PHILLY PHILMS II SHORTS PROGRAM

PHILLY PHILMS II SHORTS PROGRAM
Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 4:00 PM
SHORTS PROGRAM | 70 min
General Admission $10 | Student + Children $8

INTERCEPTION: JAYNE KENNEDY - AMERICAN SPORTSCASTER
SHORT DOCUMENTARY| 15 MIN | ENGLISH | USA
Directed by Safiya Songhai

When a bronze-skin bombshell rocks the world of Sunday Morning Football, millions tune in... but few know the tumultuous story of Jayne Kennedy, the first Black woman to boldly tackle the racial lines of American sportscasting.

Director, Safiya Songhai

Safiya Songhai is an African-American film director, screenwriter, editor and producer. She trained with highly acclaimed 'Sankofa' director Haile Gerima, playwright Ntozake Shange author of 'For Colored Girls', Legendary film icon and Oscar-winner, Spike Lee and the late Oscar nominated director John Singleton.

Her fiction films explore themes of unrequited love, conflicts of temptation and religious devotion, as well as spirituality and the supernatural. Her film 'Ladylike' is one of the first film credits of the late Chadwick Boseman 'Black Panther'.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Boston, Songhai is also a college professor, television broadcast journalist, voice-over artist and former CNN commentator.

New York University - MFA in Film and Television Production
Howard University - BA in Film Production

THE LOOK OF LOVE/THE ISLAND
MUSIC VIDEO| 7 MIN | ENGLISH | USA
Directed by Monique Impagliazzo

The Look of Love/The Island is an homage to love in all its forms. This exposé, starring Roslyn Kind, takes you on a journey of discovery through a series of flashbacks, as it transports and encourages one to embrace current love, lost love and finding love in your later years. The visuals personify the joy and passion that love brings regardless of time and space, as reinforced in the lyric, "the look that time can’t erase." We follow Rozzie down memory lane, as she has a kismet encounter with her lost love at a French Bistro, while her daydream transports us into her youth on a desert island. Through a series of time jumps and ethereal visuals, we come back to the present day as the lyric expresses, "now that I have found you, don't ever go."

Director, Monique Impagliazzo

Monique Impagliazzo is a director, writer, and producer who has over 15 years of experience in film, television, documentaries, commercials and music videos. Her work includes the comedy, Turkey's Done starring SNL's Cheri Oteri. The film won Best Director, Best Actress and Best Comedy at various film festivals in the US and Canada, including the Just for Laughs Film Festival in Vancouver, the Women's Film Festival of Philadelphia and the Burbank International Film Festival.

Monique has worked on several projects at Barwood Films assisting industry icon, Barbra Streisand. These projects include Paramount's The Guilt Trip, The Back to Brooklyn Tour both the international and domestic, and the studio album What Matters Most.

Monique recently directed Malek Hanna’s music video, Which Way To Go and Roslyn Kind’s The Look of Love/The Island. She’s currently in development on her feature film, Ready, Set, Christmas that she wrote and will direct.

TO'OBORNI
SHORT NARRATIVE | 12 MIN | ARABIC, ENGLISH | USA
Directed by Lara Bedewi

When relatives come to visit from their homeland, Salma must choose between being the daughter her mother wants to present to them, and being herself.

Director, Lara Bedewi

Lara Bedewi is a first generation Arab-American writer, director, and multimedia artist from Philadelphia whose films explore vulnerability and belonging through the lens of culture, ancestry, and community. Lara is a 2021 George and Rose B. Ashe Arts Scholarship recipient and was selected as a 2022 BlackStar Film Festival official screener. She is a 2023 Cinema & Television BIPOC Filmmaker Grant awardee and recently screened her work at the Philadelphia Film Society's local film showcase.

IS IT BECAUSE I'M A GIRL
SHORT DOCUMENTARY | 16 MIN | ENGLISH | USA, KENYA
Directed by Peter Decherney

Nao.G is the first South Sudanese woman hip-hop performer in Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp. She overcame family abuse and social pressure to create music and poetry that heals her and empowers others. She started a dance crew of all women. As she sings: she is a superstar in the camp, but she is going nowhere.

Director, Peter Decherney

Peter Decherney is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and teacher. He is Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Term Chair in the Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the Penn Global Documentary Institute. He has been an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scholar, a fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies, and a U.S. State Department Arts Envoy to Myanmar. Since 2015, he has directed a series of documentary and virtual reality films about global migration and about the political role of artists. FILMMAKING FOR DEMOCRACY IN MYANMAR (2015) took viewers into the world of Myanmar’s politically subversive straight-to-DVD film industry. His first virtual reality project explored an experimental refugee settlement in Kenya near the South Sudanese border. He followed with a 12-episode docuseries THE HEART OF PUERTO RICO (co-directed with Jean Lee) about artists in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. The series won Best Virtual Reality Experience at the 2020 AT&T Film Awards. His most recent film, DREAMING OF JERUSALEM (co-directed with Sosena Solomon), about the Jewish community in Gondar, Ethiopia, is a Discovery+ Original. He is also the author or editor of seven books including Hollywood’s Copyright Wars: From Edison to the Internet and Hollywood: A Very Short Introduction. His first book of photography ENDLESS EXODUS: THE JEWISH EXPERIENCE IN ETHIOPIA is forthcoming. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Forbes, and Inside Higher Ed, among other places, and his free online course on the history of Hollywood has enrolled more that 75,000 learners.

AATMASHANTI
SHORT NARRATIVE | 6 MIN | ENGLISH | USA
Directed by Pratigya Paudel

Synopsis coming soon...

GOODBYE JOHN
SHORT NARRATIVE | 4 MIN | ENGLISH | USA
Directed by LaVeta Cameron

Man attempts to save his relationship before the love of his life falls into the merciless arms of an arranged marriage.

Director, LaVeta Cameron

LaVeta Cameron, affectionately known as Lady Ninja Storm: is an Actress, Producer, Writer, Director and Martial Artist. LaVeta Cameron is best known for Wet (2022), Yes, Anthony (2023), Dame (2023) and Red Light (2023).

MAIL ORDER BRIDE
SHORT NARRATIVE | 15 MIN | ENGLISH | USA
Directed by Oliver Assiran

A woman on the run from prosecution for having life-saving surgery ends up as a mail order bride in Canada. When her new fiance assaults her, she escapes and ends up finding a new purpose in life.

Director, Oliver Assiran

Oliver Assiran is known for directing Flogging Margaret distributed by Warner home Video (2008), Gorno: An American Tragedy distributed by brain damage films (2004) and Mail Order Bride.

THE POINTY SLIPPERS
SHORT NARRATIVE | 8.5 MIN | ENGLISH | USA
Directed by Christina Acevedo

Holding in pain can be deadly.

The Pointy Slippers tells the story of a woman who, on a date, conceals the excruciating pain caused by her new shoes, only to discover that her hidden suffering takes on a life of its own, becoming impossible to ignore.

Director, Christina Acevedo

Christina Acevedo, a multifaceted artist, calls Philadelphia home. She earned her degree in Filmmaking and Film Theory from NYU, laying the foundation for her creative work and research. In 2008, Christina embarked on her directorial and screenwriting path, ultimately garnering recognition with her debut short film, ‘Wild Idle,’ premiering at the ICA Open Video Call in 2011 and earning a coveted spot at the Cannes Film Festival Court Métrage Selection.

While her roots were in narrative filmmaking, Christina’s artistic evolution led her to explore experimental music and video art in 2013. She began experimenting with editing techniques, blending tape recordings, found footage, and cherished childhood home videos. This artistic exploration opened doors to the world of music video production in 2014, a path she would tread for the next eight years.

Christina’s creative journey included directing, cinematography, and producing music videos in Los Angeles. Notably, six of these projects were collaborative endeavors with visual artist and musician Geneva Jacuzzi.

Expanding on her art practice, Christina ventured into the world of music, releasing two EPs, including one on cassette in partnership with the UK label Industrial Coast, under her artist pseudonym ‘T I N A.’ In addition to her musical pursuits, she developed the brand ProForce Sport, specializing in martial arts athleisure wear. Her creative interests continued to diversify as she explored the realm of SFX makeup.

Recently, Christina completed her short horror film, ‘The Pointy Slippers,’ shot in the charming yet spooky backdrop of Philadelphia in May 2023. As she continues to push artistic boundaries, Christina is now immersed in the research and development of her next horror film, promising new and exciting cinematic ventures on the horizon.