Varsity 3 Sunday, April 15, 2018 - 12:40 PM
Two Balloons
Short Docs & Stories: About Family
Narrative Short
9 minutes
2017
Director(s): Mark C. Smith
USA
Synopsis
Made in Portland, Oregon, this stop-motion animated film tells the story of two adventurous lemurs who navigate their handmade dirigibles around the world. Eventually they return to each other—to a place crossed by stars and clouds where love is at the center of everything—to a place where happenstance and fate threaten to disrupt their reunion.
Director's Statement
My wife and I spent a winter refitting a sailboat and then sailed to Grenada. On one of the passages I saw a funnel cloud for the first time and that’s when the idea for Two Balloons happened. We made clouds from dry ice and wool, captured lightning from a Tesla Coil, and constructed a 350 square-foot ocean that undulated via push-rods and a step motor. It took four winters to reach Grenada and four years to reach the last frame of Two Balloons.
My wife and I spent a winter refitting a sailboat and then sailed to Grenada. On one of the passages I saw a funnel cloud for the first time and that’s when the idea for Two Balloons happened. We made clouds from dry ice and wool, captured lightning from a Tesla Coil, and constructed a 350 square-foot ocean that undulated via push-rods and a step motor. It took four winters to reach Grenada and four years to reach the last frame of Two Balloons.
A Family Rides
Short Docs and Stories: About Family
Documentary Short
9 minutes
2017
Director(s): Benjamin Rosen
USA
Synopsis
Oregon Premiere
Growing up in Brooklyn, Kenji learned from his father how liberating and powerful the act of riding a bicycle can be. The family tradition continues today, as Kenji accompanies his young children (eight-year-old Enzo and five-year-old Akira) on their daily ride to school. City streets can be a challenge, but in an age of environmental decay, this family is trying to do things differently.
Growing up in Brooklyn, Kenji learned from his father how liberating and powerful the act of riding a bicycle can be. The family tradition continues today, as Kenji accompanies his young children (eight-year-old Enzo and five-year-old Akira) on their daily ride to school. City streets can be a challenge, but in an age of environmental decay, this family is trying to do things differently.
Director's Statement
Growing up a dedicated bicyclist in NYC, I’ve always wanted to capture the empowering nature of an activity that is so much more than a mode of transportation. When I came across an old friend’s Instagram account documenting the urban bike riding adventures he takes with his family, I knew a poetic, lyrical film could be made.
Growing up a dedicated bicyclist in NYC, I’ve always wanted to capture the empowering nature of an activity that is so much more than a mode of transportation. When I came across an old friend’s Instagram account documenting the urban bike riding adventures he takes with his family, I knew a poetic, lyrical film could be made.
Unstuck: an OCD kids movie
Short Docs and Stories: About Family
Documentary Short
24 minutes
2017
Director(s): Kelly Anderson
USA
Synopsis
Oregon Premiere
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often viewed as a minor annoyance, but it is a serious disorder that traps those who have it in a vicious cycle of worries and rituals. To uncover what OCD is—and isn’t—the film focuses on an unlikely group of experts: kids. As six resilient kids and teens map their road to recovery, we are inspired to believe it is possible to fight our worst fears.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often viewed as a minor annoyance, but it is a serious disorder that traps those who have it in a vicious cycle of worries and rituals. To uncover what OCD is—and isn’t—the film focuses on an unlikely group of experts: kids. As six resilient kids and teens map their road to recovery, we are inspired to believe it is possible to fight our worst fears.
Director's Statement
Producer Chris Baier and I met at a support group for parents of children with OCD. I had wanted to make a film about how devastating it is for families, but worried about sensationalizing it and showing kids as “victims.” Then I overheard our 10-year-old daughters sharing how OCD impacts their lives, and thought, “Why not make a film featuring these kids as the OCD experts they are?”
Producer Chris Baier and I met at a support group for parents of children with OCD. I had wanted to make a film about how devastating it is for families, but worried about sensationalizing it and showing kids as “victims.” Then I overheard our 10-year-old daughters sharing how OCD impacts their lives, and thought, “Why not make a film featuring these kids as the OCD experts they are?”
Little Potato
Short Docs and Stories: About Family
Documentary Short
13 minutes
2017
Director(s): Wes Hurley, Nathan Miller
USA
Synopsis
An autobiographical film about a gay boy growing up in the Soviet Union, his mail-order-bride mom, and their adventurous escape to America. Struggling to survive in the USSR during the turbulent years of perestroika, Elena and her son escape into the world of pirated American movies. But soon the movies are not enough and Elena decides to discover America for herself.
Directors’ Statement
Life in Russia, especially for gay people, is still very much a mystery to the rest of the world. Now more than ever the story is relevant with its themes of immigrant quests for the American Dream, government corruption, social oppression, Russia-U.S. politics, violence against women, and gay/trans rights. But despite the heavy subject matter, the story of my mom and I coming to America is as hopeful and positive as any Hollywood happy ending.
Life in Russia, especially for gay people, is still very much a mystery to the rest of the world. Now more than ever the story is relevant with its themes of immigrant quests for the American Dream, government corruption, social oppression, Russia-U.S. politics, violence against women, and gay/trans rights. But despite the heavy subject matter, the story of my mom and I coming to America is as hopeful and positive as any Hollywood happy ending.
Mother's Day
Short Docs and Stories: About Family
Documentary Short
9 minutes
2017
Director(s): Elizabeth Lo, R.J. Lozada
USA
Synopsis
Oregon Premiere
Mother’s Day is supposed to be a celebration of motherhood and the influence of mothers on society. But for too many American children, the holiday serves as a bitter reminder that their mothers are locked behind bars. This poignant film follows a program that buses low-income children to visit their mothers in remote, rural California prisons and spend a few precious hours with them on Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day is supposed to be a celebration of motherhood and the influence of mothers on society. But for too many American children, the holiday serves as a bitter reminder that their mothers are locked behind bars. This poignant film follows a program that buses low-income children to visit their mothers in remote, rural California prisons and spend a few precious hours with them on Mother’s Day.
Directors' Statement
We shot this project over many overnight bus rides to the Folsom Women’s Facility and the California Institution for Women in Corona. We made Mother’s Day to remind us of the steep price an entire generation of youth—and by extension, our nation—has to pay because of systems that remain broken across America.
We shot this project over many overnight bus rides to the Folsom Women’s Facility and the California Institution for Women in Corona. We made Mother’s Day to remind us of the steep price an entire generation of youth—and by extension, our nation—has to pay because of systems that remain broken across America.
Game
Short Docs and Stories: About Family
Narrative Short
15 minutes
2017
Director(s): Jeannie Donohoe
USA
Synopsis
AJ Green makes an instant impression at varsity basketball tryouts. Coach (former NBA player Rick Fox) takes notice, and so do the other players—especially the point guard, whose starting slot is threatened. the high school team is second best in the state, but this year Coach plans to win it all. AJ has talent, heart, and drive... as well as a big secret. Will AJ make the team once the truth is discovered?
Director's Statement
I wanted to tell a story about pursuing dreams and playing at the top of your game. Sometimes this requires pushing past limitations and expectations. AJ challenges the rules and takes risks and Coach ultimately acknowledges the talent and drive unconditionally. the relationship between Coach and AJ speaks to a willingness to reward ambition, hard work, and equal talent with equal opportunities.
I wanted to tell a story about pursuing dreams and playing at the top of your game. Sometimes this requires pushing past limitations and expectations. AJ challenges the rules and takes risks and Coach ultimately acknowledges the talent and drive unconditionally. the relationship between Coach and AJ speaks to a willingness to reward ambition, hard work, and equal talent with equal opportunities.