The Illusion: Official Selection: Grace Film Festival

 

The Illusion
Iran

Runtime: 2:04
Category: Life
Screen Date: April 2015

This is a human story that is illusion and vanity and every day he gets farther away from the others. In this animation, the dialogue is unknown .(In other world; the dialogue with body language is just to convey the abstract concepts) .

Director: Mohammad Reza Hanafi

Education: high school diploma in mathematics/bachelor’s degree in educational sciences/master’s degree in educational psychology

Art activities: producer and director of movie and
animation/photographer/author
A _ Art records:
1. Writer & Producer & director of Short animation “The Illusion” / 2 min / three dimensional technique / produced in 2013

“The Illusion” was nominee for :
1) The best short animation in Phoenix Film Festival (USA) ( 3-10 April 2014)
2) The best short animation in Short Sharp Film Festival (Australia) (16 August 2014)
“The Illusion” is nominee for :
3) Anim!Arte ( Brazil, 21-30 October 2014 )
4) Festimation: Animation + New Media Arts Festival ( USA, Montana, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th in October 2014 )
5) The Machinima Expo 7 (22 & 23November 2014 )
6) selected for The Jaxon Film Fest ( for Novella Showcase / USA, Michigan, 1&2 November 2014 )
2. Producer and director of animation series “ The Restaurant of the Jungle “ which is totally 390 minutes (26 episodes, 15 minutes each)/
1) “ The Restaurant of the Jungle “ was nominee for the best animated film and sound editing & mixing and also best directing in 2014 Jaame Jam Int. TV Festival and finally won the award of the Best animated film.
2) “ The Restaurant of the Jungle “ selected and is nominee for 28th International Children Film Festival in Isfahan( one of important cities of Iran) (3-6 October 2014)
3. Holding photography, painting and graphic exhibitions in Saadabad art galleries (2002), Niavaran Art Gallery (2002), Jahannama art gallery (2003), Noor art gallery and …
4. Authoring and photographing the book “Karkheh Sarzamin Aram (Karkheh, land of peace)” in two Persian and English languages in 2006
5. Designing hundreds of posters and book cover design by the order of different centers (2000 to 2007).
6. Founder and manager of Shamisa Art and Cultural Inst. (founded from 2004)
7. Producer and director of short animation “Flight” in 2008 (8 minutes)

re÷belief: Love: Official Selection: Grace Film Festival

 

 
re÷belief
USA
Buy Tickets 
Runtime: 6:55
Category: Love
Screening Date: January 31, 2015

 "re÷belief", is a 3D Printed, hand crafted, zoetropic short-film that asks if recalling memories can break a cycle. A Graduate Student produced Thesis, completed for the MFA in Film and Animation Program at Rochester Institute of Technology's School of Film and Animation.

Director: Raymond McCarthy Bergeron

Raymond McCarthy Bergeron is a misplaced Vermonter, currently living in North Bethesda, Maryland, USA, who just completed his MFA in Film and Animation at the Rochester Institute of Technology in May 2014. Previously he was an employee of Champlain College from 2001 – 2010, where he started in the Information Systems Department, and in November of 2007 moved to the Emergent Media Center. With both a B.S. in Multimedia and Graphic Design and a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from Champlain College, he leverages both the creative and technical sides of his brain to solve problems. Recently, he completed a film for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s GPM Project titled Waterfalls, projected on Spherical screens globally, and completed his thesis film re÷belief, a mixed medium of 3D printing and handcrafted works. He also is a member of the IGDA, ASIFA East, and ACM.
Ray’s short films have had the privilege of being selected for screenings worldwide. Ray has garnished recognition from The 39th Student Academy Awards, College Television Awards, Adobe Design Achievement Awards, SIGGRAPH, mtvU and RIT’s School of Film and Animation Honor Show for four years in a row. In addition to his films, his photography has been on display in several galleries.
Ray continues developing and keeping his skills relevant as a freelance animation artist, designer, video editor, digital photographer, and computer & technical consultant. He loves learning through teaching and enjoys helping out others whenever he can. In his spare time, if there is any, he explores digital photography, 3D printing, programming, and, of course, 3D modeling and animation. He finally relaxes by spending time with his lovely wife, Corinn, and his crazy, lovable, fur-ball-of-a-cat Sam.

Haiku 4: Still: Grace Film Festival: Official Selection

Haiku 4: Still   Buy Tickets
Canada

Runtime: 6:25
Category: Faith
Screening Date: January 29, 2015


In his kitchen, overgrown with plants and vines, Teagran keeps his dead father. Tormented by dreams, he tries several rituals to bring him back to life. From weaving a beard out of vines, to hunting down a wolf, Teagran tries everything he can to rid himself of the nightmares he is having and resurrect his dead father.

Director: Lyle Pisio

Lyle Pisio is a Calgary based artist, musician and animator. A founding member of the free-improvisational bands ‘Street of Crocodiles’ and ‘tokyosexwhale’, Lyle has been making films and animation since 2000. His films have been screened worldwide in over 100 festivals and have received several awards for animation, music, and artistic design. His films include: The Unholy(2004), Another lost Soul (2006), Visages(2008), The Empress(2009), and Wrecking Ball(2010).

Zanderology: Hope: Grace Film Festival: Official Selection

 (This film is not in the selection process for awards)

Zanderology   Buy Tickets

US

Runtime: 42:39

Category: Hope

Screening Date: January 31, 2015

This film is an illustrated documentary about Zander Keig, a trans man who was born dead, paralyzed at age six, put in a mental hospital as a teen, was in a Mexican gang, joined the military, became an undercover drug officer, obtained three graduate degrees and is now a social worker for homeless veterans. Zanderology goes beyond telling people that it gets better and humorously explains how one person changed their life in almost every way possible

Director: Megan Rohrer 

Megan Rohrer is a nationally recognized LGBTQ faith leader, historian, writer, homeless advocate and community organizer. The first openly transgender pastor ordained in the Lutheran church, Megan is the Pastor of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Executive Director of Welcome. Megan recived an honorable mention as an Unsung Hero of Compassion by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, was awarded an honorary doctorate from Palo Alto University, won Out History's Since Stonewall Local Histories Competition and co-edited Letters For Our Brothers: Transitional Wisdom in Retrospect, which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in transgender nonfiction.  

a Mother: Love: Grace Film Festival: Official Selection

 

a Mother    Buy Tickets

India

Language: Hindi

Runtime: 14

Category: Love 

Screening Date:  January 31, 2015

AAi (mother) is a film about a mother’s unconditional love for her son, the film is her perspective of having a baby and watching her son grow up.. and everything that happens in the middle.

The Film is set up in India and spawns over several years and several generation of one family.

 Director: Aroop Dwivedi

Aroop Dwivedi a 38 year old Animation trainer and Film designer from India, who has mentored several student short films in last couple of years.
He graduated in Commerce in 1998 and later decided to pursue Animation film making as his career; he has been working in the production and education sector at tandem for last 15 years, where other than working on several international projects, he has also designed the animation syllabus for several Indian universities.
He is passionate about the classical style of animation and loves photography.

Director’s Statement

AAi is my debut film,its a film which has been extremely challenging emotionally and physically , due to the fact that i have been working on this film relentlessly for last four years , there had been days where i have just drawn 2 drawings(frames) but i have continuously worked on it with out missing a beat , also the fact that in last four years, the same time i was working on this film, i have lost a lot of my dear ones, acquaintances,friends,relatives which is why finishing this became film became all the more important, this film is my ode to those loved ones.

A Stranger Among the Icebergs: Love: Grace Film Festival: Official Selection

A Stranger Among the Icebergs       Buy Tickets
Russia
Language: Russian
Runtime (13:25)
Category: Love
Screening Date: January 31, 2015


The story of a rooster who grew up among penguins and of love for one's family and the motherland.

Director: Andrey Sokolov

Date and place of birth: April 1, 1974, Moscow
In 1993 he graduated from art school for Specialties cabinetmaker.
1995 - animation courses at “Pilot” Studio
1998 - State Academy of spheres of life as an engineer-technologist for furniture production.
From 1995 -2000 years - animator and storibordist at “Pilot” Studio
In 2001 he made his debut as a director with the film "Latex".
In 2003 he graduated from the Faculty of Cinematography additional education (department directing animated films).