All times are subject to change, please check the schedule for latest updates.
Theater 7, Cinepolis IMAX, 5500 Grandview Parkway, Davenport, FL Admission: Free
AWARDS Winners announced during Izuminka Fashion Expo and Award Ceremony, Saturday January 20, 2018 8:00PM
Ambassador of Peace: The Ambassador of Peace is awarded to the film that illustrates the tangible engagement of peace. It is the highest award of the festival.
Avante Garde: Avant Garde is awarded to the film with highest level of technical achievement used to present a story.
Enlightenment Award: The Award of Enlightenment is assigned to the films which best explore and document a cultural art, lifestyle or history.
Essence Award : Essence is awarded to the top film in the shorts category. The award recognizes the films ability to creatively convey an idea in minimal time.
Rising Star Award: The Rising Star Award is given to the top performers in the student film category.
Unspoken: Awarded to best film conveying a message without dialogue.
Standard Awards: Best Short Documentary, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay.
Judges Choice Awards: Best Comedy, Best Action Scene, Best Black and White Film, Best Narrative, Relevance, Best Experimental Film.
Saturday January 20, 2018
| 12:00PM – 2 PM | Repeat of festival favorites:
Late Show – Lorenzo Tardella, Italy The Monk – Danil Grinkin, Russian Federation Release From Heaven – Ali Noori Oskouei, Iran |
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| 2:00-4:00PM | Featured Films with attending filmmakers and Q& A Following
The Queen – Hugo Teugels, Belgium Angels in Disguise – Alexis Patton, USA The Lighthouse, Mark Leschinsky, USA Five Minutes, Oksana Kosyk & Roman Yasinovskyi, Ukraine |
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| 7:00PM | Awards Ceremony Doors Open National Costume Show in lobby with guests |
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| 7:30PM | Golden Gates Music and Dance Company Performs
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| 8:00PM | Opening announcements
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| 8:10 PM | Izuminka Fashion Expo, Inna Rudenko featured Designer
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| 8:25 PM | First round of awards for filmmakers
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| 8:40 PM | National Costume Models
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| 8:50 PM | Second Round of Awards
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| 9:05 PM | Inna Rudenko featured Designer – Gowns & Bridal
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| 9:15 PM | Final Round of Awards
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| 9:30 PM | Surprise Award Announcement
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| 9:40 PM | Ambassador Award – Grand Prize Winner
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| 9:50 PM | Curtain Call, Models and Filmmakers
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| 10:00 PM | Exit to lobby and After Party at Sake Restaurant |
Friday, January 19, 2018
| Description | Running Time | Country | First Time Filmmaker | Director(s)s | |
| 11AM – 12PM | |||||
| Lumiére | Brothers Lumiere have opened cinema for the world more than a century ago,but also to this day are born a new pioneers – which are investigating this huge world is cinema Nominations *Best Direction |
0:30:00 | Uzbekistan | No | Hristina Belousova, Dante Rustav |
| Sea | If long to think of the sea, then the sea comes to you ! | 0:01:00 | Uzbekistan | No | Hristina Belousova |
| 7 Maidens’ Theatre | Back in 1941 in an small village club the men of a theatre went to battle-front and asked their loved ones to save it, promising to come back in 3-4 months with victory. And 7 actresses swore to perform every day on their front-line – stage. Rising national spirit, making people believe and hope became their aim. But they didn’t know that war would last for long 4 years. But notwithstanding all the difficulties they stayed true to their oath. There’re only 4 theatres left out of 36 in Bashkortostan. There’s also the theatre of 7 girls which still exists. This is Salavat state Bashkir drama theatre – the theatre that must live despite everything as a reminder of the war that impossible to forget. | 0:23:25 | Russian Federation | No | Kirsten Gainet |
| 12 – 1 PM | |||||
| Obusebito | Obuse, the smallest town in Nagano. The town planning of Obuse started about 30 years ago, with the idea of creating a comfortable space where the townspeople can enjoy themselves and building a town to be proud of. As a result, the deserted town in Northern Nagano transformed into a tourist destination, attracting a million visitors a year in a town with a population of ten thousand. This film is a documentary focusing on the fascinating and charming locals living in Obuse, including key players in the town planning. The way they live may be an inspiration for town planning in Japan and around the world. Nominations *Best Short Documentary |
0:22:30 | Japan | No | Kazuhito Takazawa |
| Prologue | Masanori Narikawa’s 3rd album ‘OTOGIBANASHI’ ‘s music song “Prologue” Music Video which is offering songs to numerous video works as a guitarist · composer. This song was composed as a theme song of “ODAYAKA-YA” released in 2016. Nominations *Best Music Video |
0:03:43 | Japan | No | Kazuhito Takazawa |
| Exile on A Street | An independent writer and consultant with a very private existence relocates from a quiet, suburban community to an inner-city artists’ co-operative. “Exile on A Street” explores the pleasures and purgatories brought on by his move. | 0:04:46 | United States | No | Henry Dane |
| The Bodtle | When an artist is about to give up on his concept drawing of a bottle so unique as the beverage it is suppose to contain, his utter desperation is awarded with a muse of inspiration! Nominations *Unspoken |
0:00:59 | United States | No | Kamen Sway |
| And you sleep |
Story about love and the search for meaning of life inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky’s „Stalker”. Cast: Ania Smołowik & Rad Kaim Director & Producer: Elzbieta Piekacz Cinematographer & Sound Recordist: Justin Spray Editor: Michał Białożej Special Thanks to: Richard Kwietniowski & Graham Hilleard & Natalia Pieniążek Nominations *Best Actress, Best Screenplay |
0:12:00 | United Kingdom | No | Elzbieta Piekacz |
| I Am | The true understanding of love is lost in our society and so therefore lust is at loose with its fruit of abuse destroying so many homes and life’s of many people. I AM is a story of love, lust and abuse. Nominations *Best Screenplay |
0:10:48 | Nigeria | Yes | Jayeola Muyiwa Donald |
| 1 – 2PM | |||||
| The Man Who Made the Night Light | A short live action/animation hybrid about the life of a street lamplighter, and the struggling animator who is telling the story. | 0:11:40 | United Kingdom | No | Ryan Potter |
| Wu Wei (Non-Action) | The film combines an original jazz score with the poetry of Lao Tsu and bird imagery from the Texas coast to illustrate the ancient Taoist concept of Wu Wei or Non Action. | 0:02:33 | United States | No | Bill Sandidge |
| Once upon a dream | When Valentin meets Ludivine, he is convinced she’s the girl he has been dreaming of for the past weeks… Litteraly, the girl of his dreams ! Only, Ludivine has a feeling this boy meet girl scenario will take a nightmarish turn… Nominations *Essence |
0:13:25 | Belgium | Yes | Anthony Nion |
| No Father | It focuses on the children of the victims of attacks on the Hazara Community. One of the many unfortunate victims of the barbaric acts perpetrated on this community was little Dawood, who doesn’t speak much since the incident took place. The film shows the trauma that develops in these children, which is worse than the trauma associated with any other crime, since they don’t even know their fault in this case. The film fills you with grief and despair over the plight of Hazara Community, especially when a father plays the last audio message of his family, who were all killed in a terrorist attack on the community some years ago. Nominations *Enlightenment, Ambassador of Peace |
0:16:00 | Pakistan | No | Hasan Raza Khan |
| If I could choose… | The film is inspired by the life story of Marina Obradovic, girl from the village Gložan near Novi Sad, which as she says she does not suffer, but has cerebral palsy. The scenario is made based on e-mail correspondence with her and the accompanying text in the movie is taken from emails and contains its completely authentic sentences. In the movie appears and soundbeam orchestra „Goodpeople” who constitute persons with disabilities and performs the accompanying music in the film. Nominations *Enlightenment |
0:08:45 | Serbia | Yes | Zarko Sebic |
| 2 – 3 PM | |||||
| On the Other Side | On the Other Side is an travel/essay short film about the filmmaker’s experience and reflections on living in Cambodia. | 0:04:01 | United States | No | Heather Rosenblum |
| Where are the Stars? | A short film on how light pollution affects the view of the night sky. It shows how the view gets progressively better as the light pollution reduces (from Los Angeles to Great Basin desert). We are losing our connection with the night sky, which provided us with wonders like Stonehenge, the Pyramids of Giza and the Mayan calendar. It also keeps our overworked, politicized lives simple, and makes us kind, thoughtful. Astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson said: “When you look at the night sky, you realize how small we are within the cosmos,” “It’s kind of resetting of your ego. To deny yourself that state of mind, either willingly or unwittingly, is to not live to the full extent of what it is to be human.” Nominations *Best Short Documentary, Avante Garde |
0:03:29 | United States | Yes | Muhammad Asif Islam |
| Heimlich | Heimlich is homely. Paris lives in an unhomely home. Serena wants a home, in a place you wouldn’t exactly call Paris. They drink. They talk. They merge. In water, beer and memory. A frog leaps. Strange. Stranger. Unhomely. Unheimlich. Stranger than home. Nominations *Best Screenplay |
0:19:00 | Greece | Yes | Kostas Bakouris |
| Experiment | A scientist studies romance in a chimpanzee laboratory. | 0:03:40 | United States | No | Lili Gu |
| Miguel | This is a story of a deaf boy named MIGUEL and his struggles in the world full of discriminations and injustices. In every circumstance of Miguel’s Life ,his Mother’s unconditional love is always there waiting for him. Together, they will teach us a message and touch our hearts in silence. Nominations *Rising Star, Best Direction |
0:29:46 | Philippines | Yes | Paul Brian Tulioc Baldoza |
| 3 – 4 PM | |||||
| Сrazy | “Crazy” is a video we have created for a song called “Crazy”. In this video we tried to follow the idea of the song & also added more personal feeling about people acting crazy, making their distructive beahviour turn the world around them into chaos & ruins. Nominations *Best Music Video |
0:03:00 | Russian Federation | Yes | Daria Kozyreva |
| Filmmaking Kills | When Davide loses the use of his legs after an accident, Marco, the driver, drowns in guilt. Davide though, says he shouldn’t worry, suggesting that what they are experiencing is actually a movie. During the film he gives evidence of it, but nobody takes him seriously. In the other’s opinion, in fact, he is talking nonsense because of the trauma. | 0:09:00 | Italy | No | Martin Basile |
| Hollow Dog | Maurce Blik was born in Amsterdam in 1939. This film explores Maurice’s art work through a series of interviews and sheds light on his experiences as a child and his decision to become a sculptor. Today Blik’s monumental sculptures can be seen around the world. A former President of the Royal British Society of Sculptors his work is powerful and of great importance as it records and reflects a lifetime of experiences. Hollow Dog features interviews with leading sculptors, footage of Blik at work in his studio, as well as interviews with the sculptor. Nominations *Best Direction |
0:52:00 | United Kingdom | No | Clive A Martin |
| 4 – 5 PM | |||||
| Track | Follow elementary school children on their journey to school in Iran’s Talesh mountains. Nominations *Best Short Documentary |
0:04:00 | Iran | No | Reza Golchin |
| Late Show | An old man takes his place in an empty movie theater. But it’s not that simple. This is not JUST a movie theater: it’s a limbo, a transition, a borderline between life and death. The lights go out, and suddenly HIS movie appears on the screen. The man watches the highlights of his life, until the projection ends and the lights come back on. The time has come. He’s ready. The conductor invites him to quit. Nominations *Best Direction |
0:08:30 | Italy | No | Lorenzo Tardella |
| Count-down | We are far above our expectations and carry more than we are aware of. Nominations *Unspoken |
0:01:00 | United Arab Emirates | No | Komalankutty Methil |
| El Greco on the moon | El Greco on the Moon is an experimental short film, which responds to a set of emotional experiences of the author, Juan Ibáñez, as a teenager: the arrival of the man to the moon in 1969; the pictorial work of El Greco in the Church of Santo Tomé in Toledo, and the discovery of the pictorial avant-gardes in the sheets of school books are fused in the narrative line of the short film. Nominations *Avante Garde |
0:06:24 | Spain | No | Juan Ibañez |
| Turn Table | The Story Based on middle class needy girl who works in corporate office and how boss take advantages of her need and then as you sow, so shall you reap. Nominations *Best Actress |
0:07:17 | India | No | MAULIK BHATIYA |
| Journey From War to Peace | Journey from War is the a story of a series of courageous choices by the citizens and government of Sierra Leone, who succeeded not just in leaving behind a long and devastating civil war, but also in forging a path of forgiveness and healing between the many victims of that war. This is an eminently hopeful story of the willingness of many ordinary people to embrace an extraordinary task; that of reintegrating thousands of children once forced to become soldiers, with those in the communities they damaged. And it is a model of compassionate and forgiving action the rest of this troubled world would be wise to emulate. Nominations *Ambassador of Peace, Enlightenment |
0:30:15 | United States | Yes | Terry Leary, George Lewis |
| 5 – 6 PM | |||||
| Torments of Love | A film from Guadeloupe based on hidden love and untold feelings between two sisters in their thirties and their father. Nominations *Best Actress, Best Direction |
0:53:47 | France | No | Caroline JULES |
| The Velvet Abstract | A Short Film About the Environmental Age from a Team Spanning Six Continents. Nominations *Avante Garde |
0:07:04 | United Kingdom | No | James Hughes |
| 6 – 7 PM | |||||
| Hypnotism | Hypnotism is The routine story of the people who are involved thoroughly in the modern life and their human identity is manipulated by change in their unconscious mind and seems all felled in a self-made sleep. Nominations *Essence |
0:09:31 | Iran | No | Arshia Zeinali |
| Angels in Disguise | “Angels in Disguise” is without dialogue. It is an inspirational drama about an apartment dweller who finds a calling in helping a down-on-his-luck homeless man who turns out to be luckier than anyone could imagine. Its tone is infused with a touch of magical realism/fabulism inspired by the literary works of Italo Calvino. The through-line explores the dichotomy of life, the unknown, invisible history of others and the delicate relationships developed by strangers. Nominations *Unspoken, Rising Star |
0:05:00 | United States | Yes | Alexis Patton |
| Bianca with Rasit Bagzibagli | Documentary on Fashion Designer Rasit Bagzibagli as he prepares for a Fashion Show. | 0:40:08 | Turkey | No | Adil Oguz Valizade |
| 7 – 8 PM | |||||
| Taxing | TAXING is a short documentary on Jayce’s ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). This doc looks at the life of Jayce, and his parent’s and family. | 0:12:14 | Canada | No | Taylor Lashbrook -Etches |
| The Lighthouse | Nicholas D. Frankovits has been teaching science at high school and college levels for more than 30 years. He is also the Founder of the National Museum of Education – the only museum in America that preserves the educational achievements of students and is the home for the National Gallery for America’s Young Inventors. Nick Frankovits is helping students achieve their full potential by building confidence in themselves and by inspiring them to be creative and invent. The same way the lighthouse helps vessels to navigate, Mr. Frankovits shows students the correct direction in life by teaching, coaching, encouraging, and inspiring them. More than 30 years later, his students still remember what a great teacher and an amazing person he is and how much difference he made in their lives! Nominations *Rising Star |
0:11:59 | United States | Yes | Mark Leschinsky |
| Humans | “Hey humans, Who are sitting on the shore, joyous and laughing, Someone is losing his life in the water.” This short film is based on a poem by Persian Poet “Nima Yushij” and reflects on refugees who have lost their lives during the attempt crossing the Mediterranean sea in hope to surviving the war and finding a better life in Europe. Nominations *Ambassador of Peace |
0:08:02 | Sweden | No | Alex Afshar |
| Sama (Dance) | Robar and her family are determined to establish a professional ballet dance group, despite the threats, lack of funds and a place to practice. Can hope and passion overcome fear and narrow mindedness. Nominations *Enlightenment |
0:15:00 | Iraq | No | Mazin M Sherabayani |
| 8 – 915 PM | |||||
| The Monk | Ekaterina and her husband arrive at the dwelling of a young healer, hoping for a miracle. As she steps into the room, he recognises his lost love. Now they must confront their past. Nominations *Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Rising Star |
0:19:37 | Russian Federation | Yes | Danil Grinkin |
| The Queen | Having a mysterious encounter in Manhattan… What if you would meet that one person who can make you realise something is not right..? Or very wrong? Would you believe it? Nominations *Unspoken, Essence |
0:14:00 | Belgium | No | Hugo Teugels |
| Five minutes | An absurd black comedy about a ridiculous incident during a funeral. None of the guests could possibly imagine that the body embark on an unlikely journey… no-one, except for the tractor driver, a pair of poachers, two fishing control officers and the staff of the local hospital … One can only wonder how this bizarre funeral might end… Nominations *Essence, Best Cinematography, |
0:14:15 | Ukraine | Yes | Yana Antonets |
| Technical break | Sometimes the most important events pass unnoticed. The movie follows the events that take place during the break in a supermarket. In the course of this technical break, the cashier who hides her pregnancy manages to steal items from the supermarket, sell them at the bazar and lose hope for a happy motherhood before returning to her workplace. Nominations * |
0:28:39 | Ukraine | Yes | Philip Sotnychenko |
| 915 -1030 PM | |||||
| Release from Heaven | In a war torn country, a female writer and teacher has to accompany two of her students on a life changing journey. Nominations *Avante Garde, Best Cinematography, |
1:16:00 | Iran | No | Ali Noori Oskouei |
| 1030 – 1145 PM | |||||
| “Silience in London” | April 2017 Two citizen smart phone film makers meet in London with their iPhones and discover their “Silience” in London. A phenomenological approach grounded in philosophy and psychology. Nominations *Best Music Video |
0:02:05 | United Kingdom | Yes | Cassius Rayner, Dimple Devadas |
| Complexion | On April 10, 1956, three white supremacists attacked Nat King Cole while he was performing a “Whites Only” concert in Birmingham, Alabama. As a protest song against prejudice, “Complexion” is inspired by the resilient spirit of Nat King Cole. Nominations *Best Music Video |
0:04:58 | Canada | No | Carlos Coronado |
| My Syrian Wedding | This “Syrian Wedding” is a special wedding… It is a charity trip made by a just-married couple. The bride is Laura Tangherlini – a Rainews reporter and anchorwoman – in love with both Syria and its people. It is a surprise, but also a song. It is a report to be read, heard, seen, and sung, about a double charity trip at the borders between Turkey and Syrian, and between Lebanon and Syria. The journey turned into colorful pictures, which tell people about the Syrian drama through the voices and stories of many refugees met and helped by the just-married couple during two trips to Lebanon and Turkey. The couple donated some of their wedding gifts as well as a few hours of leisure to those people. It is a travel diary, and a triple statement of love (for the groom, for the bride, for Syrians), but, most of all, it is a new window of truth, open to a world that our media do not allow us to know. Nominations *Ambassador of Peace |
0:43:00 | Italy | Yes | Laura tangherlini |
| Island of Youth – Island of Change | A dazzling look into the beautiful underwater world and barely explored coral reef in the most remote part of Cuba. The film takes place in Cocodrilo, an isolated fishing village on the Island of Youth, where locals struggle to survive and protect their relatively unknown reef. Three-hundred determined villagers, that face significant global challenges, are trying to transition to sustainable livelihoods and ecotourism. Join award-winning underwater filmmaker Ziggy Livnat as he speaks with villagers and conservation experts about how the community and marine life can survive. Livnat shares with us extraordinary footage from his dives in this remarkable and secluded jewel of the Caribbean. Nominations *Best Cinematography |
00:17 | United States | Ziggy Livnat | |
Saturday January 20, 2018
| 12:00PM – 2 PM | Repeat of festival favorites | ||||
| 2:00-4:00PM | Featured Films with attending filmmakers and Q& A Following | ||||
| Schedule will be released on confirmation of attendance during registration (Jan 18)
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| 6:00PM | National Costume Show in lobby with guests
|
||||
| 7:00PM | Awards Ceremony Doors Open
|
||||
| 7:30PM | Golden Gates Music and Dance Company Performs
|
||||
| 8:00PM | Opening announcements
|
||||
| 8:10 PM | Izuminka Fashion Expo, Inna Rudenko featured Designer
|
||||
| 8:25 PM | First round of awards for filmmakers
|
||||
| 8:40 PM | National Costume Models
|
||||
| 8:50 PM | Second Round of Awards
|
||||
| 9:05 PM | Inna Rudenko featured Designer – Gowns & Bridal
|
||||
| 9:15 PM | Final Round of Awards
|
||||
| 9:30 PM | Surprise Award Announcement
|
||||
| 9:40 PM | Ambassador Award – Grand Prize Winner
|
||||
| 9:50 PM | Curtain Call, Models and Filmmakers
|
||||
| 10:00 PM | Exit to lobby and After Party at Sake Restaurant | ||||