Wisconsin / Illinois Showdown Shorts #1
In the year of our Lord, 2014 AD, BIFF Marketing Director Kristin Peterson shook the Rock River valley with a concept so bold, so brilliant, and so deadly that we just KNEW it was meant to be a festival staple for all BIFF-ternity! The Wisconsin/Illinois Showdown is BACK!! Last year there were two WI/IL short slots. This year…FOUR!! Oh, God. It’s madness! Enjoy this first 2015 installment of stateline cinematic shortness!
Screenings
Fri Feb 20, 2015 – 5:00 PM — La Casa Grande
Sat Feb 21, 2015 – 7:30 PM — Bushel & Peck’s
Fri Feb 27, 2015 – 2:00 PM — Domenico’s
Illuminate
Genre: Drama
City / State: Milwaukee, WI
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 8 min.
Director: Cody LaPlant
Producer: Cody LaPlant, Jake Wollner, Michael Bourne, Raya Fanek, Logan Feser, Alivia Lobo, John Holifield, Joe Kako
Website: Cody LaPlant Films
Twitter: Illuminate
Synopsis:
A man is taken on a bizarre journey by a woman who he previously deceived to illuminate his wrong doings.
Winterlude
Genre: Drama, Horror
City / State: Milwaukee, WI
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 10 min.
Director: Gregory Bishop
Producer: Gregory Bishop, Alexander Headley
IMDB: Winterlude
Twitter: Winterlude
Synopsis:
A young woman’s journey through her subconscious sanctuary, amidst a worldwide cataclysm.
Bus Ride
Genre: Family, Drama
City / State: Janesville, WI
Rating: G
Runtime: 3 min.
Director: Stephen Pickering, Cameron Pickering
Producer: Stephen Pickering, Cameron Pickering
Website : N/A
Synopsis:
Based on a true story, this film follows the life-threatening journey of a brother and sister illegally making their way across the border into the United States.
Ripped from the headlines, this film deals with the social issues of illegal immigration from a young girl’s perspective. After being separated from her brother, the little girl makes her way across the border alone, only to be caught.
Instead of a better life, she enters into a state of hopeless waiting as her fate is determined by people she does not know. The intent of this film is to encourage conversation about an important issue that is in political Limbo.
It’s also meant to give viewers a look at the other side of immigration, the point of view of a child hoping for a better life and what she encounters along the way.
Bingo Night!
Genre: Action, Comedy
City / State: Madison, WI
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 14 min
Director: Jordan Liebowitz
Producer: Ryan Herlay
Twitter : @SwagLifeGranny
Facebook: Bingo Night Film
Synopsis:
When Ethel is threatened with eviction from her retirement community, her friends Vivian and Ruth become co-conspirators in the heist of the century.
Their target: the local bingo hall.
Tough Cookie
Genre: Action, Comedy
City / State: Milwaukee, WI
Rating: R
Runtime: 20 min
Director: Bobby Schmidt
Producer: Bobby Schmidt, Jaclyn Poeschl, Mark Winter, Ty Winter
Twitter : @ToughCookieFilm
Facebook Tough Cookie Film
Synopsis:
Meet the Troop Sisters – an organization that transforms orphaned girls into foxy hardened criminals packing more than just cookies into their boxes.
Troop Sister member Madge (Marie Sirena) leads the pack, until she is busted for a cookie deal by rough and tough Detective Jack Solid (Texas Cheshier).
After doing her time, Madge has now left her questionable past behind. That is until Biscotti (Amanda Schulz) brings Madge back to Big Mama (Linda Cieslik).
A deadly assassin, Patches (Russel Scott), is killing off the sisters one by one, and has taken Madge’s friend Ginger Snaps (Lora Miller) captive. Big Mama suspects the Troop Brothers – militaristic weapons dealers eager to move in on their territory.
Madge reluctantly agrees to help the Sisters out one last time and save her friend.
It’s a Special Recipe of Honor, Betrayal, Sex, Violence, Survival, Short Skirts, Earning Badges, and so much more!
Before You
Genre: Documentary
City / State: Milwaukee, WI
Rating: G
Runtime: 4 min
Director: Michael T. Vollmann
Producer: Michael T. Vollmann
Synopsis:
A spirit of Malickian wonder permeates this poignant and lyrical tribute to the stories that parents pass onto their children.
Ballons
Genre: Family, Comedy
City / State: Milwaukee, WI
Rating: G
Runtime: 5 min
Director: Sitora Takanaev
Producer: Sitora Takanaev
Facebook: Ballons Short Film
Synopsis:
Colorful 10 year old girl upset by taunting, manages to bring some color and happiness into the world around her when by magical coincidence a huge pile of balloons is dropped off at her feet.
Geoffrey Broughe Handles Confrontation Poorly
Genre: Action, Comedy
City / State: Milwaukee, WI
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 12 min
Director: Jon Phillips
Producer: Jessica Farrell
Facebook: Geoffrey Broughe Handles Confrontation Poorly
Synopsis:
Geoffrey Broughe, a layabout with a bad haircut and a worse grasp on conflict avoidance techniques, attempts to give a statement to the police. It goes south. Way south.
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
