CIFF Thursday, Block 1: Documentary Shorts Program

PUSH Tunisia
Short Documentary (35 mins.) SC Premiere

Director: Nathan Gray
Producers: Nathan Gray and Todd Nims
Cast: Evan Collisson, Tanner Lostan, Tzahi Einat, Mohammed Zakaria, Yehia Ossama and Nathan Gray

Synopsis: In the aftermath of the Tunisian Revolution, an eclectic crew of skateboarders and street artists known collectively as the Bedouins – took respite from the violence in the streets to turn the looted house of the incarcerated politician Imed Trabelsi, nephew of former first lady Leila Ben Ali, into a makeshift skate park and street art exhibition. PUSH Tunisia shows how it is possible to inspire a change in human perspective away from destruction and complacency towards proactive peace through creative oppositions and celebrations of the positive in our world.

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CRISÁLIDA
Short Documentary (8 mins.) East Coast Premiere

Directors: Laura Cantal, Esther de Rothschild, Alejandro Estrella and Rosanna Mendez
Producer: Delia de la Cruz

Synopsis: CrisÁlida, which means 'cocoon of an incubating butterfly’, is the name of an 86-year-old woman who watches the world through her bedroom window. Over the course of a Sunday in her small Cuban town, her past and present converge in ironic, unsettling ways.

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CAVES: THE SOCIAL UNDERGROUND
Short Documentary (10 mins.) SC Premiere

Director: Jennifer Marie Bird
Writer/Producer/DP: Luke McMahon
Locations: Hawaii, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina

Synopsis: The experience of being in a place where no one else has ever been, and to capture and bring back images of wonder. Why do some risk their lives to go into these places? As we follow three individuals into the deepest depths of caves around the United States including Hawaii we will unlock new sights never before captured by human eyes, and start to understand the pull that brings these intrepid explorers underground.

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AT THIS VERY MOMENT
Short Documentary (10 mins.) World Premiere

Director/Writer: Ira Chute
Producers: Ira Chute and Kelly LeCastre
Cast: Mike Kus, Emma Kus, Theo Kus and Olive Kus

Synopsis: Mike Kus is a modern man—a family man—who, by most accounts, lives a very normal life. Like most people, Mike enjoys spending time with his family, going to the park or beach, and taking pictures with his cell phone to document his adventures along the way. But, unlike most people, the pictures Mike takes on his phone have made him something of a phenomenon. Just a regular guy, Mike has inspired nearly half a million people to follow his photos on Instagram (the average user has 6 followers). At This Very Moment examines what it is that makes Mike’s pictures special, and how an otherwise frivolous smart phone app has given him the ability to capture the fleeting moments of life that would otherwise be lost.

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CARDS AGAINST A WALL
Short Documentary (28 mins.)

Director: Tim Fennell
Writer: Alex Sanders
Producers: Dave Brown, Brooks Quinn and Tim Fennell
Cast: Alex Sanders, Joseph Jackson, Joe Jackson, Tim Rowe, Jon Hale, Jeremy Helms, R.W. Smith, Andy Solomon, Tim Roylance, Frank Cossa, Andy Gowder, Reggie Patterson and Evan Parry

Synopsis: Shoeless Joe Jackson, Van Lingle Mungo and Bobo Newsom were all great baseball players. None are in the Hall of Fame but they do have great names and all from South Carolina. Storyteller Alex Sanders met the three when he was very young and now weaves a great tale that includes the ballplayers at their prime and later in life. But there’s more – a magician, a deck of cards and an amazing moment that changes young boy’s life. Look for Shoeless Joe Jackson’s great, great, great nephew portraying the legendary 1919 ballplayer.