2015 Online New England Film Festival

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Dear Family

Sep 2015

2014 | Directed by Sarah Lew

Annie, fed up with how she is treated at home, runs away. She does however, make sure to write to her family, providing explanation of her departure, and the grand visions of the life in front of her.

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Birth of a Luthier

Sep 2015

2015 | Directed by Thomas C. Webb

Luthier: One who makes stringed musical instruments, as violins or guitars. (Merriam-Webster)

This is the story of two men who find friendship through building musical instruments.

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Liz

Sep 2015

2014 | Directed by Sharyn Paul Brusie

Homeless at 13, Liz Leddy lived a tragic life of despair.  Her battle with addictions and raging behavior led to a brutal fight of survival on the streets.  Filmed over four years, in Portland, Maine, we follow Liz as she reclaims her life from desperation to a place of love, forgiveness and hope. Her dreams manifest as she becomes a favorite for competition in the 2012 Olympic sport of boxing.

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Among the Giants

Sep 2015

2009 | Directed by Cory Tomascoff

In 2001, Alex Truesdell started an independent non-profit called the Adaptive Design Association (ADA) with the mission that all children (and eventually adults) with “disabilities” would get the customized equipment and adaptations they need to participate fully in the community and achieve their full developmental, social, and academic potential.

Since then, ADA has established its home base in New York City, and has inspired numerous Adaptive Device Centers (ADC’s) around the globe. But the struggle to meet an often un-recognized need has continued to rage on. Unfortunately, in the United States, most children in need of support are either un-supported by their families, school systems, and/or communities.

Among the Giants is a short documentary film which tells Adaptive Design’s story through the tales of a few fascinating and courageous individuals, all of whom have had some relationship with ADA. The film challenges viewers to question the very nature of notions such as “disability”, and “capability”, as well as the unfortunate reality of “accessibility” in the United States.

Directed in 2009, the film continues to serve as a teaching tool around the world; it is ideal for classrooms, students, and educators of all age, as well as simply anyone who wishes to learn a little bit more about what it means to work with one’s hands, be creatively fearless, and question one’s own limitations.

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One Year Lease

Sep 2015

2014 | Directed by Brian Bolster

One Year Lease documents the travails of Brian, Thomas and Casper as they endure a year-long sentence with Rita the cat-loving landlady.

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What Cheer?

Sep 2015

2013 | Directed by Michael Slavens

After the sudden passing of his wife, Stan (played by Richard Kind of Spin City, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Pixar’s Inside Out), ignores his overwhelming grief only to be faced with the unavoidable What Cheer? Brigade, a 20-piece punk marching band that floods his world with boisterous, interminable song.

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After Ella

Sep 2015

2014 | Directed by Marie-Emmanuelle Hartness

Hope is a successful photographer. Introverted and quiet, her demeanor plays in stark contrast to her glamorous work environment. When she learns that her sister Ella has passed away, Hope is stunned… until she begins to receive text messages from her. Are they for real? Using art as a tool for recovery, Hope begins to accept the fatality of death. She will evoke her sister’s presence – alive and in memoriam.

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The Routine

Sep 2015

2014 | Directed by Brian Groh

Capturing the unsettling essence of a Twilight Zone episode and the sci-fi tone of a Ray Bradbury story, this reflective short film casts a bleak look at how technology can backfire at bringing us closer together, unintentionally creating more isolation and loneliness than ever before, sometimes leading to harrowing and tragic results.

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White Blaze

Sep 2015

2013 | Directed by Brian Bolster

Trail angels have become an integral presence along the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) and other long distance hiking trails across the country. In general, trail angels perform random acts of kindness and assistance (often referred to as trail magic) to thru-hikers along remote stretches of trail where access to water and other amenities are limited or non existent.

The trail magic they perform often occurs unexpectedly and without warning in the form of fresh water, food, shelter, or a car ride to the nearest town. They know how important it is for thru-hikers to complete the trail in its entirety. Therefore, they understand the hardships of hiking a long distance trail and often appear when a thru-hiker needs help or encouragement the most.

For the past ten years, Apple has been setting up a large tent equipped with a wood burning stove in a remote corner of Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. By mid November, southbound thru-hikers, who started their journey on top of the 5,268 foot peak of Mount Katahdin in Maine, will have walked about 2,000 miles by the time they reach Apple’s shelter just 111 miles from the southern terminus located in northern Georgia. As if appearing out of nowhere, Apple’s shelter offers a brief respite for thru-hikers before they forge ahead to reach the summit of Springer Mountain in Georgia.

For one week in November, White Blaze follows Apple as he supports weary southbound thru-hikers along the Appalachian Trail by offering them food, water, and encouragement to reach the end of the famous 2,178 mile wooded footpath. White Blaze examines the brief encounters experienced between thru-hikers and one trail angel.

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The Convict

Sep 2015

2014 | Directed by Mark Battle

An escaped convict travels towards an unknown destination.