Shorts Before Features

10 Minutes (Ahmed Imamovic, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2002, 10 min.): This European Film Academy Award winner contrasts the 10 minutes it takes to develop a roll of film in Rome with the violence of war-torn Bosnia. (with Grbavica)
Being Born Is Marvelous (Denise Ward-Brown, U.S., 2009, 6 min.): A portrait of the filmmaker’s 91-year-old mother, Rosina, in which she reflects on working and growing up in St. Louis as a black woman. (with The Rink)
Bhutan: The Last Dragon Kingdom (David Emery & Aine Carey, U.S., 2009, 7 min.): A visually poetic journey through Bhutan, a Buddhist country experiencing dramatic societal changes. (with Burma VJ)
I Always Wanted to Be a Teacher (Denise Ward-Brown, U.S., 2009, 4 min.): Reflections by the filmmaker’s mother on her lifelong desire to be a teacher. (with The Rink)
Keep the Home Fires Burning (Ryan O’Toole, U.S., 2008, 8 min.): A moving exploration of duty and loss through the home movies of a military family. (with Severe Clear)
Life’s a Beach (Susan Beraza, U.S., 2007, 6 min.): A wryly satiric commentary on America’s wasteful and environmentally destructive behavior. (with Tapped)
Photograph of Jesus (Laurie Hill, 2009, U.K., 7 min.): A stop-motion animated look at outlandish requests received by a photo archive. (with Waiting for Hockney)
The Poetry of Exactitude (La Poisie de l’Exactitude) (Alan Govenar, U.S./France, 2008, 8 min., French): A portrait of Lucien Mouchet, who makes detailed, small-scale reproductions of carousels and fairground scenes. (with Waiting for Hockney)
Pride 2009 (Joseph Olesh, U.S., 2009, 7 min.): A chronicle of this year’s Pride parade in San Francisco. (with Edie and Thea)
Reaching Tranquility (Karl Ferron, U.S., 2009, 10 min.): A look back at the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 using dramatic time-lapse footage of the moon. (with The Wonder of It All)
Robin Hood (Eclair Studio, 1912, 30 min.): A recently restored silent with live musical accompaniment. (with The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Brothers Warner)

Documentary Shorts: Communities

88 min.
Saturday, Nov. 21, 5 p.m., Frontenac 1

Down Here (Charles Wilkinson, U.S., 2008, 30 min.): A dark, beautifully photographed exploration of the lives and dreams of the homeless and others living on the margins of Vancouver.
Goleshovo (Ilian Metev, Bulgaria/U.K., 2008, 30 min.): An alternately moving and amusing portrait of a dying Bulgarian village populated entirely by seniors.
Waiting for Women (Estephan Wagner, U.K./Spain, 2008, 34 min.): A funny but tender look at a remote, nearly women-less Spanish village whose lonely men devise a plan for luring members of the opposite sex into their midst.

Documentary Shorts: Individuals

72 min.
Saturday, Nov. 14, 5 p.m., Hi-Pointe

Almost a Legend (Mia Vuorio-Ringwald, U.K., 2008, 37 min.): A bawdily amusing portrait of songwriter and performer Fran Landesman, who presided over Gaslight Square’s Crystal Palace with her husband, Jay, author of “The Nervous Set.”
Cohen on the Bridge: Rescue at Entebbe (Andrew Wainrib, Israel/U.S./Uganda, 2009, 20 min.): A tightly edited animated retelling of the terrorist hijacking of Air France Flight 139 and the Israeli military rescue effort.
Jennifer (Stewart Copeland, U.S., 2008, 5 min.): A sweetly personal documentary about the filmmaker’s mother, a teacher who enabled her students to communicate with astronauts aboard the space station.
Sister Wife (Jill Orschel, U.S., 2009, 10 min.): An honest exploration of a woman’s feelings about the complications of being a polygamist Mormon who shares a husband with her own biological sister.
Followed by a panel on Gaslight Square and Fran and Jay Landesman with moderator Thomas Crone (author of "Gaslight Square: An Oral History"), Al Becker (tenant in the Landesmans' building), Scott Miller (artistic director of New Line Theatre, which performed the Landesmans' "The Nervous Set" in 2003) and Jeanne Trevor (singer at the Crystal Palace and other Gaslight Square venues).

Sponsored by Ken and Nancy Kranzberg

Documentary Shorts: Sports

94 min.
Thursday, Nov. 19, 5 p.m., Tivoli 3

Dunkumentary (Margaret Johnson, U.S., 2008, 23 min.): A funny, engaging chronicle of the efforts by a 5-foot-8 35-year-old to dunk a basketball for the first time, despite inconvenient age and stature.
Long Distance (Moritz Seibert, U.K., 2009, 27 min.): A portrait of an Ethiopian runner in the U.S. who trains relentlessly and races for modest purses in a persistent effort to realize his own American dream.
Three Pilots (Philip Leaman, U.S., 2009, 7 min.): A trio of pilots shares their love of airplanes and the excitement they feel when flying in this gorgeously photographed short.
Under the Ice (Michael Sternoff, U.S., 2009, 31 min.): A quirky short about sturgeon fishers, who wait in brutal February temperatures for the rare opportunity to spear one of these ancient fish under the frozen surface of Lake Winnebago.

Family Shorts

85 min.
Sunday, Nov. 15, 1:15 p.m., Frontenac 1

Alma (Rodrigo Blaas, U.S., 2009, 6 min.): As Alma skips through the snow-covered streets of a small town, her attention is caught by a strange doll in an antique-toy shop window.
Leonardo (Jim Capobianco, U.S., 2009, 9 min.): A film about Leonardo da Vinci and his dream of flight.
Life on a Limb (David Chai, U.S., 2008, 6 min.): Irreconcilable enemies, a tree and a lumberjack are stuck in a waiting room together.
Lost and Found (Philip Hunt, U.K., 2008, 24 min.): One day, a boy finds a penguin on his doorstep and decides to take it home ... even if that means rowing all the way to the South Pole!
The Mouse That Soared (Kyle Bell, U.S., 2009, 6 min.): A famous flying circus mouse reflects on his humble beginnings in this high-altitude adventure in aerodynamics.
NASA and the Space Pen (Matt Taylor, U.K., 2009, 5 min.): At the height of the 1960s space race, two young brothers rush to become the first to invent a pen that works in zero gravity.
Parental Control (Damien Cullen, U.K., 2009, 5 min.): A mischievous young boy seeks to control his parents via his computer.
Pigeon: Impossible (Lucas Martell, U.S., 2009, 6 min.): Walter, a rookie secret agent, faces a problem seldom covered in basic training: what to do when a curious pigeon gets trapped inside your multimillion-dollar, government-issued nuclear briefcase.
Reach (Luke Randall, Australia, 2009, 4 min.): A tiny robot is given the gift of life with only one limitation: the length of his power cable.
Smile (Bruno Vaks, U.S., 2009, 4 min.): A smile flies from person to person, thus transforming their day.
Tom & the Slice of Bread With Strawberry Jam and Honey (Andreas Hykade, Germany, 2008, 10 min.): Tom meets a trio of shy glow worms who sing a beautiful song in three-part harmony. Will they illuminate Tom’s way to the delicious strawberries?

The Hollywood Cartoon

100 min.
Saturday, Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m., Brown Hall Image © MGM/Warner Bros.

Animation and comics historian Michael Barrier, author of the definitive “Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age” and “The Animated Man: The Life of Walt Disney,” presents an annotated history of the Hollywood cartoon, screening and commenting on a half-dozen exemplars of the animated short from the Walt Disney, Warner Bros. and MGM studios:
Beep Beep (Chuck Jones, Warner, 1952, 7 min.): The second of Jones’ series on the amusing existential agonies of Wile E. Coyote as he futilely chases the Road Runner.
Book Revue (Robert Clampett, Warner, 1946, 7 min.): Daffy Duck and a parade of caricatured musicians and actors are featured in a typically surreal Clampett short in which books come to life.
Fresh Airedale (Chuck Jones, Warner, 1945, 7 min.): An exasperated cat does battle with duplicitous Shep the dog in this Jones classic.
Little Rural Riding Hood (Tex Avery, MGM, 1949, 6 min.): A country wolf visits his city cousin and encounters City Red, one of Avery’s voluptuous takes on Little Red Riding Hood.
Who Killed Cock Robin? (Disney, 1935, 8 min.): Cock Robin is shot by an arrow while crooning to Mae West look-alike Jenny, and a bird court is convened to find the assassin.
Woodland Cafe (Disney, 1937, 7 min.): Insects cavort to a Cab Calloway-style big band in an outdoor nightclub in this Silly Symphony.

Co-presented by Washington University’s Center for the Humanities

St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase Shorts 1

112 min.
Friday, Nov. 13, 9:30 p.m., Webster

The program features local shorts and works selected from the 2009 St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase:
After Thoughts (Anthony Sanchez, 13 min.): Two ex-lovers bump into each other at a winery and have an initially awkward discussion: One is willing to tell their secret, but the other is not.
And Seven Hours Later (Lynelle White, 7 min.): Two people from opposite ends of the corporate ladder are forced to co-exist when their elevator gets stuck between floors.
The Blind Date of Coffin Joe (Raymond Castille, 10 min.): Coffin Joe, an evil undertaker from Brazil, is on a quest to find a superior woman to bear his child and journeys to the U.S. for a blind date.
Circles (Richard Taylor, 8 min.): A women searches for existential answers in a bookstore whose owner possesses otherworldly powers.
Con Brio (Ben Hill Triola, 2 min.): An animated TV set experiences birth, life and the realization of its own mortality.
Electrical Storm (Ryan Doris, 4 min.): Stylish debut music video for the band the Mirror Stage.
Ella Se Cayo De Cada Montana (Jacob Taylor, 5 min.): A short film concerning a girl, a box, an octopus, an evil man with a mustache and an evil man without a mustache.
Ninjas Protest Pirate Festival (Jeremy Corray, 4 min.): No further description needed.
Oranges (Whitney Gelnett & Emily Hatcher, 5 min.): A man discovers the value of change on his daily trip to the produce stand.
Playing Dead (Mike Rohlfing & Carey Keane, 4 min.): A kid finds himself in a treacherous situation when he rounds a corner and encounters a hall full of bloodthirsty zombies.
Ragman (Dale Ward, 18 min.): Will follows the mysterious Ragman through the lonely city streets as he encounters the hurting and needy.
The Rotten Corpse (Meatloaf Productions, 5 min.): Three young men play with a dead body.
Spaces (Zlatko Cosic, 8 min.): Explores unique objects and visuals found in nature, mixing digital effects, 3-D shapes and textures with music.
Super Ben’s Super Day (Mike Rohlfing, 8 min.): It’s the day that Ben McKenna has dreaded since childhood, but this year’s Superhero Day may not be so bad after all.
Tarantula Consciousness (Nate Callaghan, 5 min.): Wear seat belts, helmets, goggles, elbow pads and virtual-reality gloves for this journey into psycho-geometry.
They Came From Above the Sea (Stephen Jones, 6 min.): A battle-hardened Army major and phobic scientist team up to battle the latest threat to mankind: flying sharks in hot-air balloons.

Sponsored by St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission

St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase Shorts 2

101 min.
Sunday, Nov. 15, 8:30 p.m., Webster

The program features local shorts and works selected from the 2009 St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase:
Gabriel and Romy (Sam Zvibleman, 23 min.): Crusty widower Gabriel attempts to woo a beautiful woman, but his plans are thwarted by Romy, a friend who shows him that beauty exists in many forms.
It’s Not Me, It’s You (Doc Crotzer, 11 min.): A young couple works out their most intimate relationship issues with a counselor.
The Last Legend (Brant Hadfield, 11 min.): A young woman embarks on a journey to a farm to return it to her family and restore its place in history.
Phantom Font (Tim Reischauer, 8 min.): An office manager finds making a new hire complicated by mysterious messages on his computer screen.
Slice of Pie (Tim Reischauer, 35 min.): A charming story of midlife dating in a small town where everybody knows everybody else’s business.
When the Body Speaks (James Freivogel, 13 min.): Two institutionalized young adults, incapable of communicatiing with the outside world, find a common language of their own called love.

Sponsored by St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission

Shorts Program 1:
Kids These Days

102 min.
Friday, Nov. 13, 5 p.m., Frontenac 1
Sunday, Nov. 22, 8 p.m., Frontenac 1

Doppelganger (Katharine O’Brien, U.S., 2008, 9 min.): When a father pits his twin sons against each other while teaching them how to box, one son must decide how far he is willing to go to earn his father’s approval.
Funky Prairie Boy (Mike Schultz, Canada, 2008, 18 min.): Wesley, a young boy living in a small prairie town during the early 1980s, befriends the only black kid at his school and soon discovers the prejudice that exists in his friends, his family and even himself.
Good Advice (Andreas Tibblin, Sweden, 2008, 15 min.): Ten-year-old Rasmus is tired of his parents never listening to him and decides to run away from home, but before leaving, he records a cassette tape with different advice on how to handle life.
The Ground Beneath (Rene Hernandez, Australia, 2008, 20 min.): Kaden’s encounters with friends and enemies propel him on a journey of self-discovery.
Happy 95 Birthday Grandpa (Gary Huggins, U.S., 2008, 6 min.): Two groups of children heckle one another at Grandpa’s party.
Love, Sadie (Naiti Gámez, U.S., 2008, 12 min.): A nuanced and impressionistic look at adolescence and isolation.
Short Term 12 (Destin Cretton, U.S., 2008, 22 min.): A film about kids … and the grownups who hit them.

Shorts Program 2: Animated Shorts Program 1

94 min.
Saturday, Nov. 14, 5 p.m., Frontenac 1
Sunday, Nov. 22, 9:30 p.m., Tivoli 3

Articles of War (Daniel Kanemoto, U.S., 2008, 12 min.): A young American pilot writes what may be the final letter of his life, baring his soul to the man who inspired him to enlist.
The Bunjies (Thomas Myer-Herman, Germany, 2007, 3 min.): The Bunjies are the biggest, greatest, loudest rock ’n’ roll band in the world, though they are not yet out of junior high.
Checkoo (Erik Rosenlund, Sweden, 2008, 12 min.): An underperforming office worker does everything he can to fit in.
Chicory ’n’ Coffee (Dusan Kastelic, Slovenia, 2008, 8 min.): A wife substitutes chicory for coffee, but her husband never catches on to the deception.
Days on the Shore (Alfred Nguyen, Denmark, 2008, 8 min.): A group of boat refugees and their oppressor confront one another following the Vietnam War.
Fard (David Alapont Luis Briceno, France, 2009, 13 min.): In a near future, the world seems to work in an effective and controlled way.
Manifestations: An Animated Tale of Love (Giles Timms, U.S., 2009, 4 min.): Mr. Chip seeks anime love in a psychedelic, ever-morphing virtual world.
Myriad Harbour (Johanne Ste-Marie, Canada, 2008, 4 min.): A music video for the band the New Pornographers.
No Place Like Home (Rosto, France, 2009, 6 min.): There is no place like home … and there is no place like hell.
Only Love (Lev Polyakov, U.S., 2008, 15 min.): A dictator faces the ghosts of his past misdeeds and the terrible price one sometimes has to pay for love.
The Pianographer (Eduardo Brenes, Costa Rica, 2008, 3 min.): A piano player plays a sad song with three eccentric musicians, but wakes up to find himself at his office desk.
Santa: The Fascist Years (Bill Plympton, U.S., 2008, 3 min.): The dark past of supposedly jolly old St. Nick.
You’re Outa Here (George Griffin, U.S., 2009, 3 min.): A spunky descendant of Betty Boop tells her no-good boyfriend to hit the road.

Shorts Program 3: Comedic Shorts

98 min.
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m., Frontenac 1

Dinner With Raphael (Joey Boukadakis, U.S., 2008, 10 min.): A fiancée meets her soon-to-be new family, including a brother who thinks he’s a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
Expiration (Mark Nickelsburg, U.S., 2009, 4 min.): A man courts danger by drinking a glass of milk while the expiration date rapidly approaches.
James K. Polk Was @#?!ing Awesome (Adam Bertocci, U.S., 2009, 6 min.): A highly profane tribute to our nation’s greatest president.
The Laundry (Alex Beh, U.S., 2009, 14 min.): A guy walks into a Laundromat ...
Life’s a Beach (Suzan Beraza, U.S., 2007, 6 min.): What happens if America takes just a little too much?
Man’s Best Friend (Luke Eve, Australia, 2009, 7 min.): A story about a man who loves his dog just a little too much.
Mortimer (Nolan Sarner, Canada, 2008, 5 min.): Jim’s job interview seems to be going in the right direction until the interviewer calls in the “real boss”: a 3-foot-tall puppet named Mortimer.
Official Selection (Vince Masciale, U.S., 2009, 11 min.): Two filmmakers clash creatively in mid-production, resulting in a meta-film duel of genres.
The One Last Time (Scott Weintrob, U.K., 2009, 8 min.): Two groups of thieves rob the same bank simultaneously after receiving the same tip.
Porcelain and Diamonds (Ryan Silbert, U.S., 2009, 6 min.): Toilet humor.
Section 44 (Daniel Wilson, U.K., 2008, 5 min.): Richard’s world is turned upside down when he is stopped in the street, handcuffed, hooded and interrogated.
Spleenectomy (Kirsten Smith, U.S., 2008, 12 min.): An aspiring community-theater actress accidentally embarks on the audition of her life.
Unbelievable4 (Sukwon Shin, U.S., 2008, 4 min.): A 3D computer-animated film that combines stylistic elements of an MTV music video with political satire.

Shorts Program 4: Relationship Shorts

106 min.
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 9:15 p.m., Frontenac 1

Flat Love (Andres Sanz, Spain, 2009, 15 min.): A man, convinced that the world is actually flat, falls in love with a two-dimensional woman at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The Greims (Peter Bolte, U.S., 2009, 14 min.): A portrait of two estranged brothers and their mother’s final wishes.
Instructions (Costas Yiallourides, Greece, 2008, 20 min.): A new bed that comes in pieces provides a chance meeting between a man who lives in an invisible square box and a girl living in a handmade room.
Lost Paradise (Oded Binnun, Israel, 2008, 10 min.): A man and a woman tenderly make love in a one-star hotel room.
Love Hate (Blake & Dylan Ritson, U.K., 2009, 19 min.): The story of an affair between a sweet-natured young charity worker and a woman who turns out to be the embodiment of everything he hates.
Non-Love Song (Erik Gernand, U.S., 2008, 8 min.): On the last day of summer before heading off to college, two 18-year-old best friends attempt to connect as adults.
Oh Baby, I Love You! (Mary Angelica Molina, U.S., 2009, 10 min.): Valerie must overcome a sexual tick that’s been plaguing her recent romantic endeavors: Every time she has an orgasm, she says, “I love you.”
Post-It Love (Simon Atkinson, U.K., 2008, 3 min.): Girl meets boy in quirky office romance.
Ten for Grandpa (Doug Karr, U.S., 2008, 7 min.): A fast-paced, introspective look at an enigmatic life.

Shorts Program 5: Dramatic Shorts

112 min.
Thursday, Nov. 19, 9:15 p.m., Frontenac 1

Concerto (Filippo Conz, U.S., 2008, 15 min): Det. Ray Lorenz returns home to discover his wife sleeping with her violin teacher. When Ray impulsively kidnaps the man, the two go on a journey full of surprising revelations.
Gaining Ground (Marc Brummund, Germany, 2008, 20 min.): A young illegal-immigrant couple furtively avoids the authorities until the wellbeing of their young son dictates that they resolve their situation.
Honey Trap (Bob Giraldi, U.S., 2009, 10 min.): An exercise in the art of seduction is played out in this story of sex, betrayal and murder.
Patrol (John Patton Ford, U.S., 2009, 18 min.): Norm hates his gig as a security guard, but when his 6-year-old kid shows up for visitation and mistakes Dad for a policeman, he plays along.
Placebo (Henry Prince, U.S., 2009, 14 min.): Derek doesn’t sell drugs – he sells the experience of buying drugs.
Roar (Adam Wimpenny, U.K., 2009, 16 min.): A socially awkward Londoner is lonely at Christmas, and when a cold city girl rejects his gesture of goodwill, he takes drastic action.
Swayambhu Sen Foresees His End (Debashish Medhekar, India, 2009, 19 min.): Three narrators atop a bus in Bombay entertain those stranded by flood with the tale of an extraordinary filmmaker.

Shorts Program 6: Absurd Shorts

101 min.
Friday, Nov. 20, 9:45 p.m., Tivoli 3
Sunday, Nov. 22, 9 p.m., Tivoli 1

The Attack of the Robots From Nebula-5 (Chema García Ibarra, Spain, 2008, 6 min.): Almost everybody is going to die very soon.
Cattle Call (Mike Maryniuk & Matthew Rankin, Canada, 2008, 4 min.): A high-speed animated look at the art of livestock auctioneering.
The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar (Carlos Vera, Ecuador, 2008, 25 min.): An adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name.
Feeder (Joseph Ernst, U.K., 2009, 4 min.): What does our body see when we stick food in our mouths?
Karaoke Show (Karl Tebbe, Germany, 2007, 5 min.): A man imagines himself a rock star.
Naiade (Nadia Micault, France, 2008, 12 min.): Ava rules over on a swamp where fairy creatures live. When a strange boy secretly observes her flourishing kingdom, he attempts to save the life of his sick twin brother.
Out of the Blue (Michael Lavelle, Ireland, 2008, 9 min.): Georgie’s love life transforms when he discovers a TV floating in the sea.
The Taxidermist (Bert & Bertie, U.K., 2009, 22 min.): It’s been 50 years since the last animal died in Gibworth, where Pet Pro Formula has destroyed the natural cycle of life and death.
Welgunzer (Bradford Schmidt, U.S., 2009, 14 min.): Donald wants to build a time machine to travel into the future and murder himself.

Shorts Program 7: Animated Shorts Program 2

94 min.
Saturday, Nov. 21, 7:15 p.m., Frontenac 1
Sunday, Nov. 22, 7:30 p.m., Tivoli 3

The Astronomer’s Dream (Malcolm Sutherland, Canada, 2009, 12 min.): When a hungry astronomer falls asleep while working on a problem, he discovers a food-oriented solution in his subconscious mind.
Bill’s Visitors (Simon Deshon, U.K., 2008, 8 min.): Bill buys beer for local teenagers who exploit his good nature.
The Control Master (Run Wrake, U.K., 2008, 7 min.): In a peaceful city, a mysterious heroine and her brave ally face the ultimate threat.
FOT: The Next Big Thing (Alex Dron, New Zealand, 2009, 9 min.): Following the big game, FOT reinforces his awesomeness to all concerned.
Horn Dog (Bill Plympton, U.S., 2009, 4 min.): The misadventures of a plucky canine, who fends off an obese dog, attacking oysters and a wayward killer violin bow while trying to win the love of his life.
Kanizsa Hill (Evelyn Lee, U.S., 2008, 8 min): When a person is shot, he can only survive as a head and a body that exist independently from one another.
Logorama (Francois Alaux, Hervé de Crécy, & Ludovic Houplain (H5), France, 2009, 16 min.): A commentary on corporate branding featuring spectacular car chases, an intense hostage crisis and wild animals rampaging through the city.
Oedipus (Capucine, France, 2009, 7 min.): What if the oracle that prophesied Oedipus’ future completely missed the point?
She Who Measures (Veljko Popovic, Croatia, 2008, 7 min.): A grotesque reflection on consumer society.
Sweet Dreams (Kirsten Lepore, U.S., 2007, 10 min.): A cupcake obsessed with boats sets sail, but a violent shipwreck forces the cupcake to adapt to a new way of life.
Yulia (Antoine Arditti, France, 2009, 6 min.): Yulia finds a soul mate when she is trapped in a sealed room with five levers on the wall.