The Best in Short Films

All four distinct screenings are FREE to attend at the George Eastman Museum’s famed Dryden Theatre 900 East Avenue in Rochester, New York. Our programs run about an hour and 45 minutes. We encourage audience members to stay at the close of each show for trophy presentations and a Q&A session with attending filmmakers. And don’t miss your chance to vote for your favorite films in each show on the “Best of the Fest” ballot inserted in your program book.

• May 1 Thursday, 7:30pm
• May 2 Friday, 7:30pm
• May 3 Saturday, 3pm matinee
• May 3 Saturday, 7:30pm

Watching Walter

Mitch Yapko, USA, Drama , 17 min

Based on the true story of Holocaust survivor-turned watchmaker Wladyslaw “Walter” Wojnas. This story is set in both 1995 Philadelphia and World War II Nazi occupied Poland. Walter’s tale is one of tenacity and forgiveness in the face of insurmountable devastation.

When Everything Was Blue

Christina Chironna, USA, Drama, 14 min

Luke, a firefighter, answered the call on 9/11. This film follows his life and that of his family for twenty-two years after 9/11. Through the unfiltered gaze of a home video camera, we witness this family in their everyday moments.

This Land

Mike Bradley, USA, Documentary, 20 min

In 1974 a group of Mohawk Indians were dissatisfied with the overcrowding, drugs and alcoholism on their reservation. They decided to leave and set up the community of Ganienkeh where they could follow a traditional way of life. This film follows their story and the role of New York State in establishing a permanent homeland.

Birds of a Feather

Katie Cobos, USA, Animation, 5 min

A talkative parrot attempts to befriend a boy with Tourette’s syndrome. (Tourette’s is a neurological disorder that causes someone to make repetitive movements or sounds that are outside of their control.)

The Last Chapter Of Life

Shihao Chen, China, Drama, 28 min

Lao Zhao is terminally ill and decides to spend the rest of his life in a secluded wilderness. He invites two close friends to visit him for a last get-together.

The Callback

Kara Herold, USA, Comedy, 13 min

Maggie Scott is an aspiring actress. To get into character for auditions, Maggie creates ambitious backstories for her female characters.

Laika

David Wesley Gelb, USA, Animation, 9 min

One month after Sputnik launched, the Soviet Union sent a second satellite into orbit, this one carrying a dog named Laika. As the technology for safe re-entry into the atmosphere had not yet been developed, Laika’s fate was sealed despite initial claims to the contrary.

Something Blue

Samantha Nisenboim, USA, Drama, 10 min, Mature (Sex)

A bride, struggling with cold feet, finds herself at a crossroads moment before the ceremony.

The Clock Painter

Dylan Levine, USA, Drama, 16 min

Teenager Clara lands a lucrative job at a local watch factory. There she and her fellow female coworkers paint watch dials using a luminous paint, but a startling discovery soon changes everything.

Snowbird

Patrick Curran, USA, Comedy, 25 min

A self-taught rocket scientist invites a big city journalist out into the desert to cover a launch that will prove, once and for all, that the Earth is flat.

Dead Drop

Benjamin Reeves, USA, Drama, 13 min, Mature (Violence)

When the FBI exposes a spy cell in New York, an embedded Russian agent faces a deadly choice between her own freedom and her mission.

Lost in Translation

Yachan Yuan, China, Experimental, 3 min

This film provides visual definitions for three untranslatable words: the Swedish word “Mångata”, the Icelandic word “Gluggaveður”, and the Portuguese word “Saudade”.

Lox

Dan Pavlik, USA, Drama, 14 min

In the span of time it takes to order bagels & lox, Ruth Gold meets, remembers, and ultimately forgets the young man standing behind her in line.

Persistence of Vision

John Paul Marsonet, Canada, Docudrama, 19 min

For Thomas Edison, the creation of the motion picture camera was strictly business. For his young assistant, W.K.L. Dickson, the motion picture camera was his destiny. And Mr. Dickson wants his due credit. Note: George Eastman’s invention of flexible film played a critical role in this invention.

Dig

Jandro, Spain, Drama, 12 min, Mature (Violence)

A man is digging a clandestine grave in the middle of the forest at night when he is suddenly discovered.

Avian Flu PSA

James Middleton, USA, Animation, 2 min

The Birds is coming! And good grammar has went!

Mars Hill Bait and Ammo

Alfred Thomas Catalfo, USA, Comedy, 16 min

Be careful what you promise to cover in the advertising campaign for your insurance company. A CEO is forced to travel to rural Maine to investigate a hunter’s claim that aliens destroyed his barn. Once there he becomes entangled in the Native American Algonquin legend of the Wendigo.

Napoleonic Code

Michael Cusumano, USA, Drama, 15 min

When a New Yorker reunites with her estranged brother to settle their father’s Louisiana estate, they’re confronted with secrets, old and new. Then there’s the brother’s unique interpretation of the Napoleonic code.

They Call Me The Cross Man

David Damian Figueroa, USA, Documentary, 7 min

Tucson artist Alvaro Ennciso has placed over 1,100 crosses to honor the migrants who have lost their lives in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.

Thirteen

Alison Norlan and Jean Li, USA, Drama, 19 min

Confronting her disabled daughter’s terminal diagnosis, a mother fights to have her daughter become a Bat Mitzvah in their synagogue.

Neither Donkey Nor Horse

Robin Wang, USA, Drama, 28 min

The Chinese idiom “Neither Donkey Nor Horse” describes an odd animal that does not fit into either of its parent species. Such was the experience of Dr. Wu Lien-teh, a western-educated Chinese physician who was outcast by both the Western scientific community and traditional Chinese doctors. Yet, Dr. Wu persisted in finding the cause of the 1910 Manchurian Plague and a way to stop its spread.

The Pretty

Miguel Córcoles, Spain, Drama, 16 min, Mature

A talent agent arrives at the cocktail bar “La Bonita” (The Pretty). The waitress makes the house special for him and lets him know that all customers who go too far with her will pay.

Darcine’s Day

Aaron Goffman, USA, Drama, 17 min

Recently divorced, Darcine is hopeful as she starts a new life in Los Angeles. She soon struggles to find a fair-paying job, affordable housing and nutritious food.

Mystery of the Flower

Sargon Saadi, USA, Experimental, 10 min

A reclusive Syrian poet, captivated by the beauty of a discarded bouquet of flowers, is transported into a tapestry of his imagination to uncover life’s deepest truths. Inspired by the Arabic poem of the same name, written by the late Syrian-Assyrian poet Saad Saadi.

Through Thin Ice

Gabrielle Kardon and Arthur Veenema, USA, Documentary-Animation, 11 min

Along the shores of the Great Salt Lake, a scientist’s twilight run is upended when her dog plunges through rare lake ice. Told from two perspectives, the film explores how we assess risks, make decisions, and the role of chance.