VISIONS
Composed of intimate interviews, Visions is kaleidoscopic portrait of three artists. A first-generation Congolese-American illustrator, a Chicanx musician and a Vietnamese visual and textile artist. This hypnotic short documentary explores their journeys and focuses on the elation of these creatives making art.Director's Bio:Karina Lomelin Ripper is a Mexican-American director and producer based in Portland, OR. She began associate producing for National Geographic WILD, HBO and A&E Films. She attended the Venice Biennale Cinema College Workshop and was a producer on the film CLEMENTINE. Karina has directed music videos and short films, including the documentary LA TIENDA, which recieved a Vimeo Staff Pick and aired on PBS. In 2021, she received a coveted spot at the Eastern Oregon Filmmaker – Writing Residency.
Kinderland tells the story of two secular Jewish summer camps that have cultivated social activists for almost a century and are still in existence today. Both camps were founded by secular working-class Jews on either side of the leftist political divide. Kinderland was communist; Kinder Ring, socialist. Despite numerous commonalities, they enjoyed a legendary feud from opposite ends of Sylvan Lake. In response to the devastating impact of the Trump era and the rise of intolerance and inequality, today’s campers prioritize shared values over philosophical differences and attempt to join forces in the ongoing fight for equality and justice.Director's Bio:Amy Grappell's documentary "Quadrangle" premiered at Sundance (2010), winning a Jury Prize, and went on to win Best Short Film at SXSW and AFI Film Festivals before being broadcast on HBO. She returned to Sundance (2011) with her documentary, "Kids Green The World," and was one of the select directors of Richard Linklater's SLACKER 2011. Her feature documentary "Light From The East" was broadcast on PBS and is part of the Library of Congress collection.
An antique music instrument dealer receives a magical vinyl record from a traveller, the record "reads your mind and plays your lost memories”. Obsessed by this endless record, the antique dealer listens to it again and again and the memories reemerge until one last and most painful memory is revealed: how he got separated from his mother on the Swiss border during World War II.Director's Bio:Jonathan Laskar studied fine arts (Aix-Marseille, France) and architecture (Bauhaus-Weimar, Germany). After working as an architect in Switzerland, he studied animation, where he graduated with the film From Earth and Ink (2013). Since 2013, he works in Geneva with i.a. Georges Schwizgebel and Claude Luyet. This year he releases his directorial debut short film The Record.
Once her devout Hasidic husband has left for the day, Esther sneaks off to join a female breakdance crew rehearsing on a secret rooftop in New York’s racially charged neighborhood of Crown Heights. Led by the charismatic Dream, Esther is mesmerized by the troupe, but she is more viscerally drawn to the moves of an uninvited dancer.Director's Bio:Stephanie Bollag is an award-winning director and writer from Zurich, Switzerland based in New York City. Her short films and scripts have screened and won a number of Jury and Best Short awards at festivals worldwide. Her most recent short film Esther In Wonderland premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. Stephanie holds a master's degree in directing and writing from New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She previously wrote, directed, and produced films across Europe and Israel.
"Push," is a story of self discovery, found in the simple joys of skateboarding. Written and directed by Jasmine Quinones, the film explores ideas of identity and quickly becomes an anthem for the inner-strength that can be found in finding a community.woDirector's Bio:Jasmine Quiñones is an Austin, Texas-based filmmaker and director. As a queer Puerto Rican woman, she hopes to bring underrepresented stories about identity and mental health to light through commercial work and short films, while leaning on some of her favorite subjects – sports, fitness, and lifestyle.
An ominous vision leads to bad news for Yanise and her family when she receives word of her grandfather’s passing. Unable to return to Puerto Rico immediately, Yanise arrives three months later and is welcomed by her mom, grandmother, and cousins. At breakfast, Yanise describes a recurring dream of being held in the ocean. Her grandmother recognizes it as a calling from Yemaya and shares a ritual that leads to a spiritual awakening and ultimately, a salve for Yanise's grief. Director's Bio:Alexis C. Garcia is an award-winning writer, director whose work has spanned film, TV, and digital. She created and served as showrunner of the Webby Award-winning series for BuzzFeed’s Pero Like channel, “Mi Quinceañera Come True,” and is a 2022 recipient of the LALIFF Inclusion Fellowship, sponsored by Netflix. Alexis is passionate about driving critical conversations that both inform and uplift the Latinx community.