Independent Film Fest Entries Shown

by Glenn Five

The first six entries in 2004’s Independent Short Film Festival screened Friday in the Hyatt’s Learning Center to a nearly full house:

First up was “Repossessed,” directed by John Coven and starring JoBeth Williams and former Buffy the Vampire Slayer villainess, Juliet Landau. In homage to many old ghost stories, a real estate agent (Williams) shows a young woman (Landau) a house, rumored to be haunted, offered at a suspiciously low price.

Next we saw “Laundry Day,” directed by Bryan Smith. A man has a life-changing encounter with a gang of sock puppets. Yes, sock puppets.

“The Ends of the Alphabet” directed by Eric Kurland, stars hand puppets (like “Laundry Day,” only these hands are naked) in a hard-boiled noir story about a private eye and his femme fatale.

Screening fourth was “Three Keys” directed by Kristine Familetti. A man finds a key that may lead to lost treasure. But his wife may leave him before he has a chance to find it.

“Simone’s Labyrinth” is a German film directed by Ivan Sainz-Pardo. Here, during a school field trip, a young girl named Simone tells her friends she’s dreaming them all up. Evidence seems to suggest she’s not kidding.

Sixth and last for Friday afternoon was “The Little Shtimmer” directed by Lilly Posner. A mute Jewish boy in World War Two-era New York finds a reason to speak, while his fighter pilot father fights the Japanese in China.

The Independent Short Film Festival will show several dozen more shorts over the next three days.