2005
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Though hardly famous, Jack Mullin?s influence extends from the creation of tape following World War II to the rise of the iPod in recent times. The engaging Sound Man sheds welcome light on the career of this neglected pioneer, responsible for the innovation described as ?a musician?s dream.?
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After a year locked in a trunk at the back of the attic, Mindbenders returns with tales too bizarre to be put on at any time other than late night. Only then can dark tales of clown on mime violence mingle with the talk of the mean streets and the unnatural cycles of food growth. There?s amputation, mutilation, excrement and even a film for those who are big into anthropomorphic animals in suits or b.b. gun fans. These Mindbenders may well be the strangest ever, and it will certainly keep you awake and scratching your head.
Chris Garcia
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Ranging from action-packed to the fantastic to the quotidian, this collection of short films spans a range of emotions and visual styles. Wood Diary is a beautiful look at the everyday life of an outsider artist; a routine that makes a ritual of creativity. Music, to this film, is as important as the stark winter imagery. From Romania, A Lineman?s Cabin takes place along the tracks, in the wide open spaces and farmland next to the Black Sea.
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This inspiring collection of shorts pays homage to the actor?s craft and the storyteller?s gift for imagination. Up on the Rope presents a boy with an unusual perspective on life. In this case, it?s quite literal. Veteran British actor Alan Corduner (The White Countess, Vera Drake) plays an obsessive dandy in Against Nature, an upper crust scribe whose universe couldn?t be more ordered. That?s unfortunate for the homeless wreck outside his window. Bay Area filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt brings us his latest offering: an elegy for his deceased brother and a meditation on coping with loss.
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Animated Worlds returns for another run with some exceptional pieces of filmmaking. Featuring films from six countries and a local filmmaker?s work as well, powerful storytelling is infused with the magic of the animator?s art. Stop-motion, computer animation, tradition hand-drawn work as well as paper silhouette animation all meld on a canvas that celebrates the art of filmmaking. Traditional tales mix it up with the avant-garde, all while telling stories that captivate and entertain.
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In Combination is a concoction of stories that feature a look at the way things combine to form new outlooks and whole new universes. From the contrasts between the natural and man-made to the way black and white film footage can be taken and rearranged to form a new story, In Combination will examine what happens when the expected and the exceptional collide and release the resulting energies on the world. Fantasy grinds against reality, experience against expectation, happiness against sorrow in films that explore those areas of contact.
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Cinequest is proud to present a program of fine films from around the world. Featuring six world-class films from and about Europe, Africa, and South America, International Affairs will pull on your heart strings, make you laugh, make you think and might even make you want to get up and dance. From the mountains of Afghanistan to the dance studios of Buenos Aires, featuring a mix of documentary and narrative as well as of comedy and drama, International Affairs shows the full range of film and filmmakers working around the world in the short medium.
Chris Garcia
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Every year, Cinequest mixes the best comedic shorts from around the world for a batch that is as wide and wild as you?ll ever find. Only here will zombies try to fight for acceptance and guys make videos to send to friends? wakes. Odd interruptions and unusual trips to the gynecologist mash up next to bizarre confrontations between man and robot as well as between actor and coach. Films in the program include a performance by Sandra Oh and several returning filmmakers from Cinequest past.
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When a strange person is no longer a stranger.
Charming, strange and very talkative, Mr. Seman spends his days meeting and greeting the many people who pass by his ground floor apartment window. At different times he is a philosopher, preacher, or even therapist--influencing the individuals he stops while his placid demeanor conceals a darker reality. When he befriends a beautiful, young woman, life changes dramatically and the normally hidden side of his world begins to take over.
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A bittersweet comedy about the ticking away of biological time clocks, Shades of Happiness examines the needs and desires of two thirtysomething women seeking fulfillment. Paula is an arts teacher, whose husband is a family therapist. They have been trying to have a child for years, to no avail. Helena and Mikko are two high tech workers devoted to their careers. When Helena suddenly informs Mikko that her life will not be complete without a child, confusion and turmoil ensue.