(The Jessicas are Turning 30 / Photo courtesy of BendFilm)
BendFilm has announced the 71 short films selected to screen at the 2019 BendFilm Festival on October 10-13 at iconic locations around Bend including the historic Tower Theatre, Tin Pan Theater, McMenamins-Old St. Francis and the Regal at the Old Mill District. The screening times for the official selections are live on the BendFilm website and tickets are available now. The 2019 BendFilm Festival will also present 45 feature films and award more than $10,500 in prizes directly to independent filmmakers.
Erik Jambor, BendFilm festival programmer, said, “Often, the true ‘indies’ live in the shorts sections, where filmmakers bring their big ideas to life with minimal budgets. Don’t miss the bold, dramatic, hilarious and heart-wrenching stories in our short film programs.”
The Short Films screening in the 2019 BendFilm Festival are as follows:
SHORTS SCREENING WITH FEATURES
The 99W
Directed by Kendra Jacobson
A love letter to drive-in theaters and why independent cinema still matters as told through the multi-generational story of the 99W, one of three left in Oregon. Screens with At the Video Store.
Adam and Eve Eat Again
Directed by Joel Fendelman
Adam’s late and Eve won’t play his song. Now they must perform together. Screens with Someone Somewhere.
Being with Elephants
Directed by James Martin
Throughout the Siana region of the Maasai Mara, local rangers must monitor and react to the shrinking elephant corridors in order to prevent future collisions of man and beast. Screens with Kifaru.
Birth of Afrobeat
Directed by Opiyo Okeyo
This hybrid live-action/animated short documents drum legend Tony Allen as he recounts his contribution to the birth of Africa’s most exported music genre: Afrobeat. Screens with Boom.
The Chapel
Directed by John Antonelli
Linda Garcia set out to stop the largest oil terminal in North America from being built in her community. Screens with Mossville: When Great Trees Fall.
The Cheech
Directed by Edward Tyndall
Through the palette of the Los Tejanos Art Exhibit, The Cheech explores Cheech Marin’s lifelong advocacy of the Chicano Art Movement. Screens with Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly.
The Circle
Directed by Tara Atashgah
Shila awaits an opportunity to reveal bad news to her niece while at an amusement park. Screens with Colewell.
The Cloud of Unknowing
Directed by Wesley Cannon & Anthony Farenwald
A Trappist monastery in Spencer, Massachusetts and spiritual seekers in the city of Boston, explore themes of contemplation, Christian mysticism and the quest for God. Screens with I, Pastafari.
Detroit Hives
Directed by Palmer Morse & Rachel Weinberg
In East Detroit, Tim Paule and Nicole Lindsey are transforming their community one hive at a time. Screens with Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm.
Elohi
Directed by Liv Fallon | Student at Georgia State University
An attempt to translate the voice of the place the stories call Cherokee Country. Screens with Once Upon a River.
Esmeralda
Directed by Paul T. Petersen & Rachel Emerson
A filmmaker follows Wilbur Goodnight as he embarks on a romantic quest to profess his adoration for his grade school crush. Screens with Wheels.
Heaven
Directed by Michelle Alvarado
A fishy satire, Heaven, dares to ask “Why do we believe in an afterlife?” This short film draws a parallel with human emotions and aspirations to a fish, as a way to comment on humankind’s determination to believe in something existing beyond this life, rather than a more rational or empirical hunch. Screens with Last Man Fishing.
A Line Birds Cannot See
Directed by Amy Bench
Separated from her mother by smugglers at the border, a determined 12-year-old sets out across a desert to find her mother and a place where they can be safe again. Screens with Midnight Traveler.
The Mozart of Fly Casting
Directed by Kenneth Price
Maxine McCormick began fly casting when she was nine-years-old. At 15, she is the reigning world champion of the sport. Screens with Kate Nash: Underestimating the Girl.
The One You Never Forget
Directed by Morgan Jon Fox
Forteen-year-old Carey is going to his first dance, but should he let his parents meet his date? Screens with Little Miss Westie.
Pie in the Puss: A Brief History of Pieing in Film
Directed by Stacey Davis
From a pie in the face and the pie toss to the ultimate pie fight — the evolution of pieing in film. Screens with I Want My MTV.
Refuge
Directed by Katie Falkenberg
Decades ago, poachers would set off explosives in the cool waters of this North Umpqua River tributary. That was before Lee Spencer settled in to watch over and protect the wild steelhead. Screens with Last Man Fishing.
Return to Foretop’s Father
Directed by Preston Randolph
A Native American elder travels from the reservation to a sacred landmark to bring awareness to the negative impacts resulting from the disconnect between nature and modern culture. Screens with Native Wisdom.
Salacia
Directed by Rex Carter
Salacia, the goddess of the open sea, hides from Neptune among the features of the heavens, taking delight in her cosmic playground. Screens with I, Pastafari.
The Shepherdess
Directed by Katie Falkenberg
A Navajo shepherdess perseveres in a rapidly vanishing way of life, despite extreme drought on the reservation. Screens with Honeyland.
Things Would Be Different
Directed by Kerri Fernsworth Feazell
A happily married woman wonders if she could be happier. Screens with The Blackout.
Uniontown
Directed by Fraser Jones
A grassroots group of modern-day freedom fighters in rural Alabama join together to take back their town from the hands of industrial polluters and passive politicians. Screens with Mossville: When Great Trees Fall.
Welcome to Gwichyaa Zhee
Directed by Greg Balkin & Len Necefer
An exploration of the connection of threats faced to Bears Ears National Monument and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge through stories and perspectives of the Diné (Navajo) and Gwich’in communities. Screens with Attla.
Where Life Begins
Directed by Katie Schuler
Along the Arctic Coast we explore the inseparable bond between mother and child, the sacred and fragile moments after birth and the importance of protecting the place “Where Life Begins.” Screens with Eating Up Easter.
Write Me
Directed by Pearl Gluck
An older woman joins other survivors in reclaiming the histories tattooed on their bodies. Screens with Our Time Machine.
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS PROGRAM #1
Sock Guys
Directed by Katie Turinski
A young man with Down Syndrome runs a successful online sock store.
Camp ALEC
Directed by Christopher Stoudt
Disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy and verbal apraxia have made it impossible for the campers at this sleepaway camp in Michigan to vocalize speech, despite being smart, capable individuals in every sense. To express themselves, they use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices that translate their composed messages into audible speech.
1500 Miles
Directed by Chris Duncan
Sixteen years after the amputation of her left leg, Nicole Ver Kuilen challenges herself to complete a 1,500-mile triathlon from Seattle to San Diego. For Nicole, the most difficult part of this journey is not the distance, but that her insurance-mandated prosthesis is built only for walking.
Women in Fire
Directed by Tim Kressin
Less than 10 percent of firefighters are women. But what these women lack in numbers, they make up for in guts and inspiration, paving the way for the next generation of women firefighters.
The Jessicas are Turning 30
Directed by Amy King, Maya Sugarman & Neema Roshania Patel
In 1989, these six people were named Jessica, the most popular name for girls that year. But from there, their lives took different paths. Now, they reflect on life at the brink of 30 — an age heavy with expectation.
The Gender Line
Directed by T.J. Parsell
Transgender rock star Cidny Bullens (formerly Cindy Bullens) once sang in Elton John’s band, had recording contracts with three major labels and two independents. Fortunate to have been both a wife and husband in the same lifetime, Cidny reflects on both his personal and professional lives.
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS PROGRAM #2
We Are Forbidden
Directed by Brian Lindstrom & Cheryl Strayed
Teen girls in Surkhet, Nepal demand an end to menstrual stigma.
Motherland
Directed by Emily Mkrtichian & Jesse Soursourian
A group of women shake tradition to rid their country of landmines leftover from a devastating ethnic war.
Gun Shop
Directed by Patrick Smith
There are currently 393 million firearms in the US. This film shows 2,328 of them, juxtaposing the frightening visual power of guns with a whimsy of Jazz percussion and a dose of cultural irony.
Singing for King
Directed by Yalonda M. James
Members of the Prairie View A&M choir in Prairie View, Texas share their experiences performing for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee in March of 1968.
All on a Mardi Gras Day
Directed by Michal Pietrzyk
In a gentrifying New Orleans, Demond sacrifices to be Big Chief in a secret 200-year culture known as Mardi Gras Indians: African-American men from the city’s roughest neighborhoods spend all year sewing feathered suits they’ll wear only once in a battle to decide who’s “the prettiest.”
The Flip
Directed by Reed Rickert
Skydiver Remi Angeli must face his fears in order to explore new expressions of movement while BASE jumping in Mexico.
Ground Rush
Directed by Annabelle Meyer
Alex Miziuk is a young BASE jumper determined to live his life on (and over) the edge. As one of the most dangerous years in the sport’s history comes to an end, Alex is forced to reconsider what is most important to him.
NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM #1
Pozole
Directed by Jessica Mendez Siqueiros
La gringa killed her Nana.
Boccamazzo Construction – We Build “Walls!”
Directed by Paul Riccio
A quick, funny look at Bobby and Todd Boccamazzo, owners of a Brooklyn-based construction company that builds walls. Just walls.
Demand Curve
Directed by The Bragg Brothers
Offended by his kidnappers’ low demands, a university professor uses basic economics to increase his ransom and get in on the action.
Wilma
Directed by Hawk Björgvinsson
A young boy meets her estranged trailer park father for the first time. What his father doesn’t know is that he now identifies as a girl.
Sometimes I Think About Dying
Directed by Stefanie Abel Horowitz
Fran is thinking about dying, but a man in the office might want to date her.
The Neighbors’ Window
Directed by Marshall Curry
The story of a middle-aged woman with small children whose life is shaken up when two free-spirited 20-somethings move in across the street.
NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM #2
How Does It Start
Directed by Amber Sealey
It’s 1983 and 12-year-old Rain wants sex, the only problem is she has no idea what that means. With her self-absorbed parents distracted by their recent divorce, Rain is left alone to navigate the complexities of love and adulthood.
Warpaint for the Teenage Soul
Directed by Rebecca Woolf
Blacklisted by fellow students after being assaulted by the most popular boy in school, 15-year-old Wynne Darling flees her so-called friends and takes refuge in the school bathroom.
Kate in Oxnard
Directed by Emily Tomson
Kate moves to a small coastal town for a bartending job, anticipating a summer of freedom. What she finds instead is less idyllic, and she comes to realize she’s much more vulnerable than she thought.
The Patients
Directed by Tess Paras
How do you explain #MeToo to your immigrant parents? After a “bad fight” with her boyfriend, Filipina-American party girl Regina Ramos ends up in the ER where her Dad works. When her family rushes to her aid, they stumble to connect as a trending topic becomes a real-life issue that affects them all.
Being Here
Directed by Sydney O’Haire | Student at DePaul University
As her three months in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility are coming to a close, Charlie resists moving on from the safety bubble of rehab until she is propelled to leave when her best friend experiences a personal tragedy.
NORTHWEST SHORTS:
A Community of Hope
Directed by Bradley Lanphear
A short film highlighting Healthy Beginnings’ mission to help every child enter kindergarten ready to learn, contribute and thrive. This film was created for the 2019 Power of Film Fundraiser when BendFilm partnered with Healthy Beginnings to produce this story.
Brothers
Directed by Braxton Haugen | Student at the University of Oregon
The filmmaker and his brother embark together on a road trip around the state of Oregon. With aspirations to reconnect and reflect on their childhood, they find themselves at a crossroads of their youth.
Wave Hands Like Clouds
Directed by Marga Laube
What it feels like to be walking a wiggly line in the sky, just you, the wind and the clouds.
Alex.
Directed by Brenden Osborn | Student at the University of Oregon
Connor receives a phone call with news of a terrible loss. Forced to process his grief in the moment and entirely unsure how to cope with it, he acts on a last glimmer of hope.
The Weight I Carry
Directed by Dylan Welles | Student at Pacific University
The Weight I Carry seeks to find how people can change the way they think by simply getting outdoors.
The Legend of Grayson Crockett
Directed by Adam Bagger
Born with a supernova in his chest, a wayfaring introvert moves cautiously through life until he finds a reason to surrender to the massive force swirling inside of him.
Reboot
Directed by Taylor Morden
A short film about the way the world really works. Made during the 2019 BendFilm 72-Hour Filmmaker Scramble project.
The Slows
Directed by Nicole Perlman
In an enlightened future where humans no longer need to procreate, one woman risks her life to investigate the mystery of motherhood.
LOCAL FOCUS:
Rebel Dog
Directed by Amy Castaño & Georgia Andrews | 2 min.
Rebel Dog is on the move. She will stop at nothing.
Foxing Around
Directed by Cullen Dallas & Delaney Walnofer | Students at Pacific University
Two foxes seek the comfort of their den, but first they have to get through the obnoxiously loud world that they live in.
2 Below 0
Directed by Tim Cash
Frostbitten and love-smitten! It’s the winter of 1979 as Rusty types away in his trailer. After his fiancé, Alice, left him at the altar, he uprooted himself from Minnesota and relocated to the middle of nowhere. But he’s not completely alone.
Cargies
Directed by Hudson White
Sometimes the space exploration job of your dreams isn’t all it’s made out to be.
Shifting Perspectives
Directed by Cedar Vickery | Student at Summit High School
Ryder, one of many identical clone soldiers, struggles to find his individuality despite apathetic generals, an entire army bent on their destruction, and lots of tough decisions with harsh consequences. With the help of his fellow clones and a rare officer who cares for them as individuals, Ryder sets out to bring down the corrupt system and put a stop to an endless war.
LATE NIGHT SHORTS:
My Dinner With Werner
Directed by Maverick Moore
A wildly bizarre and wacky farce about a 1987 dinner date with a murder plot as the main dish. Based on real events, real people and real things they actually said.
The Phantom 52
Directed by Geoff Marslett
Tom Skerritt stars in this animated short film about a lonely trucker waiting for a reply on the CB radio.
Lady Parts
Directed by Erin Rye & Jessica Sherif
A struggling actor goes from dancing tampon to her first real break, playing a meaty role in a financial drama by an acclaimed up-and-coming director.
Brett Kavanaugh Is Ruining My Sex Life
Directed by Kristin Slaysman
A dark comedy about a liberal couple struggling to reinvent their sex fantasy in the days following the Kavanaugh hearing.
Face Swap
Directed by David Gidali & Einat Tubi
A guy convinces his wife to try out a new AI technology to spice up their sex life but gets a bit more spice than he bargained for.
F*ck
Directed by Vern Hass | Student at the University of Southern California
A one-word journey through an unsuspecting freshman’s sexual trials, tribulations and revelations during her first semester of college.
Fun More
Directed by Wally Chung
A vignette about one’s task that overlaps with another’s task. There is a clash.
How to be Alone
Directed by Kate Trefry
When her husband leaves for the hospital graveyard shift, Lucy is left alone in the company of a menacing kitchen cabinet, which she is convinced contains all her secret fears.
The Boogeywoman
Directed by Erica Scoggins
In the fever of her first period, a late-blooming teenager is haunted by her small town’s local legend, only to find that the “Boogeywoman” is flesh and blood.
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