Omaha Film Festival 2009

Granny Grimm, a seemingly sweet old lady, loses the plot as she tells her version of Sleeping Beauty to her terrified Granddaughter. In her retelling the Elderly Fairy, not invited to Beauty's christening because she isn't as exciting as the younger more glamorous fairies, exacts her revenge on a society obsessed with youth and beauty.

Grapes is a dark comedy that analyzes the scary humor behind the ambitions of a bright yet troubled college student. William Atwood the Second (nicknamed Grapes) is a young psychology student who aspires to become a great American serial killer. Both the authorities and his invalid grandmother have questions about Grapes and his schoolwork. When a real murderer moves into his small college town and begins to kill the local college students one by one, Grapes’ sense of competition pushes him to try his hand at the murder game. A wrench is thrown into his plan when he finds out that his first victim could very well be the College Killer’s next. Grapes is a true Nebraska Independent feature. It was shot on location in the creators hometown of Wahoo and on the campus of their alma mater, the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Director Jake Hull also wrote the screenplay and produced the film, arranging a 10 straight day shoot on a budget well under $10,000. Director of Photography Rhett McClure utilized a Panasonic HVX-200 camera and shot DVCPROHD files at 720 progressive native 24fps. Producer Seth Requenez with AB Productions arranged catering, set design, transportation and all other production at both set locations.

Law-school dropout Troy Gable answers an ad for a “personal assistant to a celebrity performer,” hoping it will catapult him to a glamorous career in the entertainment industry. Little does he know that performer is Buck Howard, a "mentalist" infamous for his 61 appearances on The Tonight Show, who has been reduced to a has-been magician in need of a pretty big trick to get him out of this slump. Writer/director Sean McGinly does the near impossible by successfully encapsulating a whole era of entertainment in one outrageous character. Played with perfection by John Malkovich, Buck is a bigger-than-life mix of ego, sweetness, and delusion packaged in a flamboyant style. As Troy, Colin Hanks does a remarkable job of holding his own, even when deflecting Buck's diva-esque tantrums. In an inspired bit of casting, Tom Hanks plays Troy’s father, who ironically disapproves of show business, and Emily Blunt is the fiery publicist hired to stage the comeback of a lifetime. McGinly’s secret is that he never allows the film to wallow in sentimentality because Buck doesn't need our pity. He has confidence in his stage presence, and he may even have some authentic magic powers up his sleeve. The true magic of The Great Buck Howard, however, is remembering the power of staying true to yourself even if the world around you has changed.

A stranger’s connection to a long-buried family tragedy forces a retired couple to face their lingering and suppressed grief head on. The encounter brings pain and, ultimately, redemption.

Jason Collins is a tough kid from a single-parent home who has found himself entangled in a life of crime and darkness. Steve Mercer is an increasingly frustrated minister at a well-respected church in town. One night, as Steve is confronted by Jason and his friends, Jason’s words cut deep. Steve cannot forget the truths that came from this skateboarder “punk”, so he decides to make Jason and his friends his new heavenly assignment. Unfortunately, Steve’s congregation is not as excited as he is about reaching wayward youths. Steve and Jason are on the same road, confused and unsure about their futures, as they begin a friendship that is about to bring changes they could not have possibly imagined.

Born within a year of each other, Michael and Seamus Sullivan have become very different men. On the eve of their father's funeral, Seamus drags Michael to the local pub in their small, logging community of northern California. He attempts to convince his brother that they must take their father's ashes to Ireland in tribute. Of course, it isn't long before Seamus' true intentions are revealed, when his involvement with a group of local drug dealers becomes impossible to avoid, and Michael must confront how much he is willing to sacrifice for his Irish twin.

This award-winning tale tells the extraordinary story of how a population of wild New Zealand falcons have managed to survive in the face of fierce commercial forestry logging practices that stripped the birds of their natural habitat. It also tells the story of two friends - conservationist and director Sandy Crichton, and 88-year-old wildlife photographer George Chance. Bound by their mutual love and admiration for the falcons, Chance¹s failing health and eyesight inspires the young Crichton to capture footage of the falcons as a tribute to the latter¹s body of work from the 1970¹s. What begins as an empathetic response to fulfil a friend's final wish to see the magnificent birds on film ends up becoming a chance of a lifetime. When Crichton begins filming the falcons, he inadvertently becomes witness to new falcon behaviour, capturing a turning point in the ecological evolution of the wild birds. In the heartfelt tradition of post-war Disney nature films, Karearea is a quietly moving story and a testament to the resilience of the animal kingdom in surviving against the odds that will keep all generations of viewers spell-bound.

Writer-director Rob Margolies' debut feature bristles with smart dialogue, complex characters, and heart wrenching performances. Set against the backdrop of suburban utopia, the Bernstein family leads a dysfunctional existence. With three foul-mouthed kids (Robbie Sublett, Dreama Walker, and Jacob Kogan), a caffeine-addict mother (Jane Adams) on the brink, and a less than forthcoming father (Josh Pais), they suffer an atmosphere so heavy with collective hostility and tension it seems as if the floral-papered walls will come crashing down at any minute. Forced to the breaking point, they concede to a family therapy session, where it quickly becomes clear that what's at stake is “about a lot more than dry turkey.” Repressed anger and antagonism give way to moments of self-revelation, as a patient and compassionate Dr. Livingston (Joe Morton) draws out demons and dark secrets, allowing the family to start accepting their own humanity. Brutally hilarious, warmly intimate, always honest, “Lifelines” is an impressively fresh take on the family drama.