Experimental Short Slot

Somewhere Out There.  Waaaaaay Out There.

Prepare to be freaked “the freak” out by this collection of unique and challenging films. Slip into the Twilight Zone. Soar to the Outer Limits. Take the Q train to where the hobos get vaporized down by the vacants…yeah…and some naked aliens, too!  Maybe?! If you’re the sort of person who thinks you’ve seen it all…well…you haven’t, until you’ve had your envelope pushed all the way in by this incredible collection of experimental eye-openers!

Tue Feb 18, 2014 – 5:00 pm — Domenico’s Tickets
Thu Feb 20, 2014 –  7:30 pm — My Apartment Tickets
Fri Feb 21, 2014 – 5:00 pm — Club Impulse Tickets
Sun Feb 23, 2014 –  5:00 pm — Café Fromage #2  Tickets

Community Partner:  Beloit Tobacco Shack

Studies in Space

Studies In Space
Category:  Art, Dance
Country:  U.S.
Language:  English
Rating:  G
Runtime:  14 min.
Director:  Tate Bunker
Producer:  Sitora Takanaev, Kara Mulrooney, Miles O’Neil
Tate Bunker on IMDb:

Synopsis:

A dance film shot in ultra slow motion exploring movement, dance & space. To see in movement what the naked eye cannot.

Snowglobe

Snowglobe | Tony Porter
Category:  Avant-garde
Country:  U.S.
Language:  English
Rating:  G
Runtime:  7 min.
Director:  Tony Porter
Producer:  Tony Porter
Website:  N/A

Filmmaker AttendingSynopsis:

A colorblind handyman born inside a melting snow globe tires to escape after finding schematics for a prototype rocket.

Flytopia

Flytopia | Karni Arieli
Category:  Alternative, Surreal
Country:  Hungary, United Kingdom
Language:
Rating:  PG-13
Runtime:  20 min.
Director:  Karni Arieli, Saul Freed
Producer:  Alison Sterling, Saul Freed
Twitter:

Synopsis:

A dark fantastical tale in which a man enters into a pact with all the insect inhabitants of his rural cottage. when Joy leaves, Jonathan receives an array of services in exchange for surrendering a room in his house to the insects. his existence dripping with honey ,sex ,flies ,meat… and a very sticky end

ChernoKids

Chernokids
Category:  Alternative, Avant-garde
Country:  France
Language:  English subtitles
Rating:  PG-13
Runtime:  8 min.
Director:  Marion Petegnieff
Producer:
IMDb:

Synopsis:

In Ukraine, three deformed orphans decide to visit their mother. The first one has several eyes on his head and a disgusting fish in his aquarium; the second has deformed legs; the third one has two heads. They walk to a Nuclear Power Plant that they believe is their mother. However they are rescued and brought back to the orphanage where a boy with deformed teeth mocks them all.

Broken Flute

The Broken Flute
Category:  Comedy
Country:  U.S.
Language:  English
Rating:  PG
Runtime:  5 min.
Director:  Robbie Johnstone
Producer:  Billy Summers
Website:

Synopsis:

An inconsolable father mourns his sons’ disinterest in family tradition but nepotism proves to be thicker than blood.

Breadheads

Breadheads | Cody Walzel
Category:  Surreal, Neo-noir
Country:  U.S.
Language:  Easy
Rating:  PG-13
Runtime:  6 min.
Director:
Producer:
IMDb:

Synopsis:

Starving soldiers divide a measly last meal when sick allies arrive at their base. Their affliction takes a turn for the worse and one of the Allie’s head turns to bread. The hungry eyes and murderous teeth of the starving soldiers are kept at bay for the moment by the Sergeant in command. The breadhead soon dies, his head immediately rotting beyond edible. When the other ally begins to transform to food, he starving soldiers desperation forces the battle between hunger and humanity.

American Capitalism, A Self-Portrait

American Capitalism | Thibault Le Texier
Category:  Avant-garde, Historical
Country:  France
Language:
Rating:  PG
Runtime:  10 min.
Director:  Thibault Le Texier
Producer:  Thibault Le Texier
Website:

Synopsis:

My previous film, THE HUMAN FACTOR, was about the spread of Taylorism within industrial societies throughout the 20th century. This one addresses the capitalist shape taken by the American Dream between 1940 and 1970, at the junction of productivism and consumerism stimulating each other in an endless crescendo. Under the authoritarian leadership of science, progress is the sole horizon of this society for which freedom and prosperity are consubstantial. It is entirely made out of institutional films from the 1940s to the 1970s.

The self-referential discourse of the institutional movies used here, for which you need “more things for more jobs for more things,” is crippled by two major contradictions : between the Protestant appraisal of thrift and the hedonistic promotion of the most unrestrained consumption ; and between the glorified principle of individual freedom and the perpetual assignment of people to specialized and standardized roles and functions.

The excessively bombastic and often naive narration could lead one to believe that its subject belonged to the past. It is true that since the end of the 1970s persuasion techniques have grown more diverse, subtle, precise and powerful. Yet, Western countries remain industrial nations where production and consumption are essential activities, and everyday dependence continues to be massively sold under the label of freedom.

As we progress, domination does not become softer ; it becomes more refined.

Magnetic Reconnection

Magnetic Reconnection | Kyle Armstrong
Category:  Alternative, Environmental
Country:  Canada
Language:  English
Rating:  G
Runtime:  13 min.
Director:  Kyle Armstrong
Producer:  Kyle Armstrong, Trond Trondsen
Facebook:

Synopsis:

An experimental short form documentary contrasting the northern lights with the harsh landscapes and decaying man made remnants littered in the northern Canadian town of Churchill. The film touches upon the power of nature over man and the futility of struggle against the natural processes of decay. Despite our best attempts they are a power far beyond our control or ability to quantify. Featuring a score by Jim O’Rourke (Sonic Youth, Wilco) and likely some of the best footage of the aurora ever captured.

NOTE:  Synopsis are typically provided directly by the filmmaker themselves. Often English is not their first language. We ask reader’s understanding for less-than-perfect language and grammar