Omaha Film Festival 2009

'Lifestories: The Lost Boys of Sudan' explores the lives of eight Sudanese refugees. Displaced from their homes in the late 1980's due to a brutal civil war, the youngest boys were forced to flee alone. Pitted against an Arab Militia, wild animals, starvation, and thirst the boys survived a trek of 1,000 miles and twelve years in refugee camps before coming to the United States. Enduring such unimaginable hardships left them with many stories to tell. In their own voices, these are their stories.

LIGHTBULB is a serious comedy about two friends, a small-time inventor and a fast-talking salesman who deal with mishaps and failed inventions before coming up with a product that becomes a worldwide phenomenon. LIGHTBULB is a story about hope and persistence in the face of hard times.LIGHTBULB features Dallas Roberts (I WALK THE LINE, 3:10 TO YUMA), Jeremy Renner (THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES, THE HURT LOCKER), Ayelet Zurer (MUNICH, ANGELS & DEMONS). LIGHTBULB is directed by Jeff Balsmeyer, whose first feature DANNY DECKCHAIR opened to rave reviews and was the closing night film at the Toronto Film Festival.

Set mostly in a NYC precinct, the plot follows the arrest of a homeless man who calls himself 'Banzai' after he's busted for taking a piss, unknowingly, on the Mayor's limousine at a protest demonstration. Once the media, a police captain and a homeless group get into the act, Banzai becomes the prize in a political tug of war. While Banzai is confined to a holding cell, three experienced detectives discover their "perp" is a former high school sports champion, who has hit the skids after suffering a personal tragedy.Bits of the emotional string that hold Banzai together begin to unravel as the detectives uncover his past. They find out he lost his family in a fire and that he savagely attacked the two arsonists who burned his house and killed his family. The cops admit they would?ve done the same. There's the dilemma. They feel bad, but he's a wanted man. Do the detectives arrest Banzai and add to his already living hell or say nothing and go against the Captain they resent for being more politician than policeman? Here lies the diagram of Banzai's destruction, not by his demons, but by image-conscious officials, by media manipulation and the ambition of would-be friends. They are what finally set loose Banzai's demons. In making his private world public, they sever the thin thread that connects him with reality and we get to look inside Banzai as he vanishes into darkness.

Elisabeth starts getting mysterious phone calls and is certain a man is spying on her. She lures him into her apartment,overcomes him and takes control,or so she thinks.The clamp tightens. Who is the victim here? Who is the perpetuator? The Turning Bridge is a psychological drama. The past these two people refuse to face must reveal itself.

April and Greg are in love. The two twenty-somethings have a tiny downtown apartment, crushing student loan debts, overbearing parents, slim job prospects....and they just found out they are pregnant. On a hot summer night, the young couple grapples with the news and this will change their lives forever.

Once upon a time a guardian was chosen to watch over all living things. She was called the Magistical. Hoping to preserve all precious life, the Magistical created a spell. This spell granted the last of every type of creature, immortality. However, to one very evil Draken, the spell would carry a very different meaning than intended. By killing all other Drakens, she would become the last. Without fear of death, such a beast could rule the world. Now only one baby cub stands between her and her evil ambitions. And between them stands a small, but determined, obstacle, named Foible.

Nic, a 21-year-old understated beauty, embraces her newfound power over the opposite sex. This short comedy explores the interactions between young men and women, while experimenting with the commonly held belief that females often use their sexuality to gain advantages over their male counterparts.