Red Rock Film Festival 2008

An excerpt from Plato's Republic, the 'Allegory of the Cave' is a classic commentary on the human condition. We have adapted and brought it to life by shooting over 4,000 still photographs of John Grigsby's wonderful claymation. The look was achieved by use of candlelight in a real fire that burned at the back of the set.

Two childhood friends are reunited after many years ina Cuban rebel prison camp in 1959. Once the closestof friends they now find themselves on opposingpolitical sides. One man a prisoner facingunimaginable torture and adversity, and the other asoldier in the communist army charged with being hiskeeper.

On March 3rd, eight of Montana‚'s smallest towns empty. Lights go out. Stores close. No one is left to read the marquee at the tiny movie theater: NO SHOW. C YOU AT THE STATE TOURNAMENT. Hundreds of miles away, the gym fills. High school boys in cheerleaders‚' uniforms scream. Ranchers with painted faces chant. Three months earlier, ninety-one girls‚' basketball teams from Montana‚'s smallest schools set out to win the Class C state championship. Only one will win it all. In 1897, the game of basketball arrived in Montana. Before men even started playing, young women formed the first teams in the state. In the early years, women‚'s teams played fast-paced full-court basketball. Heated matches between girls in bloomers drew enthusiastic crowds. But the excitement of these early years faded when rules from the East ‚"tamed‚" the ‚"unladylike‚" sport. Men‚'s basketball flourished. Women‚'s basketball disappeared. In the 1970s, Title IX legislation mandated the revival of girls‚' basketball programs. Today, communities rally in support of their girls. Lonely miles of snow drifted gravel roads evaporate with the roar of the crowd. Featuring five teams, ‚"Class C‚" explores the forces that underlie the dramas played out in every game. Agricultural decline, school closure, racial conflict and teen pregnancy shape the fortunes of each team as much as any coaching strategy or star player. ‚"Class C‚" tells the story of a changing rural America and the girls who carry hope and heartbreak onto the basketball court.

Martha is a passionate dancer. She and her company are at the verge of international success. A coming tour will make her ambitions come true. However, she is 7 weeks pregnant and keeps this delicate matter secret from her colleagues and boyfriend. This places Martha for a big dilemma. Will she keep her unborn child? Give up her career? The pressure mounts when her boyfriend starts to suspect a pregnancy and when Viktor, her choreographer, draws his own conclusions. It is time for Martha to make a decision.

Description: "Crickets is an allegorical tale of the journey that helps us find our soul mates, even when its timing is not on your agenda."

Cassandra, a mute 16-year-old runaway, gets off the bus in Yermo, CA. A friendly but feisty transvestite waitress named Lola gives the disheveled traveler a free meal and clean clothes.In Venice, CA, a homeless 20-year-old named Shore lives out of a broken-down VW minibus and builds rock towers at the beach. He appears happy-go-lucky, but he suffers from delusions. Cassandra reaches her final destination: a Jewish cemetery in Los Angeles. As she steps off the bus and darts into the street, she is almost hit by Shore's VW bus. She drops her sketchpad and stuffed animal in the street, but like a frightened deer, bolts into the cemetery. Cassandra is watched over by the kindly Hispanic gardener named Jorge. In his spare time, Jorge is committed to the restoration of a classic Cadillac hearse. Shore returns to the cemetery, determined to befriend the mysterious waif who lives there. Cassandra refuses Shore's overtures of friendship, and their scuffle disrupts a funeral service. Jorge helps them flee the police in the back of his truck, and brings them to the protective care of an illegal immigrant family living in a canyon. From that point Cass must depend on Shore for survival - until she gets lost once again. When Shore returns frantically to the cemetery looking for Cassandra, he and Jorge encounter a violent-tempered man named Lubitch. Shore and Jorge must find Cassandra before her abusive step-father does - and the only way to do this is in a stolen hearse.

Defeated and alone, Dave wanders the streets in the early hours of his 40th birthday. His great love is music, from a long forgotten era, and he has dedicated himself to it. But no one‚Äôs listening. This is the end of Dave‚Äôs dream‚Ķ and things go from bad to worse until he is offered a job: a wedding in Connecticut. One last chance to play, but with a band he has never met. The elaborate estate where the reception is to take place intimidates him. Drums set up; he nervously fidgets as the Wedding Party and their blue-blooded Guests gather to celebrate. The band is late and Dave must endure the wrath of the Party Planner. Only the Singer has shown up and the music is supposed to start. Since this is his last shot, Dave decides to play. It is a disaster. The Guests are horrified and the Bride is in tears but Dave keeps playing. The Groom is ready to kill but is stopped by his own parents who have come onto the dance floor to request a song. Dave obliges and as he plays, they dance beautifully together which inspires the Singer to join in. Suddenly, the scene takes on a palpable magic and the room is spellbound. Later‚ - The band finally shows only to discover the party going wild while Dave and the Singer perform an up-tempo crowd pleaser from the Big Band era. As Dave channels his musical heroes, he is reborn.

To make ends meet, rookie cop Bannerman works the grueling night shift for the NYPD. On this particular night, the senior officers are abuzz with rumors about a new prisoner held in the upper floor jail cell: Mellor, a notorious serial killer with a habit of eating his victims. Following a series of bizarre incidents, Bannerman begins to suspect that Mellor has, in fact, escaped. Based on the short story by acclaimed horror writer Peter Crowther.

This is a gorgeously shot, inspirational ‚"mini movie‚" that uses the beauty of nature and the American western desert landscape as a backdrop for the compelling message of Jana‚'s song, ‚"The Enlightened Time‚." Jana embarks upon a journey that finds her looking into the past of her people through the eyes of Sha‚-kona, the heroine of this song, who lived many generations ago. As Jana looks back in time and sees the wonderful experiences that took place in the lives of Sha‚-kona and her people so long ago, she discovers the true meaning of who she is and where she came from. Through her connection with her people and their past, Jana understands their strength, unity and solidarity, ideals that still hold true in our world today.