Sunscreen 06 Program
The 1st Annual SunScreen Film and Video Festival
May 5-7 2006, St. Petersburg, FL
Films screened at The Studio@620
Opening night party held at Don Leoncio Cigar Bar
Saturday night party held at The Garden Restaurant
Out of approximately 200 submissions, 35 short and feature films were chosen to fill 10 blocks over 2 days. Filmmakers from 14 of the 35 films had lived in Florida, attended school in Florida or produced their film in Florida.
The festival hosted two world premieres: Sins of the Mother and Making a Living. Filmmakers from 14 of the 35 films attended the festival, some flying in from New York, Los Angeles or other areas around the United States.
Most of the weekends programs had standing room only attendance.
Quotes from attending filmmakers:
"Over the past three years, I have attended over two dozen film festivals, some that have been in existence for many years, yet was never as impressed with the lineup of films at a fest as I was with SunScreen's - and this was only its first year in existence! For up and coming filmmakers looking for an enjoyable film festival to attend and showcase their work, I highly recommend Sunscreen Film Festival. When you combine the quality of the films, the constantly large audience, the beaches of Florida and the warm reception the festival provides, it's a film festival experience that can't be topped."
– Paul Guzzo, writer/producer, 99
"SunScreen Film Festival delivers what most film festivals only promise: a warm, communal atmosphere where filmmakers, film producers, and film fans can relish and reward exceptional filmmaking… If you didn't submit to SunScreen this year, don't make the same mistake again. These guys are coming up in the world, and they bring the goods.”
– Earl Newton, writer/director, Sins of the Mother
"SunScreen was one of the most fun and professionally run festivals I've been to. And this is a guy who has attended 37 festivals in the last three years, so I know what I'm talking about..."
– Rodney Lee Conover, writer/producer, BachelorMan (Winner - 21 film festival awards)
“From the parties to the screenings, the SunScreen Film Festival gives off a great vibe. It's well-run, with lots of local support, and the festival founders make the filmmakers feel special”.
– Averie Storck, director, Live at Five
“We're having a ball down here - very well done for a first-year fest! Quite impressive… They've got some GREAT films for their inaugural year!!”
– Kimberly Wetherell, director, Ménage à trois
“I love the intimate environment, a haven for local and international filmmakers to come and share their ideas and experiences. This is exactly what St. Petersburg needed, an avenue for Tampa Bay area filmmakers to further illustrate the growing potential of film in Florida. I can't wait for next year's event!”
– Robert Streeper, producer, Vice Verses
Festival Program: 2006
Short-film Program
Time & Again
2003/23 minutes/Directed by Todd Thompson
Starring Seymour Cassel, Margaret Blye
Can one escape fate if destiny has a mind of its own? Acclaimed actor Seymour Cassel (Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums) stars as an elderly clockmaker who discovers a way to magically 'turn back the clock' in order to redeem time with his dying wife. This poignant fantasy was produced by Stars North in Celebration, Florida.
Dear Sweet Emma
2003/6 minutes/Directed by John Cernak
As the search is given up for Emma's latest husband, Tucker, a private look reveals that Emma has a secret and uncontrollable dark side. This award-winning animated short is the first of two wildly diverse shorts in our program from Out of Our Minds Animation Studios.
My Backyard Was A Mountain
2005/24 minutes/Directed by Adam Schlater
Adan, a Puerto Rican boy, discovers his family will be relocating to New York City, but he must leave behind his beloved pet goat, Chivo. With the help of his young friend, Denise, Adan embarks on a quest to find a home for Chivo. Director Adam Schlater earned a B.F.A. in Film Production at Florida State University and produced this project with the American Film Institute.
Flyaway
2004/11 minutes/Directed by Danny Oakley
A little wooden plane, despite the price it must pay, does the impossible and joins a world it could only dream of. This short presents a different, softer side of the talented animators at Out of Our Minds Animation Studios.
He-Man Woman Haters Club
2006/6 minutes/Directed by Dave DeBorde
Take a peek behind closed doors and discover what men and women really think about each other. This comedic treatment of intergender perceptions was filmed in Lakeland and features local talent. ATTENDING: Director Dave DeBorde
Ménage à trois
2005/15 minutes/Directed by Kimberly Wetherell
Brandon intends to propose to his girlfriend, Lindsay, before he leaves for Paris. But their final day together becomes one long tussle between Brandon and Lindsay's new cell phone, each vying for her undivided attention. Will he give her the 'ring'? Writer-Director Kimberly Wetherell is a Clearwater, Florida native. ATTENDING: Director Kimberly Wetherell
Departing Once Again
2005/3 minutes/Directed by Scott Balles
A story of one's environs loosely based on a poem by Justin Vitiello from his book Suicido di un Poeta Etnico (Suicide of an Ethnic Poet). The film is a combination of hand-drawn and 2D computer animation techniques.
The First Date
2006/13 minutes/Directed by Brian Pearce
Mike Crawford has never had much luck in love, but that may all change tonight’s blind date. Will he blow another chance at love or will he be able to build up the courage to sweep her off her feet?
The Story of Bubbleboy
2006/6 minutes/Directed by Sean Ascroft
In a stab-happy world, a sad outcast who wraps everything in bubblewrap wrestles with his demons. The Story of Bubbleboy is a story of being trapped by the past and redeemed by the future.
Smile
2005/8 minutes/Directed by Chris Mais
This entertaining romp utilizes motion capture and live action techniques to relate the story of a smiley face balloon and a rubber man who team up to outwit the wicked pirate toy they share a children’s playroom with.
Goodnight Charlie
2004/6 minutes/Directed by Danny Daneau
A young boy, on the verge of leaving childhood fantasies behind forever, has a last conversation with his teddy bear Charlie. Director Danny Daneau is a graduate student filmmaker at the University of Central Florida. ATTENDING: Director Danny Daneau
Take Four
2005/15 minutes/Directed by Omar Chavez, Jr.
A geeky little boy, a sexy young wife, a punky teenage girl, and a lazy, if talented, actor share an uncommon parallel drive to accomplish their goals despite any and all obstacles. Produced in south Florida.
Vice Verses
2005/10 minutes/Directed by Scott Reus
Three passengers on a bus each struggle with their addictions – food, cigarettes, men – in their own musical way.
Sins of the Mother
2006/12 minutes/Directed by Earl Newton
WORLD PREMIERE
Take a peek at the dark side of a brave new world – a world where parents undergo secret background checks and exams before they are allowed to bear children. When an unsuspecting patient fails one of these background checks, a second-year intern is directed to secretly abort the woman’s child. Filmed in Ponce de Leon, in Florida’s panhandle. ATTENDING: Writer-Director Earl Newton, Actor Daniel Waller, Producer Joshua Smith, Director of Photography Chasen Grieshop, Effects Supervisor Joseph Fagan
Keeping Up With The Jonesers
2005/25 minutes/Directed by Craig Borders
In this highly stylized action-comedy, an average MBA student gives up his minimum wage job installing low flow toilets for a more lucrative career in the post 80's cocaine trade. Soon, he finds himself in over his head with a notorious dealer known only as 'The Skunk'. Producer Caree Davis is a native of St. Petersburg and attended Florida State University. ATTENDING: Producer Caree Davis
Terminal
2005/10 minutes/Directed by Renie Oxley
Starring Brian Bloom & Marisa Petroro
Dana makes the difficult decision to leave her abusive husband, Roger. She packs her bags and makes a hurried phone call in the nick of time. Enraged, Roger slaps her but it's the last blow that packs the most punch.
Making a Living
2005/26 minutes/Directed by Mark Mann
A darkly intimate short film about the getting ready rituals of two damaged girls trying to make the best of the abusive patterns that rule their lives – and the guy who’s trying to make sense of them through the lens of his video camera.
Sotto le foglie (Under the Leaves)
2005/12 minutes/Directed by Stefano Chiodini
A shop assistant is watched through the front window by a girl from her car. They appear to be courting, until she gets out of her car to talk to him.
The Exchange
2005/23 minutes/Directed by Byron Karabatsos
A young man preparing for fatherhood is forced to make a tough decision: either spend the next five years in prison, or sell 10 kilos of cocaine to his neighborhood drug lord. Based loosely on alleged events that occurred during the Iran/Contra scandal in the 1980s.
Detachment
2005/11 minutes/Directed by Djordje Simic
A young man returns home to the former Yugoslavia as a soldier in the U.S. Army and finds himself an outsider, both with the platoon as well as in his homeland. Djordje Simic is a graduate of the University of Central Florida Film School and now resides in St. Petersburg. ATTENDING: Director Djordje Simic
Anna und der Soldat (Anna and the Soldier)
2004/11 minutes/Directed by Christian Prettin
18-year old Anna is haunted by her past. In 1944 she lost her family in a massacre by the German Wehrmacht. When one of the soldiers returns six years later, an opportunity for revenge presents itself. But is she really able to bring it to the deadly end?
Accidental Memories
2005/15 minutes/Directed by John Matheny
Harry gets ‘locked down’ in a courthouse waiting room with Christine, an attractive young woman. Harry soon discovers a history that he didn’t know with the woman who turns out to be his legal opponent. Filmed in Tampa. ATTENDING: Director John Matheny
Stuck
2004/17 minutes/Directed by Clark Harris
Starring Wendie Malick, Ken Howard and Kali Rocha
Five strangers, Marty, Virginia, Sasha, Brian and Belinda, are passengers on an unreliable elevator that breaks down just before reaching the 11th floor of an old, big-city office building. Filmed in Orlando by Blue Dolphin Films
Live At Five
2005/16 minutes/Directed by Averie Storck
Starring Dylan Baker and Katie Finneran
Bob (Dylan Baker) is a frustrated writer whose life is turned upside down when he wanders into the absurd and wonderful world of Stacy Sedwig (Katie Finneran), a small-town news anchorwoman who looks at life as one, giant newscast. Averie Storck is a Tampa native. ATTENDING: Writer-Director Averie Storck
The Showdown
2006/18 minutes/Directed by Antony & Fulvio Sestito
A confrontation between a batter and a pitcher in a high-stakes baseball game, juxtaposed against a deadly duel between two gunslingers in the old west. Two men fight for their destiny and try to overcome the fears of their past. ATTENDING: Writer-Directors Antony & Fulvio Sestito,
Producer John L. Mazzarella
Rusty Forkblade
2005/25 minutes/Directed by Evan Daugherty
Rusty Clayton spent most of his days down at the local pond, drinking, fishing and soaking up the Texas sun. All that changes when a freak grilling accident magically transports him to Valhalla, the mythical afterlife meant for slain Viking heroes. Rusty learns that he alone can lead the warriors of Valhalla to victory against the invading troll army.
Spin
2005/8 minutes/Directed by Jamin Winans
A mysterious DJ is sent to a busy city block to mend a series of tragic events. Spin has become an internet phenomenon and we are pleased to be able to present it on the big screen.
Feature-film Program
Dual
2006/92 minutes/Directed by Steven R. Monroe
Starring Michael Worth and Tim Thomerson
Wanderer Luke Twain (Michael Worth) stumbles upon a settlement where every living being has been killed. He remains in the town to clean up the carnage and try and understand who could do such a thing. This well-intentioned mission will take him deeper into the depths of fear than he would have ever thought possible as he confronts the person that committed the crime.
99
2005/100 minutes/Directed by Pete Guzzo
Two students living on opposite sides of the college social spectrum see their lives collide on their last day of college. The campus scam artist has been given a bar in tropical paradise... if he can pass a drug test. The campus pretty boy has to sleep with just one more woman to win a bet made during his first week of college. This film has no profanity or nudity, but promises to deliver over 99 guilty pleasures. Filmed in Tampa by Pete and Paul Guzzo. ATTENDING: Director Pete Guzzo, Producer Paul Guzzo
BachelorMan
2003/90 minutes/Directed by John Putch
Starring David DeLuise and Missi Pyle
Ted Davis (David DeLuise) is a scoring machine. He's got the rap, the charm and his little black book weighs several pounds. He’s a super hero. He’s “BachelorMan” But when the woman of Ted’s dreams, Heather (Missi Pyle) moves in next door, she proves to be a real test of his powers. ATTENDING: Writer-Producer-Star Rodney Lee Conover
Kisses & Caroms
2005/90 minutes/Directed by Vince Rocca
Zack, a billiard store owner, wakes up in bed with his ex-girlfriend, Jen, and their sexy co-worker Tara. Jen reveals that she arranged the threesome to try to win him back. But a lovestruck ex-girlfriend turns out to be the least of his worries for the day. "Kisses and Caroms is as assured a first film as I've ever seen. Crackling with strong performances, this sexy little day-in-the-lifer is worth your time." – Kevin Smith, Director Clerks
29 Reasons to Run
2005/109 minutes/Directed by Damon O'Steen
Murphy's Law takes over when a slacker runs out of couches to sleep on and decides to take a road trip to find his lost love. But first, he must trick his novel-challenged writer/best friend into going with him by making him believe that this trip could be the story he's been waiting to write all of his life. ATTENDING: Writer-Star Gary Weeks
Documentary-film Program
Curtain Call
2006/103 minutes/Directed by James Doolittle
Curtain Call focuses on a Philadelphia non-profit organization that provides kids the opportunity to write and stage their own musical. Working in conjunction with artists and teachers from the city, the kids come together to mount the whodunit 'Murder at Manchester Mansion' for an audience.
Geocaching: From the Web to the Woods
2006/5 minutes/Directed by Jeff Orlowski
Scavenger hunting and GPS technology combine to create Geocaching. This short explores a new hobby through the eyes of three avid participants.
Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea
2005/71 minutes/Directed by Christopher Metzler & Jeff Springer
Narrated by John Waters
Meet the friendly residents on the shores of California's newest ecological timebomb. Hungarian Revolutionaries, Christian Nudists, Pop Stars, Land Sharks, Hard Drinkers, Tons of Dead Fish, & A Man Who Built a Mountain. Come enjoy the climate, comfort, and stench of the Salton Sea! Winner of 18 awards for Best Documentary and the HBO Producer’s Award.