Synopsis & Film Details
For two nights only, catch an exclusive presentation of The Oscar-Nominated Short Films 2016, just weeks before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces its winners. For the 11th straight year, Filmworks joins Magnolia Pictures and ShortsHD to continue its tradition of bringing the world’s best short-form cinema to the Central Valley. The two evenings will feature five full programs of Academy Award-nominated short movies.
Tickets cost $10 general admission, $8 students and seniors
Special $15 double-feature ticket for any two programs
LIVE ACTION — 103 minutes, Rated PG-13
• “Ave Maria” — The silent routine of five Palestinian nuns living in the West Bank wilderness is disturbed when an Israeli settler family’s car breaks down right outside the convent just as the Sabbath comes into effect. In Arabic, English, and Hebrew, with English subtitles. Directed by Basil Khalil. 15 minutes. Palestine/France/Germany.
• “Day One” — Inspired by a true story, the film depicts a new translator’s first day accompanying a U.S. Army unit as it searches for a terrorist. As she quickly discovers, her job will bring up brutal complexities as gender and religious barriers emerge with lives hanging in the balance. In Dari and English, with English subtitles. Directed by Henry Hughes. 25 minutes. USA.
• “Alles Wird Gut” (Everything Will be Okay) — A divorced father picks up his 8-year-old daughter Lea. It seems pretty much like every second weekend, but after a while Lea can‘t help feeling that something isn’t right. So begins a fateful journey. In German, with English subtitles. Directed by Patrick Vollrath. 30 minutes. Germany/Austria.
• “Shok” (Friend) — The friendship of two boys is tested to its limits as they battle for survival during the Kosovo war. In Albanian and Serbian, with English subtitles. Directed by Jamie Donoughue. 21 minutes. Kosovo/UK.
• “Stutterer” — A lonely typographer with a cruel speech impediment but an eloquent inner voice must face his greatest fear. Directed by Benjamin Cleary. 12 minutes. UK/Ireland.
ANIMATION — 91 minutes, Rated PG (with one exception*)
• “Sanjay’s Super Team” — The newest short film from Pixar Animation Studios tells the story of a young, first-generation Indian American boy whose love for Western pop-culture comes into conflict with his father’s traditions. Sanjay is absorbed in the world of cartoons and comics, while his father tries to draw him into the traditions of his Hindu practice. Directed by Sanjay Patel. 7 minutes. USA.
• “World of Tomorrow” — A little girl is taken on a mind-bending tour of her distant future. This film was part of the Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour 2015. Directed by Don Hertzfeldt. 17 minutes. USA.
• “Historia de un Oso” (Bear Story) — An old, lonesome bear tells the story of his life through a mechanical diorama. Directed by Gabriel Osorio. 11 minutes. Chile.
• “We can’t Live Without Cosmos” — Two cosmonauts who are friends try to do their best in their everyday training life to make their common dream a reality. But this story is not only about the dream. In Russian, with english subtitles. Directed by Konstantin Bronzit. 16 minutes. Russia.
• “If I was God” — A highly commended additional film.
• “Taking Flight” — A highly commended additional film.
• “The Short Story of a Fox and a Mouse” — A highly commended additional film.
• “The Loneliest Spotlight” — A highly commended additional film.
• “Catch It” — A highly commended additional film.
• “Prologue” — In a beautiful, hand-drawn depiction of a battle scene 2,400 years ago, four warriors—two Spartan and two Athenian—battle to the death in an intense struggle witnessed by a little girl, who then runs to her grandmother for comfort. Directed by Richard Williams. 6 minutes. UK.
*Note: “Prologue,” one of the five nominees, will be the last film in the program. It has violence and some nudity, and it is not recommended for young children. There will be a Parental Guidance warning prior to this final short, so that parents and caregivers can usher children out of the theater if they choose. The rest of the program is family friendly.
DOCUMENTARY — 178 minutes (including 15-minute intermission), Rated R
• “Body Team 12” — Body Team 12 must collect the victims at the height of the Ebola outbreak. These body collectors have arguably the most dangerous and gruesome job in the world. This film explores their philosophy and strength. The story is told on the ground in Monrovia, Liberia through the eyes of the only female member of the team, who reveals the heartbreaking, lifesaving work of removing bodies from loved ones in order to halt transmission of the disease. Directed by David Darg. 13 minutes. Liberia.
• “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” — More than a 1,000 women are killed in the name of “honor” in Pakistan every year. This film follows the story of a rare survivor who falls in love and lives to tell the tale. In English and Punjabi, with English subtitles. Directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. 40 minutes. Pakistan.
• “Last Day of Freedom” — When Bill Babbitt realizes his brother Manny has committed a crime, he agonizes over his decision to call the police. This is an account of his decision to support and help his brother in the face of war, crime, and capital execution. Directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman. 32 minutes. USA.
* Intermission *
• “Chau, Beyond the Lines” — Chau, a teenager growing up in a Vietnamese care center for children disabled by Agent Orange, battles with the reality of his dream to one day become a professional artist. In Vietnamese, with English subtitles. Directed by Courtney Marsh. 34 minutes. USA/Vietnam.
• “Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah” — From British filmmaker and journalist Adam Benzine, this film explores the life and work of French director Claude Lanzmann. Directed by Adam Benzine. In French, English, and German, with English subtitles. 40 minutes. USA.
SCREENING SPONSORS:
The Tower Theatre
Rogue Festival
Keith Seaman Photography
Filmworks thanks Jewel FM 99.3, The Fresno Bee, Vida en el Valle, and Stella Artois for their ongoing support.