Artful narrative and documentary shorts that show us a diverse group of artists admitting their truths.

ABOUT THE FILM: This short mockumentary follows LaJoye Watkins, a reclusive Black woman living in Brooklyn who is determined to tell a secret she has harbored all her life: that electronic music was actually invented by Black Southerners in the 1920s. Exploring themes of loneliness, revenge, and reclamation, LaJoye takes us on a historical tour de force and journeys toward her own spiritual awakening. ABOUT THE FILMMAKER: Kima Hibbert is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York. Originally from London, raised by Jamaican parents, she moved to South Carolina when she was 9 and to NYC when she was 18. She used to be a classical flutist, then an aspiring architect, and now a film editor. She is interested in all forms of communication—musically, spatially, and cinematically. She likes to play tricks on people and make people cry (in a good way).

Africans With Mainframes

Electronic music was started by black southerners in the 1920s.

ABOUT THE FILM: Here is a debate between three important activist artists: Haskell Wexler, legendary cinematographer and filmmaker; Hubert Sauper, award-winning documentarian; and Susan Meiselas, world-renowned photojournalist. What’s the truth? Who tells the story? Whose story is it? Interspersed with interviews are the artists’ films and photographs. ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS: Joan Churchill: The first pure documentary cinematographer to be accepted into the ASC, Churchill’s accolades include DOC NYC’s Visionary Award,&nbsp;BAFTA, DuPont, Prix Italia, and IDA’s Outstanding Cinematography Award.&nbsp;She&nbsp;served on the AMPAS Documentary Executive Board for 12&nbsp;years.&nbsp;&nbsp;She taught/mentored at the National Film School (UK), UCLA, Chapman.&nbsp;She has shown her films theatrically, on HBO, PBS, BBC, Channel 4, and served on juries/panels for Sundance, Sheffield, MoMA, Lincoln Center, Camerimage, IDFA. She works on long term projects with partner Alan Barker as producer and crew including on:&nbsp;Shoot From the Heart, Bedlam, Medicating Normal, American High, The Residents. Alan Barker began working in film as a news cameraman for KEYT in Santa Barbara at age 17. He later studied psychology at Los Angeles City College and UCLA then graduated with a degree in motion picture production in 1969. He co-founded Ramsgate Films where he produced and directed educational films with partner Vaughn Obern. He studied acting and directing under Jack Garfein at The Actors &amp; Directors Lab in Los Angeles. Alan founded and directed the improvisational theater group Raw Material and performed in the late ’70’s and early ’80’s. During the ’80’s and ’90’s he worked mainly as a freelance documentary camera and sound person for British, Dutch, Japanese and other foreign broadcasters. He has worked extensively in Africa, Asia, South America and the US. Alan also worked extensively in commercials as a sound recordist during that period. Beginning in the 80’s he partnered with Joan Churchill specializing in Direct Cinema production. He was an adjunct professor at ArtCenter College of Design and now lectures on documentary-related topics. Alan and Joan lead workshops on Direct Cinema theory and technique.

Who Tells The Story?

Who tells the story? What's truth? Haskell Wexler debates with Hubert Sauper and Susan Meiselas.

ABOUT THE FILM: An ensemble of actors worships a mysterious object—“the Bobbin”—which they believe is the magical ground for their success. But shortly before opening night, the Bobbin gets destroyed in a chance accident, putting into doubt the actors’ stage powers. ABOUT THE FILMMAKER: Virginia Scaro&nbsp;is an Argentinian filmmaker born in San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina and known for her first short film,&nbsp;“Everything Calms Down”, which played at the Toronto IFF among others.&nbsp;She studied at the Universidad del Cine in Buenos Aires with a special focus in sound design.&nbsp;"A Simple Stone" is her second short film, a co-production shot in New York.&nbsp;

A Simple Stone

An ensemble of actors worships a stone that they believe has special powers.

ABOUT THE FILM: Trapped in a surreal loop, an artist with Alzheimer’s disease struggles to paint. ABOUT THE FILMMAKER: Cara Yeates is a Canadian American filmmaker who lives in the Catskills and runs the boutique production company Trigger Creative. Cara has directed content worldwide, working with Alexander Wang, Ford, Uber, and Karlie Kloss.&nbsp;She started her career in the theater by creating and touring award-winning one-woman shows across North America. In 2017, Cara directed the short documentary Taking New Steps at the Karmiel Dance Festival in Israel. She is thrilled to premiere her narrative short Gone Before Your Eyes at the Woodstock Film Festival.

Gone Before Your Eyes

Trapped in a surreal loop, an artist with Alzheimer's struggles to paint.

ABOUT THE FILM: Inspired by actual events in legendary performer Ben Vereen’s life, which are performed by Vereen himself, Quarter to Three is an intimate account of the actor’s struggles and ultimate resilience in the face of several tragedies. In the summer of 2020, shortly after yet another devastating loss, a distraught and confused Vereen returns to the place he feels most at peace: the theater. Alone onstage in the dead of night, he recounts&nbsp; his experiences, ripping open his heart in an unapologetic plea to anyone who may be listening.&nbsp;ABOUT THE FILMMAKER: Writer/Director ISA TOTAH wrote the stage play Seeing Double, which won the coveted Obie Award in New York. After working with Lou Digiaimo, the legendary casting director for Rain Man, The Godfather, and Gladiator said: “Isa is the most honest and genuine person I’ve worked with in my many years in the movie business.” His short films include The Pick Up, Battle, and Gone, which have won accolades at prestigious film festivals.

Quarter to Three

PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST - Shorts

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