Press Release
The third annual Short and Sweet Film Festival recently announced the showcase of new independent films selected across all categories for the 2020 festival. The festival hosts FREE screenings in Price, Utah at the Geary Events Center from Jan. 17-18, 2020.
Announced were 28 films and five screenplays from 24 countries. The festival received 230 submissions this season. January marks the third annual Short and Sweet Film Festival.
The winners of the Short and Sweet Film Festival are chosen by a jury of industry professionals. An audience choice award is also chosen by popular vote during the festival.
The following are confirmed for the 2020 Short and Sweet Film Festival:
Narrative
Alexa (Director: Joshua Brandon)
A man returns from a business trip to find himself blackmailed by his Amazon Alexa, who knows exactly what he got up to while he was away.
Cast: Jonathan Sadowski, Rachel Nichols, Reggie Brown, Angie Simms, Katie Pierce
Another Round (Director: Brandon Regina)
A man and a woman have a drink to rekindle their former relationship, but they may be harboring secrets that could lead to the ultimate betrayal.
Cast: Sam Johnson, Casey Bradley
August (Director: Cameron Morton)
Tucked away in the mountains of North Carolina, a boy decides to run.
Cast: Teddy Meredith, Erin Ownbey
Ceasefire (Director: Colton Mitchell)
During the final year of WWII, a new soldier eager to prove his worth has an experience with a German POW that changes his outlook on the war, the German people, and his own life.
Cast: Eirik Affleck, Braden Nelsen
Charon (Director: Mario M.Maquedano)
Charon is the story of Sofia, a victim of school bullying, who wakes up alone in a strange forest and gets in a car with a mysterious old man.
Cast: Philippe Duclos, Charlotte Moreau
Frank & Mary (Director: Paul Williams)
An elderly DIY enthusiast reanimates his recently deceased wife in the garden shed. A suburban twist on the classic Frankenstein tale.
Cast: David Troughton, Roberta Taylor, Chris Courtenay, Lucy Kane, Adam Langstaff, Daniel Carter-Hope
Infinity 7 (Director: Brett Williams)
A lone astronaut’s spacecraft malfunctions, threatening to leave him stranded in orbit forever.
Cast: Kurtis von Krueger, Lendsey Kersey, Dave LaMont
Killer Date (Director: Colton Tran)
Awkward and aspiring serial killer Ed Larson invites his next victim out on a date but date night begins to veer off course.
Cast: Victoria Moroles, Joey Beni, Brandon Shypcowski, Mike C. Manning, Cathy Marks, Joseph Winford Warren, Julia Black
Me También (Director: Valeria Vallejos)
Two women in polar opposite spheres of society are brought together by one unfortunate common denominator: sexual harassment. But when everything seems lost, destiny will have the last word.
Cast: Valeria Vallejos
Mothers (Director: Leslie Murphy)
Two women explore themes of Empty Nest Syndrome and transition over the course of one night’s misadventures in a hotel hot tub. A coming-of-age story, at a slightly older age, “Mothers” is about the many roles we can play in one lifetime and the kind of friendship that will be there through them all.
Cast: Nan McNamara, Treva Tegtmeier
One Hundred and Twenty Seconds (Director: Connor Slattery)
When a bride is forced to pick up her groom on the way to their wedding, a quick road-side stop leaves her questioning everything.
Cast: Brittany Clark, Alexander Walker
Outsider (Director: Shujing Zeng)
Yu is a Chinese coed who feels completely at odds with settings as an international student at an American Uuniversity. Yu has difficulty connecting with anyone on campus. These troubling issues are set against a concurrent story of the horrifying kidnap of another Chinese student Jie. Yu needs to contact Jie’s father for school. There is an otherworldly sense of sad harmony that connects the two victims.
Cast: Dukun Li
Paper Dreams (Director: Zack Kron)
A young boy learns the secrets of life from his grandpa.
Cast: Evan Kron, Fritz Kron
Six Day Back (Director: Scott Cierski)
Three bodybuilders sing about a revolutionary new workout regimen.
That Thing Between Us (Director: Dave Michael Guller Grønvall-Pedersen)
Their relationship is reached a point where they cannot be in the same room. Without falling asleep…
Cast: Afshin Firouzi, Martha Overgaard Bach, Michael Robdrup
The (Director: Xaque Gruber)
“THE” is the most commonly used word in the English language, accounting for four percent of everything we say, yet she is unable to exist by herself. An elder in the language, she struggles to understand where she belongs in an ever evolving world.
Cast: Isabel Garrett, Anne Talbot, Barry Shapiro, Richard Lambert
The Hearing (Director: Will Liney)
In order to win his freedom, LIFER 00408 must convince his younger self not to commit the crime that has put him away for life.
Cast: Neil Hobbs, Roddy De La Roza
The Journey (Director: Chi-ling Chu)
In a dark room solely lit by a moon beam onto the window seat sits a lone figure clothed in black. The pool of light that surrounds her casts a somber glow onto funeral flowers in the corner of the room and belongings being packed away. The figure – Ally – clutches a picture of her Ah-Ma (grandmother) who she has just lost. Willing time to be frozen, Ally goes into a dream-like state. Ah-Ma appears to her in the window, and the world around Ally vanishes as she goes on a roller coaster journey through the stages of grief.
Cast: Kuniko Yamamoto
The Most Magnificent Thing (Director: Arna Selznick)
An inspirational story about a little girl with a creative spirit determined to make great things. Joined by her best friend, her pet dog, the two happily explore the world, doing absolutely everything together. When she receives her very own tool kit, the little girl sets out to make the most magnificent thing for her best friend – but it’s not as easy as she thinks! The Most Magnificent Thing is a timeless tale about learning through perseverance and hard work, the power of love, and selflessness.
Cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Alison Pill, Lilly Bartlam, Tony Daniels
The Puppet Master (Director: Cal Brunker)
When a jogger comes across a mysterious ringing cellphone in the woods, he finds himself an unwilling pawn in the plans of an evil mastermind.
Cast: Matt Baram, Dwayne Hill
The Tattooed Heart (Director: Sheldon Wong Schwartz)
A creative writing instructor (Jennifer Morrison, “Once Upon a Time”) at a juvenile detention center finds common ground with a troubled student (Madison Wolfe, “I Kill Giants”), yet quickly finds herself in great danger when she decides to help her.
Cast: Jennifer Morrison, Madison Wolfe, Nestor Serrano
Documentary
A Look in the Mirror (Director: Jillian Simpson, Phoebe Chan, Cleve Brown)
A look in the mirror captures the moment six women look at themselves in the mirror. It captures raw emotion on how they perceive themselves.
Carrying Tomorrow (Director: Sarah Davis, Caleb Lucky)
For women and girls in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, becoming pregnant can be a death sentence. It is the leading cause of death for women of reproductive age, and could be almost entirely preventable with access to basic surgical care. “Carrying Tomorrow” follows the stories of two women who defy the odds through an incredible culmination of medical professionals, governments and communities rising together to challenge the unacceptable, and in doing so igniting the consciousness of the coming generation.
Credible Fear (Director: Caron Creighton, Walker Dawson)
“Credible Fear” is a short documentary about the struggle that West African asylum seekers go through on their way to the United States through Latin America. The film focuses on Sam Kwesi, a Ghanaian asylum seeker who fled his country when his father was murdered in a religious conflict. Sam is now being held in a detention center Louisiana, where he is awaiting trial.
Diversity in the Long Grey Line (Director: Les Owen)
The history of West Point reflects social changes in America. As the Academy recognizes the 1000th graduating Jewish cadet, the film looks at the struggles and changes in the social makeup of the cadet population over the years.
Shinrin Yoku: The Art of Forest Bathing (Director: Mike Dewey, Kati Hetrick)
With addiction to modern technology and screen time on the rise, it’s almost impossible to not wonder what these new formed habits are having on our mental health. In recent years, scientists across the globe have begun to ask these questions and explore solutions. With this in mind, filmmakers Mike and Kati traveled to Japan to understand the modern science behind the ancient practice of Shirin Yoku (Forest Bathing). After all, could the answer really be as simple as taking a walk in the woods?
The Difference (Director: Brianne Berkson, Miguel Gluckstern)
“Do we really want to bring a child into this world?” The question often posed, the global reality surely daunting. As soon-to-be-parents, we wonder what can we do to make a difference? In collaboration with the Holistic Life Foundation of Baltimore, we explore how we can provide all children with accessible, inherent tools so they live and thrive rather than struggle to survive – tools such as yoga, meditation, breathwork, mindfulness, self-care techniques and music. Ultimately, despite the external chaos that may be occurring, the children realize “we have the power, it’s in our hands, it’s up to us.”
Screenplay
DNR (Witten By: Marcus John Julius, M.D.)
While visiting his dying father in the ICU, a loving son is faced with making the toughest of all decisions. The old man, sick as he is, may be able to help out (all without saying a word).
Last Man Standing (Written by: Jeff Woodard)
A group of the most powerful women in America must decide unanimously whether to unleash a biological weapon that will kill all males on the planet. They hold a private “trial” to determine the fate of the other gender. Now, if only the group could get along.
Lonely Meets Lover (Written by: Xiao B. Tarr)
Rachel is a petroleum engineer in her mid 30s who is always busy with work, including frequent field trips, and has no time to look for a boyfriend. At the start of the long Labor Day weekend, Rachel returns to her apartment to find it turned upside-down by thieves. After a visit from the police, she decides to spend the long weekend on Tiki Island. Playboy Tony and his party minded friends also go to Tiki Island. Rachel keeps bumping into Tony during the weekend. This results in a gradual change in her views on what she’s looking for in a boyfriend.
Star People2010 (Written by: Kelly LaCombe)
“Star People” is a true story about contact and the transformation required to make positive contact and evolve.
Work From Home Pvt. Ltd. (Written by: Jeet Nimesh Desai)
Neha, an Indian housewife, is determined to be respected by her patriarchy-driven husband by taking part in a female entrepreneurship competition.
The full schedule of events at the Short and Sweet Film Festival will be posted at https://shortandsweetfilmfestival.com/