Documentary Shorts

Not that feature length documentaries aren’t a great way to spend part of your hard-earned BIFF time. Occasionally, it can be refreshing to follow a man’s lonely sojourn as he plants two separate plots with common grass seed and fertilizes one organically and one with chemicals typically used by large corporate farms and then sits back in his lawn chair and describes the stop-action progress of each precious blade over a two-month period of time. Scintillating! Or you could just watch these eight brief, but absolutely brilliant and entertaining little gems. Yeah! (Sigh of relief) Pass the organically grown popcorn!

Screenings

Buy TicketsSat Jan 31, 2015 – 5:00 PM — Ramada 3 Janesville

Buy TicketsThu Feb 26, 2015 – 5:00 PM — Domenico’s

Buy TicketsSun Mar 1, 2015 – 2:00 PM — Café Fromage

Disruptive Education

Disruptive Education | Amanda Horvath

Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Country:  U.S.
Subtitles: No
Rating: G
Runtime:  15
Director: Amanda Horvath
Producer:  
Website :  Amanda Horvath

Synopsis:

Maybe the problem with traditional education is adults; children in today’s society can teach themselves.

Filmmaker Attending
IMDb

Out of Body

Out Of Body | J. Christian Jensen

Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country:  U.S.
Subtitles:  No
Rating: G
Runtime:  9 min.
Director: J. Christian Jensen
Producer:  J. Christian Jensen
Website :  JCJ | Out of Body

Synopsis:

A woman challenges the limitations of her mind and body… and conspires against death.

IMDb
Twitter

Between Land and Sea

Between Land and Sea | J Christian Jensen

Genre: Drama, Nature
Country:  U.S.
Subtitles:  No
Rating: G
Runtime:  9 min.
Director: J. Christian Jensen
Producer:  J. Christian Jensen, Sarah Berkovich
Website :  JCJ | Between Land and Sea

Synopsis:

A couple living in a lighthouse on a tiny island experiences a collision of romanticism and reality.

IMDb
Twitter
Facebook

3 Miles East

3 Miles East | Samuel Karow

Genre: Documentary, Biography
Country:  U.S.
Subtitles:  No
Rating: G
Runtime:  11 min.
Director: Samuel Karow
Producer:  Samuel Karow
Website :  

Synopsis:

Filmmaker Samuel Karow pays tribute to his childhood home in this experimental documentary that is equal parts family portrait and personal rumination.

Over the course of one year, we discover the 40 acre farm property through Karow’s eyes as he faces a major life choice: stay and inherit his parents’ greenhouse business or leave to pursue a career in film.

Filmmaker Attending
IMDb

Home In Mind

Free The Mind | Tami Liberman

Genre: Documentary, Drama
Country:  Germany
Subtitles: No
Rating: PG-13
Runtime:  10 min.
Director: Tami Liberman
Producer:  Tami Liberman
Website :  Free The Mind

Synopsis:

Tami, a newcomer to the online 3D world of Second Life, approaches owners of virtual Second-Life homes in an attempt to re-discover her own lost home.

Blending Second-Life and real-life footage, Tami explores the experience of home in the virtual era, and the ability to capture it on film.

IMDb

Food

Food | Siqi Song

Genre: Documentary, Animation
Country:  China / U.S.
Subtitles:  No
Rating: PG
Runtime:  3 min.
Director: Siqi Song
Producer:  Siqi Song
Website :  

Synopsis:

This is an animated documentary about FOOD! The documentary, in an ironic and sarcastic way brings attention to food, the way we see it, the way we eat it and the way we think about it. Ranging from vegetarians, vegans, pescetarians to some seriously dedicated carnivores, the conversation offers the perspectives of a wide variety of eaters from around the world.

By pairing real interviews with stop-motion animation, the film bring in discussion about various topics in the food industry including the factory farming, urban environment and life choices all in a slightly humorous, non threatening manner.

Filmmaker Attending
IMDb

They Are The Last

They Are The Last | Diego Vivanco Ian Clark

Genre: Documentary
Country:  Uruguay
Subtitles: No
Rating: G
Runtime:  4 min.
Director: Diego Vivanco, Ian Clark
Producer:  Diego Vivanco, Ian Clark
Website :  They Are The Last

Synopsis:

Leonardo Da Costa is a lighthouse keeper stationed in Cabo Polonio, a remote cape in a stretch of Uruguayan coastline rich in shipwrecks and sunken treasures.

Cabo Polonio’s light has been guiding ships since 1881, and Da Costa is the latest in a long line of watchmen who have operated the tower with care and attention. He leads an unassuming life, the tranquility of the almost intact landscape keeping him company. Serenity and silence merge with the daily tasks and chores he carries out. Da Costa represents a rare profession that still survives in a few countries.

Take some time to appreciate a gentle and enlightening way of life, for once it is gone, it will be missed.

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White Earth

White Earth | J Christian Jensen

Genre: Family, Drama
Country:  U.S.
Subtitles:  No
Rating: G
Runtime:  19 min.
Director: J. Christian Jensen
Producer:  J. Christian Jensen
Website :  White Earth

Synopsis:

Set against the backdrop of a cruel North Dakota winter, “White Earth” is a tale of an oil boom that has drawn thousands to America’s Northern Plains in search of work.

Told from the perspective of three children and an immigrant mother whose lives are touched by the oil boom, each story intertwines with the others – exploring themes of innocence, home, and the American Dream.

IMDb
Twitter
Facebook

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

BIFF - Beloit International Film Festival
BIFF | Beloit International Film Festival