2015 San Diego International Kids' Film Festival  "SHORT Films "

A Most Annoying Ghost (4 Min.UK) Director(s): Ghost Sung Producer(s): Magnus Dennis, Ghost Sung Screenwriter(s): Ghost Sung Cast: Orla Marson, Jack Price, Jasmin Dennis Genre: Short/Suspense Synopsis: A girl claims that a ghost lives beneath her bed and she is not boasting. But dad tells her this stuff is only in her head…   A Rockaway Summer (40 Min. USA) Director(s): Peter J. Rowan Producer(s): Peter J. Rowan Screenwriter(s): Peter J. Rowan Cast: Michael Brand, Michael Esposito, Matthew Gallagher, Colin Keating Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: Set entirely in the ocean beach community of Rockaway, New York during the magical summer of 1967, Bobby Brennan wants no part of his father’s dream of college after high school. Instead, Bobby wants to open up a surf shop like Tom’s…   Alex & Sylvia (10 Min. USA) Director(s): Christian Lachel Producer(s): Bob Rogers, Philipp Edelmann Genre: Short/Animation/Romance Synopsis: When Sylvia, a successful scientist, must take over her grandmother's small-town bakery, she discovers that life sometimes has different plans for you.   All There Is (8 Min. Netherlands) Director(s): Jeroen Mourmans Producer(s): Guido Franken, Martijn Daamen Screenwriter(s): Jeroen Mourmans Cast: Guido Gerard, Martine Pinckaers Genre: Short/Family/Sci-Fi/Drama Synopsis: In a world that's completely destroyed, a father struggles not to give in to his ever growing desperation in front of his young daughter, while she on the other hand is running out of ways to make him stop worrying and show him there still is hope.   Bounce (11 Min.UK) Director(s): Rory Lowe, DC Barclay Producer(s): Rory Lowe Screenwriter(s): DC Barclay Cast: Mila Mei Lowe Genre: Short/Comedy Synopsis: This is a heart-warming tale of a 5-year-old girl’s trials and tribulations trying to attain her heart’s desire, the bounciest ball in the world ever! Of course the reality is never quite the same as her imagination.   D. Asian (10 Min.USA) Director(s): Sarah Smith Producer(s): Phillip Guttman; Sarah Smith Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: 4th grade is all about fitting in. For ten-year-old Daniel that means owning a latest in Hello Kitty fashion, liking the cutest boy in class, and convincing yourself if you are Asian when everyone else thinks your are white. Davis Desmond and sari Lennick ( a serious man) star in this short comedy that proves identity is all in the eye of the beholder.   Dancing with Nureyev (16 Min.USA) Director(s): Abraham Heister Producer(s): Abraham Heisler, Lisa le Lievre, William Spafford Screenwriter(s): Abraham Heisler Cast: Sasha de Sola, Viktor Kabaniaev, Davit Karapetyan, Bettina Devin, Shaya Ben-David Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: Guided and inspired by the tangible spirit of the legendary dancer Rudolf Nureyev, an impetuous young ballerina struggles to achieve her first professional breakthrough.   DAWG (15 Min. Canada) Director(s): Shelley Thompson Producer(s): Gay Hauser Screenwriter(s): Shelley Thompson Cast: Molly Thomason, Richard Donat Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: The film tells a bittersweet story of friendship, grief, and moving on. Tilley, an isolated young musician, must come to terms with love and loss when she moves from small-town to city life.   Defying the Odds (5 Min. USA) Director(s): Dominic Verrall Producer(s): Ethan Sobel Screenwriter(s): Lukas Werbelow Cast: Aaron Loy, Kristen Loy Genre: Short/Documentary Synopsis: Struck by the devastating news that Aaron Loy had lost both of his legs, these 6th grade boys set out to tell his historic story   Dwarf Giant (12 Min. Switzerland) Director(s): Fabienne Giezendanner Producer(s): Elisabeth Garbar Screenwriter(s): Fabienne Giezendanner Animation: Sunny Side Pictures Genre: Short/Animation/Fantasy Synopsis: According to tradition, Petite Neige, a young inuit, needs to capture a low flying bird in order to pass into the world of grown-ups. On the verge of catching it, she falls into a mysterious crevice belonging to the giant dwarf, an ogre with the power to change his size at will by sneezing.   EmBarked (5 Min.USA) Director(s): Mikel Mugica, Adele Hawkins, Soo Kyung Kang Producer(s): Mikel Mugica, Adele Hawkins, Soo Kyung Kang Cast: Daniel Cantor, Madison Faust, Soo Kyung Kang Genre: Short/Animation/Fantasy Synopsis: The film is about the journey of his tree house and his friend Jimmy. Everything changes when Jimmy is forced to move out and leave the Tree house behind.   Force-Full Imagination (4 Min.USA) Director(s): Jim Eimmerman Producer(s): James Eimmerman, Jenifer Eimmerman, Felipe Ruiz Ricagni Screenwriter(s): Jim Eimmerman Cast: Michelle Eimmerman, Hunter Fischer, Anna Herbert, Kurt Keller Genre: Short/Sci-Fi/Fantasy Synopsis: Michelle, an imaginative seven-year old, lies entangled in the schemes of her little brother while trying to save her toys and obey her mom!   Friends or Foes (36 Min.Taiwan) Director(s): Shaudi Wang Producer(s): Liming Huang Screenwriter(s): Shaudi Wang Cast: Li-Te Ku, Pin-Chien Su, Yu-Ting Cheng Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: This film is about Xiang-An Zhang, a sixth grader, who runs into a dilemma when making a new friend.   Frog (18 Min.USA) Director(s): Tyler Wallach Producer(s): Jonathan Bucari, Lenny Emery, Alex Kurze Screenwriter(s): Tyler Wallach Cast: Liam Foley, Clare Foley, Gabriel Rush, Cayce Kolodney Genre: Short/Family/Drama Synopsis: After school, Danny, an innocent 11 year old, retreats to his refuge, the frog pond. Frog is a story of innocence, cruelty and triumph that focuses on Danny’s quest to seek justice.   Gym Shorts (5 Min. USA) Director(s): Travis Newton Producer(s): Dawn Hall Screenwriter(s): Andrew Cox Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: After being bullied at school, a young boy struggles to pick on someone smaller than him.   Heer (13 Min.Canada) Director(s): Honey Singh Producer(s): Baljit Singh, Mona Singh Cast: Nimrat Kaur, Baljinder Singh Darapuri, Mamta Khanna, Nirbhay Singh, Jagdish R, Kamal Preet Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Mann Singh Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: A little girl copes with the loss of her mother through her relationship with a baby goat Hi (15 Min. Korea) Director(s): Ye-eun Son Producer(s): Soon-il Jung Screenwriter(s): Ye-eun Son Cast: Ye-eun Son, Bbum-Gi Hwang, Eun-a Choi Genre: Short/Animation/Romance Synopsis: This film tells a story of a prince, who meets and falls in love with Zerah, who worries about her children.   Imaginapped (14 Min.USA) Director(s): Stian Hafstad Producer(s): Layla Ji Screenwriter(s): Stian Hafstad Cast: Oona Laurence, Owen Judge, Jasper Newell Genre: Short/Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy Synopsis: When her imaginary friend is kidnapped, Olivia, an 8-years-old, has to go on an epic quest to get him back.   Iron Egg (13 Min.Hungary) Director(s): Viktória Traub Producer(s): Marcell Déri Screenwriter(s): Dorka Gergel, Viktória Traub Genre: Short/Animation/Fantasy Synopsis: This is about the adventures of Benedek in the forest of the singing trees. With his new friend, the iron hen, and the aid of shiny fireflies they conquer the wicked monster of the swamp and find Grandpa’s lost rooster.   I've Just Had A Dream (8 Min.Spain) Director(s): Javi Navarro Producer(s): Javi Navarro Screenwriter(s): Javi Navarro, Pedro Herrero Cast: Andrea Mas, Estela Del Carmen Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: Irene is eight and she just woke up from a horrible dream.   Julia Julep (7 Min. Canada) Director(s): Alana Cymerman Producer(s): Michael Solomon Screenwriter(s): Alana Cymerman Cast: Emmanuel Schwartz Genre: Short/Fantasy/Family Synopsis: On a stop home from her mother's funeral, 6 year old Julia disappears into Dr. Julep's, a giant orange snack bar rumored to contain a magic potion.   Kitchen Brigade (3 Min. Mexico) Director(s): Javier Arcelus Cano Producer(s): Mariana López Rubio Screenwriter(s): Rodrigo Fajardo Vázquez Cast: Diana Mercado Armenta Genre: Short/Comedy/Music Synopsis: A housewife will find how difficult it can be to prepare stuffed chicken.   Krusing America (23 Min.USA) Director(s): Linda Kruse Producer(s): Linda Kruse Screenwriter(s): Linda Kruse Cast: Victor Krus, Lori Krus, AnnaMarie Krus, Anthony Krus Genre: Short/Documentary/Family/TV Episode Synopsis:This is the pilot episode of Krusing America, a 6 part docu-series that chronicles the travel adventures of the Krus family as they search for Home, Sweet Home. It's the oldest story known to man - coming home, but with a twist.   Lady Luck (19 Min.UK) Director(s): Jo Lewis Producer(s): Jo Lewis, Victoria Bavister, Krissi Mcilquham Screenwriter(s): Jo Lewis, Fay Garrett Cast: Adam Thomas Wright, Abigail Titmuss, Richard Strange, Tav MacDougall Genre: Short/Fantasy Synopsis: Based on a short story by DH Lawrence 'The Rocking Horse Winner', this film tells the story of a young boy attempts to win back his mother's love.   Little Maud (9 Min. Singapore) Director(s): Petrina Anne De Souza Producer(s): Denis Zhou Screenwriter(s): Petrina Anne De Souza Cast: Marc Goldberg, Heloise Goldberg, Mary-Frances Doherty, Freya Scerri Diacono Genre: Short/Drama/Fantasy/Family Synopsis: A glimpse into the mind of a father, who fears that the close relationship he shares with his daughter, will slowly grow distant as she grows older.   Little Things (15 Min. Brazil) Director(s): Luciana Mazeto, Vinicius Lopes Producer(s): Leandro Engelke, Eduardo Dall'Agnol Screenwriter(s): Luciana Mazeto, Vinicius Lopes Genre: Short/Fantasy Synopsis: On an evening, Bianca is at home alone. She dives into a world of fantasy.   Mo's Bows (7 Min.USA) Director(s): Jennifer Treuting, Kristen McGregor Producer(s): Jennifer Treuting, Kristen McGregor Cast: Moziah Bridges Genre: Short/Documentary Synopsis: Most sixth-graders count their accomplishments in terms of trophies and medals, but not Moziah Bridges: he tracks his achievements by the number of bow ties he has sold to local Memphis vendors. Meet Mo in the early stages of developing his company, Mo’s Bows!   No Kids Allowed (3 Min. USA) Director(s): Lillianna Craighead Producer(s): University of Saint Francis School of Creative Arts Animator(s): Sean Davis, Melissa Thomas, Christian Johnson Genre: Short/Animation/Comedy Synopsis: An alien father and son both learn the lesson of responsibility after chaos ensues when the alien father brings his son to work at a very dangerous science lab in space.   Once Upon A Sign (24 Min.USA) Director(s): Norland Tellez, CT Jones Screenwriter(s): Norland Tellez, CT Jones Cast: Alice Cogswell, Ivana Genievsky, CJ Jones, Antoinette Abbamonte Genre: Short/Fantasy Synopsis: Young Alice Cogswell wants to enter the talent show but she's unsure of herself. After an audition that doesn't go her way, she gets some magic help. But will this magic help get her to the talent show and help her ASL poetry sparkle?   Porcelain (10 Min.USA) Director(s): Samantha Smith Producer(s): Ryan Spacone Screenwriter(s): Samantha Smith Cast: Jacqueline Scislowski Genre: Short/Fantasy/Drama Synopsis: Porcelain, set in the year 1910, follows a little girl, Isabella as she is forced to deal with the fatal illness of her mother. One night, after receiving a very special gift, Isabella falls into a deep sleep and finds herself stuck in a dream world that warns her of an imminent tragedy   Stealth (22 Min.USA) Director(s): Bennett Lasseter Producer(s): Melissa Hoppe Screenwriter(s): Melissa Hoppe Cast: Bill Watterson, Tate Hanyok, Keely Aloña, Dominic Conti, Liana Arauz, Kristina Hernandez, Asia Aragon, Max Weideman Genre: Short/Family/Drama Synopsis: STEALTH tells the heartwarming story of one brave 11-year-old who dares to live life as her WHOLE self. Sammy is a transgender child. She was born a boy but is living in stealth, as a girl, with the support of her mother and a doctor…     Sweet Key of Happiness (28 Min.China) Director(s): Zhonghua Zhang Producer(s): Dong Ma, Youlan Zhou Screenwriter(s): Zhonghua Zhang Cast: Hanyue Liu, Wei Wei, Hao Feng, Meng Bai, Dong Ma, Yaqin Wang Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: The film sets in a school which is conducting an educational experiment. Fan, the young gatekeeper working at the school, finds the key of happiness in his career with the help from a little girl.   Take A Chance (8 Min.USA) Director(s): Zulema Nall Producer(s): Andy Valadez Screenwriter(s): Zulema Nall Cast: Rebekah Poret, Rachel Nall, Avery Clynes, Mackenzie Clynes, Taylor Snyder, Zulema Nall Genre: Short/Family/Drama Synopsis: This is the story about a girl who finds herself scare trying to find friends in a new town. She is scared to be bullied once more. Bullying is a serious matter.   The Dirdy Birdy Redux (9 Min.USA) Director(s): John R. Dilworth Producer(s): John R. Dilworth Screenwriter(s): John R. Dilworth Genre: Short/Animation/Comedy Synopsis: The Dirdy Birdy Redux is a story about a dysfunctional relationship between a cat and a bird   The Fly (8 Min.Italy) Director(s): Marco Di Gerlando Producer(s): Ass. ZuccherArte Screenwriter(s): Nicola Lucchi Cast: Carlotta Ligalupo, Ludovica Gibelli, Giulia Cadenelli Genre: Short/Comedy/Fantasy Synopsis: Carlotta and her class have been assigned the task to draw animals starting with the M. While the rest of the kids have no problem drawing them, Carlotta is experiencing an artistic block. Finally, when she gets the idea of the animal she is going to draw…   The Futuristic Caveman (7 Min. USA) Director(s): Joey Vejar Producer(s): Zain Ashraf Screenwriter(s): Jai Arcot, Alex Zhang Cast: Joey Vejar, Zain Ashraf, Jai Arcot, Alex Zhang Genre: Short/Education Synopsis: These students researched the topic of how technology has directly affected their learning. They learned that all inventors have initial failures in development, which eventually lead to their future successes.   The Importance of Lios (8 Min.USA) Director(s): Danielle Edwards, Dominique Edwards Synopsis:The Importance of Lios is the story of a young earthworm named Lios who longs to know his place in the world. Lios feels unimportant, forgotten about in the soil, while larger animals like dogs and horses star in movies above ground…   The Lollipop Thief (6 Min.USA) Director(s): Bruna Matsin Screenwriter(s): Bruna Matsin Cast: Victoire Raynaud, Celeste Raynaud, Rob Roy Cesar, Richard Pagano Genre: Short/Family/Fantasy Synopsis: When a town of joyful kids gets disturbed by a surreal-looking candy thief, a team of determined twin sisters decides to creatively pull forces with friends to stop him for good.   The Neighborly Crocodile (4 Min.USA) Director(s): Cameron Butler Animator(s): Cameron Butler, Charles D'Avignon, Kelly Ann Larkin, Kaleu Stefano, Lindley Taylor, Cait Pratt, Zach Rabon, Alejandro Siegert, Marissa Troy, Addison Abene Genre: Short/Animation/Fantasy Synopsis: This is a story of a crocodile who just wants to be the best neighbor ever.   The Purest Eyes (22 Min.China) Director(s): Weiji Miao Producer(s): Weiji Miao, Hongsheng Zhan Screenwriter(s): Hui Zhou Cast: Pingying Lv, Jianming Yang, Wei Zheng, Delong Wang Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: Tingting is impressed by a pair of a boy’s pure eyes in one photography work named “The Purest Eyes”. She decides to come to the elementary school where the boy studies at as a teacher. But she finds that the boy has dropped out of the school because of his “sick” dad…   The Return Machine (5 Min.USA) Director(s): James Thursday Producer(s): James Thursday, Cody Hawkinson Screenwriter(s): Cody Hawkinson Cast: Chloe Allen Genre: Short/Fantasy Synopsis: A young girl builds a special machine that she hopes will bring back possessions she has lost.   The StarCraft Boy (16 Min.Taiwan) Director(s): Han-Te Wang Producer(s): Chih-Yu Wu Screenwriter(s): Jing- Fei Chang Genre: Short/Documentary Synopsis: Dropping out of school at 15 to become a competitive gamer, AK is a common name in the winner circle. He gets a monthly salary to support his family. However, he will face with no money for school and no skills to find a job after he retires at 25 at the latest…   The Story of Billy Bob Joe (7 Min. USA) Director(s): Heather Hultgren, Joanne McCamy Producer(s): Mrs. McCamy’s 2nd grade class Screenwriter(s): Mrs. McCamy’s 2nd grade class Animator(s): Mrs. McCamy’s 2nd grade class Genre: Short/Animation Synopsis: Students hatched eggs in the classroom, and the 2nd grade students decided to tell the story through the “eyes” of one of the chicks.   The Storyteller (8 Min.UK) Director(s): Eleonora Quario Producer(s): Eleonora Quario, Middlesex University Screenwriter(s): Eleonora Quario Cast: Heidi Tabing, David Benson, Katy Manning, Olive Hodgson, Taciana Bidi Genre: Short/Animation/Fantasy/Drama Synopsis: One day, in a town where books have been banned for years and stories have been forgotten, someone new arrives. She’s a girl with magical hair, and she will have to confront with a society that doesn’t accept her   The Treehouse (17 Min. UK) Director(s): Amy Coop Producer(s): Amy Coop, Benedict Turnbull Screenwriter(s): Amy Coop Cast: Cameron King, Mabel Watson, Dawn Steele, Anthony Green Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: In the shadow of a family funeral a young boy retreats to the treehouse he built with his father and shuts himself in and the rest of the world out. Whilst there he is befriended by an enigmatic young girl from next door who helps him to come to terms with his loss and face up to the future.   The Wanderer (11 Min. Argentina) Director(s): Emmanuel Moscoso Producer(s): CHULO Productora audiovisual, Mariel Vitori Screenwriter(s): Emmanuel Moscoso Genre: Short/Drama/Family Synopsis: Nacho and Andrea are inseparable friends and always go pedaling their bicycles. Due to economic problems, Nacho's mom decides to sell his bike. Andrea does her best to get her friend deep sadness that caused the loss of his bike   Ticketed (16 Min.USA) Director(s): Shantal Freedman Producer(s): Gleb Kiselov Screenwriter(s): Andrew Freedman Cast: Sharni Vinson, Frank Birney, Mandell Fraizer, Patrick Cohen, Kila Packett, Dave Wilder, Ernie Charles, Phil Biedron Genre: Short/Comedy/Western Synopsis: Jackie, a small-town beat cop, longs for a life of action and excitement. When an old man, a stolen lotto ticket, and a group of thieves finally provide the opportunity, she questions just what it is she wants   Umbrella Girl 3 Min. (USA) Director(s): Monika Norcross-Cerminara Screenwriter(s): Monika Norcross-Cerminara Animator(s): Monika Norcross-Cerminara Genre: Short/Animation/Adventure/Fantasy Synopsis: Living in the middle of nowhere is not ideal. That does not matter to Ella, especially on rainy days. All she has to do is to wait for the rain to stop, and then it’s time to play.   We (5 Min. China) Director(s): Jiazhen Zhang Producer(s): Jiazhen Zhang Screenwriter(s): Jiazhen Zhang Animator(s): Qinghui Chang Cast: Students of Zang nationality from Wuyi Class Genre: Short/Education/Drama Synopsis: The films tells a story of a group of orphans who came from the rural areas in Zang’s district. After getting through the disaster, these kids gradually become strong and independent with the help from people who care for them.   Wussywat the Clumsy Cat – Tweet (5 Min.UK) Director(s): Tom Edgar Producer(s): Simon Quinn Screenwriter(s): Simon Rolph Cast: Morwennna Banks, Liza Tarbuck, Rasmus Hardicker, Marc Wooten Genre: Short/Animation Synopsis: Wussywat wants to know how to whistle so he can copy Ird's tweeting. He's not doing so well, until he recruits the help of Duckadile, a pinwheel and some new birdy friends!   You See Me Coming (5 Min.USA) Director(s): Sevde Coban Producer(s): Lauren Rose Screenwriter(s): Emily Liang Cast: Sevde Coban, Lauren Rose, Emily Liang, Natalie Baumbach, Sarah Lesmeister, Kristen Wojciechowski Genre: Short/Drama Synopsis: The six girls team demonstrated how important it is to recognize and communicate respect for diversity.

@2015 San Deigo International Kids' Film Festival