10:00AM
HAMELL ON TRIAL - "ARTIST IN AMERICA"
Documentary Short - Runtime 17:00
Directed by: Vic Campos
An inside look at legendary NYC Musician/Artist/Punk Poet/Anti-Folk hero Hamell on Trial who has defied any easy categorization in a career that is now entering its 30th year.
IN TRANSIT
Documentary Feature - Runtime 1:24:00
Directed by: Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu, David Usuis
Q&A Moderated by: Stephen Whitty (Critic)
In Transit takes you on a journey into the hearts and minds of passengers aboard Amtrak's Empire Builder, the busiest long-distance train route in America. As the Empire Builder crisscrosses the country, passing through urban centers, oil fields, vast plains and towering mountains, a loving portrait of America emerges, in its natural human beauty.
12:00PM
MOTHER'S DAY
Narrative Short - Runtime 6:37
Directed by: Jeff Tan
Tragedy forces a mother and son to say goodbye forever, starring Academy Award Winner Melissa Leo.
RED THUNDER
Narrative Short - Runtime 6:26
Directed by: Alvaro Ron
Sarah (Allie Grant, "Weeds"), a nerdy teenager, needs her mom's brand new car to go on a date with Danny. Little does Sarah know the vehicle is part of a secret her mom keeps and this discovery will change her life forever.
THE THERE
Narrative Short - Runtime 9:19
Directed by: Scott Cobb
Two women friends clash in a drained out pool where one seeks to win the other's renewed companionship by showing her a film she made of an important incident in their lives.
BROKE
Narrative Feature - Runtime 1:33:00
Directed by: Heath Davis
A disgraced sports star earns a second chance through the support of his number one fan.
2:15PM
PACT: A DAY IN THE LIFE
Documentary Short - NJ Filmmaker - Runtime 14:09
Directed by: John Bynum
Follow a day in the life of Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton's PACT Team, a group of social workers that work with the mentally ill of Trenton, NJ.
ALMOST THERE
Documentary Feature - Runtime 1:33:00
Directed by: Aaron Wickenden and Dan Rybicky
For many, Peter Anton's house embodies an end-of-life nightmare, but for the filmmakers his home is a treasure trove, a startling collection of unseen and fascinating paintings, drawings, and notebooks, not to mention Peter Anton himself.
4:30PM
A BOX CAME TO BROOKLYN
Narrative Short - Runtime 26:19
Directed by: Jason Cusato
A life-long Brooklynite struggles to convince his neighbors that a mysterious box left in the middle of their street doesn't guarantee one of them is a dangerous terrorist.
GODLESS
Narrative Feature - Runtime 1:29:00
Directed by: Joshua Lim
After the death of their parents, two brothers' unrelenting love for each other threatens the secret affair they had buried.
6:45PM
VIDEO
Narrative Short - Runtime 14:56
Directed by: Randy Yang
When two teenage African-American girls capture a woman's racist remark on video, hard decisions need to be made on what to do with the content.
HAZE
Narrative Feature - Runtime 1:46:00
Directed by: David Burkman
Q&A Moderated by: Thomas Rondinella (Seton Hall University Film Dept. Head)
A college freshman's desire to join the best fraternity on campus is dampened when a pledge is killed in a brutal hazing incident. This film presents a realistic account of fraternity hazing, exploring the essential nature of friendship and family, and the sadistic lengths to which the young will go to belong.
10:00AM
LOCAL FILMMAKERS PROGRAM
BARTLEBY
Narrative Short - Runtime 12:00
Directed by: Gerard Amsellem
A word processing operator joins a small law office and forever changes the lives of those around him by doing one thing: nothing.
DINNER TIME
Narrative Short - Runtime 7:51
Directed by: Matthew Borrello, Seton Hall University Student
A goofy young man desperately tries to resupply the freezer before his intimidating sister returns home. Endless interruptions prevent Nathan from reaching his goal.
REMEMBER
Short Documentary - Runtime 6:32
Directed by: Brian Neff
The film uses the makeshift memorial at the site of the 2015 East Village gas explosion to present a short meditation on the tension between our desire to pay homage to the memories of those we have lost and the conflicting pull of daily life.
YOUNG FILMMAKERS Powered by Cinema Ed
Screening of Award-Wining Films - Runtime 30:00
From submissions by high school students across New Jersey, the following films were selected as the SOMA Film Festival Best of 2016.Live Action Shorts
THE PANIC - Yasmine Barboza
I SCREAM - Brett Boon
MUDDY SHOES - Sofia Donald
THE EXPECTED PITCH - Harrison KraftAnimated Shorts
FREE BIRD - Maude Schmidt/Liam Dillon
PARANOID - Sofia Donald/Justin Dyer
FLIP INTO LIFE - Aidan Romanaux/Sam Skeete/Rebecca Wolf
THE AWAKENING - Samantha Colon/Ketou Brigarde
WATER YOU DOING TODAY - Edward Willshire/McKenzie Bowles
SOME KIND OF SPARK
Feature Documentary - Runtime 1:25:00
Directed by: Ben Niles
Musical Performance by: TBA
Follow seven inner-city kids from New York City as they embark on a life-changing experience: the opportunity to study music at the Juilliard School of Music.
12:45PM
MAX
Narrative Short - Runtime 6:13
Directed by: Rajesh Naroth
Some decisions are tough as we see through the eyes of a very challenging day in the life of Annette Davis.
L'ENCENEDOR QU"NTIC
Narrative Short - Runtime 5:09
Directed by: Pau Escribano
How can we prove that we actually time-traveled? A young couple will soon find out.
BLACK BALLOON
Narrative Short - Runtime 12:00
Directed by: Shachar Gal
Amit and Sol wake up in an abandoned building bound tight to chairs. Someone has organized a cruel and surreal birthday party" and they are the guests-of-honor.
TEXTING: A LOVE STORY
Narrative Short - Runtime 8:02
Directed by: Rani Crowe
A funny look at love, intimacy, and connection in the digital age.
PROUD CITIZEN
Narrative Feature - Runtime 1:25:00
Directed by: Thomas Southerland
After winning second place in a play-writing contest, Bulgarian Krasimira Stanimirova travels to Kentucky for the premiere of her autobiographical, Communist-era play "Black Coat.' Expecting southern hospitality, Krasi instead finds herself isolated and lonely as she explores America on foot. Proud Citizen is a funny, sometimes heartbreaking meditation on disappointment, traveling, the comfort of strangers and the joy of funnel cakes.
3:00PM
GEORGE SAUNDERS: ON STORY
Short Documentary - Runtime 7:15
Directed by: Sarah Klein and Tom Mason, Local Filmmakers
In this rare appearance as a documentary subject, George Saunders reveals the pitfalls of bad storytelling and explains the openness and generosity required to breathe life into great characters.
SAVE THE BEES
Short Documentary - Runtime 2:17
Directed by: Marta Topolska
A short animated documentary showing how important bees are to our environment.
HANK, HARE SCRAMBLE, ODESSA, NEW YORK
Short Documentary - Runtime 3:20
Directed by: Rebecca Soderholm
Hank is left to fend for himself during a hare scramble as his parents help young racers through a mud hole.
AMONG THE BELIEVERS
Documentary Feature - Runtime 1:24:00
Directed by: Hemal Trivedi and Mohammed Ali Naqvi
Produced by: Jonathan Goodman Levitt and Hemal Trivedi
Q&A Moderated by: Sarah Klein & Tom Mason (Red Door Films)
Charismatic cleric Abdul Aziz Ghazi, an ISIS supporter and Taliban ally, is waging jihad against the Pakistani state. His dream is to impose a strict version of Shariah law throughout the country, as a model for the world. With unprecedented access, Among the Believers follows Aziz on his very personal quest to create an Islamic utopia, during the bloodiest period in Pakistan's modern history.
5:00PM
STILL
Narrative Short - Runtime 6:15
Directed by: Brian Cohen
Echo and Alana's benighted sentiments on terrorism are challenged when they are confronted with a life and death situation.
THE LINGERIE SHOW
Narrative Animated Short - Runtime 8:15
Directed by: Laura Harrison
Drug-addict Lorraine and her boyfriend Caesar are having a nightmarish 24 hours until Lorraine calls up her sister, CiCi, for help.
ODD BRODSKY
Narrative Feature - Runtime 1:33:00
Directed by: Cindy Baer
Audrey Brodsky is a lovable loser who hates her job. After 11 years, she finally quits to pursue her childhood dream of becoming an actress! There's just one problem: she's not very good at it. But, what she lacks in talent, she makes up for in heart. When she meets an aspiring cameraman, the adventure of her life finally begins.
7:15PM
THE ARTIFACT
Narrative Short - Runtime 8:20
Directed by: Aaaron Kamp
A kidnapped archaeologist guards a treasure worth dying for.
COMPLETELY NORMAL
Narrative Feature - Runtime 1:29:00
Directed by: Robert Vornkahl
Q&A Moderated by: Susan Greeley (Tribeca Film Festival Shorts Director)
Greg is a hopeless romantic whose sincere yet awkward affections are a little too much for most "normal" girls. Gwen is a New York City maid; likes yoga, artisanal coffee and heavy metal music, and she just happens to suffer from multiple personality disorder. After another failed relationship, and some really terrible fatherly advice, Greg spots Gwen on the subway and instantly falls in love with her from afar.
* Program subject to change without notice. The SOMA Film Festival is a program of South Orange Performing Arts Center located at One SOPAC Way in South Orange, NJ.
