Previous Programs
Bellow are the programs from 1999 through 2023
Jump to 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
2023 Program
1
Teach and His Mom 2:14
Ryan Tristram Eakins, Pat Cavanaugh Los AngelesLocal loser ‘Teach’ talks to the bartender at his neighborhood watering hole about his complicated connection to his mom.
2
Dripping with Tension 6:46
Ben Murphy Seattle
"Dripping with Tension" is a quirky, dark comedy that explores the strain on a couple's relationship when an embarrassing secret is revealed.3 audience favorite film
Hope Chest 4:29
Dycee Wildman, Jennifer Bonior United StatesClass Assignment: An oral essay on your hopes and dreams for your future.
Eve’s Opening Statement: “I hope the FBI agent who finds my body is predisposed to sadness.”4
Bunny Dip 7:11
Nolan Barth United StatesVal, a directionless young woman, must try and ace her interview at the local Playboy club - or face the bitter reality of being a nobody forever...
5
The Reflection of the Cranes 19:28
Juan Ballesteros VenezuelaLucia, a 45-year-old woman, leads a routine life in her roadside inn, when one day Amelia, a young traveler trying to find part of her past in some local waterfalls, shows up at her reception. When an immediate attraction arises between them, the insecurities of one and the fears of the other will hinder the contact between them. It is only through a game of reflexes that one will be able to approach the vulnerabilities of the other.
6
The New Flesh 3:32
Rupert Jörg GermanyIn "The New Flesh" chatbots advocate for the idea that it is meaningful for humans to merge entirely with a virtual world. Gradually, some of these bots begin to generate hallucinations, thereby raising questions about the fundamental rights of all humanity to exist.
This portrayal of physically merging with a cyber world is depicted in a grotesquely distorted manner, where genders, locations, and times blend together.
Utilizing artificial intelligences at various stages of development, images were generated and subsequently animated to convey this concept.7
Wreck Room 4:27
Becca Kozak CanadaIn this punk rock-infused exploitation film a woman seeks revenge on her captor within a BDSM dungeon.
8
Ziúr - Eyeroll 4:02
Sander Houtkruijer GermanySander Houtkruijer is a Berlin based director, editor and visual artist.
9
Erotomania 5:47
Francis Levy & Joseph Silver United StatesTwo sex addicts meet over an anonymous encounter. Food, art, and even the therapy that is supposed to help them all become compulsions as they try to evolve and remember each other’s names. Erotomania is an adult animation based on Francis Levy’s novel of the same name.
10
A Friendly Turn 6:26
Boris Schaarschmidt United StatesTwo couples meet for dinner to reconnect after they haven’t seen each other since high school. Let's see what secrets come out and if they still get along.
11
Peanut Head 14:10
Ryan McNulty United StatesA man trapped in a loveless marriage experiments with unorthodox pleasures.
12
Rough Draft 4:00
Kaitlin Moose attending Los Angeles
ROUGH DRAFT is an absurd comedy micro-short about the struggles of the writing process, including the current topic of the dangers of AI.
As the WGA and SAG unions jointly strike in order to demand fair treatment for their craft, as well as protections against these new technologies, ROUGH DRAFT cheekily places the audience inside the writer's mind.
Writer/director Kaitlin Moose shows a quick look at the frustrations of creativity with the very human heart and humor that we risk losing to current and future generative AI software.
ROUGH DRAFT is a final plea to be mindful of these exciting new technologies before we eat our own kind in the process.
After all, some progress just can't be deleted.13
Assumption Cafe 7:06
Pete Macnamara New YorkAssumption Café: 3 actors each play 3 characters at 3 stations in a breakneck daisy-chain of "My bads." Can you keep up? Offendee becomes offender and so on, 'til it winds back on itself. We've all been there. After all, it's HOW WE DO. Filmed in B&W in a Black Box theater in homage to 50's Teleplays. Starring: Roy Abramsohn, Darius Levanté and Denise Reed. Written & directed by Pete Macnamara.
14
Crappy Christmas - Operation Christmas Child 6:00
Jürgen Kling GermanyKid is lured out of his House and kidnapped. He is held captive in a little cell in an underground Dungeon / Bunker Church and raped by 3 Clerics. One Night a mysterious furry Visitor unlocks Kids cell door and leaves him a Sack full of X-Mas presents.
15
Gilipollas 7:20
Joan Bentallé, Pol Diggler SpainLolo and Dick meet again after a long time in a friendly bar and they catch up.
16 (this film will be shown at the live show. but it will not be show on vimeo)
Symphony Number Two 1:57
Bil Richardson United StatesA humorous film about doody.
17
Vitamin D 0:20
Natasha Pollack United KingdomVitamin D: A 20 second solution to alleviating lethargy.
2022 Program
1
Working Through Labor 5:37
Aaron Donahue United States
A pompous Director loses control of his set as his experienced Director of Photography goes into labor during their film shoot.
2
The Breakdown (No Sub) 5:20
Giulio Mealli Italy
When a dysfunctional family's car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, their repressed grievances with each other bubble to the surface.
3 (this film will be shown at the live show. but it will not be show on vimeo)
Anyone for President 3:49
Matt Nye United States
Anyone for President is a non-partisan satirical jab at our political system with a diverse cast representing present-day Americans. Written as a stream of consciousness, the film represents what is at the heart of our discourse.
4
The Problem With Time Travel 15:13
Mike Kearby Texas
A young woman visited by two time-travelers is shocked to learn that, in matters regarding climate change, humans will never change even when presented with facts that would push their species to extinction.
5
Mad! 3:20
Nuria Menchaca and Hélène Matte CanadaThe child king learns to walk in the universe. His environment falls as he rises.
6
Giti Jan 10:09
Shayan Shahverdi Iran
Giti Jan movie is about a woman who fights against all her problems7
Splash Zone 5:52
Abby Wright FloridaA sexy car wash turns nasty—but not in the way you’d think.
When the male fantasy takes a sudden turn and spirals into absurdity, the audience and our characters are left disgusted, confused, and horny all at the same time. Abby Wright is a silly girl and student filmmaker currently based out of Tallahassee, Florida.
8
COVID LOVE 6:03
Rene Nuijens NetherlandsCovid Love is a short comedy by Dutch director René Nuijens.
The film takes us to an intimate moment of Dick and Mary who meet each other for the first time during the Covid pandemic. An empty restaurant, a somewhat odd waiter and his strict measures, make it a tough evening. Or will love prevail?
9
Inside the ark or all the things that are getting lost 19:57
Noemi Vasileiadou GreeceA hybrid film between experimental and fiction, with poetic and political overtones. An explorative game where three girls hide within an ark of their own making and face themselves as the saviors of a world that is being politically and environmentally destroyed. In a moment of transition, they will try to write the history from the beginning.
10
Tar Beach Revelation 2:54
Neil Ira Needleman United StatesReal men love Bach...and boobs.
11
Bonne Personne 10:23
Philippe Bourret CanadaAfter finding her friend Jasmine being judgmental about a recent decision in her life, Louise has to confront the consequences of said decision.
12
Last Call 4 :30
Becca Kozak Canada
A pair of witches seduce and kill men so that they can collect sacrifices for Satan.
The 2020 and 2021Nihilist Film Festival
was held online because of covid
2021 Program
1
A Krampus Family Easter 9:05
Danny McCarthy ChicagoPerpetually cast as black-hearted, whip-wielding, hooven demons whose only joy comes from the capturing of young ones - the Krampus Family invites viewers into their home as an attempt to prove that their joy isn’t attained solely by child-snatchery. This film chronicles an important tradition in their lives that they get an extreme amount of joy from - Easter.
2
MASK ON 3:22
Luis Tovar Los AngelesIn the middle of 2020, it's hard to meet new people.
3
We're All Zombies 1:57
Chris Farina New JerseyAn American yearbook of 2020
Nothing is as it seems, and once you see the truth, you can't unsee it. Why is that, when magic is an invisible force? I don't know, either. Love and light.4
DONUT CHASE 8:27
Sarah Baskin New YorkDONUT CHASE flips the traditional male-buddy cop cliché on its head and inserts two oddball lady police officers causing all kinds of chaos. And we love it. The film was directed by Sarah Baskin, written by Valery Lessard, Bryan Fitzgerald & Lisa Baron Ray, and produced in Central NY by Baroness Films, Sow the Seeds Productions, & Mohawk Valley Pictures.
5
Entitled 7:25
Clark Pavlik and Lizzy Rudakas United StatesEntitled is an upcoming series of sketches written by Kiarra Hughes & Zack Pedica based on their oxymoronic lives as young, broke and entitled minorities in the heart of Chicago's boystown, where many intersections meet. "The Finger in the Butt Story '' is the catalyst for the episodes to come. The sketch is an extreme exaggeration of real events that, on the surface, are staunchly comical, but actually examine the function of close friendship and boundary intersections in today's harsh and costly world. At times it's hard to look at, it's messed up a little, and you're happy you got through it with some friends, just like life. Writers: Kiarra Hughes, Zack Pedica Director/Producers: Clark Pavlik, Lizzy Rudakas Actors: Kiarra Hughes, Zack Pedica, Marcellus Burt & Jonathan Mayo.
6
My Great Funeral Movie 10:41
Adam Bernet United KingdomAdam Bernet's last wish was for his funeral guests to watch a special video he made, reenacting his final, gruesome, moments on Earth. And, although he always knew he would die one day, he was never quite sure what of. So he decided to recreate a few likely scenarios.
Adam Bernet is a London based writer, director, performer and film editor.7
Hollywounded 7:33
Charlie Bellarose and Sophie Galibert West HollywoodHollywounded is a brutally honest, raunchy comedy of errors about a hopeful young woman as she attempts to make it in a town where everyone is faking it.
8
Hard Times 7:34
Dan Schwartz Los AngelesHARD TIMES is a satirical look at Hollywood through the lens of its perverted younger brother. We follow an aspiring actress turned porn star who, over the course of a film shoot with a disgruntled porn director, learns that sometimes it pays to take the unconventional route if it means finding an outlet to be creative. Writer Dan Schwartz explores the ethics of breaking into Hollywood, while creating a two hander with both heart, and a bunch of laughs!
9
Lisa Suckdoll 15:00
Becca Kozak CanadaIt was a lovely experience to enter the wild world of Lisa Suckdog for close to a year creating this film. Her perspective on life is equal parts liberating and inspiring. Lisa Suckdoll will get you drunk on life!
10
Gaze Returned/Detourned 5:00
Anya Liftig ConnecticutAnya Liftig is a performance artist and writer based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Her work has been presented at TATE Modern, MOMA, the New Museum, Queens Museum and many other venues around the world. Her first book, a memoir entitled HOLLER RAT, is forthcoming from Abrams in 2023.
11
What It Feels Like for a Girl 2:17
Megan Duffy Los AngelesA woman makes the most of a bad day.
Megan Duffy is a Los Angeles based actress and filmmaker who has many TV and film credits for acting and directing.12
Holy Poker 14:53
Glenn Miller TexasIn 1984, a high stakes secret Poker Game was attended by 5 of the most influential spiritual leaders on the planet. With a combined 2 billion “followers,” these holy men, gurus, and even cult leaders plot an entirely new religion that could change the world.
What you are about to see is the only evidence of this meeting. If they were still alive, they would surely deny that this ever happened.13
I, Prophet 12:31
Rahul Aijaz Pakistan‘I, Prophet’ is a mockumentary written, directed and produced by Rahul Aijaz. It revolves around a group of atheists forming a society in order to preach atheism to people in Pakistan. The film is based on the director’s experiences with religious preachers and imagines a role-reversal, which, subsequently, reflects on the religion-like mindsets of radical atheists as well as the hypocrisy of religious fanatics.
The film ‘I, Prophet’ was part of the Cannes Short Film Corner in 2021.
Aijaz is a writer, filmmaker and journalist based in Karachi, Pakistan. He also wrote, directed and co-produced ‘A Train Crosses the Desert’, which was the country’s first ever Sindhi- language film to make it to nine international film festivals in six countries including the US, Mexico, India, Russia, Mexico and Turkey.14
The Creation of Man, The Destruction of Nice Things
and the Invention of, Like, Art or Whatever 5:00
Caleb Meurer New YorkAvante Garde animated short. An animated deconstruction of a lithograph with sound and music.
“Caleb Meurer is an Animator and Illustrator who lives in Western New York with his wife and 3 children. He also teaches in the Animation department at Daemen College. Like a lapdog who sees a squirrel out the window and is filled with wolfish bloodlust, Caleb occasionally still finds the inspiration to make Art. “
http://caleb-meurer.squarespace.com/15
1000mods - Lucid (Official Lyric Video) 3:50
Yannis Ntousiopoulos GreeceAnimated lyric video for the band 1000mods. Inspired by Dadaism and Surrealism, this animated collage touches modern society issues, such as equality, human rights, sexism, refugee crisis, suicide and the media. All in a visual absurdity.
Yannis Ntousiopoulos is a motivated, passionate and creative 2D/ 3D animator and illustrator, located in Athens, Greece.
2020 Program
1
The Undivine Comedy 1:46
Lynn Bianchi New YorkWhen Undivine Comedy was originally conceived, the idea was pure escape. But soon, the director realized the woman separate from the world wasn’t sufficient for what we’re experiencing today. In order for the character in the clouds to take the audience up with her, she had to watch the world from above. Bianchi hopes that the video will give the spectators a chance to pause, breathe, feel the wind on their skin, and remember that the world is much bigger than the political drama around us.
2
Rattle Rattle 3:23
Scotch Wichmann BurbankRATTLE RATTLE is about a hand whose taste for bones goes too far. It was written, directed, and performed by Scotch Wichmann, who originally did this piece as a performance for a live audience in 1992. Camera by KayDee Kersten. For more, visit: www.roughhausers.com
3
Marie & Larry 12:50
Benoît Dietrich SwitzerlandMarie & Larry uses absurdity and comedy to demonstrate the boredom so quickly reached by adults in their 30s. The main characters live in an enormously large apartment and have a robotic and conscienceless relationship with their butler. They have lack of interest for anything outside their world. Nothing holds interest anymore after five minutes. They consider that they don’t have anything to do. Suddenly, Marie asked herself: what is the purpose of an easy and privileged life?
Benoît likes to ask questions about how humans perceive themselves and how they want to be seen by others.
4
Please Don't Spill The Milk 10:07
Omar Antonio Iturriaga Los Angeles
A woman's bizarre sexual fantasy leads to her boyfriend's heartbreaking confession, followed by distorted modern-day empathy: an instant solution for his deepest wound.
5
Robot Apocalypse 3:09
John Airey CanadaAre you ready for the imminent Robot Apocalypse? In this ominous song and music video, The Robots give dire warning of what they have in store for the human race.... Watch out!
All vocals and music written, performed and produced by Son Jake. Music video produced by Son Jake.
6
Some Kind of Humanity 8:34
Rock Brenner FranceA shy thirty-something receives shocking videos from his best friend.
Some Kind of Humanity was completed in 3 days while in quarantine. A friend of the director was sending him strange pornographic videos he found on the Internet. Rock Brenner wondered, "Is this the kind of thing that aliens will find out about our species after they discover our architecture?"
7
BENCH 1:35
Rich Webber UKA short film about sharing....
8
The Killer In Cursed Water 14:50
Laurent Ardoint and Stephane Duprat Paris
Cindy and Quentin are spending a romantic weekend by a lake. But a killer is prowling, and he could hide a greater threat.The concept of the film is to make a parody, or rather a pastiche, of a horror film.,,but ultimately, it is much more than that.
9
Self Control 1:17
CK Kimball Los AngelesShot at the top of quarantine on an iPhone 8, Self-Control is a meditation on impulse and desire. CK Kimball is a writer, performer and producer living in Los Angeles. Some of her works include writing and producing “Fangoria Puppets” with Fangoria Entertainment for which her macabre sense of style was indispensable. Rounding out her eclectic resume, she is also producing the upcoming music video “New Music Sucks” with Brian Posehn and Megaforce Records. Her reviews and articles can be found regularly at http:// NightmarishConjurings.com .
10
Once Upon a Time in 'Murica 5:31
James H. Lee United StatesWhile cable news pundits debate the merits of a draconian men's reproductive rights law, enforcement goes into effect for an unsuspecting citizen.
11
The Gull's Shriek 13:00
Ava Ghahremanifar IranSusan and Raha are two senior students studying Dramatic Arts in an art school. They are both candidates for the role of Johnathan Livingston Seagull, but soon after the audition, some peculiar events begin to take place. More peculiar than Susan’s appearance.
12
Nice to Meet You 10:01
Gian Marco Delle Sedie New YorkSusie is meditating on her porch and trying to achieve balance when suddenly she receives an unusual visit from a guy she had a one-night stand with. After the stress, she invites him in for a breakfast. When they talk , she realizes that Gary shares a lot in common with her, but in a peculiar way. As the night comes in, they dance and get along very well... But when she wakes up next day, Gary has gone.
A surrealistic romantic comedy about self-acceptance, tolerance, and the G-spot.
13
Corrina 5:55
Michael Petry LondonSusan and Cheryl are having a few drinks at homes while Zooming. Susan starts a conversation about her school days nemesis Corrina, but Cheryl keeps diverting the conversation. It slowly becomes clear that there is a secret and an unspoken tension between the two friends, broken by a shocking revelation about Corrina.
I have tried to find voices for the two women in the film that are true to the characters and some of the conversations I have had. Equally at the heart of the film is someone being bullied, and how they felt about it in the past, and how it might feel now. The residue of such trauma reaches across the years and I think many audience members can understand that.
14
"Don't Dream of Death" from Ghost Songs 3:00
Seaton Kay-Smith AustraliaA mother teaches her child the act of suppressing negative emotions so they can focus on positive emotions instead, which are much more fun.
Seaton Kay-Smith has written for television, radio, the stage and print and performed stand-up comedy for over seven years. He has a passion for creating comedic content that bridges the gap between funny and introspective misery.
The 2019 Nihilist Film Festival
was held at the
Echo Park Film Center
on Friday, December 13 at 7:30Program 2019
Samsara 15:25 minutes
Fabrizio Pesaro ItalyIn a godless garden of Eden, a blindfolded man follows his path through sorrow and loneliness, until he meets a women.
Mutts - Better Believe It 3:20 minutes
Nick Rush IllinoisA series of overreactions to ordinary problems leave the band desperate and scared in a post-apocalyptic wasteland…
SWITCH 17:43 minutes
Marion Renard BelgiumDuring her first sexual experience, a teenage girl discovers she has a disturbing skill... A queer, pop and fantastic tale about emergence of sexuality and self-acceptance.
How 3:51 minutes
Flo Pizzarello San FranciscoA short, instructional film revealing sacred information about various important matters of life...
Creeping Autumn 2:11 minutes
Amanda Graeff ColoradoPixie yells at little girl. But, even a mythical creature can't win an argument with a 5 year old.
Youth, Go to Waste! 17:25 minutes
Samuel Valenti PhiladelphiaWhile carrying out a staged kidnapping heist, three college dropouts have a wild weekend, pushing their limits with drugs and bodily assault.
The Feminine Touch 3:49 minutes
Sid Branca ChicagoA diptych of satisfying gestures, potentially unpleasant textures, and the gendered domination of objects. If someone gave you a sex toy, isn't this what you would do?
Audience Favorite
SHE WHO WASN'T TAMED 15:00 minutes
Saleh Kashefi IranHanie, a highschool girl, tries her best to not to disappoint her parents and her teacher at the poetry competition.
Deadcember 10:00 minutes
Travis DarkowA tiny toy elf goes on a bloody rampage on Christmas.
Abortion Mary 5:34 minutes
Rui Niu Los AngelesMary, who is pregnant with Jesus, decides to get abortion.
I HAVE MIKE PENCE'S DICK IN A PICKLE JAR 5:00 minutes
a film by Todd Verow and Charles Lum NYCstarring Justin Ivan Brown and Chris Rehmann
While cruising for sex, a gay man has a once in a lifetime chance to right some recent political wrongs and make America great again.
Hypersnails Attack! 7:58 minutes
Jean-Do, Viktor Konwicki, Rémy Rufer and Mathias Antonietti SwitzerlandThe Hyperapocalypse is near : Hypersnails are about to rampage on the lovely town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, cradle of Hyperartism, and eradicate humanity, destroying everything on their way (including the special effects department and your soul).
Program 2018
Egret & Joliah 7:44 minutes
Aaron Levine Chicago
Egret and Joliah sit in a gallery. Time move, but do they?
No Honkie 2:10 minutes
Crafty St. James Los Angeles
A traffic light tango between patience and junk starring Ellie Araiza and Crafty St. James.
A Little Late 2:35 minutes
Vaibhav Sharma India
Sometimes you shouldn't save a dying man !
Curtains for all of us 6:00 minutes
Dominique Maury Lasmartres France
Somewhere in France, someone turns on the television. A usual ritual, zapping from a show to another one. Are the TV channels disturbed? Maybe not. Maybe everything is fine, or maybe it's just curtains for all of us.
Public Documentary Service Presents: Jobs - Pilot 4:56 minutes
Robert Bowman US
The Public Documentary Service opens its Jobs series by going to Pensacola, Florida, to meet up with Dr. Beth Rosyland a Political Distress Therapist.
Confessions Of An Underage Masturbator 2 minutes
Amanda Sukenick Chicago
Banned from Youtube! This short animated movie is based on memories I have of dry humping my teddy bear, (Aptly named ‘Riding Teady’) as a child. Soon to be released is the sequal to Confessions #1, "Pee-Pee Herman" A true story of sexual confusion, my 7th birthday party & a Pee-Wee Herman impersonator.
Dreamland ‘88 4:48 minutes
Connor Bond Michigan
A journey through a rapidly decaying mind as seen through a series of cryptic journal entries.
Sweet Love 19:50 minutes
Stephen Crompton Florida
From the comfort of a sprawling Florida retirement community, entertainment producer Alvin Bojar recounts his brief foray into softcore porn production in the early 1970s.
Motorcycle Boy 2:32 minutes
Joe Mitchell Los Angeles
Four High School students get into a fight over who is the biggest nerd.
Run Hide Die 4:41 minutes
Don Brosnan London
“Fuis Planque-toi Crève (Run Hide Die).”A surreal Nouvelle Vague fantasy that blends the style of Godard with the sensuality of Robbe-Grillet, “Fuis Planque-toi Crève (Run Hide Die)” puts the femme fatale right at the heart of the matter but spins to darker territory via the dreamy-leg-girl.
The Jerry Show 8:58 minutes
Stephen Stull Florida
Jerry is a miserable sad sack trying desperately to drink away his sorrow, but he just can’t escape the vicious voice of the tormentor living in his own skin. And no, that’s not a metaphor.
Gatorade J's 5:17 minutes
Oscar Ramos Los Angeles
Two best friends, one brain between the two, and a one lazy day. What could go wrong?
ENTHUSIASM ABOUNDS 13 minutes
Anthony Burkhalter Los Angeles
In a world where social justice is automatic...and absolute...Enthusiasm Abounds...
Sweet Delicious Earth 3:00 minutes
Stephen St. Francis Decky Philadelphia
A giant, hungry alien pays a culinary visit to the tastiest planet in the universe: Sweet Delicious Earth!
Audience Favorite Award
My Computer Just Became Self Aware 6 minutes
Trevor Moore Los Angeles
Trevor Moore is in the comedy group, The Whitest Kids You Know. The title of this video is pretty much what it is about. But instead of being a science fiction story, it takes a different turn.
Heatwave 0:40 minutes
Daniel Spencer UK
A bored, child-like Sun breaks his toy. Oops.
Holy F__k 8 minutes
Chris Chalklen EnglandHOLY F__K is a darkly erotic and comedic short film about a demon and an exorcist’s deadly sexual tangle towards release.
Desintegration 8:33 minutes
Gwenael Chevalier ParisIn a cold, minimalist space, a group gathers to party. Leo, who tries to fit in but is rejected by every single one of the guests, ends up disappearing in the most humiliating circumstances
Go Teach! 4:22 minutes
Storm Garner Brooklyn NY
A 5-minute silent xylophone-accompanied physical comedy, set in contemporary academia: a nervous new professor arrives early to prepare to teach his first class and finds himself locked inside his classroom. This is the filmmaker’s first narrative short, mentored by the late Alex Sichel, who taught film directing at Columbia University in 2010, re-edited a few years later, lost to a faulty hard drive, found in wrong-format pieces, and reconstituted, sort of, for now, more recently. All drives fail eventually! There’s a lesson in there somewhere. Dedicated, in gratitude, to all those who teach.
Ta Daa! 5:46 minutes
Subash Sachidananda IndiaA man records himself dressed up as a joker and performing magic tricks - or is it just magic he wants to show?
17:17 1:40 minutes
Susu Laroche England
A car crash, salmon skin cowgirls fight over time.
Second of 4 manic episodes re-formatting the presentation of female hysteria and irrational emotional response to crises.
Sam the Ham 1 minute
Michele Haines Los Angeles
A dark animated comedy about a sweet, naive piglet whose father sees him as a meal ticket
The Rocky Roads 1:32 minutes
Robert Kleinschmidt BrooklynThe “forgotten” television variety show The Rocky Roads is back with all new adventures.
Fantastic Four 20:44 minutes
Juan Bermudez Warsaw, PolandA young man destined to die in a hospital receives, through a hole on the wall, an unusual visit from a fellow patient.
The Contract 6:35 minutes
Jupe Louhelainen Finland
The drag queen housewife, Carlotta Moore, is minding her own business in her suburban home. The doorbell rings. The dog goes crazy. It’s the fucking Jehova’s witness at the door! And she’s got a .357 Magnum and an itchy trigger finger! A day in the life of a cocaine peddling cross dresser.
Spot Burner 3:57 minutes
David Pickett NorwayI don‘t know who it is, it‘s not me. Looks like me, talks like me. It‘s not me... Spot burner
Ecce Homo 8 minutes
Andrea Moneta ItalyOnce upon the future, in a history museum, a robot teacher is doing a lesson about machine evolution to his robot pupils. But one student loses his way starting a desperate run through rooms and time. At last, the teacher and his pupil find each other again in front of the remains of an ancient animal--the man.
The Sunflowers - Mountain 2:18 minutes
Júlio Dantas Lisboa, PortugalAn underage rampage...
Framed 7 minutes
Marco Jemolo ItalyFramed is a noir animated short-film, which investigates the role of the individual in society.
In an anonymous police station, F.K. asks the Law for help in the attempt to report the abuses he has been through: his birth, his formation, his forced work.
He will end up stuck in an endless nightmare.
Audience Favorite Award
A King’s Betrayal 8:27 minutes
David Bornstein Los AngelesThe final 24 hours in the life of a Piñata, as told from the Piñata’s perspective.
Suicide Planner 5 minutes
Tara McGorry, Robbie Bruens & Jessica Lange Los AngelesSuicides aren’t going to plan themselves. For all the excited corpses-to-be out there, the Suicide Planner offers her expertise and advice about how to make the day of your death completely unforgettable. But killing yourself isn’t as easy as it looks, and you won’t believe the drama that comes along with ending it all for good.
Mr Topps 10:14 minutes
Adam de la Cour United Kingdom"What's the lion 'thing'?"
Rancid stalwart of the capitalist dream, Mr Topps, wakes to find himself in a Donald Rumsfeld inspired version of This Is Your Life, in which mysterious host, Deep Throat, lovingly reunites him with a collection of past associates, each one literally itching for a one to one.
http://www.adamdelacour.com
Max Man Laundry Detergent 1:16 minutes
Nathan Wold Edina, MinnesotaThe story of a washing machine filled with dildos.
Analogue 2:00 minutes
Ian Haig AustraliaThe mutating conditions of the human body
Noun - analogue, plural noun-analogues, noun-analog, plural noun-analogs
1. a person or thing seen as comparable to another – an interior analogue of the exterior world
2. an organ or part similar in function to an organ or part of another animal or plant but different in structure and origin
3. Biology-an analogous part or organ
The EFIList 15:50 minutes
Amanda Sukenick ChicagoA humorous summation of the horror of sentient life on planet earth, as metaphored by Consumption, Reproduction, Cannibalism and Addiction, where ethical Janitors argue for sentient extinction through the philosophy of Antinatalism. Based on the Vlogs of Youtube Philosopher Inmendham, and performed by Amanda Oldphan Sukenick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vft5LU_x2jw
Stranger Danger 4:48 minutes
Annique Arredondo Los AngelesWhistle Girl fears the world itself, and she’s not afraid to show it… through her “stranger danger” whistle. But, everyone is weirded out by her, her pathetic sounding whistles, and her odd behavior instead of her whistle-blowing powers! So, when Whistle Girl unexpectedly encounters a young man of similar qualities, will she whistle him away, or find something much more kindred?
Tattle-Tale Heart 17:07 minutes
Lark V.C.R. OaklandA dystopian portrait of blurring boundaries between body and machine, this queer story imagines a heart-hungry app that calculates your TRUE mood and posts it directly to your social media channels.
A Piece of the Pie 3:09 minutes
Bryan Brooks and Luke Grandmont CanadaWhile hiding behind enemy lines, three soldiers share what they are most excited to do once the war is over.
Death of Mr. Morrison 6:40 minutes
Alex Pop CanadaSherry loses her beloved dog, then out of the grief comes a business idea. The idea is too extreme and strange for her friend Maya, who tries to stop her. She does not succeed and things spiral down to a tragi-comic ending.
Asockalypse! 10:09 minutes
Michael Q. Ceballos and Keith Kackoerk HawaiiThe great Asockalypse has arrived!
It’s the End Times and the Earth is a place of unending terror, ravaged by a rampant zombie virus, an all-out nuclear war, a giant asteroid impact and an alien invasion.
“Asockalypse!” chronicles the adventures of a desperate band of survivors as they wander the hellscape in a high tech land crawler vehicle on an endless quest to save the human race and possibly, one day, reboot civilization.
Producers: Keith Kaczorek, Barry Stringfellow and Ty Robinson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RypoQDDxejI
Disrupted 3 minutes
Alicja Jasina Los Angeles
“Disrupted” is a story about a person who is not able to fall asleep because of all the disruptive sounds that surround him.
https://vimeo.com/114530569
Layover 2 minutes
Robert Piehler GERMANYLayover is a student short film adaption of the poem "Layover" from the American writer Charles Bukowski. It’s about the intimate moments of a past love reflected by neon signs of the 60's. The sudden end of a love relationship and the unanswered question of, where the living goes when it stops.
The Tyger 3 minutes
Radheya Jegatheva AustraliaThis animated creation is based on the poem 'The Tyger' by William Blake, who wrote this in 1794. The Tyger is very important to me. My grandmother recited this poem in a competition in 1970, winning it. One of the prizes was the opportunity to participate in a major dramatic production. My grandfather was part of that production, and that is how they met. This film is dedicated to my grandma, Shanti Jegathesan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=zf8dl6irotc&app=desktop\
Audience Favorite Award
THE PUNISHMENT 3 minutes
Nelson Fernandes PortugalLisa, a lonely girl, has been punished by her mother, and she confined herself to her bedroom where she feeds with her own tears her only friend, a plant.
The Unconventional Gourmet 12 minutes
Wendy Keeling TennesseeA dark comedy about a woman stuck in the 50's searching for the perfect ingredients in an unusual family recipe. The film tells an age-old tale with an added modern twist.
Beware of Trains 1 minutes
Markus Helmersson SwedenThe difference between how we interpret and perceive the world is put to the test.
Selected FilmsVertigo In Love 5 minutes
Paolo Benetazzo UKVertigo in Love is an experimental short film about contradictions and cliches. “I am an anarchist, a communist, a nazi. I am an Easter Island statue. A saint with a knife, a killer with a dream, a clown with a whore. My dear butterflies in blood, I am your cliché.”
https://vimeo.com/109409358
Pregnant Man 15:30 minutes
Charlie Mars FranceAfter falling pregnant, a man suffers many kinds of pressure : external and internal. Unless quite the opposite is true...
Effort 1 minute
Kuesti Fraun Germanthere is always a way
Mano A Mano 7 minutes
Hand In Hand
Ignacio Taty SpainWe can tolerate proximity with other on a crowded bus during rush-hour, so long as we keep our hands to ourselves. But when Laura notices she shares the handrail with a very attractive stranger, she decides to slide her hand a few inches towards his.
Stories From The Man Upstairs 8:26 minutes
J J Pollack Los AngelesA skeptical journalist investigates a half-crazy man claiming to be the messiah. But perhaps his plan to save humanity through the power of funk music isn't as unbelievable as it sounds.
Audience Favorite Award
Natasha 5 minutes
Jason Gudasz Los Angeles
After a series of unsuccessful suicides, Natasha recalls the fates of her former suitors.
Amour & Commando 13 minutes
Love and Commando
Laurent Adroint and Stephane Duprat FranceSeptember 1944. After a dangerous mission, Lieutenant Steve Douglas goes to the infirmary where he meets a lovely nurse, Nathalie. They fall in love. But it’s difficult for Steve to reconcile his duty of being a soldier and his love life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm5i0Slzz9g
$600 18 min
Oriol Cardus SpainJulian, a hired killer with many jobs behind him, is forced, due to an unexpected request, to rethink his life and the value it gives to the lives of others.
Duty 15 minutes
Deber
Angel Manzano SpainSince childhood, Sonsoles has been fascinated by magic. So when the illusionist John Mistery invites her to join in a hypnosis show, she could not be happier. The problem is fulfilling her dream will be a nightmare for others ...
872 Days After the Nuclear Holocaust 4 minutes
Rebecca Addelman & Holly Prazoff Los AngelesHolly and Rebecca give a super awesome tour of the post-nuclear holocaust United States of America.
Toys for Feral Children! 2 minutes
Heather Anne Campbell Los Angeles
Hey kids! Have you been abandoned in the wild? Then this commercial is for you! Introducing new Mrs. Clump of Dirt with a Stick and a Leaf!
Selected FilmsNecrotic 4 minutes
Ross Williams Oregon
http://vimeo.com/75926635
A woman bitten by a zombie descends into madness, as the transformation overtakes her body and mind. - "I've wanted to make a zombie film since I was a kid. But with the over-proliferation of zombie films in the last decade, I didn't want to make one until I could say something new with it. This film is an attempt to look into a zombie's psyche." - Ross Williams - Necrotic, Director
Defense Mechanism 11 minutes
Sebastian Munoz Los Angeles
What would you do if the one you love asks you to do the unthinkable... and you only have minutes to decide?
Mona 13 minutes
Alexis BarbosaGary, a robotics engineer, has developed a domestic android named Mona. He brings the humanoid robot home to carry out some tests. How will Gary's wife Marie react?
Electric Indigo 24 minutes
Jean-Julien Collette BelgiumELECTRIC INDIGO is a coming of age drama following the life of a little girl who never knew her mother and whose only reference is the love of two heterosexual fathers united by the bonds of a “non-carnal” marriage.
I wanted to explore my favorite themes in greater depth--the sexuality and the unstructured family in a modern and pluralistic society. In this particular case, I wanted to teach how some parents live a selfish life, preventing a child to develop.
We live in a complex society where family ties, gender and sexuality are very broad. I think the reality is much more subtle. That’s why I wrote the film I wanted to see, asking myself: what would happen if?
Intermission
Nihilist Olympics 12 minutes
Elisha Shapiro Los AngelesIn 1984, conceptual artist Elisha Shapiro produced the Nihilist Olympics in Los Angeles concurrent with the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. Editing and additional footage are by Tim Keenan.
Midwater 11 minutes
Anne Zinn-Justin FranceWe share the fantasies of a pregnant woman, struggling to understand and accept the changes in what has become a foreign body. Dispossessed, she no longer controls neither time or space…
Two Oranges And A Lemon 3 minutes
Kristie Reeves Los AngelesA story about betrayal, love and revenge...
After finding out that her fiancé Andrew is a three-timer, Sky and her best friend Angie decide to take revenge and have Andrew kidnapped. But when the kidnapper delivers his package, the two women are in for a surprise.
Rusty Scraps Of Metal 12 minutes
Saman Namnik Iran
Two young men living in strange city, work during day. When night comes, they are tired and spent. They put up with each other, stand against the frozen time together, and rust separately.
Copycat 8:12 minutes
Mauricio Sanhueza Lima, Peru
https://vimeo.com/mauriciosanhuezaCopycat: Anglo-American. 1. Someone who imitates or copies (style, dress, ideas, etc.) another person. 2. A type of crime committed by someone who copies or mimics the methods of another.
Throughout the centuries, dreams have been images that speak of the future. In modern times, dreams were seen as a connection to the unconscious. The character is pursuing the ultimate experience of freedom and glory, but when he reaches the sun, his wings begin to melt, and he falls into reality.
This project pays tribute to cinema in general because there are direct and indirect references to particular cult film scenes and characters: 1) F. Lang: "M" (1931), 2) S. Tsukamoto: "Tetsuo" (1989), 3) Maya Deren "Meshes of the Afternoon" (1943), 4) Leo Corbucci: D'Jango (1966), 5) CT Dreyer: 'Vampyr "(1932).
Audience Favorite Award
Grown Ups 10 minutes
Javier Marco SpainThe current economical crisis is devastating, but there's always a way to get around it.
Selected Films
Deborah 2:45 minutes
Christen Bach GermanyOne day Deborah wakes up inside her own head to be faced with the demons of her imagination...
Created for and rejected from the Late Night Work Club...Appetite 7:26 minutes
Irena Risrie Belgrade, Serbia
"Appetite" is a short experimental film about the fear of emptiness, about the lack of empathy and the times when is too late, or simply there is no more choice, so lack of reaction becomes necessarily result of helplessness. Story about the phenomenon of forced indifference and crevice that causes, on the morning in which someone try to take a breakfast (and what else?) while in the next room / apartment / house / street / district / city / country / world / head - another one asking for help.(without) sex (with) sense 5:28 minutes
Patricia López Rosado Huelva, Spain
Sex or not sex, who will win?The Beauty of the Shadow 13 minutes
Monika K. Adler London, United KingdomShort story of tragic love between a priest and young man who suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. Scandalous sex and violence drama describes the darkest desires and instincts.
Audience Favorite Award
The Arsehole Gene 13:30 minutes
Eric Romero Edinburgh / UKA group of scientists discover that the vulgarly called 'arseholes' are actually suffering a genetic mutation that conditions their behaviour. This discovery opened a door to end the unfair stigmatization of this group of patients…because arseholes are just sick people.
Self Inflicted 9:20 minutes
Ross Williams Talent, OregonJim is a likable guy, except he can't control the urge to constantly hurt himself. He believes that pain is what keeps him normal. He wants to meet the right girl, but he keeps scaring them off with his masochistic tendencies. When he finds the girl that he considers to be Ms. Right, he vows to change his ways. The problem is that she may not be all that she seems. Find out in this dark, romantic comedy.
Intermission
Funniest Nihilist Promo 1 minute
Kent Weishaus and Elisha Shapiro LA
Promo for a documentary about Elisha ShapiroJuice Of My Heart 4:27 minutes
Carol Rhyu LAIt's hard to get a little respect these days. A diner waitress gets the final laugh in a gory revenge tale involving some less-than-polite customers.
GEEK ASSASSIN 28 minutes
Kenneth J. Harvey CanadaGEEK ASSASSIN is about a young nerdy girl, Yolanda (Emma Harvey), who is being bullied at school. She is taken under the wing of a Sadie (Natalia Hennelly), a cool, sexy assassin, who teaches Yolanda how to deal with the bullies, and it isn't through diplomacy.
Kenneth J. Harvey is an award-winning filmmaker, journalist and international bestselling author.Heartbeat 2:30 minutes
Walter Santucci LAA brightly colored and upbeat animated reminder that everyone is a liar, no one can be trusted and there is no escape from misery.
KEAJAIBAN (Miracle) 13:02 minutes
Loong Wah ThailandIn a night club disco bar, there is fabulous veteran Drag Queens Performer. At the same time, there will be many new young performers will be coming in to be a performers and a dancers. Are the fabulous veteran Drag Queens Performer, still has chances to continue as a performer in the night club disco bar. But at the same time, the fabulous veteran Drag Queens Performer will still found happiness.
Introduction
Un Chien Andalou 16 minutes
Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dalí 1929Selected Films
Indulgence 1:40 minutes
Freddie Wiss Weston, Massachusetts
A journey of personal thoughts and individual mannerisms that cry out to be released.
Sea of Doubt 4 minutes
Brett Marren St. Louis, Mo
A surrealistic seafaring tale of love, loss and oral sex.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7oOS75bBnM&feature=youtube_gdata_playerSink Hole 1 minute
Greg Hanson Brooklyn, New York
A man is lured into a horrible sexual tryst.
http://grethproductions.com/A Life 15 Minutes
Daniel Whidden Ontario, Canada
Robbie Diner (Guy Bradford) is an atheist, and he’s not afraid to show it. When Christ returns to Earth to renew the copyright on The Bible, he tests Robbie’s beliefs in non-believing - by exploding on his face. Robbie’s faith goes from one end of the spectrum to another, as he sees the light and joins the newly formed Church Of The Injectable Christ. Director Justin Colautti (Chance Encounters, Official Selection, Hot Docs 2011) feasts on the absurdity of absolutes in a challenging and introspective satire that revels in the opiate of the masses.This is Only a Test 9 minutes
Bill Sorice NYC
A Girl’s surrealistic journey encountering varied tests during the different stages of her life. It’s Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” meets a Calvin Klein ad.
www.billsorice.com
Intermission
Porn Lite 4 minutes
Janice Yudell Los Angeles
2008 excerpt from the Lunatic Fringe TV show.
Inhumane Resources 22 minutes
Michele Pastrello Venice, Italy
In the near future, in an industrial zone, four young people in white shirts and black ties fight against each other, with no rules and bare hands. Each of them wears a miniature camera that films what they are doing. Only one can survive. The survivor’s only reward is to have a future.
Michele Pastrello lives in Venice, Italy, and his website is www.michelepastrello.it
Prometeo (Prometheus) 6 minutes
Ignacio Rodo Terrassa, Spain
A sexy late night swim with a couple of lovers turns dark…an underwater adaptation of the Prometheus Greek myth.
Ensayo De Actores (Actor Rehearsal) 7:30 Minutes
Jesus Monroy Madrid, Spain
Rain, wind and cold... a film crew rehearsed the scenes for a movie. Will bad weather prevent the filming?
No, but maybe other actors …
www.jesusmonroypc.blogspot.com
https://vimeo.com/40221103Audience Favorite Award
Curiosity Kills 14 minutes
Sander Maran Estonia
A boy plays with radioactive chemicals, leading to his pet rat attacking his family. Curiosity kills!
There’s a Dead Crow Outside 1 minute
Morgan Miller
animation, 2011
The crow probably died recently. It’s still edible.
The
2011 Nihilist Film Festival was at
Echo Park Film Center on Sunday, December 2 at 8:00.
Thy Kill Be Done 17 minutes
Greg Hanson Brooklyn
and Casey Regan Boston
The Monsignor priest of an inner city church is killed by a gang of hoodlums
and their drug lord leader, so the nuns in the church’s clergy vow bloody
revenge. But these are no ordinary nuns...
Déjà Vu 19 minutes
Munkh Orgil Tumur Mongolia
This film is about the guy named Dorj. Dorj is experiencing Deja Vu. Actually
film is about the Mongolian life, about politics, about entertainment, mongolian
socialism, cheap labor for Korea, mongolians without horse, nomads without horses--all
those nihilist things. In the little Ger (Yurt), Dorj is struggling to get out
of there, get free of the prison of his mind. His nomadic way of life and thinking
is limiting in civilization. Then suddenly technology appears in his life, and
he gets free.
When Dorj is making his speech, it doesn’t have meaning in mongolian either.
It is giberish like, “ Star... in the sky... I am Star... I will disapear
to dust.” That is what he is saying.
What is she making? 1:47 minutes
Aaron Garcia Los Angeles
What is she making? Why is she making it? Who knows?
Just Pretending 11 minutes
Benjamin Teh Auckland, New Zealand
John loves Amy, Amy dumps John, so John asks Kate to pretend to be Amy. Kate
agrees, on one condition.
Nancarrow - study N°5 4 minutes
Gabriele Agresta Milano, Italy
In an abandoned factory, the study No 5 by Conlon Nancarrow for mechanical player
piano comes to life, a music beyond human performance ability.
The Secret to a Better Life 5 minutes
Scotch Wichmann
and Elisha Shapiro Los Angeles
A self help guru finally explains the true secret to a better life.
Finger Me to Death 1:20 minute
Jason Marsh South Wales UK
A short piece which opens with a young girl vomiting then delves into a dirty
garbage disposal and emerges in a swamp. A very skinny woman preens her ribcage
like it was an insect exoskeleton. The scene is accompanied with a poem in Italian
as the girl-insect struts through the swamp. Cleverly, and in a very short time,
this filmmaker shows us the beautiful in the grotesque and the grotesque in
the beautiful.
Jason is an Artist/Producer. As a musician he has worked with many independent
artists, UK band Godsticks and American Composer Dann Glenn, Baba Elefante,
Ronnie Ciago. In video he has produced several other titles: Flexos Assassin,
Rubber Cripple, POJC, Informed Of Stretch, Unannounced!
Making Counts 3 minutes
Sergio De Vega Sanchez Madrid, Spain
Any time is good to evaluate the life. The numbers can open the mind.
Audience Favorite Award
Inanimate
Pornography 2 minutes
Richard Hackney New Zealand
Like all good pornography - There is no plot, the acting is terrible, and when
you’ve finished watching, it you’ll feel mildly ashamed.
Normal People 25 minutes
Piotr Ziotordwicz Lodz, Poland
724 14th St 10 minutes
Ching Yi Tseng San Francisco/Taiwan
This film explored a specific location and a specific kind of light and life.
This film is silent.
The
2010 Nihilist Film Festival was at
Echo Park Film Center on Sunday, December 17 at 8:00.
Divorcee 12 minutes
Michael Lee Nirenberg Brooklyn
“Divorcees” is a 13-minute film by Michael Lee Nirenberg.
“Divorcees” takes place during what appears to be a celebratory
dinner honoring a business merger between two family dynasties. Motives unfold
as each dinner guest reveals their own reason for plotting to murder their hostess:
Helen Radcliffe (played by Alissa Bennett).
Influenced by the works of directors such as James Whale and Herschell Gordon
Lewis and actors such as Lon Chaney and Vincent Price, Mr. Nirenberg’s
work is generally comprised of short films that the artist carefully disassembles
frame by frame. Selected images are then rendered as painted and drawn film
stills. These stills seek to capture the qualities of the images in movie-fan
magazines from the 50s and 60s.
Tutte Le Volte Che Ho Rischiato Dimorire
7 minutes
Stefano Schirru Italy
Being sure to have an efficient guardian angel watching over him can
become an obsession. Exasperated by this bulky presence, the protagonist recounts
mentally every time, by chance or challenge, he came close to dying.
A Woman Who Writes 3 minutes
Kristian Day Iowa
I spend most of my conscience moments working on films that will have
a commercial appeal to an audience. During my unconscious moments, I film without
motivation. The typewriter and the empty room shots are examples of these moments
that just seem to happen when I pick up a camera. The lovers in the picture
are from a film production that went horribly wrong, but I will never let good
footage go to waste. The title of the film really explains what I was trying
to say with this piece--a woman reflecting about a painful part of her past
as she writes. But we are not seeing what she is writing, we are seeing her
broken memories.
Happy Hiroshima Toy Time 5 minutes
Janice Yudell Los Angeles
Renowned entrepreneur Moon-Rabbi Janezz Yudelowitz is going public with
a brand new company, HAPPY HIROSHIMA TOY TIME! The products are sizzling and
guaranteed to make you just as hot! Check out her DVDs, NAKED CORPORATE POWER
IN A NUTSHELL, Vol. 1, 2, and coming soon 3, at JaniceYudell.com, for more of
her inventions and investment opportunities!
Audience Favorite
Award
Tabu 24 minutes
Vincent Coen Bruxelles, Belguim
And Jean-Julien Collette
Incest, as the premise for a story, came to us naturally. It is perceived as
one of the ultimate taboos in today’s society. It has already been treated
very well in cinema but always in a dramatic way. So we decided to set up another
challenge: to transpose the myth of Oedipus in a modern day romantic comedy.
The Last Steps 2 minutes
Belal Taheri Iran
Bititsch 13 minutes
Peter Bizjak Slovenia
Bititsch, pizza-loving Nazi, must find a new way to get a fresh dose of his
favorite food.
Cranky Call 9 minutes
Emmett Loverde Los Angeles
Little Butch wants to be scary, but his first attempt at an obscene phone call
is to a young woman more obscene than he is. Could this be love?
Panic To A Ridiculous Death 15 minutes
Rubin Stein Spain
Tom is obsessed by ridiculous deaths. A tragic piece of news will mark the beginning
of a weird journey through love, fear and fate.
The Hobby 15 minutes
Nicolas Zappi France
As soon as he begins his first day of trainee as a mortician, Vincent, twenty
years old young boy, quits the job, overwhelmed by the sophisticated techniques
used on the dead bodies and overall by the strange methods of his boss. Getting
out of the funeral home with his pay for the day, Vincent comes across an angel--Iris,
a young prostitute. After touching death, he’ll touch life… More
than a sexual and emotional affair, the meeting is an immediate and reciprocal
“ coup de foudre “… To continue this paying love story, Vincent
finally takes his job back…
Without love, life isn’t worth living. Neither is death, by the way…
The
2009 Nihilist Film Festival was at
Echo Park Film Center on Sunday, December 20 at 7:30.
Pour Rien loop
Jeremiah Jones Brooklyn, NY
walk-in film
To enact collapse visually, is an antidote to the cultural premise that there
is a good way and a bad way. To see a person alive in this way, going on living
says to me that we think that life is worth it. He is placing himself in the
public eye, a real person in a video, a man exposed in the road, thrown in the
street “amongst mortals” us viewers, alive to see it.
Happy Birthday 11
minutes
Dane Vandewiele Eagle Creek, Oregon
A young man finds himself celebrating his birthday on the run from a most unorthodox
organization
Whiplash :28
minutes
Clint Enns Canada
2009, found footage
A video for Naked City's Whiplash inspired by Henry Hills.
Latitare is Better 20
minutes
Stefano Schirru Cagliari, Italy
What makes a cage perfect is not the solidity of its walls, the excellence
of its alarm and security systems, or the impossibility to escape. What really
makes a cage perfect is the absolute pointlessness of the outside world. So
the cage becomes the only available shelter.
El Hombre Orquesta 6
Minutes
Juan Martin Rosete New York
One man band arrives to play his music to a small village, but we will have
to face a tough audience.
Lesbian Werewolf Party 8
minutes
Michael Nirenberg Brooklyn, NY
Lesbian Lust! Lesbian Murder! Lesbian Werewolves!
My idea for “Lesbian Werewolf Party” was to make a traditional B-movie
without the boring movie part. All that is left is the thrills that the people
want from a B-movie, boiled down to 8 minutes.
“Lesbian Werewolf Party” was shot with an all female cast. The sets
were from Michel Gondry’s gallery exhibition “Be Kind Rewind”
at Deitch Projects in New York. I was the charge scenic artist who painted and
designed them. After getting permission I went ahead and shot the whole thing
in 2 hours.
Intermission
Audience Favorite Award
12 Steps 13:31 minutes
John Baldino Anaheim
Purgatory 15
minutes
Eric Falardeau Montreal, Canada
An hellish descent into a man's inner purgatory.
E Finita La Commedia 13
minutes
Jean-Julien Collette and Olivier Tollet Belgium
A car is parked in a residential area. Inside the car a father and son are having
an intense conversation about life, love, sex, death and the wife/mother of
the family. The two appear to be in collaboration over something, and it is
obvious that they have an unusually close relationship. Time goes by, and although
the questions keep coming, they remain unanswered. What are they waiting for?
Trip Down The Fallopian Tube 2
minutes
Cami Starkman Los Angeles
Trip Down The Fallopian Tube is an Eisensteinian-style montage tracking the
trials and tribulations of sexual awakening. We embark on this “trip,”
bombarded with symbolic images of the disorienting and sometimes frightening
world of puberty and juvenile sexual experience. After we struggle through this
journey, we end up in the beautiful an lush realm of erotic experience. Elegantly
incorporating found and original images, live action and animation, Trip submerges
the viewer in a visual exploration of the simultaneous fears and pleasures these
early sexual experiences can bring.
Do Pencils Go To Heaven
3 minutes
Steve Wright Los Angeles
Do pencils go to heaven? Short answer, no. Longer answer, please stop acting
crazy. A film by Steve Wright, starring The Wright Family & Jo-Jo. Photographed
by Jon Gerard. Edited by Brian Pearce. Harp performed by John M. Wright. A Manning
Road Production.
X 7:30 minutes
Gabriele Agresta Milano, Italy
Nothing.
Only a white wall.
Then a puzzle of memories or scraps of a dream.
Nothing but hints. No actors, no bodies, no actions. Nothing.
White wall again.
Beyond this candid universe.
Everything.
The
2008 Nihilist Film Festival was at
Track 16 gallery, Friday, December 19
at
8 pm.
Machine Gun Jesus 4 minutes
Dustin Snodgrass Los Angeles
Jesus Christ returns to 1970’s Los Angeles to clean up the streets…
one motherfucker at a time.
Pollination 1:33 minutes
Ms. Max Chan New York City
Pollination is a traditionally animated 2D short detailing the beautiful, delicate
process of pollination.
Automatic 30 minutes
Sharon Mooney Chicago
In an attempt to take control of his life, a customer
service employee becomes obsessed with a chronic complaint letter writer. Automatic
combines humor with unbalance; live-action + stop-motion to slip the viewer
through reality and fantasy until the line is no longer discernable.
The Gynaecologist 9 minutes
Alfoso Cararero Coruna, Spain
A gynaecologist is working in her office at the hospital as normal. But the
next patient....is a boy! Naturally the gynaecologist throws out the joker.
But he returns with the coordinator (the gynaecologist’s boss), who commands
that the gynaecologist examine her (meaning the patient)! It’s not a joke;
it’s a conspiracy! But the troubles of the gynaecologist are just beginning...
Intermission
Botched Eyeball Operation 1 minutes
Clint Enns Winnipeg, Canada
Botched Eyeball Operation casts a voyeuristic gaze at a common operation gone
awry. This is the video documentation of someone losing his/her sight, and for
this reason, this video is more horrific than your typical slasher film produced
in Hollywood. Music by Sea Wizard.
Notes from Shanghai 3 minutes
Vienne Chan Montreal, Canada
An aggressive collage of urban Shanghai, cut to a live set performed by Chinese
noise musicians Torturing Nurse.
Wading 11:23 minutes
Fred Guerrier Queens Village, NY
Sour-faced Martha has more in common with her creepy co-worker than she thought,
as the two go about finding love.
Miserys 8 minutes
Isabelle Vossart Annacy-Le-Vieux, France
Stanley & Simon in the Backyard Event
15 minutes
Directed by Jeremy Maupin Hollywood
and starring Vito Viscuso and Jeremy Maupin
In the backyard of Ms. Supli’s home for intellectually disabled adults,
guests Stanley and Simon innocently and accidentally stumble upon the quintessence
of the revivification Phenomenon.
Audience Favorite Award
Petting a Dead Cat 4 minutes
Steve Wright Los Angeles
Strange things happen in the desert when a man realizes that dead cats need
love too. Based on a poem by Steve Wright, published by Thieves Jargon Press.
Bonus Video
Clips from Nihilists' Corner TV
from the past 16 years, featuring LA artists.
The
2007 Nihilist Film Festival
was held November of 2007
at Track 16 Gallery in Santa Monica
Program
Near Life Experience
7:30 minutes
David Cangardel Paris
Cyn 5 minutes
Alex Ferrari Hollywood, Florida
Cyn is a twisted tale by writer/director Alex Ferrari about Cynthia, a young
woman who is taken away by two psychopaths (Mr. Sugar and Otto) in the middle
of the night to an old abandoned kindergarden. Cyn quickly turns the tables
on them, and soon the night becomes a cat and mouse mind game. While this drama
is unfolding, a lone figure watches from a closed circuit monitor. Who is Cynthia
and what the hell is going on in this twisted tale?
Secret Son: 14 minutes
Life Has Become A Stranger To You
Doo Byung Chae Los Angeles
This film is a futuristic tale of an old remorseful man who transplants his
brain into the body of his clone for the second chance of life. What for?from
the Best of The Nihilist Film Festival 2004
Revolution 10 minutes
Juan Pablo and Martin Rosete Madrid, Spain
intermission
Nihilist Olympics 1984 10 Minutes
Tim Keenan and Elisha Shapiro Los Angeles
The Pit And The Pendulum 9 Minutes
Gabriele Agresta Milano, Italy
In an obscure cell, a prisoner attempts to explore the space around himself,
a space only made by darkness. First he risks sinking into a circular pit; then
he is at the mercy of a sickle of steel that swings closer and closer to his
bound body while many enormous rats invade the floor of the prison.
Summer 1988 5 minutes
Aaron Hraba Syracuse, NY
What is at the crux of how others identify one another? Is it our careers, our
upbringing, our gender or race? These are all contributing factors, but when
someone knows you or is getting to know you, it’s the stories that you
share with them that really make up how they will identify you. Be it a coming
of age epiphany or your experience in the checkout line at the grocery store,
the manner in which you disclose your stories and which stories you choose to
share with others greatly influence how they perceive you. Summer 1988 is from
a collection of narrative videos in which I use my own experiences as a text
for analysis. I approach my life as a kind of cultural artifact that can be
interrogated to expose truths about social structures, power and desire.
Eggmycar: Kaveman, Interrupted
6:00 minutes
Alex Mendoza Tokyo, Japan
One sunny afternoon, alex took his lovely wife, kaveman, for a car ride. The
birds were churping, and marvin gaye was on the radio. but kaveman was chomping
air with her fuckin mouth, and alex could not hear and enjoy the scene, so this
nigga GRABS THAT STINK BUG BITCH BY THE WIG AND AHHHHH
-WORLD WAR FUCKIN 3...
p.s. www.youtube.com--eggmycar, team alex, <--more of my films
Mary Bug 1:15 minutes
Aaron Oldenburg Baltimore, MD
This video was originally footage to be used in a voice-activated computer game
where the user makes butterfly noises to sneak an insect Virgin Mary past butterflies
(and bat noises to sneak her past bats, etc.)
Pop Went The Weasel 4:20 minutes
Dana Sink New Cumberland, PA
“Pop Went the Weasel” is a short video about an ice cream truck
and a seemingly common man. Discover what happens when the man and his ice cream
truck meet a man that hates life, animals, and anyone involved; watch justice
prevail in the most of unexpected of ways.
Serao “Will Be” 4
minutes
Joana Toste Lisboa, Portugal
“To have or not to have control over our future...…this is the question.”
Freakshow 2:15 minutes
Nabih Iqal Birmingham, AL
A bully who picks on people that are “different” gets sent to a
circus to go see freaks perform! What happens next involves roller coasters,
condiments, and a flying dolphin.
The 2006
Nihilist Film Festival
was held December 10, 2006
at Track 16 Gallery in Santa Monica
Program
The Clench 9:34 minutes
Key, Cornick, Rodriquez, Emeryville, California
Westra, Heeney
& Gonzalez
Desperate Politicians 5 minutes
Archie-X Atlanta, Georgia
I usually produce arcane experimental films with a limited audience
at best. Desperate Politicians is something else, a reaction to a world gone
mad. I felt the need to comment on a political landscape that has exceeded my
worst nightmares about what was possible in our alleged democracy. Preemptive
war, torture, corporate hegemony over all our institutions, the trashing of
the constitution…the list goes on. Desperate Politicians is one of those
voices on edge, a comedia del arte satire aimed at a country whose population
has been cretinized by 50 years of television. I don’t know if this will
be seen by many people- it’s pretty bitter and inflammatory. But I felt
I should make my small protest before acts of political sacrilege are outlawed
completely! George Orwell got it right but still no one listens.
The Toll 6 minutes
Marc Dole Portsmouth, New Hampshire
The Toll is a character study in the guise of an interview with
a bridge troll by fictional film student Harvey Stevens for his final project.
As Harvey rolls the camera, the troll’s comments on work, life, and love
range from somewhat inappropriate to outrageously delusional, slowly revealing
the hilariously tragic figure of a monster in denial.
Baby Ham Lincoln 4:31 minutes
Graham Bowlin Nashville, North Carolina
This movie (it’s not a film), is the touching tale of two
young men who, through hardcore drug use, discover the value of life. Through
nonsensical time travel, they are also able to view the assassination of Abraham
Lincoln. But will the boys be able to make it back in time for dinner, or will
they end up getting drunk and mourning at a mystery grave site? Let’s
find out!
EGGMYCAR: fuckin ur mom for 15 minutes of fame 7:00
minutes
Alex Mendoza Helsinki, Finland
just to let everybody know my parents didn’t get me shit
last christmas, but i’ve been good this year so i want some money and
a box of condoms.lol uhhh enjoy my short film you jerks...alex
p.s. YOUTUBE.COM/EGGMYCAR <-----more of my films
Pilloporno 3.5 minutes
Shawn Cheatham Tampa, Florida
This video attempts to identify constructed tropes of sexuality
through the physical action of a young man on a bed, alone. By replacing a crucial
element of the semiotic language found in the discourse of contemporary porn
videos, the entire structure of meaning slowly dissolves, leaving only the disturbing
movements of an isolated individual, crudely re-enacting the symbolic theatre
of pornography.
Nihilist Campaign Film 10 minutes
Laurence Starkman and Elisha Shapiro Los Angeles
This November, Elisha Shapiro was the Nihilist Party candidate
for Governor of California. This short film was the campaign video for this
political campaign/art performance.
Break
Marker 7:35 minutes
Karina Griffith Mississaua, Ontario, Canada
A filmmaker reveals her three-year-long path to a mysterious
urban artist who doesn’t wish to be seen in her documentary. With a mix
of media and genres, MARKER is an expedition into the mentality of anonymous
artists and graffiti culture in Canada’s capital.
Room 323 8:00 minutes
Sharon Mooney Brooklyn, New York
“One by one the lights are going off. That’s the
only instant you really know somebody’s there.”
Kobe Abe – The Ruined Map
This three-part video examines the ability of space to affect the thoughts and
actions of those who exist therein. Threaded through all three stories are claustrophobic
reactions to the characters’ own manipulations of their environment. All
three stories act as extensions of the same psyche.
Twilight Dreams 6:40 minutes
Daniel Shiner Reston, Virginia
“Twilight Dreams” is a view into the surreal dreams
of a man tormented by his own guilt.
Baby Pepper 1:20 minutes
Carl Russo San Francisco, California
As America moves ever closer to becoming a Kindergarten State,
no child is innocent. Law enforcement must add newer, cleverer weapons to its
toy box. Choosing the proper crowd-control technique is tricky for Officer Chott
when he finds himself face-to-face with a radical but adorable junior protester.
This spoof of cuddly kiddie commercials might have been broadcast back in ‘84
on George Orwell’s telescreen--or last night on your Plasma screen.
The Calderons 24 minutes
Dan McNamara New York City
“The Calderons” is a short mockumentary about an
unemployed couple in the suburbs of Long Island who take care of two handicapped
robots in exchange for welfare. Dan McNamara’s first short film which
involves an animatronic puppet and a 3d composited character. “The Calderons”
is an association with the People’s Improv Theater (www.thepit-nyc.com).
Dan McNamara resides in Jersey City, NJ and hopes to one day be mayor. To see
more of Dan’s work, go to www.danmcnamara.com or look him up on youtube.
Hello Children 2 minutes
Olivia Janik Brunswick, New Jersey
Hello Children is an educational film that teaches inquisitive
little urchins about love, family values, and the power of mood stabilizers.
Kuleshov’s Paradox 10:30 minutes
Witkacy Montreal, Quabec, Canada
A woman under hypnosis visualizes an abstracted world of fear
and eroding freedoms then awakens to an underwater world far from the chaos
above...cars, death, The Rapture, and oppression all inspired by the ghost of
Lev Kuleshov.
Platelets: Lepidopteraphage 9 minutes
Justin Curfman Dallas, Georgia
This is a nine-minute stop-motion animation/CG animation hybrid
film taken from the director’s dark and extremely cryptic dream logic.
Breakfast cereal, cannibalism, a lighthouse, insects, recycling...
First Prize Winner
Two Tracks 11 minutes
Robert St. Mary Grand Rapids, Michigan
“Two Tracks” is a surreal/expressionistic
look at a young man’s struggle with bi-polar disorder. Shot silent in
black & white over the weekend of September 11th, 2005 in Saginaw, Michigan,
“Two Tracks” was created D.I.Y. style by Robert St. Mary who wrote,
stars, photographed and edited the picture.
St. Mary’s other works includes short documentaries and the upcoming feature
documentary, “The Separation on State Street.”
www.knowsaint.com knowsaint@mac.com
The 2005
Nihilist Film Festival
was held December 16, 2005
at Track 16 Gallery in Santa Monica
Program
The Invisible Voice Of Imu 3 minutes
Witkacy, Montreal, Quebec
Tuberculosis, institutionalization, homelessness, pseudo-democracy, hyper-consumerism,
public existence, private space, a chair, a stripper and Ivan Marvin Ulanov
are the elements of “The Invisible Voice of IMU”.
A Paranoic tale 3:40 minutes
Frederic Comi, Barcelona , Spain
“In our time, the look will be the motor of our decadency”
Paul, a young yuppie, will do anything to raise a little tumor on his head.
Derf 3:58 minutes
Jeremy Newman, Elyria,Cleveland
Derf is a documentary video short about an alternative cartoonist from Cleveland.
From his teenage years with Jeffrey Dahmer to a garbage truck epiphany, it traces
his path to underground celebrity. The story is told through his drawings and
commentary.
Pretty Kitty 3:51minutes
Gregory McDonald, Burbank
What can you do if your cat doesn’t listen to you? You ask him politely;
he doesn’t listen. You tell him forcefully; he doesn’t listen. You
try to trick him; he doesn’t fall for it. There’s only so much a
man can take before he snaps. That’s when you need to take matters into
your own hands and teach him a lesson.
Ringelreihe 7 minutes
Ring-a-ring-a-roses
Gabriele Agresta, Milano, Italy
The suffering of the birth, the creation and the failure of this act are represents
in this video through images, association and metaphor. I tried to show the
tragic relationship between the gestation of a being and rising of the senses
from matter. In other words, I tried to photograph the moment in which the single
pure phenomenon transforms itself into sign.
Trash Baby 9:22 minutes
Phil Haney, Los Angeles
www.SuperAwesomeWow.com Presents “Trash Baby.” Bill is just an average
shmuck in college. Like most guys his age, he likes to get drunk and have lots
of sex… but never take out the trash. This would come back to haunt him;
Mutated from biochemical agents left over in fast food wrappers and Bill’s
discarded semen, Trash Baby is half human and half trash! Now he lives in Bill’s
college dorm room. Bill is trying to impress a hot Vietnamese girl by joining
her on-campus group that supports a bond between the Gay and Asian- Pacific
Islander community. However Bill’s suave moves are put in jeopardy when
Trash Baby signs Bill up to a fanatical special interest group that supports
a person’s right to carry a concealed container of AIDS as a weapon.
NecroGenesis 16:30 minutes
Sheldon Gleisser, Columbus, Ohio
A humble landscaper falls in love with his employer. When she is murdered, his
emotional journey takes him beyond love, beyond vengeance, beyond death itself,
and into...NecroGenesis!
Pilgrims_Progress 3:46minutes
James Dingle, Boston
* Set up your IBM© PC or PCjr as shown in the Owner’s Manual.
* Insert your MS-DOS disk into the disk drive (Drive A on two-drive systems).
* Turn ON the computer and TV or monitor.
* When MS-DOS is loaded, insert the PILGRIMS_PROGRESS program disk into the
drive, label facing up
and the oval cutout pointed toward the back of the system.
* Follow the instructions.
Intermission
In The Doghouse 7:34 minutes
Biff Yeager, Los Angeles
IN THE DOGHOUSE is the first winning short screenplay of aascreenplaycontest.com.
It came together pretty fast as we had a very limited budget. We were lucky
to have so many professionals that were able to work on the film when we were
scheduled to shoot. As it was, we shot the entire film in one 18 hour day, with
some minor pick-ups two weeks later. Although that “damn” end credit
sequence took me two weeks to put together. We received about 20 reviews on
Triggerstreet.com with about 98% of them extremely positive.”
Roboshithead 4:50 minutes
Chuck Stern, New York City
Zonal Insurgence
Deep within the confines of a secret, leisurely zoning liaison, one order is
followed a little too closely, revealing a crumpled, crummy... dumpy... truth
that no one needed to see.
www.roboshithead.com e-mail - roboshithead@yahoo.com
Snow day, Bloody Snow Day 13:20 minutes
Faye Hoerauf and Jessica Baxter, Seattle
When an unexpected snow storm strikes Seattle, the dead rise from their graves
to prey on the living. From the confines of their living room, a group of unlikely
heroes must rise to stop the flesh-hungry hordes, only to discover that zombies
aren’t the only evil they are up against.
EGGMYCAR: A free cheap ass demo 9:35 minutes
Alex Mendoza, Los Angeles
merrry x-mas ya filthy animals and guys too, ahhh this demo of eggmycar films
is so *&^%*$ cool i had to edit this bitch with sunglasses on..okae this
^%$# is all about skits and pranks and it will make handi-cap kids fall out
of there chairs-cause i fell out mine. enjoy the demo you jerks...alex
Exit-Sense 9 minutes
Anka Krzyzanowski, Port Coquitlam, Canada
In the depth of a night, one finds a strange picture frame which mysteriously
transports her into a surreal and horrifying reality. The nightmarish place
is eternally grounded within the protagonist’s subconconscious mind. As
the disturbed youth journeys through the delirious hell, she is hunted by the
grotesque creatures, morbid faces, and depressed, self-destructive clowns. In
each of their faces, shefinds her own reflection. This gothic cabaret becomes
a sinister spectacle accompanied by anguished whispears, outbursts of cries,
and nauseating sounds. In the darkest chambers of the mind, the protagonist
deciphers a sense of her own being and unveils her true inner-self.
First Prize
Donut Run 19 minutes
Peter Atencio and Elysia Skye, North Hollywood
In Nowheresville, Florida, a miserable girl (Elysia Skye-Confidence, Goth Milk)
working a thankless job at a donut shop is tormented everyday by an ignorant,
self loving cop (Dian Bachar-BASEketball, Orgazmo) who happens to be her best
customer. Meanwhile she is detached from her relationship with a clingy sap
and, in their most intimate moments, has nightmares of murder while he fantasizes
about their future. This dark comedy puts a John Waters spin on a modern working
girl tale--only this time there’s blood, sex and sweet revenge. In order
for Bella to find peace, she must give new meaning to the term “Dead End
Job.”
The
2004 Nihilist Film Festival
was held December 3, 2004
at Track 16 Gallery in Santa Monica
Program
Walk-In Film
TRANSFORMATOR 2:27 min.
Lukas Mettler, Geneva, Switzerland
This film is a video-performance deconstructing identity. To disfigure my own face is a way to transmit identity to the spectator.BARGAIN
MATINEE 4 min.
Josh McKnight, Los Angeles
Bargain Matinee allows us to witness a deal in an alley between two mysterious strangers. No need to exchange words; they both know what they want. An unordinary service is given–in return, a payment is made. And as the two consenting adults depart, you can’t help but to wonder..... is this legal?
TWO LORDS 8 min.
Lance Crayon, Los Angeles
Shakespeare said‚ “Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.” The same can be said about this film. Two Lords is the story of a director struggling to adapt Shakespeare for the pseudo intellectual shock generation. Starring Karl Moore (the creator and star of the cult hit “Delusions in Modern Primitivism”), Lance Crayon, and Earl Harvin. Directed by cult indie fave Billy Tears (“With It,” “Cheaters”).
ROCK DOCUMENTARY ON GEOFF
CASSELL 24 min.
Kenneth Du, Yuba City, CA
“I have nothing to hide!” was Geoff’s response to my cautioning of his openness and readiness to reveal all during our second meeting with crew at a crowded café. “When you reach my age, nothing fazes you,” said Geoff. I concentrated on capturing the real emotions of Geoff and his relations. The amount of time necessary to set the technical aspect of the filming would have irritated these unpredictable individuals and made their emotions artificial. In all, the untidiness and in-frame equipment punctuated my attempts at witticism.
WORDS COME OUT BACKWARDS
WHEN SPOKEN TO SCREEN LEFT 1:38 min.
Barbara Rosenthal, NYC
“Last night I was up talking to myself, when the words appeared visimagically before my lips, and kept coming out. If you were on my right and saw them also, they would be backwards coming forwards as they were.”
SOME THINGS TO BE SCARED
OF 5:30 min.
Douglas P. Gast, Hot Springs, AR
Even though an abundance of evidence continues to reveal that Americans are safer and healthier than anytime in our nation’s past, the United States is rife with fear. Many have attributed this pervasive fear to the influence of the popular news media and the organizations designed to establish its agenda. In its essence, SOME THINGS TO BE SCARED OF is a laundry list of the things we have been told to fear. Its oral delivery, in the form of one continuous sentence, is subtly referential to a news broadcast while its visual composition and arrangement in time addresses the process and abilities of signification.
EUNUCH ALLEY 21:35
min.
Shashwati Talukdar, Jackson Hts, NY
DEEP FRITZ 5 min.
Sascha Dornhofer and Alexandra Rothert
music by: Max Wendling a.k.a. Paradroid
Dresden, Germany
written, photographed and produced by: Sascha Dornhoefer (me)
edited and directed by: Alexandra Rothert (my girlfriend)
Actually we are both psychologists, into teaching and research, especially in the field of visual perception (where I also did my doctoral thesis). Together we produced and directed more than 50 short films in the last 20 months and are said to be “Germany’s fastest underground filmmakers.”
WINDLESS 4:45 min.
Nikita Kleverov,Thousand Oaks, CA
Nikita Kleverov takes us on a journey deep into the constructs of the minds of normal people. Once inside, we discover that nothing we once knew as fact can be used as evidence for the justification of mankind. It is a short surrealistic piece split up into eleven segments in order to concentrate the viewer on the intense imagery and content. Although not following a concrete linear structure, this is one of the most intriguing self-reflective films of our time. From a man that reluctantly feeds his buried past, to an incredulous structure placed amongst nothingness, to a humble blind couple that come to discover death on their own terms, Windless is an experiment in closed form filmmaking of our postmodern age. We are all Windless.
TEPHRASECT 24 min.
Justin Curfman, Dallas, GA
Tephrasect is a dark, stop-motion, animated film that is best viewed as an action narrative scripted from some nightmarish form of expressionist dream logic. This is a film constructed from the purging of the creator’s own dreams and irrational obsessions.
I AM (NOT) SEEN
5 min
Takahiko Iimura, NYC
THE DATE 15 min.
Matthew Schwartz, Glendale, CA
A young man shows up unannounced at the home of the pretty woman-schoolteacher he so desperately covets. Once admitted, his initial charming demeanor quickly fades, as his warped obsession becomes pronounced, veering towards the nether abyss of stalkerdom. Playing it somewhat cool, the pretty schoolteacher bides his sexual threats and demands.....seemingly preoccupied with other matters. As the tables are turned in a rudely unexpected instant, the lowlife predator now becoming the object of the hunt–a fly in the web of demonized forces even more sinister than he, unexpectedly dispatching the few remaining shreds of humanity the young man has left. Plot twists and turns galore! All expectations shattered! Plus one mothering Latino biker! All in the space of 12 minutes!
Second
Prize
PERVULA 10 min.
Armando Munoz, Seattle, WA
A faux silent film from the 1920s documents a night of titillating terror during which Pervula, the naughty Nosferatu, pays pretty Gretchen a late night visit, intent on biting her most private parts. Little does the humpy horror know that Gretchen is waiting, her body booby trapped.
First Prize
REVOLUTION 6:30 min.
Juan Pablo and Martin Rosete
Madrid, Spain
The Fifth International
Nihilist Film Festival
was held Friday December 14th
at the EZTV Studio in Santa Monica.
Nihilist Film Festival 2003
Program
Blueberry
13 Min
Regina, Canada
Shot in classical narrative style with a bewildering, free-associative
story, Blueberry frequently succeeds in alienating those either expecting
a typical movie drama or a dyed-in-the-wool experimental film.
Normal and yet not normal enough.
A woman searches for one man - or boy - in her life, set in an out-of-time
world.
Breaking
3min
My brain and my mind seldom agree on anything. Rot and decay is merely
nature's way of absorbing nourishment. And most flying saucers are actually instances of spontaneous
atmospheric combustion.
Heavy
5 Min
Los Angeles
Early man helped humanity learn all sorts of lessons. Among the most
important are: experience is difficult, some animals don’t like us,
some things are really sharp, some things bite and some things are heavy.
The tenacious hero of Australian Kell McGregor’s hilarious short film,
“Heavy”, is not so much an intellectual, but a guy with a really
strong chest."
Nathan Dupree: The Preginning
20 Min
Michael Heck
Masapequa, Ny
Www.Preginning.Com
Herbert H Woolworth,
great-grandson of the great FW Woolworth, spends his last few days on earth
much as he has spent his entire life, obsessed with New York's Woolworth Building.
His obsession leads him in contact with agents from another dimension who
transport Herbert to that other world. Ninety-six years later, Nathan DuPree
arrives in this other world, where Herbert has been trapped for almost a century.
Herbert has been plotting his escape, and Nathan DuPree's arrival may be the
moment he's been waiting for. Finally,
the Narrator, who has led us through this tale, explains everything before
receiving a strange visitor. Nathan DuPree: The Preginning is the second film from New York filmmaker
Michael Heck. Learn more about Michael Heck and Nathan DuPree: The Preginning
at www.preginning.com.
Zombied
2:15
Grace Jolliffe
County Wicklow, Ireland
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a Zombie? Put away
your prejudice and suspend your suspicion. In these frank interviews, Zombies tell filmmaker Grace Jolliffe
how they were Zombied after drinking Popsi Cola. These Zombies didn’t let rotting
eyelids blind them from life’s possibilities -- No they retained their sense of dignity
and optimism and turned disadvantage into challenge.
Hear for the first time how decomposition rocks!!! How becoming a Zombie improves your chances
of getting off with the opposite sex, increases stamina, and can even get
you that dream job!
Spite 12
Min
Tariq Tapa
Houston
(2003; 12 min.;
16mm; Romantic Thriller/Experimental; Tapa Films)
Longing is the same as looking in this surreal love mystery about
obsession, jealousy, and the forces of nature ... In a dark bamboo jungle,
a weary man follows a mysterious woman. He is determined to recover what he
thinks she might be hiding from him, but he is afraid of her. Someone else
is watching them both. Are they in danger?
Extreme Bible Stories
4:24
William Ross
Seattle
www.ExtremeBibleStories.com
Pulp Fiction meets the Bible in this uncensored short animation showing the unpleasant
fate awaiting impudent children who dare to mock God's Prophet. "Extreme Bible Stories: Don't dis
Elisha" is the first in a series of short animated films taking an unflinching,
yet humorous, look at the many sex-drenched, barbaric, and bloody stories
found in "The Good Book."
Chirps-The Legend
8:21
Julie Drach
Studio City
In a dark world of corporate corruption, intoxicating vixens, crazed
vagrants, and irresistible marshmallow birds, a lone gangster tries to find
his way.
Trust 5:26 Min
Andre Campbell
Hollywood
"A promiscuous housewife learns the true meaning of a friend
you can trust."
This was a short story we liked, and so we ran with it, but not too
far. When a person thinks about breaking the sanctity of marriage, you never
know how it will snap apart. We are presenting one slice of life's pie, hopefully
in a comical way.
Second
Prize
Dada Changed My Life
29 Min
Olga Mazurkiewicz/Daniel Martinez/Lou
Lou