The 8th Edition of IFFNY will take place from May 17-21, 2019. The Red Carpet Ceremony and the Awards Gala Ceremony will be held at the Dolby Laboratories Theatre (1350 6th Ave # 20, New York, NY 10019). The Film Screenings will take place at Producers Club Theaters (358 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036).
To reserve your tickets for the Opening Red Carpet Ceremony, Film Screenings and Awards Gala, please visit Eventbrite:
2019 FESTIVAL PROGRAM
International Filmmaker Festival of New York (IFFNY)
8th Edition, May 17 to 21, 2019
MAY 17/FRIDAY/Dolby Laboratories Theatre (1350 6th Ave # 20, New York, NY 10019)
7:00 pm: Red Carpet/Black Tie Event
7:40 pm: Opening Ceremony
COMPETITION PROGRAM
8:00pm:
– ACRE DREAMS by Dani Wachsman/77 min/Feature/ ISRAEL
Synopsis: The film director Daniel who was invited by Azam an Arab theater director arrives at Arce, he was asked by Azam to shoot evidence of Palestinians who lived through the war in 1948 (the Nakba), the evidences will become a part of a theater play directed by AZAM. Azam’s efforts to portray the truth end in tragedy, when he is gunned down by an unknown assailant, and dies of his wounds. The play is destined never to be seen.
Director & Writer: Dani Wachsman, Producer: Tony Copti.
Cast: Haitham Omari, Dani Wachsmann, Liraz Charhi, Simon Zakak, Maisara Masri, Yehuda Lazarovitch, Riyad Sliman.
Followed by Q&A
MAY 18/SATURDAY/PC THEATRE (358 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036)
12:00: Round Table Discussion: Cinema Without Borders
2:00pm:
– THE FATHER’S CHAIR by Antonio Tibaldi, Alex Lora /74min/Doc./ USA
Synopsis: Abraham and Shraga are Orthodox Jewish aging twins, who live a secluded existence in their inherited home in Brooklyn. Since the death of their parents, they have stopped throwing away anything. Their upstairs tenant threatens to stop paying them rent unless they undertake a radical cleaning. A traumatic invasion of privacy ensues, forcing them to confront their memories in order to find a new beginning. Director: Antonio Tibaldi, Alex Lora, Writer, Antonio Tibaldi, Alex Lora, Producer: Enrica Capra, Antonio Tibaldi.
4:00pm:
– ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM by Chanelle Eidenbenz /19:30/ Short/ SWITZERLAND
Synopsis: Without understanding why, Irna senses that the relationship with her son Jago is getting more and more hopeless. She seeks refuge in her own world, whose center is Elias, a rubber doll. While Irna holds on to her own reality with all her might, Jago is desperately trying to make his mother understand. Director, Writer: Chanelle Eidenbenz, Producer: Filippo Bonacci
Cast: Doris Schefer, Johannes Hegemann.
– MARQUET PLACE by Annick Christiaens /18:53/Short/ BELGIUM
Synopsis: Three “same” stories in different shooting formats in a boarding room. A young woman passes a short waiting time by feeding playfully the male attention that surrounds her, with the help of her umbrella. The plot development of the stories changes along with the zeitgeist of each generation. Director, Writer: Annick Christiaens, Producer: Wim & Julian Coryn / WIld Cherries. Cast: Amaryllis Uitterlinden, Toussaint Colombani, Nils Bokanovski, Alain Van Goethem.
– UBER PRIZE RIDE by Samantha Silver/12:30/Short/ USA
Synopsis: Game show enthusiast Jeffrey Jepson is determined to turn his side hustle driving Uber into a hit quiz show. He’s enlisted a buddy as videographer, written a series of trivia questions, and is on the streets working his audience. The only problem is, most people just don’t want to play. Director: Samantha Silver, Writer: Samantha Silver & Charlie Gaeta, Producer: Samantha Silver, Tag Brum. Cast: Charlie Gaeta, Alex Dunbar, Joseph Lymous, Tag Brum, Crystal Chau, Jason Jiang, Sophia Turso, Jeffrey Johnson.
– DELETE by Hareza Basha /20min/ Short/ KOSOVA
Synopsis: A young girl’s life is shown through a cell phone in three different times of her life: past, present and future. After a period of depression, her life changes and she deletes her past filmed with her cell phone.
Director, Writer, Producer: Hareza Basha. Cast: Arta Selimi, Ismail Kasumi, Olta Selmani, Kreshnik Malushaj..
– FAR by Arian Dallaku /13min/ Short/ GERMANY
Synopsis: The film is about Rron, a young Albanian guy from Kosovo, as he faces his challenges when entering illegally in Germany. Director & Writer: Kreis films, Producer: Kreis films. Cast: Floorist Bajgora.
– CHHI CHHI (dirty) by Surabhi Saral Sachdev /11min/Short/ INDIA
Synopsis: The discrimination exhibited towards the house helps in India is deeply entrenched even in the minds of its liberal upper middle class.
Director, Writer: Surabhi Saral Sachdev, Producer: Rahul Sachdev
Cast: Sai Deodhar Anand, Amrita Chowdhary, Ritu Choudhary.
6:00pm:
– KIDS WITH GUNS by Anthony Faure/ 86 min/Feature/ FRANCE
Synopsis: Two nobodies find their ticket to the Parisian Golden Youth parties in the form of a bag filled with drugs, leading them in the mayhem of a rough police investigation. Director: Anthony James Faure, Writer: Anthony James Faure & Antony Renault, Producer: Anthony James Faure, Antony Renault & Florent Larriven.
Cast: Robin Betchen, Andrew Tisba, Cyril Durel, Éric Chantelauze.
8:00pm:
-THE TRAFFIC SEPARATING DEVICE by Johan Palmgren /15min/ Doc./ SWEDEN
Synopsis: A traffic separating device is installed in the middle of Stockholm. It is supposed to keep normal cars away and only let buses pass. It turns into a disaster as normal cars continue to go there and hundreds of cars get destroyed every week. Tragic and funny situations occur and we follow the whole mess of human failures. Director: Johan Palmgren, Writer: Johan Palmgren, Julian Antell & Mattias Grosin, Producer: Johan Palmgren
Cast: Georg Tökös, John Wick.
– WALLMAPU by Ben Sturgulewski/6min/ Doc./ USA
Synopsis: The Pehuenche people of present-day Chile speak Mapudungun: ‘the language of the land.’ This land, their universe, is known as Wallmapu. Two skiers enter, into a breathtaking creation of ancient Araucaria trees, looming volcanoes, and windblown snow. Director: Ben Sturgulewski, Writer: Eunate Saíz, Producer: Tomás Goméz and Joaquín Gómez.
Cast: Piers Solomon & Rodrigo Guzman.
– SPACE TO EXPLORE by Katherine DuBois /14min/Doc./ USA
Synopsis: On an outdoor adventure to the Mars-like terrain of Moab, Utah Natalie Panek seeks to reconcile life’s stumbles, redirections and challenges in her pursuit of space travel. Natalie Panek has spent her life focused on her biggest dream – to be the first to set foot on another planet.
Director: Katherin Dubois.
– THE DREAM DELI by Avner Azulay /14min/Doc./ ISRAEL
Synopsis: In a neighborhood deli at the southern part of Tel Aviv, you can buy half bread, take two bags of milk and pay at the end of the month. Or, you can get inside the back storeroom, sit down, and tell about the dream you had last night. Director: Avner Azulay, Alon Markovitz, Tomer Lahmy, Producer: Tomer Lahmy, Alon Markovitz, Avner Azulay.
– SKATEBOARD BLUES6 by Carol Gyasi/15 min/doc./ UK
Synopsis: Three severely disabled men travel hundreds of miles across Africa to escape poverty and abuse, where they arrive in a large metropolis knowing nobody. This is an endearing story of how they met and formed a friendship which helped and supported them through the hell in which they were forced to live. It is about the power of friendship. Director, Writer & Producer: Carol Gyasi. Cast: Abubakar, Awa, Mansir.
– THE COLORADO STREET BRIDGE by Guy Zhuoqin Yang /17min/Doc./ CHINA
Synopsis: Built in 1913, the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, California is known as an example of Beaux Art Architecture. Unfortunately, it has also been known as the Suicide bridge ever since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The documentary takes the audiences on a journey to find a solution to deter suicide. Director: Guy Zhuoqin Yang, Producer: Guy Zhuoqin Yang, Maty Beth Fielder, Sanora Bartels. Cast: Joseph Ma, Alexandra Forman, Joel Drake, Mel Green, Sue Mossmani, Heidi Medak.
– FEPPS – Pathways after prison by Greg Westhoff /10min/ Doc./ USA
Synopsis: The Freedom Education Project Puget Sound (FEPPS) provides a rigorous college program to incarcerated women in Washington and creates pathways to higher education after women are released from prison. Their goals are to increase women prisoners’ economic and personal empowerment, contribute to family stability and reduce recidivism through college education. Director: Greg Westhoff, Producer: Greg Westhoff & Kailin Mooney.
Followed by Q&A
MAY 19/SUNDAY/PC THEATRE (358 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036)
12:00pm:
– TRAP by Paul James /12min/Anime./ NEW ZEALAND
Synopsis: A young girl fights for a sense of belonging.
Director: Paul James, Writer: Kahra Scott-James, Producer: Tony Leslie.
– DON’T FEED THESE ANIMALS by Guilherme Afonso /10min/ Anime./ PORTUGAL
Synopsis: Once upon a time there was a lobotomized bunny who lived in a research laboratory. He had bi-polar personality disorder, triggered by his huge appetite for carrots. One day the bunny brings a carrot to life by accident but also creates something evil. Now both carrot and bunny must surpass their differences and join forces, so that together they may end this threat. Director & Writer: Guilherme Afonso & Miguel Madaíl de Freitas, Writer: José Alves da Silva, Producer: Nebula Studios, Composer: Steve Rucker.
– DARLING by Daniel Cohen /7min/ Anime./ ISRAEL
Synopsis: Yaron is a lonely man who doesn’t get any appreciation from the outside world. he finds comfort in a plastic doll, which he ordered in the mail.
Director, Writer, Producer: Daniel Cohena.
– THE CALL by Anca Damian /10min/Anime./ ROMANIA
Synopsis: A phone call, a bathroom and a woman are at the intersection of the worlds. Director, Writer, Producer: Anca Damian. Cast: Vlad Ivanov, Jean Marc Barr.
– FUTUREWORLD by Christopher Angus /7min/ Anime./ CANADA
Synopsis: A quirky journey through recent time to an ethos of futurity, which explores the potential ramifications of technology on human beings while leaving us with choices. Director, Writer, Producer: Christopher Angus
Cast: Rhonda Kennedy-Rogers, Scott Moat.
– HUDSON RIVER MIRACLE by Vlash Droboniku /7min/Anima./ USA
Synopsis: This film is dedicated to the plane crash on the Hudson River which the pilot was able to recover the plane. Director, Writer, Producer: Vlash Droboniku.
– CHRONOSYNC / Zsófia Laszlovszky /7:34/ Anime./ HUNGARY
Synopsis: Chronosync is a short animation, with 2d computer animation technique. The film is an observation on the changing worldview of mankind and shows the weird connection between humanity and their worldview. The eternal urge to explain where we came from and how the universe works. There are many questions and answers, and more over there are connections.
Director, Writer: Zsófia Laszlovszky, Producer: Zsombor Benyovszky, Composer: Zoltan Sostai.
1:30pm:
– GOGOL DOC by Alise Pavlovskaya /60 min/ Doc./ UKRAINE
Synopsis: ‘GogolDoc’ tells how an art is created, it shows the backstage and theatre’s daily life. It also shows the crisis of creativity and raises the matters… Every person takes a part at creation. The goal of this film is to inspire people for self-realization in art. Director: Alise Pavlovskaya, Producer: Valeriy Kalmykov & Alona Fedorova.
3:00pm:
– WHOSE REALITY 2.0? by Nico Falcone Georgiadis/ 14min/ Short/ SWEDEN
Synopsis: Elias lost all motivation of living when he lost his daughter and going to a therapist. He is also self-rehabilitating by driving an unlicensed taxi and meeting strangers that share their different stories in life. Whose reality counts and how much can you listen without getting involved, and is it safe?
Director, Writer: Nico Falcone Georgiadis, Producer: Nico Falcone Georgiadis, Anton Bårström, John Lönngren. Cast: Nico Falcone Georgiadis, Agneta Westman, Björn Kruse, Costa Stafaz, Kajsa Palm, Mats Olsson.
– EMOTIONAL DISEASE by Marieta Caballero /11:35/ Short/ SPAIN
Synopsis: In a near future, emotions are considered to be a disease by society. The government and the media are running an informative campaign against the pandemic. In this context, Atlas is struggling to keep his secret.
Director, Writer: Marieta Vaballero, Producer: Marieta Vaballero & Daniel Villaseñor. Cast: Cai Peña, Simone Gonzalez, Director Biography.
– LIFE IN TWO MINUTES by Elie Fahed /2min / Short/LEBANON
Synopsis: This is how I see life, in 2 minutes. Director, Writer & Producer: Elie Fahed.
– ISMAEL by Axel Cuevas de Chaunca /14min/ Short/ MEXICO
Synopsis: After mutilating his face in a machine accident, Ismael, a lonely factory worker, struggles with his identity, his dreams, and his memories. Isolated in his room, he remembers Eva, a young woman he met in his youth, buffaloes and gold miners living up in the mountains, and the accident that left him without a face. Director, Writer: Axel Cuevas de Chaunca, Producer: Axel Cuevas de Chaunac, Isaiah Sears. Cast: Stephen Zinanto, Charles Keirnes, Eva Keirnes, Spencer Keirnes.
– ANA by Manuela Berlanga /13:37/Short/ BRAZIL
Synopsis: Ana works in the pharmaceutical industry and with each passing day she is more dissatisfied with her lonely life. Ana loses her lucidity due to a growing depression and in this constant struggle for sanity, she relies on her friends Lúcia and Denise – who do not always bring out the best in her.
Director & Writer: Manuela Berlanga, Producer: Manuela Berlanga & Leonardo Granado. Cast: Renata Jesion, Vitoria Ferraz, Jeyne Stakflett, Juliana Pina, Murilo Cezar.
– COMING TO TERMS by Atdhe Trepca /5:40/Short/ USA
Synopsis: After her husband passes away, Beauty recreates his presence using the belongings he left behind. Director: Atdhe Trepca, Writer: Theo Trepca, Producer: Gregory M. Schroeder & Anthony Rubino. Cast: Jennifer Ashe, Tim Molyneux, Chris Markle.
– OFUKU by Sayoko Akutsu/14min/Short/JAPAN
Synopsis: Since 360 years ago, back in Edo era in Japan, OFUKU has been searching for her mother. Ayuko was a woman who just noticed her mother’s illness and couldn’t help self-blaming. Over time, the feelings for her mother have made OFUKU grow herself, to a funny, laughable, and entertaining person. This helped Ayuko a lot to get over her sorrow. Director, Writer: Sayoko Akutsu. Cast: Takashi Hasegawa.
5:00pm:
– MOON HOTEL KABUL by Anca Damian /89 min/Feature/ ROMANIA
Synopsis: Ivan Semciuc is a charismatic and cynic journalist. At the end of a mission in Kabul, he has a seemingly meaningless one-night sex with Ioana, a translator. The next day, back in Bucharest, he learns that she has been found dead, with her wrists cut. Ivan’s unshakeable process of living starts a vital revolution as Ioana becomes more vivid in death than in life. Director & Producer: Anca Damian, Writer: Lia Bugnar & Anca Damian.
Cast: Florin Piersic Jr., Ofelia Popii, Adrian Titieni
7:00pm:
– TIME TO GO TO SLEEP by Jagraj Singh Wasan/8min/ music video / SINGAPORE & USA
Synopsis: Time to Go to Sleep is my first single, and a film exploring themes of social ostracism, and acts of terrorism. Are they linked? Are they preventable? And is there something we as a people can do to help?
Director: Jagraj Singh Wasan, Producer: Jagraj Singh Wasan, Sarah May Scotti, Patrick Ivison, Aaron Leong. Cast: Jagraj Singh Wasan, Jyoti Verma, Shalmalee Vaidya, Lucie Galinon Max Tkachenko, Quentin Roy.
– DROWNING by Karina Hilmer & Felix Backhaus/3min/Music video/ GERMANY
Director: Karina Hilmer & Felix Backhaus, Producer: Karina Hilmer, Felix Backhaus. Camera: Felix Backhaus. Cast: Karina Hilmer.
– CROSSED SOULS by Rachel Meguerdijian /3:36/ Music video/ CANADA
Director: Rachel Meguerdijian, Producer: Alexandre Paskanoi.
– GO LOUIE GO by Aaron Mak /4:12/ Music video/ AUSTRALIA
Synopsis: This is the official music video for Cynation’s song – Go Louie Go. The band, Cynation, chases Louie all across the city but he constantly evades them at every point. Eventually, they corner him in a music store and utilize the power of music and rock ‘n’ roll to take a stand to Louie. Director: Aaron Mak, Writer: Josh Mak & Aaron Mak, Producer: Melbourne Film Studio.
Cast: Sam Carter, Josh Mak, Simon Lai, Andrew Teo.
– TOO by Anastasia Lebedeva/4:57/ Music video / USA
Synopsis: A celebration of femininity from singer-songwriter Lindsay Kay.
Director: Anastasia Lebedeva, Writer: Lindsay Kay. Cast: Lindsay Kay.
– SONATA by Christine Jezior 3:22/ Music video / GERMANY
Synopsis: “Like shells on the beach” John Cage has found his sounds. For his work “Sonatas and Interludes” he fixed bolts, screws and rubber between the strings of his grand piano. This is how he created the tender, gamelan-like sounds he used to compose this piece of music. Director, Writer & Producer: Christine Jezior. Cast: Claudia Janet Birkholz.
– LEADING ME STRAIGHT by Burke Heffner/7:52 min/music video/ USA
Synopsis: In a dystopian and colorless universe nobody dreams, and nobody wins. Emotions are useless, as are abundant thoughts. A hive with marked paths to serve an unnamed queen. She was the only one to break him from years of mechanic and automatic routine, if only for a flash. Where will that lead him? Director: Burke Heffner, Writer: Burke Heffner, Olgierd Minkiewicz, Producer: Blake Sitney, Jess Vogel, Olgierd Minkiewicz. Cast: Olgierd Minkiewicz, Emma Coulter, Sean Stolzen, Jeffrey Kozel, Olesya Galko, Sam Kun.
– RUN HERMES by Kevin Short/7 min/music video/ UK &USA
Synopsis: The Doomsday Clock is one minute to midnight, the nearest it has been to disaster for decades, when Hermes begins his run for freedom and survival. As the countdown begins, the hands of the nuclear ‘powers that be’ begin to hover over that nuclear button. Hermes has just one minute to save himself, and the world around him, from catastrophe. Director, Writer, Producer: Kevin Short. Cast: Kevin Short, Susan O’Leary.
– THIRSTY EYES “838” by Ioan Gavriel/7 min/Music video/ AUSTRIA & POLAND
Synopsis: 838 is a music-video taking place in its own dark & obscure Eastern European world, a constant escape from oneself in a schizophrenic nightmare. Director: Ioan Gavriel, Writer: Ioan Gavriel/Samuel Ebner
Cast: Samuel Ebner, Marcin Morga
8:00pm:
– LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX by Lisa Burd /75 min/Doc./ NEW ZEALAND
Synopsis: “Let’s talk about sex” is an independent documentary directed by Lisa Burd and hosted by Julia Sloane. Together, they hope “Let’s talk about sex” will encourage conversation about sexuality and an increasing acceptance around gender and sexual diversity. Director: Lisa Burd, Writer: Lisa Burd, Julia Sloane & John Davies, Producer: John Davies & Lisa Burd
Cast: Julia Sloane.
Followed by Q&A
MAY 20/MONDAY/PC THEATRE (358 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036)
12:00pm:
– DODA/ by Visar Vishka/ 107min/Doc/ MACEDONIA
Synopsis: The Viennese scholar who almost became King of Albania! A politician, a spy, a military man, he was doing diplomatic work in Romania, Macedonia, Albania. This documentary is about his life and adventures of Franz Baron Nopcsa, together with his partner and secretary, Bayazid Elmas Doda. Director, Writer & Producer: Visar Vishka.
2:00pm:
– A HAPPY DIVORCE by Jamal Hodge /24min/ Short/ USA
Synopsis: Intelligent, beautiful, defiant, Jenny has had the courage to follow her desires to get what she wants, but at what price? When our deepest desires lead to emptiness, and we sacrifice those we love, can hope survive? A Happy Divorce deals with the growing epidemic of suicide head on, while exploring life itself. Director: Jamal Hodge, Writer: Chase Muratore, Producer: Jamal Hodge, Chase Muratore, Patrick Thompson.
Cast: Sita Sarkar, Rory Clarke, Lakshmi Devy, Dave Polgar, Clifton King.
– ANAMNESIS by Josh McCausland /15min/ Short/ USA
Synopsis: Anamnesis is a dive into a man’s conscious and unconscious mind as the physical and imagined world blend in front of him through his struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Director, Writer & Producer: Josh McCausland
Cast: Bruce Shaw, Vienna Dohler, Whitni Resides.
– TO INFINITY by Gabriel Savodivker/ 12:30/ Short/ USA
Synopsis: A dying father helps his young daughter carry an imaginary mission into space in order to reunite her with her mother; which leads to an unimaginable revelation. Director & Writer: Gabriel Savodivker, Producer: Gabriel Savodivker & Jarrod Burt. Cast: Paulo Quevedo, Yanelis Alarcon, Maria Moreno.
– MOSUL 980 by Ali Mohammed Saeed /10min/Short/ IRAQ
Synopsis: A 17 years old kidnapped Yazidi girl disguised in ISIS uniform tries to escape form ISIS. She finds no way to break free, but a military vehicle set on explosives. Director: Ali Mohammed Saeed, Writer: Mustafa Sattar Jabbar & Ali Mohammed Saeed, Producer: Huda Al Kadhimi & Hikmat Al-Beedhan
Cast: Redhab Ahmad, Mohanad Hayal.
– ON THE ROAD by Irdit Kaso/15min/short/ ALBANIA
Synopsis: Adi, a 35-year-old man is returning home from work. On his way home he notices an accident and stops to help. Adi recognizes the accidented man as the politician Mr. Mere. On their way to the hospital Mr. Mere realizes the young woman has died so he flees, leaving Adi with the dead young woman in his car. Director, Writer & Producer: Irdit Kaso.
Cast: Andi Begolli, Gent Kame, Bilma Piranaj.
– THE DOGS ILLUSION by Mashroor Parvez /7min/ Short/ BANGLADESH
Synopsis: A man without a mustache sits down to discuss the ramifications of the Liberation War with a ghost denied his homeland. The ensuing conversation turns into a conflict of race, identity, human nature and philosophical taboos; whilst another comes to service. Director, Writer & Producer: Mashroor Parvez. Cast: Sohel Rana, Mashroor Parvez.
– THE MIRROR by Massimiliano Mauceri /2min/ Short/ ITALY
Synopsis: A girl looks in the mirror and dreams… but reality is different.
Director, Writer & Producer: Massimiliano Mauceri. Cast: Carlotta Galmarini.
5:00pm:
– THE DECAYING by Sonny Calvento /93 min/feature/ PHILIPPINES
Synopsis: When a Filipino woman goes missing, the residents of her small town try to pin murder on her American husband. Part thriller and part social critique, The Decaying asks if the rot is in the house, the marriage, the town or in the Philippine society. Director & Writer: Sonny Calvento, Producer: Tony Calvento, Arden Rod Condez, Ferdinand Lapuz. Cast: Billy Ray Gallion, Gina Alajar, JC Santos, Jameson Blake, Elaine Yu, Angel Dannah Cardoza.
7:00pm: SPECIAL SCREENING PROGRAM
– NO DEER FOR DINNER by Yuhang Chen /14min/ short/ USA (Non-competition)
Synopsis: In a small town in Nevada mountains strange things keep happening in the last 36 years. Each year, one person goes missing and nobody ever found the body or any belongings. A young couple breaks into an old couple’s house after they robbed a bank. What is waiting for them is beyond their expectations. Director: Yuhang Chen, Writer: Otoniel Walker, Producer: Yuhang Chen & Xiaoran Wu, Editor: Yu-Ying Chang. Cast: James Mcfarlane.
– NINA & NANA by Aulona Selmani /12min/short / KOSOVA (Non-competition)
Synopsis: After losing her child and the police announcing her dead, a mother does not stop looking for her missing daughter, assuming she is alive. Following her intuition she never gives up even if it means to be her against the world. Director & Writer: Aulona Selmani. Cast: Arta Selimi, Ismail Kasumi, Olta Selmani, Kreshnik Malushaj.
– PATRIK by Evgenya Radilova / 10min/short/ USA (Non-competition)
Synopsis: PATRIK is a story about an accomplished elderly actor who grew too old for our modern fast paced life and on his way to receiving his final and ultimate life time recognition, he gets swallowed up by it mercilessly. It is a human story about trying to age gracefully while being pushed aside by the next generation. Director: Evgenya Radilova, Producer: Evgeniya Radilova, Darja Schabad, Writer: Evgeniya Radilov & Ella Mishe. Cast: Patrik Baldauff, Jamal Hodge and Dena Tyler.
– RELIEF by Vladislav Pavlov / 15min/ short / USA-RUSSIA (Non-competition)
Synopsis: Cat is madly in love with her sister`s husband. Cat left her hometown, moved to a big city but it didn`t work out. She encounters a gestalt psychologist who promised her help. Cat invites an escort from Craigslist to work her story out. It looks like a date in the beginning but the game gradually goes the wrong way. Director: Vlad Pavlov, Writer: Natalie Berman, Vlad Pavlov, Producer: Ekaterina Terekhovich, Vlad Pavlov, Anna Dudina. Cast: Lovie Underwood, Sebastien Faure, Neil Wade.
– FORGOTTEN by Hosseyn Nayernia/ 6 min/short/UK
Synopsis: A glimpse into what life with dementia feels like.
Director, Writer & Producer: Hosseyn Nayernia.
– PRACTICE by Taizu /Wesley Caspillo / 2:38 min / music video / USA (Non-competition)
Synopsis: Practice makes perfect is an adage that has held its weight in water since the days of the Tao Te Ching. Repetition is the father of learning. Luck is the outcome of an action. But you have to buy a lottery ticket first to win. Entitlement is the opposite of Practice. Nothing is owed to you in this world. We all breathe the same air. When Rishi Rex was producing the beat and I started writing out the first verse, a lot of these elements begin to connect.
Director: Wesley Caspillo, Writer: Taizu, Produced: Rishi Rex. Cast: Taizu, Wesley Caspillo, Bobby Stevenson, Ambika Sanjana, Zack Yassin, & Jay Soni.
9:00pm: SPECIAL SCREENING PROGRAM
– LITTLE MISS WESTIE by Dan Hunt and Joy E. Reed / 75 min/Doc/ USA (Non-competition)
Synopsis: If Ren could go back in time before she was four, she would tell her parents that she wasn’t happy living as a boy. Now, Ren is about to compete as the first out transgirl in the Little Miss Westie Pageant. Gender dynamics evolve in front of the viewer’s eyes while two transgender siblings explore who they are in this intimate portrait. Director: Dan Hunt and Joy E. Reed
Cast: Shelley Stoehr-McCarthy, Luca McCarthy, Ren McCarthy, Chris. McCarthy, Tony Ferraiolo.
Followed by Q&A
MAY 21/TUESDAY/PC THEATRE (358 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036)
3:00pm: SPECIAL SCREENING PROGRAM
– RISE: FROM INDEPENDENCE TO IMMORTALITY by Aaron Mak / 75min/doc / AUSTRALIA (Non-competition)
Synopsis: This is the story of how the Australian rock band, Cynation, had a dream to gather other local artists together to make their very first, incredibly ambitious, music video. Despite facing doubt and constant adversity, they endured, remained humorously positive, and made the impossible happen. There comes a time in our lives, where we can’t just stay down – we must rise.
Director: Aaron Mak, Writer & Producer: Aaron Mak & Josh Mak
Cast: Aaron Mak, Josh Mak, Simon Lai, Andrew Teo, Klaire Auden, Aurora Flair, Sham, Izzy Bellissima, Paris Rowe.
Followed by Q&A
7:00 PM / AWARDS CEREMONY/
Dolby Laboratories Theatre (1350 6th Ave # 20, New York, NY 10019)
AWARDS 2019
Best Feature Film
Best Short Film
Best feature Doc. Film
Best short Doc. Film
Best Animation
Best Music Video
Best Actor Award
Best Actress Award
Best Production Award
Best Cinematography
IFFNY Jury of 2019
TBA
Closing Night
(After party: TBA)