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Official Selection - Albuquerque Live Festival
Wednesday, August 25th - Saturday, August 28th 2021
All screenings will be at:
Guild Cinema
3405 Central Avenue NE Albuquerque, NM --->
Map
Wednesday, August 25th - Pre Festival Mixer at Rob's Place - 4:00pm to 7:00pm
4310 Central Ave SE, Ste C (Connected to O'Niell's Pub)
***Filmakers, Crew, Friends, and Family! (No pass or ticket needed)***
Thursday, August 26th 12:30pm - Covid-19 Films
Filmmaker Q&A Follwing Film Block
view trailer
Zooming - Pandemic Dance No. 2
(Dir. Richard Daniels)
[USA]
The film begins with an experiment for a dance on camera inspired by a technology with which we're all now spending considerable time, yet takes another path as it absorbs a personal tragedy - the death of my cousin. I invite the audience to join me in a fantasy about life outside, and to consider the fragmented nature of a medium which has become a substitute for connection even during the most precious moments of human experience.
view trailer
The Pandemic Artist
(Dir. Bob Belinoff)
[USA]
During the lockdown a man searches for art and seeks to make sense of the world - without leaving the house.
Inside
(Dir. Jemma Cholawo & Lois Norman)
[UK]
A tender two moments of reflection by writer Lois Norman, as she keeps her 95 year Father close and safe at home, during Lockdown. Inside, the 'feminine’ nurtures, protects and holds the memory of loved ones in our hearts. It reclaims the strength of 'family' and the power of Love to sustain us all.
view trailer
LAG: A Zoomsical Comedy
(Dir. Haddon Kime)
[USA]
Created by composer Haddon Kime after a commission by Out of Hand Theater in Atlanta, GA, it tells the story of a class on meditation and self-care practices that has recently made the move to Zoom due to the COVID-19 crisis. Four students and an instructor bravely attempt to attain inner peace in this new online environment which is beset with all the distractions and frustrations of our "new normal." Will they overcome glitchy technology, and the deep fear of losing everything, or will they implode in the process?
view trailer
My Friend, Marcel
(Dir. William Soffe)
[UK]
In the midst of a national lockdown, Frank Dennison makes a new friend within the confines of his own home. This new friend, Marcel, helps Frank cook, work, and provides company when he most needs it. However, as Marcel’s behaviour begins to sour, Frank must choose between leaving his friend, or getting trapped within his own psyche forever.
Bathroom Window
(Dir. Julia Gil de Freitas)
[USA]
In the lonely times of self-isolation, one woman finds an unlikely connection. She and her neighbor find solace in communication through the bathroom window.
view trailer
Routine
(Dir. Russ Emanuel)
[USA]
During a mysterious pandemic, Cassie’s quarantine life has turned into a routine, day in and day out. Nothing new seems to happen, until she realizes she’s out of coffee. And she’s determined to get her cup of joe, even if she must face the horrors of the outside world. Because “she’d kill for a cup of coffee.” In this part-animated live action short, anything goes.
The Corona Dialogues
(Dir. Dylan Brody)
[USA]
Lindsay Grunman, youngest and possibly sanest member of the highly-functioning dysfunctional Grunman family, keeps up with family, and runs her successful TNT Series -- sort of about her family -- over zoom during a pandemiic.
Hydra
(Dir. Adie Allen)
[UK]
A short film about self portraits.
view trailer
Self Quarantined: Series 1
(Dir. Eric Chaussé)
[USA]
Living by yourself during the extended stay at home order can be tough. But what if you had to share your living space with different sides of your personality? Would it be that much easier? Meet three completely different guys (A 40-year-old man, a colorful young artist and a French Canadian gamer) who do their best to live in harmony during these challenging times.
view trailer
Mrs D.
(Dir. Jola Kudela)
[Poland]
Mrs D. is a short étude on the themes of love, passing of time, regret, and the loss of identity that comes with age. It is based on one of the pivotal monologues from Virginia Woolf’s novel.
Thursday, August 26th 2:30pm - Short Films
Filmmaker Q&A Follwing Film Block
view trailer
The Last One
(Dir. Neil A. Ortiz)
[USA]
The world and all its governments are in chaos as they set out to combine their efforts and eliminate all "Supers." One battles with himself to stay hidden? Or reclaim his destiny?
view trailer
Permafrost
(Dir. Aeryn Lee)
[USA]
Permafrost takes place in a world devastated by climate change, and follows a small crew on an impossible mission to find an artifact from before The Frost. The film is set 11 generations after the earth changed, in northern Texas which has become a frozen wasteland. This is a world without literacy, where people rely on oral tradition and stories told through generations about brave expeditions and attempts to locate the essential artifact. But this crew is different. They have a secret weapon. They have a young girl with an uncanny talent for mapmaking; she can see what no one else sees. It's as if the land speaks to her. Placing their faith in this young cartographer, the crew strives to bend the arc of history toward hope.
The Number Game
(Dir. Shihyun Wang)
[USA]
Trying to make sense why death and confirmed Covid case number kept on changing.
view trailer
Ghost Town
(Dir. Emily Fraser)
[USA]
The last living residents of a ghost town lost to the New Mexican desert return to say their final farewells.
Strand Castle
(Dir. Keziah Anderson)
[USA]
"Strand Castle" is a thriller about a young woman who becomes tormented by an eerie voice inside her house.
Thursday, August 26th 4:30pm - Feature Length Film
Filmmaker Q&A Follwing Film Block
view trailer
Driftless
(Dir. Harper Philbin)
[USA]
Driftless is a feature-length drama about Nova Abbey, a park ranger at work during a state government shutdown on a busy 4th of July weekend, protecting the park from the people and the people from each other.
Thursday, August 26th 6:30pm - Short Films
Filmmaker Q&A Follwing Film Block
Father's Day
(Dir. Justin Rose)
[USA]
When successful attorney Jim Sexton gets a free coffee on Father's Day, it causes him to reflect back on his life, what's happened and what will never be.
Darkside
(Dir. John K.D. Graham)
[USA]
The DARKSIDE music video takes you on a dreamy journey of two broken souls seeking love. This music video was created with over 3,000 still photographs to create the animation. It was made on location in 6 states: New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California.
view trailer
The Awakeover
(Dir. Stephen Burhoe)
[USA]
A sleepover movie night turns sinister, as the contents of the scary movies become not-so-imaginary.
view trailer
Insecurity
(Dir. Joshua Caleb Horton)
[USA]
INSECURITY is a buddy cop Hip-Hop comedy. Nate and Jake are the "other guys" of campus security. These lowly security guards are grossly underpaid, bullied by students, and antagonized by the campus police officers. When Nate and Jake finally get the chance to be the cops they’ve always dreamed of, it doesn’t necessarily go as planned... Or does it? Most of us are insecure, some of us are INSECURITY.
Scary Finger
(Dir. Colin A Borden)
[USA]
When Ed's finger spontaneously gains sentience, he goes from office zero to hero. But will Man and Finger go too far?
Changing Lives One Dive at a Time
(Dir. Shannon Unser)
[USA]
On February 5th 1999 the auto racing community came together when Al Unser Jr. and Shelley's 12 yr. old daughter Cody laid in a hospital with a mysteries virus that in less than 24 hrs paralyzed her from the chest down. Transverse Myelitis was the culprit and The Cody Unser First Step Foundation was Cody's answer to make sure the public knew about this paralyzing, often times misdiagnosed condition. Cody will tell you it was the worst and best day of her life. Growing up in and around race tracks, Cody was determined to live life to the fullest and stand on the gas. At the encouragement from her older brother Al, Cody found her quality of life and dream to become a certified SCUBA diver.
view trailer
Hautism and Wilderwood
(Dir. Christopher Michael Roybal)
[USA]
Hautism and Wilderwood celebrates the innate connection between autistic people and horses -- and the program that embraces it.
view trailer
Charlie.exe
(Dir. Matthew Evans)
[USA]
Two scientists who lost their daughter in a tragic accident struggle with whether to rebuild an artificially intelligent version of her.
Thursday, August 26th 8:30pm - Short Films
Filmmaker Q&A Follwing Film Block
view trailer
Manasanamaha
(Dir. Deepak Reddy)
[India]
A young man muses on the nature of love, recounting three relationships from his past. The girls in his life resemble three different seasons, namely Chaitra (Spring), Varsha (Monsoon) & Seeta (Winter).
view trailer
Stay Calm
(Dir. Sam Quinn & Connor McLean)
[USA]
All of humanity has been infected with a rage zombie virus that lies dormant until triggered by adrenaline spikes in its host. A love triangle consisting of ZACK, his wife, GABI, and their best friend, PATRICK, have escaped the city and taken refuge in a desolate desert home. The trio must control their emotions and most primal instincts in order to keep from turning into a monster.
Poems From the Dust
(Dir. Than Niles)
[USA]
A young man travels to his childhood home in the hill country where he begins to suspect he is not alone.
view trailer
Remembrance
(Dir. Shane Joseph Willis)
[Australia]
A thief who downloads memories and information to sell to the highest bidder is cornered by a mysterious woman who wants information of her own; but the woman is not all that she appears.
view trailer
Death Offers Life - last moments of Vincent Van Gogh
(Dir. Saheer Abbas)
[India]
The story is the fictional account of the last five minutes of the acclaimed painter Vincent Van Gogh who was a failure in his lifetime. Death who has come to take him makes an offer which Van Gogh rejects and accepts the hands of death gracefully.
Friday, August 27th 12:30pm - Feature Length Film
Filmmaker Q&A Follwing Film Block
view trailer
Tuscaloosa
(Dir. Philip Harder)
[USA]
1972. Vietnam war protests and racial tension is sizzling in the late summer heat of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Billy Mitchell (Devon Bostick, Diary of a Wimpy Kid), a recent college graduate, spends the summer working on the lush grounds of an old world mental institution run by his psychiatrist father (Tate Donovan, Rocketman). Billy falls in love with Virginia (Natalia Dyer, Velvet Buzzsaw, Stranger Things), a patient who is possibly crazy, or perhaps she is the only sane person Billy has in his world. Billy’s best friend Nigel (Marchánt Davis) becomes involved with a radical civil rights activist (YG) against Tuscaloosa’s power elite, which includes Billy’s father. Billy is torn between Nigel, his father and his cronies, and Virginia who is planning her escape with or without Billy.
Friday, August 27th 2:30pm - Short Films
Filmmaker Q&A Follwing Film Block
view trailer
A Pilgrimage Into Tibet
(Dir. Mark Gould)
[Australia]
To acknowledge the 60 year freedom struggle of the Tibetan people and their leader, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, eight intrepid pilgrims take on an epic pilgrimage trek through remote Nepal into occupied Tibet, to walk around Mount Kailash, Asia's most sacred mountain. Confronting altitude, officialdom and their own physical limits, their journey reveals seldom seen experiences of todays' Nepal and Tibet. in summer 2019.
Hurt
(Dir. Don Swanson)
[USA]
The music video for the song Hurt from award-winning singer/songwriter/musician Mia Zanotti is from the soundtrack for the award-winning feature film Occurrence at Mills Creek.
The Dream
(Dir. Pierre Jampy)
[USA]
Right before the covid-19 pandemic hits New York City, a man faces the disillusionment of the American dream and reflects on the necessity to reimagine the world.
Out of Time
(Dir. Delphine Montaigne)
[France]
This time, Felix is risking a lot. The director summoned his mother and threatened to deny him the access to the establishment. But what could Felix have done? And what kind of establishment is it exactly?
Brake
(Dir. Aja M Weary & Amanda Richardson)
[USA]
BRAKE is a 2D-3D hybrid Animation about a man that endures sensory overload from attempting to travel. He and his service animal are denied entry which sends him into a panic. His service animal works to get him back to his senses.
I'll Stand With You
(Dir. Matt Norman)
[Australia]
A short film dedicated to taking a stance against racism in sport.
view trailer
As Organism
(Dir. Moe Taylor & Kathryn E F Taylor)
[USA]
Join Rachel Sellers and Alan Watts for a journey in scale from the subatomic world to the edge of the cosmos as they open your eyes to the possibilities of the universe as a single organism.
On / Off
(Dir. Nicolas P. Villarreal)
[Argentina]
Endless distractions threaten to destroy creativity.
Friday, August 27th 4:30pm - Feature Length Film
Filmmaker Q&A Follwing Film Block
view trailer
Noon Time Legends
(Dir. Paul Ingles)
[USA]
A dedicated group of aging basketball playing enthusiasts have been gathering to play full-court 5-on-5 twice a week for closing in on 20 years. They've experienced the exuberance of deep camaraderie and the sadness of deep loss.
Friday, August 27th 6:30pm - Short Films
Filmmaker Q&A Follwing Film Block
view trailer
The Tell Tale Heart
(Dir. McClain Lindquist)
[USA]
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart" is considered the first Psychological Thrillers ever penned. He classic tale has been re-visioned in this gruesome, mind-bending, descent into madness.
Holy Water
(Dir. Noor-un-nisa Touchon)
[USA]
Holy Water is about a spiritual path to enlightenment, while facing inner demons along the way and allowing inner guidance to lead the journey. The song is from Wakeself's posthumous album, "Ready To Live." The hip hop artist and community activist was killed by a drunk driver on Nov. 5 2019. He never got the opportunity to release his album and instead, his family released the project to honor the continuation of Wake's message. Produced in collaboration with the Institute of American Indian Arts, Holy Water was one of the last videos that Wakeself shot before his passing.
Ash and Bone (trailer)
(Dir. Harley Wallen)
[USA]
A troubled teenager is taken to the peace and quiet of the country side by her father and step mother in an effort to calm down her wild streak. But after she crosses the infamous McKinley family, it becomes clear that sometimes danger lies hidden in the weeds, ready to strike at any moment.
view trailer
Happy Anniversary
(Dir. DeAngelo Bethea)
[USA]
Two broken hearted people meet at the most unexpected time in an unexpected place. Revenge and redemption paint a beautiful backdrop for love in this wonderful story of love and loss. Deangelo Bethea and Sofia Embid are dynamic.
Conductor
(Dir. Royce Leii)
[USA]
When Fernando returns to his homeland with the hopes to connect his family to their roots, the trip takes a turn for the worst forcing him to come face to face with the dark reality of his beloved home. He is left questioning if he himself still belongs there.
view trailer
Give Me a Name
(Dir. Sheena Holliday)
[UK]
The United Kingdom, about ten years in the future. Jennifer, a senior intelligence officer, is briefing her deputy Kate about a new detainee who has been arrested for crimes against the state. But there is something different about this prisoner... As Kate conducts a ruthless interrogation, Jennifer, faced with her sense of duty on one side and her conscience on the other, must make an impossible choice.
view trailer
Preservation
(Dir. Michael Benjamin Walker)
[UK]
Hazel, a lonely woman and avid shell collector, decides to preserve a rose to help her recall her husband, Walter's face.
Friday, August 27th 8:30pm - Feature Length Film
Filmmaker Q&A Follwing Film Block
view trailer
Shellfish
(Dir. Hunter Hopewell)
[USA]
A coming-of-age comedy with a twist of stop motion animation. Amidst mounting parental pressure to find a real job, college filmmaker Keller has one week to secretly produce a short film with his brother and longtime crush. When their shoot goes wrong, they confront each other about much more than production issues. Faced with his own selfishness, Keller must decide which is more important, his filmmaking or close relationships.
Saturday, August 28th - Screenplay Selection Q&A at Rob's Place - 1:00pm
4310 Central Ave SE, Ste C (Connected to O'Niell's Pub)
***Everyone welcome! (No pass or ticket needed)***
Feature Scripts
Forever After
(Emil Faithe)
[USA]
World-weary Beverly Hills Detective “Mack” McDonald is weeks from retirement when he lands a murder case in a ritzy retirement resort slash hospital. People are dying and bodies are going missing. And the on-site, divinely connected Clergy, Sister Diana, seems to know why. But she’s not letting on. Yet.
Pulse of My Heart
(Johnny Zito)
[USA]
Victor, a promising actor, delivers a knockout performance in a lackluster play. Backstage he meets Dymphna, an aspiring actress. After a night of passion, Dymphna confesses she’s in an open marriage and has a child. Dymphna tells her husband, Kyle, about Victor. As the relationship between Victor and Dymphna deepens, Kyle foresees that he could lose Dymphna to Victor so he devises a plan to tear Victor and Dymphna apart.
Dream Catchers
(Andrea Crow Gibson)
[USA]
In medieval Scotland, a man searching for redemption becomes the target of torment as his power to heal becomes a catalyst for fear.
Loonatoona
(Shockadelic)
[Australia]
Follow an Australian family of four through a surreal day.
Short Scripts
Milton
(Kevin Machate)
[USA]
A sweet, poignant story of two elderly women on vacation in Santa Fe, struggling with their physical limitations while sharing memories of a life fully lived.
Until Valhalla
(Arturo Javier Mireles)
[USA]
A soldier playing games with Death, spends his time hanging out with old friends.
Fatal Ambition
(Angel Connell)
[USA]
A politically ambitious district attorney pursuing a serial murderer is confronted by the killer himself with a demand that the DA publicly retract her false yet exploitative claim about a crime he never committed.
Pueblo Stories: A Perfect World
(Nathaniel Fuentes)
[USA]
Po, a young Puebloan man, is growing up in a hostile environment that is filled me dangers. He is being raised by his mother who is a fierce warrior among her people. They are both charged with traveling to a faraway trading post to trade meat, hides, and turquoise for rifles to help them in a losing war with a cannibal tribe. An long the path to the trading post the pair meet a father and daughter who are looking for a rare medicine that will help to save their village from sickness. The daughter, Poekwi introduces Po to a way of life that he has never known other than death and war. He becomes conflicted in what life is really about and begins to question what his destiny really is.
Saturday, August 28th - AWARDS CEREMONY at Rob's Place - 3:00pm
4310 Central Ave SE, Ste C (Connected to O'Niell's Pub)
***Everyone welcome! (No pass or ticket needed)***
Saturday, August 28th - AFTER PARTY immediately follwing Awards Ceremony at Rob's Place
4310 Central Ave SE, Ste C (Connected to O'Niell's Pub)
***Everyone welcome! (No pass or ticket needed)***