August 22, 2009, Mystic Theatre


Cris Jones, Australia, 5 min.

Jack, a middle-aged divorcee, gets up one morning in a state he is unable to shake. Shot entirely on digital still and animated using a variety of digital techniques, The Funk is a darkly comic ode to the absurdity of modern life. 


Ben Piety, USA, 16 min.

In this beautifully lyrical cinematic memoir, director Ben Piety re-imagines his childhood in flickers of memory and light. At once ethereal and intensely real, the film’s episodic structure reveals a young man’s reflections on the simple yet defining moments of his life. Official selection of the Sundance Film Festival. 


Boris Schaarschmidt, USA, 15 min.

Walter is a peaceful college groundskeeper who loves nothing more than the grass he lovingly nurtures on the football field. When his beloved lawn is threatened by a much larger danger, he decides to take drastic action to prevent everything he’s worked for from being destroyed. 


Liz Blazer, USA, 5 min.

Backseat Bingo explores sex and love in the golden years as senior citizens discuss the role of romance in their pasts and futures. Watercolors and fabrics combine in this surprisingly funny animated documentary that reminds us the more things change, the more they stay the same. 


Eli Akira Kaufman, USA, 18 min.

Inspired by a photograph in the New York Times, Winning the Peace is a touching and provocative look at heroism, tragedy, and national identities. When an Iraqi-American returns to his place of birth as part of the US Marine Corps, the misfortune and confusion of war quickly become personal. 


A.J. Bond, Canada, 14 mins.

This darkly comic sci-fi thriller follows a young scientist working to break the code for time-travel. Director AJ Bond transcends the typical traits of the genre and creates a provocative and disturbing tale of self-confrontation. Official selection of the Toronto Film Festival. (Canada, 14 min.)


Grzegorz Jonkajtys, Poland, 8 min.

When an unknown virus has destroyed almost the entire human population, the remaining survivors take to the sea in a search for uninhabited land. The result of the journey is not what we expect. This visually stunning animated tale was an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. 


Grant Barbeito, USA, 7 min.

Slap is a simple yet highly formal film about verbal sparring gone awry. Gorgeously photographed and exceptionally well-cast, the film ultimately reads as a powerful allegory about the world we live in and American politics today. 


Mike Goode, Australia, 5 min

When three students oversleep for a high-stakes exam, the pressure is on to outwit their professor and preserve their future. Full of unexpectedly funny twists, Multiple Choice was voted an Audience Favorite at the Palm Springs International Short Fest.