5 minutes, 2005 16mm, USA By Erin Hudson

From the intimate vantage point of a senior community swimming pool, water and time suspend both body and memory. This film travels underwater and above water to create a gentle meditation on growing old, feeling young, and living life.

Erin Hudson
650-380-8601
www.rotationfilms.com
hudson.erin@gmail.com

52 minutes, 2005 miniDV, France By Steve Moreau

The incredible story of two young men: Sébastien Lefebvre, a Frenchman aged 27, and Jeremy Hinton, an Englishman aged 23. Coincidence and confidence in each other brought them together. They had only known each other for a few hours, spoke different languages, and had different approaches to navigation and life in general. Together, on the 22nd of October, 2003 at 7 o'clock in the morning, they set forth from the island of La Gomera on one of the most difficult sporting events in the world: rowing across the Atlantic Ocean.

Les Films du Voilier
32, rue de l'Arcade
75008 Paris - France
+33 (0) 1 40 06 07 36
www.lesfilmsduvoilier.com
info@lesfilmsduvoilier.com

52 minutes, 2004 DV, India/Canada By Lindalee Tracey & Peter Raymontl

On December 2, 1984, the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, leaked poisonous methyl isocyanate gas, killing at least 15,000 men, women and children. Hundreds of thousands more were permanently maimed. Union Carbide is now owned by the Dow Chemical Corporation. Twenty years later, amid charges of corruption, graft and suppression of medical and environmental research about the tragedy, the victims are still not adequately compensated and cared for. Journalist Raajkumar Keswani, whose prediction of the Union Carbide disaster proved prophetic, documents the legacy and introduces us to the leading scientists, doctors and activists in his search for justice.

National Film Board of Canada
1-800-542-2164
http://nfb.ca/

Blue Fish	Northwest Premier
21 minutes, 2005 miniDV, USA By Rao Fu

A film about the decisions and sacrifices we all have to make in life. A promising young pianist is forced to choose between his musical aspirations and his family.

Rosie Fu
5455 Kiowa Dr. #39
La Mesa, CA 91942
(626)807-1513
furaofilms@yahoo.com

Caught in the Crossfire	World Premier
18 minutes, 2005 miniDV, Iraq By Mark Manning

With exclusive footage, never before seen in western media, Caught in the Crossfire tells the true and untold story of the civilians of Falluja, Iraq. Shot from November 2004 to April 2005 inside the city of Falluja this film details the conditions experienced by civilians as they endured the violent clashes and consequences of Operation Phantom Fury and became refugees outside the eyes and care of the international community. Caught in the Crossfire exposes the annihilation, not the liberation, of the Iraqi people. By detailing what is actually happening to these civilians, the film shows why the people of Iraq have lost faith in the stated American policy goals and why, with the loss of "hearts and minds" in Iraq, there is now no way for America to win this war.

Conception Media
PO box 2219
Santa Barbara CA 93120
www.conceptionmedia.net
mmanning@conceptionmedia.net

25 minutes, 2005 DV, Canada By Eric Geringas

At 13 years old, Gyasi Ferdinand was a sweet kid from Trinidad, living with his mom in suburban Toronto. By 17, he was making $2000 a night selling crack cocaine on some of the roughest street corners in Canada. The 9mm pistol in his waistband had earned him the street name J9.

"Couldn't be more timely... A rare entry into the world of pure violence." Globe & Mail

Golden Sheaf - Yorkton Short Film & Video Festival, 2005

Third World Newsreel
545 Eighth Avenue, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10018
(212)947-9277
www.twn.org
twn@twn.org

17 minutes, 2005 35mm, USA By Leslie Dektor

The ring allows us to see the lives and feelings of the circus performers and how they reflect our own lives. Do You Want the Elephant Music is an artistic endeavor that captures the imagination with its unique cinematography and editorial style. What is it that lies always outside or behind the ring? We are being asked to look elsewhere.

Best Cinematography - 2005 Hermosa Shorts Film Festival

Leslie Dektor

1151 N. Highland Ave.
Hollywood, CA   90038
(323)466-3455
info@dektor.com

Dodge City Montana Premier
5 minutes, 2005 DVCAM/miniDV/DigiBeta, USA By Jeff Dell

This short reminds us of the horrible toll war takes on children. Two children are exploring a playground miniature of Old Dodge City, a name synonymous with violence of the Old West. The health and vigor of these children at play becomes a shocking contrast to the scenes of children injured by war that begin to appear. Be prepared for some disturbing images.

Jeff Dell
6 Longridge Lane
East Hampton, NY 11937
(631)324-0276     
jdell@hamptons.com

Emma World Premier
59 minutes, 2005 miniDV, USA By Valerie N. Krex

"Emma" is the coming of age portrait that follows Emma Carney through her turbulent first year of high school in Missoula, Montana.   Largely shot in the first person, Emma begins to document her experiences following her release from an adolescent mental health unit.   Struggling to stay   afloat in the public school system, Emma candidly details the obstacles surrounding her adolescence as well as her methods of escape. With original music by Morning Spy, Emma allows for a real-life glimpse into girlhood, womanhood, and the places in between.

Valerie N. Krex
(406)370-7799
valerie@krex.com

G8-Scotland	North American Premier
42 minutes, 2005 DVCAM, Scotland By Edinburgh Youth Against War

When the G8 World Leaders came to Scotland in July 2005, seasoned activists and concerned individuals were ready for them. Against a background of escalating and menacing police presence on the streets of Edinburgh, it shows their articulate views about Make Poverty History, the African Debt Crisis, Global Warming, Free Trade, Holy Bob Geldof and the supposed "Lennon and McCartney" of International Debt Relief   - Brown and Blair.   This arresting and compelling film smashes the myth of apathy and lethargy in the younger generation, and presents a youth account of one of the most significant weeks in Scotland's current political history.

Pilton Video
30 Ferry Rd Ave
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH4 4BA
0044 131 343 1151
www.piltonvideo.org

Grand Luncheonette	Northwest Premier
5 minutes, 2005 16mm, USA By Peter Sillen

Grand Luncheonette documents the last days of one of the 42nd Street's unforgettable hot dog lunch counters. Its closing marks the final stage of the much publicized gentrification of Times Square.

Peter Sillen
Pumpernickel Inc
12 E. 10th Street
New York , NY 10003
(212)228-1905
www.pumpernickelinc.com
sillenp@mac.com

14 minutes, 2005 DV, USA By Katherine Leggett

A graying American population and a record number of people incarcerated present an alarming trend: a dramatic increase of elderly in our state prisons. Built around the compelling stories of two elderly inmates in two North Carolina prisons, this film confronts the lives of an often-ignored population within our criminal justice system.

Katherine Leggett
119 North Monroe Street
Stoughton, WI  53589
katfilms@gmail.com

50 minutes, 2005 miniDV/Super 8mm, USA By Meshakai Wolf

"You don't feel that you're old," says Gussie Adams, the 104 year old subject of this film. "Gussie" is a vivid portrait of one woman's accumulated wisdom and memories. Despite old age and recurring illness, Gussie remains inquisitive and lucid throughout the film, often turning the spotlight of attention upon her great-grandson behind the camera, grilling him about his own life while he attempts to learn about hers. Through moments of tenderness and poignant humor, "Gussie" achieves more than a colorful portrait of old age in America; it points to the remarkable potential for communion between young and old.

Meshakai Wolf
134 New Street
Decatur, GA 30030
404-373-9043
www.gussiefilm.com
info@gussiefilm.com

Hammer and Flame Northwest Premier
10 minutes, 2005 Digital Betacam, UK/India By Vaughan Pilikan

The hull of an immense tanker broken open like an eggshell. A man descending into a dark trap of sparks and smoke. A crankshaft broken in two using only a chisel and a pair of sledgehammers. Circles within circles, ship following ship. In the demolition wards of Northern India we enter an enigma, a world at the edge of our own, where in an unending cycle the greatest of manmade titans are unpieced with the simple tools of hammer and flame.

Vaughan Pilikian
Unruowe
2 Hesperus Crescent
Isle of Dogs
London, England E14 3AD
United Kingdom
+44 (0) 7940 212 770
www.unruowe.com
vaughan@unruowe.com

19 minutes, 2005 DVCAM, United Kingdom By Eva Weber

You used to have to make an effort to overhear other people's conversations, now you have to make an effort not to. The Intimacy of Strangers is a story of life, love, loss and hope - entirely constructed out of real, overheard cell phone conversations of random strangers. Exploring the conflict between the private and public, between being intimate yet distant, the film weaves these seemingly random exchanges into a modern-day love story that is both absurd and tender.

Hemant Sharda
National Film and Televison School
Beaconsfield Studios
Station Road
Beaconsfield
Bucks HP9 1LG
+44 (0) 1494 731 452
festivals@nftsfilm-tv.ac.uk

24 minutes, 2005 miniDV, Thailand By Laurent Gorse

Since 1975, thousands of hilltribe Hmong have fled Laos' communist government, which hunts them down for having sided with the US during the Vietnam War. In late 2004, Hmong refugees arrived in the northern Thai village of Nam Khao. On July 4th, 2005, the Thai government evicted the Hmong onto the street, denying them shelter, food and water, and preparing to send them back to Laos. For the government, these are not refugees. They are illegal migrant.

Laurent Gorse
LFG Productions
Whittayu Complex #23-C1
Bangkok, N/A 10400
Thailand
66 4 772 9236
laurent_gorse@hotmail.com

16 minutes, 2005 miniDV, USA By Tom Dunlap

A warm-hearted and lyrical documentary that examines the philosophies, motivations, and field behaviors of two different birders, one a young college student in Minnesota and the other a retired social worker in Arizona. The film compares and contrasts the birding experiences of these individuals, focusing on the social and competitive aspects of the sport of birding, and the value of keeping records of all the birds they have seen. From the Southwestern deserts to the frozen shores of Lake Superior, Life List uncovers the intrigue behind one of the fastest growing activities in the U.S.

Tom Dunlap
Comeuppance Productions
(818) 288-1128
www.comeuppanceproductions.com
t.dunlap@comeuppanceproductions.com

Living to Work	Northwest Premier
9 minutes, 2005 16mm, USA By Leah Wolchok

A cinematic meditation on the meaning of work in America. This visual poem explores the relationship between the elite obsession with success and the working class struggle to make a living wage. What begins as a city symphony morphs into an abstract montage, and by the end, the film asks whether living to work is living at all.

Leah Wolchok
1021 Castro Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 637-7390
leahwolchok@yahoo.com

My Saarab	Montana Premier
22 minutes, 2005 miniDV, USA/Iraq By Sarna Lapine

In Arabic the word saraab means mirage, often used as a metaphor for survival in the midst of war. Political refugee Sabah Al-Dhaher returns home to Iraq: confronted with his past and the loss of hope, Sabah seeks solace through painting and carving in a world torn asunder by war.

Sarna Lapine
Journey Girl Productions
350 W. 110th Street #3E
New York, NY 10025
212 662-2524
www.sarnalapine.com
sarna_lisa@yahoo.com

Out in the Heartland	Northwest Premier
19 minutes, 2005 DVCAM, USA By Gretchen Hilderbran

Kentucky parents Bob and Jeff were together almost a decade when they adopted Adam and started their family.   Jeff's parents live nearby and are devoted to their son's family, even while attending a local church that spent $150,000 in support of a state Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Through the stories of gay Kentucky parents, Out in the Heartland examines the impact of the 2004 campaign to ban gay marriage on families and communities. As the amendment emerges from churches onto the ballot, these parents fear for the safety of their families.   Some parents walk door to door to raise awareness, but as support for the amendment mounts, others find the risks of speaking up are too much.   By giving a face to those at the center of this issue Out in the Heartland illuminates the consequences anti-gay amendments have for real families and for us all.

Frameline Distribution
145 Ninth St, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 703-8650
www.frameline.org/distribution
distribution@frameline.org

40 minutes, 2005 miniDV, Iran By Kamal Bahar

Using a series of interviews with everyday Iranians, PHASE, Iran 2005 documents common perceptions of drug use in Iran. During recent years, traditional opium use is gradually replaced by the proliferation of synthetic drugs including Ecstasy. Young people have their own personal and social motives and reasoning to take X.   Escaping present political and cultural realities seems to be a common theme. PHASE, Iran 2005 is a journey into the spirit of a society with scarcity of happiness and hope.

Mr. Massih Bahar
Bahar Doc Film
249, Karegar Shomali St, Bahar lab Bldg.
Tehran 14146 - Iran
T: + 98 21 88 96 95 45
M: +98912 1000 227
www.bahar-doc-film.com
massih@bahars.ir

Platinum	World Premier
54 minutes, 2005 miniDV/8mm/16mm, USA By Sean Pecknold

In 1985, they found the mountain... and dreamed of a contest... Hidden away in the remote mountains of the Pacific Northwest, the pioneers of snowboarding created a race, not for money or fame, but for the sake of pure riding. Since those early days The Mt. Baker Legendary Banked Slalom has remained true to the essence of snowboarding. Every year, pioneers and pros from around the world return to their roots and race side by side with the next generation of riders for a roll of duct tape. This film celebrates the past, present, and future of a race that defined the soul of a sport.

Sean Pecknold
Flying Spot Pictures
1008 Western Ave. Suite 201
Seattle, WA 98104
(206)464-0744
www.flyingspot.com
sean@flyingspot.com

Pushing Up Daisies	Northwest Regional Premier
30 minutes, 2005 Beta SP/miniDV, USA By Doug Whyte

Pushing Up Daisies delves into the world of American funeral directors, revealing the rarely witnessed behind-the-scenes action of the death care industry. It takes an intimate look into the daily lives of two very different funeral directors: Ronald L. Jones, a flamboyant, philosophical man in urban St. Louis, lured into the business by the big cars, fancy suits and rumors of riches; and Peter Burla, an austere, down-to-earth man in Ironwood, Michigan, who views his one-man operation as a chance to earn a modest, respectable living. Pushing Up Daisies follows these men through their daily tasks of embalming and restorative artwork to their delicate interaction with the deceased's family during the funeral arrangement process.   Examining the lives and work of these professionals gives an insight into the heart of our culture-how celebrate lives that have been lived.

7th Art Releasing
7551 Sunset Blvd, Ste 104
Los Angeles, CA 90046,
www.7thart.com
www.fullmindfilms.com
seventhart@7thart.com

Sweet Little Sixties	World Premier
4 minutes, 2005 8mm, USA By Martin & Suzy Holt

This is a prologue to the third chapter in the story of my era. It suggests the messages I heard in the fifties which set up my emergence into adulthood. It was about the music of what's happening and of what is possible. It feasted on the excitement of being engaged and challenged and on fire. It was about setting up situations where a life could be imagined and a real life lived. It is a movie within a movie. I am none. I come from nowhere. I meet the beautiful people. I see the light. I get the gift of the capture.

Montana Art Works
576 3 Street
Helena, MT 59601
(406) 442 6331
montanaartworks@earthlink.net

The Cole Nobody Knows	Northwest Premier
21 minutes, 2005 miniDV, USA/Switzerland/France By Clay Walker

A documentary on Chicago-native Freddy Cole, the lesser known, yet equally talented younger brother of Nat "King" Cole.   At age 74, with his current recording topping the jazz charts, Freddy Cole is finally being recognized for his amazing musical talent. Photographed in Atlanta, New York City, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Switzerland & France, The Cole Nobody Knows features extraordinary, never-before-seen live performance material with Freddy Cole and his quartet. The film also includes interviews with music legends Monty Alexander, Clark Terry, David "Fathead" Newman, John di Martino, H Johnson, Carl Anthony and many others.

"A Rare Treasure" - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Clay Walker
Plan B Productions
www.planbproductions.com
info@planbproductions.com

The Elevator Operator	Northwest Premier
8 minutes, 2005 miniDV, USA By Jonathan Skurnik

The Elevator Operator is a meditation on the simultaneous power and futility of hope. Eugene Sheiman runs a manual elevator in a New York City office building, trapped in his six by six foot cage. We discover that Eugene, a Ukrainian immigrant, was a journalist in Kiev and has published a novel in Russian. Now that he's an American citizen, The Elevator Operator reveals his big dream.

Mint Leaf Productions
(917)658-2811
www.mintleafproductions.com
jonathan@mintleafproductions.com

Two Museums	Montana Premier
53 minutes, 2005 Super 16mm, Canada By Lea Nakonechny

Two Museums is a cinematic exploration of memory and place set in the starkly beautiful landscape of the Canadian prairies. First-time filmmaker Lea Nakonechny follows two characters-one at the beginning of life's journey and one at the end-to portray the cyclical beauty of farm life. Two Museums weaves the lives of these people into a universal experience that speaks to the nature of identity in the face of change.

Arid Sea Films
Box 2167
Swift Current, SK S9H 4V1
Canada
(306) 773-8980
www.aridsea.com
info@aridsea.com

Unschooled	World Premier
25 minutes, 2005 DVCAM, USA By Jason Marsh

Unschooled follows three families that practice the homeschooling philosophy known as "unschooling," where there is no curriculum, and kids have no tests or lessons. Parents trust that their children's own intrinsic interests will lead them to the skills they need for a full and happy life. The film presents one of the most radical approaches to the crisis of pubic education in this country. It also offers an intimate, often lighthearted, portrait of three families staking their place outside the American mainstream.

Jason Marsh
2041B Ashby Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94703
(510)644-0860
www.unschooledfilm.com
jasonhmarsh@yahoo.com

Vocalize	Northwest Premier
17 minutes, 2005 DV, USA By Robert Bregman

Elliot Gerard has one dream in life: To become a rapper. Unfortunately, he doesn't quite fit the criteria of the typical hip-hop lyricist as we have come to understand it today. For starters, he's White and Jewish. But he won't let that get in the way.

Best Documentary, 2005 Dusty Film Festival

Best Documentary Short, 2005 Great Lakes Film Festival

Robert Bregman
77 Bleecker Street (Apt 804)
New York, NY 10012
917-514-8506
R2bjurassic@aol.com