2003 RED BANK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
October 3rd–5th

Saturday, October 4th:
Film Crawl
Location A: Phoenix Theatre
Location B: Synapse Studios

Program 6 - Phoenix Theatre

Mai's America Three tales about chasing the American Dream.

I Work And I Have Fun  – (Jersey Fresh) USA 13min Haese Maggie A short documentary about local actor Todd Aikens and the adventures he faces as he plies his trade.

Vivian's Beauty Shop USA 5min Laura Kissel In many small towns in the South there is no city hall – but there is always a beauty parlor.

Mai's America USA 72min Marlo Poras A spunky, mini-skirted daughter of Ho Chi Minh's revolution leaves cosmopolitan Hanoi on a high school exchange program. Anticipating Hollywood, Mai crash-lands in rural Mississippi, where her relationships with white Pentecostal and black Baptist host-families, self-proclaimed rednecks, transvestites, and South Vietnamese immigrants challenge her long-held ideas about herself, about freedom, about America and even about Vietnam.

Program 7 - Synapse Studios

The Odds of Recovery – (Mature) An intimate look at the complexities of life and living it to the fullest potential.

The Moment After USA 14min Gerald McCullouch Gerald McCullough (of C.S.I. fame) brings us this story of a poignant longing for what could have been. In The Moment After, Tracey marks his birthday by making a terrifying choice from which there's no turning back.

Kiki and Herb's Total Eclipse Of The Heart USA 8min Victoria Leacock From Kiki and Herb, one of NYC's most famous drag acts, comes this surprisingly powerful rendition of Total Eclipse Of The Heart.

Bar Talk USA 8min Cheryl Furjanic What are women really saying when they lock eyes across a crowded bar? Find out why some women are too cool for words. (In Lesbian with English subtitles).

The Odds Of Recovery USA 65min Su Friedrich A film about six surgeries, one bad hormone problem, a fifteen-year relationship, and the onset of middle age. Acclaimed filmmaker Su Friedrich documents her personal journey through a multitude of often unexplained illnesses and the problems she faces while encountering the medical establishment. Both touching and funny, this intimate portrait records the temporal pleasure of life, middle age and fears of death.

Program 8 - Pheonix Theatre

Daddy & Papa Despite the popularity of shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, there are still many challenges to gay life in the U.S.

Beauteous USA 24min Giovanna Chesler A Long Island beauty queen humorously realizes that she is more that just a pretty face. In the days leading up to her senior prom, where she has been nominated for prom queen, Donatella begins to explore her sexuality and intellect.

Clay Pride: Being Clay In America USA 4 min David Karlsberg It's tough being malleable.

Daddy & Papa USA 57min Johnny Symons An exploration of the growing phenomenon of gay fatherhood and its impact on American culture. Through the stories of four different families, including the filmmakerŐs own, Daddy & Papa delves into the particular challenges facing gay men who decide to become dads. From surrogacy and interracial adoption to the complexities of gay divorce to the battle for ful legal status as parents, the film presents a revealing look at some of the gay fathers who are breaking new ground in the ever-changing landscape of the American family.

Program 9 - Synapse Studios

Man Versus Himself A host of short subjects all relating to subconscious desires and conflicts, both comic and tragic.

The Longest Day IRELAND 15min David Hegarty When alcohol poisoning and a desperate over-reaction lead to extremes, a summer camping trip turns to tragedy for three young couples.

Vial USA 8min Hope Thompson Set in an old mansion and using a cast of suspicious characters and corpses, Vial explores what happens when two people find themselves trapped in a closet.

Tom Hits His Head USA 10min David Putnam This visceral look at one man's struggle to keep his sanity, avoid a Prozac solution, and survive a post 9-11 world should ring true with anyone who has ever uttered those painful words: "What's wrong with me?"

The Freeman GERMANY 4min Slyvie Boisseau and Frank Westermeyer Life consists of decisions.

Black Demon II GERMANY 17min Jorg Hebgen A filmmaker with his film Black Demon travels to a horror festival through nightly Transsylvania. At the deserted festival a special presentation is awaiting him - and us...

ELEVATOR USA 2min Yorico Murakami A ride in an elevator with an invisible button that leads you into a journey through your subconscious.

The Grand Pianist – (Jersey Fresh) USA 15min Ryan Cooke From Ryan Cooke, RBIFF's Jersey Fresh Award winner in 2002, comes The Grand Pianist. A man with nothing left gets a job and finds there is more to lose.

Program 10 - Pheonix Theatre

XxXy Women and Men engage in the age-old struggle to comprehend the mysteries of the opposite sex.

2 Player Game  – (Jersey Fresh) USA 3min Steig Retlin An pixelated ode to young love.

Water From The Moon USA 9min Jenny McCracken The story of a lonely washerwoman who discovers a winged man in her closet.

Fast Film Austria 14min Virgil Widrich A kiss, a happy couple. But then the woman is kidnapped, and the man sets off to save her. The fast and furious story unfolds on the surfaces of paper objects in this tour de force through film history.

Yoake, A Chewing Gum Story AUSTRIA 14min Roland Zumbuhl A meditation on human perception. More precisely, it deals with the limitations of what human perception can convey. And so, the meeting of a man and woman around which it centers remains soley a fleeting element.

Faithful USA/POLAND 15min Marzena Grzegorczyk A mysterious letter implicates a successful politician in a lengthy extramarital affair and sparks a conflict among three women: his wife, her sister, and his alleged lover.

Overmodulated Marriage  – (Jersey Fresh) USA 15min Matthew Silver A comic perspective on that most initimate of human relationships.

Program 11 - Synapse Studios

Ground Zero A celebration of human persistance in the face of disaster, specifically relating to the tragedy of 9-11, featuring artwork by Carter Farmer and John Kochansky.

Something To Remember Us – (Jersey Fresh) USA 26min Brian Hemstreet A North Carolina woman turns her dream of a 9-11 remembrance flag into reality in order to help the families of vicitims cope.

Afghanistan: From Ground Zero To Ground Zero USA/AFGHANISTAN 52min Masuda Sultan The story of Masuda Sultan, a 23-year-old Afghan-American woman who travels back to Kandahar, Afghanistan, to see what has become of her country after the fall of the Taliban.

Program 12 - Pheonix Theatre

Plympton's Picks – (Mature) A wild segment full of animated madness and beauty, hand picked by legendary animator and Artist-in-Residence, Bill Plympton.

Sub! USA 9min Jesse Schmal Eye Spy USA 4min Biljana Labovic Delivery USA 8min Patrick Smith Roof Sex USA 4min Pes  Life USA 6min Mo Willems Mood Motions USA 6min Jack Tibo Bathtime In Clerkenwell USA 3min Alex Budovsky

MMMM – (Jersey Fresh) USA 2min Steig Retlin

Woman USA 10min Signe Baumane

Program 13 - Synapse Studio

The Silence Of Green

The Silence Of Green UK/Austria 48min Andreas Horvath A refined and eerily beautiful portrait of a mourning countryside during the recent foot-and-mouth epidemic. The Silence Of Green documents when, early in the year 2001, northern Yorkshire was struck by foot-and-mouth disease. The army was called in to seal off the contamination area, and the destruction of nearly four million animals quietly went ahead, ruining the lives of local farmers and sparking a host of political conspiracy theories.

Program 14 - Pheonix Theatre

The Gloaming Six films in dialogue with the global malaise. 'Your alarm bells should be ringing...'

Jeff Farnsworth USA 15min Paul Kotter A young, idealistic recent college graduate must choose between societal expectations and his dream of becoming a bouncer.

Lurch GERMANY 20min Boris Hars-Tschachotin A sad and lonely man finds his niche among the preserved.

The Freak USA 6min Aristo Menis Tsirbas He's happy. He's different. He's in BIG trouble...

Schenglet® SWITZERLAND 7min Laurent Negre A witty short about the abuses of people-tracking.

Night Cap – (Jersey Fresh) USA 15min Brandon Kahn A disturbing look at the future, more frightening than 1984, and more possible than MINORITY REPORT.

State Of The Union USA 2min Bryan Boyce George Dubya enjoys the Great Outdoors...

Program 15 - Synapse Studios

La Bossa Lona Three fun films about personal expression.

Dada BRAZIL 20min Eduardo Vaisman Three young Brazilian actors fight to pursue their passion in this mix of reality and fiction.

Haircut USA 15min Matt Donnelly A comedy about a young man's seach for individuality in a world of mullets and air guitar.

Thoth USA 40min Sarah Kernochan A short documentary about one of New York City's most beloved and original street performers. The films captures the essence of Thoth, whose striking individuality shines through his art.

Friday, October 3rd            Saturday, October 4th            Sunday, October 5th