Status - Harrison Davis 7:19 Minutes
Overly entitled teens journey into an unfamiliar neighborhood in search of the Mother of all acne creams. Harrison Davis made this Twitterama in connection with Raw Arts Real to Reel Film School in Lynn MA. This won the Festival’s Student Outstanding Work award.
Art of the March - Emily Gordon, Ellie Lacourt, Connor Lewis 6:05 Minutes
Three local filmmakers created a short documentary of a project that commemorates the outburst of creative work that accompanied the Boston Women’s March on January 21, 2017. The filmmakers, affiliated with Northeastern University, won the Mass Reality Check’s Best Short Award at last year’s Salem Film Fest. This won the Festval’s adult Outstanding Work award.
Waiting for Hassana - Ifunanya Maduka 11:00 Minutes
“Hassana” is a documentary that recounts the harrowing story of a young Nigerian schoolgirl and her classmate Hassana, both of whom were captured by the extremist group Boko Haram in 2014 in northeast Nigeria. NOTE: Although Ms. Maduka’s film alludes to violent acts, no violence is actually shown. The film’s director is currently Director of International Films at Netflix.
Girls Level Up - Anne Edgar 8:37 Minutes
The subject of this documentary is Leila Shabir, who grew up in the United Arab Emirates and came to the US to study video gaming and who formed Girls Make Games, a summer camp devoted to teaching girls how to make video games. We see Ms. Shabir, a knowledgeable and sympathetic presence, working with her charges. Anne Edgar is a Co-Founder of Artifact Studios, a producer of documentary projects.
Collect - Amire Razael Kumalabad 4:00 Minutes
The filmmaker, a student at Cambridge Rindge High School, describes her unusual hobby and explains how it affects her view of the world.
Fanny Pack - Uttera Singh 10:07 Minutes
The eponymous bag provokes an unanticipated crisis in this comedy about the conflicting dreams of an Indian-American father and his equally stubborn daughter. Uttera Singh is an MFA graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Fanny Pack was intended as a concept for a half hour TV show. This won the Festival’s Adult Best of Show award.
Joy Joy Nails - Joey Ally 18:00 Minutes
This fictional film follows the experiences of a group of Asian manicurists living in Flushing, Queens and working in a suburban nail salon. Writing in the New Yorker, Jonathan Rothman called the film “an eighteen-minute day-in-the-life, by turns enraging, funny, and moving.” Joey Ally was a child actor who went to Amherst intending to become a lawyer, but turned to filmmaking instead. NOTE: The film is intended to be a raw, realistic portrayal of a segment of immigrant urban life. Some may be uncomfortable with the language of a few of the characters and the portrayal of certain situations.
To Be Fiona - Fiona Lu 5:22 Minutes
In this animated film, the adult Fiona is visited by her eight year old self who has somehow transported herself to help in dealing with her adult personal issues. Fiona Lu is a first time filmmaker who in 2017 won an Outstanding Achievement in Animation Production Design in the Dusty Film Festival in New York City.
Weeds - Kevin Hudson 2:30 Minutes
Our concluding film is an animation dedicated to anyone who dares to wish for a better life. Kevin Hudson, an American visual effects artist and director, works on the team at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Weeds was created by a group of Disney animators on their own time.