Savannah Film Festival selections released!

Hello World Family,
In the midst of the G-20 preparations, Falcon and Dove have been paying attention to the fall film calendar. TIFF had some awesome films, but not a lot of domestic distribution deals were struck. We will post a full review of some of our picks for fall after the G-20, but since this was released today, we wanted to pass it along asap.

Happy Fall Equinox, and for all of you LOTR fans, Happy Bilbo and Frodo's Birthday!
Enjoy these selections...we have seen a couple of these (the student shorts specifically) and they are extremely impressive.

Published: September 21, 2009

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Savannah College of Art and Design announces the competition film lineup and jurors for its 12th annual Savannah Film Festival, scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 7 in historic downtown Savannah, Ga. Featuring the best in independent and innovative film from around the world, the Savannah Film Festival presents a full range of cinematic creativity from both award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers. The festival received a record-breaking 525 submissions from 37 states and 27 countries for the 2009 competition.

Jurors for the 2009 Savannah Film Festival are renowned for their work in the film and entertainment industries.

Patti D'Arbanville, winner of the Best Actress Dramalogue Award, has enjoyed an outstanding career in film, television and on stage, with noteworthy roles in "The Main Event," "The Sopranos," "Guiding Light" and "Third Watch."

Award-winning actress Rita Gam starred in more than 30 feature films before launching a second career as an author and documentary film producer. She has won numerous accolades for her documentaries and books, including the Literary Medal of Excellency from the United Nations Society of Writers for her contribution to better understanding between nations.

Ingrid Rockefeller has written, performed and produced original material off-Broadway and wrote and directed the award-winning short film "Melting Ice." She recently started her own company, Light is Sweet Films, and is producing and co-directing a documentary on the life of photojournalist Lisl Steiner.

Michael Sucsy is the writer, director and producer of the Emmy Award-winning "Grey Gardens," a made-for-TV movie starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. The movie also won the 2009 Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Mini-Series, and Specials.

David Twohy, both a writer and director, was named by Entertainment Weekly as "one of the most creative people in Hollywood" for his work in films such as "The Fugitive," "Waterworld" and "The Chronicles of Riddick."

The highly anticipated 2009 Savannah Film Festival competition films include the following:



Professional Shorts

Lessons in Self-Defense
USA, 2009, 12 min.

Director/Writer: Lee Miller
Producers: Ayal Miodovnik, David Post
Cast: Ashley Ann-Michaels, Alfred Molina
Synopsis: Ben wants nothing more than to have his estranged 15-year-old daughter, Victoria, back in his life. When Victoria asks to meet with him, Ben eagerly seizes the opportunity, but quickly realizes that his daughter's reasons for coming back have nothing to do with reconciliation.

Love and Roadkill
USA, 2008, 14 min.

Director: John David Allen
Writer: Elisabeth Lewis Corley
Producers: Laura Heberton, James Ivory
Cast: Bill Camp, Madeleine Potter
Synopsis: A scenic ride through the country takes an unexpected turn, resulting in a rare moment of reflection on life and death for a female urban executive. Based on the one-act play by Rose Caruso.

Me, You, a Bag & Bamboo
USA, 2008, 18:40 min., DigiBeta

Director: Lara Everly
Writers: Annika Marks, Padraic Duffy
Producers: Annika Marks, Ceciley Jenkins, Stephen Chbosky
Cast: Kirby Heyborne, Ceciley Jenkins, Amber Elizabeth Ingram
Synopsis: Clifford and Chun Li, two melancholic strangers sharing a park bench, take a quirky journey as they work up the courage to say hello.

Nice to Meet You
UK, 2009, 14 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Will Garthwaite
Producers: Will Garthwaite, Will Misselbrook, Anita Sumner
Cast: Trudie Styler, Jamie Dornan, Mickey Sumner
Synopsis: In London, a mother, a daughter and her boyfriend become entangled in a web of secrecy and sexual tension that leads them from extraordinary circumstances into extraordinary acts.

Ten for Grandpa
USA, Canada, 2008, 7:08 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Doug Karr
Producer(s): Doug Karr, Edward Boyce, Heather K. Dahlstrom
Cast: David Alpay, David Huband, Catherine Black
Synopsis: David Karr: husband, father, White House press reporter, film producer, powerful millionaire, defense contractor, corporate CEO, Renaissance businessman ... Soviet agent? This film-a clear-eyed, comedic take on the life of a complex character and the events surrounding his untimely demise-reaches to understand the forces that push an individual to immerse himself in a nefarious web of danger and infamy.

That's Magic!
USA, 2008, 14:44 min., DigiBeta

Director: Brandon McCormick
Writers: Brandon McCormick, Billy Wilkerson, Charlie Wetzel
Producers: Brandon McCormick, Dave Ronne
Cast: Jackson Walker, Sorrell Sanders, Mark Ashworth
Synopsis: A disillusioned magician seeks his own answer to what is "magic" in the world around him.

Underwear
USA, 2009, 14:53 min, DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Tomer Gendler
Producer(s): Tomer Gendler, Christine Giorgio
Cast: Bernie Lippman, Jean Alexander
Synopsis: Leon and Frida, both deaf, communicate via an old, tethered clothesline that joins their two buildings across a fantastical distance. Leon attempts to convince Frida that although her beauty, talents and everything else have faded, there is plenty of life left in life. He does so by sending messages…. messages written on underwear.

Welgunzer
USA, 2009, 14 min, DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Bradford Schmidt
Producer(s): Bradford Schmidt, Katherine Sharp
Cast: Gary Colon, April Eckfeld, Michael McCartney
Synopsis: Donald was going to build a time machine. He was going to travel into the future... and murder himself.



Animated Shorts


Èikorja an' kafe (Chicory 'N' Coffee)
Hungary, 2008, 8:07 min., 35mm

Director/Writer: Dusan Kastelic
Synopsis: Throughout her marriage, a wife has been making chicory for her ruffian husband instead of real coffee. This story examines how people are unable to express their love to those they're close to … until it's too late.

Gerald's Last Day
USA, 2008, 11:30 min., DigiBeta

Directors/Producers: Shel Rasch and Justin Rasch
Writer: Justin Rasch
Synopsis: Gerald the dog has been scheduled for termination at the pound at 5 p.m. Today is his last chance to seduce a potential adopter. Can he do it before his time runs out?

Horn Dog
USA, 2009, 4:30 min., 35mm

Director: Bill Plympton
Writer: Bill Plympton
Producer: Biljana Labovic
Synopsis: The fourth film in the famed Oscar®-nominated "Dog" series features more adventures from a plucky canine. He fends off an obese dog, attacks oysters and encounters a wayward, killer violin bow, while trying to win the love of his heart's desire.

I Am So Proud of You
USA, 2008, 21:30 min., 35mm

Director/Writer: Don Hertzfeldt
Synopsis: Dark family secrets cast a shadow over Bill's recovery in this second chapter to Don Hertzfeldt's Everything Will Be OK.

The Mouse That Soared
USA, 2009, 5:45 min., 35mm
Director: Kyle Bell
Writers: Kyle Bell, Matthew J. Hayes
Producers: Daniel R. Casey, Steve Emerson
Synopsis: A famous flying circus mouse reflects back on his humble beginnings in this high-altitude adventure in aerodynamics.

Pigeon: Impossible
USA, 2009, 6:12 min., DigiBeta

Director/Producer: Lucas Martell
Writers: Austen Menges, Lucas Martel
Synopsis: Walter, a rookie secret agent, faces a problem seldom covered in basic training: what to do when a curious pigeon gets trapped inside his multi-million-dollar, government-issued nuclear briefcase.

Skylight
Canada, 2009, 4:37 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: David Baas
Synopsis: This animated mockumentary explores the ecological plight of penguins in the Antarctic, possibly foretelling cataclysmic results for the rest of the world.



Student Shorts


Duck Heart Teslacoil
USA, 2009, 5:40 min., Beta SP

Director/Writer: Tyler Kupferer
Producer: Alysha Kupferer
School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Synopsis: A young duck learns how to deal with a bus stop menace through the use of high-voltage weaponry.

The Earth in the Air
USA, 2009, 14:50 min., DigiBeta

Director: Jared Hogan
Writer: Michael Bailey, Jared Hogan
Producers: Samuel Eidson, Jared Hogan, Matthew J. Kern
School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Cast: Joshua S. Hogan, Robert Conley
Synopsis: On April 14, 1935, widely known as "Black Tuesday," the darkest cloud of the dustbowl rolled across the Midwest. When the storm leaves a man's house uninhabitable, he travels West in an attempt to start anew and escape the worst natural disaster in American history. But what begins as a journey to find life and opportunity becomes a struggle to simply survive.

Even in My Dreams
USA, 2008, 7:53 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Flavio Alves
Producer: Randall Martusis
School: New York University
Cast: Beau Hauser, Burt Panitz, Celia Howard
Synopsis: In his pattern of mundane daily urban meanderings, Michael, an elderly, world-worn widower, happens on a Tom of Finland doll in a sex shop window. His fascination with the erotic doll triggers a belated and reluctant sexual self-discovery. A series of dreams and stream-of-consciousness vignettes move Michael from surprise to hope to a love affair that ends in violence and betrayal.

The Fakers
USA, 2009, 14 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Evan Watkins
Producers: Max Crandall, Aram Kaplan, Evan Watkins
School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Cast: Phil Morales, Ali Mohr, J.T. Chinn, Aurora Hiembach, Jeff Hall, Kat Paris
Synopsis: Jerry and Jill Tamlin have become so bored with life in the suburbs that they decide to create their own danger. Things go horribly awry when a few real criminals get into the mix.

Farewell to the Sparrow
USA, 2009, 15 min., DigiBeta

Director: Shane Ladd
Writers: Shane Ladd, Zack Cutler
Producers: Shane Ladd, Jon Spicola
School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Cast: Timothy V. Murphy, Eileen Grubba, Lilly Rains, Dey Young, Carmen Argenziano.
Synopsis: Sable, a small town girl, returns home for her mother's funeral. The hard truth unravels as suspicious behavior at the funeral and gossip force Sable to get to the bottom of her mother's death.

Joy in the Morning
USA, 2009, 17 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer/Producer: Gina Atwater
School: Columbia University
Cast: Nedra McClyde, Kaprielle Trenard, Stephanie Parrott
Synopsis: When Nikki Hughes spends an unusual afternoon with her autistic niece, Joy, she is forced to confront her own impending motherhood.

Magellan
USA, 2009, 18 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Sebastian Davis
School: University of Southern California
Cast: Christopher Hobgood, Destiny West, John Ammerman
Synopsis: In industrial Atlanta, the scrawny hero, Magellan, walks to and from middle school every day with his popular, latchkey classmate, Tiana. Their precarious friendship is jeopardized, however, when Magellan works up the foolhardy courage to ask her to the upcoming spring dance.

McDonough
USA, 2009, 2:14 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Kyle Stephens
School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Cast: David Solomon, Chase Arrington, Jenna Paulette, Grace Olsen Davidson, Derrick Parks.
Synopsis: A steampunk stop-motion musical.

Quality Time
USA, 2008, 15 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Colin Marshall
Producers: Gilana Lobel, Joshua Greenberg, Martin Teevan
School: Columbia University
Cast: Charlie Tahan, David Alan Basche
Synopsis: Estranged brothers Tucker and Ray are forced to spend Christmas afternoon together while their father Harold lays comatose in a hospital bed. As they struggle to come to terms with his impending death, they're reminded of the sweet and sour taste of familial bonds.

Sebastian's Voodoo
USA, 2009, 4:07 min., DigiBeta

Director/Producer: Joaquin Baldwin
School: University of California, Los Angeles
Synopsis: A voodoo doll must find the courage to save his friends from being pinned to death.

There Once Was
USA, 2009, 2:18 min., DigiBeta

Director: Fay Helfer
Writers: Fay Helfer, David Leonard

School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Cast: Kate Helfer, Rose Ibiama, Rhianna Helton
Synopsis: A series of three short, animated limericks includes a comedy between bats in the air, a romance among turtles on land, and the horror a giant squid faces at sea.



Narrative Features

Bomber
USA, 2008, 84 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Paul Cotter
Producers: Paul Cotter, Maureen A. Ryan
Cast: Shane Taylor, Benjamin Whitrow, Eileen Nicholas
Synopsis: An 83-year-old man returns to Germany for a long-planned journey of atonement. When his useless son agrees to drive him there, a nightmare family road trip ensues.

Dear Lemon Lima
USA, 2009, 107 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Suzi Yoonessi
Producers: Melissa M. Lee, Jonako Donley
Cast: Savanah Wiltfong, Shayne Topp, Zane Huett, Melissa Leo
Synopsis: Vanessa believes that a victory in the Snowstorm Survivor championship is the only way into Philip's heart. Unlike the Native Olympics, which bring together people of all sizes and shapes to celebrate Native Alaskan culture, Snowstorm Survivor perverts the traditional Eskimo games in order to foster an antiquated class system. Vanessa discovers the true meaning of love and must embrace her Native heritage to reclaim the spirit of the World Eskimo Indian Olympics.

Love Hurts
USA, 2009, 95 min., 35mm

Director/Writer: Barra Grant
Producers: Laura Hopper, Sara Mattison, Brian Reilly
Cast: Richard E. Grant, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jenna Elfman, Janeane Garofalo, Camryn Manheim
Synopsis: Ben (Richard E. Grant), a successful doctor but an obtuse husband, is finally left by his wife (Carrie-Anne Moss). Befuddled by life and romance and obsessed with winning her back, Ben receives tutoring from his extremely popular 17-year-old son. To his amazement, Ben becomes the most desirable single man in town.

Mercy
USA, 2009, 87 min., 35mm

Director: Patrick Hoelck
Writer: Scott Caan
Producers: Andrea Bottigliero, Scott Caan, Sean Gowrie, Vince Palomino, David Albert Pierce
Cast: Erika Christensen, Whitney Able, Troy Garity, Scott Caan, James Caan, Dylan McDermott
Synopsis: For novelist Johnny Ryan (Scott Caan), writing about love is the easy part. Believing in love is a different story; he's not entirely sure it exists. However, his lifestyle of seduction and bachelorhood forever changes when a single critic writes a biting review of his latest book, cutting through his charming persona and straight to his arrogant core. Thrown off course, Johnny does what comes naturally: He asks the critic on a date, which leads him on a rocky path of self-discovery as he realizes that love is much more real (and perilous) than he ever imagined.



Documentary Films

45365
USA, 2008, 90 min., DigiBeta

Directors/Producers: Bill Ross, Turner Ross
Synopsis: This film follows lives and stories in a small town as they coalesce into a mosaic of faces, places and events. The county fair, a barber shop, the retirement home, a football team, a judge's race for re-election, a father and son, young love lost, and arrest and sentencing are all explored in this sweeping survey of life in Sidney, Ohio.

An Unlikely Weapon
USA, 2008, 85 min., DigiBeta

Director: Susan Morgan Cooper
Producers: Susan Morgan Cooper, Cindy Lou Adkins
Cast: Eddie Adams
Synopsis: Eddie Adams photographed 13 wars, six American presidents and every major film star of the last 50 years. History was changed through his lens … but the person Eddie found hardest to impress was himself.

No. 4 Street of Our Lady
Israel, USA, Ukraine, 2009, 90 min., DigiBeta

Directors: Barbara Bird, Judy Maltz
Producers: Judy Maltz, Richie Sherman
Cast: Herb Maltz, Eli Kindler, Fay Letzter Malkin
Synopsis: If your neighbors were being hunted down and came to your door begging for help, would you risk your life to save theirs? This film tells the remarkable yet little-known story of Francisca Halamajowa, a Polish-Catholic woman who hid 16 of her Jewish neighbors during the Holocaust, while cleverly passing herself off as a Nazi sympathizer.

So Right So Smart
USA, 2008, 93 min., DigiBeta

Directors: Justin Maine, Michael Swantek, Guy Noerr
Producers: Guy Noerr, Leanne Robinson-Maine
Synopsis: As environmental awareness increases in customers, business leaders like Ray Anderson are learning that sustainability is an ethical imperative for the future; in the process, they're finding that money just might grow on trees.

Media inquiries and image requests may be directed to 912.525.5231.



About the Savannah Film Festival

The Savannah Film Festival brings world-renowned filmmakers, producers, actors and journalists, as well as other film enthusiasts, to SCAD and Savannah for eight days of feature films, lectures, workshops, panels and competition films from a range of genres. Now in its 12th year, the festival was started by SCAD President Paula Wallace to provide students with opportunities to network with, meet and learn from entertainment industry leaders and to showcase the university's talented students and unique resources.

More than 40,000 people from around the world attend the festival to celebrate film, network, and immerse themselves in the inspiring artistic environment of SCAD and Savannah. On average, more than 500 studio and independent filmmakers submit a range of films-including documentaries, narratives, animations, professional shorts and student projects-to the festival each year.

The Savannah Film Festival also plays a significant role in preparing talented students for creative careers. From dramatic writing and performing arts to animation and sound design, almost every department at SCAD-and every student-benefits from the multifaceted festival experience.

Each year, distinguished honorees are presented awards for excellence in the entertainment industry. Past recipients include Michael Douglas, Natasha Richardson, Jane Fonda, Alec Baldwin, Sydney Pollack and Kathleen Turner. Invariably, these guests remark on the wealth of talent and enthusiasm at SCAD, as well as their excitement at seeing a university so dedicated to the art of film.

Highlights of the festival include workshops, special screenings and evening receptions. Each day is packed with workshops about a variety of topics, such as entertainment investments, the latest film technology, sound design and acting for the screen. Every evening features a special screening at Trustees Theater, followed by a star-studded after-party where celebrities and industry professionals mingle with students, faculty and select pass holders.

Passes to the Savannah Film Festival are available for purchase through the SCAD box office, 216 E. Broughton St., or by phone at 912.525.5050.

A limited number of individual tickets to screenings and workshops will be available at the SCAD box office beginning Oct. 1. Morning and afternoon screenings and panels will be $5 for the general public; $3 for students, seniors and military; and free for SCAD students, faculty and staff with a valid SCAD ID.

The price for tickets to the evening screenings will be $10 for the general public and $5 for SCAD students, faculty and staff with a valid SCAD ID.

Group discounts are available.

The Savannah Film Festival schedule is subject to change.



SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

The Savannah College of Art and Design is the most comprehensive art and design university in the world, offering more degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university. SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor's and master's degrees in distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers students a choice of degree programs in 46 majors and more than 50 minors at locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, in Lacoste, France, online through SCAD eLearning, and soon in Hong Kong.

The diverse student body of more than 9,500 comes from all 50 United States and nearly 100 countries worldwide. The education and career preparation of each student is nurtured and cultivated by a faculty of more than 600 professors with extraordinary academic credentials and valuable professional experience. Through individual attention in an inspiring university environment, and with advanced, professional-level technology, equipment and learning resources, SCAD is uniquely qualified to provide an exceptional education and unparalleled career preparation. SCAD has garnered acclaim from respected organizations and publications, including the Los Angeles Times, American Institute of Architects, DesignIntelligence and U.S. News & World Report.