21 Islands Int’l Short Film Fest 2016

GET TICKETS

December 9-11, 2016
IN THE BRONX

Featuring short films from:

• ISLAND nations 
• ISLAND territories and 
• ISLAND states all around the world

A feature event of PregonesPRTT’s 21 Islands Project.

 

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Advance Tickets >>

Individual tickets start at $10 per screening.

Screening dates and times:

Friday Dec 9th

7PM – Screening #1 – Festival Opening and Reception. TICKETS >>

1. MODERN CITY: Melisa Ramos (festival curator). Manhattan. Experimental Animation. 2015. 3mins.
   The mechanized and empty life of a man in the big apple drives him to rescue himself through his dreams.
2. REMEMBER: Shunsaku Hayashi. Japan. Animation/Fantasy. 2015. 9 mins.
   Leaving home, “i” got a phone call. As “i” answered it, the house exploded. “i” went to work and continued as if nothing happened.
3. DRAFT EIGHT: Christian Chalken. United Kingdom. Drama. 2016. 10 mins.
   Elderly novelist Douglas Stader converses with his new character – a literature based version of his younger self. Together they outline the character’s personality in an attempt to write a fictionalized autobiography of themselves.
4. TIPS: Nicole Teitel. Manhattan. Animation. 2016. 4 mins.
   An uncomfortable traveler is forced to make connections with the world around him when he realizes he has cities on his finger tips. He lives on an airplane orbiting another person’s hand – a lady sitting next to him on the plane. The film is an exploration of scale, anxiety, and finding our place in the world.
5. TRUE COLOUR: Yu Ting Huang. Taiwan. Animation. 2016. 4 mins.
   In a departure from traditional animation, this short film explores how color influences different animals’ perception and approach to life, as each animal is stained by the colors of surprise and joy.
6. THINK DEEP: Peter Skovsbo. Cape Verde, Canada– Thriller; Crime. 7 mins.
   Plotting his wife’s murder for the umpteenth time, Marc and Jodie learn the hard way that actions speak louder than words.
7. TRUMPET MAN: Emily Wong. Hong Kong. Animation. 2016. 13 mins.
   A woman named Avocado springs out of a turntable. Avocado’s instinct creates a man called Soul. Passion swings them in a great trumpet mood. But madness strikes Soul and makes him enter Avocado. Seed of passion breeds conflict among five men and leads Soul to the fact of life.
8. CUT-OFF: Jordan Lott. Australia. Drama. 2016. 12 mins.
   A young woman and her mother reconnect after a car accident that killed her father and left her blind.

Guest films courtesy of Puerto Rico’s Cinefiesta Film Fest:

• LA FOTO DE PAPA: David Norris. Puerto Rico. Drama. 2015. 9 mins.
  Margarita is deeply in love with Mateo, her first and only boyfriend, who disappeared when they were both 18. Forty five years later Mateo shows up at Margarita’s doorstep with an old photo, searching for the love of his life.
• EL EXTRAORDINARIO SEÑOR JUPITER: Federico Torres. Drama. Puerto Rico. 2015. 17 mins.
  Franco Jupiter, an extraordinary magician with real powers, challenges nature in order to find real love.

Saturday Dec 10th

3PM – Screening # 2. GET TICKETS >>

1. GLUTTONY. HSUEH-CHENG Lu. Taiwan. Comedy. 2011. 5 mins.
   Chubby goes to work as usual, but everyone in his office is vanished. He finds a polaroid camera in the office, which can turn pictures into real things. With his usual voracious appetite, he uses the camera to get all of the food he can think of. Until…
2. DESPERATELY SEEKING SIGNAL. Thomas Smalley. Prince Edward Island, Canada. Women, LGBT. 2015. 7 mins.
   A 911 dispatcher helps a lost and surprisingly upbeat woman in a compromising situation and connects with more than just the call.
3. KE_237. Richard Hewitson. UK. Science Fiction. 2016. 8 mins.
   In a reality not all that different from our own, Katherine is overcome by the unexpected events that transpire in her therapy session.
4. A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PINT. Robbie Walsh. Ireland. Comedy. 2014. 3 mins.
   Life happens, especially when you don’t watch.
5. UNA NOCHE EN LA GUARIDA DEL ANGEL: EL ATRACO. Héctor Escandel. Ibiza, Spain. Comedy. 2015. 5 mins.
   Petty criminals Lobo Feroz and Valquiria decide to rob a rural shop in the middle of nowhere. They haven’t taken into account Sister Lucia, the bravest nun ever.
6. FOXGLOVE. Dean Brian. Ireland. Horror. 2015. 11 mins.
   In the wilds of Connemara, an engineer and his daughter are targeted by an ancient and angry force from within the earth itself.
7. SCRAPS. Dor Cohen. New Zealand. 2016. Animation, Fantasy. 3 mins.
   A starving rat who lives in a scrapyard builds a rocket ship that he hopes will fly him to the moon, which he thinks is made out of cheese.
8. BAOZHA! Jasper Liu. Singapore. Animation. 2016. 7 mins.
   A young guardian angel must overcome her gaming distractions to protect her mortal, a hapless old grandmother, from untimely death.

Guest film courtesy of Cinefiesta Film Fest:

• EL FONDILLO MARAVILLOSO. Cesar Rodriguez. Dominican Republic/Puerto Rico Comedy. 2015. 20 mins.
  A pimped-up candy truck doubles as a love den for one man’s dangerous obsession with booty.

5PM – Screening #3. GET TICKETS >>

1. THIS IS MY SON. John Corcoran. Ireland. Drama. 2015. 17 mins.
   Ireland, 1949. A grieving man questions his own faith as he struggles to deal with the fate of his son’s soul.
2. THE PAIGNTON PUDDING RIOT. Tom Edmondson. UK. Animation, Comedy. 2016. 4 mins.
   Paignton has just completed an extension of its railway line and organizes a giant feast. The event’s grand centerpiece is a specially baked one-and-a-half-ton pudding! Masses turn up to celebrate. After consuming vast amounts of local cider, jubilation soon gives way to desperation and chaos.
3. ROBOETHICS. Rut Angielina G. Fuentes. Tenerife. Drama, Sci-Fi. 2015. 5 mins.
   When should you start treating a robot like a person? Lara and Sergio will soon discover that a human guardian can be more dangerous than an artificial one, since robots may react more humanly than humans themselves.
4. I CAN SEE YOU. Gu Jie. Japan. Animation. 2016. 8.5 mins.
5. SILENCE. Fiona Compton. UK. Drama. 2016. 4 mins.
   Silence is a film made in conjunction with Not Asking For it – a campaign aimed at stopping abuse against women. Touching on the knock-on effect of child abuse into adulthood, Silence is an emotional insight into abusive relationships.
6. THE NIGHT CIRCUS. Eskild Krogh. Denmark. Horror. 2016. 9 mins.
   Two men go about their business, removing the departed from local mob hits, when business as usual suddenly becomes rather unusual.
7. BIOPSIA. Glorimar Marrero. Puerto Rico. Drama. 2016. 13 mins.
   A story about surviving cancer in Vieques, Puerto Rico.
8. SANTIAGO. Emma Allen. UK. Experimental. 2016. 1.5 mins.
   An animated self-portrait exploring human evolution and a projection of a possible future.

Guest film courtesy of Cinefiesta Film Fest:

• EN PEDAZOS. Michele Mailey Campos. Puerto Rico Drama, 2015, 14 mins.
  A visceral drama about love, loss and redemption which portrays the confrontation between a sister and a big brother, both immersed with their own different addictions.

8PM – Screening # 4. GET TICKETS >>

1. NO VIDA. Hector Escandell. Ibiza, Spain. Horror. 2014. 3.5 mins.
   “No Life” is the story of Pedro and Maria, desperate parents who have different point of view on how to deal with the serious illness of their daughter.
2. DECISIONES. Rut Angielina G. Fuentes. Tenerife. Comedy. 2016. 2 mins.
   Making the right choice isn’t always easy.
3. MACHISTA. William Rosario. Manhattan. Comedy. 2015. 13 mins.
   After a mind-blowing one-night stand, a male chauvinist uses his outdated tricks in an attempt to conquer a strong independent woman. Based on the monologue by Nuyorican poet Jesús Abraham Tato Laviera
4. KITE. Lin Hsin. Taiwan. Animation. 2016. 3 mins.
   The heart-breaking story of the end of a relationship, told via the metaphor of a kite. As the kite flies away, a girl learns to let go of the past and live in the moment.
5. MAGDA MOZARKA. Bojana Momirovic. Croatia. Drama. 2016. 15 mins.
   We are on the small island of Sipan, Croatia, in the 1930s. Magda is getting ready for the return of her fiancé, Romano, from America. Every day she goes down to the port and sings at the pier. The villagers mock her. She waits.
6. AGUA. Pablo Lozano. Dominican Republic. Fiction. 2016. 5 mins.
   Mirta Sésé Franco (grandmother, 65) and Lisnay Veliz Brito (little girl, 12) star in an audiovisual essay that seeks to explore the relationship of “self” with the “inner child”.

Guest films courtesy of Cinefiesta Film Fest:

• OSLO. Luis Ernesto Doña. Cuba. 2012. 13 mins.
  Elder couple Raúl and Amanda live in the Cuban countryside. Obsessed with seeing snow, Amanda madly searches for her “Oslo”. Seeing her health deteriorate daily, Raul fabricates a dream space in their house where Amanda can feel cool. Yet Raul is unable to prevent the coldness that overtakes their love life.

• EL GRAN ELEFANTE. Carlos Lozada. Puerto Rico. Drama. 2015. 9 mins.
  A couple find themselves at a crossroads as they try to leave their country. What they consider to be the perfect plan tumbles down when they have to figure out how to get rid of an unexpected surprise.

Sunday Dec 11th

2PM –  Screening # 5. GET TICKETS >>

1. ONE LAST LOOK: Roobie Walsh. Ireland. Thriller- 2016- 6 mins.
   Two mysterious men meet on a deserted beach. One has betrayed the other with deadly consequences.
2. PREDICANDO LA MORAL EN CALZONCILLOS: Juliana Maite Irizarry. Puerto Rico. Comedy. 2016. 7 mins.
   Ilia considers herself an expert in feminism, yet everything changes when her date takes gender equality to a whole new level.
3. THE HEART OF THE FOREST: Giles Alderson. UK. Drama. 2016. 15 mins.
   In the forest of suicide, a mother and daughter are carving out a living for themselves among the dead, when they come across a man about to end his life.
4. UNDER THE CLOCK: Vassia Papailiou. Greece. Drama. 2015. 21 mins.
   Leading a life of seclusion in her dead parents’ house, Ana makes her way to work down the same dark alley every day. One day she finds a strange book with blank pages. She takes an interest in it and takes it home, only to find the conflict of a dark past and an uncertain future in which everything is under the clock.
5. IN THE HORIZON’S DREAM. Ramón A. Peña. Dominican Republic. Drama. 2014. 15 mins.
   After the death of his father and without the knowledge of his mother, Luis enters into a contest for a scholarship in the capital. While Luis dreams of going to the city, his brother Chico begins to feel lonely and secluded, complicating an already fragile family situation.

Guest film courtesy of Cinefiesta Film Fest:

• LUNA VIEJA. Raissa Bonet. Puerto Rico. 2015. 11 mins.
  During her granddaughter’s visit, Elsa witnesses something she wishes she had never seen.

4PM – Screening # 6. GET TICKETS >>

1. FINDING HOME. Radheya Jegatheva. Australia. Animation. 2015. 3 mins.
   A lonely piece begins to look for his family and home. Traveling along all kinds of terrain, he meets some of his own kind along the way, joining his quest.
2. GHOST OF THE SUN. Koji Yamamoto. Japan. Fantasy. 2015. 13 mins.
   Haunted and led by visions of flames and a mysterious eyeless ghost, a lone dying girl arrives at a mythical shore where she could finally find peace.
3. UNA VUELTA. David Márquez. Puerto Rico. Drama. 2016. 11 mins.
   Carla is a girl willing to do a lot for her future.
4. OORA “TRY AGAIN”. Cherry Avdianty. Malaysia. Animation. 2016. 3 mins.
   A shaman named Oora is sent by his people to their God’s place in the middle of nowhere. The tribe has suffered from dry season for many years. Oora tries his best to please his God with offerings that he brought from his place.
5. AMYGDALA. George Graham. UK. Drama. 2016. 10 mins.
   Alone and subsumed within the mayhem of Hackney nightlife, Bella becomes haunted by the memory of an ex-lover.
6. CAPTURING THE CRAIG. David Souto. Ireland. Experimental. 2016. 3 mins.
   A brief bit of life in an Irish bar.
7. CARDUMEN. Katherine Bautista. Dominican Republic. Drama. 2013. 12 mins.
   The hard life of a kid and his audacity to succeed.

7PM – Screening #7 – Festival closing and reception. GET TICKETS >>

1. MAÑANA HABLAMOS. Luifer Rodriguez. Gran Canaria, Spain. Drama. 2016. 5 mins.
   Looking at herself in the mirror, a mature woman suddenly discovers the meaning of her own reality.
2. THE IRRATIONAL FEAR OF NOTHING. Paul Trillo. Manhattan. Drama, Comedy, Sci-Fi. 2016. 7 mins.
   Terry, a paranoid neurotic man wanders through the streets of Manhattan. His memories and his irrational inner thoughts soon plague his every move. By channeling a form of mental time travel, he attempts to overcome these past anxieties.
3. BETWEEN US. Blake Curtis. Australia. Drama, LGBT. 2014. 14 mins.
   Juliet, a beautiful but straight-laced psychologist, is forced to return to her small hometown after her girlfriend, Lydia, discovers a wedding invitation. As soon as they arrive in Port Fairy Lydia, a carefree artist, realizes Juliet wants nothing more than to keep her past hidden.
4. BLIGHT. Dean Brian. Ireland. Horror. 2015. 15 mins.
   A young priest is summoned to battle dark supernatural forces threatening a remote Island community.
5. MUNCHIES. Sinead Stoddart. UK. Horror, comedy. 2016. 2 mins.
   Zombie Lee has an outrageous hunger that won’t be silenced by food alone. With his growing need to feed increasing, misjudgment and disaster arise in the kitchen, until a simple solution is found. And his rumbling is quenched.

Guest films courtesy of Cinefiesta Film Fest:

• ASÍ DE GRANDES SON LAS IDEAS. Enrique “Quique” Rivera. Puerto Rico. 2015. 5 mins.
  Based on a song, this is the story of an animated character who survives the end of the world and is able to control time
• QUESO DE CABRA. Juliana Irizarry. Cuba. Drama. 10 mins.
  Living in poverty, a mother gives her daughter away in order to survive.

Festival passes:

Click on your preferred Festival Pass below to purchase!

2 screenings for $15 – a savings of $5

3 screenings for $20 – a savings of $10

4 screenings for $25 – a savings of $15

5 screenings for $30 – a savings of $20

6 screenings for $35 – a savings of $25

7 screenings for $40 – a savings of $30

For more information call us at
718-585-1202

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A Festival of Shorts in the BX!

Filmmaker Melisa Ramos joins Pregones/PRTT to organize and curate the first edition of 21 Islands International Short Film Fest.

The three-day festival showcases short films depicting stories, aesthetics and thematic interests shared by artists living and producing film work in islands around the globe.

The Selection Process

A panel representing various segments of Pregones/PRTT’s stakeholders voted based on a shared selection criteria. Actors, musicians, humanists, writers, audience members and neighbors participated as panelists with the task of narrowing down the list from nearly 1,000 submissions from more than 100 Islands. The final count: 64 films, 21 islands!

For this first edition, we are proud to engage CINEFIESTA, Puerto Rico’s leading film festival presenter, as our special guest. Cinefiesta has generously shared curated film selections from Puerto Rico to be included in 21 Islands.

The 21 Islands selected are:

Australia, Cape Verde, Croatia, Cuba, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Gran Canaria, Greece, Hong Kong, Ibiza, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Manhattan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Prince Edward, Taiwan, Singapore, Tenerife and United Kingdom.

December 9-11, 2016: 7 Screenings over 3 days!

Pregones PRTT’s 21 ISLANDS initiative asks artists to elucidate the experience and understanding of island life.

Animation, experimental, live action films as short as 3 minutes and not longer than 20 minutes will make your experience a unique one.

Key questions we are interested in:

• Are there distinguishing features and creative expressions that are particular to island life?
• Are there cultural, philosophical, and aesthetic concerns shared by island artists?
• How do the histories of different islands from around the world resemble and contrast each other?

About 21 ISLANDS

21 ISLANDS is an international, multilingual, and multidiscipline presenting project of the recently merged Pregones Theater and Puerto Rican Traveling Theater. Conceived as a world-class creative residency with Bronx attitude, activities include work development and live performance, peer-to-peer artist mentoring, and a wide array of highly accessible and interactive community activities. Through a kaleidoscope of art, context, and dialogue, 21 ISLANDS shines a spotlight on the islander’s distinct sense of being in the world.

 

This project  is made possible, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the NYS Council on the Arts. Pregones is a Partner of the National Performance Network (NPN). 

[tab: VENUE] THE BRONX

Pregones Theater
575 Walton Avenue
The Bronx, NY 10451

Located on Walton Avenue between 149th and 150th Streets in The Bronx.

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RULES & GUIDELINES

1. Short films must be produced and shot on the island that is represented by a local director. Short films may be from island nations, island states or island territories.
2. Only the following categories will be included in the festival showcase:  Fiction. Animation. Experimental. Live Action.
3. Short films submitted for evaluation by the Selecting Committee must be original versions of high quality, and can be inscribed using one of the following options:
   1. Submmitt the short film via one of the following websites:
      www.clickforfestivals.com
      www.withoutabox.com
   2. Send via regular mail a DVD-Video (Widescreen aspect ratio) and a DVD-Data with a Movie file in HDV with resolution of 1280 x 720. Video file must be QuickTime (.mp4 codec H.264). The DVD must include a printed application form
      (CLICK HERE to download)
      and must be sent to:
      Pregones Theater,
      571-575 Walton Avenue,
      The Bronx, NY, 10451
4. Short films in low resolution will not be considered.
5. There are no restrictions as to themes or subjects. The maximum length is twenty (20) minutes, including credits.
6. Short films must be no older than 3 years.
7. Short films must have English subtitles (except those in English or without lines).
8. Short films must be submitted by the Director, Producer or Scripwriter, or by the person or organization with the legal rights over the film. Evidence of intellectual ownership must be submitted in writing. In those cases in which the short film is submitted by a person or entity other than the Director, this person or entity must submit official proof authorized by the Director.
9. By accepting to enter to this contest the participant declares that he/she/they/it has the authority and the legal capacity to participate in 21 Islands Short Film Fest and that this participation does not violate the legal rights of any person or entity. Furthermore, they agree to compensate, protect and hold harmless Pregones PRTT, its employees, officers and directors and concessionaires, exempt of any and all responsibility, loss, damages or attorney’s fees, that may arise or be related to any claim as a result of neglect, error, omission or criminal/civil act in which the participant may be a part, including, but without limitations, to intellectual or other rights.
10. The organizers could use additional submission methods to expedite and facilitate the selection process at their discretion.
11. With the above mentioned information, a recent photo (still) of the Director and a photogram taken from the short, both in high definition, shall be sent with its proper authorization to be published without restrictions.
12. Submission period begins August 27, 2016 and ends September 24, 2016. The festival will be celebrated December 16-18, 2016.
13. All works submitted to Pregones PRTT in The Bronx and 21 Islands Short Film Fest 2016 will be included in the permanent archives of Pregones PRTT. The mere participation in the contest constitute a valid legal authorization that entitles Pregones PRTT  to exhibit the competing short films, without limitations, in any media present or future and at any place in the world, provided due credit is given to the authors.
14. The non-profit nature of all Pregones PRTT activities guarantees that the works submitted will be used only to advance the educational and cultural objectives of Pregones PRTT.
15. Participants will be informed of the results of the competition through the Pregones PRTT website (www.pregonesprtt.org), or any other page/site created for that purpose, and announcements in the local and international press and by email.
16. 21 Islands Short Film Fest will award its filmmakers with script writing softwares and free film magazine subscriptions.