With more and more media competing for our collective
attentions, it seems shocking that the makers of mainstream feature films have
yet to learn the value of a slim running time (just look at the recent
“Avengers: Endgame,” which clocked in at a whopping three hours).
Maybe it’s
for that reason the Rochester International Film Festival — also known by its
unofficial title “Movies on a Shoestring” — has remained so popular for so
long. Celebrating the art of the short film, RIFF presents a program of films
that pack as much compelling plot, character, and visual interest as a
traditional feature in only a fraction of the time. And every year the
filmmakers behind these cinematic amuse-bouche show Hollywood how it’s done.
Kicking off
its 61st year this week, the RIFF will screen four separate programs of short
films over the course of three days (May 9-11) at the Dryden Theatre. In
addition to the films themselves, a number of the festival’s international
roster of filmmakers will be in attendance to participate in Q&A sessions
after the screenings. Admission to the festival is free, though donations are
accepted.
What follows
is a preview of just a few of the films from this year’s lineup. For more
information on the festival and a complete schedule of films, visit rochesterfilmfest.org.
Thursday, May 9, 8 p.m.
Yasmin Mistry’s “For a
Better Life” uses vivid animation to let audiences experience the
life of a courageous young man named Fekri, born to
an impoverished family in Tunisia and sold for $100 at the age of five. The
hope was that he’d find a better life; instead he suffered through years of abuse
at the hands of his adoptive mother. But he survived, eventually finding hope
and the support he needed through the foster care system.
“Moved to Tiers” comes from director Avery
Herzog, and blends live action footage with animation to tell the whimsical
story of a wedding cake topper couple who take it upon themselves to search out
their own happy ending.
From the Kyrgyz Republic, “Tash Kømyr” follows two boys who dream of escaping
their dire circumstances by selling coal harvested from a nearby mine. Director
Evgenii Chistyakov balances
this unrelentingly bleak tale with some beautifully stark cinematography.
The inspiring locally-produced documentary “Why We Push,” from Nathan Sengillo,
takes a look at the close-knit skateboarding community of Rochester and the
as-yet-unfulfilled dream of the Roc City Skatepark.
In Indian filmmaker Rahoul Daswani’s bittersweet “To Remember
Me By,” an old 8mm camera offers a chance for a young man to
revive the memories of the loved ones he’s lost.
Friday, May 10, 8 p.m.
Jhosimar Vasquez’s crime thriller “The Scorpion’s Tale” uses the classic fable of the
“Scorpion and the Frog” to weave an operatic tale of murder, greed, and
vengeance.
The stunning “Double Exposed” packs a wallop in under four minutes. Filmmaker Julie Buck uses the inadvertently
layered images of the Super 8 home movies filmed by her grandfather to
contemplate the picture these films paint of her family and what pieces of
their stories are left out of frame.
Delving into the difficulties of supporting a long distance
relationship, Nathalie Lamb’s German stop motion animation “Him & Her” focuses on a couple who are in love, but
find themselves apart. Through a phone call, they conjure up a rich fantasy in
which they might be together.
A seasoned ice fisherman gets in over his head while on his
latest excursion in Lewis Leon’s darkly amusing animation “L’Homme et le Poisson.”
Saturday, May 11, 4 p.m.
In the compelling doc, “Martin
Hill: Cameraman,” Joanne Hock trains her camera on one man’s
quest to preserve a bit of Hollywood history by collecting the cameras that
shot some of the most iconic movies of the last century. In the process, she examines
the value we place on preserving the past through Hill’s sincere desire to
share his passion with the world.
Expression is key in Adam Vincent Wright’s exuberant “Welcome to the Ball,” which finds a creative young child
working to make a connection with a deaf neighbor.
The mysterious “Misappropriation,” from Spanish filmmaker Ana Maria Ferri, takes the
familiar story of a young man struggling to come to terms with a recent
breakup, and gives it an enigmatic twist.
In the touching film, “Free,” returning filmmaker and choreographer Ben Hartley uses the medium of dance to
tell the story of an enslaved young man whose world opens up when he’s taught
how to read and write.
Saturday, May 11, 8 p.m.
Though his close relationship to his grandfather, a young boy
experiences loss for the first time in the poignant “Ashes,” from director Prashant Singh.
In 1965 Sicily, a strong-willed woman runs afoul of the local
Calabrian mafia when they attempt to seize control of her recently murdered
husband’s business in Brendan Young’s tense black-and-white crime drama, “The Widow.”
Through richly-detailed animation, Mark C. Smith’s imaginative
fantasy “Two Balloons” finds two lemurs on
solitary journeys of exploration, as they suddenly learn that some adventures
are better taken together.
This article appears in May 8-14, 2019.
