Trenton resident and carpenter apprentice Kayla Massenat is the subject of Andrew Hunt’s six-minute documentary “Kayla,” showing on June 14.
Blind photographer-sculptor Alice Wingwall is one of three artists profiled in the June 11 screening of ‘Shoulder the Lion.’
By Dan Aubrey
The Trenton Film Festival (TFF), running Wednesday through Sunday, June 10 through 14, is the final segment of an annual series of films events that started in February with Oscar Shorts and continued in April with the Trenton International Film Festival.
Called a celebration of independent filmmaking, the June TFF project features 53 works varying in topic, technique, intention, and duration, and includes narrative features, documentaries, and new media, such as music videos and web projects. The juried selection schedule also includes work by accomplished and emerging filmmakers.
A project of the Trenton Film Society, TFF reflects the group’s core mission to bring together filmmakers, film professionals, and area residents of all ages and cultural and socio-economic backgrounds to build a better understanding of filmmaking, to explore the issues and perspectives in a variety of films — from local to international — and to build an appreciation of the film arts.”
Organizers add that the festival is also an opportunity to meet filmmakers and discover the local Trenton filmmaking scene.
Topping off interest are several films, some with sharp regional connections.
Among a score of international films, look for “Blue Eyed Boy,” one of just several films that come from Iran. Directed by Masoud Soheili, this 18 minute short deals with a boy whose unusual color blindness. When he accidentally kills some village livestock, his shame parents seek help from both doctors and a Shaman.
Also on the roster is American director Erinnisee Rebisz’s feature-length documentary “Shoulder The Lion.” The film covers familiar subjects in unusual ways: a blind photographer, a hearing-impaired musician, and the painter who was the inspiration for the popular boxing film “Million Dollar Baby.”
The local is highlighted by Hamilton-based director Ron Saunders’ “The Joke’s On You,” a 25-minute film about struggling real-life Trenton comedian Adrian Colon and his efforts to overcome anxiety and a troubled past, and Princeton student Andrew Hunt’s “Kayla,” a six-minute film about a young Trenton woman who hinges her future on her work as a carpenters’ apprentice.
All films are shown at the Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 East Front Street in Trenton. Tickets for each showing are $8 and a flexible $25 Festival Pass is available for easy access to all films.
The full schedule runs as follows:
Wednesday, June 10
6 p.m. Showing Experimental Shorts: “The Blue Marble Of Joys and Sorrows,” US, director Paolo Pizzi, Cypress, California, 34 minutes; “The River is Moving,” US, director Gio Toninelo, Denver, Colorado, 5 minutes; “Light Study,” Canada, director Josephine Massarella, 12 minutes; ”Ardoyne” US, director Philip Clayton-Thompson, Portland, Oregon, 5 minutes; “Reveal” Iran, director Ghader Farivar, 8 minutes;”Sky,” France, director Sophie Chamoux, 4 minutes; “Infrastructures,” Switzerland, director Aurele Ferrier, 7 minutes; and “Corinthian,” UK, director Mark Brown, 5 minutes. Total running time: 96 minutes
8 p.m. Showing: “The Sound of Road,” Iran, Barzan Rostami, 3 minutes; “cyberGenesis” US, director Andre Silva, Wilmington, North Carolina, 13 minutes; and “Materia Russia”, director Natalia Naftalieva, 69 minutes. Total running time: 85 minutes
Thursday, June 11
6 p.m.: Documentary Shorts: “Unafraid: Voiced from the Crimes Victims,” US, director Karin Venegas, Astoria, New York, 44 minutes ; “Alegria — A Humanitarian Expedition,” Switzerland, director Christoph von Toggenburg, 29 minutes; “The Joke’s On You” US, director Ron Saunders, Hamilton, New Jersey, 25 minutes; and “Holi” US, director Jeffrey Waldron, Los Angeles, California, 9 minutes. Total running time: 107 minutes
8 p.m.: “Shoulder The Lion,” US, director Erinnisse Rebisz, Ridgewood, New York, 74 minutes.
Friday, June 12
7:30 p.m.: “M Cream,” India, Director Agneya Singh, 113 minutes
Saturday, June 13
10:30 a.m. “Ferdinand Knapp,” France, director Andrea Baldini, 15 minutes;”Into The Gray,” US, director Anthony Berenato Jr., Hammonton, New Jersey, 17 minutes; “The Tide,” US, director Jeff Mason, Wilmington, North Carolina, 13 minutes ;”Banana Dartboard,” US, director Carshuan Davenport, Teaneck, New Jersey, 15 minutes;”On the Path,” Iran, director Amir Sarrafha, 15 minutes; and “The Blood Of Love,” US, director Jeff Meyers, New York, New York, 19 minutes. Total running time: 94 minutes.
12:15 p.m. “Nick” Andorra, Director Jose Pozo, 107 minutes,
2:30 pm: “Blue Eyed Boy,” Iran, director Masoud Soheili, 18 minutes;”Cold Choices,” US, director Nick Jones Jr., Sherman Oaks, California, 14 minutes;”Max,” US, director Rajesh Naroth, San Jose, California, 6 minutes;”Hands to the Sky” US, director Kimberly Townes, Los Angeles, California, 16 minutes;”Liyana, On Command,” US, director Eryk Pruitt, Durham, North Carolina, 12 minutes; “The Last Girl,” Denmark, Director Bjarke de Koning, 13 minutes;”Fixed” Australia, director Burleigh Smith, 7 minutes; and “Failure Groupies,” US, director Mandira Chauhan, Mt Freedom, New Jersey, 13 minutes. Total running time: 99 minutes
4:30 p.m.: “Decay,” Poland, director Michal Stern Sterzynski, 15 minutes and “The Cart,” Bangladesh, director Ashraf Shishir, 76 minutes. Total running time: 91 minutes
6:15 p.m.: “Scammerhead” Canada, director Dan Zukovic, 105 minutes.
8:30 p.m.: “Positive Visualization,” US, director J. Wilder Konschak, Los Angeles, California, 3 minutes; “Rock Is Not an Attitude, US, director Xiaoxiao Tang, New York, New York, 5 minutes; and “Last Supper” US, director Param Gill, California, 90 minutes. Total running time: 98 minutes
Sunday, June 14
10:45 a.m.: “Starting Over: A Record of Faith,” US, director Kendra Arsenault, Santa Cruz, California, 24 minutes; “Kayla,” US, director Andrew Hunt, Princeton, New Jersey, 6 minutes; “La Lutte,” Netherlands, director Marlijn Franken, 46 minutes; and “That Bites!” US, director Jack Yonover, Wilmette, Illinois, 34 minutes. Total running time: 110 minutes
1 p.m.: “Winter’s Hold,” US, director Ian Voglesong, Brooklyn, New York, 9 minutes; “The Bravest, the Boldest,” US, director Moon Molson, Los Angeles, California, 17 minutes; “Best Before End …,” France, director Nicolas Fogliarini, 15 minutes; “Capsized,” US, director Brandon Freer, Arcadia, California, 13 minutes: “The Man Who Fed His Shadow,” Greece, director Mario Garefo, 18 minutes; “A King’s Betrayal” US, director David Bornstein, Los Angeles, California, 8 minutes; “A Mercedes for Sierra Leone,” Germany, director Robert Fuhrmann, 4 minutes; “Dollar Night,” US, director Marco Antonio Martinez, Jersey City, New Jersey, 18 minutes; and “1-0,” Iran, Director Saman Hosseinpuor, 1 minute. Total running time: 103 minutes.
3 p.m.: “Poverty Inc.,” US, directors Gary Null and Valerie Van Cleve, New York, New York, 111 minutes.
5:15 p.m.: “God Forgive Us,” US, director Michael Bachochin, Kenosha, Wisconsin, 90 minutes.
7 p.m.: Awards Ceremony and recognition for Best Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Narrative Feature, Narrative Short, Animated Film, New Media, and audience choice.
Trenton Film Festival, Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 East Front Street, Trenton, Wednesday through Sunday, June 10 through 14. $8 per screening or $25 Festival Pass. For more information, visit trentonfilmsociety.org.
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