August 25
August 25, 11 am – Orinda Theatre #1
Afghan Cycles
Director: Sarah Menzies
Producer: Caryn Capotosto
Documentary, USA, Afghanistan
90 mins
What lengths would you go to in order to ride a bicycle? Following a new generation of young Afghan women cyclists, Afghan Cycles uses the bicycle to tell a story of women’s rights—human rights—and the struggles faced by Afghan women on a daily basis, from discrimination to abuse, to the oppressive silencing of their voices in all aspects of contemporary society. These women ride despite cultural barriers, infrastructure, and death threats, embracing the power and freedom that come with the sport
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August 25, 11 am – Orinda Theatre #2
Lamorinda ShortDocs Showcase
CAIFF and the Lamorinda Arts Council are pleased to team up and present the 4th annual Lamorinda ShortDocs, a short documentary film competition open to filmmakers of all ages within the Lamorinda Community. Seventeen 6-minute short documentaries will be screened. Come support our young filmmakers from the Lamorinda area!
Elementary School Finalists
A Doctor’s Journey – Lauren Schultz & Kimia Jowharchi, Glorietta Elementary
Emu Movie – Carly Tesch, Glorietta Elementary
Keep Calm and Use Less Plastic – Nina Segall & Shawn Smith, Glorietta Elementary
Girls Will Change the World – Olivia Szeman & Addi Willingham, Glorietta Elementary
Time for Temple – Samantha Reidenbach, Glorietta Elementary
The Galapagos – Liam Singleton, Glorietta Elementary
Lego My Movie – Owen Windhurst, Glorietta Elementary
The English Diaries – Myra Gakhar & Moksh Gakhar, Glorietta Elementary
Middle School Finalists
A Fish Tale – Caleb Elkind, Orinda Intermediate School
Service Dogs – Brooke Parker, Orinda Intermediate School
Taking a Stand by Refusing To Stand – Allegra Ciarlantini, Stanley Middle School
The Pollution Project – Neve Abcari, Stanley Middle School
High School Finalists
Acalanes: The Student Body – Joel Braunstein, Acalanes High School
Sojourn to the South – Josh Fleming, Campolindo High School
Adult Finalists
Straight Outta Moraga – Chloe Goyette & Hind Abdelouahid
Tori’s Celebrating 40 Years of Service – Walter Yamazaki & Miriam Storch
Ripples in the Water – Natalie Wheeler
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August 25, 11 am – Orinda Theatre #3
Mini Short Film and Web Series Showcase
Discover the art of short-story telling in less than 10 minutes through these eight (8) entertaining movies.
The Blessing and the Curse
Director: David Kennedy
Producer: Cindy Wathen-Kennedy
Documentary, Clovis, CA
5 mins
The Blessing and the Curse is the surprising and inspiring story of local folks, Americana, and rockabilly musician Lance Canales, who rose from humble California Central Valley farmworker beginnings to prominence in the international music scene. It’s also the story of the curious and tremendous popularity of Americana music abroad in today’s political climate.
Red Watch
Director: David Kennedy
Producer: Cindy Wathen-Kennedy
Narrative, Clovis, CA
4 mins
A spoken word short film.
Alter
Writer and Director: Lauren Eva Lane
Producer: Griffin Wade
Student Film, Bozeman, MT
5 mins
In a panic Adrian, a mentally disturbed young man, resorts to the confessional for forgiveness. He speaks of his sin to his sexual assaulter, who happens to be the priest in the booth beside him. Adrian pleads for forgiveness for the sins he committed only in the name of the priest’s protection. Seth and Kellen, two young brothers who were also sexually abused by the priest, were going to take action against him and go to the authorities.
Just Breathe
Director: Aliyah McIntosh
Producer: Paula Castro
Drama, Los Angeles, CA
7 mins
Two women suffering from mental illness must find ways of coping with their problems while tackling the everyday battles of life, love, and the fear of the unknown.
Wildflower
Writer, Director and Producer: Jarrod Monk
Producers: Leanne Jamieson and Alan Monk
Drama, USA
10 mins
Sometimes we all need a little help finding our way back. In the latest short film from Prestonwood Pregnancy Center, we meet Leila, a young woman who finds herself alone, confused, and pregnant. She comes to the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center mobile unit and a prodigal story of hope, restoration and love begins.
Boy on the Track
Directors: Caleb Arend & Aliya McReynolds
Drama, Escondido, CA
5 mins
A troubled teenager grapples with a decision after the disappearance of his younger brother.
The Boxcar Adults
Writer and Director: Julie Pearson
Web Series, Los Angeles, CA
10 mins
When four people in their late twenties don't want to return to their real lives after Burning Man, they take up residence in an abandoned boxcar. How hard can it possibly be?
Bidune Kaid (Undocumented)
Director: Amin Dora
Producers: Ray Barakat, Eli Souaiby, Rabi Sweidan and Marwan Harb
Web Series, Beirut, Lebanon
10 mins
Set in war-torn Syria, Bidune Kaid follows three individuals—Wafiq, Reem and Karim—who are confronted with life-changing experiences. They take a transformative journey where they confront their fears, rebel against social norms, question their inherited values, and choose to build a different future for themselves.
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August 25, 12:30 pm – Orinda Theatre #3
Pipe Dreams
Director and Producer: Mojeri Coker
Documentary, Warrenville, Illinois
72 mins
A youthful, affluent Kenyan strives to resolve the ceaseless drought in his impoverished village. When life takes an unforeseen turn, he finds himself sliding from riches to rags struggling for water, and his quest becomes seemingly futile.
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August 25, 1:15 pm – Orinda Theatre #2
Shorts Program A
Watch five (5) short films that will make you think.
WuMingHua
Director: Sunwoo Park
Producer: Lin Siyu
Drama, Republic of Korea
37 mins
Xiaohua, a bridal makeup artist at a Chinese wedding hall in Flushing, NY, helps countless brides shine on their big days. Raising two young boys on her own after her husband left her, she’s long closed off from her own emotions and desires. But is there more to life than this? Like a delicate flower surviving the winter waiting to bloom, will Xiaohua’s haunting past and current life hold back her deepest longing to find love again?
Fish Cracker
Writer, Director and Producer: Yigit Evgar
Writer: Melisa Kesmez
Drama, Turkey
13 mins
After the sudden break-up of their parents, a brother and sister, ages 8 and 14, are forced to leave the place they called home. They revisit as “guests” with their mother to bid farewell to their father before they move out of the city. However, the children soon realize that neither their home nor their father is as it used to be.
Take My Hand
Director: Alan J. Levi
Producers: Sondra Currie, Eileen Grubba, Judy Goldsworthy and Nannette D’Aquila
Drama, Los Angeles
18 mins
A heartbroken woman is grieving after suffering the loss of her only child when her closest friends come to her aid. The woman’s unrelenting pain clouds her ability to see how her friends can relate to her grief and begin the process of healing. But fate intervenes and her loving friends help her to understand that she is not alone.
John Mendez—The Bridge
Director: Michael Kuba
Documentary, Washington, D.C.
15 mins
Homelessness is everywhere. John Mendez is on the frontlines of the fight against homelessness in Montgomery County, MD, just outside Washington, D.C. Often battling extreme cold in the middle of the night, John works tirelessly to find affordable housing for each individual living on the streets. This short documentary is an intimate portrait of John, highlighting what drives him to fight for society’s most forgotten population.
REBIRTH
Writer, Director Producer: Russ van Aardt
Producer: Barbara van Aardt
Documentary, South Africa
13 mins
This film tells the story of a group of people, living and working in a coastal environment, who have chosen to spend their time and effort attempting to reverse the Coral Reef devastation caused by generations of dynamite, cyanide, and compressor fishing methods in their area.
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August 25, 3:00 pm – Orinda Theatre #2
Lives Well Lived
Director and Producer: Sky Bergman
Documentary, USA
72 mins
Lives Well Lived celebrates the incredible wit, wisdom and experiences of adults ages 75 to 100 years old. Through their intimate memories and inspiring personal histories encompassing over 3000 years of experience, forty people share their secrets and insights to living a meaningful life. These men and women open the vault on their journey into old age through family histories, personal triumph and tragedies, loves and losses—seeing the best and worst of humanity along the way. Their stories will make you laugh, perhaps cry, and mostly inspire you.
August 25, 4:30 pm – Orinda Theatre #2
JFK: The Last Speech
Director: Bestor Cram
Producer: Portland Helmich
Documentary, Boulder, CO
58 mins
JFK: The Last Speech explores the dramatic relationship between two seminal Americans—President John F. Kennedy and the poet Robert Frost—which reached its tragic climax in a surprising encounter with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the height of the Cold War. Born out of these events is Kennedy’s remarkable speech about poetry and power, which alters the life course of a group of Amherst college classmates who witness this compelling address and continue to exemplify in their contemporary lives a portrait of the challenges facing America.
August 25, 6 pm – Orinda Theatre #2
Supa Modo
Director: Likarion Wainaina
Producers: Sarika Hemi Lakhani, Marie Steinmann-Tykwer, Tom Tykwer, Ginger Wilson and Guy Wilson
Drama, USA
74 mins
A young girl’s dream of becoming a superhero is threatened by terminal illness, inspiring her village to rally together to make her dream come true.
August 25, 7:15 pm – Orinda Theatre #2
Disconnected
Writer, Director and Producer: Miko Mincic
Producer: Donna Nincic
Documentary, Santa Fe, NM
51 mins
Digital communications (email, texting, Facebook messaging, and the like) are now a dominant form of interpersonal communication. These technologies have enlarged the scope of human networks and have increased the speed with which messages are sent and received.
August 25, 8:45 pm – Orinda Theatre #2
Another Yesterday
Writer and Director: Steven Heil
Producer: Diane Vlajcic Heil
Drama, Oshkosh, WI
98 mins
Three high school outcasts stick up for each other through good times and bad: one clashes with his Japanese father, one is being bullied because he is gay, and one is either delusional…or haunted.