BLOCK CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING FILMS:
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AERANGER (USA)
WORLD PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: A space traveler crash lands into Earth while desperately searching for a surrogate planet with the proper resources to save her people & home planet.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Anthony Ferraro
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: N/A
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Anthony Ferraro was born and raised in Schenectady NY, Went to college in Manhattan for acting, received a Masters in Directing from RADA/ King’s College in London. In 2000’s he wrote & Directed two Mumblecore Features, many shorts and was a producer/editor at Al Gore’s Current TV. Presently Anthony is prepping his next project ‘Faders’ as well as sharing his Sci-Fi filmmaking experience with his weekly posts at createscifi.com
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ARTICLE 19-42 (LUXEMBOURG)
USA PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: In a dystopian world, Julie and Thomas cross the Northern forest in their 4×4, the atmosphere is heavy. As they leave the main road, they are met by an unwelcoming man. He was obviously waiting for them, they give him a sum of money. Together they continue deeper into the woods.
RATINGS GUIDE: Nudity, Adult Content
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (1): Best Foreign Short
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Julien Becker was born in Luxembourg in 1979. He studied photography and co-founded in 2010 the production company Skill Lab with Gwenael François. After directing several commercials he wrote and directed his first short « 22:22 » in 2013. Beside many festival selections « 22:22 » won the Best Luxembourgish Short Prize in 2014. This price gave Julien the opportunity to be part of the « Nuits en Or – 2015 tour » organized by the « Académie des César ». Article 19-42 is the second short film written and directed by Julien Becker. He is currently developing his first feature.
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HASHTAG (USA / AUSTRALIA)
UTAH/REGIONAL PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: In a looming future where social media celebrities dominate our culture, X is the world’s supreme online icon— but how far must she go to hold on to her popularity?
RATINGS GUIDE: Sensuality
DIRECTOR: Ben Alpi
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (3): Best Sci-Fi Short, Best Actress – Short, Best Visual Effects – Short
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Ben Alpi is a film director and writer based in Los Angeles. His latest short film, ‘Hashtag’, is a science fiction thriller that weaves a thought-provoking tale of our looming future as a social media society obsessed with instant validation and fame. Ben’s previous short film, the “mini epic” Kung Fu-Western ‘Cowboy Creed’, was nominated for two awards for Best Western Short and Best Supporting Actor, for Anthony DeLongis, at the Action on Film Festival. His first short film, the heartfelt drama ‘Silver Lining’, was signed into broadcast on PBS and into distribution with Ouat Media.
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REGULATION (USA)
UTAH/REGIONAL PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: In the near future, Mia (Sunita Mani), a young social worker, travels to a small community to administer behavior-modifying “patches” that guarantee happiness. She must decide what to do when Kaleigh (Audrey Bennett), a precocious 10-year old girl, refuses to accept the patch.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Ryan Patch
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (3): Best Sci-Fi Short, Best Actress – Short, Best Supporting Actress- Short
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Ryan Patch cut his teeth telling campfire tales in the backcountry of his native Colorado. He attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where his senior thesis “The Sheol Express” won the Audience Award at NYU’s First Run Film Festival. He then received a Masters in Screenwriting from Royal Holloway University of London, where his short film “The Offering” won Best Directing and Best Film at the Student Film Festival.
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THE AUTOMATON (USA)
UTAH PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: In 1897, a young widow returns to the family farm where she discovers her late husband’s attempt at building a primitive sentient machine.
RATINGS GUIDE: Adult Content
DIRECTOR: W. Alex Reeves
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (1): Best Fantasy Short, Best Sound – Short, Best Production Design – Short, Best Costumes – Short
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: W. Alex Reeves is an award-winning writer, director, and sound designer based in Los Angeles. Born in New York City and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Alex moved to LA in 2006 where he began a career as a television editor. In 2011, Alex opened Point of Blue Studios, a production company based in North Hollywood where he has since produced and directed multiple award-winning documentaries, short films, music videos, and commercials. In addition to his directing credits, his sound design work has been featured in projects for Childish Gambino, Lil Dickey, and Queens of the Stone Age and on television shows for Comedy Central, Disney XD, and Netflix. Alex lives with his talented wife (Nicole Wyland) and two cats (Milo and Winnie) in West Hollywood.
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UNREGISTERED (USA)
UTAH PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: Unregistered is set in Los Angeles in the not too distant future, where the government limits one child per home as a solution to overpopulation. When the mysterious ATA and her boyfriend REKKER witness a second (unregistered) child get arrested in broad daylight, it ignites a fire burning within REKKER and forces ATA to question the state of society – as well as confront a secret of her own.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Sophia Banks
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (4): Best Sci-Fi Short, Best Director – Short, Best Actor – Short, Best Cinematography – Short, Best Costumes – Short, Best VFX – Short
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Sophia Banks defined herself as a director with the award-winning short she shot for Christian Siriano, Making It On Time, featuring women wearing couture gowns skateboarding through the moody streets and industrial back alleys of Downtown Los Angeles. This short was nominated for over 15 awards including winning Film Fest Miami and being nominated for Best Short, Best Fashion Film, and Best Director at film festivals around the world including: Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival, Moët & Chandon Tribeca Film Festival, Berlin and Milano Fashion Film Festivals, Los Angeles Film Awards and many more.
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VIRTUALLY (USA)
UTAH PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: A woman struggling to survive alone in a post-apocalyptic wasteland discovers a virtual-reality machine and escapes from her loneliness into a scenic virtual world. When she falls in love with a man inside this virtual world, she must choose between her love and her life in this romantic science fiction short film.
RATINGS GUIDE: Sensuality
DIRECTOR: P. Patrick Hogan
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (3): Best Actress – Short, Best Supporting Actor – Short, Best Sound – Short
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Originally from the tiny Pacific island of Guam (where America’s day begins), Patrick attended Northwestern University in Chicago and then received his MFA in film and tv production from USC film school. His thesis film “The Business Card” was an award-winning short that had the distinction of being the first student film ever sold to an airline for in-flight entertainment. Along with working as a writer/director, Patrick is a highly accomplished sound editor and supervising sound editor with more than 100 television shows and movies to his credit. He’s earned six Emmy nominations and three Golden Reel Awards for his work on such shows as HBO’s “Six Feet Under” and Fox’s “Family Guy.”
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