2015 UMFF short films

Universe Multicultural Film Festival--2015--Short

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The 2015 Universe Multicultural Film Festival short films (59 films from 24 countires)

		3 Russian Words (4 Min.Russia) Director(s): Vladimir Rutman, Olga Henry Producer(s): Vladimir Rutman, Olga Henry Screenwriter(s): Vladimir Rutman Genre: Short/Documentary Synopsis: During a 2-week period in the USA, the filmmakers interviewed over 20 people that they met randomly. Almost all readily agreed to speak on camera 3 Russian words unknown to them			5562 (2 Min.USA) Director(s): Mehr Chatterjee Music: Aditya Dutta Genre: Short/Music/Experimental Running Time (minutes): 2 Synopsis: This experimental music video explores a bizarre world and creates movement, as well as feeling, through color.

		A Piece of Green (6 Min.Japan) Director(s): Kaori Iwase Producer(s): Mitsuko Okamoto Screenwriter(s): Kaori Iwase Music: Noriko Matsumoto Genre: Short/Animation/Drama Synopsis: Dwarfs in red, blue and green colors have been working in each dark cabinet in a factory called television. They have kept working without questioning their own identities. Midori, a green dwarf, becomes aware of himself and starts to work on his own creation…			Alegria - A Humanitarian Expedition ( 29 Min.Switzerland) Director(s): Christoph von Toggenburg Producer(s): Christoph von Toggenburg Genre: Short/Documentary Synopsis: In 2010, Christoph cycled alone 3200km along the world’s highest tracks in support of leprosy patients and mentally destitute women in India. Crossing Nepal during the Maoist unrests, conflict stricken Kashmir, he encountered wonderful hospitality, found new friends, and saw some of the world’s most spectacular landscapes of this planet

		Ali's Letter (23 Min.India) Director(s): Dhanvignesh Aamuri Screenwriter(s): Gauri Shanker Govardhan Das Joshi Cast: L B Sriram, Srikar, Rajesh Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: The movie chronicles the devastating impact of the 1948 riots on Muslims in and around Hyderabad, India. It narrates the story of Ali who has been ostracized by the rest of the village based on his religion. Ali is waiting for a letter. The letter eventually arrives, but the clerk keeps the letter. What is this letter?			Armé (4 Min.Sweden) Director(s): Paul Jerndal Producer(s): Paul Jerndal Screenwriter(s): Paul Jerndal Cast: Alina Devecerski Genre: Short/Music Synopsis: Armé is a music video to fight all the hate in this world with love. Eleven children create an army and do what they can to make this world a better place. They face hate with love by action.

		Beautiful (4 Min.Australia) Director(s): Paul Komadina Producer(s): Laure Bernard, Amanda Clarke Genre: Short/Music Synopsis: To watch this video is to come on a journey with me as I prevail over strict oppression. While writing the song required me to go to a dark, vulnerable place, the finished work itself is a beautiful voyage of healing towards optimism and self-belief. Nez Erok.			Between the Lines (42 Min.Germany) Director(s): Slavko Spionjak Producer(s): Slavko Spionjak Cast: Tobias Licht, Burak Akkoyun, Sanja H. Parmac Genre: Short/Experimental/Political/18+ Synopsis: Two Soldiers are waking up in a room. Both are chained on feet and hands. They each lay exhausted on their sides after every battle. At one point both start to think: How did they get into the room? What sort of room is this?

		Blue Eyes in Harbor Tale (8 min. Japan) Director(s): Yuichi Ito Producer(s): Yuichi Ito Animator(s): Fumi Inoue Cast: Maria Kawamura Genre: Short/Animation/Fantasy Synopsis: In a port town “Y”, where there are many old artifacts which are animated through a long time, a piece of brick lives as a pilot for the “guests” from overseas. One day, he meets a doll girl came out from a boat house on a river and their story begins.			Busking in Thessaloniki (15 Min.Greece) Director(s): Evripidis Tarasidis Producer(s): Evripidis Tarasidis Cast: Aida El Gkomati, Giannis Dimas, Elena Vontitsianou Genre: Short/Documentary Synopsis: In Greece, and especially in Thessaloniki, street musicians are considered as homeless people. This documentary tries to change the opinion for these very talented musicians who are still illegal..

		Can't Give Up on You (3 Min. Australia) Director(s): Fiona Cochrane Producer(s): Fiona Cochrane Genre: Short/Music Synopsis: This music video is about a band which returns to the psychedelia rock music because they just can’t give it up.			Carme's Angels (14 Min.Spain) Director(s): Students at State School Santa Teresa Genre: Short/ Fantasy/Horror Synopsis: The people of the Barrio del Carmen Valencia are terrified when a pigeon shits them and they become zombies who speak many languages

		Chachi's Funeral (18,India) Director(s): Bal Gaurav Dilip Screenwriter(s): Ruskin Bond Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: This film is an adaptation of Ruskin Bond's short story. Aunt dies and comes to life again after 20 minutes Later. A restful little boy kills his Aunt, only to realize how much he loves her. The movie is based on the philosophy that anger is temporary insanity, while love is forever.			D. Asian (10 Min.USA) Director(s): Sarah Smith Producer(s): Phillip Guttman; Sarah Smith Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: 4th grade is all about fitting in. For ten-year-old Daniel that means owning a latest in Hello Kitty fashion, liking the cutest boy in class, and convincing yourself if you are Asian when everyone else thinks your are white. Davis Desmond and sari Lennick ( a serious man) star in this short comedy that proves identity is all in the eye of the beholder.

		Daily Lives at Daisy Lodge (9 Min.Japan) Director(s): Manami Wakai Producer(s): Yuichi Ito Screenwriter(s): Manami Wakai Music: Kayoko NAOE Genre: Short/Animation/Drama/Fantasy Synopsis: The story of Bear, Acorn, Prawn Fritter, and Reading Glasses, or Specs who live in a flat called Daisy Lodge from summer to a winter morning. And it continues to someday when we look back today.			Do As the Fish Tells You (6 Min.Japan) Director(s): Onohana Producer(s): Taruto Fuyama Screenwriter(s): Onohana Music: Miki Sakurai Genre: Short/Animation/Drama/Fantasy Synopsis: "I want to leave home," a pet fish told a boy one day. The boy reluctantly takes the fish out to the sea to "keep his promise," as it says. Their recollections on the way became slightly discrepant.

		Doron Coron (3 Min. Japan) Director(s): Yuichi Ito Producer(s): Etsuko Iwata Screenwriter(s): Yuichi Ito Animator(s): Ikuko Iwatsuki, Mayuko Tazumi, Motoki Ohno Shin Hosokawa, Masato Hayafune Cast: Yuichi Ito Genre: Short/Animation/Adventure Synopsis: Doron Coron is animated in an unexpected way with mud. He leaves the town, meets various kinds of creatures throughout the year, and communicates with them. And then, he returns to the soil eventually.			Every Day is A Small Life (27 Min.France) Director(s): Albane Fioretti, Lou-Brice Leonard Producer(s): Claude Saint Brice, Lou-Brice Leonard Cast: Kader Bouallaga, Thérèse Roussel, Albane Fioretti, Frank Ferrari Genre: Short/Drama/Comedy/Family Synopsis: Rachel 80-years-old woman, dreams of returning to her native Algeria. Her son Simon doesn’t want to know anything about it. Stella, her grand-daughter, describes them as “A really awful family”. Fortunately they are surrounded by the good humour of Yazid, alias Gino, and the entire neighborhood...

		Everyday Sins (8 Min.Japan) Director(s): Yewon Kim Producer(s): Koji Yamamura Screenwriter(s): Yewon Kim Music: Kaoru Kubota Genre: Short/Animation/Drama Synopsis: Guiltee is an art university student who is slacking off on her school work and feels horrible about it. Plus, she's confused about her family and Christianity, and she can't even get her ex-boyfriend to accept a small present she bought for him.			Garden's Road (5 Min. Spain) Director(s): Olga Osorio, Juan Galiñanes Producer(s): Olga Osorio, Juan Galiñanes Cast: Escuchando Elefantes Genre: Short/Music/Fantasy Synopsis: How many times you have to cross the door of the same room to realize everything you need to leave behind to move forward? Carlos Tajes and Silvia Rábade (Escuchando Elefantes) lead us through the garden’s road in this video full of fantasy and optimism directed by Juan Galiñanes & Olga Osorio.

		Growth Factor (7 Min.Japan) Director(s): Ryosuke Oshiro Producer(s): Mitsuko Okamoto Screenwriter(s): Ryosuke Oshiro Music: Ayatake Ezaki Genre: Short/Animation/Drama Synopsis: A middle school boy likes to snap photos of things he fancies, and then draws pictures of them. On his usual route home, he spots the girl he likes with another boy. The balance between his delusions and reality is in constant flux.			Harbor Tale (18 Min. Japan) Director(s): Yuichi Ito Producer(s): Yuichi Ito Screenwriter(s): Yuichi Ito Animator(s): Fumi Inoue, Masato Hayafune Cast: George William, Yuichi Ito Genre: Short/Animation/Fantasy Synopsis: A red brick which is a piece of a brick-buit building has watched the changing times of the Harbor for a hundred years. He also has seen “the glittering square thing” from there. One day, he gets out of the building wall to find it.

		Have You Met Miss Jones (30 Min.USA) Director(s): Tom Shell, James Di Giacomo Screenwriter(s): James Di Giacomo, David Mattia Genre: Short/TV Episode/Drama/Comedy Synopsis: "Widow" ANGELINA JONES, works as a fame-struck Hollywood gossip reporter hell bent on finding a father figure for her teenage son JOE. But Angelina is really Joe's father, who lost his mind after the mysterious disappearance of his wife.			Head-to-Head (14 Min. France) Director(s): Lisa Reznik Producer(s): Anna Prichard Screenwriter(s): Lisa Reznik Cast: Marie-Stephane Cattaneo, Baptiste Philippe Genre: Short/Drama/Romance Synopsis: Shot on location in Paris, this film is an illuminating portrayal of the intellectual connection between existentialist philosophers Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre and their vow of essential love.

		I Know You (9 Min.UK) Director(s): Colin Gerrard Producer(s): Colin Gerrard Screenwriter(s): Colin Gerrard Cast: Colin Gerrard Genre: Short/Fiction Synopsis: This short film does not push the envelope of cult personality and distortion of media; neither does it break the bonds of false exaggeration. Rather it enfolds it. It's a game of confidence.			Letterbox (23 Min.UK) Director(s): Annabel Allison Producer(s): Yasmin Khan-Cheema Cast: Flora Bruce, Yasmin Khan-Cheema Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: Letterbox is the story of Imani, a second generation Muslim girl from Bradford, who lives for her music. When her mother finds her and her brothers’ tickets to Glastonbury Festival, she rips them up, saying the only way she would be going to Glastonbury is in a Burka.

		Look No More (12 Min.USA) Director(s): Gloria Laino Producer(s): Gloria Laino, Sheila Korsi Screenwriter(s): Gloria Laino Cast: Jonathan Kelley, Edwin Craig, Sheila Korsi, Gloria Laino, Alex Bulger, Marc Martin Flores Genre: Short/Comedy Synopsis: Two desperately lonely old guys find their perfect sidekicks where they’d never looked before, and it was way easier than they thought.			Masheenee Alcketiara (5 Min.Kuwait) Director(s): Ema Shah Producer(s): Ema Shah Screenwriter(s): Ema Shah, Adnan Al Sharhan Cast: Ema Shah, Hassan Karam, Abdullah, Hussain Ali, Dax Genre: Short/Music Synopsis: A traditional Kuwaiti girl seeks life beyond her society to achieve her ambitions and dreams in the modern era, to sing, to dance, and to flourish. We don't know for sure if it's a dream or reality.

		Me Buddy, Muhammad (13 Min.Ireland) Director(s): Eleanor Walsh Producer(s): Louise Byrne Screenwriter(s): Eleanor Walsh Cast: Rúairí Ó Tóibín Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: Me Buddy, Muhammad tells the story of two young boys living in Dublin. Though their religious backgrounds and cultures differ, their idea of friendship remains the same.			Milk Teeth (10 Min. Austria) Director(s): Peter Brunner Producer(s): Matthias Halibrand Screenwriter(s): Peter Brunner Cast: Grischa Sauer, Nando Musser, Nuria Musser, Birgit Sauer Genre: Short/Drama/Family Synopsis: Grisha decides that it's time to leave home. Having to fill the gap his father left is just too much for him to handle. While his little brother is not able to stop him, his mother knows just the right thing to do. After all, Grisha is just a 4 year old little boy.

		My Frame (8 Min.Japan) Director(s): Yewon Kim Producer(s): Koji Yamamura Screenwriter(s): Yewon Kim Music: Kaoru KUBOTA Genre: Short/Animation/Drama Synopsis: Suffering from her delusion, K tries to depict her disorder in her paintings. In her dream she finds a frame, which makes her believe that drawing is her destiny..			My Milk Cup Cow (12 Min.Japan) Director(s): Yantong Zhu Producer(s): Koji Yamamura Screenwriter(s): Yantong Zhu Music: Asuka Horiguchi Genre: Short/Animation/Drama Synopsis: Father tells his 4-year-old daughter Nunu that there's a cow at the bottom of her milk cup. Nunu believes him and drinks all of her milk, but there is no cow. Nunu gradually stops believing her father, who constantly tells her various lies.

		Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution (15 Min.US) Director(s): Matthew VanDyke Producer(s): Matthew VanDyke Screenwriter(s): Matthew VanDyke Cast: Nour Kelze, Omar Hattab Genre: Short/Documentary Synopsis: The story of the Syrian revolution as told through the experiences of two young Syrians, a male rebel fighter and a female journalist, as they fight an oppressive regime for the freedom of their people.			Pearl Harbor: December 7 (2 Min. USA) Director(s): Marianne Case Producer(s): Marianne Case, Darin Case Screenwriter(s): Marianne Case Genre: Short/Music/Documentary/Historical Synopsis: This is an emotional black and white montage film depicting the time period immediately prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the actual attack and its aftermath. This short film essay displays the chaos and damage of the attack in a graphic nature and the aftermath with the few survivors of the day.

		Plastic Glory (7 Min.USA) Director(s): Ihab Mardini Producer(s): Ihab Mardini Screenwriter(s): Ihab Mardini Genre: Short/Animation/Fantasy Synopsis: It's just a game, and they are the toys... It is a journey into the life span of toy soldiers with an abstract reflection of reality			Playground (6 Min.Japan) Director(s): Ryosuke Oshiro Producer(s): Mitsuko Okamoto Screenwriter(s): Ryosuke Oshiro Music: Juri Ito Genre: Short/Animation/Drama Synopsis: A boy is always alone, at school, or at home. One day he finds a sandlot on the way home and thinks of making a "town" of his own. Another boy was watching his play and starts to imitate him..

		Praanam (22 Min.India) Director(s): Hari Mrutyumjaya Screenwriter(s): Endamuri Veerendranath Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: The film is based on Endamuri Veerendranath’s play. Kukka explores the clash between the strata of society. It highlights the exploitation of the peasantry at the hands of the rich landlords.			Re÷belief (7 Min.USA) Director(s): Raymond McCarthy Bergeron Music: Stephen J. Bullen Genre: Short/Animation Synopsis: "re÷belief" is a 3D Printed, hand crafted, zoetropic short-film that asks if recalling memories can break a cycle.

		Rice Wine (20 Min.China) Director(s): Tian Ye Producer(s): Ping Jiang Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: An impoverished Chinese street peddler on his last leg takes a stand against the City Peacekeepers whose job it is to rid the city of unlicensed vendors.			Rise (15 Min.UAE) Director(s): Ali F. Mostafa Producer(s): Yassin Alsalman Screenwriter(s): The Narcicyst, Nizar Wattad Cast: Yassin Alsalman, Falah Alsalman, Saood Al-Kaabi, Sundus Abdul Hadi, Diala Makki Genre: Short/Music/Experimental Synopsis: RISE is a short music film based on the Narcicysts’ upcoming solo album. It is a reflection on Modern Arabia and the relationship between business and art.

		Rock is Not an Attitude (6 Min.USA) Director(s): Xiaoxiao Tang Producer(s): HUGG Animator(s): Xiaoxiao Tang Music: The Gar Genre: Short/Animation/Stop-Motion/Mixed Media Synopsis: Four puppeted characters form a happy rock band. Through an interview, there are some flashbacks about what they're doing before this band. Life is short. The band needs to destroy their past before they really build something new. Rock is not only an attitude.			Run Crab Run! (6 Min.USA) Director(s): Wei Lu Producer(s): Wei Lu Screenwriter(s): Wei Lu Music: Aaron Kenny Genre: Short/Animation/Adventure Synopsis: Rub Crab Run follows a duo of crabs as they try to escape their fate in the cruise ship's kitchen and their journey towards the ocean.

		Something Important (8 Min.USA) Director(s): NaiWei Liu Producer(s): NaiWei Liu Music: Chris Zabriskie, Saito Koji Genre: Short/Animation Synopsis: Liu uses an abstract montage style that combines hand-drawn elements with composited photo realistic scenes in tandem with music to express his life experiences filtered through time and remembrance.			Start A Revolution (4 Min. New Zealand) Director(s): Dimi Nakov Producer(s): Dimi Nakov Cast: Jennie Skulander, Paul Martin, Nail, Nic Martin Genre: Short/ Music/Fiction Synopsis: The lyrics are calling for our society to wake up from its mediocre illusion so called life and brake away from the chains of its pitiful existence confined by greed, materialism and hunger for power and control.

		Tell Me (5 Min.Slovenia) Director(s): Domen Lo Cast: Jure Lesar, Bogdan Sojic Genre: Short/Animation/Music/Fantasy Synopsis: Tell Me is an animated love story, set on a surreal train ride. Its purpose was to explore and document the traditional animation techniques that make a digital end-to-end animated film verisimilar - combining principles of composition, narrative, storyboarding, editing, animation, and film aesthetics into one complete whole. ..			The 40 Martyr of Famagusta (8 Min.Singapore) Director(s): Jamin Wu Screenwriter(s): Gul Inanc, Jamin Wu Cast: Michael Walsh, Gul Inanc, Shashwat Manish Genre: Short/Animation/Historical Synopsis:. Boy's father tells him the story of the painting, which is "the forty martyrs of Sebaste", but was disappointed and troubled by the sad story. At night, his mother tells him the same story with a happy ending.

		The Beggar (4 Min.Iran) Director(s): Mohammad Reza Gholami Producer(s): Gholami Screenwriter(s): Gholami Saadatmand Genre: Short/Animation/Comedy Synopsis: The story of two beggars who will do whatever to get money...			The Emotional Dimensions of the James River (4 Min. USA) Director(s): Michelle Marquez Producer(s): Michelle Marquez Music: Lincoln Mitchell Genre: Short/Experimental/Music Synopsis: This experimental film provides an emotional roller coaster experience that was musically and visually designed based on a neuroscience research project that correlates a mathematical parameter (fractal dimension) of sounds and images with the selective triggering of emotional states

		The Man from Jalisco (24 Min.USA) Director(s): Ryan Brandt Cast: Genaro Rascon Jr., Luis Medina, Julieta Ortiz, David Villada, Ed Callison, Amelia Rose Genre: Short/Drama/Suspense Synopsis: A ghostwriter discovers secret information about a drug cartel wanting to get their hands on California's water by dealing with corrupted farmers who want to fallow their land. However, little does the Man From Jalisco know that his days are numbered. It is up to his father to find out what has happened to his son and if it's not too late to save him			The Urban World (41 Min. USA) Director(s): Warren Bass Producer(s): Warren Bass, Zilan Munas, Howard Spodek Screenwriter(s): Warren Bass Genre: Short/Documentary Synopsis: The India’s fifth largest city is displacing tens of thousands of slum dwellers who have lived all their lives on the banks of the Sabarmati River. The film looks at the move in human terms by following the experiences of one particular family.

		The Violinist (9 Min. USA) Director(s): Suren Tadevosyan Producer(s): Margarita Khlghatyan Music: Margarita Khlghatyan Cast: Vaz Andreas Genre: Short/Music/Drama Synopsis: This music video tells an inspiring story of a homeless but talented violinist whose performance on the street is preciated by a kind lady.			To the Sea (9 Min.Brazil) Director(s): Alex Araripe Producer(s): Alex Araripe Genre: Short/Music Synopsis: On a desert beach, a woman wandering her desires and thinking about the sea. Suddenly she hears a song. She has her way interrupted and is submitted to the strength of her fate. Film inspired on the music Ao Mar by Sergio Roberto de Oliveira.

		Visibility (4 Min.Russia) Director(s): Vladimir Rutman Producer(s): Vladimir Rutman Cast: Vladimir Rutman, Renata Svilayte Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: This is about one woman, one man, one strange country and 3D glasses. They met on the empty beach and talked with each other about their impressions about India.			Way Back to the Sea (10 Min.Japan) Director(s): Kaori Iwase Producer(s): Mitsuko Okamoto Screenwriter(s): Kaori Iwase Music: Kaoru Kubota Genre: Short/Animation/Drama/Fantasy Synopsis: The catfish can't get back to the sea. A big catfish is stuck on a riverbank, where he lives quietly with a little catfish in a boat packed with memories from back home.

		Yokohama Tale (3 Min. Japan) Director(s): Yuichi Ito Producer(s): Yuichi Ito Screenwriter(s): Yuichi Ito Animator(s): Yuichi Ito Genre: Short/Animation Synopsis: This film is collaboration by three artists who love the port town “Yokohama” in Japan. There are three parts in the film, which are “Chat”, “Once Upon A Time in Red Brick Warehouse”, and “The White Seamew”.