The first Arpa International Film Festival was produced by AFFMA in 1997 with a mission to cultivate cultural understanding and global empathy, creating a dynamic forum for international cinema with a special focus on the work of filmmakers who explore the issues of Diaspora, exile and multi-multiculturalism. A strong emphasis is placed on ideals of independent thought, artistic vision, cultural diversity and social understanding.
AFFMA was established in 1995. AFFMA has since become a bonafide art and film organization which could not have arrived at this auspicious occasion without the generous support of the Los Angeles film and art communities.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
OPENING NIGHT
7:00 PM Lady Urmia | Thursday, September 26 – 7PM
Documentary 2012 Director: Mohammad Ehsani Producers: Mohammad Ehsani and Mohammad Ala Screenwriter: Mohammad Ehsani Runtime: 30min Iran
The film is a poetic documentary about Lake Urmia, in the Northwest of Iran, which is drying up completely. The environmental catastrophe will affect also neighboring countries such as Iraq and Turkey. The film is narrated in the voice of the Lake itself, crying for help and trying to gain international attention to its suffering.
Walking on the Leaves | Thursday, September 26 – 7PM
Documentary 2013 Director: Tom Keith Runtime: 1hr 11 min
Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mali, USA
“Walking on the Leaves” is a new documentary that celebrates the history, mission, impact and people of the Peace Corps. The film features three stories: two young volunteers going to serve in the Dominican Republic. A volunteer in Mali who is done with his service and returning home. The third segment has us following a former volunteer returning to Colombia to the site of his brother’s plane crash. His brother was the first volunteer to die in Peace Corps service in 1962, when his plane crashed in the jungle. “Walking on the Leaves” gives viewers a first-hand look at the extraordinary nature of the Peace Corps experience.
8:00 PM
Safe and Sound by Capital Cities | Thursday, September 26 – 8PM
Music Video 2013 Director: Grady Hall Screenwriter: Grady Hall Producer: Buddy Enright Runtime: 4min USA
A Dark vintage theater lights up with a mysterious electricity, triggering the emergence of all the dancers who have ever performed in the theater. The result is the ultimate dance circle – a cross time mash-up of dance styles and people that honors the celebratory, connection, and expressive natures of dance and music.
Luminoso |Thursday, September 26 – 8PM
Short Film 2012 Director: Yerem Tagvoryan Producer: Yerem Tagvoryan Runtime: 2min 50sec USA
Leonardo Da Vinci works feverishly in his Florence workshop designing military weapons to defend the city, which is under attack. He sketches his ideas and then uses his secret invention, the Luminoso box, to test them as living, working holograms. Leonardo’s genius may be his own undoing, though, as his experiments unleash a weapon even deadlier and more sinister than the enemy at Florence’s gates…
My Name is Viola | Thursday, September 26 – 8PM
Feature Film 2013 Director: Ruben Kochar Screenwriter: Narine Kochar Producer: Ruben Kochar Runtime: 1hr 47min Armenia
This is the story of Haykuhi, a young girl whose world is one of loneliness and humiliation. Her only desire is to break free, but that possibility seems hopeless – even impossible. Her life is lived in silent abuse and hopelessness, until she meets Anna, a beautiful girl, whose life seems perfect. Living in Anna’s world, with many wonderful possibilities in front of her, Haykuhi’s new life appears exciting, almost exhilarating, that is until she discovers that Anna’s world is no different, and may be worse than her own. *Opening Night Feature Film
9:00 PM GENERATION RED NATION
Generation Red Nation | Thursday, September 26 – 9PM
Documentary 2013 Director: Olga Valanos Screenwriter: Olga Valanos Producer: Olga Valanos Runtime: 54min USA
Historically, reckless government policies nearly destroyed American Indians. Get a brutally honest view of Indian reservation life, leaving “the Rez”, and in the city. With unemployment at 89%, two thirds of the population substance abusers, the shortest life spans in the nation, teen suicide, and substandard education, how can they survive?
Open Night Dinner and Wine Bar Reception to Follow in Courtyard of the Egyptian Theatre
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
FEATURE PROGRAM 2
7:30 PM KRAL YOLU
Kral Yolu (King’s Way) | Friday, September 27 – 7:30PM
Feature Film 2013 Director: Serli Seta Nisanyan Screenwriter: Serli Seta Nisanyan Producer: Derya Kaya Runtime: 82min Turkey
Deniz’s parents are archeologists. He wants to spend the holiday with parents but they have to work on excavating at MERSIN. Deniz gets angry and tells this to his grandfather and then starts all adventure. Deniz and grandfather go to MERSIN, and they make a deal with the parents. Deniz can be with friends during the day but has to be with family at night. Grandfather volunteers to become leader of the kid’s group. The kids plan to use the map Deniz’s father was talking about to find the Queen’s crown. While on their exploratory mission, the sleepy cave comes to life with history and characters They find the crown and bid farewell to meet up with their anxious parents and a happy ending.
CENTERPIECE PROGRAM
8:00 PM ABSTRACTION
Abstraction | Friday, September 27 – 8PM
Feature Film 2013 Director: Prince Bagdasarian Screenwriter: Prince Bagdasarian Producer: Prince Bagdasarian Runtime: 1hr 40min USA
An intense action crime drama revolving around the heist of a half-million dollar painting.
FEATURE PROGRAM 4
9:30 PM MANHATTAN ROMANCE
Manhattan Romance | Friday, September 27 – 9:30PM
Feature Film 2013 Director: Brian Ghost Screenwriter: Haik Kocharian Producer: Haik Kocharian Runtime: 1hr 17min USA, France
Annette is a young French actress. During her stay in New York to promote her latest film, she meets up with Alex, an Armenian photographer and long-time friend. As the week progresses, they become inseparable and spend all of their time with together. They meet different people in New York and draw comparisons and differences with their own views and ideas of love, marriage, friendship and life. They have a special connection, but there is something unspoken between them. They begin to reveal themselves only when Alex photographs Annette throughout New York City. From friends to lovers there is only one step. Their relationship is about to unravel, but is it?
SHORTS PROGRAM 1 10:00 PM
MIGUEL ALVAREZ WEARS A WIG, SUBHUMAN, SUPERVISED, ROSE MARY AND TIME, ZERO HOUR
Miguel Alvarez Wears A Wig | Friday, September 27 – 10PM
Short Film 2012 Director: Araceli Lemos Screenwriter: Araceli Lemos Producer: Giulia Caruso Runtime: 16min USA, Mexico, Greece
Tijuana’s La Linea is the most crossed border in the world and also one of the deadliest. Miguel Alvarez, a reliable and consistent middle-aged customs officer is faced with the threat of having to cross the biggest border of all. He has cancer. Carlos, Miguel’s coworker, has found another way of crossing over. Carlos invites Miguel to the drag show where he performs.
Subhuman (Untermensch) | Friday, September 27 – 10PM
Short Film 2010 Director: Michael Aloyan Screenwriter: Dragos Berghia Producer: Michael Aloyan Runtime: 11min 5sec USA
Set in the fall of 1942, UNTERMENSCH, follows the story of a Russian civilian caught in the midst of a Nazi camp.
Supervised | Friday, September 27 – 10PM
Short Film 2013 Director: Rick Glenn Screenwriter: Rick Glenn and Niles Heckman Producer Rick Glenn Runtime: 7min 38sec USA
Two men trapped in a laboratory desperately fight to delay an explosive chip from going off in their skulls, clinging to the knowledge that someone must be sending help.
Rose, Mary and Time | Friday, September 27 – 10PM
Short Film 2013 Director: Hardeep Giani Screenwriter: Hardeep Giani Producer: Hardeep Giani Runtime: 37min 30sec United Kingdom
Real is Love – Is life governed by Kismet, or can we change our life path?
Zero Hour | Friday, September 27 – 10PM
Short Film 2013 Director: Dan Carrillo Levy Screenwriter: Guillermo Arriaga Producer: Santiago Garcia Galvan Runtime: 7min 20sec Mexico, USA
Lovers Paula and Lorenzo are traveling on a long and desolate road when the unexpected happens. They are forced to make a decision, one that could bring them together or tear them apart, forever. The leads are played by Camilla Belle (“From Prada to Nada,” “10,000 B.C.”) and Mexican film and TV star Jaime Camil.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER, 28
DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM 3 1:00 PM
HE WHO INVENTED ALL
Short Film 2013 Director: Yuri Chirkovskiy Screenwriter: Yuri Chirkovskiy, Konstantin Ostakhov Producer: Yuri Chirkovskiy Runtime: 15min Georgia
An auto-biographical journey through the memories of a boy and the personalities that defined his creative and artistic childhood.
FIGURE OF ARMEN (FIGURE D’ARMEN)
Documentary 2012 Director: Marlene Edoyan Producer: Marlene Edoyan Runtime: 1hr 14min Canada, Armenia
The horrific earthquake in 1988. A devastating war with Azerbaijan. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It goes without saying that Armenia has been subjected to countless social, natural and geopolitical upheavals. Major though they may have been, these tragedies have not stopped Armenians from taking pride in their long, rich history, nor from believing, despite occasional doubts, in the possibility of a renaissance in their country. The filmmaker returns to her native land and as she travels through towns and villages, her portraits of individual Armenians become a group portrait woven from stories and poems. It all comes together as a pointed, in-depth exploration of questions of heritage, identity and exodus.
MUSIC VIDEO PROGRAM 1:30 PM
BIG IN L.A.,GANESH IS FRESH, GOLD, ILLUSIONS, IN EVERYONE’S EYES (En Todas Las Miradas),
LET’S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE, MOONBEAM – MADNESS, RYTME PEDE – HORNY
Big In L.A. | Saturday, September 28 – 1:30PM
Short Film 2012 Director: Norman Richard, Jochen Cambridge Screenwriter: Norman Richard and Jochen Cambridge Producer Michelle Tracy Grayson
Runtime: 6min 59sec USA, United Kingdom
A young British schoolgirl suffering from extreme alopecia escapes her inevitable bullying in dreary London for sunny LA, daring to live out her wildest dreams, or are they already reality. A girl has a certain cause and remembered the feeling referred to as liking to become a singer.
Ganesh is Fresh | Saturday, September 28 – 1:30PM
Music Video 2013 Director: Deborah Harse Screenwriter: Deborah Harse Producer: Deborah Harse Runtime: 4min India, USA
Set to the music of hip hop artist MC Yogi, “Ganesh is Fresh” is a four-minute music video portraying the cultural love of elephants in India and the strong bond between elephant drivers (mahouts) and the elephants with whom they share their daily lives. It was shot entirely in Jaipur, India.
Gold | Saturday, September 28 – 1:30PM
Music Video 2012 Director: Uzi Amir Producer: Sharon Holzman Runtime: 3min 25sec France, Israel
The clip is a satire on Israel and Israeli culture. Singer-songwriter Sharon Holzman embodies some of the personas on TV news: main anchor, field reporter, Israeli army officer and weather forecaster.
Illusions | Saturday, September 28 – 1:30PM
Music Video 2012 Director: Michael Pescasio Producer: Stephan Oberhoff Runtime: 5min 38sec U S A
The “Illusions video combines two powerfully emotional songs, “Illusions” and “I Don’t Want To Know,” to muse about how the reality of life is sometimes harsh, so we take refuge in our memories of a beautiful past–or we put on the rose-colored glasses that transport us back into a lovely, worry-free fantasy world.
In Everyone’s Eyes (En Todas Las Miradas) | Saturday, September 28 – 1:30PM
Music Video 2013 Director: Lloyd Frost Producer: Lloyd Frost
Runtime: 6min 20sec Cuba, Canada
A lively and subversive musical short film from inside Cuba, where dissent is counter-Revolutionary.
Let’s Face The Music And Dance | Saturday, September 28 – 1:30PM
2013 Director: Michael Pescasio Runtime: 5min 2sec USA
Sensual Latin rhythms punctuate “Let’s Face the Music and Dance,” a song about living life in the moment, casting away all doubts and fears to fully indulge and participate in each fleeting opportunity for happiness and greatness.
Moonbeam – Madness | Saturday, September 28 – 1:30PM
Music Video 2013 Director: Pavel Khvaleev Screenwriter: Pavel Khvaleev Producer: Pavel Khvaleev Runtime: 3min 14sec Russian Federation
This is the new, deep and mystic music video from Russian electronic project, “Moonbeam.”
Rytme Pede – Horny | Saturday, September 28 – 1:30PM
Music Video 2013 Director: Bjarke de Koning Screenwriter: Bjarke de Koning Producer: Bjarke de Koning Runtime: 3min 47sec Denmark
In this music video Rytme Pede is being accused of being horny by the girl Anne but ends up scoring Anne, by making fun of himself
DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM 4 3:00 PM
COMING TO TERMS, MUDITA, PIER MELODIES,
Coming to Terms | Saturday, September 28 – 3PM
Short Film 2013 Director: David Hovan Screenwriter: David Hovan Producer: David Hovan Runtime: 4:54 Canada
A journey of self discovery.
Mudita: Selfless Joy | Saturday, September 28 – 3:00PM
Short Film 2013 Director: Melvin Chan Producer: Melvin Chan
Runtime: 9min 10sec Singapore
A personal documentary detailing the journey of a son who tries to reconnect with his mother, who became a Buddhist Nun after a lengthy and emotional divorce.
Pier Melodies | Saturday, September 28 – 3PM
Documentary 2013 Director: Taniel Kilajian Screenwriter: Taniel Kilajian Runtime: 24min 15sec USA
Hanging out under the sun at the end of the pier with fishing rods, beers and joints, the pier brotherhood is a community of individuals dedicated to keep the tradition and the lifestyle alive. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city, they don’t have any strong attachments to the real world, i.e. jobs, family, money, future. They have the pier, they have each other, they have the sun shining down on them, and beers and joints of course. “Pier Melodies” is a document of these individuals, their relations and the richness of their singular existence out on the pier.
Stateless | Saturday, September 28 – 3PM
Documentary 2013 Director: Scott Erlinder Screenwriters: Scott Erlinder, Javi Reszczynsk and Priya Yavagal Producer: Ginger Scott-Erlinder
Runtime: 47min USA, Belgium, France, Rwanda, Uganda, United Kingdom
Since the 1994 Genocide, Rwandan refugees from that conflict – and from subsequent events – have created a population of over 150,000 (some say 250,000) living around the world. In July 2013, these people will lose their refugee status and be forced back to Rwanda by the UNHCR and host countries. The refugees fear repatriation to a country they see as dictatorial and oppressive. The film “Stateless” explores why it is NOT a proper time to invoke this return. Stateless has interviews with major figures in refugee studies, Paul Rusesabagina (the REAL ‘Hotel Rwanda’ person), Theogene Rudesingwa (former Ambassador to the US from Rwanda, currently in exile), as well as UN officials, Human Rights activists and refugees themselves. Much of the footage was recorded by refugees.STATELESS
DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM 5 3:30 PM
NO TE ENTIENDO, BEAUTIFUL,TWO: THE STORY OF ROMAN AND NYRO
Beautiful by Vassy | Saturday, September 28 – 3:30PM
Music Video 2013 Director: Kate Rees Davies Screenwriter: Vassy and Taylor Grant Producer: Kate Rees Davies and Steve Romano Runtime: 4min 11sec USA
Youth empowerment music video by #1 Billboard charting pop and dance artist Vassy.
TWO: The Story of Roman & Nyro | Saturday, September 28 – 3:30PM
Documentary 2013 Director: Heather Winters Screenwriters: Curtis Shaw Child, Heather Winters, Desmond Child Producers: Curtis Shaw Child, Heather Winters, Desmond Child USA
Combining over twelve years of footage and narrated by their twin sons, “TWO: The Story of Roman & Nyro,” follows legendary songwriter Desmond Child and his lifelong partner’s loving journey to create their new modern family.
No Te Entiendo | Saturday, September 28 – 3:30PM
Music Video 2013 Director: X-Alfonso Producer: Debbie Ohanian
Runtime: 4min Cuba
The concept of the video for Anthony De La Torre’s “No Te Entiendo” is the loneliness, heartbreak and miscommunication of today’s youth, where human contact has been lost due to the development of technology in society.
DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM 6 5:00 PM
AN ETERNAL JOURNEY, FRACKNATION
An Eternal Journey | Saturday, September 28 – 5PM
Documentary 2013 Director: Neeleesh Kanade Screenwriter: Abhijit Thite Producer: Rupa Kanade Runtime: 12min 55sec India
This film is about the journey of the ancient River Ganga that emerges from the Himalayas. Millions of people gather on the banks of this river to purify their sins. The documentary is shot at the confluence of three rivers – Ganga, Yamuna & Saraswati. The film is based on Kumbhamela – a festival that started 4,000 years ago & still continues to attract people from across the world. The film portrays the amalgamation of spiritually inclined people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
FrackNation | Saturday, September 28 – 5PM
Documentary 2013 Director: Phelim McAleer Producer: Phelim McAleer Runtime: 1hr 17min Poland, USA, United Kingdom
FrackNation follows journalist Phelim McAleer as he faces gun threats, malicious 911 calls and bogus lawsuits when questioning green extremists for the truth about fracking. Fracking is going to make America one of the world’s leading energy producers and has become the target of a concerted campaign by environmentalists who want it banned. In FrackNation McAleer travels across the USA and Europe to uncover the science suppressed by environmental activists and ignored by much of the media. He talks with scientists and ordinary Americans who live in fracking areas and who tell him the truth behind the exaggerations and misrepresentations of anti-fracking activists.
DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM 7 5:30 PM
SWITZERLAND BY THE DEWARS, NOT ANYMORE: A STORY OF REVOLUTION,
Switzerland by The Dewars | Saturday, September 28 – 5:30PM
Music Video 2013 Director: Brady Bigalke Producer: Brady Bigalke
Runtime: 4min 14sec U S A
This is the music video for the song ‘Switzerland’ by The Dewars. ‘Switzerland’ compares the internal battles in one’s self to the historical battles in World War II.
Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution | Saturday, September 28 – 5:30PM
Documentary 2013 Director: Matthew Van Dyke Screenwriter: Matthew Van Dyke Producer: Matthew Van Dyke Runtime: 14min 29sec USA, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey
Recipient of the 2013 Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award
The story of the Syrian revolution as told through the experiences of two young Syrians, a male rebel fighter and a female journalist, as they fight an oppressive regime for the freedom of their people.
Heal America | Saturday, September 28 – 5:30PM
Documentary 2013 Director: Yervand Kochar Runtime: 58min USA
Legendary homeless activist Ted Hayes embarks on a journey to heal America. He is accompanied by Alec, a cynical writer, disillusioned with the American dream.HEAL AMERICA
FEATURE PROGRAM 5
7:00 PM ALWAYS FAITHFUL
Always Faithful | Saturday, September 28 – 7PM
Feature Film 2012 Director: Christopher Cardiff Screenwriter: Christopher Cardiff Producer: Christopher Cardiff Runtime: 1hr 50min USA
An American soldier falls in love with an Arab woman. Their love story represents peace in the world, despite religious and cultural differences.
SATURDAY CENTERPIECE FILM
8:00 PM THE POWER OF FEW
The Power of Few | Saturday, September 28 – 8PM
Feature Film 2013 Director: Leone Marucci Screenwriter: Leone Marucci Producer: Roy Kurtluyan and Leone Marucci Runtime: 95min USA
“The Power of Few is a time-bending dramatic thriller starring Christopher Walken, Christian Slater, Anthony Anderson & an ensemble cast. The film is told from multiple perspectives, mixes urban crime and religious conspiracy, and encourages audiences to look at things from different perspectives to see how the choices of a single person can affect the outcome of things in a world where everything is interconnected. *Saturday Centerpiece Feature Film
9:45 PM SHORTS PROGRAM 2
IDA IS HERE, LIONS DEN, HALF GOOD KILLER, RED CLOUD DELIVERANCE, HER RULING, LAO
Ida Is Here | Saturday, September 28 – 9:45PM
Short Film 2013 Director: Emil Mkrttchian Screenwriter: Emil Mkrttchian Producer: Emil Mkrttchian Runtime: 18min Sweden
There is a struggle inside Ida, between darkness and life. Can she fool death? Does she see the light?
The Lion’s Den | Saturday, September 28 – 9:45PM
Short Film 2011 Director: Adam Koralik Screenwriter: Adam Koralik Producer: Andrew Parrotte Runtime: 7min 40sec USA
Two men must traverse enemy territory to see their loved ones, but even attempting to do so is an offense punishable by death.
Half Good Killer | Saturday, September 28 – 9:45PM
Short Film 2012 Director: Brent Ryan Green Screenwriter: Jeff Goldberg Producer: Brent Ryan Green Runtime: 14min 49sec South Africa
A jaded child soldier fighting for an African rebel force struggles to survive the war he was thrust into as he reawakens to the life he was destined to lead.
Red Cloud: Deliverance | Saturday, September 28 – 9:45PM
Short Film 2012 Director: Alex Kruz Screenwriters: Natasha Lazareva, Alex Kruz Producer: Robert Redfeather Runtime: 27min 22sec U S A
Jake Red Cloud, a Native American gun for hire with a mysterious past, needs a place to lay low. With a flashy bankroll, he persuades attractive Jeanine Parker to rent him a room. Jake quickly learns that Parker is nothing but a chain smoking, promiscuous drunk that neglects and ignores her daughter Ann. Desperate for attention, Ann befriends Red Cloud and soon the two develop a spiritual bond of friendship, which leads Jake to the revelation that something in his life is missing. Before he can act his past threatens to extinguish his life and the lives of those around him.
Her Ruling | Saturday, September 28 – 9:45PM
Short Film 2013 Director: Howie Askins Screenwriter: Jasmine Karapetyan Producer: Jasmine Karapetyan Runtime: 6min USA
Jessica, a self employed attorney who has been married for the past four years, discovers that her happy marriage is a sham. Her husband has been cheating and stealing money from the LAPD. Jessica refuses to become one of the victims. She’s out for revenge and regains her power the best way she knows how.
Lao | Saturday, September 28 – 9:45PM
Short Film 2013 Director: Gabriele Sabatino Nardis
Screenwriter: Gabrielle Sabatino Nardis Runtime: 18min 46 sec Italy
In 2009 an earthquake destroyed the Italian city of L’Aquila and the villages surrounding it. It claimed 309 lives, injured 1600 people and damaged 11000 buildings. People left homeless now live in temporary settlements. Elderly persons suffer more the loss of their places. Lao is one of them. When the quake broke his life he falls in loneliness and confusion, thinking back to an old beloved object lost under the debris of his house. His story is a universal metaphor for loss and old age.
10:30 PM SHORTS PROGRAM 3
EVERY DOOR EVERY FLOOR, THE PLAYER, OTRA VEZ, PERFECT DAY, SMALL FISH, A PRISONER IN THE COMPUTER
Every Door. Every Floor | Saturday, September 28 – 10:30PM
Short Film 2013 Director: Stash Capar Screenwriter: Haris Usanovic Producer: Kegan Sant Runtime: 22min Canada
Frustrated with his failure to make a single sale in six months, Vincent, a desperate cleaning product salesman, decides to take drastic action.
The Player | Saturday, September 28 – 10:30PM
Short Film 2013 Director: Hayk Matevosyan Screenwriter: Hayk Matevosyan Producer: Hayk Matevosyan Runtime: 8min 25sec USA
It is only a game until she learns how to play.
Otra Vez | Saturday, September 28 – 10:30PM
Short Film 2013 Director: KS Shanti Screenwriter: KS Shanti
Producer: KS Shanti Runtime: 15min 46sec U S A
Everyone has a bad influence.
A Perfect Day | Saturday, September 28 – 10:30PM
Short Film 2011 Director: Adam Rubin Screenwriter: Adam Rubin
Producer: Adam Rubin Runtime: 19min 57sec USA
A teenager, on the morning of his “going Columbine,” is confronted by an unlikely stranger– the only person who can stop him. This is a timely and powerful short film about two seemingly ordinary strangers existing in the heart of “perfect” suburbia, fated to meet at a life-changing moment, both confronting the demons we all share. The film is a tale of angst, of irony, and ultimately of hope. It is an edgy and fast-paced thriller, beautifully shot and told, with large implications and strong social value.
Small Fish | Saturday, September 28 – 10:30PM
Short Film 2013 Director: Alesia Glidewell Screenwriter: Lance Glidewell and Alesia Glidewell Producer: Lance Glidewell, Hrach Titizian and Johnny Asuncion
Runtime: 15min USA
Two teams. Only one prize…bragging rights to being the best amateur dancers in Rancho Cucamonga
A Prisoner in the Computer | Saturday, September 28 – 10:30PM
Short Film 2013 Director: Gayane Grigoryan
Screenwriter: Robert Ohanyan Producer: Svetlana Karaqehyan and Tiran Hayrapetyan
Runtime: 17min Armenia
A young man finds himself in trouble due to an error in the processing of his passport. As a result, he is awarded a lifetime pension which leads to continued confusion and chaos.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
12:00 PM DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM 8
WELCOME NOWHERE
Welcome Nowhere | Sunday, September 29 – 12PM
Documentary 2012 Director: Kate Ryan Producer: Kate Ryan Runtime: 1hr 20min Bulgaria, USA
Narrated by Academy Award-nominee Ethan Hawke, “Welcome Nowhere” tells the true story of a community of Roma people (commonly known as Gypsies) who live in old train boxcars in Sofia, Bulgaria. Without bathrooms for more than 200 people, they struggle to survive, waiting for help from the government that never seems to come.
1:00 PM DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM 9
LIFE CHANGING MOMENTS, SIKH FORMAGIO, INDELIBLE LALITA, LIBERTY
Life Changing Moments | Sunday, September 29 – 1PM
Documentary 2013 Director: Sherry Thomas Producer: Sherry Thomas Runtime: 17min 30sec USA, Uganda
“Life Changing Moments” follows director and surgeon, Dr. Sherry Thomas, as she travels to Africa to provide free surgery and medical care to dozens of impoverished African women suffering with fistula. This inspiring documentary also contrasts the experience of providing health care in Africa with her medical practice in the USA.WINNER! Best Documentary Short, Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Los Angeles
Sikh Formaggio | Sunday, September 29 – 1PM
Documentary 2012 Directed by: Devyn Bisson, Katie Wise, and Dan Duran Producer: Devyn Bisson Runtime: 21min 15sec Italy, USA
The centuries-old Parmesan Cheese industry of Northern Italy is one of history, passion, tradition and…. Sikhs?
Indelible Lalita | Sunday, September 29 – 1PM
Documentary 2012 Director: Julie Mallozzi Producer: Julie Mallozzi Runtime: 1hr 11min USA, Canada, France, India
Indelible Lalita tells the story of a beautiful woman whose resilient spirit survives her body’s transformation by cancer, heart failure, and a dramatic loss of skin pigment. Meditatively flowing between surface and interior, the film follows Lalita as she migrates from Bombay to Paris to Montreal, and becomes completely White along the way. Lalita learns to let go of her body as the sign of her ethnicity and femininity–and ultimately realizes that her body is just a temporary vessel for her spirit.
Liberty |Sunday, September 29 – 1PM
Short Film 2013 Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Pablo Iglesias Derderian Runtime: 41sec
A raw look at a natural scene of a butterfly, a symbol of freedom, who was once stuck but now has its own freedom.
2:00 PM FEATURE FILM 7
GETTING IT RIGHT, MY BIG FAT ARMENIAN FAMILY
Getting it Right | Sunday, September 29 – 2PM
Short Film 2013 Director: David Hovan Screenwriter: David Hovan Producer: David Hovan Runtime: 5min 29sec Canada
Hilarious difficulties hinder two elderly Armenians who want to act in a film. Obstacles continue to get in their way take after take, foiling all their efforts for a perfect take.
My Big Fat Armenian Family | Sunday, September 29 – 2PM
Feature Film 2008 Director: Sev Ohanian Screenwriter: Sev Ohanian Producer: Sev Ohanian Runtime: 98min USA
When Robert decides to surprise his kids with a surprise vacation, he thought it would bring his family together. However, everything goes wrong as everyone’s agendas collide: Narbeh’s already estranged relationship with his father is further complicated by the arrival of his cousin Arabo from overseas. Ramela fears Robert will never approve of the boy of her dreams, Orbel. Meanwhile, Rima simply wishes Robert would pay more attention to her, as he once did years ago. Join the family in this laugh-filled and heartfelt story of an Armenian-American family who must learn to love and accept each other–the hard way.
*5th Anniversary Screening | Sev Ohanian is Arpa International Film Festival’s 2013 Breakthrough Filmmaker Award recipient.
3:00 PM DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM 10
WE ARE VOICES
We Are Voices – For a Future Without Genocide | Sunday, September 29 – 3PM
Documentary 2012 Director: Denise Gentilini and Lynette Prisner Screenwriter: Denise Gentilini and Lynette Prisner Producer: Denise Gentilini and Lynette Prisner Runtime: 1hr 31min USA
Denise Gentilini brings together voice and musicians to perform her original songs, written with intention, and weaving in genocide scholars speaking to his important ongoing issue. Educational, through provoking and uplifting.
4:30 PM DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM 11
ORPHANS OF THE GENOCIDE
Orphans of the Genocide | Sunday, September 29 – 4:30PM
Documentary 2013 Director: Bared Maronian
Runtime: 1hr 30min USA, Armenia, Canada, Lebanon
Orphans of the Genocide is an emotional visual journey through never-before-seen or rarely seen archival footage and discovered memoirs of orphans who lived through the last century’s first, fully documented and least recognized Armenian Genocide of 1915. The documentary follows Maurice Missak Kelechian whose research findings unveil the site of an Armenian orphanage located at the present day Antoura College near Beirut, Lebanon where 1,000 Armenian Genocide Orphans had lived and were forcefully converted and ‘Turkified’ during WWI. Additionally the documentary includes interviews with numerous public figures including British journalist Robert Fisk–whose article ‘Living Proof of the Armenian Genocide,’ published in 2010 by the Independent, included many of the archival proofs–as well as Armenian-American Dr. Jack Kevorkian among others
5:15 PMDOCUMENTARY PROGRAM 12
RISKY BUSINESS
Risky Business: A Look Inside America’s Adult Film Industry | Sunday, September 29 – 5:15PM
Documentary 2013 Director: David Mech Screenwriters: Adelin Gasana and Mary Burns Producer: David Mech Runtime: 1hr 42min USA
“Risky Business: A Look Inside America’s Adult Film Industry” examines the social, psychological, and economic impacts of performing in adult films. The documentary also examines proposed regulations that would address current industry issues, including workplace health and safety, such as mandatory STD testing and condom use, and job discrimination once performers decide to leave the industry and pursue conventional employment.
7:30 PM CLOSING NIGHT AWARDS AND FILM MASQUE
Masque | Sunday, September 29 – 7:30PM
Short Film 2012 Director: Robert Hatch Screenwriter: Richard Losee Producer: Richard Losee Runtime: 39min 55sec USA
Defying a fate of destruction and despair, a scarred and evil prizefighter, henchman, and gambler conscripts the artful skills of a gifted benefactor who proffers the hope of a mythical journey of…
The evening will include honors in the festival’s competitive categories, as well as the special awards, the 2013 Breakthrough Filmmaker (Sev Ohanian (FRUITVALE STATION, 2013), Lifetime Achievement (actor Sid Haig), and the Armen T. Wegner Humanitarian Award (producer Matthew Van Dyke (NOT ANYMORE: A STORY OF REVOLUTION (2013)
To purchase tickets please go to http://affma.org/film-festival/schedule/