In a trash-filled city, a homeless woman's encounter with a fish takes an unexpected turn. Elly Stern directs “Waste Away,” a beautifully designed and executed stop-motion animated film, an allegory of motherhood in various forms, and a depiction of the overabundance, wastefulness and decay of modernity. The woman living in an alley next to an overflowing dumpster spots a discarded, uneaten fish in the garbage. When she swallows it, it comes to life inside of her, forcing her into the natural world, itself mistreated and discarded. A portrait of human irresponsibility and social/ecological collapse — the darkness is rendered with meticulous care and artistry (it took 10 months to make) — Stern’s film is a reckoning, textured, evocative and surreal. -KA. Director & Animator: Elly Stern. Musical score: Daniel Hass. Sound design: Elly Stern. Sound mixing: Kyle Jones. Produced at Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
On the edge of adolescence, a little brother visits his sister in the big city for the first time. This documentary snapshot directed by Dominique van Olm (who also stars) is a beautifully intimate account of their weekend in Toronto. The low-key course of events makes an effective case for the p...
Etta returns home from Vegas with a pile of cash and needs to explain to her boyfriend how she got it. Jessica Garrison writes and directs “DIME,” a provocative chamber drama circling a host of relationship hot buttons - trust, jealousy, sex, power. The situation escalates bit by bit - Etta arriv...
On a visit home to Idaho, Matt documents family dynamics and recalls scattered memories from childhood. “Here We Have Idaho,” made by and starring Matt Barats, is a witty self-portrait about small-scale resentments and feeling undervalued amongst loved ones. He leaves his “high-octane, balls-to-t...
