2012 Online New England Film Festival

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Kids of the World

Sep 2012

2011 | Directed by Craig Saddlemire

With the snap of her fingers, Binto can defy the laws of nature. She can do everything from transporting her friends to instantly commanding a thunderstorm. Okay… maybe that’s just her imagination. But in Kennedy Park, kids are not constrained by the conventions of reality. Kids of the World features 11 young people who once lived in Africa, Puerto Rico, and elsewhere in the United States, who now find themselves in Lewiston, Maine, sharing one communal park. The kids were invited to make up stories – some based on their personal lives, some completely fictional – and then discuss, reenact, and perform these stories on the big screen. 11 Kids, 4 Stories, 1 Park. Part documentary and part fantasy, Kids of the World is all fun.

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Neighbors

Sep 2012

Neighbors
2012 | Directed by Judd Cherry

Have you ever been in a competition with a friend or neighbor? Well Timothy Longshanks has been for years. And now he’s on a mission to win that competition no matter what the cost. But his unaware, gentle-giant of a neighbor, Big Al, always has what Tim just got, or better. A journey of one-upmanship ensues, leading Tim to the far corners of the world and back again. His mania ultimately leads him down a path of no return, ending in hilariously disastrous results. Heard the expression “Keeping up with the Joneses”? For Tim, it’s “The Joneses can suck it.”

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24 Hours at the South Street Diner

Sep 2012

2011 | Directed by Melissa Dowler and Tom Dowler

In Boston, the city that brought us Cheers, there really is a place where the staff know all the regulars by name. But it’s not a bar, it’s a downtown diner that’s been there since the 1940s and has become a historical and cultural icon. 24 Hours At The South Street Diner introduces a diverse group of waiters, regulars, late-night revelers and local celebrities who call Boston’s only 24/7 restaurant home. They share stories of why this tiny diner means so much to the neighborhood and the city of Boston and how it’s survived fires, bankruptcies and even an attempt to revoke its late night license.

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Pearl

Sep 2012

2012 | Directed by Dan Butler

When a midwestern poet (Dan Butler) visits an elderly relative (Frances Sternhagen) to bring news of his mother’s recent death, the visit takes an unsettling turn. Adapted from a poem of the same name by former US poet laureate Ted Kooser.

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A Tiny Spark

Sep 2012

2010 | Directed by Franco Sacchi

In the desert of Nevada, His Excellency Kevin Baugh has founded the independent Republic of Molossia and created a faux secession. With a population of 6 (including his 3 faithful dogs) and a complex infrastructure that ranges from a miniature railroad system to a customs booth at the front door, Molossia provokes and makes us reflect upon the meaning of sovereignty and the limits of our individual freedoms.

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Running the Rockpile

Sep 2012

2011 | Directed by Kate Avery

“It’s not just uphill, every step is uphill.” What is this mountain running phenomena and how can there be a 50-year history of running up New England’s arduous and tallest peak? Running the Rockpile takes you up just one hill for the climb of a lifetime.

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Anywhere But Here

Sep 2012

2012 | Directed by Ross Thomas

Convinced by his father that their traveling back to his hometown is an archeological exploration of the past, Jackson instead finds the torn relationship between his grandfather and father.

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Sanjiban

Sep 2012

2012 | Directed by Ben Pender-Cudlip

After his diagnosis with terminal cancer, eccentric filmmaker Sanjiban Sellew spent his final days at home with family and friends. Choosing to be as open with death as he was with life, he narrated on camera the extraordinary changes happening to him: “I feel myself becoming less of a human being daily, by the cancer in my brain that’s still chomping away at my electronics, my circuit boards.” After two and a half months, he died at home in rural Massachusetts. This short documentary takes place in the space and time between the end of one journey, and the beginning of another. With his twin brother John as our guide, we ferry Sanjiban’s body from home—a makeshift shrine in the dining room—to the furnace that will consume his earthly remains. “Sanjiban” is an intense, life-affirming story about the profoundly human experience of saying goodbye.

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Baby Blue

Sep 2012

2012 | Directed by James Poirier and Travis Tyler

Set on the unforgiving Maine coast, Baby Blue follows the journey of a father delving into the nature of closure and fulfilling promises.

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Stranded

Sep 2012

2011 | Directed by Christian Wilfong

Stranded is a story about a young man who finds himself lost in New York City after a heavy night of drinking. On his journey home he reflects upon his life. The story is told through a series of voice-mails from his friends and family that he is unable to receive because his cell phone is broken. The messages from his phone help generate context for the action on screen much like title cards in a silent film.