All Films

Orphans of the Cosmos

2008 • 40 min

Made at the San Francisco Art Institute with my students, this tuneful picture transports the viewer to the planet Mars as three attractive teens seek funding for an expedition into adulthood. Along the way they and we encounter the ups and downs of human relations and otherworldly intercourse. A family picture with timeless values, this foray into fantasy land on a tight budget should please the young at heart or old in body in unexpected ways. Although this trip is short on funding but big in concept it’s really quite a ride and looks like a million bucks for the vision impaired.

Sumatran Folk Cinema

2008 • 60 min

This film is a collection of musical performances, folk images, TV excerpts and audio/visual artifacts from the heart and soul of Sumatra.

Karaoke

2008 • 15 min • Germany

An elderly actress's desperate search for a new role.

At the End of the Street

2008 • 14 min

Alexandra can't accept that her girlfriend left her. The confrontation with her ex-girlfriend and a special table and an encounter with a policeman help her understand that loss always will be a part of life.

Witchery

2008 • 13 min

Secret number... secret shape... knower of the secret name... God of the realm of night - I summon you, 'Son of Sin'... arise!

The Danish Doll Test

2008 • 12 min • Denmark

In this documentary film, 41 Danish children aged four to eight must choose the most beautiful doll. The film, inspired by a similar American experiment from the 1940s, was made by actor and debater Hassan Preisler of the Institute for Human Rights. The film is published on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Bartleby's Constellation

2008 • 23 min

Two unconnected stories that gravitate around literature.

Meet Jen

2008 • 17 min • Indonesia

"Life has given me time. However, I've never spent that time to really live." Jen is an ordinary guy with big dreams and hopes. But, time has passed him by. A lot has happened. What has Jen been doing for the past ten years? The political changes have not changed Jen's life that much. What happened then for him was just a vivid dream. That memory has turned into a "film" about an occasion that he had witnessed.

Black Mirror

2008 • 3 min

A kaleidoscopic video essay exploring the state of contemporary Thailand.

Hawaiian Starlight

2008 • 43 min

A visual experience putting in context the way the CFH Telescope sees the Universe: within sequences of captivating daytime and nighttime terrestrial timelapse footage of the telescope domes, Mauna Kea, and Hawaii ; all free of any computer generated imagery.

That is the Question ...

2008 • 60 min • Iran

A Documentary about Kianoush Ayari by Shahram Mokri

Get Happy

2008 • 25 min

A coming of age musical extravaganza about a child raised by his mother and grandmother who allowed him to express himself in a most unconventional way. This documentary includes actual footage of Mark Payne as a childhood performer. By age 13 Mark was working with many luminaries including Bob Hope and Milton Berle! Early in his life, Mark designed clothes worn by Madonna and Cher as well as establishing a successful singing career. He has evolved into one of the most sought after makeup artists in Hollywood.

Take Me with You

2008 • 39 min

This short film exposes the lives of three lonely gay men over an emotion fueled weekend in Los Angeles.

Out of the Light

2008 • 1 min • United States of America

An extract of our floor projected HD video installation. It consists of five parts that can be seen as either a single screen or installed as separate projections around the space.

Strike: Eisenstein and the Revolutionary Spirit

2008 • 37 min • France

In this documentary, film historian Natacha Laurent places Eisenstein's work in the context of the Communist Revolution and contemporary Soviet filmmaking.

Ciao Ghatoul

2008 • 14 min • Israel

Tel Aviv, 2007. A man is so annoyed by a cat's on-going meows, that he decides to abduct the cat and deport it to the West Bank. He thus embarks on a long and complicated journey with the sole purpose of ridding himself of this unpleasant neighbour.

Deductable Karin

2008 • 13 min • Sweden

Karin's specialty is cleaning crystal chandeliers. With the new deduction options for household-related services, Karin has gained momentum in her individual company.

Bruce McClure at Kill Your Timid Notion Festival - 2nd Set

2008 • 21 min

This event was part of Arika’s Kill Your Timid Notion Tour in 2008, preserved as part of their archive.

VIP (Vegetable in Paradise)

2008 • 1 min

During the Annecy festival, while the young festival goers flock to the screenings, a producer relaxes on the lake.

The Slave

2008 • 2 min • Chile

Short film by Cristóbal León & Paula Salas.

A Griot's Story

2008 • 56 min

What is a griot? Historically, they are wandering African musicians considered to be a repository of the oral tradition. This film focuses on a master drummer, Adame Drama of Burkina Faso, a descendant of a long line of griots. He is a contemporary griot whose mission in life is to preserve his heritage and pass it on to the next generation. Resisting the lure of monetary rewards of an artistic career in Europe, Adame has elected to remain in his country and for forty years has pursued his music there. This colorful film is filled with music and dance as we see him perform on stage with other musicians and in celebrations on the streets and in courtyards. He reveals the secrets of his instrument and of his style of playing. Above all, he is a proud African who had rejected cultural colonialism in favor of maintaining his identity and that of his art.

Wedding

2008 • 13 min

In this three-channel video installation, Köken Ergun points his camera at various Turkish wedding ceremonies and marital rituals performed in Berlin, depicting them as mirros of cultural production. Shot by shot, he creates a fictive documentation of the entire process.

. . . After He Left

2008 • 11 min • South Africa

A Utopian counter-proposal to the sad dogma of the division between mind and body, sensuality and intelligence, pop culture, craft and fine art, his works expresses the eroticism of knowledge and reconciles the dream with experience.

Paraíso perdido

2008 • 6 min • Mexico

Mónica is a 27-year-old stripper that feels every day is the same. Darío, a thief in his 30s, no longer knows where to go. One morning they find themselves fleeing and when they look into each other's eyes anything can happen.