2008 Short Film Festival/ Contest

Special Presentations - 2008 Riverside Saginaw Film Festival Short Film Contest

For the short subject contest, 18 shorts will be shown in two separate programs of nine films each. Audiences are invited to vote for their favorite in each category for a special Audience Award.

They are as follows (in order shown):

PROGRAM 1

• Girl With Gun (14:53)
• Fu Cents (11:35)
• Llamas Humming (3 min.)
• Suburban Heroes (9:18)
• Tension Head: A Documentary (16:43)
• Creepy Guy (14 min.)
• Fanatic (10:38)
• What is Real? (17:24)
• Shooters (18:30)

PROGRAM 2

• Perfect Red (13:07)
• Schizophrenia (26:31)
• ISO 3200 (3 min.)
• Demeter: Surrender (11 min.)
• WaterWings (19:32)
• Flashback! (3 min.)
• Drowning Memories (9:10)
• Maybe (3:50)
• Forever in Time (28 min.)

Program 1: Movie Listings

• 
  Girl with Gun
  Narrative, 2005, 14:53 minutes
  
  Directed by Russ Emanuel. Gwen Hunter's best friend and on-and-off love think she is a normal twentysomething working woman. In reality, she is The Nightingale, a vigilante/assassin who helps the innocent. Having come so close to death leads her to contemplate whether her double life is worth it.

• 
  Fu Cents
  Narrative, 2008, 11:35 minutes
  
  Directed by Mare Costello. Shot in Detroit, this is a story told with no words but with comedy, action, drama, music, and kung fu! A peaceloving ninja seeks to rid the world of the dreaded meter man and end parking violations forever.

• 
  Llamas Humming
  Experimental, 2007, 3:00 minutes
  
  Directed by Lilly Boruszkowski. Contemplating llamas: wooly, patient, peaceful, curious, strong.

• 
  Suburban Heroes
  Narrative, 2007, 9:18 minutes
  
  Directed by Mike Kammer. In an effort to get money from the government, three slackers in Waterford form a superhero team.

• 
  Tension Head
  Documentary, 2008, 16:43 minutes
  
  Directed by Karyn Ruffin. This "rockumentary" follows the rise of Tension Head, a hard rocking Saginaw band, as they discuss their beginnings and aspirations, and rehearse and prepare for the opening slot for the national act known as HELL YEAH. Note: Contains profanity.

• 
  Creepy Guy
  Narrative, 2008, 14:10 minutes
  
  Directed by Adam Engler. A nameless youth struggles to endure daily life in a socially tortuous high school. When the situation becomes too much to bare, things get a little... creepy.

• 
  Fanatic
  Narrative, 2007, 10:38 minutes
  
  Directed by Sarah Benedict. Derek, a horror film fanatic, becomes obsessed with the genre, and starts to blur the lines between fantasy and reality - and the results are deadly. Note: Contains some violent content.

• 
  What is Real?
  Experimental, 2008, 17:24 minutes
  
  Directed by Peter Johnston. Alan Jones explores the life and work of reknowned faker Pierre Johnstone; in his search for "ultimate truth," Jones may have bitten off more than he can chew.

• 
  Shooters
  Narrative, 2007, 18:30 minutes
  
  Directed by Maggie Patton. A hard-edged tale of ambition, mystery, and revenge, this dramatic film peels back the layers of hurt and anger that still exist between a once-revered photographer and his young ex-protégé.

 

Program 2: Movie Listings

• 
  Perfect Red
  Narrative, 2007, 13:07 minutes
  
  Directed by David Covarrubias. Living alone in a city loft, Morrigan, a beautiful young artist, tries to recapture the life she once had by painting the perfect color. Soon, three men from the dark streets below will invade and attack - putting Morrigan in the ultimate fight for her life. Winner of "Best Horror Short" and "Best Score" at the 2008 Hollywood DV/HD Film Festival. Note: Contains some violent content.

• 
  Schizophrenia
  Narrative, 2007, 26:31 minutes
  
  Directed by Sam Kadi. Marry Wales finds things are not always as they appear when she wakes from a dream in which she confesses to killing her husband's sister, Debby - only to find that Debby has been murdered for real. Michigan-made, it was a recent short film selection of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France.

• 
  ISO 3200
  Experimental, 2007, 3:00 minutes
  
  Directed by Mark Einhaus. A roll of film. A mysterious meeting on Lake Michigan.

   

  
  

• 
  Demeter: SURRENDER
  Narrative, 2007, 11:00 minutes
  
  Directed by Mike Madigan. Set in a broken future, "Surrender" delves into the life of Demeter, a woman who's tough, brilliant, and a little psychotic. While pursuing a mysterious artifact of alien origin, she confronts Daphene, a lover from her past life who betrayed her. Together, Daphene and Demeter remind us the line between love and hate, power and surrender, is often razor thin. Note: Contains adult themes.

• 
  Waterwings
  Narrative, 2008, 19:32 minutes
  
  Directed by Tim Rooney. When a nature photographer heads into the woods on a photo shoot, he discovers something that will change his life forever. Stars Saginaw actors Chris Howard and Joanna LaRose.

• 
  Flashback!
  Documentary, 2007, 3:35 minutes
  
  Directed by David Gibbons. Moving from present to past and back again, this documentary combines the dedication ceremonies for the oldest log house in Flatwoods, Kentucky with coverage of "Wolfpen," a festival held on the property of a man who has collected and restored several historic log houses.
  • 
    Drowning Memories
    Narrative, 2007, 9:10 minutes
    
    Directed by Chris Stevens. A young man struggles to forget his painful past.

     

    
    
  • 
    Maybe
    Experimental/Animation, 2007, 3:50 minutes
    
    Directed by Aygul Idiyatullina. 3-D and 2-D imagery creates a confused state of mind stemming from the loss of a grandfather.

     

    
    
  • 
    Forever in Time
    Narrative, 2007, 28:00 minutes
    
    Directed by Chuck Grady. During World War II, a pilot and a girl fall in love at a USO dance. 60 years later, their romance is remembered.