2015 Lineup
Feature Film
CHRYSALIS
100 minutes / United States / Director: John Klein
Joshua and Penelope are survivors of a deadly infection that laid waste to humanity 25 years ago. When they encounter fellow survivor Abira, their lives are forever changed as they fight off the remnants of the infected.
Shorts Program #1
BEVERLY
4 minutes / United States / Director: Eliaz Rodriguez
Beverly is wrapped up in her thoughts as she strives to land the man she deserves.
DRIFTING
7 minutes / United States / Director: Joel Benjamin
When life’s stresses physically manifest themselves, Simon is left to survive in the middle of the ocean on an airplane wing, fishing for better memories and fruit candies.
EARLY RELEASE
8 minutes / United Kingdom / Director: Miguel Guerreiro
In a prison’s interview room, a convicted killer is accused of smuggling a hand-made gun into his cell. He promptly denies the accusation, suspecting that it’s all part of a psychological test being carried out by his female interviewer. A normal day-to-day procedure, he reckons.
EARLY RELEASE
7 minutes / United States / Director: Jill Sachs
Lovely young Evelyn prepares for a date, but when she looks in the mirror she finds the frightening reflection of herself as an old woman.
I’VE JUST HAD A DREAM
7 minutes / Spain / Director: Javi Navarro
They say that dreams are dreams … the only thing that makes them different is the person who dreams.
LOVE ME TINDER
11 minutes / United Kingdom / Director: Sami Abusamra
An older woman and a younger man spend an awkward evening together after meeting on a dating app. A dark comedy about an encounter between two lonely strangers.
NOBODY
17 minutes / United States / Director: William Bryan
A biographical story of Elvis Presley in high school in Memphis, 1953, featuring his tender relationship with his loving mother, his devoted teacher, and the senior year talent show that changed everything.
TOM IN AMERICA
17 minutes / United States / Director: Flavio Alves
For 50 years, Michael and Betty have been united by one guiding principle: no secrets. But when a provocative Tom of Finland doll triggers Michael’s long-buried desires, Betty discovers that secrets have been part of their life all along.
Tom in America stars Academy-award nominees Burt Young & Sally Kirkland.
WHAT’S EATING DAD?
11 minutes / United States / Director: Michael Goldburg
When Chloe meets her boyfriend’s parents for the first time, what’s really for dinner is something she never imagined. In the vein of Woody Allen meets “Shaun of the Dead, “What’s Eating Dad?” is a hilariously absurd horror-comedy about literally surviving the future in-laws.
Shorts Program #2
BORDER TRAFFICKING
16 minutes / Austria / Director: Peter Rautek
A woman in her mid twenties is trapped in a miserable existence as a sex worker in a small Czech village close to Austrian border.
DEADLY
9 minutes / Ireland / Director: Aidan McAteer
Deadly tells the story of Boney, a working stiff in a dead-end job. That is until he has a run-in with a spirited old lady named Bridie.
FIRST METRO
6 minutes / France / Director: Hugo P. Thomas
Damien recently became a hobo, and he is about to beg in the subway for the first time, which is why he is rehearsing in public toilets. Not satisfied with his first draft, he will then make up new versions of his life.
LIKE EMMY
19 minutes / United States / Director: Ken Cohen
Ever since Emmy died, Roman has dated girls that look like her had she gotten older, and when he sees a “have you seen me?” postcard for a girl that disappeared when she was her age, he is certain that if he found her today she would be perfect.
SHOTGUN
12 minutes / United States / Director: Maverick Moore
Three girls burn rubber and leave no survivors on an inexplicably wild ride.
STUNG
8 minutes / Canada / Director: Zachary Vito
Stung follows the story of two young boys caught up in the fervor of summer break. In a naive attempt to help his friend after he is stung by a bee, Mackenzie unknowingly threatens the innocence of their friendship by inciting a moment of unintentional intimacy.
Shorts Program #3
NIGHT SHIFT
13 minutes / United Kingdom / Director: Richard Higson
‘An easy kidnap in the country’, they said. Lenny and Chris head to a mysterious manor house for a special job. But it gets complicated. Very complicated. And they haven’t reckoned on just who they’re there to kidnap, and who else might have had the same idea.
NO LOVE LOST
15 minutes / United Kingdom / Director: Shekhar Bassi
An obsessive stranger with unexpected intentions threatens a young couple’s illicit relationship.
THE LEGEND OF FICTION: OUR GUIDE THROUGH FAIRY TALES
3 minutes / United States / Director: Shaun Pope
This movie was inspired by 2D video games. It’s about three heroic Warriors helping a local Blacksmith
save his Beautiful Daughter from a vicious, no good, rotten Beast.
WHEELS GO ROUND
17 minutes / United States / Director: Dewayne Bontrager
160+ days a year, a mother deals with the nearly impossible task of getting her child out the door for school. What happens inside a her mind when that child no longer exists. What happens if she is the reason the child no more. “Lilly, its time to get up.”
Shorts Program #4
IN CAPRICIOUS HANDS
5 minutes / United States / Director: Stephan Larson
Living in a box, life is pretty bleak and boring. And then a window opens.
CONSOLATION PRIZE
12 minutes / Canada / Director: Todd Kipp
A delusional deadbeat dad living on an inherited wasteland of wrecked cars and trucks, tries to connect with his son over a surprise weekend visit.
INDIGO
19 minutes / Sweden / Director: Paul Jerndal
Two young, lost souls in New York City share a common struggle – they are stuck in lives they do not feel they belong to. She is an adored actress and he, a bike messenger.
OLD DOGS NEVER DIE
26 minutes / United States / Director: Jim Dougherty
For his 71st birthday, Harry Dunn decides he wants to ride a bike across the country. The only problem is, Harry has never learned to ride a bike.
SHEVENGE
12 minutes / United States / Director: Amber Benson
From director Amber Benson (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), comes this genre-bending comedy about three girlfriends fantasizing over wine and makeup about enacting the worst kind of revenge on their unassuming boyfriends – She-Venge!
THE PLATINUM PLAN
5 minutes / United States / Director: Chris Pickenpaugh
An incident, a policy, a strange seductive option: when Type-A Tamara experiences a major bump in the road, it may be time to re-evaluate her afterlife insurance.
WELCOME TO FOREVER
12 minutes / United States / Director: Laddie Ervin
It’s 2067. A service truck stops in front of a neglected old house. A government technician gets out and walks to the back where he severs a “Life-Link Cable.” His name is Cal Jenner and he’s here to terminate Mr. Cooper, a digitized person whose been malfunctioning for years.
Student Shorts Program #1
ACHMED’S BURIAL
17 minutes / United States / Director: Travis Slagle
A pet undertaker prepares a unique funeral for an Iguana in hopes of winning the heart of the woman he loves.
BOY WONDER
18 minutes / United States / Director: Zack Brewer
Ten-year-old Adam Rogers works to buy an action figure of his favorite superhero, the virtuous Captain Amazing — however, after helplessly witnessing a classmate be bullied, he learns it doesn’t take superpowers to be a hero.
HELL! VISA
4 minutes / United States / Director: Junjie “Jake” Zhang
An unhappy man contemplates moving to Hell for its great weather, job opportunities, and excitement.
JUICE
3 minutes / United States / Director: Alyssa Neece
A young mother grieves the death of her son, and has to ask the question, “Does time really heal all wounds?”
DISCONNECTED
9 minutes / United States / Director: Chad Montgomery
After most of the population is wiped out by disease, one man wanders the empty landscape alone and haunted by memories.
THE CUTTING ROOM
13 minutes / Colombia / Director: Marco Velez
When François gets hired by the director Rizzoli to edit his latest film, he becomes terribly obsessed with Isabel (the star of the film) while a coworker, Sophie, has a crush on him, which it will make him go into a dark rabbit hole that will make him do horrific things in the name of this obsession.
TIGER
14 minutes / United States / Director: Cody Mathieson Packer
A young street kid and lonely housewife connect in the strangest of situations, discovering they both fill a void for each other in their lives.
WALLS
3 minutes / United States / Director: Gabrielle Giacomo
“Walls” is a trip into the human mind. This short experimental film portrays the tendency to shut others out when grieving.
Student Shorts Program #2
A BOY’S PRAYER
29 minutes / Taiwan / Director: Chao Koi-Wang
A 17 years old loser meets a mysterious and beautiful cleaner girl by chance. They have totally different characters and backgrounds; however, they start to have a wonderful adventure in garbage dump. Ultimately, they change each other.
BEDTIME
6 minutes / United States / Director: Cooper Justus
A young boy enlists his brother’s help to get to the restroom after a monster appears under his bed, but when the monster overpowers his brother, the boy is forced to muster his courage and face his fears.
OSTRICHLAND
14 minutes / United States / Director: David McCracken
A poignant comedy about two estranged brothers who drive across the country in a truck full of their dead dad’s UFO memorabilia.
MOTHS
23 minutes / United States / Director: Andy Fortenbacher
While awaiting her father’s return from the WW2 front lines, a 9-year-old girl helps the disfigured town outcast secretly nurture a rare breed of moths.
Documentary Shorts Program
THE HEALING WALL
With a special Q&A with the filmmakers
57 minutes / United States / Director: Christopher Kosiniski
The Healing Wall is a story about the development of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. and its unforeseen ability to heal a nation from one of the most controversial conflicts in U.S. history.
DOCKERY & SON
With a special Q&A with the filmmakers
14 minutes / United States / Director: Jack Truman
An eye-opening slice of life at a Mother and Son’s junk store in a ghost town.
SHOULD TOMORROW BE
With a special Q&A with the filmmakers
24 minutes / United States / Director: Malini Goel
A NW Indiana physician suffers a fall that paralyzes him from the neck down. He is faced with a choice to live as a quadriplegic or exercise his right to die while he and his family grapple with this irreversible decision.
Experimental & Music Videos
Student Showcase: Notre Dame Film Festival
COLD OPEN
7 minutes / Directors: Brian Lach, Lesley Stevenson
Writer’s block meets actor’s ambitions in a slick trip through a rough draft.
CURRY & ERIN
10 minutes / Directors: Eric O’Donnell, Maureen Gavin
Stricken with ALS, and blessed with a loving husband, a day in the life of Nashville artist Erin Brady Worsham is like no other.
EAT SLEEP RIDE
15 minutes / Directors: Mikey Nichols, Lauren Josephson
9-year old CJ Burford hears God’s call to ride his bike across America, with the family RV right behind him, and the media tagging along.
ISN’T IT PRETTY TO THINK SO
17 minutes / Directors: John Rodgers, Carleigh Coyne
After a short stint in a rehab facility, Owen comes home to find that some things never change.
J2K
12 minutes / Directors: Grace Carini, Hunter Speese
A dermatologist, a librarian, and a grocery store clerk. Not exactly the three wise men, but some pregnancies are just surreal.
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR
10 minutes / Directors: Bryan Daly, Jill Chipley
The girl next door is looking for love in all the wrong faces.
METTA JOHNSON’S VIDEO PORTFOLIO
8 minutes / Directors: Will Neal, Nick Desmone
Metta Johnson wants to be a big time Hollywood director. But he has no talent and no creative skills. Here’s proof.
MUCH ADO AFTER SCHOOL
16 minutes / Directors: Brian Lach, Nicole Sganga
An ambitious after school program brings out the inner Bard in a group of South Bend students.
REPARATION
10 minutes / Directors: Anthony Patti, Bryan Dimas
Stylishly haunting, a young woman attempts an escape from a prison-like mental institution.
THE NIGHT OUT
11 minutes / Directors: Mitchell Abraham, Zachary Ostapchenko, Weibo Chen
There’s a party at the house down the street … or is there?
MAF Special Showcase: Mid-America Filmakers
SOMETHING’S IN THE TOILET
3:30 minutes / United States / Director: David Boyer
An older couple are the key to saying the world from an alien invasion.
SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE CASE OF THE SEXY VAMPIRE
7:30 minutes / United States / Director: Barbara Devereaux
What really happened when the famous detective met a ravishing vampire? It’s not so elementary, dear viewer!
A MAN HAS TO BE CAREFUL THESE DAYS
25 minutes / United States / Director: Steve Barnett
A man wrestles with his alter ego and discovers he’s not the only one.
COMA
7:30 minutes / United States / Director: David Boyer
A hit man teaches his young protege a lesson in humanity.
THE WISH
54 minutes / United States / Director: Rose Waldschmidt
A good deacon’s answer to a wish will give new meaning to “be careful what you wish for”.