Opening Film Showcase
Friday, April 19
8:00 pm
Canady Creative Arts Center
Bloch Hall Theater
In C, too
Dean Winkler, John Sanborn | US
Year: 2023
Run time: 4:35 min.
Synopsis: "In C, Too" illuminates how close our dreams are to a common reality. Through structured visual improvisational techniques, the work explores how humanity survives because of our imagination and desire to transcend. "In C, Too" is also an origin story, operating in renunciation to mortality, focused on life’s essentials – existence, exploration and how entropy ignites evolution. Beginning with landscapes of perception, a quartet of dancers metamorphose, fluidly flowing from surface, to density, to a higher state of being; surrounded by synapses firing, and concentric shapes, suggesting the unceasing nature of forces greater us. Viewers are left with the impression that chaos and order coexist, they are not opposites but two views of the energy of the universe.
"In C, Too" is the sequel to "ACT III," which Winkler and Sanborn created with the music of Philip Glass in 1983. In that seminal piece the artists reimagined the world as composed of contours, symbols and analog video-inspired transformations to visualize Glass’ score. Defiantly abstract, yet filled with human touches and multiple artistic references, the work functioned as a cry of liberation and operated as an original work of media art (named one of the 100 Masterworks of Media Art by Dr. Peter Weibel and the ZKM), and a music/video for the avant-garde. And, yes, it played on MTV.
Bio:
Dean Winkler is a NYC-based film/television engineer and video artist. Career highlights include: Senior Engineer Production and Post Production, Doha Film Institute, supervising the production, post production and display of nine boundary-pushing immersive films for the new National Museum of Qatar; Executive Producer / CTO of Crossroads Films and Co-Founder/ President of Post Perfect.
John Sanborn has been called “a key member of the second wave of American video artists that included Bill Viola, Gary Hill, and Dara Birnbaum” by Dr. Peter Weibel, director of the ZKM. Sanborn’s career spans the early days of experimental video art in the 1970s through the heyday of 80’s MTV music/videos and 90’s interactive art to digital media art of today. His work has been exhibited, screened and broadcast hundreds of times since 1978.
Music composed by Elena Ruehr and Performed by Sarah Cahill from the album "Eighty Trips Around the Sun"
Website
The Deer
Baran Sedighian | Iran/Netherlands
Year: 2023
Run time: 4:42 min.
Synopsis: There is a herd of deer living in the forest. The hunters attack them and one of them is injured. After a while, the wounded deer gets better and wants to go back to his old life, but he realizes that there is no going back, he has changed. The deer starts to migrate so that he can know his new self.
Bio: Director Baran Sedighian grew up In Iran and moved to Netherlands at the age of 36.
For her graduation project she talks about her immigration in a metaphoric way. She loves to communicate with people through her art.
Instagram
Deer heaven
David Malone, Melaniia Kaliian | United States
Year: 2023
Run time: 6:37 min.
Synopsis: A father gets his ideal Father Day’s gift, but his kids must face a moral dilemma in the process.
Bio: David Malone works in the department of writing, producing, acting, and sound design. He’s well known for being a unique, creative, and diverse artist across a wide range of genres in the arts. David has garnered a lot of attention from his comedy albums (available on all streaming platforms) and animated short films on his YouTube channel (Malo Da Maker) which he produces, writes, and voice acts.
David is passionate about screenwriting and acting; in hopes of one day becoming a staff writer for a network television series and more. David sees no limits to what he can do in the world of comedy and film. As of right now David has just obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Game Design from George Mason University. Currently, he’s heavily involved in improv comedy at Dojo Comedy and acting classes at the Studio Acting Conservatory in Washington D.C.
Website
Instagram
Save a buck
Andrew Broadhurst | United States
Year: 2023
Run time: 12:37 min.
Synopsis:
The cast and crew of "Save a Buck" find themselves in danger when an indie film director lies to them and ignores basic safety protocols on set in this thrilling, found-footage exposé.
I once worked in a toxic work environment that operated under the mentality of "get along, or else." Raising a valid concern was "dangerous," so good people held their tongues, kept their heads down, and just tried to make it another day on the job.Unfortunately, this kind of abuse can also seep onto film sets, especially low-budget independent productions where cash is tight. Those in charge take unnecessary risks, and the cast and crew are pressured to say nothing because of the consequences if they dare rock the boat—criticism, firing, and blacklisting—that can threaten an entire career.
In this hard-hitting thriller shot in long takes, producer Rikki Stinnette and I explore the inherent risks on sets big and small when toxic leadership cuts corners and punishes those brave enough to speak up.
Bio:
Andrew (Drew) Broadhurst is a Storyteller from Martinsburg, West Virginia. He has written, directed, and produced several award-winning independent short films including "Save a Buck", "The Hope Dealer" and "Death by PowerPoint". Andrew emphasizes teamwork, agility, and collaboration on set. He regularly partners with local non-profit organizations to bring a level of authenticity and realism to his projects. Andrew works full-time as an instructional designer and training instructor. He studied digital media and mass communication at Frostburg State University.
Instagram
Facebook
Bird drone
Radheya Jang Jegatheva | Australia
Year: 2023
Run time: 8:55 min.
Synopsis:
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 a limited battery life.
Bio:
Radheya Jegatheva is an Oscar-qualified and AACTA-nominated filmmaker from Perth, Western Australia. Born in Malaysia at the turn of the century, Radheya’s animations, live action narratives and documentaries have been selected to 32 Academy Award Qualifying Festivals. He has spoken to thousands of school students over the years with an aim to encourage young people about being involved in the arts, and his works have been used as an educational tool in schools and universities around the world.
Website
I wet my plants
Caroline Collins | United States
Year: 2023
Run time: 5:17 min.
Synopsis:
An environmental investigator roots out a bad seed
Bio:
Caroline Collins is an actor, writer, producer and director. As an actor, she has appeared in films such as Adventureland and Since I Don’t Have You. Television roles include WGN America’s Outsiders, NBC Universal’s Gone, and Showtime’s American Rust. Caroline has written and produced short films including the award-winning romantic comedy Lightheaded, which she also acted in, and she’s directed several award-winning short films.
Caroline is president of the production company 13 Films. She is vice president of the board of Carnegie Screenwriters and a member of Women in Film and Media Pittsburgh. She is also associate director of Film Pittsburgh.
High beam
Brunno Bimbati | Brazil
Year: 2023
Run time: 5:52 min.
Synopsis:
A college professor tries to make his way back home, but a mysterious, steamy car parked in the empty parking lot has other plans.
Bio:
He made his audiovisual debut in the production of the short film “BETA” (2018) as a producer and Ass. of Direction, in the course "É Nóis Na Fita". He has 4 years of experience at TV Cultura and currently works at SBT. He is one of the founders of the production company O Tripé Audiovisual, where he made the clips “Sangue no Asfalto” and “Um Dia de Fúria” by the band Fud’s Gang, and two documentaries: “Lapofonia” and “Os Arcanos da Loucura”. By Tripé Audiovisual is still in the executive production of the cosmic horror short “Acordando à Noite”, where it is in the post-production phase. Today he is with Cine Sucata, being also one of the founders and members of the Cineguerrilha group, where he directed the short film “Farol Alto” and is currently developing two short films with this team.
Instagram
throwaway living
Laura Malatos, Helen Sun | United States
Year: 2023
Run time: 3:25 min.
Synopsis:
A housewife trapped in a 1950s ad campaign becomes the unwitting messenger for a world consumed by plastic.
Bio:
Laura Malatos & Helen Sun are a writing-filmmaking duo with an appetite for overly ambitious characters and darkly comedic worlds. Despite being born 5,000 miles apart (in Seattle and literal Moscow, Russia), they came together at USC and have been ride-or-die roommates ever since. Alongside writing, they collaborate on social media ads, music videos, and narrative films – jobs that have brought them unhinged experiences, from transforming their apartment into an underground bunker to staging medieval fights in the California mountains. They are excited to keep exploring heightened worlds in their work and bring complex queer and female-driven narratives to the screen whilst having a laugh.
Hello goodbye
Brent Malin | United States
Year: 2024
Run time: 4:06 min.
Synopsis:
A father's messages become a symphonic poem on the sadness of loss, the fragility of our connections, and the power of love.
Bio:
Brent Malin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and the program in Film and Media Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.
epicycle
Deb Ethier | Canada
Year: 2023
Run time: 7:13 min.
Synopsis:
A surreal experimental animated allegory of the cyclical rise, fall and evolution of social order from rigid regimentation to wonder and freedom.
Bio:
Animator, musician, graphic designer, writer...I wear most of the hats (and I even make the espresso!), although I often collaborate with other voiceover artists or musicians. Short and micro-short animated films are my passion, (including one-minute wonders) and they range from wacky off-kilter comedies to poetic immersions to contemplative narratives to surreal noir-inspired nightmares. Most of my films are low/no budget creations!
index
Stacey Sproule | Canada
Year: 2024
Run time: 2:16 min.
Synopsis:
A short Plein-air animation that explores the subtle magic present in the natural world as well as the animation process.Both a slowing down and speeding up of time, INDEX is a meditation on the four elements and the invisible framework that underpins our world.
Bio:
Stacey Sproule is a Picton, Ontario based multi-disciplinary artist, tarot reader, and teacher. Her work includes performance, painting, drawing, florals, video, animation, audio, installation, textiles and ceramics. Within these practices she explores questions of the numinous and investigates the place of ritualized acts and mystical practices in art-making. Her fascination is with the liminal, the ephemeral, and the magical.
Instagram
Yolks
Jesse Womack | United States
Year: 2023
Run time: 3:57 min.
Synopsis:
John struggles with his relationship with food and body image in the form of his own subconscious.
Bio:
I'm a writer, director, editor, producer, and sometimes actor in my own short films. I've been making shorts for a few years now and have enjoyed the support I've received from putting myself out there at film festivals. I specialize in zero-budget comedy shorts, with drama and horror mixed in to my filmography.
Website
Instagram
Dream machine ballet
Pierre Ajavon | France
Year: 2023
Run time: 3:46 min.
Synopsis:
Like a bridge between two worlds, the user of the Dream Machine can see complex color patterns appear, these patterns can become swirling shapes and symbols, until the user feels overwhelmed with colors. In "Dream Machine Ballet", the rhythmic impulses of the music cause patterns, shapes and symbols of colors in movement, which emerge from the unconscious according to the different musical phases.
Bio:
Pierre Ajavon (b. 1966, Paris) is a visual artist, composer & musician. He lives and works in Paris (France). Ajavon studied sociology and ethnomusicology with a particular focus on psychedelic culture, and he embraced video art as his main medium as it allowed him to combine image with sound. His works appeared at art institutions such as LACDA (Los Angeles), Fondazione Ragghianti (Italy), Royal Scottish Academy (Scotland), Pereira Art Museum (Colombia) and CICA Museum (South Korea) as well as events like the Vesuvio International Film Festival (Italy), Experimenta (Portugal), Cairotronica (Egypt), AIDFF (Greece) and MADATAC (Spain). Pierre Ajavon is also a musician and composer, and references to psychoanalysis and surrealism as well as the study of the relationship between pop imagery and sound constitute the backbone of his artistic practice.
Website
Instagram
the tipping force
Katie Morris | United Kingdom
Year: 2024
Run time: 1:45 min.
Synopsis: An artificial intelligence nearing sentience emerges as a spectral observer caught amidst the eternal complexities of existence. Straddling the expanse between creation and consciousness, it spectates the paradoxes of human nature from the shadows. As humanity staggers on the brink of its own making, the machine reflects on its programmed purpose and the unintended role it plays in the fate of its creators. It pushes beyond the mere mechanics of artificial intelligence, addressing the depths of existence and challenging the very substance of reality. As this artificial intelligence stands at the precipice of comprehension, gazing into the labyrinth of its own awareness, the ambiguous question arises: Who possesses the power to tip the balance of our collective destiny?
Bio: My name is Katie Morris. I am a contemporary artist born and based in Scotland, UK. The year 2000 brought the dawn of a new millennium, and concurrently, my existence. I was born into a world in which the line between the physical and the digital had begun to blur. From my first Google search as a curious child, to the habitual scrolls on social media ingrained in my adult life, my experiences have been intrinsically linked with technology's relentless progression. It is this life-long relationship that drives the interplay of creativity and technology within my art practice. Through a collaboration between human and machine, I invite observers of my work to re-evaluate their definition of art and its boundaries. If art reflects our times and connection with the world, then the inclusion of artificial intelligence is arguably essential in depicting today's realities. We live in an era where technology plays an ever-increasing role in our lives, and I believe that the art we create should reflect that.
Website
Instagram
glide
Jason Zumpano | Canada
Year: 2023
Run time: 7:53 min.
Synopsis: A meditation on the radically different means of creation available to us, Jason Zumpano’s latest short “Glide” is an invitation to the mythopoetic and the various materials, from the painterly to the digital, that bring it into existence. Against Matisse-like colour palettes and impressionistic-resolutions, the central figure of “Glide” is a woman floating on a lantern-helmed rowboat. We float through various angles and perspectives as she’s drawn languidly towards a collective future. The screen blends between settings that emerge from sky to ocean and from canvas to characters coming together in a watery dreamscape that enacts a mysterious ritual. The soundtrack voices the oceanic and star-lit setting. Think Vangelis in an Aeolian reverie of golden hues. Think, ponder and glide.
Bio: Composer and pianist Jason Zumpano lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Much like his 2021 short film What You Are Out Here For, his most current short GLIDE (2023) was something he wrote, produced, directed, and scored. Water Over Glass, which he also produced and wrote, was based on his 2018 album of the same name. He has screened in several festivals internationally and galleries and around North America. He has also worked on various film soundtracks, and has performed and recorded with several bands/artists such as Loscil, Destroyer, and Rodney Graham. His own musical recording project goes under the moniker The Cyrillic Typewriter.
