After being mistaken for the enemy by fellow U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, a Japanese-American veteran struggles to overcome his feelings of guilt and anger, find a sense of belonging, and reunite with the friend who saved his life in this intimate, occasionally hilarious, and moving short documentary. This film contains language and scenes that some viewers may find disturbing. Viewer discretion advised. Director's Bio:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/856116bd6dd8944d5b4f3ab686f24b13.jpg" width="133" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;">David Brodie has worked in documentaries for 15 years, primarily as an editor. He cut Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me for Apple+, won an Emmy for editing Errol Morris’s Survivors, and edited the Oscar-nominated The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306, and Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski for Netflix and Appian Way. David also edited and designed the title sequences for Freak Power: The Ballot or the Bomb, and Garret Bradley’s Naomi Osaka series. To promote the film Interstellar, David directed and edited the short film Emic. This is his first documentary project as director.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Volunteer

A Japanese-American veteran of the Vietnam War finds the friend who saved his life, and struggles with identity in the US.

Acclaimed Austin musicians Mac Mcintosh, the Michael Hale Trio and Taméca Jones star in Don't You Go Nowhere. We begin onstage at a jazz club where the aging but incomparable Doc Marvell leads his band through the rollicking first song of their set, coaxing the crowd into an audience participation back-and-forth. But when Doc comes across a singer in the crowd whose voice competes with his own, good-natured rivalry turns to poignant revelation. Director's Bio:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/842eb29723426b1ef6610ed060f63337.jpg" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;" width="193">A two-time Independent Spirit Award nominee, writer/director Bryan Poyser has made 3 features, numerous short films as well as projects for Comedy Central, the USA Network, Ridley Scott Associates and HBO. His features include LOVERS OF HATE (Sundance Film Festival premiere; John Cassavetes Award Nominee, 2011 Independent Spirit Awards), DEAR PILLOW (Someone to Watch Award Nominee, 2005 Spirit Awards) and LOVE &amp; AIR SEX (SXSW Film Festival premiere). Most recently, he wrote an episode of the HBO series ROOM 104 and his 2022 short film DON’T YOU GO NOWHERE screened in nearly 40 film festivals and won 7 awards.

Don't You Go Nowhere

In this award-winning short film, a jazz dynamo belts his way through his weekly set until he makes an unexpected connection with a fan.

Lauren + Keisha’s friendship is “us against the world." They’re 17 and live on Chicago’s largely Black south side. Their friendship is tested when Lauren reveals a tightly-held secret to Keisha, and the two friends must take matters into their own hands in a landscape where the only thing they can truly count on is each other. Director's Bio:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/3d72b1ad331c3de2da3b38c9e0a153b3.jpg" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;" width="110">McKenzie Chinn, a Chicago-based writer, director, is a 2021 Sundance Screenwriters Lab and Directors Lab Fellow, where she developed the feature version of “A Real One.” Her film Olympia (writer, actor) premiered at the 2018 LA Film Festival, and won the Best Narrative Feature Audience Award at the 2019 Bentonville Film Festival. She was recently named IFA Chicago’s inaugural Breakthrough Voice Award recipient. As an actor she has played recurring and guest star roles on ABC’s Will Trent, Fox’s The Big Leap, and others, and has appeared onstage with Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, The Second City, Woolly Mammoth, The Studio Theatre, and others. <a href="https://www.mckenziechinn.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mckenziechinn.com/</a>

A Real One

A bright teenager on Chicago’s south side learns the power and persistence of true friendship when a closely-held secret is discovered amid the final weeks of her senior year in high school.

Willa wakes in a panic of post-traumatic stress disorder. Unable to recognize her boyfriend who sleeps beside her, she runs from the bed. The boy tries to help, but Willa must calm herself. As he observes, she begins to dance in order to reconnect to her body and present surroundings. Then, he joins her dance. As the sun rises, Willa speaks about her past experience of sexual assault. With new understanding, they sleep in the safety of morning. Director's Bio:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/29e11dbfa0ee4bea0464a6867b72c463.png" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;" width="132">Ashley Amanda Chan &amp; Josh Whalen are graduates of NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Film &amp; Television. Ashely is an artist born and raised in Queens, New York, who currently resides in Brooklyn. She works as a Production Coordinator in commercials and television. Josh is a writer and director born and raised in Athens, Georgia, who currently resides in Los Angeles. He works in development for a boutique literary agency.

Pop Tart Sugar Dip

Forced awake from an episode of PTSD, a young woman must finally open up about her past trauma in order to embark on the next stage of healing.

Andrea is a young woman with a special function. When somebody feels some paranormal phenomenon at home, she is the only one who can clear it up. But on each visit Andrea always insists: There are no ghosts. Those are the echoes of someone who was among us once. Director's Bio:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/60c5c76b6e6977118e510e22facd3d5d.jpg" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;" width="151">Nacho Solana is a director from Cantabria (North of Spain) whose works have been showed in more than 500 festivals of 25 countries from all over the world, with the special highlight for 'Namnala' as a candidate to the Goya 2016. Right now Solana is developing his first long feature 'Eco' which shares universe with 'There are no ghosts'.

There Are No Ghosts

Andrea is a young woman with a special function. When somebody feels some paranormal phenomenon at home, she is the only one who can clear it up.

Jane searches high and low trying to find any sense of human connection in Los Angeles, the loneliest city in the world. A city where everyone is trying so hard to be someone and make something of themselves. Director's Bio:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/199cf3b3d9bfa36fad2055d7b4bed142.jpg" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;" width="182">Bobby Louise and Brig met at the age of 18. Ever since, they’ve grown up together as best friends, creative partners, and life partners. It’s been an extremely wild ride – raising two kids, now crazy teenagers, moving 9 times, battling three different bouts of cancer. They now live and work as a directing team in Los Angeles.

The Ghost of Los Angeles

A young woman struggles to search for any type of meaningful human connection.

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Join us for the 20th Annual BendFilm Festival. Screening virtually October 16-22, 2023

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