by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
What: Short Circuit Film Festival
When: February 13 at 7 pm
Where: Wilson Center on FCCJ South Campus
The reason you’ve probably never heard of the Short Circuit Film Festival is because it’s in its infancy. This is the very first year of the festival, which celebrates the offerings of independent Southeastern filmmakers.
The Southern Arts Federation and the FCCJ Artist Series teamed up to host the 1st Annual Short Circuit Film Festival, February 7 at the Kent Campus Auditorium and February 13 at the Wilson Center on South Campus. Both shows begin at 7 pm. Selected films range from fiction and animation to experimental and documentary. Admission is free, but you’ll get the chance to see 12 short films from the dirty South. Although none of the films seem to be from Florida this year, you will see a documentary on Savannah, GA.
A featured flick of the fest is An Abstraction on the Chronology of Will, a fictional account of a Special-Ops solider who regains his will to live only when he’s facing a firing squad. The spotlighted documentary is Bowl Digger, on older folks who still carry on the tradition of creating wooden bowls and dough trays in rural South Carolina.
Here’s a list and short descriptions of each film you can see (for free!) at the fest:
Sandstorm Directed by Yeon Choi - Lafayette, Louisiana. In an imaginary land that lacks of water and flesh, two skeleton figures find a pair of eyes in the sand. Their selfish minds start a fight over the eyes, and the fight leads to a bitter end.
Dear Sweet Emma Directed by John Cernak - Winston-Salem, NC. As the search is given up for Emma’s latest husband, Tucker, a private look reveals that Emma has a secret and uncontrollable dark side. The sweetest angel and favorite citizen of Fishtickle would indeed pose an uncomfortable dilemma for all if her problem were ever found out.
Tour of Homes Directed by Penny Brice - Savannah, Georgia. Once described as the southern belle with a dirty face, Savannah is a city of contradictions, primarily between the haves and have-nots. With its Spanish Moss-draped trees and genteel historic district, it has a dark underbelly of poverty and crime, sustained by racial inequality and fueled by denial. Tour of Homes provides an alternative tour to the ones that cart tourists through the affluent environment of historic downtown Savannah.
The Language of Limbs: A Documentary on the Agrifolk Art Movement Directed by Eyekiss - Atlanta, Georgia. Conceptual artist Jonathon Keats discovers the last true folk artists remaining: 50 leyland cypress trees. Watch the drama unfold as these trees, outfitted with easels, paper and pencils, communicate through art...seriously.
Bowl Digger Directed by Kristy Higby - Alexander, North Carolina. A loving story of octogenarians Maxie and Hilton Eades, rural South Carolinians who create wooden bowls and dough trays as durable as their creators
The Cole Nobody Knows Directed by Clay Walker - Avondale Estates, Georgia. This documentary profiles Chicago-native Freddy Cole, the virtually unknown, yet equally talented younger brother of Nat “King” Cole. At age 75, Freddy Cole is, at last, finally being recognized for his amazing musical talent.
Dick-George, Tenn-Tom Directed by Gideon Kennedy - Mobile, Alabama. In 1971, President Richard M. Nixon visited Mobile, AL for 104 minutes, during which time he shook 100 feet of hands, lost a cufflink, and shared a stage with his biggest political rival, Governor George Wallace. Dick-George, Tenn-Tom is a sardonic look at their rivalry, the creation of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, and the attempt on Wallace’s life less than a year later.
Wood Diary Directed by David Meyers - Henderson, Kentucky. Follow a less-than-ordinary man over the course of one day and discover what it takes most people a lifetime to learn.
Theodore Directed by Jorge Moran - Nashville, Tennessee. Theodore knows loneliness, but the challenge of his life is knowing love.
Moth to Light Directed by Elizabeth Strickler - Atlanta, Georgia. Through a dark and tense atmosphere twists the horrific coming of age of Muriel. Caught between the domestic world of her mother and a dark and luring force in the garden, she contemplates what to do with the baby her mother dotes on and whose origins are unknown.
Mr. Extion Directed by Griffin Hood and Barry Battles Maylene, Alabama. Two life long friends and aspiring filmmakers find that developing an original idea, with no budget, is hard to pull off...especially down South. Through the span of a day, the two reveal their true feelings on film, stereotypes, race, and each other.
An Abstraction on the Chronology of Will Directed by Ben Collins and Kevin Phillips Savannah, Georgia. William Porten is nothing short of apathetic and despondent after a break-up with his girlfriend. He joins the military, becomes a Special Op, and lives with a sustained note of danger until being faced with a firing squad in the middle of the desert. Through an act of divine intervention his life is saved and his will to live is revitalized.
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