Documentary Films


Africa Unite
(Africa, Jamica)
dir. by Stephanie Black


A singular and masterfully executed film by Stephanie Black that is at once concert tribute, Marley family travelogue, and humanitarian documentary, igniting the screen with the spirit of world-renowned reggae icon BOB MARLEY in its every frame. In commemoration of Bob’s 60th birthday, Africa Unite is centered on the Marleys’ first-time-ever family trip to Ethiopia in 2005. Includes rare footage of world-renowned reggae
icon Bob Marley.


First ____.
(10m, U S A)
dir. by Dave Laden

Do you remember your first memory? First kiss? First love? Movie? Crush? Concert? First time you masturbated? First car? First time you had sex? This short film explores these and many more of all life's 'firsts' in a very real, raw,charming and emotionally charged way.


Sliding Liberia
(48m, Liberia, U S A)
co-dir. by Britton Caillouette, Nicholai Lidow


A story of war, peace, and surfing.
“Sliding Liberia' follows four young surfers to Liberia in search of more than perfect waves. Risking everything to explore the West African country devastated by decades of war, they record the stories of people they meet—people like Alfred, who became Liberia's first surfer after finding a bodyboard while fleeing from rebels. Besides rediscovering a break that could be the best-kept secret in the surfing world, they find something more important—a way to travel responsibly in the 21st century.


SOMAY KU: A Uganda Tennis Story
(99m, U S A)
dir. by Rex Miller


Patrick Olobo, Uganda's top-ranked tennis player, struggles to leave behind a devastating civil war, finding a new set of obstacles after emigrating to the US.

Feature Films

Lullabye Before I Wake
(107m, Thailand, U S A)
dir. by Nate Pantumsinchai

Boy falls in love with girl but isn't sure how she really feels about him. Thus confusion and comedy. And dreams.



Mona
(87m, U S A)
dir. by Alan Kirschen


Bob and Eric have been best friends and roomates for years. Can their friendship survive when a beatiful young woman comes into their lives and turns them upside down.


The Run
(87m, United Kingdom)
dir. by Tania Meneguzzi


Some people will never know what they have lost until they risk everything they have. For most drug mules once is enough, for Amanda and Rowly it is just the beginning, until the consequences they face are far worse than the fear of imprisonment.


Strength and Honour
(96m, Ireland)
dir. by Mark Mahon

Strength and Honour
A single father decides to break his dying wife's last wish to not box again in order to save his young son from certain death. Starring Michael Madsen, Vinnie Jones, Richard Chamberlain.




Short Films


Bad Day Good Day Bad Day
(4m, Canada)
dir. by Noah Pink

A magical, single-shot short film that follows a man on his anything-but-ordinary walk home from work. When everything comes together so perfectly, something must be wrong.


Buddy System
(8m, U S A)
dir. by J.P. Pierce

A story about camaraderie, honor and the big pitch. Two screenwriters discover just how treacherous Hollywood can be.


Bling
(6m, U S A)
dir. by Bobby White

Yvonne makes her husband buy her an expensive ring. She then gives the ring back to the jeweler and has her boyfriend come in to buy the same ring. She plans to split the money from the second purchase with the jeweler… or does she?



Ctrl Z
(6m, U S A)
dir. by Robert Kirbyson

What if you could go back to any point in your life and start over? Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Stranger Than Fiction) plays Stuart Barnes, an office loner with a lifetime of regrets - until a broken computer keyboard offers him a chance to undo his life’s mistakes. Knowing that his actions can be redone gives Stuart newfound courage to speak back to his immature boss, played by Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect). Stuart also seizes the opportunity to safely profess his love for a beautiful coworker played by Emy Coligado (Crossing Jordan, Malcolm in the Middle).



Forecast
(15m, U S A)
dir. by Erik Courtney

An old man embarks on a dangerous trip back in time to undo a tragic event that has haunted him for decades.


Grampa's Cabin
dir. by Dominic Scott Kay


This is a story about a three generational family; a mother, son, and his 'Grampa'.
It is an emotional journey of hope, love, and forgiveness. The film stars Robert Forster, Eloise De Joria, and Dominic Scott Kay.

Gator Armstrong Plays With Dolls
(12m, U S A)
dir. by Krisy Gosney

When a boys-only clubhouse holds an election for clubhouse president, one boy is willing to do anything to steal, I mean WIN, the election. 'Gator Armstrong Plays With Dolls' is a satire of modern American politics playfully portrayed like an Our Gang/Little Rascal's short film.



Limpiando Sapos
Limpiando Sapos (14m, Ecuador)
dir. by Vero Shamo-Garcia

The midst of a civil war, 13-year-old Anita, joins the Colombian guerrilla to protect her younger brother, Pablo, and quickly adopts the guerrilla's revolutionary ideology. The children's allegiance is tested as Pablo, unable to cope in the guerrilla camp, pressures Anita to leave. When Anita rejects Pablo's plea to escape, he makes a desperate choice that will force her to make an impossible decision.



Looking Up Dresses
(12m, U S A)
dir. by Jared Ingram

After getting dumped for being “too nice,” Jade Williams has until the end of a church service to convince his girlfriend he’s actually a wild man.


My Canival
(7m, Italy)
dir. by Michele Nocchi

Mistaking game for reality causes a little kid to make a slaughter, without even realizing. Dressed like Robocop he killes two cruel gangsters. In our violence-stuffed society, revenge goes on stage. Puer homini lupus.



Mirrors
(20m, U S A)
dir. by Jon Chang

James Benton is a hot-shot advertising executive on top of his game. He soon learns that his life revolves between fantasy and reality - but is it by choice ... or necessity?

Just One of the Gynos
(15m, U S A)
dir. by Alex Ranarivelo, Brandon Olive

The story of a young gynecologist who becomes overexposed to the female anatomy and loses the ability to view his wife sexually.


Sasha
(3m, U S A)
dir. by Cas Donovan

A jogger witnesses a kidnapping; or does she?

Stars and Suns
Stars and Suns (14m, U S A)
dir. by Sarah Soquel Morhaim

The story of a teenage girl and her younger brother, both fantasizing about escape during a family crisis.



Spoonfed
(15m, U S A)
dir. by Josh Summers, Cole Summers

In a Beverly Hills cafe a utensil's average day: deciet, disgrace, death.


Now and Nowhere
(21m, U S A)
co-dir. by Brent Bonacorso, Jess Atlas

A surreal love story about a man who tries to preserve a singular moment and winds up losing everything.



Lie Detector
(15m, U S A)
dir. by John Moran


Andrew Miller is a human lie detector - he heats up whenever he hears anyone lie ...including himself. Now that he has melted too many office supplies and scared away his co-workers, can he use this power to stop the girl he loves from marrying the wrong man?




Niña Quebrada
(23m, U S A)
dir. by Jen Kleiner

A teenage girl runs away from her family in Mexico for a better life in Los Angeles with her boyfriend. Unbeknownst to her, he has different plans.


Saving Angelo
dir. by Dominic Scott Kay


Based on a true story by Dominic Scott Kay, 'Saving Angelo' is the heartwarming story of a boy who discovers an abandoned dog left for dead on the side of the road who he ultimately brings back to life. The boy's selfless acts continue as he secures a home for the dog in the local firehouse. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Eric Close, Julie Gonzalo, Dana Barron, and Dominic Scott Kay. Dominic wrote the story at age seven and directed it at the age of nine.

The Seed
(12m, U S A)
dir. by Joe Hahn


SUNG (Will Yun Lee) is a homeless veteran losing his mind on the banks of the L.A. River. Pursued by unseen forces, fighting unseen foes, Sung is ostensibly 'just another lunatic.' But as his invisible war continues, under bridges and in tunnels, we are taken deeper and deeper into Sung's nightmare mind. Into a nightmare of conspiracy, cloaking and the government's unseen war. Sung struggles to fight through what is visible to him, yet invisible to the world around him. Ordinarily, someone like this is perceived as 'crazy'. Beyond what we can see, beyond what we don't want to, lies...THE SEED


The Recordist
(21m, U S A)
dir. by Zal Batmanglij

Charlie Hall, an alcoholic college-student, haphazardly drifts through her life. But when she meets an older woman, who talks of aliens and the occult, Charlie's begins a journey of self-realization. Doe she have a higher purpose on Earth? Is her life building towards a single moment – the moment she is meant to “record”?


© 1997 - 2008 Malibu International Film Festival