United States
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Is The Closest Thing to Heaven one of those corporate recruiting films, promoting another big city in the south, to a growing high-tech company looking for a new home? You might just start to think that, as the film greets you with shots of the modern Charlotte, North Carolina skyline. But when we are introduced to our guide and narrator, Howard, a dapper, southern gentlemen complete with white suit, gray beard and white fedora who rides a curiously decorated bicycle, it will be obvious that odd times are ahead.
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In Mark Ward's Clinic E, a black comedy about sharing love and HIV, a man receives an anonymous letter informing him that an ex-lover has tested HIV positive. While waiting for the result of his test, his search for the identity of the letter's author takes an unexpected turn. --Hayet Ennabli
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22-years-old and just six years out of prison. All Ramone Watkins wants is to get back on his feet. With the help of some key people and his own inner strength, perhaps he can, but first he must outrun his past.
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Nominated for the 1995 Academy Award Best Short, John R. Dilworth's The Chicken from Outer Space is the story of a cowardly dog who must foil the plans of an alien chicken bent on taking over the world. --Matthew Aquino
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A game of chess is the test men must take to date the woman in CheckMating, by William Azaroff, but what happens when she finally meets her match? --Matthew Aquino
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Mired in a dead-end job at a third-rate Los Angeles boutique, a young artist with an attitude named Soosh (Moira Kelly) schemes her way into residency at a local convent in order to save enough money to escape to India and paint. She soon learns, however, that everything has a price and that, while the convent may be cheap, it certainly isn't free. Surly nuns, 5 a.m. kitchen duty and middle-of-the-night demands from lonely elderly residents often make the arrangement seem to be more trouble than it's worth.
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Cat Calls, Wolf Whistles and Other Ordinary Dangers by Gail Huddleson consists in a series of lively and quick interviews of women and their feelings about being whistled at in the street. With intelligent humor, this story explores the response and reaction to street harassment. --Hayet Ennabli
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In Marcus Han's Burning Bridges, escaping yet another boarding school, Jeremy is left with the horrid prospect of staying at home with his neglecting parents. While attempting to avoid confrontation, he meets Kara whose sadness reflects the oppressive world her husband has confined her to. --Hayet Ennabli
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From local Latino filmmaker Jeffrey Vargas is the short film, Brandenburg. Set to the third movement of J. S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #3, Brandenburg is the story of two young lovers briefly united in a pure and innocent love, tragically torn apart by a father who means to end their love affair. Whether motivated by racism or simply an overprotective and uncontrollable parental instinct, the father succeeds in destroying all he loves.
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Childhood ended for Francis when her parents died. Since then, she has cooked, cleaned and cared for her brothers. But this stagnant life is no longer an option for her, as Francis desires something much more; a life of her own. Dwight, a mysterious new stranger, becomes a catalyst for Francis to reach for that dream. Hank, Francis' oldest brother, does not approve of Dwight. In fact, Hank seems to have a very strong animosity for Dwight. This proves difficult for Francis, as she has had little time for romance and her search for love and understanding seems to have found its reward.