Films of the First Annual Rockport Film Festival

We Have A Festival!

Thanks and congratulations to every director, cast and crew from the selected films. Our first annual Rockport Film Festival will be a ‘must see’ event. Over 100 films were submitted in the categories of Narrative Feature & Short, Animation Short, Documentary Feature & Short, and Student Narrative & Documentary Short. It was a tough job for our reviewers to select the films for our festival. We have added several additional viewings and venues. Our tickets page will be updated shortly to reflect our additions. Again congratulations to all the selected films.

ROCKPORT FILM FESTIVAL 2007 OFFICIAL SCHEDULE

Thursday, November 8, 2007
1:00 pm - 4:30 pm	Films – "Warm-Up" Matinee			Main Street Arts
SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER: THE STORY OF THE FARM LABOR ORGANIZING COMMITTEE.	Student Documentary Short	10m, USA	Director - Melissa Mergner	return to top
	A high school student, and first time film-maker pays tribute to her grandfather who organized the farm workers and negotiated a win/win/win for the workers, farmers, and agri-businesses.
MEN OF STEEL	Documentary Short	28m, USA	Director – Adam Michardi
	Ironworkers build the infrastructure of our society in their rough and tumble world.
SUR LA TERRE COMME AU CIEL	Narrative Fiction Short	18m, Canada	Director – Herve Demers
	The serene landscape of the mind reflects the beauty that a loving partnership creates, defying even death. Never alone.
DESAROLLO HUMANO	Documentary Short	30m, Spain	Director – David Munoz
	How does the richest country in the world compare to the poorest. Human development or stunted growth?
THE GARAGE	Narrative Fiction Feature	94m, Austin, TX	Director - Carl Thibault
	A young man is caught between obligation to family and responsibility to create a future for himself. Does he have to leave his home town to find his home?
5:00 pm	Opening Reception			Rockport Center for the Arts
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Films			Main Street Arts
THE PLAY	Student Narrative Fiction Short	11m, USA	Director - Sam Holdren	return to top
	Sometimes watching the audience is more entertaining than the play!
CAUGHT IN PAINT	Documentary Short	6m, USA	Director – Rita Blitt
	An abstract muralist, dancers, a photographer and filmmaker collaborate to create this multi-media “canvass”.
THE CURIOUS LIVES OF BOTTOM DWELLERS	Student Narrative Fiction Short	13m, USA,	Director - Megan Allison
	Two love forlorn souls wonder if there is true love for everyone.
FLYAWAY	Animated Short	11m, USA	Director – Danny Oakley
	Risk it all to savor freedom! Or a Flight of Fancy! Yes! Go for it!
FINDING WILD FLORIDA	Documentary Feature	43m, USA	Director- Stephen Mick
	Explores the delicate balance between treasuring the fragile beauty of the Everglades and Keys, an outdoors sports paradise, with the pressures of development.
ART FROM THE STREETS	Documentary Feature	73m, Austin, TX	Director – Layton Blaylock
	Even in the midst of the dire straits of being homeless, creativity flourishes. The vision of beauty shines.
9:45 pm	After Festival Party			Hemingway's Bar & Grill
10:00 pm - 12:30 am	Late Night Show (More edgy, R type films)			Main Street Arts
DEAR SWEET EMMA	Animated Short	5m, USA	Director - John Cernak	return to top
	The sweetest angel and favorite citizen of Fishtickle guards a dark secret and even darker side behind that sweet smile.
BACK	Student Narrative Fiction Short	13m, USA	Director – Stephen Belveu
	If you could go back in time and change the past, would you?
TODAY I BECOME A MAN	Documentary Short	10m, Austin TX	Director - Mocha Jean Herrup
	A gender bender when a guy tries to pass as a girl competing in an annual “Drag – King” contest in Austin. You be the judge. Does he “pass”?
LONG WAY HOME	Student Narrative Fiction Short	11m, Australia	Director – Earnest Kim
	Every parent’s worst nightmare stares back from every milk carton and from this little picture.
LAST ROUND	Narrative Fiction Short	9m, Corpus Christi, TX	Director - Reagan Johnson
	There is no respect for the “cloth” as this priest gets caught up in a drug deal gone bad.
FORFEIT	Narrative Fiction Feature	84m USA	Director - Andrew Shea
	Haunted by a TV evangelist, an armored car guard seeks freedom and vengeance with one last heist. Cuz the bible tells me so. Or does it?
Friday, November 9, 2007
10:00 am - 7:00 pm	Art Walk			Downtown Rockport
11:00 am - 12:00 noon	Films "Ladies Special" Matinee (Guys are special too)			Main Street Arts
BOTTLED	Animated Short	4m, USA	Director – Jian Lee	return to top
	Trapped in a bottle, love and companionship soothes the loneliness.
SOUP LADLE	Narrative Fiction Short	11m, Canada	Director – Cayman Grant
	This Jewish mother is nobody’s fool as her son and his “platonic” roommate discover.
FROM FIRE: AN ODYSSEY OF GLASS	Documentary Short	12m, USA	Director – Karen Lavender
	A passionate woman glass sculptor thrives in an all male artists world of iron and glass smelting.
ZOHRA	Student Narrative Fiction Short	15m, UK	Director - Kemal Akhtar
	The clash of cultures terrifies a young, Indian immigrant woman in London confusing an innocent comment with an affront to her innocence.
STUCK	Narrative Fiction Short	11m, USA	Director – Bruce A. Block
	Trapped in an elevator with a beautiful woman. A fantasy with a twist.
GRAZIE AL CIELO	Narrative Fiction Short	11m, Italy	Director - Andrea Jublin
	A middle-aged, self-pitying, angst ridden husband meets the Angel of “Death or Life”. Be careful what you pray for, you may get it.
1:00 pm	Guest Talk: Sherry Mills of REEL WOMEN and Director of "Natalie at 5 O'Clock" Read her Bio			Main Street Arts
NATALIE AT FIVE O’CLOCK	Narrative Fiction Short	5m, Austin, TX	Director – Sherry Mills
	Ah, to be young and care-free, again. Makes you want to dance. Heck with the chores.
BEYOND BELIEF	Documentary Feature	97m, USA	Director – Beth Murphy
	Two widows from 9/11 journey in search of solace and healing by reaching out to thousands of Afghan widows & creating economic opportunity of home-based businesses.
5:00 pm	Reception			Gallery of Rockport
6:00 pm	Guest Speaker - Bart Weiss, founder of Dallas Video Festival Read his Bio			Main Street Arts
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Films			Main Street Arts
SOUP LADLE	Narrative Fiction Short	11m, Canada	Director – Cayman Grant	return to top
	This Jewish mother is nobody’s fool as her son and his “platonic” roommate discover.
GLIMPSE	Animated Short	9m, USA	Director – Dustin Grella

ABILITIES UNLIMITED	Documentary Short	34m, USA	Director – Robert Hess
	Joy in life means reaching ones full potential, no matter the starting point.
TWILIGHT OF YOUTH	Narrative Fiction Short	28m, USA	Director – Jerald Fine
	An high-powered, go-getter young man can’t stand the sight of old people until he is afflicted with a rare virus that turns him into what he despises.
HARBOR OF SOULS	Narrative Fiction Short	30m, Corpus Christi, TX	Director - Reagan Johnson
	The spooks are out in this eerie piece.
LOST & FOUND IN MEXICO	Documentary Feature	53m, Mexico	Director – Caren Cross
	Why in the world would sensible, successful, all-American retirees escape to the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende living as ex-pats surrounded by the poverty?
9:45 pm	After Festival Party			Latitude 28⁰ 02' Coastal Cuisine
10:00 pm - 12:30 am	Films			Main Street Arts
COCONUT	Narrative Fiction Short	13m, USA	Director - John Trigonis	return to top
	A tribute to the silent film era when despite all obstacles, boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy gets girl. Ah, those were the days!
SHALOM ASMARA	Documentary Short	31m, Italy	Director - Marco Cavallarin & Marco Mensa
	This beautifully shot film hearkens back to a time and place not so long ago or far away when Christians, Jews and Muslims all religions lived in peace.
BEYOND THE CALL	Documentary Feature	82m, USA	Director - Adrian Belic, Academy nominated
	In a Mother Teresa meets Indiana Jones adventure, three middle-aged men, former soldiers and modern-day knights travel the world delivering life saving humanitarian aid directly into the hands of civilians and doctors in some of the most dangerous yet beautiful places on Earth, the front lines of war.
10:00 pm - 12:30 am	Late Night Show (More edgy, R type films)			TBA
JOYRIDE	Animated Short	5m, USA	Director - John Cernak	return to top
	Don’t push this little girl over the edge. Little people will stick it to the “Man”.
DIVA	Narrative Fiction Short	7m, France,	Director - Josephine Mackerras
	Jilted by a lover, our protagonist escapes to Paris, finding new troubles.
INTERVENTION	Narrative Fiction Short	11m, USA	Director – Casey Gooden
	A would be thief‘s personal breakthrough happens at an inconvenient time, and place – a church that is his “mark”.
DIE FLUGBEGLEITERIN (THE STEWARDESS)	Narrative Fiction Short	11m, Germany	Director – Marcin Glowacki
	Glamour, good looks, a slim figure. An unappetizing journey down the food chain and back up shows the real price of our quest for idealized beauty in our society.
MORNING AFTER	Narrative Fiction Short	15m, Canada	Director - Casey Walker
	This is a bachelor and bachelorette party you definitely want to forget. Not even your best buddy or closest girlfriend will ever know.
INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS	Narrative Fiction Feature	90m, USA	Director - Chris Harris
	A mystery thriller as the protagonist slowly recovering from amnesia tries to piece together who this person is he is sleeping with while his little “son” is in the next room, and other strangers trying to either seduce him or kill him.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
10:00 am - 7:00 pm	Art Walk			Downtown Rockport
9:30 am -12:30 pm	Films - Children’s Program and Teen program			Main Street Arts
WHO’S THAT KNOCK’N	Animated Short	3m, USA	Directors – Peter Hriso, Gigi Alandt	return to top
	A fun little puzzle that would especially interest aeronautical engineers & historians. Kids will love it anyway.
OBARA & THE MERCHANTS	Animated Short	8m, USA	Director - Manauvaskar Kublall
	Obara is surprised and delighted to discover that in giving we receive.
LITTLE FROGS	Animated Short	5m, USA	Director – Terry Mitchell
	A parable reminding us that we are not as different as it first seems.
VITRUVIUS' TOYBOX	Animated Short	6m, USA	Director - Dennis Iannnuzzi
	A graphic and mathematical tribute to VonKooning
ALPHA WORM	Animated Short	7:30, USA	Director - Mike Fisher
	An astronaut lost in space encounters the terror of the alpha worm.
FLYAWAY	Animated Short	11m, USA	Director – Danny Oakley
	Risk it all to savor freedom! Or a Flight of Fancy! Yes! Go for it!
NATALIE AT FIVE O’CLOCK	Narrative Fiction Short	5m, Austin, TX	Director – Sherry Mills
	Ah, to be young and care-free, again. Makes you want to dance. Heck with the chores.
THE CURIOUS LIVES OF BOTTOM DWELLERS	Student Narrative Fiction Short	13m, USA,	Director - Megan Allison
	Two love forlorn souls wonder if there is true love for everyone.
HER BEST MOVE	Narrative Fiction Feature	100m, USA	Director – Norm Hunter
	A teenage girl soccer phenom is caught between competing loyalties…her aggressive coach father’s goal she be the youngest ever member of Olympic team and her own desire for a boyfriend and “normal” life.
10:00 am - 1:00 pm	Films			TBA
PIGGYBACK	Narrative Fiction Short	19m, Austin, USA	Director - Greg Omelchuck	return to top
	Oh, for the good ole days! Courtesy! Personal service! Warmth of human contact! All on Sixth Street in Austin! Piggyback Rides!
POR UNOS PESOS	Narrative Fiction Short	22m, Mexico	Director – Enrique Quintanilla
	How desperate will a nice young man become to support his wife and child-to-be?
AT THE WALL	Documentary Short	33m, USA	Director – Warren Bass
	“Old-timers”, veterans of the 1960’s civil rights battles, reminisce about their historic struggle & savor the fruits of their fight to desegregate a Philie school.
CROSSING ARIZONA	Documentary Feature	75m, USA
	A multi-sided look at one of the most contentious of political issues. How to deal with the flow of illegals being pushed farther and farther into the desert where there in no water. Doesn’t take sides but shows where different sides are coming from.
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm	Films			Main Street Arts
DIE FLUGBEGLEITERIN (THE STEWARDESS)	Narrative Fiction Short	11m, Germany	Director – Marcin Glowacki	return to top
	Glamour, good looks, a slim figure. An unappetizing journey down the food chain and back up shows the real price of our quest for idealized beauty in our society.
INTO THE LIGHT: LIFE & ART OF MAURICE SCHMIDT, MOSHE BEN MEIR	Documentary Short	30m, Rockport, TX	Director – Robert Curry
	A regional artist struggles to integrate his art with his faith. He discovers that his religious tradition illumines his vision of south Texas “agri-scapes”. Wisdom and beauty are one.
RISE & SHINE	Documentary Feature	87m, Portland, TX	Director – Justin Adler
	Coached by their dedicated teachers, Portland, Texas high school students learn important life-lessons as they compete in drama and debate tournaments.
4:00 pm	Panel Discussion with Filmmakers			Main Street Arts
5:00 pm	Films			Main Street Arts
ESCAPE FROM THE FIRE	Student Narrative Short	13m,USA	Director – Joel Dunn	return to top
	In even the darkest moments, child-like innocence illumines, comforts and strengthens our two protagonists, who reach out to each other.
POWER, PASSION & GLORY	Documentary Feature	113m, Dallas, TX	Director – Ken Heckman
	Celina, TX high school football teams faces the challenge to their winning ways when they lose their head coach to a rival town and get bumped up from IIA to IIIA becoming the smallest school in the conference. This is the real Friday Night Lights.
7:30 pm	Awards Ceremony			Main Street Arts
8:00 pm	After Festival Reception			Main Street Arts
8:30 pm	Dinner at Local Restaurants
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm	After Festival Party (Cash Bar)			Rockport Yacht Club
9:00 pm - 12:30 am	Late Night Show (More edgy, R type films)			Main Street Arts
WHEN THE WORLD GOES DARK	Animated Short	7m, USA	Director - Anthony Scalmato	return to top
	A dark cartoon the likes of which we don’t see on the Saturday morning kiddy TV.
HOTEL MOTEL: DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET	Narrative Fiction Short	13m, Australia	Director - Michael Wannenmacher
	The criminal mind is not always the brightest bulb. Stupid is as stupid does.
POKER NIGHTS	Narrative Fiction Short	26m, Ireland	Director – John Conroy
	The ladies on “Sex in the City” could learn a few moves from these Irish lasses. Language, & Sexual Situations
SHARP	Narrative Fiction Short	26m, USA	Director - Joe Gonzales
	Prices aren’t the only things slashed in this door-to-door salesman thriller. Not exactly what Zig Ziggler had in mind not taking no for an answer. Bloody, Violent. With an unsavory character.
UNDERGROUND	Narrative Fiction Feature	87m, U.K,	Director - Chee Keong Cheung
	High rollers wager on ten martial arts kick-boxers in a no holds barred illegal tournament. May the best man or woman win. Language, Violence
Sunday, November 11, 2007
10:00 am – 2:00 pm	Art Walk			Downtown Rockport
12:30 pm	Veteran's Day Free Matinee			Java Bay Caffe
TAKING THE HILL	Documentary Feature	93m, USA	Director - Dorothy Krajewski	return to top
	In 2006, a record number of war vet’s ran to take the “Hill”, Congress, that is. Big money politics confronts the idealism of their patriotic spirit, getting “friendly fire” even from their own party.