Our Festival
58th Festival April 14-16, 2016
Promo
MOAS Promo
Sessions
Thursday, April 14, 8pm
Paper Wrap Fire
Raymond Yeung, New York, NY 13 min
(Drama) A Chinese teenager is left waiting in a community center while his single mother goes to work. A sequence of events unfolds and leads him to an unexpected discovery.
The Path of Grey Owl
Goh Iromoto, Canada 11 min
(Documentary) “The question is not what we get out of nature, but what can we give back to nature.”
Nightlight
Samuel Flueckiger, Switzerland 12 min
(Drama) With the world outside their home collapsing around them, young brothers Konrad and Baschi get into a fight that spirals out of control.
Pastime
Nate Mancini, Johnny Sikma and Craig Peterson Rochester, NY 24 min
(Drama) As James grows older, he forgets his childlike ability to dream. But just as he’s settled into a comfortable life, he meets Peter, a 10-year-old photographer who challenges his understanding of success.
3000
Antonis Tsonis, Australia 20 min
(Drama) Athens, Greece. An unemployed youth desperate to help his best friend fight cancer decides to become a criminal to pay for the treatments.
C.T.R.L.
Mariana Conde, England 4 min
(Drama) A young man’s attempt at a first contact with a love interest is hijacked in a most entertaining way.
If These Walls Could Talk
Matthew Spaull, Rochester, NY 23 min
(Drama) A Center for Youth Film based on actual events celebrating the determination, talent, resiliency and creativity of young men facing homelessness.
Sessions
Friday, April 15, 8pm
Lightning in the Hand
Joey Grossfield, Brooklyn, NY 15 min
(Drama) The Apache say it is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand.
Mandala
XI GUAN, Los Angeles, CA 23 min
(Drama) After losing her lover, a young artist tries to overcome her grief by succumbing to a mysterious request by a Tibetan monk.
The Nike Chariot Earring
Karen Audette, Concord, MA 14 min
(Documentary) A half-century ago a priceless treasure was stolen from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. This is the remarkable story of its recovery and the woman who found it.
Winter’s Journey
Susanne Boeing, Germany 26 min
(Drama) Walter is waiting at the last station of his journey through life. His family and friends all know what is best for him. But in the end they have to understand that his ending belongs only to him.
Long John
Joe Bellavia, Rochester, NY 17 min
(Comedy) During a frigid winter, John discovers the warmth and beauty of long underwear–but will it be disastrous for his love life?
Where Leaves Fall
Alicia Albares Martínez, Spain 18 min
(Drama) When life comes to its end, the real fight begins.
Sessions
Saturday, April 16, 4pm
The Bench
Cameron Burnett, Malibu, CA 6 min
(Animation) There is more than meets the eye, in this random encounter on a park bench.
Aidiyet (Belonging)
Serkan Ertekin, Turkey 30 min
(Drama) They say there used to be a spiritual ship that could only be moved by belief and tears. A ship only visible to the ones who belong to it, is about to take off.
Ron Taylor: Dr. Baseball
Drew and Matthew Taylor, Canada 17 min
(Documentary) Ron Taylor was a Major League pitcher for 11 years, helping his team win two world championships. After a USO Tour to Vietnam, he returned to school post-baseball career to become a physician.
Cloth Paper Dreams
Greg Davis, Austin, TX 11 min
(Narrative) At the confluence of the three holiest rivers in India during the world’s largest spiritual pilgrimage, three men converge and bring along what connects them to something greater than themselves.
Isa and the Frog Prince
Yingxiang Huang, Burbank, CA 14 min
(Drama) After Isa tells her class that she believes her frog can turn into a prince, a bully and his gang challenge her to prove it. .
Where We Begin
Mitsuyo Miyazaki, Los Angeles, CA 20 min
(Drama) A lyrical memory of forbidden love which transcends race, class, war and even time, expressed through movement and sound.
The Mother
Paolo Monico, Brooklyn, NY 11 min
(Drama) When a hardened widow receives an unexpected visit, she is given the chance to shed light on her husband’s death.
Sessions
Saturday, April 16, 8pm
Remember When
Swati Srivastava, Bayshore, NY 23 min
(Drama) “You can’t seem to remember. I can’t seem to forget.” – a perspective on Alzheimer’s disease.
59 Days of Independence: With the Children of Galloya
Njogu Touray, Ian Massry, and Lawrence Williams, The Gambia 7 min
(Documentary) An artist makes 59 kites to celebrate the independence days of 59 countries that gained freedom from British colonization.
Anrath
Gregor Hoeppner, Germany 19 min
(Drama) October 1944. When a 60-year old Jewish woman is being deported by an elderly village policeman, fate seems to throw obstacles in the way of their journey to the train she must take.
Chip
Pete Ireland, Australia 3 min
(Animation) From the summit of the rock god mountain, through the iconic pop culture milestones of the 70s, there have been two constants: time and Chip Monck. But time waits for no rock god.
Business Ethics
Nick Wernham, Canada 23 min
(Drama) Deciding that the rewards of fraud could outweigh the eventual costs, Zachary runs a Ponzi scheme, in spite of the knowledge that he will eventually face the consequences.
It Had Wings
Ellen Hemphill and Jim Haverkamp, Chapel Hill, NC 10 min
(Drama) An old widow, alone at home, sees something heavenly and wounded fall into her backyard. Kindness becomes what might save us yet.
The Apology
Yu Shibuya, Japan 22 min
(Drama) What if an apology took 100 years to reach you?
Mention
Honorable Mention
Films determined to have special merit during Final Judging
Honorable Mention
- ABLUTION (WUZU) by Parisa Barani
- A NEW YOU by Dane Hansen
- A PORTRAIT OF ABUSE by Nick Chianese
- A SKELETON NAMED OLIVER by Clara Diez
- ELEVEN by Ken Fox
- PICKUP by Laila Al-Beiti
- POOR GEORGE by Jim Harris
- SPIRITUS by Matthew Spaull
- THE LETTER by Yifan Xiao
- THIS MODERN MAN IS BEAT by Alex Merkin
- THE SPELL by Ferdinand Jay Smith
- THE VISIT by Shane Andries
- UNSPOKEN by George Zaverdas
- VENOM THERAPY by Steven Murashige
Merit
Certificate of Merit
Films which showed noteworthy artistic qualities during pre-screening
Certificate of Merit
- ALEXA TO EXA by Exa Zim and Christian Marsh
- AU REVOIR by Alonzo O’Leary
- COLD WINTER’S NIGHT by Gabe Figueroa
- FIRE RIPPLES by Mark Roeder
- FRUIT OF THE GARDEN by John Capone
- LOVE IS BLIND by Sabine Crossen
- MASQUERADE-A STORY OF THE OLD SOUTH by Andrew Hawkins
- MERCURY by Melis Balci and Ege Okal
- MISFITS by Johno Faherty
- POETRY: VLADIMIR MAYAKOVSKI’S “YOU!” by Alexey Karpov
- RIVER by Stephanie Maxwell
- SPLIT END by Edward Shieh
- TENZIN by Justin Curtis
- TEST by Jay Lifton
- THE FALL by Chenyu Chen
- THE RATU RIVER EXPEDITION by Isaac Kerlow
- THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD AND BONES by Chris Ekstein
- THREE LIVES by UCO Media
- WHISPERING GALLERY by Timothy Covell
- WHAT REMAINS by Michael Faller
- WOMAN OUTSIDE by Shelly Lauman
Rochester
International
Film Festival
about Us
The Rochester International Film Festival is produced and presented by Movies On A Shoestring, Inc., offering four distinct screenings each year at George Eastman Museum’s famed Dryden Theatre in Rochester NY.
Films
3 Days. Dozens of Films. 1,000s of Film Lovers. See short films of ALL genres from filmmakers worldwide! Join us! All (4) distinct screenings are FREE to attend.