4th Bearded Child Film Festival
Myles Reif Performing Arts Center
Grand Rapids, Minnesota
Screening Schedule
Friday and Saturday, August 6 and 7, 2004
***Friday, Aug 6, 2004***
7pm- Experimental Program #1: Hidden Spaces
1. Split Screen (16 Minutes)
by Neil Ira Needleman Katonah, NY
- A 16-minute joyride for your optical system. Left and right screens fight it out for dominance. Sometimes they collaborate on a rhythmic pattern, sometimes they don't. The pace quickens, relaxes, becomes tense again. Hold on to your eyeballs.
- Contact: neilneedleman{at}optonline{dot}net
2. Postindustrial Symphony (16 Minutes)
by Jason Middleton Durham, NC
- While the original symphony films of the 1920s celebrated the life of the modern industrial city, "Postindustrial Symphony", a visual essay contrasting downtown Durham,NC and its neighboring Research Triangle Park, represents the transition to a new type of urban geography.
- Contact: jhm{at}email.unc{dot}edu
3. 50 Feet That Shook The World (3 Minutes)
by John Cannizzaro Tarzana, CA
- This stop-motion homage to the silent, Russian classics takes a twisted look at the ongoing war between film and video. (Imagine Jan Svankmajer remaking Potemkin!) This film was made for LA Flicker's "Attack of the 50 Foot Reels" (1 roll of Super 8 film, edited in camera, sound created without seeing the footage!)
- Contact: www.smokehousefilms.com; smokehousefilms{at}yahoo{dot}com
4. Souvenir From Africa (8 Minutes)
by Arianne Olthaar and Marjolijn van der Meij THE NETHERLANDS
- In quarantine, the protagonist leads a lonely immigrant existence. Based on a story by the Dutch writer W.F. Herman's "Zign God was een Mens".
5. Maps (4 Minutes)
by Andre Silva Iowa City, IA
- Maps circularly explores the separations of "time" and "space" in an organic universe that does not acknowledge the division of these human-made concepts.
- Contact: silva_cine{at}hotmail{dot}com
6. Zinc Garden (7.5 minutes)
by Michiel van Bakel Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
- A visual poem, a dream-like voyage that slowly hovers from a dandelion to a traffic cloverleaf to a highway at night. Different experimental animation techniques emphasize the musical orchestration that creates a unusual meditative and at times ominous atmosphere.
7. Glamour Girls (5 Minutes)
by Hester Scheaurwater Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
- The modern individual -in this case three women imprisoned by the glass and concrete of a sleek high-rise structures- appears isolated from reality, unable to connect with itself or its surroundings. The women are modern geisha's, with excessive, smudged make-up, and limbs covered in blood. After trying to fill the void with glamour, they lie down in silence, realizing that innocence has been lost. And brushing your teeth afterwords doesn't scrub away the taste of sin. 'As I lick your lips, they turn to stone,' sing Chicks on
Speed.
8. This Is The Bike Ride To Work (10 Minutes)
by Stephanie Gray Flushing, NY
- The bike ride to work is swiftly and slowly, dreamily documented with stories of real life scenes along the way as the bike ride heroine is thinking them. When was the last time you rode your bike and noticed the neighborhood? It's all true you know.
- Contact: bluespool{at}hotmail{dot}com
9. He, She, We Us,and They (3 Minutes)
by Sean Regan Eau Claire, WI
- A sound piece with video, inspired by Robert Morris' "Box With The Sound Of It's Own Making". Pronouns are used as empty variables; shifters, interacting together in a narrative that seems senseless. Words become sounds. The narration flows over images of wood being worked with woodworking tools. The use of tools, and the interplay of the common words that structure our inter-relationships are put into play together. Language and tools blur together. Language, seen as a tool, forms the image of a world: the world pictured as the formation of material; mere material at the disposal of tools. This video is about such a world.
- Contact: bluespool{at}hotmail{dot}com
10. This Is Being Black, This Is Being White (4 Minutes)
by Douglas Gast Hot Springs, AR
- The film purposes a structure where meaning exists or can be thought through as opposed to being thought of. Ideally the viewer will arrive at the conclusion, via one of two thought paths, that prejudice or discrimination is not logical or possible given the sameness or difference of individuals of different tonal skin variations.
- Contact: dpgast{at}hotmail{dot}com
11. Reckless Eyeballing (12 Minutes)
by Christopher Harris Orlando, FL
- During the Jim Crow era in the United States, black men were prosecuted or lynched for looking at white women. This crime was known as "reckless eyeballing." Referencing the lurid melodrama of Blaxploitation and D.W. Griffith's "Birth of a Nation" as well as Angela Davis, Medusa, Othello, photometry (the science of light measurement) and psychoanalysis, "Reckless Eyeballing" is an optically printed, hand-processed film about light, shadow, fear, desire and illicit gazes.
- Contact: ourmutt2{at}aol{dot}com
12. Pumpkin Phi (6 Minutes)
by John Hilkin Iowa City, IA
- A film based on the Fibonacci Spiral, a geometric spiral which uses the Fibonacci Numbers (0,1,1,2,3,5,18...) as its dimensions. The director was experimenting to see what 'mathematical perfection' would look like on film.
- Contact: Johnhilkin{at}yahoo{dot}com
9pm- Experimental Program #2: Recollections and Transmutations
13. Hojas de Maiz (10 minutes)
by Eric Theise San Francisco, CA
**This hand-made experimental film will be shown silent, with a live soundtrack by Kai Stenlund, a local musician.
- Contact: erictheise.com/films/hojasdemaiz/
14. Gulliver's Travels (3 Minutes)
by John Cannizzaro Tarzana, CA
- Held hostage by her dolls, a girl is forced into a showdown between good and evil in this offbeat, stop-motion film.
15. Glass Crow (7 Minutes)
by Steven Subotnick Providence, RI
- An animated meditation on the Defenestration of Prague, the spark which began the Thirty Years War. Richly layered images explore the worlds of nature, humanity, and heaven during this moment.
- Contact: steve{at}kravitzandsubotnick{dot}com
16. Ten Years Turkey (8.5 minutes)
by Micki Tschur Colorado Springs, CO
- A summary of a ten year project of double-stuffing turkeys; as a taxidermy centerpiece for the stuffed turkey on the dinner platter.
- Contact: furtschur{at}yahoo{dot}com
17. Fortress (5 Minutes)
by Leslie Raymond Ann Arbor, MI
- The establishment condemns the visionary.
- Contact: elray{at}potterbelmar{dot}org
18. Slow Force Glimpse (4 Minutes)
by Brook Hinton San Francisco, CA
- A feverish reverie in which images glimpsed from a train window become lodged in a dream-like world of menace and beauty.
- Contact: www.brookhinton.com; bhma{at}brookhinton{dot}com
19. Structural Filmwaste, Dissolution 1 (4 Minutes)
by Siegfried A. Fruhauf Vienna, AUSTRIA
20. Quotidian (7 Minutes)
by William T. Smith Denver, CO
- An abstract look at daily living while attempting to portray the surreal mind.
- Contact: usawts{at}aol{dot}com
21. And Happiness Everywhere (7 Minutes)
by Shannon Silva Iowa City, IA
- A four-month, intimate journal in which the filmmaker considers her conflicting emotions about being a newly married, thirty-something woman trying to negotiate between being an artist, being a wife, and, potentially, becoming a mother.
- Contact: runningtheasylum{at}yahoo{dot}com
22. Not Too Much Remember (11 Minutes)
by Tony Gault Englewood, CO
- Maybe it's the CIA and the LSD they gave "Richard", or America and its vast imagery screwed into our brains and restructuring our identity. Whatever "it" is, get ready for a found footage film that deconstructs the mighty power of narratives and their pervasive effect on the formation of consciousness.
- Contact: tgault{at}du{dot}edu
23. Closer To Heaven (15 Minutes)
by Diane Bonder Brooklyn, NY
- Urban ghosts collide, abandoned umbrellas tumble down the streets, my father calls again and again to say good-bye. A film about loss, longing and changing weather. "Closer to Heaven" is a good-bye poem and homage to my father.
yowza@sbcglobal
- Contact: dabonder{at}earthlink{dot}net
1hr. 30min.
11pm- Cult Classics
24. AlieNation (5 Minutes)
by Oliver Ferrasci San Francisco, CA
- A shocking expose' on the reality behind the cubical. WATCH; as ALIENS use our corporate American culture to breed stupidity and EVIL!!
- Contact: yowza{at}spcglobal{dot}net
25. Mort's Big Surprise (3 Minutes)
by Tom Beach Los Angeles, CA
- Mort has a big surprise for Cross, but the surprise Cross has for Mort is, well, a lot bigger.
- Contact: cakeinthenight{at}hotmail{dot}com
26. Monsters (5 Minutes)
by Paul Rodenburg Wyoming, MI
- Three monsters find themselves in need of money. So they find some jobs.
- Contact: paul{at}beaverjunction{dot}com
27. Vampire Sun (4 Minutes)
by Robert Parrish Arlington, VA
- In this experimental video human skin serves as a metaphor for the surface of the earth. Just as the ultraviolet rays of a tanning booth sear the skin and sows the seeds of cancer, relentless development threatens to kill the earth. What appears to move is still. What appears united is separate. What appears healthy is ill. What appears productive is destructive.
- Contact: hoppervideo{at}erols{dot}com
28. You Define Single File (6 Minutes)
by Random Touch Crystal Lake, IL
- Is is a cryptic, symbol laden message from space? Or is it an earthly occult message from the past? You decide.
- Contact: www.randomtouch.com; randomtouch{at}aol{dot}com
29. Season's Greetings (2 Minutes)
by James W. Harris Bartow County, GA
- The holidays are a time for warmth, joy, magic and surprises. A heartwarming holiday fantasy from the creator of 2003s "Flesh Orgy of the Zombie Totem".
- Contact: jwh3{at}adelphia%20{dot}net
30. Jurassic Park 4 & 5 (22 Minutes)
by Juraj Szabo New York, NY
- Damian Crowbar and Lesotho Develop, two investigators of the Enigma of Quadratic Caveza, came to the conclusion that birds can fly higher than computers. Having stated that, they run away to become sailors on Icebreaker Potemkin, but by mistake they board the Orient Express and end up in Paris, working as cleaning ladies in High Class Bordello. Not knowing what sex is all about, they discover only too late, that they are late and 9 months later they are four. Their sons, Damian Crowbar Jr. and Lesotho Develop Jr, turn 18 in 18 years and die in stampede.
31. Pandora's Paradox (24 Minutes)
by Matthew Saliba Montreal, CANADA
- An old woman gives birth to a giant toe, which once fed milk, hatches into a young boy whose mind is forever fucked one fateful night when he walks in on his parents’ rendition of "Dial K for Kinky." Determined to escape the sexual and mental abuse of the scene, he decides to return home to the womb but quickly learns that getting back there, doesn't come without a price
- Contact: matthew_saliba{at}hotmail{dot}com
32. Crimson (11 Minutes)
by Al Kratina Montreal, CANADA
-
-A romantic comedy about life, love, and loyalty. Only it's not funny. And there's lots of blood.
- Contact: eerie666{at}hotmail{dot}com -
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***Saturday, August 7***
6pm- A Tribute to Wesley Willis
33. Wesley Willis: The Daddy of Rock'N'Roll (60 Minutes)
by Daniel Bitton Montreal, CANADA
- "I'm Wesley Willis, I'm 36 years old. I play music and do art. I have schizophrenia. I have chronic schizophrenia. I had it since 1989. Roger Lee Carpenter asked me for $600. He told me, that if I don't give him $600, he was going to blow my brains out. That's when I started hearing demons. I have three demons: Nervewrecker, Heartbreaker and Meansucker. The demons tell me I'm a jerk, a bum and an asshole. I yell, I scream, I holler at people on buses- but when I'm with friends, it's a joyride."
- Contact: danielbitton{at}sympatico{dot}ca
7:15pm- Narrative Shorts Program- "Behind Closed Doors"
34. Dave Callaham: Writer's Reel (7 Minutes)
by Chris McCaleb Los Angeles, CA
- Dave Callaham wants to be a writer... It's not going very well. Starring B- movie action hero Al Leong.
35. Tom Hits His Head (8 Minutes)
by Chris McCaleb Los Angeles, CA
- Dave Callaham wants to be a writer... It's not going very well. Starring B- movie action hero Al Leong.
35. Tom Hits His Head (8 Minutes)
by Tom Putnam Woodlands Hills, CA
- Ever since Tom hit his head he's been getting dizzy spells, indulging in eBay, and having conversations with the devil. This film is a comedic short film about a not-so-funny time in the director's own life.
- Contact: www.sevenguns.com; tomputnam1{at}yahoo{dot}com
36. Valerian (13 Minutes)
by Jamie Paul Quantrill London, ENGLAND
- An aging seaman, a young girl and butterflies. The macabre tale of a remote fishing village.
- Contact: www.jpqfilms.com; jamie{at}jpqfilms{dot}com
37. Cats (12 Minutes)
by Josh Gibson Durham, NC
- Cats is an experimental narrative inspired by Gaston Bachelard's The Poetics of Space. A lonely woman collides with her past and confronts her memories through her interactions with the architecture of her house.
- Contact: joshigi{at}aol{dot}com
37.5 Harmful (9 Minutes)
by Antoine Morau Paris, FRANCE
- A fifty-year-old man takes great care in preparing his fruit snacks. An apple a day may keep the doctor away for some, but not all.
38. The Guilt Trip (14 Minutes)
by Lisa Barcy Chicago, IL
- A stop-motion road movie starring Jesus and Mary Magdalene, with the Pope in hot pursuit.
- Contact: lisabarcy{at}hotmail{dot}com
39. Fundamentals of the Stoma (20 Minutes)
by Carl Wiedemann Chicago, IL
- Four characters inhabit Film Noir landscapes of decaying buildings and surreal speech patterns. Motivations are oblique, postures are severe, and chain-smoking is mandatory. The Occupant investigates a Stoma, Executioner Bremer torments a Paralytic, and the Commander plots our collective doom. Themes of scapegoating emerge. Allusions to World War 2 seep out.
- Contact: www.carl.wiedemann.com; r6025{at}aol{dot}com
40. Someone Is Watching Me (2 Minutes)
by Deniz Berkin CANADA
- What starts as a bath , ends with screaming.
41. One Nation Under Tommy (15 Minutes)
by Josh Gibson, Sallie Patrick, Nayeli Garci-Crespo, Michael Lahey, and Chris Jolly.
- Conceived, produced, and assembled by Roger Beebe - Adapting the children's game known as "grapevine" or "telephone", "One Nation Under Tommy" is a mutation/deformation/liberation of a cynically patriotic Tommy Hilfiger commercial. The commercial was given to a writer who wrote a script from it that was then given to a filmmaker who made a film of that script which was then passed to another writer, etc. We did that 5 times over two years and "One Nation Under Tommy" is the result.
- Contact: www.clas.ufl.edu/users/rogerbb; rogerbb{at}english.ufl{dot}edu
Special Screening:
42. Rejected (8 minutes)
by Don Hertzfeldt
-In the spring of 1999, the Family Learning Channel commissioned animator Don Hertzfeldt to produce promotional segments for their network. The cartoons were completed in 5 weeks. The Family Learning Channel rejected all of them upon review, and they were never aired...
9:15pm- Minnesotans With Movie Cameras
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43.The Missing (18 Minutes)
by Jake Komula Grand Rapids, MN
- A young boy awakens to find his Grandparents missing, what he discovers next horrifies him.
44. Essence of a Film (11 Minutes)
by Mike Ryan and Edward Dassmesser Grand Rapids, MN
- When we put a tape into our VCR, it always feels like the first half-hour of the movie is previews and trailers. That is the essence of a movie. Of course, a movie must also have a feature presentation, and some credits. So we stuck those at the end when we were done with everything else.
- Contact: durnurd{at}hotmail{dot}com
45. Men of Faith (21 Minutes)
by Max Page Cohasset, MN
- Two men share their faith.
- Contact: the_movie{at}hotmail{dot}com
46. Cothernus Conliquefactus (4 Minutes)
by Alex Moore Grand Rapids, MN
- Animated short of the happenings of a ninja and a crow.
- Contact: www.saoc.unicyclist.com; cowman{at}unicyclist{dot}com
47. Bullets Over Breakfast (11 Minutes)
by Ryan Foss Brooklyn Park, MN
- To most people, a well-balanced breakfast is an important start of every day. But to some, it is law. And like the flag and apple pie, it's worth fighting for. So what happens when three roommates wake up to just one waffle? Armageddon, Quantum Petshop style!
- Contact: www.quantumpetshop.com; ryan{at}quantumpetshop{dot}com
48. Just Kids Growing Up and/or None of Them Turned Out To Be Killers (18 Minutes)
by Ryan Rapsys Duluth, MN
-
-This is an experimental narrative of three pre-teen boys "playing guns" filmed from the perspective of one of the kids. It was edited and had music added to it ten years later by the same person who originally filmed it.
- Contact: ryanrapsys{at}hotmail{dot}com
49. Cookies For Satan (11 Minutes)
by Mr. Anderson Grand Rapids, MN/Boulder, CO
- A brief moment of unconscious self-realization.
- Contact: daniel.j.anderson{at}colorado{dot}edu
1hr. 30min.
11pm- Festival Closing
50. Underwater Birth
Films of Jason Wade with live musical accompaniment.
-To close out this year's festival, we've invited Minneapolis filmmaker Jason Wade to Grand Rapids. With the help of multiple projections and wild on- stage theatrics, his work is raw, explosive, and always predictable. Strap your ears back and enjoy.
