QCFF 2019

The Queen City Film Festival (QCFF), Western Maryland’s premiere film festival, is held each year in early Fall in Cumberland, Maryland. Founded in 2012, and currently in our eighth year, QCFF 2019 offers a four-day program of screenings and educational panels, and welcomes filmmakers from around the world. Located in Allegany County, Cumberland offers a delightful blend of hospitality and history; mingled with charming shops, delicious dining, arts and entertainment and lots of events and activities. We are also pleased to introduce visiting filmmakers to local media.

Thursday, October 3

Filmmaker & Media Reception (12pm-2pm)

These informal, unstructured “meet & greet” sessions allow networking time for filmmakers, staff, and media.

Educational Panel: Appalachia (2pm-4pm)

The Thursday festival program kicks off with the Appalachian category, and Thursday’s educational panel will be dedicated to Appalachian subjects. The program will encompass the following subject areas: Defining Appalachia, Appalachia in Film, Social Justice

Kara Rogers Thomas – Dr. Kara Rogers Thomas is a Professor of Folklore and Sociology at Frostburg State University. Her work as a Folklorist is supported in part through a grant from Maryland Traditions, a program of the Maryland State Arts Council. Her areas of interest include folklore and folklife studies, Appalachian studies, religious experience, and interdisciplinary learning in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Appalachian (4pm-6pm)

APEX: The Appalachian Experience — 4:00 PM, 33:45, Jeffrey Wallin, USA: Every year, a group of college students make their way through the mountains of Appalachia and into the once-beating heart of America. While there, they experience revelations about the mystifying region of Appalachia while unearthing hard truths about themselves and their own prejudices. Remove the lens of your own worldview and explore the complexities of the Appalachian region through the voices and stories of its people. (Award Winner)

Rendville: Across the Color Line — 4:35 PM, 18:18, Burr Beard, USA: The documentary looks at the racially integrated mining town in southern Perry County whose founder welcomed African American and white immigrants from some seven European countries based on their abilities to endure the work of late 19th Century coal-mining.

OUTSPOKEN — 4:54 PM, 29:35, Emily Harger, USA: Jeanne and her wife Kim turn accidental activists after their West Virginia city government vote down an ordinance protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination. Abominations. Sexual predators. The gay agenda. “I heard these people saying things about us, and they don’t know me,” Jeanne says. At a decisive moment, LGBTQ residents fight back for change. Ashton speaks out after he is fired from his job for being transgender. At 15 years old, Ivy holds political leaders accountable to support the rights of her mothers. Collectively, their stories call us to reimagine the power of a small town LGBTQ community . (LGBT Content)

Social Justice Shorts (6pm-8pm)

The Most Hateful Small Town? — 6:00 PM, 25:48, Lawrence Ferrara, USA: A gay man risks his life confronting hate groups after he accidentally finds himself in what has been labeled the most hateful small town in America. This short documentary highlights his various encounters with town officials, residents and the hate groups headquartered there, in an effort to determine whether or not the town deserves its infamous reputation. (LGBT Content)

Drum-Taps — 6:27 PM, 10:00, H. Paul Moon, USA: Union soldier awakens in a southern battlefield. Is the war over? (A cinematic setting of Civil War poems from Walt Whitman’s “Drum-Taps” in “Leaves in Grass.” 2019 is the bicentennial year of the poet’s birth.)

Strange Fruit — 6:38 PM, 19:55, Erfan Ghiasi, USA: This short documentary explores the story of the Devil’s punch bowl in Natchez Mississippi.

Caleb — 6:59 PM, 20:00, Anthony Penney, USA: Bullied at home and bullied at school, Caleb is a dark artistic film about the troubled life of a young man in ruins.

The Catcher — 7:20 PM, 8:25, Karyn Langhorne Folan, USA: The Catcher is a cinematic youth to youth mirror showing how young people view homelessness and their peers. Daphne learns a hard lesson about judging a book by it’s cover while Zoey and Sabrina realize they are both “catching”.

Beacon — 7:24 PM, 3:00, Claire Pullen, USA: The Mother of Exiles stands as a symbol of hope, and a reminder of the notion that all should be welcome in the American dream. (Award Winner)

Opening Night Features (8pm-10pm)

The Truth: Lost at Sea — 8:00 PM, 56:40, Rifat Audeh, Jordan: In 2010, a group of activists and concerned citizens from dozens of countries came together and worked against some of the strongest powers on earth to alleviate the suffering of fellow human beings half a world away. The odds seemed insurmountable. They came together to launch the Freedom Flotilla, a convoy of civilian humanitarian ships aiming to highlight the suffering of Palestinians in illegally-blockaded Gaza, break this blockade and alleviate the people’s plight there. Israel attacked the Flotilla at night in the Mediterranean Sea, killing ten activists, and wounding and imprisoning hundreds more of international participants. This historic event transformed into a battle for the hearts and minds of the world.

Unarmed Man — 9:00 PM, 1:12:00, Harold Jackson III, USA: Civil unrest erupts after Police Officer Greg Yelich shoots and kills an unarmed man during a routine traffic stop. Forced to give a statement, the Officer recounts his version of events in a scathing examination of racial profiling, fear, prejudice and violence as the case statement interviewer (Aaron Williamson) unravels the incident one murky layer at a time. (Award Winner)

Friday, October 4

Filmmaker & Media Reception (12pm-4pm)

These informal, unstructured “meet & greet” sessions allow networking time for filmmakers, staff, and media.

LGBT Shorts (4pm-6pm)

Grown Boy — 4:00 PM, 7:19, Tyler Knutt, USA: Robert must open up to his young son about the truth behind his divorce, and the man he really is.

Missed — 4:08 PM, 9:23, Fokke Baarssen, Netherlands: A diner on a dusty desert highway in the American Southwest seems an unlikely place to call neutral territory, but it’s Graham’s last chance to try and reconnect with his estranged father, John. With John clinging ever more to his conservatism and the differences between father and son seemingly insurmountable, the stakes are high. Can they reconcile their differences and reconnect before it is too late? (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear) (LGBT Content)

Rock Creek — 4:18 PM, 15:14, Wilfred Rodriguez, USA: Carlos Barajas, a young closeted college student begins a romantic relationship with Shayne Brayshaw, an individual he meets while on a stroll around “Rock Creek.” Although Carlos is happy with the relationship, he knows something is off. Shayne will only meet with Carlos around Rock Creek. Desperate for answers, he opens up to his sister about the relationship and how it came to be. The desperation leaves him only to find a frightening and confusing truth. (Maryland Filmmaker) (LGBT Content)

In a Moment — 4:34 PM, 17:00, Sharlin Lucia, Germany: Max isn’t sure about his sexual orientation until he meets Leon at his new school. When Max is singing a song at a school concert something beautiful happens. (LGBT Content)

Fifth Floor On The Left — 4:52 PM, 14:59, Renata Lučić, Croatia: When Maja’s parents come to Zagreb to visit their daughter, Nika and Maja cover their faces with masks and start playing the game Nika has grown very tired of. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear) (LGBT Content)

Infinite While It Lasts — 5:08 PM, 18:38, Akira Kamiki, Brazil: After falling in love at a party, Danny and Seiji just want to be together. However, their differences might prove stronger than their feelings. The first fiction film about asexuality. (LGBT Content)

Documentary Shorts (6pm-8pm)

Bishop — 6:00 PM, 16:40, Joshua Ziggy Popkin, USA: The harrowing true story of William Bradford Bishop, who murdered his entire family and vanished never to be seen again. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear) (Maryland Filmmaker)

First Gen — 6:17 PM, 15:52, Nick Weiss, USA: First Gen follows the story of three first-generation college students from Baltimore, and Washington D.C., as they struggle to find their place in a vastly different environment, where failure could mean continuing the cycles of poverty they’re desperately trying to escape.

Reeves: a Home for Music — 6:34 PM, 40:00, Michael Lippert, USA: Reeves: a Home for Music is a documentary that follows the people of a former tobacco and textile town in North Carolina as they transform an abandoned 1940s movie theater into a new music venue. Against great odds, musicians, artists, and community leaders take it upon themselves to usher their sleepy town into a brave new era that celebrates their rich Appalachian folk and music scene in whole new way. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear)

Kani Spi (The White Spring) — 7:15 PM, 26:50, Khesrew Heme Kerim, Iraq: Three sisters of one family that most of its male members were killed, each tell their story, the story of being forced into becoming sex slaves and how they set free from ISIS and cleansed themselves once again by the water of (Kani Spi) the white spring in Lalesh. On the 3rd of August, 2014 ISIS militants attacked Shingal city and its surrounding villages, they killed thousands Ezidi men and kidnapped their wives and daughters, after 4 years of that disaster and the liberation of Shingal and Mosul by Peshmarga and Iraqi army forces, 68 mass graves have been found and more than a thousand women and girls have been returned to their families or they have been re-purchased again from ISIL, the fate of 3000 women, girls and children is still unknown. (Award Winner)

Social Justice Shorts (8pm-10pm)

The Most Hateful Small Town? — 8:00 PM, 25:48, Lawrence Ferrara, USA: A gay man risks his life confronting hate groups after he accidentally finds himself in what has been labeled the most hateful small town in America. This short documentary highlights his various encounters with town officials, residents and the hate groups headquartered there, in an effort to determine whether or not the town deserves its infamous reputation. (LGBT Content)

Drum-Taps — 8:27 PM, 10:00, H. Paul Moon, USA: Union soldier awakens in a southern battlefield. Is the war over? (A cinematic setting of Civil War poems from Walt Whitman’s “Drum-Taps” in “Leaves in Grass.” 2019 is the bicentennial year of the poet’s birth.)

Strange Fruit — 8:38 PM, 19:55, Erfan Ghiasi, USA: This short documentary explores the story of the Devil’s punch bowl in Natchez Mississippi.

Caleb — 8:59 PM, 20:00, Anthony Penney, USA: Bullied at home and bullied at school, Caleb is a dark artistic film about the troubled life of a young man in ruins.

The Catcher — 9:20 PM, 8:25, Karyn Langhorne Folan, USA: The Catcher is a cinematic youth to youth mirror showing how young people view homelessness and their peers. Daphne learns a hard lesson about judging a book by it’s cover while Zoey and Sabrina realize they are both “catching”.

Beacon — 9:24 PM, 3:00, Claire Pullen, USA: The Mother of Exiles stands as a symbol of hope, and a reminder of the notion that all should be welcome in the American dream. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear) (Award Winner)

Cult (10pm-12am)

Sac de Merde — 10;00 PM, 13:27, Greg Chwerchak, USA: Based on a true story, “Sac de Merde” tells the tale of Mazel Mankewicz, an unlucky-in-love yet irrationally optimistic New Yorker who thinks her luck has changed when she spends the night with the man of her dreams. As it turns out, he might just be full of shit. Literally. (Award Winner)

He and Me — 10:14 PM, 1:00, Michele Kaye, Canada: This low budget DIY micro-short is a reflection on practical needs and desires in heteronormative domestic partnerships… In a new world where men don’t exist. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear) (Award Winner)

The Land of the 3-Drink Minimum — 10:16 PM, 4:22, Jeremy Speed Schwartz, USA: The attractive denizens of The Land of the 3-Drink Minimum desperately try to connect with each other, but are unable to see past their own desires or past their own alcohol-soaked heads. A personal reflection presented in two parts.

Candy Shop — 10:21 PM, 2:10, Patrick Smith, USA: There are 11,926 pharmaceutical drugs available worldwide, this film shows 2863 of them. Pills and capsules are choreographed into a cacophony of shape, color and size, resulting in a satirical commentary about our cultural, recreational, and economic infatuation with prescription drugs.

An Accidental Zombie (Named Ted) — 10:24 PM, 01:23:00, Anne Welles, USA: Ted knows he’s not a zombie. He just picked up a “skin thing” on his vacay in The Caribbean. But his hilariously kooky family is not convinced, especially after he brings home a hot vampire he met in group therapy. (Award Winner)

Saturday, October 5

Kids/Family + Animation Shorts (12pm-2pm)

The Beaver Believers — 12:00 PM, 1:04:00, Sarah Koenigsberg, USA: The Beaver Believers shares the urgent yet whimsical story of an unlikely cadre of activists – a biologist, a hydrologist, a botanist, an ecologist, a psychologist, and a hairdresser – who share a common goal: restoring the North American Beaver, that most industrious, ingenious, furry little bucktoothed engineer, to the watersheds of the American West. The Beaver Believers encourage us to embrace a new paradigm for managing our western lands, one that seeks to partner with the natural world rather than overpower it. As a keystone species, beaver enrich their ecosystems, creating the biodiversity, complexity, and resiliency our watersheds need to absorb the impacts of climate change. Beavers can show us the way and even do much of the work for us, if only we can find the humility to trust in the restorative power of nature and our own ability to play a positive role within it. Shot in 8 western US states, Mexico, and Canada, through desert drought, raging wild fires, spring floods, and the peaceful calm of wetlands, this film will change the way you think about climate change and inspire you to take a bite out of the challenges we face, one stick at a time. (Maryland Filmmaker) (Award Winner)

The Bear Went Over the Mountain — 1:05 PM, 2:22, Brett Jubinville, Canada: Find out what this little bear sees on her journey over the mountain. Super Simple Songs has created their version of a timeless children’s classic song.

Heroic — 1:08 PM, 1:54, Gabe Schmidt, USA: A superhero faces a difficult decision about how best to use his powers.

The Man With A Plan — 1:13 PM, 4:17, Gabe Schmidt, USA: A bank robber with a master plan faces a wannabe superhero.

Fragility of Mercury — 1:18 PM, 4:30, Franziska van Wulfen, Germany: Merkur and Zinnober, Cyborgs of two enemy states, fight in a show fight against each other. When Zinnober realizes that there is no way for him to win this fight, its not just him breaking apart, but the entire film.

Abstract Painting — 1:23 PM, 6:44, Tatiana Skorlupkina, Russian Federation: 1. Different animals try to describe a painting, but they all see different things! 2. The film features a narrator who appears to be reading a story for children. However, his habit of sipping ‘tea’ during his performance, coupled with his absurd asides, allow for different perceptions.

A Flowering Tree — 1:36 PM, 8:28, Meera Krishnamurthy, India: Based on a Kannada folktale translated by AK Ramanujan, “A Flowering Tree” is about Vanaja, a young woman who can magically turn into a flowering tree at will. When her talent results in an unlikely marriage to the prince, Vanaja encounters his sister Kaikeyi, who is envious of her gift. This film uses cut out puppets manipulated by hand, to evoke the rich Indian tradition of oral storytelling. The background score is India’s national instrument, Saraswati Veena rendered by Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh from her album Mysterious Duality: Just me.

Ballad of pipe and necklace — 1:45 PM, 12:00, Martin Babić, Croatia: In the Stone Age, young Slovenian invented the first flute, and the Croatian girl invented a first necklace in the world. The young couple soon meet and fall in love, but their tribes go into open conflict. All this brings to a great adventure.

How a song saved a species — 1:47 PM, 2:00, Remi Cans, France: In the 60’s, The commercial whale hunting caused the whale population to fall by an estimated 90% from what it used to be in the XIX century. The discovery of Roger Payne and his team, that whales are intelligent animals and who play a crucial role in maintaining the ocean healthy, contributed a to a creation of a global movement which led, years later, to a moratorium on industrial whaling. (Award Winner)

Kids/Family Feature (2pm-4pm)

Gameboy — 2:00 PM, 7:29, Stephen Burhoe, USA: Jason must talk his video game obsessed brother out of running away from home, by showing him the futility of his position.

Paradise Hotel – 2:08 PM, 1:32:53, Daniel Rehder Normand, Peru: A coming-of-age story about family, first love and restoring self-esteem. When Guillermo, a pre-adolescent introvert, arrives with his family at the wonderful HOTEL PARAÍSO (Paradise Hotel) for summer vacations, he will not only have days full of activities and colorful entertainers, but he will also run into Andrea, a beautiful and curious girl from his school with whom he regularly fantasizes. Unfortunately for him, Nahel, the popular and heartthrob boy, who often bullies his classmates, is also staying in the hotel and seeks to make Andrea fall in love with him. With the help of unexpected allies and family members, Guillermo will have to confront his insecurities and participate in different hotel activities to win the weekend’s real big prize: Andrea’s heart.

Documentary Shorts (4pm-6pm)

Bishop — 4:00 PM, 16:40, Joshua Ziggy Popkin, USA: The harrowing true story of William Bradford Bishop, who murdered his entire family and vanished never to be seen again. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear) (Maryland Filmmaker)

First Gen — 4:17 PM, 15:52, Nick Weiss, USA: First Gen follows the story of three first-generation college students from Baltimore, and Washington D.C., as they struggle to find their place in a vastly different environment, where failure could mean continuing the cycles of poverty they’re desperately trying to escape.

Reeves: a Home for Music — 4:34 PM, 40:00, Michael Lippert, USA: Reeves: a Home for Music is a documentary that follows the people of a former tobacco and textile town in North Carolina as they transform an abandoned 1940s movie theater into a new music venue. Against great odds, musicians, artists, and community leaders take it upon themselves to usher their sleepy town into a brave new era that celebrates their rich Appalachian folk and music scene in whole new way. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear)

Kani Spi (The White Spring) — 5:15 PM, 26:50, Khesrew Heme Kerim, Iraq: Three sisters of one family that most of its male members were killed, each tell their story, the story of being forced into becoming sex slaves and how they set free from ISIS and cleansed themselves once again by the water of (Kani Spi) the white spring in Lalesh. On the 3rd of August, 2014 ISIS militants attacked Shingal city and its surrounding villages, they killed thousands Ezidi men and kidnapped their wives and daughters, after 4 years of that disaster and the liberation of Shingal and Mosul by Peshmarga and Iraqi army forces, 68 mass graves have been found and more than a thousand women and girls have been returned to their families or they have been re-purchased again from ISIL, the fate of 3000 women, girls and children is still unknown. (Award Winner)

Happy Hour/Music Feature (6pm-8pm)

Kite — 6:00 PM, 4:50, Joao Pombeiro, Portugal: “Kite” is the first single taken from “Above the Trees”, Nadia Schilling’s debut album that will be released this Fall.

When The Bullet Hits The Bone — 6:05 PM, 5:25, Timothy Eaton, USA: The Judge Parker Band , named after the infamous — Hanging Judge — recreate how guns, grit, law and order shaped our heritage with a southern fried version of “When the bullet hits the bone”. The townsfolk of Fort Smith Arkansas in support of this band reenacted as the historical characters in this music video giving it an uncanny authenticity.

OUTSIDE — 6:11 PM, 4:30, Jeffrey Palmer, USA: Touching on salient themes of gun violence, psychological trauma, and racial identity, OUTSIDE is a “nightmarish mirror reflecting our troubled times.” Fueled by powerful lyrics, provocative imagery, a meaningful message, and a hopeful ending, OUTSIDE will stir emotions and light a fire within. We must break the seemingly endless cycle of gun violence in our society. The power of music is one way to make this happen. Please join us in our campaign to promote and foster a positive and uplifting environment for today’s urban youth. They are our future. Lead by example. Let’s go.

Valentine — 6:16 PM, 5:00, Arcadian Pictures, USA: Music video from Denver glam rock band Love Stallion

Brooklyn Express — 6:21 PM, 6:25, Sara Pettinella, USA: The video tells a simple jazz musician’s story. On a typical day going to work, Art takes the train from his home in Brooklyn to his gig at a restaurant in the West Village in NYC. The music recreates the sounds, the mood, the energy, and the landscape as he crosses from Brooklyn to Manhattan on the D Line. Interspersed with actual live footage of the recording session, eventually he arrives at the piano at his gig…and the music starts again. (Award Winner)

Jay’s Longhorn — 6:27 PM, 1:33:00, Mark Engebretson, USA: Before First Avenue there was Jay’s Longhorn — the epicenter of the Minneapolis punk rock and indie rock scene in the late 1970s. At a time when the music scene was dominated by Top 40 cover bands, a group of punk rock visionaries — led by Andy Schwartz, former publisher of the New York Rocker — scoured the city in search of a place that would welcome the New Wave. The Suicide Commandos, Flamingo, Curtiss A, the Suburbs, and NNB found a home at Jay’s Longhorn — which also served as the launching pad for Husker Du and the Replacements and the preferred venue for touring acts like Elvis Costello, The B-52s, and The Police. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear) (Award Winner)

Horror/SciFi Shorts (8pm-10pm)

Occurrence at Mills Creek — 8:00 PM, 19:45, Don Swanson, USA: Cassandra awakens to a nightmare as her pleas to be seen and heard by her sister Clara are taken as supernatural occurrences. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear) (Award Winner)

Miracle Desert — 8:21 PM, 12:59, Mark Hosack, USA: Two would-be criminals buried up to their necks in the desert must outwit a dangerous lawman before the real killer arrives. Anything goes in this darkly comic, supernatural thriller, shot entirely on location in the Mojave desert — a film where Casper and Henry have nothing but their wits — or lack thereof — to survive.

Fish Out of Water — 8:35 PM, 16:10, Alyssa Asaro, Canada: Fish Out of Water follows the story of 12-year old Henry, a non-verbal boy with Cerebral Palsy. While facing a difficult transition into school and with his brother growing more distant, Henry comes in contact with an alien.

Verso — 8:52 PM, 4:00, Joseph Victor & Ryan Russell Steele, USA: A short film about the dangers of a resentful mind following a horrific night at an artist mixer and the desire for revenge. Have we become passive voyeurs of the violence of the world? Are we able to empathize as if the circumstances were reversed? How are we poisoned by the context of our own perception?

Risus — 8:57 PM, 5:31, Vincent F. Morin, Canada: Caroline, an overworked employee, is haunted by a sinister presence on a work night spent doing extra time. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear)

Klarheit — 9:03 PM, 5:31, Vickie Anderson, USA: A young scientist creates a pill that will miraculously change her brother’s life, but she is faced with a decision she is not prepared to make until she gains insight from an unexpected and unlikely source.

Atomic Ed — 9:09 PM, 18:30, Nicolas Hugon, France: Ed, an introverted and passionate DIY man, is, despite himself, the favorite victim of Mark, the neighborhood motorcycle gang leader. His only friend, Gus, tries in vain to push him to rebel and conquer the heart of the beautiful Julia. The day when the body of one of the members of Mark’s band is found horribly mutilated, the events rush, the gang lash out on Ed. Ed has no choice but to take responsibility and an improvised weapon to become the one he has always dreamed of being.

WITHOUT — 9:28 PM, 11:03, Jacob Combs, USA: Each day, a woman draws a circle of ash around the isolated cabin she lives in with her young baby. She is alone, and protected. But as she begins to experience flashes of memory from her past life, it becomes clear to her that her protective ritual is losing its power. When she discovers the red flannel shirt her husband wore on the day of his death, the border between past and present begins to dissolve, and she flings the shirt outside the cabin in a desperate attempt to shut out the painful memories of her past. But the circle’s power has been irreparably broken, and she must face the very truth she has been trying so hard to keep at bay.

Non e vero — 9:40 PM, 7:12, Sergiy Pudich, Ukraine: A small girl bored while staying alone with her busy Grandpa in his house. She tries in any possible ways to grab his attention, but something goes wrong…

Horror/SciFi Feature (10pm-12am)

2050 — 10:00 PM, 1:47:00, Princeton Holt, USA: A family man struggling to hold it all together discovers a parlor that offers a solution…sexbots. (Award Winner)

Sunday, October 6

Kids/Family + Kids/Family Shorts (12pm-2pm)

William’s Words — 1:05 PM, 4:19, Donna Guthrie & Colin W. Guthrie, USA: An animated film about young William Shakespeare finding the words for his future plays

Knee High — 1:10 PM, 13:50, Marissa Vonn, USA: Set against the Iowa farmlands, KNEE HIGH follows Calvin Melbourne as he struggles to keep hold of the reins to the family farm while still making time for his young son, Avery. (Award Winner)

My Label — 1:25 PM, 4:41, Janne Janssens, Belgium: Guus has a label. Wearing this label weights on him. Every day he has to endure severe bullying. During playtime he is always sitting alone on the same bench. Until one day a girl sits down next to him on the bench and shares her secret.

It’s Time To Get Lost — 1:31 PM, 12:25, Kenny Wooten, USA: Teresa goes on a spontaneous adventure to return a valuable postcard.

Fairy Tail — 1:45 PM, 4:00, Justin & Kristin Schaack, USA: A hopeless romantic discovers an unlikely intruder and finds love at first fight. 🐭💍 Suspense… Romance… Puppets!

Red Omen — 1:50 PM, 4:00, Ed Roman, USA: Award winning Canadian singer songwriter Ed Roman along with animator extraordinaire Nelson Diaz from There Be Dragons Creative Media in NYC have created an exquisite animation to the title track of Ed Roman’s latest album Red Omen. The message is for awareness of Dyslexia.

Documentary Block 3 (2pm-4pm)

Sensei Fran Kicks Ass — 2:00 PM, 19:30, Simone Fary, USA: Sensei Fran Kicks Ass is the story of one woman’s pursuit to redefine what it means to age. Eighty year old Fran Vall is a master teacher of two Japanese martial arts, as well as skiing and snowboarding. She lives a very active life guided by her Jewish faith and quest to never stop learning. (Maryland Filmmaker)

Wings of a Dove — 2:20 PM, 1:31:35, Mark Stutzman, USA: Kevin Martin, teaches the complex art of steel drum making to a small rural school that’s looking to expand their music program. Under Heather Roth’s music program, Martin guides teachers, students, and volunteers through the painstaking process of hammering and shaping metal barrels into working, musical instruments. With an ambitious goal of creating 15 drums in five days, Principal Dana McCauley and her teaching staff keep the energy level high with enthusiasm, humor, and touching moments of tenderness and compassion. WINGS OF A DOVE will take you on a heartfelt journey to learn the value of small, community schools. Infusing personalized, experiential learning leaves a lasting impression on the endearing students of Crellin Elementary School. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear) (Maryland Filmmaker)

LGBT Feature (4pm-6pm)

Heads Up — 4:00 PM, 6:22, Alex McFry, USA: When another random hookup leaves Ethan with more than he bargained for, he’s forced to face the unfortunate realities that come with anonymous, unprotected sex: HIV. Once he is diagnosed, his life is flipped upside down as he learns to cope with his HIV diagnosis and the stigma it carries. (LGBT Content)

The F-Word — 4:07 PM, 6:00, Chang-Min Jonathan Hyon, USA: Jaime is a non-binary grad student starting their first day of school. They are expecting the worst from homophobia and transphobia but learn how good intentions can still isolate a person. This is a story about how looking solely at identity can be affirming and distancing at the same time. (Maryland Filmmaker) (LGBT Content)

HOMOSAYWHAT — 4:14 PM, 01:15:55, Craig Bettendorf, USA: HOMOSAYWHAT contrasts the social, political and religious intolerance shown toward LGBT people in past decades with the present day’s legal and growing social acceptance. The film juxtaposes life after much of the fight for gay rights has been won with the hard truth of what it took to get to where the community is today. As the film unfolds the link between the challenges of the past and those of the present may seem surprisingly familiar. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear) (LGBT Content) (Award Winner)

When Pride Came To Town — 5:31 PM, 17:40, Julia Dahr & Julie Lunde Lillesaeter, Norway: A provocative yet heartwarming story about the clash between conservatism and sexual freedom in one of Europe’s most liberal countries. We meet 52-year old Norwegian Bjorn-Tore, who fled to the big city in order to escape the everyday homophobia he experienced in his rural hometown. When the very same village is hosting Norway’s first rural Pride parade, Bjorn-Tore is filled with mixed emotions about returning. Tension rise as a local church group organize an anti-LGBTQ rally, just weeks before the parade. (LGBT Content) (Award Winner)

Social Justice Feature (6pm-8pm)

Dodging Bullets–Stories from Survivors of Historical Trauma — 6:00 PM, 1:38:00, Sarah Edstrom, Kathey Broere, Jonathan Thunder, Bob Trench, USA: Native Americans have dodged bullets since first contact with Europeans. This film brings a cross-generational sampling of Indigenous people, researchers, and politicians to reveal stunning reasons for their disproportionately high incidences of health and social issues. This collection of remarkable stories, names Historical Trauma as the unique and insidious part of the genetic code that resilient Native American populations are still finding ways to dodge. The film focuses on Native Americans and is not the typical “tragedy porn” film about Indian Country, it is more of an accurate portrayal of life.

Closing Night Feature (8pm-10pm)

POCCON — 8:00 PM, 8:48, Alyssa Douglas, USA: POCCON is a short documentary film that explores the world of anime conventions through the eyes of POC (people of color) cosplayers. The film will explore some of the issues they face as cosplayers of color. It will follow a few cosplayers as they attend Katsucon, a local anime convention that takes place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center In Maryland. The cosplayers will give the personal accounts of issues they have faced within the cosplay community. (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear) (Maryland Filmmaker)

The Nuclear Nightmare Cover-Up — 8:10 PM, 1:29:33, Renee Green, USA: This documentary is about a B52 with 2 thermonuclear bombs that went by the call sign “Buzz One Four” that crashed on Big Savage Mountain in Western Maryland on January 13, 1964 during a blizzard. The local citizens became the first responders and almost died trying to search and rescue the crew members of this B52 that crashed near the small town of Grantsville, Maryland. Even though this crash occurred over 50 years ago, the people impacted by this event continue with their journey of recovery. This documentary interviews key eyewitnesses to the crash, rescue and recovery of the crew members, deactivating the bombs, security of the crash site along with an admission that there were to use deadly force if necessary, to secure the B-52. The eyewitnesses chronologically tell their stories. This documentary tells their story of the crash, rescue, recovery, remembrance and the impact it has had on their lives. The way the citizens reacted to the crash and have continued to never forget the crew and family members of “Buzz One Four” is a remarkable story about courage, integrity and honor by so many people around Grantsville. They demonstrated the American spirit of how they all pulled together during a tragedy to help other people while they put themselves at risk. The USAF knew there was a problem with the tail falling off the B52’s but they felt it was more critical to have 12 of these B52’s circling the world to protect the county from the Soviet Union instead of stopping and fixing the problem. Lt. Carl Ellenberg who deactivated the bombs stated, “If one of the bombs had detonated, this would have been the most disastrous event to have occurred in the history of this country!” It is time the whole world knows about this story that’s been a secret for over 50 years! It’s a true story about Courage, Integrity and Honor! (Filmmaker Anticipated To Appear) (Maryland Filmmaker) (Award Winner)

Program Notes

NOTE: All content is unrated.

NOTE: All running times within programming blocks are approximate.