SCAD Announces 2011 Savannah Film Festival Competition Films

Press Release from The Savannah College of Art and Design

SAVANNAH, GA — The Savannah College of Art and Design is excited to announce the competition film lineup for its 14th annual Savannah Film Festival, scheduled for Oct. 29-Nov. 5 in historic downtown Savannah, Ga. From feature-length films to two-minute shorts, the annual festival presents a full range of cinematic creativity from both award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers.

Competitions will be held in the categories of narrative features, documentary features, professional shorts, animated shorts and student entries. The films come from almost a dozen different countries including Australia, Brazil, France, Portugal, Japan, Mexico, Sweden and United Kingdom. This year's competition films are competing for more than $80,000 in cash and prizes.

The highly anticipated 2011 Savannah Film Festival competition films include the following:

Animated Shorts

BottleUSA, 2010, 5:25 min., Blu-RayDirector/Producer/Writer: Kirsten LeporeSynopsis: Animated on location at a beach, in snow, and underwater, this stop-motion short details a transoceanic conversation between two characters via objects in a bottle.

The MakerAustralia, 2011, 5:17 min., Blu-RayDirector: Christopher KezelosProducers: Christopher Kezelos, Christine KezelosWriter: Christopher KezelosSynopsis: A strange creature races against time to make the most important and beautiful creation of his life.

Orange O Despair (Orange Ô Desespoir)France, 2011, 3:35 min., Blu-RayDirector/Producer/Writer: John BananaSynopsis: What happens when a small sad orange decides to leave for the other side of the shop to meet a bunch of fun dancing pineapples?

RipeningUSA, 2011, 4:04 min., HDCamDirector: Jason MaurerAnimation: Jason MaurerSynopsis: Ripening is a cathartic journey that explores the inner turmoil of a crumbling relationship and the fruitful outcome of the experience.

Salesman Pete and the Amazing Stone from Outer Space!France, 2010, 6:55 min., Blu-RayCo-directors: Anthony Vivien, Marc Bouyer, Max LoubaresseAnimation: Marc BouyerSynopsis: Pete is a nice and clumsy salesman. But he's also a deadly super secret agent with a microprocessor implanted into his brain by some mad scientists from the government! He has to secretly stop a bunch of bad guys who stole a magic stone that can change anything into seafood.

Something Left, Something TakenUSA, 2010, 10:15 min., HDCamDirectors/ Writers/ Animation: Ru Kuwahata and Max PorterSynopsis: Everyone who enters a crime scene leaves something behind and takes something away. 'Something Left, Something Taken' is a 10 minute animated dark comedy about a vacationing couples' encounter with a man they believe to be the Zodiac Killer.

The Thomas Beale CipherUSA, 2010, 10:10 min., HDCamDirector: Andrew AllenProducer: Jason SondhiWriters: Andrew Allen, Josh FroscheiserSynopsis: Professor White, cryptographer extraordinaire, is on the trail of the notoriously uncrackable Thomas Beale cipher—a century-old riddle hiding the location of a fortune in gold that has tormented its pursuers since inception. But White is not alone—shadowy forces are tight on his tail.

Documentary Films

GROW!USA, 2011, 50:33 min., DigibetaDirectors/Producers: Christine Anthony, Owen MastersonSynopsis: Fed up with corporate America and its influence on a broken food system, a growing number of educated young people aim to solve some of the current system's inequities by growing clean, fair food. Mostly landless, they borrow, rent or manage farmland in order to fulfill their dreams of doing something meaningful with their lives.

PressPausePlaySweden, 2010, 1:14:00 min., Blu-RayDirector: David DworskyProducer: Adam SvanellSynopsis: In the last couple of years producing music, films and other forms of creative works has gone from a privilege for the selected few, to an art form almost as accessible as the pen and paper.  PressPausePlay is the first real testimony of the digi-creative revolution. It's a 90 minute global journey capturing how digital technology and mindset has transformed the concept of art and culture.

The City DarkUSA, 2011, 1:22:17 min., Blu-RayDirector/Producer: Ian CheneySynopsis: The City Dark is a feature documentary about the loss of night. After moving to NYC from rural Maine, filmmaker Ian Cheney asks a simple question - do we need the stars? Exploring the threat of killer asteroids in Hawaii, tracking hatching turtles along the Florida coast, and rescuing injured birds on Chicago streets, Cheney unravels the myriad implications of a globe glittering with lights

These Amazing ShadowsUSA, 2010, 1:26:00 min., Blu-RayDirectors: Paul Mariano, Kurt NortonProducers: Christine O’Malley, Paul Mariano, Kurt NortonSynopsis: What do the films Casablanca, Blazing Saddles and West Side Story have incommon? Besides being popular, they have also been deemed “culturally,historically or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress and listed onThe National Film Registry.  These Amazing Shadows tells the history and importance of The Registry, a roll call of American cinema treasures that reflect the diversity of film, and indeed the American experience itself.

Narrative Features

A Year in MooringUSA, 2011, 91 min., HDCamDirector: Chris EyreProducers: Kevin Reidy, Sally Jo EffensonWriter: Peter VanderwallCast: Ayelet Zurer, James Cromwell, Jon Tenney, Taylor Nichols, Josh LucasSynopsis: A successful businessman, attempting to escape his past, moves aboard a dilapidated boat in a remote harbor. Told over movements framed by the calendar year, the Young Mariner meets other harbor inhabitants with pasts of their own.

InukFrance/Greenland, 2010, 90 min., HDCamDirector: Mike MagidsonProducers: Mike Magidson, Sylvie BarbeWriters: Mike Magidson, Jean-Michel HuctinCast: Gaaba Petersen, Ole-Jorgen HammekenSynopsis: In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, sixteen year-old Inuk lives a troubled life with his alcoholic mother and violent step-father. One morning, after pulling the half-frozen boy out of an abandoned car, the social services decide to send Inuk north to a children’s home on a tiny island in the middle of the arctic sea-ice. Shortly after arriving, Inuk meets Ikuma, a local polar bear hunter who has his own share of problems, and is asked to take Inuk on his annual seal-hunting trip. So when Inuk, the troubled boy from the city, joins Ikuma, the last great hunter of the North, on this epic dogsled journey, they will face much more than the bitter cold and fragile sea-ice.

Let GoUSA, 2011, 109 min., HDCamDirector: Brian JettProducer: Leif LillihaugenWriter: Brian JettCast: Alexandera Holden, Amy Stiller, Brian Huskey, Catherine Reitman, David Denman, Dov Davidoff, Edward Asner, Gillian Jacobs, Johnny Pemberton, Kali Hawk, Kevin Hart, Kirk Fox, Maria Thayer, Rance Howard, Simon HelbergSynopsis: A comedy that follows the intertwining stories of Walter Dishman, a melancholy parole officer struggling with the doldrums of married life, and three eccentric ex-convicts that were recently placed under his supervision. Using the afflictions of modern love as a common thread, the stories build to a poignant climax as each of the characters struggle to free themselves from both literal and figurative bonds.

Take Me HomeUSA, 2011, 97min, Blu-RayDirector: Sam JaegerProducer: Michael Hobert, Jane Kelly KosekWriter: Sam JaegerCast: Sam Jaeger, Amber Jaeger, Victor Garber, Cristine Rose, Lin ShayeSynopsis: When Claire jumps in Thom’s beat-up cab in New York, neither realize that they have just begun a journey together of self-discovery that will have them crossing the United States in an effort to find home.

Professional Shorts

Library of DustUSA, 2011, 16:20 min., DCPDirector: Ondi Timoner,Co-Director: Robert JamesProducers: Robert James, Ondi Timoner, Kyle ParkerCast: David Maisel, Senator Peter Courtney, Mary Ellen Mark, Dr. Marvin Fickle, Rick Attig, Rob FinchSynopsis: A tour of the Oregon State Hospital involving the local press and a State Senator was conducted to uncover the deplorable conditions of the hospital. What they didn't expect to find was a storeroom full of human ashes dating back to the late 1800's.

Little Angel (Angelito)USA/Brazil, 2011, 13:20 min., Blu-RayDirector: Paula LimaProducer: Paula Lima, Vitor CoralWriter: Vitor CoralCast: Angela Carrizosa, John Benson, Julia SmythSynopsis: Lacking his own mother’s attention, Danny tries to earn his nanny’s respect by behaving defiantly. He keeps pushing at Luisa until she responds inappropriately. Danny threatens to tell his mother about Luisa’s slip up and get her fired. But can he take the next step?

Love, Lots of ItUSA, 2011, 14 min., DigibetaDirector: Rob FeldProducers: Asger Hussain, Chiemi Karasawa, Craig Lifschutz, Hernan Michael Otano, Joshua Green, Lea-Beth Shapiro, Lloyd DavisWriter: Rob FeldCast: Campbell Scott, Kathleen McElfresh, McCaleb BurnettSynopsis: A Faustian parable in which a young woman, confused by her life and having made false assumptions about what will make her happy, goes to the proverbial crossroads to meet a man she has heard can give her what she wants. When she arrives at the barren spot, her vulnerability moves the man to offer her a way out, a chance at real happiness, if only she can recognize it.

MinkaUSA, 2010, 15:07 min., DigibetaDirector:  Davina PardoProducers:  Andrew Blum, Davina PardoSynopsis: In 1967, an American journalist and a Japanese architect rescued an ancient farmhouse found in the snow country of Japan, and their lives were forever changed. Minka is an intimate story about architecture, memory, and the meaning of home.

North AtlanticPortugal/United Kingdom, 2010, 15 min., HDCamProducer/Director/Writer:  Bernardo NascimentoProducer:  James YoungsCast:  Clive Russell, Francisco Tavares, Grant Masters, Guilherme MendoncaSynopsis: An isolated air-traffic controller in an island off the Azores archipelago receives a transatlantic emergency signal from a lost plane. As the engagement with the lone pilot unfolds, it emerges that their newfound friendship will not last through the night.

PersimmonJapan/USA, 2011, 19:30 min., Blu-RayDirector: Dean YamadaProducers: Ellie Pappuleas, Paul Nethercott, Rachel van der Merwe, Yu ShibuyaWriter: Yu ShibuyaCast: Aduchi Kaneko, Ai Ozaki, Atsurou Tokuoka, Masayuki Yui, Sahori Ehara, Sakae Kimura, Yugo SasoSynopsis: Tamotsu is expecting a persimmon to dry and yet he cannot accept that it is time for a man on his deathbed to die. As the persimmon mysteriously, or supernaturally, holds out from drying, so Tamotsu tries his hardest to keep the man alive. Only when Tamotsu has let go can the persimmon take its natural course.

SextingUSA, 2010, 8 min., DCPProducer: Tim HarmsWriter: Neil LaButeCast: Julia Stiles, Elizabeth Greer, Jamie Anderson, Marin Ireland, T. Lynn MikeskaSynopsis: A misdirected text message prompts a young woman to meet the wife of her boyfriend at a cafe. The wife’s husband has been telling her he is going to leave the wife to be with her, yet he continues to delay their plans. After receiving a sexy text message meant for his wife, the young woman decides to talk to the wife and get the real story of what is going on in their relationship.

Winter Frog (Grenouille D’hiver)France, 2011, 17:43 min., DCPProducer: Jean Maurice BelaycheWriter: Slony SowCast: Gerard Depardieu, Sabine Lenoel, Eriko TakedaSynopsis: Benjamin, a winemaker, sees his wife die in his arms following a long illness. He feels there is only one thing left for him: death. But a young Japanese woman, coming specially to taste his wine, will gently bring him to mourn the death of his wife by a series of symbols and exchanges between two cultures.

Student Shorts

Bone’YeerdUSA, 2011, 9 min., HDCamWriter/Director/Producer: Tom SalvaggioSynopsis: The Gothic tale of a lonely farmer who descends into madness when he cannot let go of the woman he loves.

CanyonlandsUSA, 2011, 13 min., DigibetaWriter/Director/Producer: T.C. WebbSynopsis: In this documentary short, two men challenge their survival skills and rock climbing abilities on a brutal trek across the breathtaking landscape of Canyonlands National Park in Utah.

Clear BlueUSA, 2010, 20 min., HDCamDirector: Lindsay MacKayProducer: Brent MartinWriter: Lindsay MacKayCast: Chris Sheffield, Jeff Clarke, Nancy Linehan CharlesSynopsis: Simon, an eager 16 year old, gets his first job as a lifeguard at the local indoor pool. At first his job is dull, until he notices Flova, a 71 year-old woman who comes to swim every morning. One day Simon follows Flova into the change room, and discovers a startling secret...

Cold CountryUSA, 2011, 1:14 min., Blu-RayDirector: Chris Palmer, Travis OverstreetWriter/Producer: Chris Palmer, Travis OverstreetSynopsis: In this short biographical animation inspired by the exile of Stalin, a lone bear rides an abandoned train through the frozen Siberian wilderness.

CreateUSA, 2011, 2 min, Blu-Ray Director: Dan MackenzieWriter: Dan MackenzieProducer: Dan Mackenzie and Nicholas ReichardSynopsis: A mad scientist sets out to create a pet monster within parallel worlds of an imaginary laboratory, and the reality of a boy's bedroom.

Galeana No. 8USA/ Mexico, 2011, 12 min., DCPDirector: Andres Perez-DuarteProducer: Sebastian Celis and David Guti RosadoWriter: Andres Perez-DuarteCast: Eduardo España, Christian Vasquez and Mary Francis ReyesSynopsis: Two parallel stories unfold – two kidnappers deal with their hostage’s destiny; two co-workers receive a muffled phone call from their boss who appears to be in danger.  While the two kidnappers decide what to do with the hostage, a revealing twist proves a new perspective to each side of the phone call.

TerrebonneUSA, 2010, 15 min., Blu-RayDirector/Writer: Jeremy CraigProducer: Catherine ShaoCast: Cullen Chaffin, Dean West, Jessica Heap, Lance NicholsSynopsis: Set on the imperiled coast of Louisiana, Terrebonne is the meditative story of a brother and sister who encounter unexpected trouble when they venture deep into the swamp in search of the mythic ivory-billed woodpecker.

The Girl and the FoxUSA, 2011, 5:30 min., Blu-RayDirector: Tyler KupfererProducer: Nick AllredWriter: Tyler KupfererSynopsis: Ilona, a nine-year-old girl who lives in the wilderness with her mother and father, has fallen on hard times. Supplies are running low, and when a mysterious fox starts killing their livestock, she has no choice but to track down the strange creature in order to ensure the survival of her family.

The Reality ClockUSA, 2011, 7 min., Blu-RayDirector/Writer: Amanda TasseCast: J. Louis Reid, Marco TazioliSynopsis: The Reality Clock is an experimental animated portrait of an elderly watchmaker's struggle to accept the influence of early stage dementia on his identity and sense of time. Through contemplating who the raw essence of a person is when stripped bare of new memories and rational clarity, The Reality Clock searches for a sense of beauty and peace amidst the confusion.

The RenterUSA, 2011, 10 min., Blu-RayDirector: Jason CarpenterCast: Corey Shiffman, Taylor SanchesSynopsis: A young boy is dropped off at an elderly woman's home for the day. The savage slaughter of a chicken makes this daycare a harsh and confusing world for the boy, who learns caring can be shown in unexpected ways.

The Secret NumberUSA, 2011, 14 min., Blu-RayDirector: Colin LevyProducers: Frank Ponce, Roque NoniniWriter: Colin LevyCast: Daniel Jones, Tom NowickiSynopsis: Tomlin, a psychiatrist in a mental hospital, has a disturbing conversation with one of his patients, a mathematician who intends to prove the existence of a secret integer between three and four. When he begins to dig deeper, the mathematician mysteriously disappears from the hospital, confirming Tomlin’s hunch that their fates are deeply entwined.

The Savannah Film Festival schedule is subject to change.

For more information on the festival, please visit www.scad.edu/filmfest.

SCAD: The University for Creative CareersThe Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor’s and master’s degrees in distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers degrees in more than 40 majors and more than 50 minors in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; in Hong Kong; in Lacoste, France; and online through SCAD eLearning. SCAD has more than 20,000 alumni and offers an exceptional education and unparalleled career preparation. The diverse student body, consisting of more than 10,000 students, comes from all 50 United States and nearly 100 countries worldwide. Each student is nurtured and motivated by a faculty of more than 700 professors with extraordinary academic credentials and valuable professional experience. These professors emphasize learning through individual attention in an inspiring university environment. SCAD’s innovative curriculum is enhanced by advanced, professional-level technology, equipment and learning resources and has garnered acclaim from respected organizations and publications, including 3D World, American Institute of Architects, BusinessWeek, DesignIntelligence, U.S. News & World Report and the Los Angeles Times.

For more information, visit scad.edu.