over 300 hundred kids from all parts of the city. Bouncing Cats is the inspiring story of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda using the unlikely tool of hiphop culture wit the focus on break-dance.
SCREENING SCHEDULE | 17
Friday, Sept 17, 7:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11 Saturday, Sept 18, 9:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11
MOOZ-lum (World Premiere) US/2010/95mins/Color DIRECTOR: Qasim “Q” Basir Pulled between his strict Muslim upbringing by his father and the normal social life he’s never had, Tariq Mahdi enters college in a state of confusion. New relationships with Muslims and non-Muslims alike challenge his already shaken ideals, and the estrangement with his mother and sister troubles him. With the help of new friends, family and mentors, he begins to find himself and open up to an Islam he hasn’t been exposed to. But when the attacks of 9/11 happen without warning, he is forced to face his past and make the biggest decisions of his life. Friday, Sept 17, 7:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 9 Saturday, Sept 18, 7:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11
My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip Hop (Presented by BET) US/2010/50mins/Color DIRECTOR: Ava DuVernay BET Networks takes an in-depth look at outlining the events which contributed to the changing role of Female Rappers in the Hip Hop industry over the past decade. The documentary addresses, but is not limited to, topics such as gender-related artistry, marketing, promotion, and economics. Featured journalists, executives, and rappers include Missy Elliott, EVE, Trina, MC Lyte, Rah Diggah, Yo Yo, Questlove, along with Hip Hop moguls Jermaine Dupri, Russell Simmons, Kevin Liles, and many more. Friday, Sept 17, 6:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 9
16 | SCREENING SCHEDULE
One Night In Vegas (Presented by ESPN) USA/2010/52mins/Color DIRECTOR: Reggie Rock Bythewood On Sept. 7, 1996, Mike Tyson fought Bruce Seldon for the WBA title in Las Vegas. A Tyson fight in Vegas always brought together a dangerous and intoxicating mix of high-rollers, Hollywood, and hip-hop. Superstar rapper Tupac Shakur sat ringside, knowing they were just an Iron Mike knockout away from a party at Suge Knight’s club. But the rapper never arrived. Shakur was gunned down, and the scene turned from revelry to tragedy. Director Reggie Bythewood tells the story of One Night in Vegas -- the last night these two men were ‘kings of the world’. A Nomad Entertainment production, part of ESPN Film’s Thirty for Thirty Series. Saturday, Sept 18, 5pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 9
The Inheritance (New York Premiere) USA/2010/84mins/Color DIRECTOR: Robert O’Hara Five young family friends gather during a winter storm for a ‘secret’ reunion at the family estate. They are all bright and talented going about their lives as they see best. The connection to their tortured history is one of only passing fascination. They are completely ignorant that every choice they’ve in their lives has actually been made for them. The reunion turns deadly when the elders have to make good on an ancient pact with a spirit of an ancestor. Now, it’s this generation’s turn to make the ultimate sacrifice. It is their duty and their destiny, but they won’t give up without a fight to survive. Friday, Sept 17, 10pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 9 Sunday, Sept 19, 1:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12
SPECIAL SCREENINGS | 5
The Lottery USA/2010/81mins/Color DIRECTOR: Madeleine Sackler In a country where 58 percent of African American 4th graders are functionally illiterate, The Lottery uncovers the failures of the traditional public school system and reveals that hundreds of thousands of parents attempt to flee the system every year. The Lottery follows four of these families from Harlem and the Bronx who have entered their children in a charter school lottery. Out of thousands of hopefuls, only a small minority will win the chance of a better future. Saturday, Sept 18, 5pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 9
Hollywood production is shooting in France, she is determined to get a part. As it so happens, the female lead role has become available and Grace seizes the opportunity and gives it her all, training intensively with her acting coach and boyfriend Ricardo, then actually sneaking into the audition! She meets casting director CJ and blows him away with her monologue. Things seem hopeful indeed when Grace receives a message requesting a callback. Only one problem. The meeting is to take place at CJ’s hotel room at midnight...
Bilal’s Stand USA/2009/86mins/Color DIRECTOR: Sultan Sharrief Based on a true story, Bilal – a Muslim high school senior in Detroit – works long hours to keep up both his grades and his family’s longowned taxi stand. “The Stand” has been the source of all activity and money for the family for sixty years, and now Bilal is destined to carry the torch. Yet despite a series of setbacks at home, Bilal secretly submits a college application and takes up ice carving in order to win a scholarship. Now he is forced to decide whether to continue running The Stand – the only life he has ever known – or take a chance at social mobility. Saturday, Sept 18, 9:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 5:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11
6 | NARRATIVE FEATURES
In Short Documentary Program: Friday, Sept 17, 5:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Saturday, Sept 18, 5:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
Manifest Hope: DC (World Premiere)
Everyday Black Man (New York Premiere)
USA/2009/23min/Color DIRECTOR: Alfred Gragg
A small neighborhood grocer wants to do good for his community, but when he takes on a young black Muslim as a partner, he realizes that he has put his beloved neighborhood and his family in danger, and must become the man he used to be in order to save them. Friday, Sept 17, 9:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 5:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12
Krews (East Coast Premiere) USA/2010/104mins/Color DIRECTOR: Hilbert Hakim A botched car-jacking forces two white-collar criminals to take refuge in the home of the thugs that accosted them. Over the course of one explosive, unpredictable night, worlds collide, fortunes shift, lives are cast aside and the most unsuspecting of heroes walks away with a multimillion dollar score. Sunday, Sept 19, 7:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 9
Paris, present day. Grace is an unknown actress who just turned forty. When she learns that a
Laredo, Texas, the largest inland port city in the U.S. What should be a simple training day turns into something more when Sam suspects that Juan is an undocumented immigrant.
Sunday, Sept 19, 3:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12
Callback France-USA/2010/90mins/Color DIRECTOR: Kartik Singh
USA/2010/11mins/Color DIRECTOR: Topaz Adizes
Friday, Sept 17, 3:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11
USA/2009/100mins/Color DIRECTOR: Carmen Madden
NARRATIVE FEATURES
Laredo, Texas
MANIFEST HOPE DC is a chronicle of the grassroots movement started by SHEPARD FAIREY and other artists that helped lead Obama to victory. Climaxing at the historical inauguration, the powerful role art plays in politics and social change is explored. Candid interviews reveal the creative process and political influences of artists like RON ENGLISH, MIKE MURPHY and SHEPARD FAIREY. MANIFEST HOPE DC is a visual call to action, with cameos from volunteer activists Rosario Dawson, Heather Graham, and Michael Stipe. Director Alfred Gragg was not hired or paid, but allowed access to document this piece of history.
Our Path, Our Voice, Our Journey (East Coast Premiere) GUAM, USA/2009/15mins/COLOR DIRECTOR: Youth at Department of Youth Affairs on Guam A group of incarcerated youth at Guam’s Department of Youth Affairs share their experiences as at-risk youths as they prepare to participate in a documentary film project sponsored by DYA and LA-based FYI: Films by Youth Inside. The students, feeling unseen, overlooked, and misunderstood, were determined to express their perspective and their belief in a better future. Through their experiences working together with fellow classmates on a narrative short project, two students come to realize that through hard work and self-determination, they can grow beyond their respective circumstances and fulfill their potential. Both heartbreaking and poignant, this short doc reveals the fragility youth experience when cut off from society and their families. In Short Documentary Program: Friday, Sept 17, 5:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Saturday, Sept 18, 5:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
In Short Documentary Program: Friday, Sept 17, 5:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Saturday, Sept 18, 5:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
One of These Mornings (New York Premiere) USA/2010/17mins/Color & B&W DIRECTOR: Valery Lyman Phone messages left by voters from all over the country narrate our journey from dawn to dusk on Election Day 2008, revealing a nation on the brink of transformation and a song whose promise has come. In Short Documentary Program: Friday, Sept 17, 5:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Saturday, Sept 18, 5:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS | 15
Train
Yellow (World Premiere)
USA/2009/7mins/Color DIRECTOR: Darius Clark Monroe
USA/2009/21mins/Color DIRECTOR: Troy Antonio
It’s late, and Carl’s just off from work. As usual, he takes the Brooklyn bound F Train home.
Chino, a young Chinese ex-gang member, returns to Chinatown NYC to exact his revenge on his former close friend who he felt was complicit in the murder of his father.
In Shorts Program 3: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Sunday, Sept 19, 1:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
Types In Stereo (New York Premiere) USA/2009/13mins/Color DIRECTOR: Gemal Woods Types In Stereo is about how we can exist in multiple spaces. Stereotypes make light of those things that are either generally accepted, popularly true or made myth through misinterpretation. This short film will bring us in and out of the world of stereotypes. In Shorts Program 1: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Sunday, Sept 19, 4:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
Urban Lullaby (World Premiere) USA/2010/9mins/Color DIRECTOR: Sonia Gonzalez-Martinez Unemployed artist Nina is at her breaking point in her noisy Bronx neighborhood. She is too intimidated to step to Mateo, her young, thuggish neighbor and source of the noise. They finally have a confrontation that forces them to examine how to navigate the space they both occupy. In Shorts Program 1: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Sunday, Sept 19, 4:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
In Shorts Program 5: Friday, Sept 17, 3:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS Jr. Posse (New York Premiere) USA/2009/11mins/Color DIRECTOR: Michele Ervin Jr. Posse is a documentary about Mayisha Akbar owner and operator of the Jr. Posse Equestrian Training Program- keeping kids on horses and off the streets. In Short Documentary Program: Friday, Sept 17, 5:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Saturday, Sept 18, 5:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
Kid Capri Presents: Loaded Lux’s Lionz Den DIRECTOR: Loaded Lux and Kid Capri A gritty no holds barred lyrical battle between some of today’s most promising rappers set at BlackStar Video in Harlem, NYC. The MC’s are judged by three of rap’s most famed pioneers: KRS-1, Rakim, and Big Daddy Kane.
Money Matters (New York Premiere) USA/2010/89min/Color DIRECTOR: Ryan Richmond The story introduces us to Monique Matters aka Money, 14 years old living in Southeast Washington, DC, the roughest area of the city. She catches three buses across town to go to a Catholic school where she is seen as ‘different’, and at home her relationship with her mother, Pamela Matters, is far from healthy. Pamela is a young mother that forces religion on Money because of her own guilt. Money coexists within two worlds but doesn’t feel comfortable in either one. Money Matters is an intimate, moving exploration of female relationships that delves into the lives of a single mother and her teenaged daughter as they trudge across terrains of doubt and insecurity to find their own roads of self-discovery. Friday, Sept 17, 7pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 8pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11
Sus (International Premiere)
Finding God in the City of Angels (World Premiere) USA/2010/116mins/Color DIRECTOR: Jennifer Jessum Celebrating the multicultural diversity of spiritual life in Los Angeles, “Finding God in the City of Angels” explores the varied ways in which different communities engage their sacred texts or “scriptures,” whether in worship, prayer, song, dance, performance, art, storytelling or ministry. From a small Skid Row church in downtown Los Angeles to a massive Chinese Buddhist temple in Hacienda Heights; from an Orthodox Jewish synagogue on Venice Beach to an alternative religious group that meets in a hair salon in Inglewood; from the first Indigenous Peoples of Los Angeles to the Goddess Temple of Orange County, “Finding God in the City of Angels” explores the diverse ways in which different communities live their “scriptures.” Friday, Sept 17, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12 Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11
UK/2010/96mins/Color DIRECTOR: Rob Heath
Grown In Detroit (New York Premiere)
1979: Election Night - A police interview room. Delroy’s pregnant wife has been found dead in a pool of blood and he is brought in as the chief suspect. He is interrogated by D.S. Karn, a witty, psychotic racist and his violent sidekick D.C. Wilby. Both high on the prospect of a Conservative landslide victory they try to lure him into a quick confession. Callous humiliation gives way to a barrage of sinister violence, leading to a devastating conclusion.
Netherlands/2009/60mins/Color DIRECTORS: Mascha Poppenk and Manfred Poppenk
Friday, Sept 17, 9:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11 In Short Documentary Program: Friday, Sept 17, 5:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Saturday, Sept 18, 5:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Sunday, Sept 19, 1:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11
Just imagine… Teen moms becoming urban farmers. Utopia? Not in Detroit! The hometown of mass production is turning green again. The disappearance of the auto industry transformed the once wealthiest city of America into a villa ghetto. Amidst all this misery, the ‘forgotten’ residents have surprisingly emerged with their own solutions. Nature is taking over the city and the new generation is taught to harvest its profit. Friday, Sept 17, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 9 Sunday, Sept 19, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11
14 | NARRATIVE SHORTS | DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES | 7
Ni Wakati (It’s Time!) (East Coast Premiere) Kenya/2010/98mins/Color DIRECTOR: Michael Wanguhu Ni Wakati re-introduces Africa’s rich diversity to the rest of the World, as M1(of Dead Prez) and Umi (of POW) travel to East Africa to serve as unique cultural ambassadors helping to bridge the gap between the distantly related Africans worldwide. They connect with Ukoofulani Mau Mau a revolutionary youth movement of artists based in Nairobi. They collectively travel to Tanzania where they unite with former Black Panther members Pete O’Neal and Mama Charlotte. The gap between the young and old is bridged as they collectively shine a light on Africa’s resilience, possibility and potential.
NARRATIVE SHORTS 3 Faces of Evelyn (New York Premiere) USA/2009/13mins/Color DIRECTOR: Kamali Minter 3 FACES OF EVELYN is a short comedy narrative loosely inspired by the Academy Award winning movie “The Three Faces of Eve” and informed by the 2008 Presidential Election. Evelyn – battling multiple personalities -- attends an impromptu session with her psychiatrist because she cannot remember for whom she voted on November 4, 2008. Did she write in Clinton, vote for McClain, or choose Obama? Both, Evelyn and Dr. McKenna, have a mutual breakthrough.
Friday, Sept 17, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12
In Shorts Program 1:
Saturday, Sept 18, 7pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12
Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Sunday, Sept 19, 4:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
Streetball (North America Premiere)
44 (World Premiere)
USA/2010/90min/Color DIRECTOR: Demetrius Wren
USA/2009/20mins/Color DIRECTOR/ WRITER: Mikal Din
In Cape Town, there are two realities. Sixteen years after the end of apartheid, South Africa prepares to host the FIFA World Cup and the country is ripe with celebration. However, there remains a generation that lives in extreme poverty, with many youth falling into lives of violence, drugs and abuse. Streetball is a fast paced documentary that tells the stories of South Africa’s 2008 Homeless World Cup team. The Homeless World Cup is an annual soccer tournament that draws teams from over 56 countries—comprised entirely of street people. Streetball is a story of hope and of the resilience that dwells within the human spirit. But while these men’s’ dreams are simply to have a home and to be recognized as people who need care, often times the realization of those dreams is accompanied by a sobering reality.
“44” is a day in the life of a young man in the urban jungle. He inhabits an environment where random violence can spontaneously occur. “44” is an exploration of a reoccurring moment, a reenactment of violence, a meditation on vengeance, but ultimately an ode to life, love and loss.
Friday, Sept 17, 1:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11
Evander Bridges is a struggling actor whose every attempt to book an acting job has resulted in failure. That is, until he receives a VERY appealing proposition to appear in an adult film. It’s not exactly the type of break
Sunday, Sept 19, 8pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12
8 | DOCUMENTARY FEATURES | NARRATIVE SHORTS
Thank You For Washing (New York Premiere) USA/2009/14mins/Color DIRECTOR: Camille Brown An off-beat comedy about a woman who is a germaphobe. Things get dirty when she finds out a co-worker doesn’t wash her hands after using the bathroom. In Shorts Program 1: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Sunday, Sept 19, 4:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
The Cycle
Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
Casting Notice (East Coast Premiere) USA/2010/18mins/Color DIRECTOR: Marcus Thomas
USA/2009/14mins/Color DIRECTOR: Ohene Cornelius The purpose of “The Real T” is to plant the idea in the minds of viewers that thinking positively can attract constructive outcomes. To raise the question “what if it were impossible to fail?” Could it be as simple as making the choice to be an optimist or as complex as continuing a calamity filled life. In Shorts Program 1: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Sunday, Sept 19, 4:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
USA/2010/18mins/Color DIRECTOR: Roy Clovis
The Troy Shawn Welcome Story (World Premiere)
Corinne is an eight year-old girl who enjoys spending summer afternoons playing in front of her family’s bookstore. But the tranquility of a beautiful day in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn unravels when a teenage boy steals her bike. Will the search for the bicycle unite this gentrifying community or ignite a conflict that will tear it apart?
USA/2010/14mins/Color DIRECTOR: Michael “Boogie” Pinckney
In Shorts Program 2: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 3:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
The Forgiven (World Premiere) USA/2010/11mins/Color DIRECTORS: Lawrence Saint-Victor, Teisha Hickman
In Shorts Program 5: Friday, Sept 17, 3:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
The Real T (World Premiere)
A desperate young man is presented with the ultimate assignment by his employer: an assignment that rests on his life and the death of another. But does Gabriel havethe kind of heart that will drive him to murder? Perhaps so, especially when his only option is kill or be killed. In Shorts Program 5: Friday, Sept 17, 3:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
The Troy Shawn Welcome story is a true story of a troubled teenager who overcomes his family issues and his academic challenges to become a successful high school principal in The Bronx. In Shorts Program 5: Friday, Sept 17, 3:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
The Truth About Lies USA/2010/19mins/Color DIRECTOR: Shalako L. Gordon The Truth About Lies, spin the bullet on the thin dividing veil between who we are and what we do. Not your typical “date movie,” ‘Lies,’ not only gives insight to the male perspective on disclosure and trust in relationships—but pays the price of intimacy in blood. In Shorts Program 4: Friday, Sept 17, 1:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12
NARRATIVE SHORTS | 13
Paramour (World Premiere)
Roos Djaj (Chicken Heads)
USA/2010/16mins/Color DIRECTOR: Maba Ba
Palestine/2009/15mins/Color DIRECTOR: Bassam Jarbawi
Adam, a young fashion designer in New York City just wants to follow his dream. His girlfriend Lisa helps him along the way until the she refuses to face his failures any longer. He is lost when he meets Eva, A young photographer full of life and passion. Everything starts going well again in Adam life but something happen. In Shorts Program 3: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Sunday, Sept 19, 1:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
Positive Buy (East Coast Premiere) USA/2010/11mins/Color DIRECTOR: Hanley Valentin ‘The journey is more important than the destination’ is the old adage. The same goes with sucking on the glass pipe. Sit back but ya won’t relax as you watch this shiftyfool go through the gauntlet to purchase his daily dose of ‘krills’… otherwise known to the public as crack cocaine. In Shorts Program 4: Friday, Sept 17, 1:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12
Quietly (New York Premiere) USA/2009/17mins/Color DIRECTOR: Cole Wiley With his world crashing down around him, a desperate teenager must resort to dangerous measures to save the mother that he loves. In Shorts Program 2: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 3:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
After his father’s prized sheep goes missing, Yousef devises a strategy to keep the truth buried. In Shorts Program 2: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 3:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
out role he’s hoping for, but it’s close enough, especially when offered a substantial amount of money and not being presented with any other opportunities. CASTING NOTICE follows Evander’s journey as he decides whether or not to take the role. In Shorts Program 1: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Sunday, Sept 19, 4:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
Chains (World Premiere) Say Grace Before Drowning (New York Premiere) USA/2010/18mins/Color DIRECTOR: Nikyatu Jusu After meeting her African Refugee mother for the first time in six years, 8 year old Hawa is forced to coexist with a woman teetering on the brink of insanity. In Shorts Program 2: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 3:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
Silent Night (East Coast Premiere) USA/2010/12min/B&W DIRECTOR: Red Carter A woman is attacked, then becomes one of many women in America that spend many ‘Silent Nights.’ In Shorts Program 4: Friday, Sept 17, 1:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12
Tags (New York Premiere) USA/2010/12mins/Color DIRECTOR: Dominique DeLeon
USA/2010/13mins/Color DIRECTOR: Marcus Stokes Derrick lives the kind of life that every person dreams of - a beautiful wife, a lucrative job, and the freedom to enjoy all of the luxuries success has to offer. But when a frantic call from a friend interrupts a romantic night out, Derrick’s life is dramatically changed. Held captive at gun point and forced to watch as the love of his life is barbarically taken, Derrick comes face to face with the cold, undeniable reality that travesties long since abolished still hold the keys to more than 27 million CHAINS. In Shorts Program 4: Friday, Sept 17, 1:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12
Clap Clap (New York Premiere) USA/2010/9min/Color DIRECTOR: Tanuj Chopra Set in Chinatown, NYC - Leena is an illegal gun dealer facing a difficult decision. Should she stick with her faithful lover Roy and continue their fragile gun running operation or should she make a deal involving a mysterious buyer, a SIM card, a wad of cash and plane ticket. In Shorts Program 3: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Sunday, Sept 19, 1:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
1994. A young graffiti girl squares off with the police and a bitter rival to finish a prized piece. In Shorts Program 3: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Sunday, Sept 19, 1:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
12 | NARRATIVE SHORTS
Close (World Premiere) USA/2010/8mins/Color DIRECTOR: Tahir Jetter One night after a casual ‘visit,’ Angela is all but ready to leave Derek’s apartment. Derek, however, is determined not to let her go without a fight. A drama about a common moment in a relationship, ‘Close’ explores the intense frustration that comes when the person you desire does not see things your way. In Shorts Program 3: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Sunday, Sept 19, 1:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
Congratulations Mr. Gonzalez! (World Premiere) USA/2010/14mins/B&W DIRECTOR: Victor Cruz Luis Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican actor in his mid 30’s who has been given the opportunity to star in a major Hollywood film. Though he’s excited for this opportunity, something doesn’t feel right. All he wants to do is live out his dream as an actor...but at what price? This is Congratulations Mr. Gonzalez! In Shorts Program 1: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Sunday, Sept 19, 4:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
Cookie USA/2010/12mins/Color DIRECTOR: Francisco Ordoñez An interaction between three boys and a streetwalker leaves one of the boys believing that he has been pickpocketed. When he convinces the other two young men to return to the prostitute’s street to reclaim his wallet, the result is a night that will change the boys’ lives forever. In Shorts Program 3: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Sunday, Sept 19, 1:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
NARRATIVE SHORTS | 9
Cuts
In Shorts Program 3:
USA/2009/12min/Color DIRECTOR: Rashaad Ernesto Green
Sunday, Sept 19, 1:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
Michael Taylor, Jr. strikes out in a baseball game, and must now prove his manhood to his father by pursuing a girl from school. In Shorts Program 2: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 3:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
Easy Made Hard (East Coast Premiere) USA/2009/12mins/Color DIRECTOR: Delphine de St. Paër Suter
Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
Good Intentions (New York Premiere) USA/2009/22mins/Color DIRECTOR: Morocco Omari In a time where economic and poor healthcare dominates today’s society, Camille and Avery, a young married couple, must cope with the unfortunate hand they were dealt. But when an opportunity presents itself as a possible relief to their situation, a decision must be made to either save a loved one or break the bonds of marriage. When love is the driving force, does the means justify the ends?
Harrow Island (New York Premiere) USA/2010/12mins/Color DIRECTOR: Anja Marquardt ‘Harrow Island’ is a human rights thriller following the story of photojournalist Simon Porter, as he is documenting a machine called the ‘Harrow’. It is the worst assignment Simon has ever been given, and it’s quickly turning into the worst night of his life. But in the heart of the horror that he follows his camera into, Simon discovers something beautiful and it changes him. In Shorts Program 4: Friday, Sept 17, 1:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12
Hear Me (Hear Me) A son returns home for protection from the police, but he meets his fate at the hand of his father. Screens with Everyday Black Man: Friday, Sept 17, 9:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 5:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12
In Shorts Program 4: Friday, Sept 17, 1:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12
Gordita USA/2009/11mins/Color DIRECTOR: Debby Wolfe
USA/2010/27mins/Color DIRECTOR: Kenn Michael When a tortured composer receives cryptic text messages on the 1 year anniversary of his fiance’s disappearance, he embarks on a hunt for answers that leads him directly to her.
Empire Corner (World Premiere) USA/2010/12mins/Color DIRECTOR: J.P. Chan A woman travels across New York City – and between two worlds – in search for the man she never got a chance to know. In Shorts Program 3: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Sunday, Sept 19, 1:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
Gimme Grace (East Coast Premiere) USA/2010/11mins/Color & B&W DIRECTOR: Anthony Onah Nicky and Lakeith, two troubled young men from very different walks of life, collide in the course of a mugging on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
10 | NARRATIVE SHORTS
A plus size Latina regains her lost confidence through the help of a cassette tape she recorded as a sassy, booty shakin’ teen in 1994. In Shorts Program 2: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 3:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11
In Shorts Program 5: Friday, Sept 17, 3:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
Katrina’s Son USA/2010/15mins/Color DIRECTOR: Ya’Ke
Grace (World Premiere) USA/2009/30mins/Color DIRECTOR: Steven Mondesir A man struggles to keep his present life intact after an unwelcome visit from his past. In Shorts Program 3: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11 Sunday, Sept 19, 1:45pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
When a young boy loses his grandmother during Hurricane Katrina, he travels to San Antonio, Texas, in search of the mother who abandoned him years earlier.
Teenager Jude is happy and confident about her pregnancy until she overhears her father Michael telling her teacher it’s a terrible mistake. Feeling hurt and betrayed, Jude flees the school and Michael chases her into a busy street market. Only Jude’s brave stand when a Chinese DVD seller is mugged shows him he needs to stand up for his daughter. Screens with SUS: Friday, Sept 17, 9:15pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11 Sunday, Sept 19, 1:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11
Men or Mice (World Premiere) USA/2010/15mins/Color DIRECTOR: Kiara C. Jones A quiet evening at home turns into a night of terror for Jade. When she reaches out to the men in her life for help, she discovers an unconventional hero... she hopes. In Shorts Program 1: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Sunday, Sept 19, 4:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9
Mirror Mirror (World Premiere) USA/2009/4mins/B&W DIRECTOR: Tamika R. Guishard Reflections of love...Mirror Mirror is a chance meeting between two people that are pictureperfect. Their potential for a match made in heaven is undeniable despite the fact that they have never met. Happily Ever After? Screens with Money Matters: Friday, Sept 17, 7pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 8pm | AMC 34th Street Theater 11
Mr. Graham (World Premiere)
In Shorts Program 2: Saturday, Sept 18, 2:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12 Sunday, Sept 19, 3:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 11
UK/2010/14mins/Color DIRECTOR: Julius Amedume
Knock Off (New York Premiere)
A young man battles his inner demons.
UK/2010/12mins/Color DIRECTOR: Rosanne Flynn
In Shorts Program 4: Friday, Sept 17, 1:30pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 9 Saturday, Sept 18, 12pm | AMC 34th Street Theatre 12
NARRATIVE SHORTS | 11