People Aren't All Bad (Milwaukee Premiere)

Directed by Matthew Hashiguchi (OH)

Born in San Francisco in 1924, Yutaka Kobayashi endured many obstacles in life. As a young boy he was labeled stupid by his teacher for refusing to learn Japanese. Later, after his high school graduation and at the start of World War II, his attempts to enlist in the US Army were refused because of his Japanese heritage. Then, in 1942 he was sent to the Topaz Japanese American Internment Camp. Surprisingly, it was during this dark period in his life that he experienced compassion and kindness from where he least expected it, a gun tower guard from within the Topaz Japanese American Internment Camp.

Yutaka now lives in Newton, Masschusetts, with his wife.

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Temenos (Milwaukee Premiere)

Directed by Adriane Little (MI)

By origin, the word temenos is used to mark sacred space that encourages or creates shelter for disclosure and discovery. This act of revealing can be towards another or inward and beyond a physical sense of place. Playing off the idea of death as 'six feet under', Temenos creates a space six feet up. Within a spatial awareness of temenos, exists kairos or the unstructured time of personal insight and growth. Combined, temenos and kairos create place and time for ritual, meditation, mourning, psychic disruption and renewal.

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Tlaoc (Milwaukee Premiere)

Directed by Sabrina Doyle (L.A.)

Los Angeles, the hottest day of the year. A Mexican migrant worker struggles to operate a heavy jackhammer. He wipes his brow with his bandana, and watches enviously as restaurant patrons sup champagne in nearby shade. Stoical, he continues working, but the heat and dust just get more and more oppressive. Relief comes in the form of a prayer. A prayer to Tlaloc, the Aztec rain deity. The weather breaks, and rainwater pours down from the heavens. The restaurant patrons rush indoors, while the worker carries on working, cooled and joyful. Tlaloc smiles, pleased at his work.

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Lumininosity

Directed by F-Stop Won (MKE)

A solitary, slightly enchanted artist spends his time creating whatever comes into his mind in his workshop in the woods. Although his creations bring him great satisfaction, he makes no attempt to present them to the world, he is content to simply surround himself with the objects of his making.

He's unaware that, as his creations come to fruition, his ideas go out into the collective consciousness and provide inspiration to the unsuspecting.

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Into the Tangerine Parlor

Directed by Vito Valenti (WI)

A man on the verge of despair spontaneously resorts to introspection and finds a way to transcendence and liberation.

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Coffee or Tea

Directed by Lucien Jung (MKE)

Zany party girl Britney sets up her sexually confused ex-boyfriend Matt on his first gay date with kooky club kid Richie. Awkward first impressions lead to outright hostility. But Britney is a girl who always gets her way and what she wants is for these boys to give love a chance.

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A Hard Life (Milwaukee Premiere)

Directed by Rubin Whitmore II (MKE)

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Catalyst (Milwaukee Premiere)

Directed by Matt Troge (WI)

Catalyst is a story of searching for lost love. In the aftermath of ending their relationship with their significant other, Vince and Brooke search for the right way to cope with themselves and their future after Brooke receives some heartbreaking poems written by Vince. They decide to meet in order to discuss where they will go from there, and just what exactly went wrong in the relationship.

Six Letter Word (Milwaukee Premiere) 

Directed by Lisanne Sartor (L.A.)

“Six Letter Word” is about down-on-her-luck, devoted single mom, Zoe who writes off her young son Jax’s crossword puzzle obsession to genius until an unexpected encounter makes her realize that Jax has autism and needs much more than she alone can give him.

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Hide and Go Seek (Milwaukee Premiere)

Directed by Eli Hayes (MKE)

Once someone is lost, the only thing left to do is find them.

Two sisters drive up to their cabin in northern Wisconsin, where they discover a mysterious tree while playing a game of hide and go seek. Suddenly, they become separated; in order to win the game, they must reunify.

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Q/A with attending filmmakers will follow.