YOFIFEST 2016 WORKSHOPS
THE ART OF THE STORYBOARD with John F. Davis
Storyboarding is the invaluable process of creating a visual script of the shots and scene changes in a movie. Learn from top storyboard artist John F. Davis (Divergent, The Great Gatsby, Skyfall, The Departed) how pre-visualization and a well-defined storyboard helps to ensure that everyone understands complex shots and sequences, saving a production from shooting footage it can’t use or missing footage that is essential to the plot.
BREAKING IN TO THE BUSINESS
Meet representitives and learn about the mission and programs that the Producers Guild of America (PGA), New York Women In Film and Television (NYWIFT) and Blue Collar Post Collective (BCPC) offer to help emerging film and television professionals advance their careers in the industry.
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DISTRIBUTION DEMYSTIFIED with Daniel Cantagallo
You’ve made your film, but now what do you do with it? Find out what distributors are looking for, how they find it and what filmmakers should expect in an insightful conver- sation with Daniel Cantagallo, Senior Vice President at Cargo Film & Releasing, that will demystify the process.
HOW TO PITCH YOURSELF with Jim Arnoff
The entertainment industry is full of pitching. You pitch ideas, you pitch attachments, you pitch strategies; but the most important thing to learn to pitch is you. This workshop will give you the agent’s top 10 tips for pitching with conviction and results. It’s present- ed by Jim Arnoff, a Television Packaging Agent representing New York production compa- nies in developing and selling original programming to the networks and new media.
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PRODUCING MASTER CLASS with Declan Baldwin
What does it take to be a successful, award-winning producer who started below-the- line and worked his way to produce features, television and now content streaming? Find out in a conversation with Declan Baldwin (Captain Fantastic, Still Alice, Adventure- land, Far From Heaven) and hear about the lessons he’s learned along the way.
READY, SET... NETWORK!
Bring your coffee and business cards to this fun networking session where you get to talk to someone new every 5 minutes! It’s like speed dating, but without the dating.
THE ROLE OF THE CASTING DIRECTOR with Adrienne Stern
Hear first hand about what Casting Directors do (and don’t do) and how they can help your project in a fun, lively and candid conversation with Adrienne Stern, of Adrienne Stern Casting. Ms. Stern has over twenty years experience with Film, Television, Com- mercials, Web, and Theatre and has helped hundreds of productions in both NYC and LA.
WRITING SCREENPLAYS THAT SELL with Hal Ackerman
Hal Ackerman is the former Co-Chair of UCLA’s Screenwriting program and the author of “Write Screenplays That Sell: The Ackerman Way”.
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YOFIFEST 2016 FILMS A TO Z
1.7 ALPHA (97min, USA, dir: Quanah Hicks)
A young woman seeks solace in her new friend’s peculiar perspective of the world they live in.
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50 YARD DASH (17min, USA, dir: Ben Fraternale)
A docu-short following the fascinating lives of Arena Football players through the eyes of two veterans.
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A DAY IN THE LIFE (1min, USA, dir: Tom Bracone)
The life of two people living in the age of digital communication.
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A GOOD ASSISTANT (6min, USA, dir: Natalie Sena)
A young woman tries her best to do a good job for her demanding boss.
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A MAYA OSBORNE: CONFESSIONS OF A QUADROON (13min, USA, dir: Barry Mayo)
This film is about biracial spoken word poet, Maya Osborne and identity issues.
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A TAYLOR STORY (21min, USA, dir: Alex Yonks)
A teenage girl battling cancer and her two best friends sneak out on Halloween for a night to remember.
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ALL THINGS BAKELITE (57min, USA, dir: John Maher)
History comes alive in the Leo Baekeland, the inventor of the first synthetic plastic.
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A WAY OUT (14min, USA, dir: Jason Tostevin)
For aging gangster Vic, a ride with his upstart protege becomes a twisted game of cat and mouse.
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AMOK (77min, USA, dir: Rick Rodgers)
Adam is haunted by the past and struggling to hold onto the present.
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ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE (2min, Switzerland, dir: bellopropello)
Against all odds has consequences even in paradise.
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ARTS AND CRAFTS (14min, USA, dir: Nina Gielen)
Ten-year-old Misha desperately wants his dead mother to return to him.
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BEAUTIFUL LIES (10min, USA, dir: Tracey Anarella)
87 year old artist George Williams on about his life, his art and the voice of his alter ego.
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BEING A TRANS GIRL (5min, USA, dir: Fran Sisco)
A music video that expresses the joys of being a transgender woman.
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BESTIES (7min, USA, dir: Marta Renzi)
A friendship nested inside a party.
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THE BIRCH GROVE (20min, USA, dir: Gabrielle Lansner)
Two brothers wrestle with their past in a dance towards reconciliation.
BLACWELL SUMMER MYSTERIES (12min, USA, dir: Emily Dell)
Lady detectives out for justice.
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THE BLOOD IN OUR VEINS (18min, USA, dir: Mateo Marquez)
A small immigrant family facing an inevitable fate and their strength to overcome it.
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BREAK AWAY (7min, USA, dir: Dalton Thorvilson)
A bittersweet fantasy about Lacy’s love life falling apart almost as much as her boyfriend.
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CAITLAN AMONG THE BEASTS (12min, USA, dir: Adam Bertocci)
A comedy about finding grace and other things that get away.
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CAMILA (8min, Spain, dir: Carla Roda)
Camila can’t prevent being able to cure her illness, schizophrenia.
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THE CELLIST (9min, USA, dir: Arnold Pitre)
Love plays its own notes.
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THE CHOSEN FEW (17min, USA, dir: Winston Mitchell)
A documentary on the untold story of the heroic WWII Black Marines of Montford Point.
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CLOUD RUNNER (10min, Canada, dir: Emil Agopian)
A runner experiences the fantastical struggle between the dawn and the night.
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COMPETITION (7min, Romania, dir: Artur Boruzs)
While two boxers prepare for the international competition, a third one puts up a spiri- tual fight of his own outside the ring.
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DON’T BE AFRAID OF BEARS (3min, USA, dir: Jill Johnston)
Memories of a male bear confrontation lead to questions about one’s personal mythos.
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DOUG (14min, USA, dir: Lucas Ruderman)
Doug is an ordinary guy with an extraordinary problem.
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DRAMATIC ESCAPE (90min, USA, dir: Nick Quested)
This compelling documentary follows inmates at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Upstate New York, as they attempt to mount a behind bars production of A FEW GOOD MEN.
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ECHOES (10min, USA, dir: Amy Leland)
A young married couple, walk through New York City wrestling with personal tragedy.
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EVERYTHING IS FOREVER (87min, USA, dir: Victor Zimet)
A cinematic journey through war, peace and rock n’ roll.
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FREEDOM OR DEATH (73min, USA, dir: Damian Kolodiy)
A documentary film portrait of how a civil uprising for dignity in Kyiv, Ukraine escalated into a hybrid war with Russia.
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GENERATION GIRL (10min, Australia, dir: Anna Blum)
Two young women fight over a mutual love interest.
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GLOBULINE’S GAME (52min, France, dir: Virginie Balabaud)
An art-house video made from different real stories with men met by internet websites, it bends reality through imaginary.
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GOOD BONES (83min, USA, dir: Tim Bohn)
Danny O’Brien struggles with his own idealism in his last summer at his family’s failing Hamptons real estate agency.
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GOOD SISTER (12min, USA, dir: Umakanth Thumrugoti)
Helene is on a mission to rescue her narcissistic mother from a swank nursing home – even if it kills her.
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GOT THIS (16min, USA, dir: Susan Barry)
When Bugsy goes missing at the worst possible moment, make way for the Cat Patrol!
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GOTTA HAVE HEART (27min, USA, dir: Sandi Perlmutter)
A love story about the 23-year relationship between Edd and Joe, and their unexpected journey to find a new heart for Edd.
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THE GREAT ACCOUNTANT (14min, USA, dir: Michael Quigley)
The marriage of two unsuccessful musicians descends through purgatory and into hell.
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GROUNDED (9min, Australia, dir: Luke Wissell)
Grounded over failing health, a desperate pilot struggles to prove that he is fit to fly.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEVIN (2min, USA, dir: John Psathas)
At 15, Kevin risks it all for a shot at greatness.
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HEAD (4min, Israel, dir: Stav Levi)
A bald man stands on the edge of the ocean and decides to get rid of his head.
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HEAD SPACE (5min, USA, dir: Emma Huibregtse)
A single mother concerned with her son’s inability to cope, sees the tables turn when faced with danger.
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HEADSPACE (8min, USA, dir: Jonathan Finnegan)
An aspiring writer struggles with self-imposed isolation for the sake of writing his story.
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HEATHER’S PAINTING (15min, USA, dir: Freddie Connor)
After losing their 14 year-old daughter to leukemia, a family completely breaks down.
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HERE AND THERE (103min, Ecuador, dir: Gabriel Páez & Isabel Rodas)
A magical journey through the Ecuadorian Andes
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HEROES (12min, USA, dir: Carl Joglar)
A disgruntled young man becomes involved in a mission of vengeance and learns a les- son about trying to be a hero.
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THE HONEYS AND BEARS (4min, USA, dir: Veena Rao)
Meet the Harlem Honeys and Bears, a synchronized swim team for seniors.
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I’M NOT WILBUR (5min, USA, dir: Chris Conaway)
A mistaken identity takes on a new face.
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THE INDUSTRUCTIBLE (15min, Canada, dir: Kalen Artinian)
A disturbed teenager with a passion for illustration must go to extreme lengths to earn his peer’s approval.
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INFLUENCE (78min, USA, dir: Michael Bergmann)
Two young people with autism, who need their parents’ help to communicate, go on a first date that makes them question who’s really doing the talking.
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THE INSIGNIFICANT THIEF (7min, USA, dir: Chris Hessler)
A detective is put to the test when she is forced to partner up to catch a thief.
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THE INSTITUTION (9min, USA , dir: Adel L. Morales)
A classic horror tale that follows Catherine’s search for her mentally-ill lost brother in the haunted group home where they grew up.
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INVISIBLE MAN (9min, UK, dir: Jan Nord)
A dark comedy about the eternal question of belonging.
IT TAKES TWO HANDS TO CLAP (19min, Pakistan, dir: Nadya Shah)
Building bridges through cultural engagement.
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IT’S NOT MY FAULT AND I DON’T CARE ANYWAY (96min, Canada, dir: Chris Craddock)
A dark comedy about a rich and famous self-help guru whose controversial philosophy of extreme selfishness is put to the ultimate test when his only daughter is kidnapped and held for ransom.
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JACKSON (91min, USA, dir: Maisie Crow)
An intimate, unprecedented look at the lives of three women caught up in the complex issues surrounding abortion access.
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JOY! BLUE MOON (3min, USA, dir: John Vollmer)
Telescopes from around the world react with joy to the music.
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KIMJONGILIA (73min, France, dir: NC Heikin)
North Korean refugees tell their harrowing stories of repression, imprisonment, and escape.
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KISS OF DEATH (10min, USA, dir: Timothy Collins & Jillian Kibler)
A young thief and his wife prepare to flee town by sunrise, until the arrival of a mysteri- ous stranger halts their plans.
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LARCHMONT (97min, USA, dir: Ben Zuckert)
A recent college graduate questions his medical school plans as his dad tries to hide his new unemployment.
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LAST CHANCE (3min, Hungary, dir: Dániel Füzes)
What if you are a boxer, but you can’t fight back?
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LAST TRAIN TO BABYLON (20min, USA, dir: Luis Ayala)
After missing the last train home out of New York City, two strangers decide to explore the city during its after hours.
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THE LAST TRANSMISSION (18min, USA, dir: Stephen Turselli)
Based on a true story, a young pilot and an aging air traffic controller’s lives collide one fateful night over Roswell, NM.
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LAURENCE (100min, USA, dir: Stephen Kellam)
A young photographer fears his boyfriend’s life is endangered by a vengeful spirit.
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LILLY GETS A PET (5min, Canada, dir: The Bum Family)
Lilly, a giant orange monster, must undertake an epic journey to find a true friend in a pet shop.
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LOVE IN THE CITY (4min, USA, dir: Emanuele Michetti)
In a big city where everything moves too fast, how can relationships evolve and what can love do to a person?
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MAN IN PHONE (8min, Japan, dir: Mackenzie Sheppard)
A man mysteriously wakes up inside of his phone and is forced to confront his addiction to technology before his battery runs out.
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THE MAN WHO SAVED THE WORLD (105min, Denmark, dir: Peter Anthony)
Few people know his name, but we’re all alive because of the trus story of Stanislav Petrov, a former lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces. Other stars appear- ing in the film include Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher and Walter Cronkite.
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MARVELED (9min, USA, dir: Allegra Givens)
An unforgiving journalist attends a magic show with the agenda of debunking the magi- cian’s claims of using real magic.
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MONICA AND GABRIEL (26min, Romania, dir: Michael Magidson)
Abandoned siblings come of age in the years following the fall of the Ceausescu regime.
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MORAL COMPASS (15min, USA, dir: Kylie Garcelon)
A wife faces the unthinkable when her husband, suffers a mental decline.
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THE MOTHER (11min, USA, dir: Paolo Monico)
A hardened widow receives an unexpected visit and is given the chance to shed light on her husband’s death.
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MUMBAI MORNINGS (7min, USA, dir: Veena Rao)
A top ultramarathon runner describes running through the city he calls home.
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NADAN (THE ACTOR) (26min, USA, dir: Victor Mathews)
A story of a man’s struggle to take chances in life to chase what makes him truly happy.
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NOTORIOUS CORN (1min, France, dir: Mallory Grolleau)
The story of a small grain of corn that dreamed about glory.
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ON SCHEDULE (7min, USA, dir: Elena Manetta)
Two villains fight to decide who gets to attack the city.
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ONLY CHILD (17min, UK, dir: Andy Toovey)
A gypsy couple struggle to grieve the loss of the child they conceived during an affair.
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ORGRESS OF THE GRAVELBANK (3min, Canada, dir: Neil Christopher)
Inuit oral history is filled with supernatural creatures, including this malevolent spirit.
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THE PAMOJA PROJECT (21min, USA, dir: Audrey Emerson)
Three Tanzanian women leaders create monumental change in their communities.
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PANIC, BABY (8min, USA, dir: Abrahim Mahallati)
A young woman makes a small mistake that sends her world into chaos and her mind into question.
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THE PARALLEL GAME (17min, USA, Eric Newland)
The story of how the segregated Negro Leagues set the stage for the Civil Rights move- ment.
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POSTHUMOUS FAME (2min, USA, dir: K8 Howl)
A silent film persona confronts the tension between the digital and physical world.
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PRIDE FIGHTER (15min, USA, dir: Danny Ryan)
When a young MMA fighter comes out as gay, he’s rejected by his masculine fighting partners right before his first big fight.
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PUSHING DEAD (111min, USA, dir: Tom E. Brown)
Can a struggling HIV+ writer take on a helpless bureaucracy or come up with $3000 a month to buy meds on his own?
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PUZZLES (9min, USA, dir: Eric Burleson)
An old man must fight for his wife and himself after there son arrives with a brochure for a retirement home.
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QALERALIQ (1min, Germany, dir: Nina Schipoff)
A tiny spot on the map of Greenland is a place where space and time get out of focus.
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RAGHEAD (13min, USA, dir: Sebastian Sdaigui)
As school heritage day approaches, a young Arab boy takes an unexpected stand against Islamophobia.
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RAISA (15min, Austria, dir: Pavel Cuzuioc)
One day, Raisa travels into the city hoping to get something that could change her life.
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REDO (15min, Norway, dir: Gine Therese Grønner)
Kim wants to spend some time with his family, if only for a few stolen moments.
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RIP (9min, Australia, dir: Marcus Newman)
A lone surfer struggles to survive in the aftermath of a vicious attack.
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ROMA: THE SILENT FILM (25min, USA, dir: Adam Gonzalez)
A tragic love story told as a modern day silent film.
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SAVING JAMAICA BAY (76min, USA, dir: David Sigal)
A stunningly beautiful love letter to NYC’s largest open space, and a call to action as it grapples with climate change.
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SCATTER (15min, USA, dir: Jonathan Kehoe)
Abe and Nora are on the road to lay their father’s ashes and find him in each other along the way.
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SEEING MOM (9min, USA, dir: Michael Scarnati)
A son attempts to bring happiness to his mother, who is confined to a nursing home.
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SLIPPAGE (28min, USA, dir: Jason Kaufman)
The struggle to exorcise a painful memory often happens in a single moment.
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SHADOWBOXING (16min, USA, dir: Joshua Durham)
A boxer must face the shadows that haunt him before he can step into the ring.
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THE SILENCE (7min, Romania, dir: Artur Boruzs)
A one take film revealing the thoughts hidden behind a couples silence who get through a moment of crisis.
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SKIP THE YOUTH (10min, USA, dir: Collin Blair)
A son’s relationship with his mother turns rocky when she elects to receive hospice care.
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SQUEEZE (15min, USA, dir: Jamie Kirkpatrick)
When Harry pulls a gun on a friend in a bar, it sets off a series of potentially life-altering events within his own family.
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SRIRACHA (33min, USA, dir: Griffin Hammond)
The origin story of an iconic hot sauce finally revealed! Sriracha has earned a cult follow- ing, but the story of this spicy sauce is a mystery to most fans. Dedicated to Sriracha lovers, this fast-paced documentary travels around the globe to reveal its origin and the man behind the iconic “rooster sauce.”
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SOBER (4min, USA, dir: Kathleen Moriarty)
A woman’s journey to living life sober.
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THE STAIRWAY (L’ESCALIER) (4min, France, dir: Alexandra Torterotot)
A man finds himself trapped in an infinite stairway.
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STILL CLOSED (20min, Canada, dir: Mark Datuin)
A young family must adapt to the responsibilities and heartbreak caused by an uncon- ventional love triangle.
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SUPERHEN! ‘AMERICA’S GOT TALONS!’ (20min, USA, dir: Jj Ganesh)
Tap dancing babies, atomic eggs, jailbreaks, outrageous utility bills, New Jersey and an opera-singing cow!
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SUNDAY 1287 (10min, USA, dir: Brandon del Pozo)
Vanessa’s family takes her home so she can leave her boyfriend for the last time.
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SUSTAINABILITY PIONEERS: FROM PARIS TO NEW YORK (11min, USA, dir: Kirsi Jansa)
The Empire State is tackling climate change in ambitious ways.
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TABOO (17min, USA, dir: Holly Villaire)
Through the use of magical realism, dance, music, and poetry a beautiful drag queen confronts the fear and agony of the AIDS epidemic, ultimately finding joy in the accep- tance and celebration of one’s truth.
THERE ARE NO STRANGERS HERE (9min, Germany, dir: Eugen Bräunig)
Through ballet dance the film depicts Sophia’s challenging and adventurous journey to becoming the young woman she aspires to be.
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THIS HOUSE MATTERS (31min, USA, dir: Tina Traster)
The successes and failures of trying to preserve and restore several sandstone historic houses in the the Hudson Valley.
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TOKYO SALLY (43min, USA, dir: Kal Toth)
Dahlia works the midnight shift at Tokyo Sally’s when her night begins to unravel in unex- pected ways.
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TRIP HOUSE (90min, USA, dir: Patrick Meaney)
A thriller about four friends who reunite to spend the night in a haunted house.
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UNDER A STONE (24min, USA, dir: William Klayer)
A woman returns home and reunites with her brother, but they clash in how they cope with their awful past.
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WACKY MAN: THE RISE OF A PUPPETEER (68min,USA, dir: Anthony Desiato)
Aspiring puppeteer Zach Woliner strives to balance his art with daily life and turn his aspiration into a career
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WADE (12min, USA, dir: Devereux Milburn)
A maladroit bumbler pines after a co-worker in hope of catching her eye over the ad- vances of his superior.
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WALKING JOHNNIE (3min, USA, dir: Johnnie Semerad)
An artist puts a 3D printer to use as he creates a visual autobiography of his life.
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WATCH (21min, UK, dir: Ewan Golder, Leah Thorn)
A poet and a filmmaker explore vulnerability, survival, and the impact of dementia on a father/daughter relationship.
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WEINER (96min, USA, dir: Josh Kriegman & Elyse Steinberg)
This behind-the-scenes documentary details former U.S. Representative Anthony Wein- er’s catastrophic race for Mayor of New York City in 2013 as he became embroiled in his second widely publicized sexting scandal during the race, derailing his once-promising political career. It received the Grand Jury Prize at 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
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WHERE WOMEN DON’T DANCE (29min, USA, dir: Nel Shelby)
A documentary about choreographer Nejla Y. Yatkin while on tour with her dance com- pany in Central America, where she opens up about her personal passion for dance and the conflicts it has posed within her family and community.
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WITHIN THE WIHOUT (15min, USA, dir: Drew Crosby)
A middle-aged novelist is faced with a decision to finish his manuscript or keep what he knows he must write to himself.
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YAP (12min, USA, dir: Ben Fraternale)
After the sense of sound disappears from Earth, a single father grapples with his sanity.
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YOHO (13min, USA, dir: Bruno Silva)
Uncovering the art movement in Yonkers.
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ZAAR (12min, USA, dir: Ibrahim Nada)
A suicide bomber enters a diner, but can he do it once he meets the people inside?
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