| Time | Film / Event | |
|---|---|---|
| ALL DAY | THEME: OUR ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS – continued | |
| ALL DAY | ARTIST LOUNGE Available for filmmakers and artists to network between scheduled panels, meetings, and parties. Location: Circle Theatre OPEN TO ALL PASS HOLDERS |
|
| 9:00 AM-12:05 PM | BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS – continued | |
| 9:00 AM | Unscripted Lives Directed by James Sadwith Follows the setbacks, tears and triumphs as a little New England village and an enrichment center for people with disabilities attempt to stage an original musical together. With music by Lady Gaga, Billy Joel, Lionel Ritchie, The Hollies, The Righteous Brothers and more, this film is guaranteed to strip away any preconceptions you ever had about people with disabilities. Location: Founders Theatre Runtime: 01:28:00 FILMMAKER Q&A TO FOLLOW |
|
| 10:40 AM | Romano Twins Directed by first-time filmmakers, Greg Romano and Matt Romano Matt and Greg Romano (identical twin sons of Ray Romano) set out to make a documentary about the unique challenges of not only being a twin, but having a famous father, and along the way face their own fears and challenges of self-identity. Location: Founders Theatre Runtime: 01:18:23 FILMMAKER Q&A TO FOLLOW |
|
| 11:00 AM | FILM & TELEVISION INDUSTRY PANEL WITH Q&A: CREATING AN EDUCATIONAL ANIMATION SERIES FOR CHILDREN K-5 REGARDING NEW AVIATION TECHNOLOGIES INCLUDING DRONES, ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY, GPS, SENSORS SO KIDS CAN LEARN THROUGH FUN ADVENTURES WITH ASTRO, THE TALKING DOG. Featuring Sarasina Tuchen (National expert on advanced aviation technologies) and Writer/Producer Jacob Meszaros (Rocking the Boat, Unaccompanied Minors, Holy Sh!t, The Simpsons). Moderated by Actor/Producer/former Director of New Media at Matt Groening Productions, Annette Andersen and Producer Adrian Clark. Location: Circle Theatre Runtime: 60:00 SPONSORED BY THE EDEN8 FOUNDATION OPEN TO ALL PASS HOLDERS |
|
| 12:05 PM-12:35 Pm | BREAK Runtime: 30:00 |
|
| 12:35 PM-3:00PM | BEST ANIMATED FILMS | |
| 12:35 PM | Snow Bear Directed by Academy Award-nominee, Aaron Blaise When a lonely polar bear can’t find a friend…he makes one. Set in a rapidly changing world, Snow Bear tells the story of a polar bear in an unforgiving environment on his quest to find a friend. This independently produced 2D hand drawn film was painstakingly created entirely by Aaron Blaise over 3 years. Features musical score by Marlon E. Espino (Cry Macho, Juror #2, Invictus) and Grammy Award-winner Mark Mancina (Speed, Moana, The Lion King). Location: Founders Theatre Runtime: 11:29 FILMMAKER Q&A TO FOLLOW |
|
| 12:55 PM | Mosley Directed by Kirby Atkins Features the voices of John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings, Raiders of the Lost Ark), Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death, Flight of the Conchords), Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess, Spartacus, Battlestar Galactica), and Temuera Morison (Chief of War, Moana, Aquaman, The Mandalorian). A species of creatures known as “thoriphants” rebel against their life of servitude and embark on a treacherous journey to find the fabled city of Uprights. Location: Founders Theatre Runtime: 01:39:38 FILMMAKER Q&A TO FOLLOW |
|
| 1:15 PM-1:45 Pm | FILM & TELEVISION INDUSTRY PANEL WITH Q&A: JOIN US FOR A CONVERSATION WITH MARK VALADEZ, WINNER OF THE 2024 CARMEL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SCREENWRITING COMPETITION FOR THE PRIDE. A Chicago native, Mark’s voice is shaped by his working-class roots, early work as a novelist and comic book writer, and training in the ABC-Disney TV Writing Program. His credits include FOX’s Gang Related, Ice, The Oath, and three seasons as writer-producer on USA Network’s Queen of the South. He now has a feature in development with producers Rosie Cruz and Nina Martina. Discover his process, inspirations, and future ambitions. Moderated by Actor/Producer/former Director of New Media at Matt Groening Productions, Annette Andersen, Producer Adrian Clark, and Actor/Producer/Podcaster Rosie Ferdin Cruz. Location: Circle Theatre Runtime: 30:00 SPONSORED BY CRUZ MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTIONS OPEN TO ALL PASS HOLDERS |
|
| 2:40 PM | Letter From a Stranger Directed by Shima Markazi Omidvar – first-time filmmaker at the University of Tehran Letter From a Stranger is a short 2D animation that explores the delicate interplay between two colleagues working in a large library. Despite the absence of an apparent connection, the story highlights how their actions impact each other’s mental health, subtly revealing the concept of “hidden violence” in contemporary society. Location: Founders Theatre Runtime: 05:49 |
|
| 2:50 PM | Happy Life Directed by Sara Caldwell Happy Life is a stop-motion animation about an old woman who turns her loneliness into joy with the help of three balloons and a mysterious stranger. Location: Founders Theatre Runtime: 08:17 FILMMAKER Q&A TO FOLLOW |
|
| 3:05 PM-3:35 Pm | BREAK Runtime: 30:00 |
|
| 3:05 PM-3:35 Pm | FILM & TELEVISION INDUSTRY PANEL WITH Q&A: PRESERVING THE INDUSTRY IN CALIFORNIA: PRODUCING FILM & TELEVISION UTILIZING THE NEW STATE TAX INCENTIVE PROGRAM IN MONTEREY COUNTY Featuring Kerri Wood Einertson (Executive Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy at SAG-Aftra and Board of Directors of the California Film Commission). Moderated by Director/Writer/Producer Lawrence Roeck and Actor/Producer/former Director of New Media at Matt Groening Productions, Annette Andersen. Location: Circle Theatre Runtime: 30:00 OPEN TO ALL PASS HOLDERS |
|
| 3:35 PM-4:25 Pm | BEST SURFING FILMS | |
| 3:35 PM | Daydreaming Directed by Cesinha Feliciano – Portugal Daydreaming is a 26 minute short film born from the fellowship between writer and surfer Vovô Balian and filmmaker Cesinha Feliciano. The film portrays the life of Vovô and his longtime friend João Maria Lima along the cozy west coast of Portugal. With a narrative that intertwines poetic daydreams and intimate testimonies, Daydreaming reminds us how special our connection to the art of riding waves truly is and how this salty love inspires, nourishes, and challenges us, not only as surfers but as thoughtful beings. After all, would we be who we are and where we are if we didn’t have such a love guiding us? Location: Founders Theatre Runtime: 26:29 FILMMAKER Q&A TO FOLLOW |
|
| 4:05 PM | Haagua Directed by Marc Antony Chavez and Octavio Aceves Coutiño – Mexico An Indigenous surf film that celebrates the timeless bond between humanity and the ocean, Haagua follows a group of Native American surfers as they revive ancestral traditions, blending cultural resilience with the cultural art of surfing to honor the past and inspire the future.Haagua explores the profound bond personified by Great Great Grandmother Ocean (played by Jacinda Townsend, Vartan Gregorian Assistant Professor of Literary Arts at Brown University and the 2023 winner of the Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, winner of the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize, James Fenimore Cooper Prize for historical fiction, and Honor Book of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association). Through voices from the past and prayers for the future, the film traces the enduring memory of survival that connects generations. Surfing emerges not merely as a sport but as a rediscovery of cultural practices and a revival of an original way of life.This cultural regeneration comes to life through the journeys of featured Indigenous surfers, including Andy Nieblas (Acjachemen), David Flores Ramos (Nahua), Kaliko Kahoonei (Hawaiian), Shuuluk Leo-Retz (Kumeyaay), Amon B. Chavez (Nahua-Carib), Reg Macarro (Payomkawichum-Ojibwe), and Marc Chavez (Nahua-Xicano). Together, they embody a modern resurgence of ancestral wisdom, blending tradition with the rhythm of the waves in a story of resilience, identity, and connection. Location: Founders Theatre Runtime: 15:22 FILMMAKER Q&A TO FOLLOW |
|
| 4:25 PM-7:50 PM | BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS – continued | |
| 4:25 PM | This Side Up Directed by David Lanning Stars Theodore Newton, Olivia Whelan-O’Farrell, and Shélah Larson. A modern romantic comedy about a struggling screenwriter, who is dumped by his high school sweetheart. Having no sense of direction in his life, he moves into a storage unit, where he figures out life in a funny way. Filmed at over forty locations throughout the San Francisco area in just two weeks, this film is a love letter to the Bay. Filmed entirely in California. Location: Founders Theatre Runtime: 01:38:00 FILMMAKER Q&A TO FOLLOW |
|
| 6:10 PM-6:20 PM | BREAK Runtime: 10:00 |
|
| 6:20 PM | Midnight in the Orange Grove Directed by Andrew Troy Stars Isa Yamileth, Kas Escamilla, Rick Otto (Red Tails, Bosch, The Wire), Katherine Kendall (Swingers, Flatland), and Guinevere Turner (American Psycho, The Notorious Bettie Page, The L Word). Based on true events, Midnight in the Orange Grove is the story of a young woman who is jarred into remembering a tragedy long buried in her subconscious. Through therapy, a blossoming romance, and the appearance of a mysterious woman, past and present collide as she’s forced to confront the dark secret of her childhood. Filmed entirely in California. Location: Founders Theatre Runtime: 01:25:25 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE FILMMAKER Q&A TO FOLLOW |
|
| 7:50 PM-8:00 PM | BREAK Runtime: 10:00 |
|
| 8:00 PM-10:00 PM | AWARDS & VIP FILMMAKER PARTY Location: Founders Theatre Runtime: 02:00:00 INDIVIDUAL AWARDS WILL BE GIVEN OUT |
