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QCFF 2017 Festival Program

QCFF 2017

The Queen City Film Festival (QCFF), Western Maryland’s premiere film festival, is held each year in early Fall in Cumberland, Maryland. Founded in 2012, and currently in our sixth year, QCFF 2017 offers a four-day program of screenings and educational panels, and welcomes filmmakers from around the world. Located in Allegany County, Cumberland offers a delightful blend of hospitality and history; mingled with charming shops, delicious dining, arts and entertainment and lots of events and activities. We are also pleased to introduce visiting filmmakers to local media.

Thursday, October 5

Filmmaker
& Media Reception (12pm-2pm)

These informal, unstructured “meet & greet” sessions allow networking time for filmmakers, staff, and media.

Educational
Panel: Appalachia (2pm-4pm)

The Thursday festival program kicks off with the Appalachian category, and Thursday’s educational panel will be dedicated to Appalachian subjects. The program will encompass the following subject areas: Defining Appalachia, Appalachia in Film, Social Justice

Kara Rogers Thomas – Dr. Kara Rogers Thomas is an Associate Professor of Folklore and Sociology at Frostburg State University. Her work as a Folklorist is supported in part through a grant from Maryland Traditions, a program of the Maryland State Arts Council. Her areas of interest include folklore and folklife studies, Appalachian studies, religious experience, and interdisciplinary learning in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Appalachian Block 1 (4pm-6pm)

Appalachia: 4:00 PM, 0:14, Peter Lilly, Canada: During the French and Indian war, a man of mixed-native descent finds himself caught between two worlds when he journeys into the wilderness with a deranged and deceitful frontiersman.

Prosperity: 4:15 PM, 0:14, Christopher D. Lusk, USA, %: Past. Present. Future. Prosperity is a film that immerses the viewer in an Appalachian community using elements of documentary and experimental film. Located in the mountains of Appalachia, Bluefield, West Virginia saw unprecedented growth during the coal boom of the early 20th Century. A dwindling population and limited economic development has left the city at a crossroads with the decline of coal in the region.

The Pea Shooter: 4:31 PM, 1:00, Joseph T. Spence, USA: The Pea Shooter is a dramatic comedy that follows the day in the life of two kids, Taylor and Rae, who in spite of their differences in religion and their economic social status are still able to form a friendship.

Appalachian Block 2 (6pm-8pm)

Good Morning, Mrs.
Rice: 6:00 PM, 0:27, Andie Eisen, USA, —p: A documentary-style
investigation of an Appalachian widow who paid another woman to sleep in her
bed for almost thirty years.

King In The Mountain:
6:30 PM, 0:54, Dave Edwards, USA, %: The social, environmental,
and economic impact of anthracite coal on northeastern PA through history.

Opening
Night Feature (8pm-10pm)

Groove – with Bill Evans in Russia: 8:00 PM, 1:50, Christoph Felder, Germany: Finally, let’s concentrate to the groove. With Bill Evans, till the Mongolian border. The people who run many miles in order to hear the music, to see and to feel it. Once leaving behind the tensions between the continents. This is the journey effecting all of us with the simple message of the pictures: differences and otherness draw, pull, sweep along, move – without many words, rather rhythmical and passionate and always with the whole heart: Groove! Bill Evans, the exceptional saxophone player, the musician, from Moscow till in the boonies, till the places which you’ve never heard, with Trans-Siberian Train, Siberian Airlines and old Lada, faces and places telling the stories – which take your breath away!

Opening Night Gala (10pm-12am)

Bill Green and Barry Gurley perform jazz.

Born and raised in Cumberland, Maryland, Saxophonist, and Flutist Bill Green performs in various professional ensembles throughout the Tri-State region, and from Garrett County to Kent Island, as well as Baltimore and Washington D.C and the surrounding communities. He has taught music lessons and led large and small community ensembles in the Cumberland area in addition to hosting “Jazz Revolutions and Evolution” on Mondays from 6-8 Pm on Frostburg State University’s public radio affiliate 91.9, WFWM. He currently resides in Cumberland.

Barry Gurley recently appeared with Jazz-vocalist Lena Seikaly and Chamberdance at The Sidney Harmon Hall and The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in Washington, DC. In 1990, Gurley was named ” Best Pianist-Vocalist in Washington, DC by the Washingtonian Magazine and has appeared in countless venues from DC’s Blues Alley to The Bilboquet in Paris.

Friday, October 6

Filmmaker &Media Reception (12pm-2pm)

These informal, unstructured “meet & greet” sessions allow networking time for filmmakers, staff, and media.

Educational Panel: To Be Queer in Appalachia (2pm-4pm)

(Un)defining the LGBT community and (un)assigning gender roles and stereotypes found in rural, conservative towns. A brief history of the LGBT movement and how life in Appalachia impacts the modern queer person. Being a member of the LGBT community in Cumberland today does not mean the same as it has in the last several decades. Cumberland PRIDE has brought forth change and, most importantly, hope. But, how have we found our way in a culture that has historically shunned and tormented members of the LGBT community?

Cumberland Pride started as a movement to bring diversity to Western Maryland. Love Out Loud, LLC was founded to continue the efforts to embrace and celebrate the LGBT culture and the diversity that it brings to our small town. Efforts include supporting the local youth in the LGBT community as well as education outreach for local businesses and organizations and increasing quality of life for all in the LGBT community with social gatherings.

Headspace: 3:15 PM, 0:04, Jake Graf, UK, p: Headspace gives a rare and intimate glimpse into the trials and tribulations faced by trans folk on a daily basis. The film’s all trans cast includes activist and model Munroe Bergdorf, model, singer and star of US reality show ‘Strut’, Laith Ashley, Youtuber and fitness model Kieran Moloney, Captain Hannah Winterbourne of the British Army, and writer and director Jake Graf. Headspace offers an as yet unseen insight into the every day transgender experience, and will hopefully promote much needed acceptance and understanding.

Coming Out: 3:20 PM, 0:02, Nicholas Ybarra, USA, p: Football is family… or is it? Vince has a secret to confess to his parents that may destroy their relationship forever.

It’s A Boy: 3:25 PM, 0:05, Trent Nakamura, USA, p: What if sexual orientation could be identified at birth? Young newlyweds, Sherri and Tom, are in the middle of an ultrasound when Dr. Kinsey reveals the exciting news. A baby boy! Who’s also gay — the young couple must now choose what’s next for their gay child.

Not Immune: 3:30 PM, 0:04, Ian Asbjornsen, Andrew Abaria, USA, —p: Not Immune’ follows a man who knows that he should not get back with his boyfriend, but cannot help himself when the boyfriend charms his way back into the main character’s life. Back together, their relationship is passionate and chaotic as always, as represented through beautiful original choreography. But the relationship is as toxic as it is enthralling, and in the end, our main character is left alone once again.

LGBT Block 1 (4pm-6pm)

So, Your Kid’s a Homo: 4:00 PM, 0:21, Julyan Stephens, Australia, —p: ‘So, Your Kid’s A Homo’ tells the story of a teenagers parents coming to terms with their daughter’s coming out. They attend a support group led by a reformed gay man, Elton, who introduces them to his 5 step program to ‘cure’ 16 year old Abby and set her on the straight and narrow. After going to extreme lengths to try and ‘fix’ their daughter, they begin to realize that maybe she is not the one who needs
fixing…

Dickinson Avenue: The [mostly] True Story of The Paddock Club: 4:22 PM, 1:29, Michael Bojtos, USA, p%: The Paddock Club was the first place in eastern NC where LGBT people could be themselves. Whether it was hosting a small gathering of friends, or a Broadway-sized drag pageant; for 30 years it was home to a lot of people, and they always thought it would be there. Opened in 1973, it survived the brutal homophobia of the south, the AIDS crisis, the gay-coming-of-age that was the 90s, and when it finally closed in December of 2003, it was one of the longest-running, continually-operating LGBT businesses in America. Through pictures, home movies, and stories told by the people who lived them, Dickinson Avenue pieces together 40 years of LGBT history in Eastern NC, as well as takes its audience behind the scenes of the longest-running comedy drag pageant in the country, The Miss Dickinson Avenue Pageant (which originated at The Paddock in 1983). The patrons and staff of The Paddock wove the tapestry that made up the story of The Paddock. This is their story. The Paddock wasn’t just a bar, it was home. It was family.

Happy Hour Music Video Block (6pm-7:45pm)

I swear: 6:00 PM, 0:09, Pierre-Henri Gibert, Switzerland: What will happen to our environment if we do not take care of our environment?!? Waking up in her bright room, a woman realizes that the hair on her head has abandoned her during the night; looking outside her window, she notices that the outside world is gloomy, in black and white, as if the colors have been eaten up by all the pollution. Whilst doing her shopping, she finds out that each simple ecological act she performs or purchase she makes can help bring back the colors to her life and the world. However the news is grim. In his TV show, the famous French TV presenter M’tena Biraben, also bald, is speaking about the absurdity of a nuclear power plant in Las Vegas, that’s only purpose is to power all the town’s casinos! Yet, hope remains; she comes across some young people. They are in full color, they’re wearing sunglasses, are all happy and have what appears to be Jackson Five afro hairstyles, which are actually foliage shrubs on their heads… Along with her husband and children, in the end she will understand… and soon she will be
become part of the community.

Killing Us Softly: 6:11 PM, 0:05, Emilie Boyard, Austria: Killing US Softly is a mirror held up to humanity – it points out our ugliest, greediest and most idiotic ways. It is a chant, a protest rally, a wake up call to the people, and a reminder that we still have the power to take back what they are taking from us

Long as Time: 6:17 PM, 0:06, Matt Garfield, Matt Garfield, Christopher Kayfield, USA, —: ‘Long as Time’ is a music video by Mose Giganticus demonstrating the threadbare reality of ‘life on the road’ through dramatic over-embellishment. The video follows the duo along a bleak pilgrimage through a forgotten, desolate landscape culminating in a baroque and unsettling performance to an unseen audience.

Resistant Virus ‘An STD’: 6:24 PM, 0:09, Silver S. Kim, Canada: In the midst of the city being overrun by the C8 Virus, Maria seeks guidance from her school counselor on boyfriend issues.

How I Feel: 6:34 PM, 0:02, Jayniece Prichette, USA, —: Expression of how a child feels about her success and what it means to help others with it. Reflecting on true emotions and actions by founder of children giving back, a charity to help homeless families

The Fighter: 6:37 PM, 0:06, Dave Thorp, UK: The Paul Mirfin Band music video

Boring I Love You: 6:44 PM, 0:03, Nikhil Malik, India: The single Boring I Love You is a collaboration by Meattle and Malik. An Indian electroacoustic project, Meattle and Malik comprises of Raghav Meattle on the vocals and Nikhil Malik on the guitar. The music video, produced and directed by Nikhil Malik features five deaf students from the Noida Deaf Society in India. Each of these five actors cannot hear any part of the lyrics or music. The actors are enacting the song out loud through sign language. The music video has been shot at a single location, with a single static camera placement. The entire video captures the inability of the various actors to ‘write a song’ to express love from their side. The love, however, is communicated through the ‘signs’, in this case the language for the deaf people. The actors seem to emulate the message in the video; they do not need big statement or verses to profess their love. A simple, ‘boring I love you’ is more than enough to express the sentiment. The video is an effort to humanize the differently abled. By using differently abled actors, the duo has attempted to express the universal emotion of love through the simplicity of it. This simplicity is often confused for it to be regular or boring. Thus, each time when the actor acts, ‘I could stick to boring I love you’, the duo reaffirms the beauty of the simplicity there. Inclusivity of the differently abled in the society is an oddity in the Indian society at present. The stigmas associated with being differently abled and doing everything like a normal person is often looked down upon with pity. By shooting the video in gray scale, the duo expresses that just like the rest of us, the deaf too deal with a series of emotions. Those emotions cannot be categorized in binaries, just because the individuals are hard of hearing. Meattle & Malik reiterate the same with the closing cards, with the text on screen, ‘Deaf. Not Dumb.’. The video captures the essence of the number- especially when the actors point to themselves at, ‘I hope that you love me too’. Inclusivity of all, for a holistic growth and development of the society is the only way forward.

The Graeme Watkins Project – ‘Love In Abundance’: 6:48 PM, 0:03, Rick Joaquim, South Africa: The new video from The Graeme Watkins Project is a sublime feast for the eyes; a charming 3:46 minutes of color, insane dancing, beautiful people and some catchy beats from Graeme and the band. The Rick Joaquim-directed video echoes the feeling of coming out and being set free. A rainbow palette of powder, akin to the Holi spring festival, bursts from various corners of the screen to color the band, its instruments and a bunch of actors who look like the kind of folk you want to make friends. The video’s boisterous effect was achieved by shooting at a 1000 frames per second capturing subtle moments missed by one’s brain and eye

Mercy Marie: 6:52 PM, 0:04, Ernie Smith, USA, p: A music video produced by Skelly Films for Jehova Waitresses.

O, Mistress Mine: 6:57 PM, 0:03, Sally McLean, Australia: Music video for the song “O, Mistress Mine” from the soundtrack of the film “Speaking Daggers”, written and performed by Jaron Natoli using lyrics by William Shakespeare. Filmed especially for the song, this video features “Speaking Daggers” cast members Jaron Natoli as “The Troubadour”, Christopher Kirby as ‘Benedick’, Sally McLean as ‘Beatrice’, Scott Major as ‘Falstaff’ and Billy Smedley as ‘Prince Hal’, and introducing Taylah McLean and Jemma Cuff-Jones as ‘The Muses’.

SWITZERLAND: 7:01 PM, 0:02, Angie Violet Hawes, Canada: Angel’s original song and music video.

Headhunterz & Skytech – Kundalini: 7:04 PM, 0:03, Anton van der Linden, Netherlands: A man floating between 2 worlds, trying to find his way back.

Crookcrank: 7:08 PM, 0:04, Jeremy Weinstein, Canada: You left me in the ice

Kloggs – Berries: 7:13 PM, 0:03, Ulla Nagy, Hungary:

TOMBOi – Rainbow Warrior: 7:17 PM, 0:05, Keagan Anfuso, USA, p: Rainbow Warrior was a tremendously collaborative project between TOMBOi and director, Keagan Anfuso. Decidedly being produced at a time when our political climate is disheartening to many communities in their fight for equality and safe existence, a plan was devised for this video to be a reflection of those feelings in artistic respect. Anfuso led into the project with the idea of correlating the treatment of traditional sideshow performers with the western societal perception of the queer community. Specifically, Anfuso wanted to depict the history of marginalized groups of people forced into entertainment as a means to gain acceptance of their identities and to ultimately survive. As a team of queer artists, all involved felt a connection with that storyline. Based on that foundational idea, the concept was then pieced together to become a figurative representation of a marginalized group expressing their true identities in a safe space. The environment itself is intended to demonstrate an abandoned location that comes to life with inspiring theatrical amazement when all of the characters express their identities simultaneously. Seven characters were developed to represent the colors of the rainbow spectrum. Each character was chosen to exemplify a marginalized community.

Madness: 7:23 PM, 0:06, Adrian Szczepaniak, Poland: A video shows a gloomy story of several people who don’t know each other. Nevertheless they have one thing common, they are all addicted to their mobile phones. Somebody decides to give them a call which is going to change their lives. The films shows how radical we can become in reference to using our mobile phones. It can literally push us to strange behaviors and drive crazy people around us. It’s an experimental film which combines a feature film (with actors), a hand-drawn 2D animation and a music video.

New Ways to Bear Witness: 7:30 PM, 0:05, Holly Siders, USA, %: On the eve of the big rock show, the singer is late, so the band goes on without him. Our fearless singer journeys to the venue, encountering some surprises along the way!

Music Block 1 (7:45pm-10pm)

ANNOYING: 7:45 PM, 1:30, Zoran Maslic, Canada: Trying to escape their demons, two musicians and a beautiful girl push themselves to the edge during a summer of fun, desperation and hope. Grant is enthusiastic about folk punk duo Annoying that he started with his friend Chad. People in their circles of misfits, “dirty kids” and train hoppers, love their songs. Something is torturing Chad and he constantly disappears. Grant is trying to pull things together while fighting shadows of his own traumas, but some of the “shadows” are centuries older than him. He is a Native American. It helps that he loves Lucie and that she loves him back. They are a good couple. Soon, they become homeless. It leads to more drinking and drugs. Grant hopes to quit heroin and dedicate himself to music. Driven by the idea of Annoying, he and Lucie leave the film and go on 4,000 kilometers long freight train journey in order to unite with Chad. And what is the idea of Annoying? “To make the best out of the shitty situation,” said Grant Faithful.

Third Eye of The Shaman: 9:16 PM, 0:24, Arthur Mountaniol, USA, p: The shaman sends his soul on a walk to the sky, but it gets stalked by the demon. To save his soul and ward off temptation of the dark side, the shaman performs a ritual on the ground of the mystical rings and opens his third eye. The spiritual battle between good and evil begins…

Horror/SciFi Block 1: Zombie Double Feature (10pm-12am)

Claire & Bruno: a story of love and fresh meat: 10:00 PM, 0:23, Lionel Delebarre, France: Claire and Bruno are not very happy together. They are going on a vacation, secretly hoping to mend fences with each other. Just in time: the world is coming to an end.

One Last Sunset Redux, —%: 10:24 PM, 1:19, Kevin Richmond, USA: As all signs of humanity disappear in a blood soaked blend of disease, cannibalism, and chaos, two sisters seek shelter in the higher elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Saturday, October 7

Kids/Family Block 1 (12pm-2pm)

How I Feel: 12:00 PM, 0:02, Jayniece Prichette, USA, —: Expression of how a child feels about her success and what it means to help others with it. Reflecting on true emotions and actions by founder of children giving back, a charity to help homeless families

Doctor of Monster: 12:03 PM, 0:11, Gustavo Teixeira, Brazil: Dudu has already chosen his future profession, now will have to face his fears to become a doctor of monsters.

Relativity explained to children: 12:15 PM, 0:10, Pierre Gaffié, France, —: Because he forgot a teacher’s demand, for the end of school term, a father takes a radical decision: explain Einstein’s theory of relativity to Nicolas, his 8 years old son…

BeWitched: 12:26 PM, 0:13, Heather Elise Nelson, Rosemarie Nelson, UK: Learning Latin spells is not what young witch Locasta (Heather Elise Nelson) is good at. But when her friend introduces her to an app that can solve all her spell-related problems, she embarks on an unforgettable adventure which will teach her lessons for life.

Everything is Fine: 12:40 PM, 0:06, Sam Ferguson, Rachel Zhu, Czech Republic, —: It is a father’s, Milos, first time with his daughter, Lucie, after his ex-wife received custody over her. He only has Lucie once a month so has needs to make every minute count. But when he forgets that he promised Lucie to go camping, Milos must pretend that he knows what he is doing or else both his daughter’s love and the little custody he has is on the line.

Highpointers: 12:47 PM, 0:56, Gary Scurka, USA, %: This award-winning adventure film is the first feature-length documentary to introduce the little known sport of “highpointing,” a unique hobby for climbers and outdoor adventurers. The film follows two college-age women as they strive to reach the highest point in every state, including one of the most dangerous in the American west. One of them is a novice when it comes to technical climbing, the other, an expert rock climber challenged by a disability. Their quest is made all the more challenging as they learn Wyoming’s Gannett Peak is deep in wilderness territory. Winner of Best Family/ Faith Based film and Runner up for Best Documentary, the film themes are perseverance, youthful coming-of-age, and wilderness appreciation and preservation. The film earned an Award of Excellence for stunning cinematography of the rarely seen Wind River Range in Wyoming.

Animation Shorts Block (2pm-4pm)

Catching the L Train: 2:00 PM, 0:06, Eric Raingruber, USA: A bear on a losing streak attempts to save his relationship before his love leaves town for good. But when a bungled text message leads him to the wrong train platform and his sweetheart to draw the wrong conclusion, he must risk life and limb to try and win her back.

Eagle Feather: 2:07 PM, 0:04, Pasquale Encell, Thailand: In Eagle Feather father and daughter leave before sunrise to drive to an American wilderness lake so that she can find her first ceremonial eagle feather. We see beautiful animated landscape, nature and assorted wildlife as our heroes journey on their quest and hear her narrations throughout It is a very sweet and touching but also informative series.

When a Peeping Tom met a Kleptomaniac: 2:12 PM, 0:04, Yifei Wang (Moonchild), China, —: Every person living in this boundless world of ours is unique: we all have our eccentricities. Life is meant to be a little strange. When we meet people whose eccentricities are compatible with our own, we often long to join those people. When two similarly strange people connect, they often adopt of a manner of interacting whereby they amplify each other’s eccentricities. This is true love. Through this animation, I’m trying to tell a story about finding true love and to become who you really are.

TURE: 2:17 PM, 0:14, 杨易 Jason, China: The love story of two dolls. Through this story, we appeal to people to treat others with their true feelings, so as to gain true love. (This is a full story short film, and also an experimental animation of “very low cost” and “narrative techniques” and “Extremely high efficiency”)

Save the earth: 2:33 PM, 0:02, Woonyea Han, Korea, Republic of: This is a young girl’s point of view about earth and the environment. It can be your story, or maybe a story about us.

The Other Side: 2:36 PM, 0:03, Ching Cheng, Canada: A solider walked across the line to search for a monster.

H0_pe 02: 2:41 PM, 0:09, Francesco Bruno Sorrentino, Antonio Genovese, Italy, %: H0_Pe is a robot who lives alone on a tiny planet somewhere in the space. His job is to regain materials. After hundreds of years of a lonely life, he starts to create objects “to live better”. He will be able to build the first intelligent robot (H0_pe 01) to overcome loneliness. But, on his planet, this kind of activity is forbidden by law. In fact the H0_Pe’s life is spied by the Headquarters situated on a close planet. The Headquarters discovers his secret and, through the use of signs, it warns him to stop his illegal activity. At the end of the story, H0_Pe will be forced to reveal a great and hidden secret.

The astronaut’s journal: 2:51 PM, 0:05, Marina Belikova, Germany, —: “Man has gone out to explore other worlds and other civilizations without having explored his own labyrinth of dark passages and secret chambers, and without finding what lies behind doorways that he himself has sealed.” — Stanislaw Lem, Solaris

Anima Radix: 2:57 PM, 0:03, Fernando Silva De la Cruz, Australia: A journey of metamorphosis to emerge from a dark world.

The Velvet Abstract: 3:01 PM, 0:07, James Hughes, UK: A Short Film About the Environmental Age from a Team Spanning Six Continents.

Pat, The Polar Bear: 3:09 PM, 0:01, Kaz Ceh, UK: About a young polar bear who’s not quite sure if he’s a real polar bear.

Parasols Falling: 3:11 PM, 0:05, Joseph Fraizer, USA, %: Colorful parasols fall and fall, jump, bounce, and pirouette in a Japanese garden dreamscape — a meditation in motion.

Lotus Lantern: 3:17 PM, 0:06, Xingpei Shen, China, p: A peek into the wax lotus. Lotus Lantern is a tribute to late Chinese singer Zhou Xuan, a missing link between filmmaker’s queer identity and Chinese heritage.

Me by You: 3:24 PM, 0:05, David Buob, Germany: Life is like an animated film, a never-ending chain of multiple changes, but tell me how from such a colorful flow can emerge something like melancholy?

Pittari: 3:30 PM, 0:04, Patrick Smith, USA: A horned creature’s destructive rampage is halted by a stubborn adversary. Loosely based on Tom Robbin’s depiction of Tanuki, a Japanese mythical creature known for his mischief, “Pittari” is scored to an old phonographic gospel recording to help illustrate a relentless resistance to the creature’s gritty penetration.

Mannequin: 3:35 PM, 0:07, Pete Burkeet, USA: Rolling Acres Mall was built on August 6, 1975. At its peak, it contained 140 stores. The mall began its decline in the 1990’s and closed in 2011. At one point all the walls were painted in pastels and people referred to it as “The Plastic Palace.” It is now a magnet for pollution and negative energy.

The Cracker Jack Ring: 3:44 PM, 0:02, Kevin McGuiness, Canada: ”The Cracker Jack Ring” tells the charming story of my grandfather, Chuck Joyce, who joined the Canadian Navy during the Second World War and sailed to Europe. While in Scotland, he met his future wife Babs and fell in love. However Chuck had to return to Canada and, in order to propose to Babs, he had a friend bring the ring to her hidden in a Cracker Jack box.

The Egg Job: 3:47 PM, 0:05, Guilherme Arduin, Canada: A rare Fabergé egg is at the local museum in a unique exhibition. A well know thief is in town and he’ll do whatever it takes to steal it. The museum hired the best guard to protect it. Who will win? Make your bets!

International Doc Block (4pm-6pm)

I’m Jeeja: 4:00 PM, 0:26, SWATI CHAKRABORTY, India: A first person narrative of Jeeja Ghosh, an effective and responsible leader and disability rights activist living with cerebral palsy.

Silou: A Tale Of An Orang Asli: 4:27 PM, 0:20, Yazan Al Assadi, Malaysia: Silou: A tale of an Orang Asli is a short documentary film about a group of the first people who came to Malaysia and they are still living in one of the oldest forests in the world ‘Taman Negara’.

Krishna’s Waiting Room: 4:48 PM, 0:52, KAVITA BAHL, NANDAN SAXENA, India: ‘Krishna’s Waiting Room’ is an introspective journey into the lives of the widows of Vrindavan- waiting for death in the land of Krishna.

Horror/SciFi Shorts Block (6pm-8pm)

Rotary: 6:00 PM, 0:10, Lorenzo P. Adams, USA: In 1968, a young babysitter’s evening is interrupted by strange and unsettling occurrences.

Watchers: 6:12 PM, 0:08, Niklas Nieminen, Sweden: Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you gonna get. Sadly that goes with neighbors as well. Ask Mr. Lundgren. This quote, written by the scriptwriter who wrote this short (Lars Thomasson) pretty much sums up what the film is all about.

Don’t Cry over Spilt Eggnog: 6:21 PM, 0:12, Michael Patrick Rogers, USA: A mysterious homeless man is confronted with an intervention by his sisters at what he is led to believe will be a Christmas get together.

The Cradle: 6:34 PM, 0:25, Arthur Sukhonin, Russian Federation: The flight to the International Space Station takes it course normally. One from a lot of the researches is to blast the biological exploration, which can add weighty contribution to the medicine. Flight engineer Tolya is interested in that experiments not only as a science progress: he believes that positive results will help his wife to recover, who waits for him in a Moscow hospital. But an emergency puts under a threat all the expedition.

Pohanci (Deep fried): 7:00 PM, 0:24, Ivan Mokrovic, Croatia: Deep fried is a film about Grandma Ljubica, an old lady left alone, miserable and afraid in her apartment after her only grandchild leaves for America, which results in her inner most fears being materialized in the form of a vicious snake that emerges from her toilet.

Under The Apple Tree: 7:25 PM, 0:18, Erik van Schaaik, Netherlands, %: Two brothers, an apple farmer and a priest, live next to each other as neighbors. Unfortunately, they can’t get along very well. The priest is fed up with his peasant brother and his ugly apple orchard, dropping thousands of rotten apples in his neat little graveyard. The farmer is a gawky fellow, drunk on homemade cider, and deeply unhappy. The apple trees are rotten and the apples full of worms. He is bankrupt, desperate and loathed upon by his heartless brother. One stormy night the farmer hangs himself from the branch of one of his apple trees. At that very moment we meet Aber, a homeless worm, desperately seeking for shelter from the rain and thunder. All apples appear to be occupied by worms. Nobody let’s him in, not even his brother Crombie. Suddenly Aber discovers the dead farmer, dangling between the branches like a huge apple. Delighted with his new, spacious house Aber crawls inside the corpse. Soon Aber discovers he has full control over the farmer’s dead body, just by shouting commands. A movable house, great fun! After some practice Aber yells ‘Hands up!’ and the hands of the dead farmer shoot up from the grave… Strolling around the churchyard in his ‘mobile home’ Aber discovers the priest has cut down all apple trees. He is shocked, and starts searching for his family: The dead farmer comes knocking on the priest’s door, and horrifyingly funny events unfold. The secret of zombiedom. Now you know. Us worms control the brain of the dead. And when you’re old and you have to go, we are the voice inside your head…

Cult Block 1 (8pm-10pm)

Memory Hospital: 8:00 PM, 0:18, Pedro Paulo de Andrade, Brazil, %: A night at an unusual hospital reveals secrets, sorrows and memories.

She was young with light eyes: 8:19 PM, 1:27, Giovanni Mazzitelli, Italy: “She was young with light eyes,” describes the sentimental training of a man, or better, the conflicting events that mark his feelings. Ironically, it smiles and moves the spectator into a whirl of characters and real and surreal situations, in which everyone can recognize his part of “X” (the protagonist). X, the feature character, slightly over 30, is an icon that represents all of us. He is one of the few people it Italy that has a chaotic job. All he thinks is integrated into a single question: ‘Is the truth really in the middle’ We are ask ourselves the same question that X asks every day, while we are surrounded by people who live extreme existences who seem happier than we are, but are locked up in social rules repressed by our most primal instincts. One of the many mid-winter nights that X is bound awake by his insomnia, he hears a prolonged scream of a woman on the street. It is Alessandra, a femme fatal, with Mediterranean features which make her even more fascinating. X thought it was a brief, short- lived encounter, but instead X finds himself waiting for the beautiful Alessandra in his house the next day for one more fleeting encounter. Alessandra doesn’t stand him up, but perhaps something worse, asking him to meet her elsewhere, close to an address that X knows little about. It’s outside the house of Marzi, a Jewish family in Portici, that the young woman will expose the nature of her intentions. Alessandra is in fact a skilled burglar who enters the homes of people illegally, not to steal, but instead obsessively searching for a treasure that she has been hunting for some time. X finds himself involved in Alessandra’s mission, which marks a series of extraordinary and bizarre events over an eight month period. He is faced with tough encounters that defy the life he has now but proposes a new life worth living. X questions himself, is it correct to conquer the extremes or is it justifiable to stay in the middle?

Cult Block 2 (10pm-12am)

Squeers: 10:00 PM, 0:01, Matt Torode, South Africa, p: For the Love of Nuts! Two gay squirrels just trying to find love and nuts in the city-park. Squeers is a 2D animated hybrid series that takes a satirical but affectionate look at the lives and daily escapades of a creative duo; Neil and Artel, gay squirrels, in search of success, love and happiness. In this character led comedy, our two gay squirrels live in the tree-tops of the City Gardens. Their life is inspired by the pink lifestyle in Cape Town, South Africa, but the Squeers reflects the contemporary macrocosm of human life across the globe.

MUXE: 10:02 PM, 1:58, Michael Satzinger, Austria, p%: When Muxe, a Two Spirit Indio, is invited to Europe to attend an ethnological exhibition he falls head over heels in love with Gonzo, a member of a provincial rock band. The two men become entangled in a turbulent adventure involving Cloud People and an ancient clay vase that is reputed to contain a secret message. But before they can overcome the barriers that their different cultures present and confess their love to each other they have a mystery to solve. A secret that once revealed has the power to change life on Earth forever.

Sunday, October 8

Kids/Family Shorts Block (12pm-2pm)

Nightmarish: 12:00 PM, 0:03, Ronnie Khalil, USA: A young boy wrestles with his worst fears on a sleepless night.

Becoming Lucy: 12:04 PM, 0:13, Luisa Novo, USA, —: Lucy, 15, blames her mother for her father leaving them for a 24 year-old blonde. When she finds out her crush at school likes blondes, she dyes her hair to get the attention of both men.

Swimming in the Desert: 12:18 PM, 0:15, Alvaro Ron, USA: In the drought-stricken town of Agua Dulce, in the California High Desert, a ten year old girl challenges her grandfather, a cranky retired firefighter, to follow a crazy plan and bring the water back to the dry river.

SEEDS: 12:34 PM, 0:01, Milo Bennet-Shephard, USA: Two men argue over a packet of seeds until a young boy sees the true answer to their conflict. And so the seeds of cooperation are sewn. This simple allegorical live-action/animation film, shows the plight of mankind, and how we can fix it if only we embrace each other and cooperate. Then and only then can the world truly be one with us and we can truly be one with the world.

Family: 12:37 PM, 0:06, Campbell Miller, Campbell Miller, UK: A mother struggles to control her wayward son while his sister battles with cancer.

Catching the L Train: 12:44 PM, 0:06, Eric Raingruber, USA: A bear on a losing streak attempts to save his relationship before his love leaves town for good. But when a bungled text message leads him to the wrong train platform and his sweetheart to draw the wrong conclusion, he must risk life and limb to try and win her back.

H.U.M.A.N.S.: 12:51 PM, 0:09, Johnathan Newport, USA: A comedic oral history of life over the past 70 million years that examines and personifies the ongoing competition between Evolution and Extinction.

Pat, The Polar Bear: 1:02 PM, 0:01, Kaz Ceh, UK: About a young polar bear who’s not quite sure if he’s a real polar bear.

Filling In: 1:04 PM, 0:22, Bradley Hawkins, USA: A gentle giant of man, down on his luck, considers a risky and covert career path. To help him learn the ropes, a grizzled vet in the field takes him under his wing.

Wishful Whiskers: 1:27 PM, 0:09, Pulkit Datta, USA: Stuck in her dad’s boring lunch meeting, little Ella suddenly discovers the curious case of all the mustaches.

The Fox: 1:38 PM, 0:10, Louise Turley, Australia, %: The Fox is an offbeat comedy that tells the story of Harry, a 12-year-old boy who believes he’s a fox. When he runs out onto the football field wearing his fox ears, his mother Clare just wants to crawl into a hole and die. The whistle blows, the tension mounts, magpies warble, scores are locked and the coaches sweat… then suddenly the game takes a startling turn.

Doc Block 2: School Kids (2pm-4pm)

Maine Girls: 2:00 PM, 0:27, Yael Luttwak, Abigail Tannebaum Sharon, USA, —T: A film about immigrant and U.S.-born teen girls in Maine who find common ground and acceptance. How do you build trust and empathy among teenage girls who have grown up in places as geographically and culturally diverse as Somalia, Vietnam and suburban Maine? Maine Girls, a feature documentary film, follows 13 immigrant and non-immigrant girls. Over eight weeks, they learn what it takes — and what it means — to make genuine friendships and lead by example.

Govan Young: 2:28 PM, 0:30, Martin Clark, Cara Connolly, David Archibald, UK: Govan Young follows a group of schoolchildren as they learn the rarely-told story of the Viking invasion of Central Scotland and the subsequent establishment of the medieval kingdom of Strathclyde, which had its spiritual centre in Govan. How will the children react when they discover that Vikings and kings walked on the ground below their feet?

AnorMal: 2:59 PM, 0:14, Luis Galán, Spain: What has worried us today? What could we care about if we were a child without even shoes on the streets of Saint Louis? AnorMal is a sample of a journey to poverty, contained in lights and sounds, that makes possible to feel a bit of a reality that has very little to do with ours.

The Arcade Creek Project: A Mosaic of Sustainability: 3:14 PM, 0:29, Jierel Almario, USA, %: This 29-minute documentary film tells the story of a small, deteriorated creek and one group’s effort to bring it back to its natural beauty from over a hundred years ago.

LGBT Block 2 (4pm-6pm)

Coming Out: 4:00 PM, 0:02, Nicholas Ybarra, USA, p: Football is family… or is it? Vince has a secret to confess to his parents that may destroy their relationship forever.

Alan: 4:04 PM, 0:04, Isabella Iampieri, USA, Tp: An animated interview with my little brother about his experiences as a trans kid. Completed as a senior thesis project at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

You, Me, Us: 4:09 PM, 0:05, Danylo Hauk, USA, p: Elizabeth keeps her biggest secret locked in a room until he tries to break free.

Rebirth: 4:15 PM, 0:03, GOKCE ORALOGLU, ZEHRA GOKCIMEN, Turkey, —p: “A dance ritual which turns into recreation of the self. “Transformation is a dance ritual. With every move you are born again. With every little step, you cut the umbilical cord. With every turn, you create a new shell.”

It’s A Boy: 4:19 PM, 0:05, Trent Nakamura, USA, p: What if sexual orientation could be identified at birth? Young newlyweds, Sherri and Tom, are in the middle of an ultrasound when Dr. Kinsey reveals the exciting news. A baby boy! Who’s also gay — the young couple must now choose what’s next for their gay child.

Squeers: 4:25 PM, 0:01, Matt Torode, South Africa, p: For the Love of Nuts! Two gay squirrels just trying to find love and nuts in the city-park. Squeers is a 2D animated hybrid series that takes a satirical but affectionate look at the lives and daily escapades of a creative duo; Neil and Artel, gay squirrels, in search of success, love and happiness. In this character led comedy, our two gay squirrels live in the tree-tops of the City Gardens. Their life is inspired by the pink lifestyle in Cape Town, South Africa, but the Squeers reflects the contemporary macrocosm of human life across the globe.

Lily: 4:27 PM, 0:21, Graham Cantwell, Ireland, p%: The film tells the story of Lily, a girl with a secret, on the cusp of becoming a young woman.

Neverlaid To Rest: 4:49 PM, 0:18, Erik Long, USA, p: Neverlaid to Rest is a short film that blends the genres of 80’s rom-com, classic undead horror and raunchy coming of age to tell the story of the common problems and insecurities that faces college freshman whether it’s questioning your sexuality, struggling to show someone your true feelings because you’re too busy worrying about your own self-image.

Not Immune: 5:09 PM, 0:04, Ian Asbjornsen, Andrew Abaria, USA, —p: Not Immune’ follows a man who knows that he should not get back with his boyfriend, but cannot help himself when the boyfriend charms his way back into the main character’s life. Back together, their relationship is passionate and chaotic as always, as represented through beautiful original choreography. But the relationship is as toxic as it is enthralling, and in the end, our main character is left alone once again.

Dusk: 5:15 PM, 0:15, Jake Graf, UK, p: Growing up in 1950s England in an intolerant and uninformed world, young Chris Winters struggles to fit into the gender roles dictated by wider society. A more than tough childhood left behind, Chris meets dream woman Julie, and life lightens a little, but the growing feeling that theirs is a life half lived haunts Chris. Endlessly imagining what might have been, Chris is finally struck by the realization that for some decisions there is no right answer, and that it’s those that truly define us.

Then What Happened?: 5:31 PM, 0:28, Avi Glick, USA, p%: After being unexpectedly dumped by his boyfriend, unemployed Derek, a Black, gay thirty-something, is forced to move in with two of his straight former college acquaintances Marko, a smart ass Serbian transplant and Chris, an all-American musical theater performer. Between all their idiosyncrasies, this trio always manages to find themselves in the craziest, most awkward and uncomfortable situations. Follow this triad as they navigate their 30’s in Los Angeles while dealing with the ups and downs of their careers and frequent headaches brought on by their insignificant others. Through it all, the guys discover that though hurdling towards the big 4-0, they are exactly where they’re supposed to be in life.

Music Block 2 (6pm-8pm)

Soma & Lil: 6:00 PM, 0:11, Nicolas Iordanou, Sylvia Nicolaides, Cyprus, %: A music documentary on the art of improvisation. Soma & Lil, a cello improvisation duo based in Denmark, rethink and deconstruct the traditional written music for cello, and develop a more personal way of expression by creating singular compositions that are unique and always changing.

Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty: 6:12 PM, 1:42, H. Paul Moon, USA, —T%: Known for his mournful “Adagio for Strings,” Samuel Barber was never quite fashionable. This acclaimed film is a probing exploration of his music and melancholia. Performance, oral history, musicology, and biography combine to explore the life and music of one of America’s greatest composers. Featuring Thomas Hampson, Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop and many more of the world’s leading experts on Barber’s music, with tributes from composers Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson and William Schuman. The Philadelphia Inquirer acclaimed the film’s “great visual polish,” adding that the “extremely impressive array of…so much visual evidence is astounding.” Composition:Today called it a “remarkable success that rewrites the rules of documentary filmmaking, ” and MusicWeb International wrote: “This lavishly illustrated documentary…proclaims the meticulous labour, inspiration and persuasive powers of H. Paul Moon and his subject: the life and music of Samuel Barber. This a bejewelled production that steers a rewarding course between moving things along yet staying still long enough to inform, surprise and please.”

Awards Presentation (8pm-8:30pm)

Review of Category Award winners (%) and announcement of Audience Award winners.

Closing Night Feature (8:30pm-10:30pm)

Gift in My Hands: Leonard Logsdail’s Story: 8:30 PM, 0:09, Gary Gasse, USA, —T: Leonard Logsdail is one of the last true bespoke tailors in the United States. While his story as a cutter begins on the renowned Savile Row and makes its way through Hollywood, Leonard finds his true vocation and legacy somewhere much closer to his heart.

Pigheaded: 8:40 PM, 1:30, John Kinhart, Christian Brown, Richard Smith, USA, —T%: Pigheaded tells the provocative life story of underground cartoonist and subversive satirist Skip Williamson. His unapologetic art exemplified the spirit of the 60s counter-culture movement. Williamson helped lead the burgeoning Underground Comix scene five decades ago as a founder of Bijou Funnies, one of the earliest and longest running titles of that Movement. From his involvement in the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention riots to his oft offensive work in Playboy, High Times, National Lampoon and many more. Williamson has collaborated with such notable characters as Abbie Hoffman, Robert Crumb, Jerry Rubin, Shel Silverstein, S. Clay Wilson and Jay Lynch. Pigheaded faithfully portrays Williamson’s life as rebellious artist, irreverent pighead and loving family man. Told through candid interviews, animation and archival photographs, Pigheaded takes you back in time to see the behind the scenes of one of America’s most curious art movements.

Closing Night Gala (10:30pm-12am)

“Initiator of good times and feel-good dance vibes.” — DJ Selo is a Cumberland based deejay who has performed at a wide range of events including yoga studios, nightclubs and children’s birthday parties. His eclectic sound includes popular songs from the likes of Imagine Dragons, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, and more, as well as lesser known dance music with an electronic twist that derives from his time putting on events in Detroit. The mission of DJ Selo is simple, to create a fun atmosphere for all to enjoy.

Program Notes

— Filmmaker anticipated to appear

T Shot in Maryland and/or made by a Maryland
filmmaker

p LGBT Content

% Category Award winner

NOTE: All content is unrated.

NOTE: All running times within programming blocks are
approximate.

The Queen City Film Festival (QCFF) is a production of
Allegany Allied Arts, Inc. QCFF 2017 Festival Program ©2017 Allegany Allied
Arts, Inc.

 Supporting Sponsor

Downtown Development Commission