HAPPY HERE AND NOW
Michael Almereyda
Festival Judge Michael Almereyda’s foray into science fiction is an experimental and challenging pastiche of ideas and themes, from connection and loss to the power of the mind over the power of actions. Set in an unspecified future (or possibly an alternate vision of the present), the story involves a young woman who arrives in New Orleans looking for her missing sister. As she investigates, she is drawn into the underground of the city and develops a composite character for herself in cyberspace in an attempt to find anyone who can offer a clue to her sister’s whereabouts. When she discovers that her sister's last communication was with a man in Spain obsessed with Nikola Tesla, the film departs from a traditional narrative onto a surreal, philosophical plane. (89 mins.)
DIRECTOR IN ATTENDANCE

(gone) one moment to the next
Morgan Hobart Portland, OR
The natural world collides with white noise stereo modulations in this eerie, enigmatic experiment. “Things are coming to a head.” (7 mins.)

JUDGE'S AWARD
"An invocation of transience, with the mundane and the momentous meeting on common ground via glimpses of phone wires, clouded skies, a cat in a window, a half-dressed couple on a couch--and other mysteries."—M.A.

HAVE YOU SEEN ME?
William Weiss Seattle, WA
A drive down the street becomes a exercise in futility in this tongue-in-cheek short. (6 mins.)

JUDGE'S AWARD
"A tour de force display of lost and found images colliding with unexpectedly perfect sounds. From what I can tell, an examination of experience that’s elusive, inexplicable, and practically un-seeable. "—M.A.

PORTRAIT #1: CASCADIA TERMINAL
Vanessa Renwick Portland, OR
A mesmerizing stare at the most efficient grain terminal in the port of Vancouver, British Columbia. (6 mins.)

JUDGE'S AWARD
"Scoured, flaring, sepia-toned images of ruined waterfront buildings. Accompanied by dense rich sound design, this 'portrait”'of an abandoned place is at once soothing and transfixing. "—M.A.

ACADEMY STRIPPER
Rick Raxlen Victoria, BC
Raxlen applies his signature animation style to found images, reminiscent of a short "nudie loop." (2 mins.)

COMMERCIAL
Michael Cross Seattle, WA
It’s not uncommon to feel like advertising is permeating every aspect of our lives, but for Jake, his uneasy feeling is caused by more than mere “ad creep”. (10 mins.)

TSUKIJI 5 AM
Brian Libby Portland, OR
A unique view into the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, the largest fish market in the world. (8 mins.)

THE PETALERS
Jim Knox Vancouver, BC
A laid-back musician, content in his West Coast exploration of Eastern influences, struggles with the choice to follow his child (and exwife) to Toronto. Their last bike rides through the springtime blossoms evoke doubt and uncertainty in Lang, sabotaging his efforts to teach young Tara to be in the ‘now’ of now. (16 mins.)

DIRTY BABY SAYS HELLO
William Weiss Seattle, WA
Weiss’ film recalls the Kodachrome visions of seventies-era public television childrens programming, as re-imagined by a stoned older sibling. (8 mins.)

INSECTS, ART AND I
Miles Sprietsma Portland, OR
An artist uses dead insects, broken glass, and his own body to create unique works of art that blend photography, sculpture, and painting. Sprietsma has created a film as densely layered as his subject's artwork. (6 mins.)

HELLO
John Helde Seattle, WA
Bolstered by advice from a self-help book, Max finally gets the nerve to talk to Rory, the woman he sees on the ferry every day. (19 mins.)

HELLO, THANKS
Andrew Blubaugh Portland, OR
Weaving off the cuff commentary and interviews with re-enactments and text, this short film recounts the director's year in the personal ads, looking for romance but having his true love affair with the words themselves. (8 mins.)

HONORABLE MENTION
". . .for an uncomfortably honest and unique description of the perils of narcissism." —M.A.

CENTURY PLAZA
Eric Lahey Portland, OR
While shooting a feature film based on his father’s drug addiction, Eric Lahey became interested in SRO (single room occupancy) hotels and the transient residents who inhabit them. During his seven-month stay at the Century Plaza Hotel, Lahey came to know its residents, capturing the true experience of his subjects’ lives. (79 mins.)

WITH
INCONVENIENCE
Todd Korgan Portland, OR
A convenience store clerk finds a way to make the most of his shift. In a fit of goodwill, boredom or perhaps possessing some other motive, he decides to hold an impromptu storewide buy-one-get-onefree sale, but fails to prepare for other people’s greed. (10 mins.)