LIGHTNING, BUTTERFLIES, TWINS, SMELL, VIOLINS &

A MAORI CHIEF : WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON ?

TRAVEL TO NEW ZEALAND, VIETNAM, CANADA, THE U.S., ISRAEL & BRAZIL.

We are producing and granting 11 filmmakers to direct short documentaries for a feature film to screen at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.  MEET THE FILMS :

A Fijian Nurse Cares for a Dying Japanese-American Woman

Dir.: Theo Rigby, San Francisco

Theo’s latest film, Sin Pais (Without Country), won a 2011 Student Academy Award and will be broadcast on the PBS Independent Documentary Series, POV in 2012. His work tends to addresses dire social and political issues through the lens of the family. Theo is a graduate of the Masters Documentary Film program at Stanford University.

A Ballet Dialogue Between Older & Younger Gay Men, Porto Alegre, Brazil

Dir.: Marcio Reolon & Filipe Matzembacher

Marcio and Filipe are partners in Avante Filmes, a production company in South Brazil. They graduated from the film school at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul. They have directed many short fictional and documentary films, that have been selected to over 60 festivals and won more than 10 awards. In addition, they direct TV commercials and are developing their first feature film.

Sharing Coffee with Strangers

Dir.: Zoe Minikes, San Francisco

Zoe is a designer and filmmaker. She is the recipient of the GDUSA American Inhouse Design Award. Her thesis, a trans-media exploration of empathy, will be published in a forthcoming book of ethnographical design case studies. She served a residency with Project M, a global arts social impact organization, and more recently with the AIGA's Inneract Program as a Co-Professor. In 2010, she completed a Fellowship with the Green River Epicenter, a community housing organization powered by thoughtful young designers. The fellowship initiated Give Get Make, an innovative fundraising cycle for the construction of the Epicenter's first Habitat for Humanity house.

A Modern Maori Chief

Dir.: Cathy MacDonald, London, New Zealand

Cathy has created content and campaigns for the BBC, Channel 4, MTV, Disney, and various NGOs. She's won a number of teacher's pet awards and scholarships including MA scholarship for Central St Martins College London, Best Creative Newcomer at European Promax, and Best Director, Best Commercial and Best Campaign at Promax World and the New York Festivals. Her work includes commercials, music promos, documentaries and TV series, shot on location on almost every continent. 

Those Without the Sense of Smell

Dir.: Jacob LaMendola, New York

Jacob is a graduate of the NYU film program, where he directed his short, Stoney, starring Tom Noonan. The film was selected and honored by numerous festivals around the world. Last year for the band, The Nico Blues, Jacob directed a music video for their single "Living Proof" which now plays on MTV. He works as an editor for projects of all kind, and is currently developing a new film about his friend's basement.

Animation Phone Hotline

Dir.: Dustin Grella, New York

Dustin received his MFA from the School of Visual Arts, being honored with the Paula H. Rhodes Award for Excellence in Computer Art. His animations' accolades include winning the Walt Disney Award at the prestigious Ottawa International Animation Festival. In early 2010 the Akron Art Museum featured his short film Prayers for Peace in a four-month installation. His films have screened in hundreds of festivals and exhibitions around the world and have won nearly as many awards, including The Next Great Filmmaker Award in an online contest by the Berkshire Film Festival. He is now receives multiple commissions for his work.

Dave Got Hit by Lightning

Dir.: Pasquale Greco, New York, Los Angeles

Pasquale’s most recent work includes visual effects on GI Joe 2 and Men In Black 3D. He is a member of both the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) under Sound & Video and The NYC Freelancers Union under Visual Effects and has been credited in over 10 feature films under those departments. He is a graduate of Cinema and Digital Arts from Point Park University.

Violin Lesson from a Color-Blind Painter

Dir.: Paul Festa, San Francisco, Berlin

Paul is a classically-trained violinist. He studied at Juilliard and graduated from Yale. He has intersected his professional music performance with the production of genre-bending acclaimed films, working with professionals from John Cameron Mitchell to Robin Williams, and with organizations such as the San Francisco Ballet.

Maybe, The Wheelchair Dog

Dir.: Michael Feld, Los Angeles

Michael is a graduate of the USC Graduate Film program. His own work focuses on documentaries about music and subjects that show the lighter side of life, including a rockumentary about the band, My Morning Jacket. Michael currently works at Apatow Productions, which created The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Bridemaids.

The Butterfly Collector

Dir.: Dara Bratt, New York, Canada, Vietnam

Dara is a member of the Director's Guild of Canada and has worked on a number of major films including Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Her own films have screened internationally from the Tribeca Film Festival, to ShortShorts Tokyo, to the Abu Dhabi International Film Festival. During her film studies at NYU, she received an internship from the Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts & Sciences and was also awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation production grant. Dara writes, directs and produces long format commercial work for a number of NY-based clients including L’Oreal Paris, Maybelline NY, Jones NY, Avon, CooperVision and many others.