Short Films in 2019 UMFF

2019 UMFF Short Films

		A Door to God USA\|13min Short\|Music\|Culture\|History Director/ Writer/ Producer: Maruf Noyoft Synopsis: A personal meditation on music, history and tradition. A Door to God,depicts the unique culture of Southeastern Tajikistan, focusing on the relationship between the Pamirirabob, a lute-like string instrument native to the region, and the people who have been playing it for centuries.			Achentannos Italy\|19min Short\|Drama Director/ Writer/ Producer: Antonio Maciocco Cast: Giulio Pau, Daniela Simula, FefericaSeddaiu, Michele Vargiu, Sara Perantoni Synopsis: A very old man, just about to become 100 year old, has had enough of living. The unexpected arrival of a granddaughter will give him back his will of living and loving.

		Anna (Kidnapper) Japan\|27min Short\|Animation\|Comedy\|Drama\|Romance\|Crime\| Fantasy Director/Producer/Writer: Kaichi Sato Synopsis: 196X. Anna, an enigmatic and attractive professional kidnapper abducts The Professor during his wedding ceremony on request of his ex-girlfriend. This woman, whose face Anna has never seen, wishes to die with The Professor. Leaving the church with The Professor, Anna starts on the journey to the fictional city of “Alpha Paris”.			Bin’s Summer China\|34min Short\|Drama Director: Shanshan Yang Writer: Guowei Shen Shanshan Yang Producer:Binghui Yan Cast: Quan Zhang, Yingxi Chen, Xinxin Jiang, Chengxiang Liu, Kai Wang, Yutong Ma Synopsis: Based on a real story about how a SGCC employee turned to be an excellent loving mom.rit.

		Billy Baba and the Slave Girl USA\|5min Short\|Family\|Drama Director/Writer/Producer: Rob Schmidt Cast: Miriam Katz, Kurt Hathaway Synopsis: A boy wants to quit the school play and his mother must find out why.			Bre’s Company USA\|13min Short\|Drama Director/ Writer/ Producer: Mike Peters Producer: Jerry Gostin, Ash Francis Cast: Brandy Zapata, Alfonso Caballero, Cayla Black Synopsis: When a couple decides to let another woman into their relationship, they are rocked to the core and are left attempting to pick up the pieces.

		Burying Mitchell USA\|23min Short\|Drama Director/ Writer: Sam Williamson Producer: Deb Williamson, Cameron Logan Cox Cast: Sharon Conley, Sarah McGuire Synopsis: Two women meet at the funeral of their ex-husband. In order to collect a $1 million life insurance policy, they must bury him by hand.			Chronique France\|5min Short\|Comedy\|Thriller Director/Writer:Donnadieu Ingrid Producer: Gras Nicolas Cast: Donnadieu Ingrid,NjoLobbé Daniel, Garijo Emmanuel Synopsis: Sandrine receives a mysterious text message, a mysterious post card in her mailbox and finds the door of her apartment opened when she arrives…

		Dear Jessica Russia\|9min Short\|Drama\|Romance\|Action Director/ Producer: Alina Reyzelman Synopsis: This short film follows Anna, a young woman who is fighting for her rights to be herself. She is gay, grieving and desperate for society to understand her point of view. However, society is only interested in its own agenda and only wants to break and change Anna in the way they see fit. .			Forty Songs of Yunmeng China\|76 sec Short\|Animation\|History\|Mythology Director: Jason Hu Writer: Yunmeng Program Group Producer: Edward Shi Synopsis: A goddess in Chinese mythology, Nyu-Wa, created two different kinds of lives as human and elf. During the Wu Zetian period in Tang dynasty, a girl who was a fox-turned-elf, has been making friends in both human and elf world. She helped the human to fight with the ancient evil spirit, represented the sincere friendships between human and elf.

		The Flowing Feast China\|26min *3Short\|TVEpisode\|Documentary Director: Kunshi Producers:Kunshi Writer: Qiping Ren Synopsis: In Xinjiang, life is a kind of singing and also the way to communicate with the heaven. It might be the root of some kinds of art, but also it could be the origin of the soul.			Glitter Model Brazil\|22min Short\|Animation Director: AngeloNunes Producer: André Nunes Cast: Luiza Porto, Rebeca Zadra Synopsis: It tells about the adventures of Clara and her best friends Valentina and Giovanna. Clara will discover her potential and become a beautiful model and a part of the biggest model agency in town, Glitter Model

		Hear Your Love China\|31min Short\|Drama Director: Lei Song Writer: Lei Song Producer: Lei Song, Ping An Cast: Xinsen Wang, RuotongBian Synopsis: Leilei, a 6-year-old girl who is deaf, has a hard time during her social life. Leilei’s grandpa sold his precious redwood tree and bought Leileianaudiphones for a better future.			House China\|20min25sec Short\|Drama Director: Quanlin Li Writer: Xiaodong Liu, Wei Feng Producer: Chengli Ma Cast: Jiatai Cui, Jinkai Kang, Shan Su, Yuxin Wang Synopsis: A son went back to his countryside hometown and asked his father for 100,000 CNY for a house to get married. His father sold everything he prepared for his retired life and gave the money to the son. Later the son got his house for his marriage and lived a happy life, but where is the father’s happiness?

		Love and Warm China\|34min Short\|Drama Director: Shanshan Yang Writer: Guowei Shen Shanshan Yang Producer:Binghui Yan Cast: Quan Zhang, Yingxi Chen, Xinxin Jiang, Chengxiang Liu, Kai Wang, Yutong Ma Synopsis: Based on a real story about how a SGCC employee turned to be an excellent loving mom.			Mountain Streaming China\|23min34secShort\|Documentary Director: Dawei Wu Writer: MutengGu, Zhaoshuang Hu, Zhuangshi Wu Producer: Wei Chen Cast: WeihuaGao Synopsis: This documentary is about an art collector Mr. WeihuaGao. Among his whole life, he was trying everything he could to collect all the national art pieces. He planned to build up a museum to exhibit these collections to the society for free.

		Mama USA\|8min Short\|Drama Director/ Producer/ Writer: Jesse Stewart Producer: Alexander Rhodes-Wilmere Cast: Summer Wei, Ziqing Zhang Synopsis:A vagrant prostitute struggles to care for an abandoned baby through a night in Beijing.			MILFriend USA\|37min Short\|Comedy Director /Producer: Judy Kwon, Richard Henkels Writer: Judy Kwon Producer: Anton Laines Cast: Aris Alvarado, Berna Roberts, CueteYeska, Delany Ashley, John Fukuda, Maunel Milan, Marcy Mccusker, Mary K. Devault, Mercy Malick, Mikul Robbins, Miles Hayden, Nancy La Scala, PegahRashti, Shannon Yancsurak, Silvia Spross Synopsis: Pepper is an obtuse triangle in a circular world and she never got along with chicks but when she gets knocked up she is forced to friend crazy-ass moms.

		Mosul 980 Iraq\|10min Short\|Action\|Violence\|War Director/ Writer: Ali Mohammed Saeed Writer: Mustafa SattarJabbar Producer: Huda Al Kadhimi, Hikmat Al-Beedhan Cast: Redhab Ahmad, MohanadHayal Synopsis: A 17 year old kidnapped Yazidi girl disguised in ISIS uniform tries to escape from ISIS. She finds no way to break free, but a military vehicle set on explosives.			Respect and Love USA\|15min Short\| Documentary Director: Angelique Webster Synopsis: It has been said that Gloria was the first African-American woman to sue the Catholic Church. Respect and Love is a short experimental documentary in which the film-maker sits down with her mother, 30 years later, to gain insight on how those experienced have shaped her mother’s life.

		Runing Feasts Singers On Grass Lands ( Episode 1) (China)			Runing Feasts Singers On Grass Lands ( Episode 2) (China)

		Running Between the Crack of Time USA\|25min Short\|Drama Director: YichengXue Writer: ZhenghanShuai Producer:Yibo Fan Cast: Bryan Jansyn, Emilie Rose Danno Synopsis: Jack, who comes to Chicago to find his ex-girlfriend, accidently saves Mae who is running away from a Chinese gangster. The two cannot face the fact that they are falling in love because they are both still stuck in the past. Will they be able to get over the past when they cross paths once again?			THE INTELLIGENCE! The Counterattack of Robots Japan\|20min Short\|Cartoon\|Adventure\|Drama Director/ Writer/ Producer: SuiseiHoshii Producer: Reiko Himeji, Kiyoshi Cast: Misako Hashimoto, Yoko Tsumura, Ryuji Inoue Synopsis: This story takes place in the near future. Environmental pollution cause by nuclear waste has led to many cities on Earth to becoming extinct. People cannot live without wearing protective clothing, so they have started to look for another star on which to live peacefully.

		The Most Magnificent Thing Canada\|22min Short\|Inspirational\|Cartoon\|Youth Director:Arna Selznick Writer: John Van Bruggen Producer: Pamela Slavin, Lynne Warner, Doug Murphy, Ashley Spires, Scott Dyer Cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Alison Pill, Lilly Bartlam, Tony Daniels. Synopsis: An inspirational story about a little girl with a creative spirit, determined to make great things. Joined by her pet dog, the two happily explore the world, doing everything together. When she receives her tool kit, the little girl sets out to make the most magnificent thing – but it’s not as easy as she thinks!			Three Kingdoms China\|70 sec Short\|Animation\|History Director/Writer/Producer: Edward Shi Synopsis: During the three kingdoms period, all the warriors have their own fate and destiny. They have to tell the truth from the fake by their own intelligence. Each frame expressed the unique personalities inside different characters. Some of them showed their heroic spirit, some of them showed their wisdom. In a very realistic way, this short film will bring the real three kingdoms period back on the screen

		Viva Diva USA\|15min Short\|Drama\|Road Trip Director/Writer/Producer: Daniel Flores Cast: Mya Taylor, Lilly Warhammer, Joseph Runningfox Synopsis: Viva Diva is a road trip movie following Rozene and Diva as they make their way down to Guadalajara for their gender affirmation surgeries. Rozene stops in on her father to try and get answers about their fractured relationship, but drama stands in the way of her getting the closure she seeks.			Working on Air South Koera\|27min Short\|Drama\|RoadMovie\|Sports Director: Robbin D. Li Producer:창희 고 Synopsis: A man comes to Australia on a working holiday, full of home. Within a day of arrival he loses all of his possessions and struggles to find the meaning of life. He finds a new life through sky diving.

		Waking up White USA\|38min Short \|TV Episode\| Comedy \| Drama Director/Writer/Producer: Jason Gregory Producers:Julie Walsh Cast: Essex O’Brien, Sarah Vaughn Perry, Sean Philippe, Shardell Haralson, Eddie Wilson, Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz Klotz, Megan Raitano, Matthew Militano, Alex Zuko, Brenna Arden, Adam Minossora, Alexandra Davis, Miles J. Gregory, Raelin Mia Daniels Synopsis: A Black family wakes us White and has thirty days to decide if they would rather return to their cultural roots or stick with the “new skin” that they are in. As they awaken to their new identities, their old neighborhood is in the early stages of gentrification. Now, whatever decision they make not only affects them but also their beloved community of Wellsville.			The Knot China\|20min Short\|Drama Director: Loten Writer: LotenZhongpu Producer: DongkeDoubenjia Shengan Huang Cast: DorjeTsetenYangbei Synopsis: The story is about ordinary herdsman livestock by slaughtering animals (yak) in winter season. The contradiction between Ren Mao and family and the inner contradiction of Kun Tai are combined into one. The potential floating conflict is reintegrated with natural and supernatural phenomena. And Kun Tai fell into doubting plot again!