Film Selections | IIFF

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2021 Iowa Independent

Film Festival | September 9-11

Mason City & Clear Lake, Iowa

2021 Selected Films

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A Spring Sojourn via Canoe

8 mins

Dir. Bruce McKee | Local & Iowa Made

Dale has solo-paddled the Winnebago River in North Iowa in every month of every year for nearly two decades. This highlights his Spring canoe floats, showing the ice break-up of the river and drifting into the blooming of Springtime along the river. Narrated with his prose and observations of his passion of paddling and nature around him.

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Against The Wind

6 mins

Dir. Hollis Bennett | Documentary

In a year marked by tragedy, the farmers of Iowa face down one of the most destructive storms in US History. This is a story of loss but also perseverance and the indomitable human spirit.

Aloo

16 mins

Dir. Priya Kiran | Student

All Amara Kulkarni wants is to connect with her first generation daughter, Sama, but Sama is strict about keeping her home life and school life separate. When Amara hears about the school’s annual potluck, she takes it as an opportunity to finally join Sama’s world outside of their home. The duo connect while preparing some “party potatoes” but when Amara suggests to bring a traditional Indian dish, any chance of connection is severed and on top of that the dish for the potluck is burned.

Awakening

14 mins

Dir. Julie Koehnen | Short

At the turn of the 19th century, Midwestern, social elite Clemence Finch’s future is thrown into uncertainty when she accompanies the brewmeister’s wife; a modern woman who engineers a luncheon without a male family member escort. The thrill of her new found independence rocks Clemence’s world and her desire to marry the man she loves is called into question.

Bandwidth

5 mins

Dir. Pat Battistini & Robert Francke | Short

Frank's important job interview on Zoom goes south due to his "stay at home" Covid precautious family using up his bandwidth.

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Becoming Gepetto

1 hr 6 mins

Dir. Dale Lindquist | Documentary

Becoming Geppetto explores the life and craftsmanship of master luthiers Bruce, and son Matt, Petros, accompanied by performances with solo guitarists. The film follows Bruce’s career, beginning with his struggling to find a life’s goal and, almost by chance, stumbling upon guitar building. It portrays his efforts to learn a craft at a time when there was little information on the subject, along with the struggles and precariousness of making a living as an independent luthier with a young family to support. Eventually his son Matt joins him and together they work diligently to refine their craft, leading to the creation of instruments of exquisite beauty and tonal resonance.

Birdsong

3 mins

Dir. Paul Huenemann | Animation

Roger has retired and what to do, is the problem.

Blood on the Risers

19 mins

Dir. Caleb Fanning | Short

It is 1945 and many men & women have returned home from service during World War II. However, for some, the war is not over. This is where we find Charlie Evans, a paratrooper who jumped into Normandy on D-Day. After three years of being gone, he comes home to his wife, Afton, who has no idea about the burdens and trauma that Charles is bringing home with him. The film tells the story of his struggle to reconcile the trauma of war and his peaceful life at home.

Caroline

23 mins

Dir. Patricia Vidal Delgado | Student

A professional artist is on the brink of failure as she struggles with self-doubt and the resignation of her new assistant just before her first solo show.

Connor & Annie

22 mins

Dir. Blake Bodlak | Student

‘Connor & Annie’ follows a pair of old friends as they rediscover their friendship and confront the things that forced them to separate in the first place all over the course of one night.

Date Night

11 mins

Dir. Zachery Hess | Student & Iowa Made

After their long marriages end, two 60-somethings are totally out of their comfort zone when it comes to dating. But through an unorthodox encounter, the strangers reconnect with their child-like nature motivating the reluctant duo to give the idea of romance another chance.

Devil's in the Details

4 mins

Dir. Anna Owenson | Student

A witch gets less than she bargains for when she tries to summon Satan on her ex-boyfriend. An occult comedy.

DUET

21 mins

Dir. Mika Orr | Short

Duet is the story of one fateful day in the lives of 8-year-old girls May and Shadmit, who dislike each other but learn that their lives have become oddly intertwined forever. Duet is a multidisciplinary project, uniquely integrating film and music. The story raises questions about loneliness, regret, subject memory and fate that ties two children together for a lifetime.

Dignity

25 mins

Dir. Pat Battistini | Short

"Dignity" is a love story between a woman and her family. However, the family's strength is tested when a moral decision must be made.

Fuchsia

7 mins

Dir. Hannah Wright | Short

Lily, a visionary landscaper, finds friend and foe in a mysterious client.

Daydreamer's Pursuit

6 mins

Dir. Jasmine Bryan | Student

Full of determination and uncertainty, Nutmeg pursues her daydream to escape a dull reality with a Walkman and her case of few sentimental belongings.

Divertimento

30 mins

Dir. Keyvan Sheikhalishahi | Short

Jonas Olsen (Kellan Lutz), a chess player haunted by a tragic past, is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, Divertimento.

Growing Attraction

3 mins

Dir. Kevin L. Brubaker | Short

Paul attempts to woo Cindy with a time honored symbol of love.

Have Faith

25 mins

Dir. Zach Neumann | Short

A musical short film about a young woman from a Christian home struggling to decide whether to tell her parents about her crisis of faith. She meets a chorus of her personal demons, her personal angel, and finally the devil herself, before finally choosing whether to tell her parents the truth.

Here

6 mins

Dir. Josiah Yu | Short

A busy worker decides to stay with her friend after noticing suicidal signs.

Inner Selves

5 mins

Dir. Meriem Sakrouhi | Short & Women

Our biggest conflict is the one we create within ourselves. "Inner Selves" is a glimpse of one day in the life of Anna. By putting a mic into her inner voice, the conflicts she creates on her own take control over her actions. Besides Anna's voice, the overlapping inner voices coming from her neighbors and people she crosses paths with -each with their own accents- highlight the global dimension inner voices take.

Landlocked

1 hr 22 mins

Dir. Timothy Hall | Feature

A man reunites with his estranged, transgender father as they journey to scatter his late mother's ashes off the Georgia coast. "Landlocked" marks the feature film debut of transgender actress, Delia Kropp, in the lead role of Briana.

Home Video

15 mins

Dir. Cole Marvin | Student

Still living with her parents, Caroline takes the big step forward of living on her own. After constant reminders of her mother's disbelief and the new challenges on move-in day, Caroline starts doubting her ability to take on the new responsibilities.

Make Believe

13 mins

Dir. Kevin Myers | Short

After receiving a text alert to take shelter because missiles are inbound, a mother plays a game of make believe to hide the threat from her children.

My Dinner with Werner

18 mins

Dir. Maverick Moore | Short

Based on real events, real people, and real things they actually said, MY DINNER WITH WERNER is a wildly bizarre and wacky farce about a 1987 dinner date with a murder plot as the main dish.

Oh Clem

20 mins

Dir. Frannie Williams | Short

A timid housewife confronts her husband about the disappearance of her best friend.

One Stolen Moment

17 mins

Dir. Ben Friedman & Michael Runde | Short

On the weekend of March 13, 2020, four Loras College Athletics programs were ready to cap off what could have been the most successful year in school history. Four Loras seniors were prepared to end their collegiate careers as national champions. We will never know what might have happened.

Open House

11 mins

Dir. Mikeala McParlan | Short

An open house turns deadly when a real estate agent’s showing is disrupted by a killer.

Out at Night

17 mins

Dir. Christopher Hewitt | Short

On a cold night in the middle of nowhere stands Will, a drifter who has just used up his last favour. He’s nowhere to go but he starts to walk, telling himself life can’t be any more unfair when a passing car clips a puddle, soaking him. The car pulls over and the driver, Martin, on his way home from a late night in the office, offers him a lift seemingly out of guilt, before it turns into a desperate proposition: money and warmth for his brief company. Will doesn’t want to say yes but he can’t say no. The two find a quiet spot in the woods to park up... but something starts to go bump in the night before they do.

PATHFINDERS

19 mins

Dir. Matt O’Meara & Treven Fuger | Student

In the summer of 2014, four boys and their neighborhood crush go on an adventure around the city to find a treasure.

Ruth & Nick: A Confectionery Tale

6 mins

Dir. Carter Rostron | Student

This stop-motion animated short tells the bittersweet story of Nick, a piece of candy who falls in love with a girl who seems out of reach. This film was made by 15-year-old Carter Rostron of Kansas City, using cardboard, construction paper, and a bunch of candy.

She Had It Coming

9 mins

Dir. Gedde Watanabe | Short

Vivian Dean is dead. She was killed at a baby shower... Went down a flight of stairs. And now she is hellbent on finding out who did it.

Sister

13 mins

Dir. Janine Bujie Zhang | Student & Short

A pair of left-behind sisters welcome their parents who haven’t been home for two years. Sisters look forward to the reunion, but only to find awkwardness and estrangement. The naive and outgoing younger sister is excited for the gifts her parents have brought from the city, while the quiet and introverted elder sister becomes even more gloomy. Within only their parents' stay of four days, the family grows closer and comes to an unspoken understanding of affections to each other. Soon it’s time for the family to say farewell again. The reticent older sister finally chooses to evade the scene and confront her grief alone.

Sky Blossom: Diaries of the Next Greatest Generation

1 hr
27 mins

Dir. Richard Lui | Documentary

When viewers say they cried, they say it was because of the uplifting hope of the courage and beauty the students share with us. As young as eleven years old, they are taking care of parents and grandparents who are battling sickness. We call them Care Heroes. And there are five million of them in America.

Stuck in the Edit

11 mins

Dir. Phillip Snoxell | Student

After getting a surprise proposal from her girlfriend, Taylor, a soon-to-graduate film major, wants nothing more than to crawl into her work and hide from the rapidly changing world. Unfortunately, her senior film has the same idea and, after taking the form of a monster, reaches out from the computer screen and drags her into the video. Now trapped by her own project Taylor needs to escape an ever-changing landscape while trying to avoid the monster that she created.

Sunday To Sunday

6 mins

Dir. Alan Geiss | Student

Reluctant to visit Earth, an alien experiences what it means to be human.

Tapeball

1 hr 5 mins

Dir. Joe Nyquist | Documentary

A family in rural Minnesota transforms their expansive front yard into a magnificent ballpark for a game they created based on traditional American baseball. This is the story of how the game evolved and an exploration of the extraordinary moments and culture it has created. What would the world be like if sports were different? Tapeball has the answer.

The First Look

19 mins

Dir. Elizabeth Bode | Student

The First Look is a story about a wedding that goes wrong. SHOCKER! Problems never arise at weddings! In this story though, things go awry when the bride and groom suddenly disappear before the ceremony. Mrs. Bowman, the mother of the bride, is convinced that there is something fishy about their disappearance. The best man Miles, who arrives late, is recruited by a distraught Mrs. Bowman to go on an amateur manhunt throughout the city. Their journey is full of confusion, anticipation, and humor as they unravel the question of the bride and groom’s mysterious disappearance.

The Ravine

2 hrs

Dir. Keoni Waxman | Feature

Inspired by true events, The Ravine is about how a horrific act can happen without warning and tear a family apart. This is a story of faith, forgiveness, but most of all, the restoration of hope -- even from the most seemingly unredeemable among us. The lives of Carolyn and Mitch Bianci implode the morning they discover the brutal murder of their close friend Rachel Turner and her son Evan in a sleepy little town just outside New Orleans. A short while later, Danny Turner is found in his car at the bottom of a ravine, after having taken his own life. When the Biancis discover that their friend and seemingly loving father and husband committed this heinous crime against his own family, a terrible reality sinks in; the reason of why he did it may have gone to the grave.

thistle

1 hr 37 mins

Dir. Ryan Camp | Documentary

Trafficking, prostitution and addiction. The women of the Thistle Farms recovery community have experienced it all. But instead of being defined by their past trauma, this unlikely group of women, led by Becca Stevens, is showing the world that beauty can bloom from brokenness.

To Which We Belong

1 hr 29 mins

Dir. Pamela Tanner Boll & Lindsay Rochardson | Documentary

To Which We Belong is a documentary that highlights farmers and ranchers leaving behind conventional practices that are no longer profitable or sustainable. These unsung heroes are improving the health of our soil and sea to save their livelihoods — and our planet.

We Made a Friend Today

11 mins

Dir. Madison Chidester | Short & Iowa Made

Two siblings make a new friend at the park, but he has a strange request.

Wilt

10 mins

Dir. Wes Worthing | Iowa Made

A woman endures the stages of grief following a relationship breakup. Flowers in the room symbolically die as she wilts emotionally... but like some flowers, she'll learn to bloom again.

Zero Gravity

1 hr 14 mins

Dir. Thomas Verrette | Documentary

A diverse group of middle-school students go on the journey of a lifetime when they compete in a nationwide competition sponsored by MIT to code satellites aboard the International Space Station.