Beverly Hills Shorts Festival

Films from the 2008 Beverly Hills Shorts Festival

Ablution (21m) - Drama

Directed by Dan Searle
Starring Alberto Zeni & Lynn Cohen
Ibrahim comes to Buenos Aires on a mission of death, destruction
and martyrdom. But when he falls under the spell of a Jewish
shopkeeper and her family, he begins to question the hatred and
revenge he harbors in his heart.

Adam & Evelyn (24m) - Comedy

Directed by Tom Metz III
Starring Chris Krueger, Mandy Kaplan, Netta Most, & Todd W. Russell
It's a case of mistaken identity when two couples meet for blind dates.
Adam and Evelyn's search for their perfect match is interrupted when
they get swept into the path of another couple's musical destiny. Will
these two star-crossed lovers find each other?

Armed for the Challenge (21m) - Doc

Directed by Patricia Thio
“One-arm”Willie Stewart is set to defy his physical limits, while training
for the physically challenged triathlon USA championships. Determined
to help others with disabilities as director of the PossAbilities outreach
program, this world-class athlete demonstrates that anything is possible.

Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art (15m) - Doc
Directed by Jim Ruxin
This film documents the introduction of the Polish-Jewish World War II
political artist Arthur Szyk (1894-1951) to a group of students and
teachers at Mercer Island High School in Seattle, Washington. Irvin
Ungar, curator of The Arthur Szyk Society, encourages the students to
share their reaction to work that is as vivid, profound, and worthy of
discussion today as it was over 60 years ago.

Backgrounded (16m) - Comedy

Directed by Matt Jackson
Starring Tom Walz, Matt Wahlquist, Dominick Marrone, Bill Elverman, &
Andy Kallok
A group of background extras get kidnapped by terrorists...and none of
them notice.

The Beginning (8m) - Comedy

Directed by Christina Parisi
Starring Sara Tracy
Why do you do what you do?
After twenty-eight year old Elizabeth asks herself this question, her new
found philosophy is put to the test when she has dinner with her parents.

Bling (6m) – Cops, Robbers, & Spies

Directed by Bobby White
Starring Sierra Fisk & DC Douglas
Yvonne makes her husband buy her an expensive ring. She then gives
the ring back to the jeweler and has her boyfriend come in to buy the
same ring. She plans to split the money from the second purchase with
the jeweler… or does she?

Blue Suede Wings (17m) - Comedy

Directed by Marian Yeager
Starring Breuer Bass & Zach Hopkins
What would happen if you woke up to find the tooth fairy in your room?
See what happens when 8 year old Lewis catches the thief of teeth, the
tooth fairy . . .Except it's not exactly what he’s expecting.

Buddy System (8m) - Comedy

Directed by J.P. Pierce
Starring J.P. Pierce & Michael Chandler
A story about camaraderie, honor and the big pitch. Two screenwriters
discover just how treacherous Hollywood can be.

The Butcher (8m) - Horror

Directed by Joseph Garcia
A young woman must escape the clutches of an evil maniac before she becomes the next victim of the butcher.

Chicken Punch (16m) - Comedy

Directed by Sascha Mayr
Starring Rob Crawford & Sasha Mayr
'Chicken Punch' is an epic struggle between a deal stealing boss, and
a fed up employee. Revenge spurns on a cockeyed blackmail plot that
ensures everyone will get a beating in this short comedy.

Children of Scum: A Retrospective (13m) - Comedy

Directed by Danny Grossman
Starring Allegra Hollenbeck, Danny Grossman, & Greg Kaczynski
A look back at one of the classic films of our time, CHILDREN OF SCUM.

Crazy Love (5m) - Comedy

Directed by William Van Cuyck
Starring Robert Ashe Jr., Brianne Van Cuyck, & Troy Patterson
Charlie believes in love at first sight. From the moment his eyes fixed
on Brenda, he knew she had to be his girl. Now, Charlie must overcome
all obstacles on his way to winning Brenda’s heart. Crazy Love is a
disturbingly wicked spin on the traditional thriller meets romantic comedy.

CU@ED'S (13m) - Comedy

Directed by Casey Stangl
Starring Rhea Seehorn & Will McCormack
Tina and Tadd met online...are they ready for the face-to-face?

A Day's Work (17m) - Thriller

Directed by Rajeev Dassani
Starring Carter Jenkins, Eddie Martinez, Hugo Garcia, Jack Brand,
Leigh Hill, & Luis Chavez
What was a simple job escalates into a violent misunderstanding in
this heart-stopping drama involving an American family and the
three immigrant laborers hired to help them move. Shot without
rehearsals and entirely improvised, the film gives us a raw look at
the realities of the struggle to just do a day's work.

A Detective Story (20m) – Cops, Robbers, & Spies

Directed by Trevor White
Starring Marty Lodge
After years of failed auditions, hard-boiled LAPD detective Samuel
Arch has seriously begun to question his dream of becoming a movie
star. These feelings are only compounded when his best friend and
partner Howard Brenneman is murdered and his own life is threatened.

The Don of Virgil Jr. High (20m) - Comedy

Directed by Deon Hayman
Starring Jilani Ghafur

A nerdy Jr. High School student finds fame and popularity when
hustling banned sodas and snacks at school.

Dreamtime (23m) - Drama

Directed by Kathryn Farren
Starring Kathryn Farren & Ryan James
In the middle of the night, 22 year old Celeste is startled to witness
her stepbrother Gary's sudden return home after a six month
estrangement from his family. While he claims to have come home
for her uncle's funeral, what is left unspoken about their past begins
to jeopardize the true reason for his return.

Expendable (18m) – Cops, Robbers, & Spies

Directed by David Malki
Starring Andrew Giordano & Marc Bossley
A day in the life of the anonymous henchmen to a James Bond-style
supervillain. The World's Fifth-Largest Evil Organization has a great health plan.

The Fence (13m) - Drama

Directed by Allan Steele
Starring Rick Pasqualone & Sonny Marinelli
Joe and Jim are suburban next door neighbors with a fence, a
vegetable garden, and a load of secrets between them.

Festival Experience (2m) - Comedy

Directed by Elizabeth Pasieczny
Starring Elizabeth Pasieczny
A young film maker experiences the reality of the film festival circuit.

Forced Attrition (10m) - Thriller

Directed by Alex Ott
Starring Annika Marks, Cameron Daddo, & Paul Kapellas
A psychological thriller about a young couple brutalized by a stranger...

Gator Armstrong Plays With Dolls (12m) - Comedy

Directed by Krisy Gosney
Starring Cameron Palatas, Devon Wallace, Drew Chaffee,
Lauren Fleischmann, Max Knight, & Nicholas Varga
When a boys-only clubhouse holds an election for clubhouse president, one boy is willing to do anything to steal, I mean WIN, the election. 'Gator Armstrong Plays With Dolls' is a satire of modern American politics playfully portrayed like an Our Gang/Little Rascal's short film.

The Good Samaritan (14m) - Comedy

Directed by Peter Lazarus
Starring Isaac Wade
The strange journey of Neil Gulbert - a campaign volunteer who
compulsively attempts to rescue strangers from harm while making
his way across town to secure the potential campaign job of his dreams.

Harold and Burns (13m) - Comedy

Directed by Colin Theys
Starring Joe Newman & Shawn Diefenbach
When Harold is asked to babysit his aunt Gwen and uncle Garth’s
pampered pet rabbit, things quickly get out of hand and soon he’s
dealing with one “big bunny” problem.

Hole in the Paper Sky (34m) - Drama

Directed by Bill Purple
Starring Jason Clarke & Jessica Biel
A brilliant, misanthropic math genius is inexplicably drawn into a
friendship with a doomed laboratory dog.

In Times of War: Ray Parker's Story (29m) - Doc

Directed by Mark Bonn & Christine Bonn
One man's incredible WW II journey, told in his own words: the bomber
flights, his capture and imprisonment, writing the secret underground
newspaper for the prison camp of over 9,000 men, and finally, freedom
for himself, and the world.

I Saved The World From Global Warming! (18m) - Comedy

Directed by Nolan Wang, Kyle Dickinson
Starring David Nett, Duane Daniels, Karen Corona, &
William Knight
Kiefer Donovan saved the world from Global Warming. The only
problem was...no one really cared. Now, 10 years later, he's trying to
deal with his past while getting fired from his teaching position,
facing his scientific nemesis, and confronting his own animated psyche!

Just a Slice (11m) - Comedy

Directed by Tim Tommasino
Starring Dailyn Matthews, Adam Barr, & Scott Halberstadt
Ashley Curtis anxiously awaits the arrival of her blind date, as an uninvited stranger appears instead, providing an interesting twist to her evening.

LA LA Land (26m) - Comedy

Directed by Jason Gajda
Starring Mike Caravella & Robert Rusler
What happens when a dim-witted New York Italian guy moves to
Hollywood seeking fame and fortune? It’s a million-to-one shot. If
only he could do the math.

Leo (12m) - Comedy

Directed by Joseph Reitman
Starring Joseph Reitman
Leo is a lion from Africa who comes to Los Angeles to become a
movie star. Leo learns that he may have been king of the jungle,
but in Hollywood he is just another guy looking for a gig.

Letters (11m) - Comedy

Directed by Andy Schwartz
Starring Becky Guiley, Lindsay Ravage, Matt Czornobil, &
Mike Dirksen
Four friends. Four personalities. Four motives. Four letters.

Light Years (15m) - Drama

Directed by Richard Martin
Starring Adriano Aragon, Becky Wu, Harold Cannon, Mark Berry,
Olivier Riquleme, Raheem Williams, Sandra Lafferty, & Sinsu Co
Four relationships spanning the four corners of the globe are put to
the ultimate test when they learn the world may end within the short
duration of time it takes light to travel from the sun to the Earth (8 minutes).

Mai Tai (17m) - Comedy

Directed by Damon Van Deusen
Starring Paul McCarthy-Boyington & Ward Roberts
Two guys looking for paradise in all the wrong places. Alex can't
wait to see his long-lost friend, Doug, who is getting married in
Hawaii. Jackson can't wait to see Doug either, although he's more
interested in seeing Hawaii.

Megan (14m) - Thriller

Directed by Ben Ketai
Starring Chris Stapleton, William Walton & Dani Joy Owen
A desperate ex-cop kidnaps the man he believes abducted his
missing daughter, forcing his reluctant wife into the situation.
Tensions rise and emotions flare as one man's quest for the truth
turns an ugly reality into a nightmare.

MERCENARY (11m) – Cops, Robbers, & Spies

Directed by Jason Markarian & John Mirabella
Starring Billy Lush, Kevin Daniels, & Nicki Aycox
Love drives people to do crazy things- things they would never
have imagined themselves capable of doing. One man, spurned by
his true love, will take extraordinary measures to ensure that she
will never again be with anyone else.

Orion Slave Girls Must Die!!! (26m) - Comedy

Directed by Eric Kallevig
Starring Matt Jones & Nicholas Downs
This is the voyage of Jules and Matt, best friends whose lives are
devoted to Star Trek…and devoid of girls. When Matt falls for Stacey,
an alluring sorority girl, he ashamedly hides his love of Trek to join a
fraternity. Outraged, Jules must take drastic measures to bring Matt
back to the Trekkie fold…

Partially True Tales of High Adventure! (12m) - Comedy

Directed by Murphy Gilson
Starring Johnny Sneed & Shannon Elizabeth
Charlie is just a guy from Indiana trying to make it in Hollywood. To
keep his dream alive, he'll have to rely the gifts of every mid-western
kid: a love of booze and the ability to tell outrageously wild tall-tales.

Picture This (14m) - Horror

Directed by James Roddy
Starring Steffinnie Phrommany, Erica Jean, Mikka Dargel,
& Tim Molfino
A girl finds supernatural photos which tell the past, present and future.

The Procedure (15m) - Horror

Directed by Sergio Pinheiro
Starring Jon Monastero, Garrett Penwell, Sean Kinney &
Stephen Simon
Called in for a day gig, Pullman reports to Mr. Stetler, a veteran at this line of work. Arriving in the wake of a completed procedure, he is subject to bizarre sightings, characters with frayed mental tethers, and... the impending revelation of the procedure's true purpose.

The Professor's Daughter (17m) - Drama

Directed by Luke Pebler
Starring Brad Fisher, Jean St. James, Rachel Style, &
Wayne Roberts
A brilliant but awkward computer science professor creates an
intelligent program that develops a challenging personality. His
struggles with his computer 'child' force him to reconsider his
relationship with his flesh-and-blood daughter.

Psycho Hillbilly Cabin Massacre! (17m) - Horror

Directed by Robert Cosnahan
Starring Angela Schnaible, Cali Fredrichs, Charlie Capen, Hunter
Huston, & Patty McCormack
A bloodbath erupts when a group of Ivy League students discover
an isolated hillbilly cabin in the woods.

Reflections (16m) - Horror

Directed by Barry Caldwell
Starring Adrienne Wilkinson & Matt Long
Carol sees things in mirrors. Things that have happened before,
things that haven't happened yet.

The Relationship Theorem (19m) - Comedy

Directed by Lori Johnson
Starring Manon Carrie & Brad Dodds
A coming of age story about a girl trying to remove the emotions
from love through science.

Rogue 379 (14m) – Cops, Robbers, & Spies

Directed by Douglas Choi
Starring Todd Cahoon, Victor Bevine, & Charlene Amoia
When a CIA assassin is sold-out by his commander, and then
manipulated into committing a wrongful murder, he must overcome
the psychological paranoia and moral challenges of this
life-or-death ordeal.

Samaritan (11m) - Thriller

Directed by Piotr Uzarowicz
Starring Dale Goulding
The murders of a doctor, a lawyer, a narcissist and a drunk seem
random, but as events unfold, we see the string that ties them to
one fateful night.

Skye (22m) - Drama

Directed by Jason Saville
Starring Jackson Davis & Vanessa Ross
When a young woman shows up at a local basketball court looking
to reconnect with a guy she met at a party, he begins to realize it
may be time for some new moves.

So Five Minutes Ago (11m) - Comedy

Directed by Dina Marie Chapman
Starring Christopher Gillooly & Kenneth Miller
Gordy agrees to help his slacker buddy Bart test his newly invented
time machine -- but it is only able to send him back five minutes.

Spoonfed (15m) - Drama
Directed by Josh Summers & Cole Summers
Starring Andrea Lopez, Ashley Marriott, Chris Bruno, Ashley Richards
Grace Bannon, Monti Smith, and Sarah Agor

On any given day at a Beverly Hills cafe, patrons converge, converse, and chuckle over a beverage, entree and desert. At a casual glance, they are just small moments in time over a bowl of tomato soup, a slice of chocolate cake, or a cup of red tea. But from the vantage point of one spoon, there's a whole new insight on modern America. For the spoon, its just another day: deceit, disgrace, death. After watching 'Spoonfed', you won't look at a spoon the same way.

These Boots are Made for Walken (24m)- Comedy

Directed by Jeremy Pack
Starring Andrew Bowen, Daniel Goddard, Melanie Hawkins, &
Basil Hoffman
Ronnie takes on the persona of one of his favorite movie actors whenever his heart gets broken. Recently, after a particularly bad break-up, Ronnie went into a deep state of Christopher Walken. Ronnie's brother, Benny has always been the one to snap him out of these "episodes". Unfortunately, this time Ronnie has committed himself to a mental institution. When Benny meets a damsel in distress in the hospital waiting room, he hatches an idea. One that might not only save his brother and free an innocent pooch, but lift the spirits of the damsel's dance-deprived grandmother.

The Thing in the Corner (5m) - Horror

Directed by Matthew Stedman
Starring April Wade & Jaques Freydont
A young woman in a mental hospital claims to see invisible monsters
lurking among us.

2 in the AM PM (7m) - Comedy
Directed by JG Quintel
What happens when two teenagers are left alone to run a gas station
on Halloween night? They feed each other candy... Filled with drugs.

Waiting (21m) - Thriller

Directed by Lisa Demaine
Starring Richard Schiff & Lisa Demaine
A Businessman awakens to find himself trapped in a body shop
waiting room endlessly awaiting repairs. As he endures the time
passing, little clues arouse his memory of a night gone bad and
stimulate his ever pressing conscience.

The War Prayer (10m) - Drama

Directed by Michael Goorjian
Starring Jeremy Sisto, Thomas Dekker, & Tim Sullivan
On the eve of war, a mysterious stranger enters a church and reveals
the 'unspoken' part' of a minister and his congregation's prayers for
military victory.

You Better Watch Out (22m) - Comedy

Directed by Steve Callen
Starring Chris Haywood, Dan Wyllie, & Stephen Curry
“You Better Watch Out” is a wickedly dark comedy about a two
disgruntled brothers who kidnap a department store Santa Claus
because they want to know why they never got the presents they
wanted when they were kids.