Independent Film Festival Schedule

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First Night Saratoga Festival of Shorts
Welcome to an evening filled with award winning short films that have screened at numerous film festivals around the world including the documentary "Resting Places" narrated by Liam Neeson and eleven films made by Capitol Region filmmakers.

Ratings Guide: All Ages, PG, PG13

6:00PM-11:30PM

How To Bathe A Human - 25 sec. Animated – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Leslie Sawyer)
An amusing comedy about a dog being taken for a walk by its owner.

Pill - 3 min. Music Video – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Lewis A. Noble)
A girl who is convinced by her friend to take a pill discovers that such a friendship comes at a cost she isn’t willing to pay.

The Perfect Gift - 3 min. Music Video – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Conor Doolin)
Seeking to give his girlfriend a present she’ll love, a young man learns that the age-old adage that less is more helps him provide the perfect gift.

Definitely - 2 min. Comedy – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Max Collins)
A teenaged girl turns to her egghead brother to help spell a word, but gets frustrated by his attempt to help.

How Much Trash Is Enough? - 2 min. Documentary – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Arik Torkelson)
This short environmental documentary examines the overwhelming issue of waste disposal and the need for recycling.

Tom Lamanna's Breakfast - 3 min. Experimental – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Tom Lamanna, Peter Furey, James Belcastro & Matt Cioffi)
Made by Niskayuna high school students, this short shows how imagination and film can be combined to create a different perspective on something as mundane as preparing and eating breakfast.

The Fault Line: The Quake Has Come - 10 min. Action/Suspense – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Stephen W)
When a teenage earthquake aficionado discovers that a fault line in upstate New York is ready to crack, it’s up to him to convince authorities of the risk.

Ruby Who? – 6 min. Family – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Haley Bartholomew)
A little girl’s adventure rediscovering her identity. Ruby wishes for things, and dreams of being like others. Will she end up forgetting how to just be herself?

Sadie Turns Seven - 9 min. Family – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Todd Tinkham)
On her 7th birthday, a young girl takes daring action in an attempt to rescue lobsters from restaurant patrons. This multi-award winning film has screened at more than 75 festivals on 5 continents!

Letting Go – 4 min.   Family – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Dan Masucci)
A father struggles with his son's growing independence in this heartfelt short film about a boy who decides to put away his security blanket. This film has screened at more than 50 film festivals worldwide and won 6 awards.

eScape - 20 min. Fantasy – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Mike Feurestein for MovieQuest Productions)
Think of "Lost" for kids. eScape centers on children who are left inexplicably stranded by their camp counselors. Some wish to discover what’s happened while others decide to settle for a world without adults. As they explore their surroundings, a startling discovery is made. Shot locally as a series, this is the season one finale with a recap of the first five episodes to bring viewers up to date.

I Just Want to Eat My Sandwich - 8 min. Comedy – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Julia Radochia)
Having appeared in 30 film festivals this award-winning film is about an office worker's desperate attempt to eat her lunch amidst numerous distractions.

Extreme Yoga Smackdown - 13 min. Comedy – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Daniel DeFabio)
In the world of competitive yoga, four yogis have risen to the highest level of practice, but one by one, they must fall. Keep your third eye open for all the yoga action!

Against the Wind - 10 Drama – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Dan Masucci)
In the twilight of his life, Ned reflects on his past, his remaining years, and discovers how his role in life has changed. Against the Wind is a sentimental film that shows the old truly are young at heart and that universal emotions live within us all. Against the Wind has screened at nearly 30 film festivals worldwide and won 8 awards.

Finite - 9 min. SciFi/Drama – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Dusty Culbertson & Eric Hyland)
When a relationship is forced to change, how does one come to terms with the past and reconcile? Ultimately, relationships like life simply exist, persist, and endure for a limited period of time.

Lost & Found - 16 min. Drama – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Todd Tinkham)
Complications driven by a terrible event in her past arise when writer, and single mother, Samantha discovers a homeless woman living in her tool shed. Lost & Found has screened at nearly 20 festivals including Kent Film Festival where it won the "Best Short Film" award.

Reverse - 11 min. Drama – All Ages
(Written & Directed by William B. Davis)
Known particularly for his role as the 'Smoking Man' on Fox Television's "The X-Files", William B. Davis brings us the story of a formerly athletic retiree who has a crippling heart attack in his late sixties only to challenge fate and compete again in the National Water Ski Championships.

Still Me - 20 min. Drama – All Ages
(Written & Directed by Beth McElhenny)
Written and directed by stroke survivor Beth McElhenny, this award-winning short takes a brave and heartwarming look at the challenges a stroke victim faces when dealing with friends and family who cannot see past his physical disability. The film stars Tina Gloss from television’s “Pushing Daisies” and Scott King.

Raising Lucy -28 min. Documentary – All Ages
(True Story by Carol Muzik, Directed by Chad Christensen)
Raising Lucy is an uplifting story of how a couple and their dogs raised an orphaned Great Canada goose to her safe return to the wild and how their family experienced change and transformation in unexpected ways.

Plainview - 24 min. Drama - PG13
(Written & Directed by Scott. T. Jones)
A restaurant manager attempts to redeem herself after being talked into a humiliating strip search of her socially inept employee. Winner of 8 "Best of" and "Audience" awards, Plainview has screened at more than 30 film festivals including Cinequest and the Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Memphis Zombie Attack - 9 min. Documentary - PG13
(Directed by Daniel Lee)
This award winning documentary that premiered at the Magnolia Independent Film Festival covers the story of a zombie parade through Memphis, Tennessee.

Vanished Acres - 30min. Fantasy - PG13
(Written & Directed by Adam Bolt)
A lost letter from a farmer's deceased wife to his living scarecrow forces long buried secrets to surface, shattering the uneasy peace that once existed on this haunted tract of land. Vanished Acres has screened in more than 40 film festivals and garnered 14 awards.

Resting Places - 45 min. Documentary - PG
(Written by J. Michael Kipikash, Directed by Melissa Villanueva)
Oscar nominated actor Liam Neeson narrates this thought provoking  documentary about the global phenomenon of roadside memorials, their explosive growth, and the legal controversy that surrounds the tradition.