Dir. Thom Harp
Short Narrative
13mins

Joy, played by Sandra Oh, is not desperate. She is not afraid to be alone. She is not going to let the image of her boyfriend Scott humping her roommate ruin her happiness. Or at least that's what she keeps telling herself as she walks into a coffee shop where name-tagged couples are sitting and flirting in a speed dating session.

Friday, March 24, 2pm (Yellow Rage Shorts)

Saturday, March 25th 8pm
w/ Fight Ballet & Say I Do

Dir. Stacey Sotosky
Documentary
25mins

For 20 days in May of 2004, Dr. Kathryn Moller, a theater professor at Fort Lewis College worked with a cast of inmates Center, IL in preparation for the theater performance Through the Fire. This documentary follows the inmates' of Lincoln Correctional Center exploration of theatre in dealing with domestic violence. These struggling women have learned many lessons and want to share their wisdom to help others. They speak out because of their strong desire to empower and encourage others to reveal their traumas. The women at Lincoln have stories and experiences that have been locked up emotionally and physically.

Sunday, March 26th 2pm, FILMMAKER WILL BE PRESENT
w/ Fire and Hope & Hail Mary

Dir. Monica Nahm
Short Narrative
25mins

Be Very Quiet is a story of Thana, a young man that witnessed the rape and murder of his prostitute mom when he was a child. After spending his youth at a temple in the suburbs, Thana comes back to the city to start a new life until one night he sees a man that resembles the killer in his memory. Obsessed with hatred and haunted by nightmares, Thana encounters a path to avenge his mother's death.

Friday, March 24th, 8pm w/ Seoul Train

Dir. Michelle Kantor
Short Narrative
16mins

Consciousness is not always a choice for innerspace drifters. Director Michelle Kantor shows the mind of a ballet dancer seized by unpredictability in this short experimental narrative. When epilepsy turns up as a playing card for Bettina, mind fights body on personal battleground. Bettina in the Fog takes you through the multi-dimensional experience of a seizure, as seen through the eyes of an epileptic. Still waters often run deep underneath a smooth-looking surface. Navigating the jungles of romance, side shows ambulances, Bettina reveals the reality and mystery of life lived on the neurological edge.

Sunday, March 26, 4pm w/ Leaving Bountiful

Dir. Andres Barrientos
Short Animation
5 mins

Diana, a four-year-old girl, is walking through a big shopping mall with her parents and Juana, her seven-year-old sister. When the time comes for them to step on to the escalator, Diana gets scared and isn’t capable of taking that first step despite trying to do so. Her family awaits for her downstairs and her anguish can only grow stronger as the masses of people start to push her. Diana can only grab the metallic structure so she won’t be sucked in…

Saturday, March 25th, 2pm (Who You Calling Girly Girl Shorts)

Dir. Olivia Rosewood
Short Narrative
16mins

Fight Ballet is a comedic short film about two twenty-something women who realize their life's purpose is to become classical ballerinas. Unfortunately, the women are clumsy and awkward, and end up getting kicked out of their ballet school.

Friday, March 24th, 2pm (Yellow Rage Shorts)

Saturday, March 25th, 2pm and 8pm w/ Say I Do

Dir. Julie Hermelin
Short Narrative
12 mins

When two best friends get into a fight at a trendy clothing store sale a massive kung fu showdown ensues.

Sunday, March 26th, 8pm
w/ Missionary Positions & Gotta Believe

Dir. Shannon Walsh
Documentary
17mins

Young people have become the fastest growing group of new HIV infections in the world. In South Africa, the pandemic is at epic proportions, and young people have begun to understand that in one way or another, AIDS is affecting their lives. Fire & Hope is an inspiring documentary that looks into the lives of young activists in South Africa who are fighting HIV/AIDS in their communities. Set to a driving hip-hop soundtrack, Fire & Hope captures the vibrancy of this group of activist youth and the world they live in. As the startling statistics in Fire & Hope attest, young women are three to four times more vulnerable to HIV infection than their male counterparts, yet there is still very little within the popular media that specifically addresses issues related to gender, HIV and youth, especially in relation to the high rate of gender-based violence in South Africa. Fire & Hope emphasizes the need to end gender and gang based violence, to provide practical solutions to HIV prevention, to provide treatment and medication for those already living with HIV/AIDS, and to take positive steps towards empowering young people to take action in their own lives.

Sunday, March 26, 2pm
w/ Hail Mary & A Journey Through the Fire

Dir. Bailey Barash
Documentary
21mins

Edna Lewis, the African American granddaughter of freed slaves, grew up on a farm in Freetown, Virginia. This is the story of her life's journey and how it ultimately converged with the quest of a young, gay, white man from Alabama.Young Edna Lewis went from rural Virginia to Depression era New York where she tasted real freedom from racism for the first time, joined the Communist Party and became a renowned chef, serving the glitterati of art, theater, and literature. She wrote of her life and her recipes in several popular cookbooks including The Taste of Country Cooking (Knopf, 2002) which introduced her to foodies across the country. Miss Lewis emphasized the use of fresh, simple ingredients and authentic southern dishes.

Friday, March 24th, 4pm
w/ This Black Soil

Dir. Caryn Waechter
Short Narrative
23mins

Written by Dennis Lee, "God is Good" tells the story of innocence lost--seven-year-old Korean-American Harold Choi's story, unfolding on a beautiful summer day in 1978 before he witnesses his mother's desperate reaction to her husbands infidelities. This film is based on a true story.

Friday, March 24th, 2pm (Yellow Rage Shorts)

Saturday, March 25th, 6pm
w/ Missionary Positions

Dir. Karen Campbell
Short Narrative
5mins

Darla Cooper, straight A student, wants was to be on the varsity dodge ball team. Behind her stacks of books and glasses an inner champion exists, but she must first believe in herself to make her dodge ball dreams come true.

Saturday, March 25th, 2pm (Who You Calling Girly Girl Shorts)
FILMMAKER WILL BE PRESENT

Sunday, March 26th, 8pm
w/ Missionary Positions & Final Sale
FILMMAKER WILL BE PRESENT

Dir. Jeri Slater
Documentary
6mins

Hail Mary' is a documentary/music video that tributes the mothers who have lost their children to police brutality and racism. This piece focuses on one very special mother who shares her trials and strength in the fight for justice and peace.

Sunday, March 26th 2pm
w/ Fire and Hope & A Journey Through the Fire

Dirs. Ann Poochareon, Geraldine Chung, and Vivian Wenli Lin
Documentary
8mins

Hello Kitty is Dead addresses commonly held stereotypes of the "exotic" Asian women by extracting images from mainstream American media. While these narratives attempt to represent us using cliched, one-dimensional characters, we reverse the process and re-examine them and their effect on America's inherently racist system of representation.

Friday, March 24th 2pm (Yellow Rage Shorts)

Dir. Holly Mosher
Documentary
48mins

After reading an article about the child sex trafficking industry, Holly Mosher began to research this little talked about problem. During that search, she came across two remarkable programs that work with street children in the beautiful coastal city of Recife, Brazil, one of the world capitals for sex tourism. The film follows the story of Adriana Pinange, a street girl who left home at the age of six and had a daughter when she was eleven. She matter of factly tells how life really is on the streets and how the program worked for her. We also get a look at the root of the problem, which starts with violence in the family. The kids are running away from this reality, only to find that what waits for them - a life with little hope. After seeing the cycle that leads kids to the street, the programs now address the family issues at the root of the problem to combat them from all sides.In Recife, a few determined women decided that they would make what difference they could, just like the fable of the lion and the hummingbird, which Cecy recounts at the end of the film. If we all do our part, just like the hummingbird, this world can become a better place.

Sunday, March 26th 6pm
w/ Tahara

Dir. Helen Slinger
Documentary
47mins

Bountiful is a community founded by breakaway Mormons who believe that polygamy is the secret to everlasting life: the more wives a man has in this life, the higher up the celestial ladder he climbs in the next. And a woman's only hope of salvation is through plural marriage: 'There are no single women in the kingdom of God.' 'Leaving Bountiful' is the story of Debbie Palmer. Raised from a tiny child inside this value system, she somehow finds the courage and clarity to break free. This is an intimately-told story. The audience travels alongside Debbie through a childhood with several mothers and dozens of siblings to her first marriage at 15 to the group's 57-year-old leader. We follow her through three terrible marriages and a deepening depression to the fire that propelled her from Bountiful. And we are with her 15 years later as she returns to Bountiful on her lifelong journey to save the children -- the ones still inside the group, her own children, and herself.

Sunday, March 26th, 4pm
w/ Bettina in the Fog

Dir. Samantha Farinella
Documentary
1hr 43mins

Filmmaker Samantha Farinella follows celebrated spoken word performer Alix Olson on the road. The documentary captures the essence of Olson's performance and activism across the country. Must see. Hilarious!

Friday, March 24th, 6pm
w/ Never Rob a Bank with Someone You Love!

Dir. William Day
Documentary
1hr 13mins

After hearing God say the word 'PORN' to them, two hip young pastors are off on a quixotic journey to help the suffering masses who are in the grips of a dirty, filthy PORNO PLAGUE sweeping the planet. They even create an Internet only church called 'xxxchurch.com.' Despite their good intentions, Craig and Mike discover doing the work of the Lord isn't always easy. It doesn't matter if you view porn as the scourge of modern society or a first amendment birthright, you'll find it hard not to root for these two funny guys.

Saturday, March 25th, 6pm
w/ God is Good

Sunday, March 26th, 8pm
w/ Gotta Believe

Dir. Jill Maxcy
Mocumentary
11mins

It's a love story really. Filled with drama, suspense, guns, and a bank robbery. Not many mock documentaries pull off the the comic timing needed to be side-splitting. This one does.

Friday, March 24th, 6pm
w/ Left Lane

Saturday, March 25th, 2pm (Who You Calling Girly Girl Shorts)

Dir. Renee Bergan
Documentary
1hr 10mins

Filmed in March 2002, Sadaa E Zan (Voices of Women) collects the voices of Afghan women living in Kabul, Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan. These brave women of all ages recount their struggles and victories through the fighting, poverty, rape and seclusion wrought by 23 years of war. Whether these atrocities were caused by the Soviet Invasion, the Civil War or the extremist Taliban, women were always the first victims.Far from being mere survivors, Afghan women tell their stories of rebellion such as operating an illegal home school for girls, conducting a clandestine series of work-training programs, maintaining an underground beauty parlor and running a refugee medical clinic. Despite the individual tenacity to maintain their spirit and morale, the systemic suffering and continued loss of family members has taken a deep toll on the society as a whole. Women are learning that in the wake of war psychological damage is their new enemy.With the Taliban having been forced from power, the people of Afghanistan are situated for the real possibility of peace. But can this opportunity be seized? This, they believe, will only happen with the aid and awareness of the international community.By revealing the strength of the Afghan woman and their empowered voices, this video provides a perspective rarely seen by foreign eyes.

Saturday, March 25th, 4pm
w/ Stealing Innocence

Dir. Arlene Ami
Documentary
56mins

The mail-order bride industry has exploded with the advent of the Internet. Websites, newspaper advertisements, and pen pal agencies sell contact information to link men from the West with women from developing countries. Through intimate and astonishingly frank interviews with both husbands and wives, Arlene Ami brings us fully into the complexities and underlying power relations of three couples, and exposes the very real dangers women risk in leaving their families and culture to marry strangers. What lies ahead for these women is uncertain. The lucky ones may find stability. The less fortunate may suffer terrible consequences. All of them are willing to take the risk. The lush tropical landscapes of the Philippines and the rugged landscapes of rural Canada act as insistent metaphors for the immense chasm between cultures. Say I Do is a powerful indictment of a growing mail-order bride industry that results from the economic consequences of globalization for developing countries and the proliferation of websites that 'traffic in women.'

Saturday, March 25th, 8pm, FILMMAKER WILL BE PRESENT
w/ Fight Ballet & 8 Minutes to Love

Dirs. Lisa Sleeth, Jim Butterworth, Aaron Lubarsky
Documentary
54mins

With its riveting footage of a secretive 'underground railroad,' SEOUL TRAIN is the gripping documentary into the life and death of North Koreans as they try to escape their homeland and China. As the UN stands idly by, the Chinese Government - in direct violation of international laws to which it's a party - systematically arrests and forcibly repatriates hundreds of these refugees each month. Defecting from North Korea is a capital offense, and repatriated refugees face human rights abuses ranging from concentration camps and torture to forced abortion and summary executions. For a lucky few refugees, however, there is hope ... a group of activists has taken it upon themselves to create an Underground Railroad. An ABSOLUTE MUST SEE FILM, say the Girl Fest programmers.

Friday, March 24th, 8pm, FILMMAKER WILL BE PRESENT
w/ Be Very Quiet

Dir. Merlyn Bilas
Documentary
27mins

Shanti vividly recounts the events leading up to the difficult choice Chandra, a Fijian Indian American, makes that transforms her from a servile daughter and wife into a woman who finally finds shanti, peace, in her life. Now middle-aged, Chandra must find the strength to face the ultimate question, whether to live or die from an aggressively spreading cancer that will release her from a loveless marriage. Her struggle for dignity, respect and equality culminates in a shattering consciousness of the meaning of her life. Chandra's monumental decision finally gives her power over a life that was bound by the desires of others. Her story is a portrait of the tensions between tradition and modernity. It vividly expresses the conditions that must exist in order for all women to freely make their own choices about marriage, children and work. Shanti will resonate with women everywhere.

Saturday, March 25th, 2pm (Who You Calling Girly Girl Shorts)

Dir. Nancy Stein
Short Narrative
15mins

Two girls - one Israeli and one Palestinian form a special friendship despite their cultural differences and the war raging around them. A personal story that creates a moving portrayal of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict and the effects of war on children.

Saturday, March 25th, 2pm (Who You Calling Girly Girl Shorts)

Saturday, March 25th, 4pm
w/ Saada E Zan

Dir. Sara Rashad
Short Narrative
18mins

TAHARA is a dramatic narrative film portraying the harsh reality of female genital mutilation (FGM) on the psyche of a young woman. The story deals with an Egyptian housewife, Amina, living in Los Angeles, who must decide if she will follow tradition and circumcise her daughter, Suha, or if she will abandon this age old cultural practice and save her daughter from the physical and psychological horrors of FGM. Will Amina find the necessary courage to defy a deeply ingrained tradition or will she submit her daughter to the same horrifying fate?

Sunday, March 26th, 6pm
w/ Hummingbird

Dir. Teresa Konechne
Documentary
58mins

This lyrical and inspiring documentary chronicles the successful struggle of Bayview, Virginia, a small and severely impoverished rural African-American community, to pursue a new vision of prosperity. Catalyzed by the defeat of a state plan to build a maximum-security prison in their backyard, the powerful women leaders and residents created the Bayview Citizens for Social Justice non-profit organization, secured $10 million in grants, purchased the proposed prison site land and are now building a new community from the ground up.Under the leadership of visionary women, this new rural village challenges all conventional ideas of community development and includes not only improved and affordable housing, but a sustainable economic base to earn a living wage, a community center for educating its residents, a daycare center, laundromat, and a community farm, which provides jobs and income for the organization and returns them to their roots, working on the land.

Friday, March 24th, 4pm
w/ Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie