FRIDAY, MARCH 28TH
Narrative Night, 7 PM
SUNDAY AFTERNOON (Kaveh Nabatian, Canada)
It is a Sunday afternoon in the universe. When a mysterious musical force causes scorching heat, tornadoes, and raging fires to devastate our planet, four very different people await the impending disaster at a local corner store.
THIEVERY (Nadia Szold, U.S.A.)
Miles, a 15 year old ingénue, wakes up in the bed of Clothilde, a 25 year old artist. When Clothilde’s older boyfriend Adrian returns home unexpected, fresh from his father’s funeral across the Atlantic, the true trouble begins. Yet the betrayal is settled in an unexpected twist, revealing a cyclic pattern of ownership and chauvinism. A black comedy, “Thievery” is just your average story of cradle robbery, power games, battles of the sexes, high stake auctions and Sunday brunch.
MY WOODEN DOG (Natalia S. Babinski, Poland)
Tadek, an oddball hero, wants to heal his family's troubled lives with love. When his clumsy schemes to rescue his mother from depression and his sister from heartache fail, the world writhes in Tadek's head to become a most painful experience.
HERO THE GREAT (Juan Caceres, U.S.A.)
In an urban contemporary ‘Huckleberry Finn’, 14 year-old Hero has no cares in the world as he runs around his New York City hood with his partner-in-crime, Biscuit.
DEACON'S MONDAYS (Lowell Frank, U.S.A.)
Deacon lives in a fantastical world of snowing feathers, hailing golf balls and incredible guilt... After a petty accident begins to haunt him, the lonely landscaper must stumble through his mundane life while combatting his inner torment. Through an unlikely friendship with an elderly woman, Deacon comes face to face with his own humanness and learns that he is not alone.
THE O.R. (Neel Upadhye, U.S.A.)
An Iraqi doctor runs a makeshift clinic with his father, out of their own home in bombed out Baghdad. When supplies run low, Ahmed must weigh the lives of patients who can pay against those who cannot in the vain hope of keeping the hospital alive.
THE VAUDEVILLIAN (Bryan Nest, U.S.A.)
A ventriloquist's relationship with his dummy is strained after they lose their job with a traveling vaudeville act. The ventriloquist realizes he is able to scam farmers for money, much to the dummy's dismay, and loses his conscience so that he can continue.
HOUSE OF CARDS (David Priego, U.S.A.)
The story of a divorcing family, collapsing upon its material desires. As Juan and Hanna charge into the inevitable battle over the division of the material remnants of their family, their six year old son Pincho becomes the ultimate possession for dispute. As the conflict escalates and the forces collide, dignity is thrown to the wind...
YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE (Surendra Kudva Jr., U.S.A.)
A wealthy, down on his luck, middle-aged businessman is accosted by a young, out of work thug looking for an easy score. This chance encounter brings both men face to face with the perfect solution to their situations, or so it seems...
JUSTICE ACCOMPLISHED (Kirschbaum Michael, U.S.A.)
JUSTICE enters a party where FLORIDA introduces her to GORE. Their eyes meet, a smile, until JUDGE grabs Justice, spins her around and dances her towards BUSH. Waiting with a champagne flute, Bush seduces Justice with good times, drinks, and dancing. Enjoying their evening, Bush takes Justice back to the bedroom...
A TRIP TO PRAGUE (Neil Ira Needleman, U.S.A.)
"There aren’t enough happy endings in the world, so I decided to create my own. This short, sweet, and touching story is told, very simply, by a narrator and my friend Herb’s wonderful sketches of Prague. The story may be fiction, but the feelings are real. And, I sincerely believe, happy endings can be real, too."
FULL-STOP HILLTOP (David Baeumler, U.S.A.)
When the water mysteriously stops, a man is forced out of his daily routine to examine his life. He revisits his past to consider the places and moments that shaped him. But in a constantly shifting world, these memories have lost the meaning they once had. Have the places changed or has he?
LATEST NEWS:
April 4:
Check out this year's Award Winners!
March 9:
Lori Petty, Ry Russo-Young, & Joaquin Alvarado announced as Guest Judges!
February 5:
Don't miss our final deadline for submissions, February 16!
November 23:
We are now accepting online submissions at withoutabox.com!
November 18:
Early "L.A. Time" deadline extended to December 15! See Submissions.