Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival
2019 Finalists: Emerging Filmmaker Showcase
About the Showcase:
Since 1989, The American Pavilion has offered opportunities in Cannes to film students from around the world. The 2019 Emerging Filmmaker Showcase will provide an opportunity for emerging filmmakers to have their works seen by Cannes Festival and Film Market attendees. Prizes will be awarded to filmmakers and the top twenty-nine films will be screened in a special “Emerging Filmmaker” showcase at The American Pavilion in Cannes.
THE AMERICAN PAVILION
EMERGING FILMMAKER SHOWCASE
WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
Emerging Filmmaker Showcase Best Short Film – winner
SYLVIA directed by Richard Prendergast
Emerging Filmmaker Showcase Best Student Film – winner
ESTA ES TU CUBA (THIS IS YOUR CUBA) directed by
Brian Robau
(Chapman University Dodge College of Media Arts)
Emerging Filmmaker Showcase Best Documentary – winner
DEATH METAL GRANDMA directed by Leah Galant
Emerging Filmmaker Showcase Best Student Documentary – winner
HOLD THE SUN IN YOUR HANDS: THE ERIKA JACOBY STORY directed by Talia Abel, Xenia Bernal, Ian Kim, Alajandro Moses, Hank Schoen, India Spencer, Eva Suissa, Michael Zambrano (Righteous Conversations Project/Harvard-Westlake School)
Emerging Filmmaker LGBTQ Showcase Best Short Film – winner
BLACK HAT directed by Sarah Smith
THE AMERICAN PAVILION
EMERGING FILMMAKER SHOWCASE
EMERGING FILMMAKER LGBTQ SHOWCASE
(Sunday, May 19 – 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm)
ELWOOD TAKES A LOVER
2018, 16 min., USA, Comedy/Drama/LGBTQ, University of Southern California
Director: John Ira Palmer
Writer: Youthana Yuos, John Ira Palmer
Producer: Gracie Corapi, John Ira Palmer
Cast: Sarah Lilly, Warren Sweeney, César Carmona, Alex Egan
Cancer patient Hannah fears her husband Elwood will have no one to care for him after she’s gone. Long suspecting Elwood had feelings for another man in his youth, Hannah sets out to find his unrequited love in hopes of reuniting them.
HENRY
2019, 8 min., USA, Drama/Youth/Coming of Age/LGBTQ, The Young Actors’ Theatre Camp
Writer/Director: Shawn Ryan
Assistant Directors: Monica Jeon, Sadie Scott, Emily Doran
Producer: Shawn Ryan, John Ainsworth, Valerie Dohrer
Cast: Tucker Gold, Kelton Jones, Sadie Scott, Emily Doran, and Karen Moore,
Maya Mendoza, Katy Denebeim, Xaia Leith, GraceAnn Lesser, Leia Figueroa, Chiya Newman, Monica Jeon, Spencer Davis, Caryn Thomason, Paityn Stephan, Eliza Aiken
Fourteen-year-old Henry Murphy is trying to come out to his father just before Christmas. What will happen when Henry asks Santa for the most important thing — acceptance?
Trailer | Website| Facebook
HEADS UP
2019, 6 min., USA, Drama/LGBTQ, Florida State University 
Writer/Director: Alex McFry
Producer: Billy Kalstrom
Cast: Thomas Bretz, Larry Kastner, Bijan Adili, Xia Orozco
When another random hookup leaves Ethan with more than he bargained for, he’s forced to face the unfortunate realities that come with anonymous, unprotected sex: HIV. Once he is diagnosed, his life is flipped upside down as he learns to cope with his diagnosis and the stigma the virus carries.
BIRTHDAY GIRL
2019, 6 min., USA, Drama/Youth/LGBTQ, The Young Actors’ Theatre Camp
Director: Jim Fall
Writer: Jim Fall, Nathan Adloff
Producer: Shawn Ryan, John Ainsworth, Valerie Dohrer
Cast: Skylar Ellis, Kenny Johnston, Halsey Williamson, Maddie Thorpe, Elizabeth Nelson, Judge Cantrell, Seith Weinfeld, Isa Martinez-Moore, Karen Moore
On her birthday, Brynn (formerly Brian) is surprised by her mother and friends. Will her father show up to the party or continue to miss out on seeing his daughter grow up?
LEON_!
2018, 2 min., USA, Animation/LGBTQ, NYU Tisch 
Producer/Writer/Director: Zale Zheng
Driving alone through a snowy night, a man starts to think of his late lover Leon.
A NORMAL GIRL
2018, 13 min., USA, Documentary, LGBTQ
Director: Aubree Bernier-Clarke
Producer: Pidgeon Pagonis, Shawna Lipton
Cast: Pidgeon Pagonis
1.5% of people are born with anatomy that doesn’t fit typical definitions of female or male. It is common practice for doctors to perform genital surgeries on intersex infants—often with disastrous results. A Normal Girl brings the widely unknown struggles of intersex people to light, through the story of intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis.
HIDING IN DAYLIGHT
2018, 15 min., USA, Drama/LGBTQ
Director: Cheryl Allison
Writer: Gregory G. Allen
Producer: Carina Rush, Gregory G. Allen, Cheryl Allison
Cast: Judy McLane, Julee Cerda, Jim Newman, Gary Hilborn
After a gay purge, four best friends are surviving by living in fake marriages to each other. They secretly meet once a week to see their true spouse and play a “game” where they reminisce about their former openly gay lives. After 3 years of weekly gatherings, they must determine if their clandestine meetings are worth risking their lives. In one night, emotions run high, friendships begin to unravel and everything changes in an instant.
IRISH GOODBYE
2018, 18 min., USA, Drama/LGBTQ
Director: Adetokumboh M’Cormack
Writer: Adetokumboh M’Cormack, Matt Feit
Producer: Adetokumboh M’Cormack, Matt Feit, Jared Safier
Cast: Abubakr Ali, Jack Lowe
Strangers from opposite ends of the earth: Nizar, a Syrian refugee and Eric an Irish tourist, meet in the City of Angels and embark on a journey of trust, abandonment, tragedy and privilege. The consequences of their encounter will stay with them long after the night is over.
JUMPER
2019, 11 min., USA, Drama/LGBTQ
Writer/Director: Ayman Samman
Producer: Mico Saad, Ayman Samman, Rasha Mohamed, Rick Weis
Cast: Ayman Samman, Mico Saad, Rasha Mohamed
A depressed Crisis Negotiator is called upon to talk a Jumper off the ledge.
BLACK HAT
2018, 15 min., USA, Drama/LGBTQ
Director: Sarah Smith
Writer: Phillip Guttmann
Producer: Yaniv Rokah, Loriel Samaras, Phillip Guttmann
Cast: Adam Silver, Shelly Kurtz, Sebastian Velmont
At first blush, Shmuel is a pious Hasidic man leading a fairly simple life. By day he dutifully prays at the local synagogue and manages a busy dry cleaner. But when his wife and daughters leave town for a few days, Shmuel will step out of his daily life and into a more complex world lit by the night. When he misplaces his black hat along the way, Shmuel’s two lives will interconnect in a way he never expected.
QUEEN FOR A DAY
2019, 4 min., USA, Comedy/LGBTQ
Producer/Writer/Director: Savannah Rodgers
Cast: Michelle Davidson, Joe Carey
Queen for a Day is a short comedy about marriage and drag queens.
EMERGING STUDENT DOCUMENTARIES
(Tuesday, May 21, 11:00 am – 1:15 pm)
AL IMAM
2017, 19 min., Documentary, University Southern California
(KCET Fine Cut Winner)
Director: Omar Al Dakheel
Producer: Sara Fenton, John Ira Palmer
Cast: Ani Zonneveld
Despite controversy and threats, a Muslim woman takes a stand for justice through a progressive practice of Islam.
Trailer | Website| Facebook
THE FLIP SIDE
2018, 8 min., USA, Documentary, Florida State University
Producer/Writer/Director: William Stead
Cast: Doug Allen, Michelle Allen, Taylor Hammersla
Journey to the largest record store in the world to discover whether the vinyl record can escape its seemingly inevitable extinction.
HOLD THE SUN IN YOUR HANDS: THE ERIKA JACOBY STORY
2019, 8 min., USA, Drama/Animation/Documentary, Righteous Conversations Project/Harvard-Westlake School
Animators/Directors: Talia Abel, Xenia Bernal, Ian Kim, Alejandro Moses, Hank Schoen, India Spencer, Eva Suissa, Michael Zambrano
Producer: Cheri Gaulke, Samara Hutman, C. Lily Ericsson
Cast: Erika Jacoby
Hand-drawn animation illustrates Holocaust Survivor Erika Jacoby’s memories of surviving Auschwitz.
EMERGING FILMMAKER SHOWCASE STUDENT SHORT FILMS
(Tuesday, May 21, 11:00 am – 1:15 pm)
ONE SMALL STEP
2017, 13 min., USA, Drama, University Southern California
(KCET Fine Cut Winner)
Director: Aqsa Altaf
Writer: Travis Rush
Producer: Alexandra Christensson, Derek Tonks
Cast: Charlie Reddix, Destiny Toliver, Avanna King
A 9-year-old girl attempts to juggle the responsibilities of school and her younger siblings after her mother goes missing.
WHERE I WAS BORN
2018, 5min., USA, Animation, California Institute of the Arts
(KCET Fine Cut Winner)
Producer/Director: Jungmin Cha
Cast: Seunghee Han Seo (Voices)
Through short, humorous vignettes, one presents a critique of the diverse social issues permeating throughout South Korean culture.
Trailer | Website| Facebook
T.I.M.
2019, 14 min., USA, Drama, Orange County School of the Arts
Director: Adrian Delcan
Writer: Gavin Conlon, Adrian Delcan, Tim Jaehyung Park
Producer: Isabel Mansour, Gavin Conlon
Cast: Tim Jaehyung Park, David Pulido, Pia Smith, Keith Giles, Triniti Rowe
When a humanoid robot is assigned to look after a trouble making orphan, the two grow to form a touching friendship.
Trailer | Website| Facebook
RACCOON AND THE LIGHT
2018, 4 min., Animation, USA, California Institute of the Arts
(KCET Fine Cut Winner)
Director: Hanna Kim
A raccoon finds a flashlight in the woods.
EMPTY SKIES
2018, 18 min., USA, Drama, Ohio University School of Film
Writer/Director: Wenting Deng Fisher, Luke Fisher
Producer: Patrick Reasonover, Matt Edwards, Victoria Hills, Michael Arter, Curt Chatham
Cast: Arthur Welch, ViviAnn Yee, Shu Lan Tuan, Gabriel Tsai, Zhan Wang
A boy and his new friend hunt their village’s last sparrow for a reward to save his sick Grandma during Communist China’s Great Leap Forward (1958-1961).
ESTA ES TU CUBA (THIS IS YOUR CUBA)
2018, 20 min., USA, Drama/Historical (subtitles), Chapman University
Director: Brian Robau
Writer: Dan Klein
Producer: John Sayage
Cast: Mauricio Alemany, Amber Rivera, Roy Sanchez, Isabella Gandulla
In the wake of Fidel Castro’s rise to power, over 14,000 unaccompanied children fled to the United States in hopes of a better life. Inspired by their stories, Esta Es Tu Cuba follows Anton, a young boy who is thrust into adulthood as revolution tears his family apart.
EMERGING FILMMAKER DOCUMENTARIES
(Tuesday, May 21, 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm)
DEATH METAL GRANDMA
2018, 13 min., USA, Documentary
Director: Leah Galant
Writer: Leah Galant, Sean Weiner
Producer: Sean Weiner, Elizabeth Pauker, Christine Wexler, Clifford Miu, Linhan Zhang
Cast: Inge Ginsberg, Lucia Caruso, Pedro DaSilva
Death Metal Grandma follows the story of 96-year-old Holocaust survivor, former WW2 spy and famous songwriter Inge Ginsberg as she decides to pursue a new career: Death Metal.
MY GRANDFATHER’S MEMORY BOOK
2018, 5 min., USA, Documentary/Animation
Writer/Producer/Director: Colin Levy
Cast: Colin Levy, Ron Levy, Byron Levy
A personal reflection about an unusual sketchbook that captures a lifetime of memories, connecting three generations through drawings, writings and dialogue.
EMERGING FILMMAKER SHOWCASE SHORT FILMS
(Tuesday, May 21, 4:00 pm – 6:15 pm)
LET’S SEE HOW FAST THIS BABY WILL GO
2017, 15 min., Australia, Drama/Comedy/Biography
Writer/Director: Julietta Boscolo
Producer: Eva Di Blasio
Cast: Liv Hewson, Tara Morice
It’s 1996 and young Gloria Harrison’s life is out of control. She is seventeen, pregnant and in labour. Gloria decides that the best way to get to the hospital is to buy a new car. She doesn’t realize it yet, but the agonising process of buying a car will not only allow Gloria to give birth to a new person but become one herself. Based on Gloria Harrison’s true story, originally heard on This American Life.
10 SYLLABLES [UN-CON-SCIOUS / IN-TOX-I-CA-TED / FE-MALE]
2019, 16 min., USA, Drama
Writer/Director: Emily Skyle-Golden
Producer: Ryan Golden, Alphonse Polito, Tyler Bourns
Cast: Evan Faunce, Jasmeet Baduwalia, Riley McKinney
After the justice system fails her, Parker sets off on an inspiring journey to turn everyone’s #metoo into #nomore.
KOMMANDO 1944
2018, 16 min., USA, Drama/War/Social Justice
Writer/Director: Derek Quick
Producer: Derek Quick, Lucy Quick, Nicholas Nathaniel
Cast: Daniel Joo, Jeff Seid, Bejo Dohmen, Louie Chapman, Aramis Merlin
An Asian American soldier is thrown into a Nazi work camp on a farm in Germany as his family back home in America are forced into an American Japanese Concentration camp in Manzanar California.
DUKE
2018, 16 min., USA, Drama
Director: Thiago Dadalt
Writer: Thiago Dadalt, Dru Miller
Producer: Thiago Dadalt, Dru Miller, Ekin Ergen, Bruna Nogueira, Andre Chesini
Co-Producer: Dawnella Trammell
Cast: Robert Solomon, Piercey Dalton
When a nonverbal autistic teen’s family is falling apart, he must find his voice to keep them together.
Trailer | Website| Facebook
HAILSTORM
2018, 5 min., USA/Canada, Animation/Music
Writer/Director/Music: Carolyn Downie
Dark jazz in a dark sociopolitical climate with a vision of a transformed, brighter future.
SYLVIA
2018, 16 min., United Kingdom, Drama
Writer/Director: Richard Prendergast
Producer: Rachel Prendergast
Cast: Jolie Lennon, Benjamin Hartley, Maisie Prendergast, Gaynor Fraser, Evie Prendergast, Mick Fryer-Wesley, Willow Major
A car. A family. An unwanted destination.
SORRY, NOT SORRY
2018, 7 min., USA, Comedy
Writer/Director: Monique Sorgen
Producer: Monique Sorgen, Darryl Pugh Jr.
Cast: Jessica Oyelowo, M. Emmet Walsh, Wallace Langham
A couple’s oneupmanship reaches unbelievable heights after a man eats his wife’s plums.
Thank you to our 2019 Prize Award Sponsors:
KCETLink Media Group’s FINE CUT Festival of Films, Final Draft, Write Brothers Movie Magic Screenwriter, Simple DCP, Jungle Software, Michael Wiese Productions Books, International Documentary Association (IDA), Screening Services Group, ESE Film Workshops Online
