18th Annual RIFF Official Selection
FEATURE FILM
Ape Canyon
Dir. Joshua Land & Victor Fink | USA | 2019
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In the midst of a quarter-life crisis, Cal Piker drags his big sister Samantha along on a Bigfoot-hunting expedition. And nothing - not the adventure turning out to be a scam, not being abandoned in the woods to die, not a confrontation with an uncommonly large nuclear physicist, not a police pursuit, and certainly not Samantha's protests - will stop Cal from making his way to Ape Canyon.Celeste
Dir. Ben Hackworth | Australia | 2018
Website | Trailer | IMDb
Hidden from the world at a crumbling estate in lush tropical Far North Queensland, Celeste anxiously reaches out to Jack, her late husband’s son, inviting him to return to the languid, sprawling family home for her much-anticipated recital. Jack’s reappearance after a long absence stirs up unsettling memories, pulling them both into a mutually precarious orbit.Chasing Unicrons
Dir. Rain Rannu | Estonia | 2019
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"Chasing Unicorns“ is semisatirical narrative feature about a female founder trying to make it a male-dominated tech world, from Estonia to Silicon Valley. Based on real-life stories of startups, "Chasing Unicorns“ follows Õie, a young book-keeper from a small town, who by accident stumbles into a tech scene of her home-country where making startups is a "national sport“ and where everyone has one. He is joined by a serial failure Tõnu, who has gone bankrupt with each one of his companies, but is nevertheless always trying again. Meeting at a hackathon, and inspired by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, they embark on a journey to take on the tech world. Fast-paced, semisatirical movie, based on the interviews of startup founders, will give an authentic picture of founder’s journey from a garage to Silicon Valley – and back.Jessie - The Golden Heart
Dir. Zelie Dember-Slack | USA | 2019
Website | Trailer | IMDb
Striving to live up to the promise made at the bedside of Master Walter’s dying father wars against the forbidden passion he has for Jessie, a beautiful Scottish servant girl. For fear of scandal, their intimacy remains discreet until secrets begin to unravel threatening the ruin of Stratton Castle. A heart-breaking love story unfolds not only between two lovers divided but also the separation of a mother and daughter. Though Jessie learns her ancestral bloodline gives her the right to her beloved, the Laird of Stratton, she finally comprehends the result of their marriage would mean the desolation of the people of Stratton without a substantial dowry to save them.Our Scripted Life
Dir. David Towner | USA | 2019
Skipping Stones
Dir. SJ Creazzo | USA | 2020
Take Out Girl
Dir. Hisonni Johnson | USA | 2020
Tale of Rising Rani
Dir. Prakash Saini | India | 2019
As children we are constantly warned by our elders about the hardships of life. At some point we all must overcome these obstacles that life will place between us and our destiny. Unfortunately for ‘Rani’ some of these obstacles are in the form of people, like her father ‘Mahesh’. Who is hell bent on getting ‘Rani’ married right after school. But currently focusing on another obstacle ‘Manish’, who has almost devoured the life of Rani’s best friend ‘Rinki’, bound eternally by the outdated norms of the village, run by a false justice system in her village. We see ‘Rani’ selflessly save her best friend and in the process we witness the evolution of a village girl.
DOCUMENTARY
Bollywood Road
Dir. Oleg Blinov | India | 2020
Part documentary, part adventure film, and part cultural reflection, Bollywood Road is a story about a Russian actor who decides to conquer the world of cinema after his graduation from the Russian Academy of Theater Arts – starting with Bolllywood. He flies to India and begins his quest via motorcycle, train and on foot. He has but one aim - to become a Bollywood movie star. With little money, but much drive, he casts his fate to the wind. Will he find his way to Bollywood, succeed with his dream or succumb to the difficulties of being a stranger in a foreign country? A revealing portrait of youthful adventure, dreams and Indian culture.
Dreams At Sea
Dir. Steve Brown | USA | 2019
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Dreams at Sea takes us inside the journey of a Syrian family - mother, three sisters and brother - who discover that crossing the sea in search of safety was only the start of their odyssey. Each decision on the run, at a frontier, and on the street poses an existential threat. Each of them face a choice: Will they stay together and risk getting lost in the limbo of an overburdened refugee relocation system? Or will they risk getting separated as they navigate dangerous underground paths alone? Along the way, their journey triggers a crisis of values as some Europeans react from fear while others form an underground railroad to help the family pursue love and dreams for their future.FORCED CHANGE is a feature documentary that uses the path of destruction left behind by Hurricane Katrina as a vehicle to bring to life unique human stories that shed light on what it means to be home. Filmed at critical moments over the last fourteen years, FORCED CHANGE is a heart-breaking retrospective of four unique and relatable, but displaced, characters that left New Orleans after the hurricane and never returned home.
In the Same Direction: Jeff Pifher & Socrates' Trial
Dir. Alexander Craven | USA | 2020
Never Give Up
Dir. Jonathan Schörnig | Malta | 2019
In 2014 Mekon had to flee Nigeria after his parents were murdered.
Ruth Weiss, The Beat Goddess
Dir. Melody C. Miller | USA | 2019
Website | Facebook | IMDb
A film about an extraordinary woman, "The Goddess of the Beat Generation", ruth weiss. In a life that has spanned 90 creative years, escaping the Nazis with her family in Vienna ruth became a Jazz troubadour exemplifying the zeitgeist of Chicago, New Orleans, and San Francisco. She has overcome the unimaginable. Known around the world, ruth weiss continues to this day to perform her poetry. Inspired by her work this documentary uses poetic imagery through dance, art, animation, and music to embody her oeuvre. Note: weiss spells her name in lowercase as a symbolic protest against "law and order," since all nouns are capitalized in her birthplace of Germany. The film has English, Italian, German, and Mandarin subtitles. If you wish to see the film in different language subtitles please email us.The first ever closest look into the Valentine's Day that unveils the bizarre shades of this global love fest and its ripple effect on society. The filmmaker explores the shocking ground facts about Valentine's Day that have been overlooked until now; as well as brings forth a comprehensive view of the subject through experts from various fields into this eye opening documentary film.
The Bodies of Lois
Dir. Aude Rain | Germany & Italy | 2019
In the Minoritenkirche in Regensburg, paved with gravestones and epitaphs, skulls grinning from the walls, the exhibition of sculptures by the Ladin-Italien artist Lois Anvidalfarei. He is considered one of the best figurative sculptors of the present in Europe. The bodies he is sculpting dynamically express intense feelings and vulnerability. Then in South Tyrol, in his atelier, we see him draw a life model and develop it into a sculpture. Outside his studio, in the mountain greenery, he walks among his many sculptures reflecting on his art. The artist expresses himself in Ladin, a language mainly spoken in the Dolomite Mountains in Northern Italy and in South Tyrol.
Short Film
#3 Normandy Lane
Dir. Brenda Strong | USA | 2019
60 Watt
Dir. David Carey | USA | 2020
Website
One man's quest to speak with the right person and obtain the correct form in order to request a new light bulb so he can finish an Efficiency Report that's due in five minutes 3½ hours ago.Aegis
Dir. Jeremiah Lucas | USA | 2019
Inspired by a true story, this film features a refugee couple going through the hardest decision of their lives at a detention center.
Allan & Waspy
Dir. James Miller | United Kingdom | 2019
Allan and Waspy is the story of two young friends who find their freedom in the woods on their daily route to school. In the woods they escape the pressures of the grown up world. They marvel at nature, and follow the progress of a birds nest as the chicks hatch and grow. However as events unfold, violence and tragedy threatens their friendship and their innocence.
Anna
Dir. Dekel Berenson | Ukraine | 2019
Ashes to Ashes
Dir. Taylor Rees, Renan Ozturk| USA | 2019
Winfred Rembert, the only living survivor of a lynching, a Star Wars fanatic and leather artist, develops a friendship with Doctor Shirley Jackson Whitaker who is on a mission to memorialize the forgotten 4,000 African Americans lynched during the Jim Crow era. Together, their journeys of healing intertwine.
Bystander
Dir. Chandler Freelander | USA | 2018
A teenage girl suspects her brother was a witness to a rape and isn't coming forward about it.
Carry My Heart to the Yellow River
Dir. Alexis Van Hurkman | China | 2019
Taking her hospitalized friend's place on a bike tour to the Yellow River, a high school graduate travels to faraway Gannan and races the clock to share pictures of the journey.
Face Your Fears
Dir. Neil Stevens | USA | 2020
A young woman terrified of the dark discovers a supernatural box that can cure her fears.
Generations
Dir. Kourosh Ahari | USA | 2018
Jack Township Village
Dir. Joel P. Berry | USA | 2019
Kneeling Sheep
Dir. Hai Rihan | China | 2019
Limbo
Dir. Anthony von Seck | Canada | 2019
Raymond Laissier, a high-profile intelligence operative sits down with Charley Underwood, a conspiracy theorist, to retrieve his personal handbook filled with top secret information. Hoping to have his sensitive material safely back in hand, a simple exchange of property becomes a shocking re-evaluation of Ray's destructive occupation.
Mabel
Dir. Kimberley Wintle | USA | 2019
Website | Trailer | Facebook
Emerging from great loss, quirky Mabel finds a life affirming connection in a kind, attentive barista, but is the time right? Mabel, 30-something writer, whose only friends are her tortoise Piña, the memory of her best friend Joan, and charming barista, Jack, at her local café. With a little encouragement, she plucks up the courage to ask Jack out, but it may not be the best time.Made in China: Reforming Chain's Supply Chain
Dir. Gabriel Diamond, Matthew Beighley | China | 2018
Website | Trailer | Facebook
For years, China has valued aggressive growth at the cost of environmental protection. Ma Jun emerged as a bold and singular voice, willing to stand up to powerful political and economic interests. His groundbreaking use of data and transparency holds industry accountable and makes clear the costs of toxic pollution.Nero
Dir. Jan-David Bolt | Switzerland | 2019
Humans spend five years of their lives thinking about food. This film may not change that.
Ruby
Dir. Guillaume Comtois | Canada | 2019
Lionel is a photographer. Ruby is a model. They knew each other a long time ago. And they both know the other is unhappy.
Short Calf Muscle
Dir. Victoria Warmerdam | Netherlands | 2019
Shortly to Go
Dir. Charles Dennis | Canada | 2020
Trailer
Retiree Gordon Halsey is visited by a mysterious stranger named Cloves, who makes him a bowl of soup.Spells Like Teen Spirit
Dir. Angelique Gross | USA | 2019
Still Trying
Dir. Nicole N. Nequinto | USA | 2019
ALEX (25) is finally ready to move out of the house. That is, until her recently divorced mother breaks down after hearing her wedding song.
Sunset idol
Dir. Gautier Babe | France | 20219/h3>
During a funeral wake, a young boy questions his grand father's passing
STUDENT FILM
Diamond Game
Dir. Nolan Hieu Trifunovic | USA | 2020
Website
Three high school teens have gathered to write a script about a 70s cop show but the fictional characters they have created live in a digital world that requires them to act out the story. As the script takes an unexpected turn, one of the fictional characters begins to question his masters.Fry
Dir. Tyler Cunningham | USA | 2020
Oma
Dir. Monika Ivonne | USA | 2019
A Latvian grandmother visits her daughter in America, where she encounters surreal scenes of life in Los Angeles.
Over the Moon
Dir. David C Sanchez | USA | 2019
Trailer
A nervous young man goes on a blind date. However he’s forgotten something very important, tonight is a full moon.Return to Senders
Dir. Wade Chao | Taiwan | 2019
Edward lives alone in LA. He posts a letter to an unknown address every day only to wait for it to be returned. When Edward notices his mail would mysteriously disappear or be delayed, he begins to suspect the Italian exchange student working at his apartment complex, Juliet, who just recently attempts to befriend him. On the night before her surprise departure going back home, a confrontation arises when Edward accidentally learns the truth.
Skin
Dir. Mateusz Znaniecki | Poland | 2019
"Skin" it is a story about one day in the life of Mateusz, which begins with the loss of the report card. What happened in the forest, when came back with his friends? How will his father, Włodzimierz, react to this? Between him and his son, a spiral of frustration and aggression has been growing for years. A boy placed in the corner of his life will try to impress his peers and at the same time live up to his father’s expectations. It is a story about complexes rising in the family for three generations and about father's relations with his son.
Talking to the Wind
Dir. Akshaya Sawant | India | 2019
Website | Trailer | Facebook
Since 2015, Maharashtra, India has been in the throes of a man-made drought which has surpassed the drought of 1972, a natural calamity. During the past three years of the drought, farmers have invested thousands of dollars in their crops, all in vain. The societal norm in India, especially the rural areas, is a patriarchal system where the man goes to work and the woman stays home to take care of the house and children. The women are not looked at as a resource but are treated like a liability. To preserve her and her family’s honor in the society, the woman is married off as soon as she turns eighteen. The financial status of the family they marry depends on the dowry her parents can afford to give. Since bank loans are not easily accessible to them, farmers take money from private money lenders who charge exorbitant interest dowry. With no income because of the relentless drought, the farmers get drawn into a vicious debt cycle. In the communities of Maharashtra, a family’s honor is everything; not being able to provide for his wife and children destroys that honor. The farmers commit suicide because for them, it is the only way out. Since 2013, farmers are committing mass suicides - numbers reaching 1100 per year - the result of the conditions. Intimate and eye-opening, Talking To The Wind shows the social and psychological effects of climate change as it impacts identity, the idea of masculinity, and the pressures of social structure.The Ballad of the Barkeep
Dir. Eric Hoyer | USA | 2019
In a tale of the old West, a barkeep, bullied by a gang of dirty ne'er do wells, is forced to defend his saloon, and clean up.
The Return
Dir. Christopher Henley | USA | 2019
Trailer
Hearing ghost stories about an old warehouse their whole life, a group of friends attend a pop up warehouse party where they unknowingly conjure an evil spirit.The Romantic Movement
Dir. Yuhe Lu | USA | 2019
Obsessed with his recent breakup, a young writer decides to commit suicide by midnight if his ex-lover doesn’t return to him. As he reminisces their past while waiting in his gloomy house, unbearable realizations beyond unrequited love come to challenge his beliefs in himself.
Violent Nights
Dir. Christian Ghosn | USA | 2020
Trailer
Following the murder of her girlfriend, Cynthia--a former hit woman-- finds herself on a bloody path to revenge.ANIMATION
Anacronte
Dir. Raúl Koler, Emiliano Sette | Argentina | 2019
The Hole
Dir. Will Kim | USA | 2019
Website | Instagram
“The Hole” is about a mother bird with a big hole in her heart, on a journey of searching for her baby son that fails to fly and accidentally falls into a hole. With an original sound track by Green Seo, Will Kim uses watercolor animation technique to reflect on his personal and universal experience of tragedy and despair.