Available For Purchase Now:
**MAKE SURE TO PRINT AND BRING YOUR PAYPAL CONFIRMATION & RECEIPT TO THE SCREENING VENUE IN ORDER TO PICK UP YOUR TICKETS ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT**

FILMMAKERS RECEPTION & OPENING NIGHT SCREENINGS - $75
**Includes Worldwide Premiere of Star-Filled Film THREE CHRIS'S**

When: May 29, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Cedar Lane Cinemas, 503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ 07666

This Opening Night Ceremony includes numerous Celebrity Guests and:

GALA AWARD CEREMONY TICKETS - $100


When: June 4, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Where: Cedar Lane Cinemas, 503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ 07666

One of the Nation’s Hottest Awards Ceremonies, this event features numerous Celebrity Guests and:

WORLDWIDE PREMIERE – O.B.A.M. NUDE - $15

**THE YEAR’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILM!**

When: May 30, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Where: Cedar Lane Cinemas, 503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ 07666
Admission: $15

Be the first to see 2009's most controversial movie!....This is a special screening (non-competition).

ALL-ACCESS PASSES - $195


When: May 29, 2009 to June 4, 2009
Where: Cedar Lane Cinemas, 503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ 07666 and Pier A Park, 1st & Sinatra,               Hoboken, NJ 07030

This Package includes:

SPECIAL ALL-ACCESS PASS & GALA AWARDS CEREMONY PACKAGE - $250


This Package includes:

8:30 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $75

FILMMAKERS RECEPTION & OPENING NIGHT SCREENING

When: May 29, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Cedar Lane Cinemas, 503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ 07666

This Opening Night Ceremony includes numerous Celebrity Guests and:

12:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

CRICKET AND THE LITTLE GIRL POWER – TV Pilot
Directed by Z-Man Thornton – New York

Saving the world...one kid at a time.

FINDING HOME – Short Film
Directed by Chris Seerveld – New York

Four young boys skip school to embark on a journey for stolen diamonds in Vermont, only to find something much more valuable.

12:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

HEART OF STONE – Documentary Feature
Directed by Beth Toni Kruvant – New Jersey

Heart of Stone is about a predominantly African American high school and the trials and tribulations of its principal Ronald Stone, Jewish alumni, and even gang members to restore the school's safety and past glory.

2:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9


THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE APPLE AND THE TREE – Feature Film
Directed by Bajir Cannon – New York

Escaping both his family and his American upbringing, Will Jr. looks for a new life in Cambodia. Joining a religious community, he searches for a spiritual explanation of the world around him, finding instead only fractional and conflicting solutions. He begins to question the purpose of his time abroad and the relationships he has formed and broken since leaving his family.

THE FIRE & THE WOOD – Short Film
Directed by Keith Miller – New York

Inspired by the story of Abraham and Isaac, Alan and Beth meet and fall in love. As Alan's mother is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he is faced with gaining and losing love simultaneously.

2:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

THE CARTEL – Documentary Feature
Directed by Bob Bowdon – New Jersey

If the problem with American public education is that we don't spend enough on schools, "The Cartel" challenges us to look at the U.S. state with the highest spending per student: New Jersey. And it isn't pretty. Filmmaker Bob Bowdon shows two, simultaneous, corrupting aspects of the system: sacrosanct, always-higher education funding and zero accountability for schools and teachers. The result is six-figure janitors, $500,000/year superintendents, and $30 million football fields at schools where 85% of students test below proficiency. "The Cartel" also shows some great schools that are giving kids hope. But those efforts are often thwarted by adults in the establishment, comfortable with the status quo, who have a personal interest in making sure those good reforms go away.

4:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

COST OF LIVING – TV Pilot
Directed by Larry LaFond – California

Jim J. Bullock, Molly Hagan

A comedy about life after global warming.

 

BEN AGAIN – TV Pilot
Directed by Tony Giordano– New York

Mark Margolis
Dan Lauria
Sam Coppola
Joseph Ragno

Ben took his first steps and knew he had to turn back, because he's needed more now than ever.

GAME THEORY – Short Film
Directed by Brian Kazmarck – New York

A cat-and-mouse interrogation between a methodical detective and an insidious sociopath quickly escalates into a bitter personal feud where life becomes the bargaining chip.

ARRANGED: THE MUSICAL – Short Film
Directed by Suraj Das – New York

Ashok's parents are pressuring him into an arranged marriage. Shortly before he's supposed to meet his bride to be, Ashok meets an enchanting young woman named Maya and becomes convinced he's meant to spend the rest of his life with her.

INCIDENT AT CHEKHOV CREEK – Short Film
Directed by Marta Renzi – New York

David Strathairn

From the woods to the water, from morning to night, encounters of various kinds abound in this narrative dance drama which explores relationships - ones that do, don't, might and never could occur.

4:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

HERE AND THERE – Feature Film
Directed by Darko Lungulov – Serbia

In two interconnected stories Robert, a jaded middle-aged New Yorker, goes to Serbia to make quick cash by marrying someone for U.S. immigration papers. The plan goes awry when the promised cash never arrives. At the same time, a young Serbian immigrant named Branko struggles in a never forgiving New York, desperately trying to bring his girlfriend from Serbia to USA.

MAMMA’S HEART – Short Film
Directed by Frank Gigante – New Jersey

A story of a son’s greed for money and a mother’s forgiveness even after her son exceeds his limits.

6:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

BARE KNUCKLES – Feature Film
Directed by Eric Etebari -- California

Martin Kove, Louis Mandylor

Women will go to extreme lengths for those they love, and single mother Samantha Rogers is no exception. With her 7-year old daughter Milla in need of special care, Sam struggles to make ends meet, taking her licks as a stunt woman by day and waitressing at a rowdy country bar at night. When Sam uses her skills to avoid a bar fight between two drunk women, down and out fight promoter Sonny Cool (The Karate Kid’s Martin Kove) sees an opportunity to get back into "The Show" - a high class, but highly illegal all female Bare Knuckle fight tournament, where brutality and elegance mix with high stakes and deception. To provide for her family, Samantha is forced into taking Sonny's offer. Is the price too much for her? “Bare Knuckles”, a knockout punch of strength and determination inspired by a TRUE STORY.

6:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

FUEL – Feature Film
Directed by Oktay Ortabasi – California

Fuel is the story of a young man's struggle to save his girl from an abusive environment. Emilio discovers that he has the ability to run incredibly fast. With the hope of a scholarship, he sees an opportunity to be able to leave his hometown, along with all his troubles, and take Sandy with him. But a tragic flaw, a violent streak he possesses, induced by exposure to gasoline vapors, will all but destroy his best-laid plans. Emilio's hopes race through his heart, not like blood, but like fuel.

 
WELCOME HOME PATRICK – Short Film
Directed by Brielle Murray – New Jersey

When part of you is left in Iraq, coming home is the hardest part.

8:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $15

O.B.A.M. NUDE – Feature Film (special screening; non-competition)
Produced by Kenneth Del Vecchio; Directed by Rod Weber
Written by Kenneth Del Vecchio & Andrew Gause – New Jersey

O.B.A.M. Nude, an acronym for Occidental Births a Monster, finds an ambitious student at Occidental College in 1981.  A loner, he snorts cocaine and smokes marijuana, secretly hoping to one day become someone important.  His dream comes true when Satan appears, promising a transfer to the Ivy League of Columbia, then to Harvard Law School…and ultimately the world.  But his deal with the Devil requires not just the delivery of his young soul, but millions more.  Satan and his new protégé plot and scheme an agenda that ends with the United States presidency, transforming the once mighty U.S.A into a communist fiefdom, ruled by an enigmatic dictator.

8:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas – $9

THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE – Documentary Feature
Directed by Charles Kinnane – New York

From Grassroots Films of Brooklyn, New York comes THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE – the story of a band of brothers who travel the world in search of the answers to the burning questions: Who am I? Who is Man? Why do we search for meaning? Their journey brings them into the middle of the lives of the homeless on the streets of New York City, the orphans and disabled children of Peru, and the abandoned lepers in the forests of Ghana, Africa.

COLLECTOR – Short Film
Directed by Dempsey Tillman – California

Brad Renfro

Justin Sayer struggles with a mental illness that has consumed his life.  This is Brad Renfro’s final film.

8:30 p.m. – Pier A Park, Hoboken – Free Admission

TBA

10:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck – $9

NIGHT FOR DAY – Feature Film
Directed by Russ Camarda – New York

A musician must break free from the secret, occult underworld society of sex, murder, and blood addiction he is tied to and survive the night in order to get to the woman he loves by sunrise. 'Twilight' for adults.

OUTSOURCE – Short Film
Directed by Daniel Trezise – California

Max is about to awaken his long dormant desire for human contact. In his tiny cell of pure function and wall-to-wall screens, he performs menial tasks for the bourgeoisie through a robotic pod. When he discovers a way to communicate with Alice in the neighboring cell, he'll stop at nothing to reach her.

10:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck – $9

LONDON BETTY – Feature Film
Directed by Thomas Edward Seymour – New York

Clint Howard, Daniel von Bargen, Dick Boland

“London Betty” introduces Broadway actress Nicole Lewis (“Rent,” the 40th anniversary production of “Hair”) in the title role. Betty is a plucky journalist who comes to the town of Pharisee as the new reporter for the local newspaper. But trying to get an audience with her elusive, agoraphobic publisher (Daniel von Bargen, “Super Troopers”) is only part of her problem. Her first story requires the toppling of the corrupt and perverted administration run by Mayor Plumb.  However, Betty has unlikely allies to help her bring down the mayor: a pair of petty thieves.

SUPER FUTURE TV – Short Film
Directed by Greg Russo – New Jersey

Super Future TV is a sketch comedy group from Middletown, NJ with programs currently airing on several college television stations and on the Internet. It was originally formed amongst childhood friends Greg Russo,Tim Hayes, Erik Woxholdt and Joe Scibetta. For more information please visit www.SuperFutureTV.com.

ESQUIRE – TV Pilot
Directed by Esquire – New Jersey

Judge Judy on crack…Real cases…Real attorneys…Real decisions and results…It’s just nuts.

12:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

TWISTS OF FATE – Feature Film
Directed by Conrad Glover – New York

After 15 years in federal prison, Joey DeMarco tries to go straight; that is, until the Irish mob kills his brother.  What would you do?

A LIFE BEYOND – Short Film
Directed by Dan McClung -- California

Kevin thought college was supposed to be all fun and games until the untimely, tragic death of his girlfriend. Now two years later, a distant withdrawn senior, Kevin is trying to get on with his new life. This proves all the more difficult once his new girlfriend suspiciously goes missing.

12:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

MR. CONSERVATIVE:  GOLDWATER ON GOLDWATER – Documentary Feature
Directed by Julie Anderson – Arizona

CC Goldwater presents a dramatically different surprising look at the evolution of the conservative movement told through the life of the first modern conservative, her grandfather, the often cantankerous, always provocative, Senator Barry Goldwater.

WHAT THEY WANT – Short Film
Directed by David Heiman – New York

A Congressional candidate fights for control of his campaign when a domineering political consultant forces him to wage an unethical attack against his opponent.

2:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

THE MACABRE WORLD OF LAVENDER WILLIAMS – Short Film
Directed by Nicolas Delgado – California

John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd

Eight year-old Lavender Williams, who recently lost her mother to cancer, sets off on an epic journey to find her Dad, whom she's never met. Her only companion is Lester, her late pet who’s returned from the grave to help her. But the journey won’t be easy for the girl and her zombie dog, for the evil presence of Sheriff Murdstone stalks them at every turn…

THE STRAIGHT AND THE NARROW – Short Film
Directed by Tom Sigur – California

Once released from prison, Pat Embry must decide whether to return to the family his brother Derrick has sworn to protect or the violent and drug addled past that brought him here.

PEACE OF MIND – Short Film
Directed by Nathan Crooker – New York

A chance encounter on the busy streets of New York brings Stephen and Angelina together. Casual conversation leads to romance until a cruel twist of fate forces them to confront the demons from their past.

THE CONSTANT FATHER – Short Film
Directed by Rupert Bryan – England

Does domestic abuse have to be hereditary?
MUGS – Short Film
Directed by Ronnie Cramer – Colorado

One hundred of your favorite celebrity mug shots morph from one to the next. The minimalist, trance-like soundtrack adds to the hypnotic effect.

2:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

SOUL OF AN EMPIRE – Documentary Feature
Directed by Jerri Sher – Los Angeles

42nd St. NYC lives in this fascinating documentary about the intermingling of entertainment and high stakes business.  Be dazzled by Abbott & Costello’s “Who’s on First” routine, on the famous stage of the Empire Theater that has been preserved forever.
NEW JERSEY: THE MOVIE – Documentary Short
Directed by Steve Chernoski – New Jersey

New Jersey? One state? Forget it!

4:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

HARRY: A COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN – Documentary Short
Directed by Jon Doscher – New Jersey

On November 28th, 1976, 18-year old Harry De La Roche Jr. came home from The Citadel Military Academy for the long holiday weekend and murdered his entire family in cold blood. Or did he?

FOREVER STANDING - Short Film
Directed by Michael R. Mazur - New York

Holed up in an abandoned bathroom in the middle of nowhere, two men, a priest and a prisoner, come face to face with the mystery of their intertwined pasts. Forced with the pressing future they must decide, who is the sinner and who is the saint?

EXTROPY – Short Film
Directed by Jonathan Sanden – New York

A geneticist discovers the key to stopping the aging process.

4:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

SEE DICK RUN – Feature Film (special screening; non-competition)
Directed by Dwayne Alexander Smith

Kel Mitchell, Todd Bridges, Page Kennedy

When notoriously deceitful womanizer Richard “Tricky Dick” Jones crosses the wrong Voodoo-empowered female, all goes wrong for Richard as she plots her ruthless, yet fitting revenge.

THE FUNERAL – Short Film
Directed by Jonathan Emmerling – New York

Three brothers deal with their father's unique grieving process after the loss of their mother.

6:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

OPERATION LYSISTRATA – Documentary Feature
Directed by Michael Kelly – New York

Viggo Mortensen, Kevin Bacon, Kyle McLaughlin

An inspirational journey of activism, Operation Lysistrata chronicles the largest theatrical anti-war protest in history, in which two New York actresses organized the simultaneous readings of the 2,400-year-old classic comedy, Lysistrata, a movement that became a worldwide happening for peace.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER LIFE – Short Film
Directed by Rohit Gupta – New Jersey

A man struggles with his natural instincts for revenge when he is rescued by the only person that really mattered in grand scheme of life.

6:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck - $9

THE CRIMSON MASK – Feature Film
Directed by Elias Plagianos – New York

Robert Clohessy

Two desperate men, heavily in debt, find themselves unwitting pawns in an ancient ritual.

STAY TRUE DARLING – Short Film
Directed by James Morrison – New York

Andrew Fierberg

Jane Desmond, an aspiring New York actress, fantasizes about stardom while struggling to keep painful reality from closing in.

8:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

FAVORITE SON – Feature Film
Directed by Howard Libov – New Jersey

Pablo Schreiber, Connor Paolo

David Paxton, an outcast, possibly even dangerous, might be the only person capable of saving a teenager who seems on a certain path toward violence and self-destruction. David helps the young boy confront the secrets that haunt both their lives and becomes a most unlikely father figure in a way he never imagined.

8:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

RANDY &THE MOB – Feature Film (special screening; non-competition)
Directed by Ray McKinnon

Burt Reynolds, Walter Goggins, Lisa Blount
A good ol' boy (McKinnon) gets into trouble with some mobsters, and then must seek assistance from his estranged, identical twin gay brother.

SHOEBOX REDHEAD – Short Film
Directed by Matthew Lawrence – New Jersey

A magical Polaroid camera takes a heartbroken 20-something, his scatty friend and a sardonic clown on an offbeat adventure to find a mysterious redhead.

8:30 p.m. – Pier A Park, Hoboken – Free Admission

TBA

10:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas – $9

MONSTERS FROM THE ID – Documentary Feature
Directed by David Gargani – New York

Monsters From The Id weaves the intersecting themes of over thirty classic Sci-Fi films in order to tell the untold story of the rise of the Modern Scientist and his role in inspiring a nation. The film continues to explore the psychological and cultural impact of 1950’s Sci-Fi cinema in America and asks, “where is science inspiration found today?”

THE STONED SHORT MOVIE – Short Film
Directed by Adam Dubin – New York

In 2006, The Stoned exploded straight out of 1972 and into 1973. In April 2008, New York City rock band The Stoned (Kory Clarke of Warrior Soul, Scotty T. Dimebagger, Adam Dubin, Sebastian Correa) were unceremoniously deported from the UK. The unintentional international outlaws told their side of the story in the hilarious web documentary, The Deported. The Deported features commentary by legendary comedian Lewis Black, comic Jim Norton, Daily Show correspondent John Oliver and heavy metal rock superstar Lars Ulrich of Metallica. Also including The Stoned episode 2 'Scotty's Hottie' is the band at it's best. The Stoned show all of their influences from The Ramones to The Stooges…The Three Stooges!

10:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas – $9

HORI SMOKU – Feature Film
Directed by Erich Weiss – Pennyslvania

Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry is a feature length documentary exploring the roots of American tattooing through the life of its most iconoclastic figure, Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins. Considered by many the foremost tattoo artist of all time, Collins is the father of modern day tattooing, whose uncompromising lifestyle and larger than life persona made him an American legend. Through rare interviews, photographs and hours of archival footage, Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry: The Life and Times of Norman Keith Collins, explores the past, present and future of the global tattooing phenomenon.

HELP WANTED - Short Film
Directed by Teo Guardino - California

An immigrant mechanic in Los Angeles is stuck in a middle aged malaise. Through a relationship with a new employee, Ramon learns to see life from a new perspective.

2:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

FREEZER BURN – Feature Film
Directed by Charles Hood – California

A scientist falls for his wife's 14-year-old art student and, using the technology from his research, freezes himself to align his age with hers.

MAGRITTE MOMENT – Short Film
Directed by Ian Fischer – New York

Tom Noonan, Mizuo Peck

A frustrated painter searching for his muse gets some help from the surreal visions of Rene Magritte.

2:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

DOVES– Short Film
Directed by Haik Katsikian – Greece

Aris returns to his home island of Tinos, Greece to face the responsibility of his best friend's death.

A STILL LIFE– Short Film
Directed by Claude Green – England

A portrait photographer is shaken from his still life when an old girlfriend reappears by chance with her family, and he is forced to confront his loneliness and his guilt.

ST*CK! – Short Film
Directed by Erik van Schaaik – Netherlands

ST*CK! is a short film about a back packer who finds himself stuck on a railway. Thankfully it seems to be deserted. Or is it?

THE END OF THE LINE FOR DENZEL WALSH – Short Film
Directed by Nick Volpe – Australia

When a meek man finally pushes back against a world that mocks him, he realizes the real demons lurk locked inside his head.

KONIGSBERG – Short Film
Directed by Lorenzo Faccenda – Italy

A fake documentary of the life and art of a man called Konigsberg before he became famous worldwide.

THE SKY WAS ANGRY – Documentary Short
Directed by Sharif Abdunnur – Lebanon
 
A moving documentary about the real-life story of children who took refuge in a theater in Beirut during the Israeli war on Lebanon in the summer of 2006.

4:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

ORDINARY RADICALS – Documentary Feature
Directed by Jamie Moffett – Pennsylvania

Following Shane Claiborne and a rag-tag group of “ordinary radicals' around the country as they tout 'Jesus For President' during an election year, director Jamie Moffett investigates another chapter in the often explosive intersection of faith and politics, examining this growing movement from his non-Christian viewpoint in a way that engages people of all faith perspectives.

4:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

WIT’S END – TV Pilot
Directed by Lizbeth Finn-Arnold – New Jersey

Five struggling comics unexpectedly inherit a vacant comedy club in the heart of New York City from an eccentric millionaire.

MEET PETE – TV Pilot
Directed by Peter D. Michael – New York

After suffering through a history of bad dates and worse relationships, Pete's roommate and professional 'cyber dater' convinces him to finally join a popular online dating service.

GOD LOVES ME BEST! – TV Pilot
Directed by Daniel Joseph Dierker – New York

What happens when a Transvestite Muslim Extremist, a Gun Loving Christian Fundamentalist, a Fame hungry Jewish Radical Zionist, a Buddhist with an anger management problem, a basket case spell binding Wiccan, and a Kleptomaniac Lesbian Atheist all live together under one roof?

KINK, INC. – TV Pilot
Directed by Casey Clark – New York

Struggling to make ends meet for he and his finacee, Josh answers a help wanted ad putting them both on the road to a career in 'home domination,' and thereby turning their basement into an S&M dungeon. Josh and Maria's lost love is rekindled as they explore the playful sensuality of the training process, but they are ill prepared when a very real client arrives making dangerous demands of these S&M novices.

IN THE BAG – TV Pilot
Directed by David Bemis

A guy with a bag and a mop meets a girl with a gun and the mob.

6:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

E-8: THINK TANK - TV Pilot
Directed by Joe Valenti - New Jersey

In 2001, a secret government agency called Echelon 3 tries to prevent the 9/11 attacks. After failing to do so because of outside agency interference and illegal methods of investigation, the team is disbanded in order to avoid embarrassment for the CIA. Eight years later, the "Keepers" of the United States approve a domestic charter for the newly formed Echelon 8 team in order to prevent another nationwide tragedy.

6:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

SPOILER ALERT – Feature Film
Directed by David Rakowiecki – New Jersey

Spoiler Alert is a black comedy/revenge tale focusing on the power and temptations of the Internet. It's about Brad, the operator of a movie scoop website and Harrison, a down on his luck film director who has squandered his artistic abilities in pursuit of easy paydays. One night Harrison shows up on Brad’s doorstep looking to exact revenge upon him because he feels Brad and his website have ruined his career. Chinese food, movie geek talk and murder ensue.

 

PRICKLY PEARS – Short
Directed by Marco Gozzo – Italy

Carmelo is a very curious little boy, who on a summer day, is wandering through the sunny Sicilian countryside carrying a yuta sack. Walking on a country road he will arrive at the house of the village’s crazy man. This encounter will bring a lifetime experience to the child - that only those who go beyond the appearance “thorns” can perceive the essence.

8:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

TALES FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ELVIS – Feature Film
Directed by Michael Traynor& Mercy Malick – California 

Outrageous film adaptation brings to life writer/actor/singer Mercy Malick's award-winning play about growing up as a Catholic school girl in Las Vegas with a cast of eclectic characters including God, Jesus, Elvis, a voyeuristic nun, a lecherous octogenarian amputee, mobsters and showgirls. Against the odds, young Mercy survives and learns that even in the craziness that is Las Vegas, humanity survives and triumphs.

FOREVER’S NOT SO LONG – Short Film
Directed by Shawn Morrison – New York

George discovers that the end of the world is the perfect time to lose everything.

8:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

AMERICAN JAYWALKER – Feature Film
Directed by John J. Cooney, Jr. – New Jersey

A young hustler takes to selling dwarf pornography on the streets of New York after his jaywalking scholarship falls through.

MY NUMBER ONE – Short Film
Directed by Nick Volpe – Australia

A short film about loving your mother too much.

8:30 p.m. – Pier A Park, Hoboken – Free Admission

NO KIDDING, ME TOO! - Documentary Feature
Directed by Joe Pantoliano

Joe Pantoliano

No Kidding, Me Too! is a touching and enlightening film with a purpose to remove the stigma attached to brain dis-ease through education and the breaking down of societal barriers. The movie's goal is to empower those with brain dis-ease to admit their illness, seek treatment, and become even greater members of society.

10:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas – $9

ROCK PROPHECIES – Documentary Feature
Directed by John Chester

 

THE CHILDREN OF FLEETING LIGHT – Short Film
Directed Charles Chester – New York

Sean and Josh, lifelong friends, are at a critical juncture. Inside a booth at a 50’s style Diner in their town, Josh has slit his wrists and time is running out. Sean must occupy Josh’s mind long enough to keep him alive until help arrives.

10:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas – $9


EUGENE – Feature Film
Directed by Jake Barsha – California

A psychological thriller about a lonely bachelor who befriends a young hustler and his girlfriend, with disastrous results for all involved.

REDEMPTION FALLS – TV Pilot
Directed by Brendan Leonard – New York

Peace. Love. Summer camp. This could be the greatest job you'll ever have.

2:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

OFF OFF BROADWAY – Feature Film
Directed by Jeff Huston – New York

Documentary filmmaker Art Ferguson follows playwright Francis Enwright as he produces an avant-garde off Broadway play.

THAMI’S GIFT – Short Film
Directed by Dean Shamley – South Africa

Thami decides to make herself pregnant so that she can give her sister, Dumisa, a baby as a birthday gift.

2:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

MARATHON BEIRUT – Documentary Feature
Directed by Deborah Harse – Lebanon

In the aftermath of the 2006 Israel Lebanon War, the Beirut Marathon Association chose not to cancel the event, but rather to hold it as a testament to Lebanese resilience. But just 5 days before the race, government minister, Pierre Gemayel, was assassinated. This was the 5th political assassination within two years. However, again they didn't cancel, but postponed the race by one week. Then 3 days before the rescheduled date, Hezbollah called for a rally to overthrow the government. There was concern that people would be fearful of coming out for the marathon, but it took place with 22,000 people, in solidarity, running or walking the 5 km, 10 km and 42 km races with 'For the Love of Lebanon' as the theme.

OLD DOGS – Short Film
Directed by Jonathan Fahn – California

John Saxon, Basil Hoffman, Larry Gelman

Three guys in their seventies reclaim their vitality when mistakenly picking up a bag full of cocaine puts them between the cops and the mob. Phil LaMarr also stars. It's 'Cocoon' meets 'Pulp Fiction...

4:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

SPLIT ENDS – Feature Film
Directed by Dorothy Lyman – California

Vincent Pastore
A feisty hairdresser faces off with an unscrupulous developer - and faces up to the uncertainties of her own life in a small, New Jersey town.

GOODBYE CANARSIE – Short Film
Directed by Daniel Muller – California

When Sal, a mob hit man in training, is sent to kill his childhood friend, Warren Winkler, he is faced with the decision of his life. Will he bite the bullet and finish the job or throw everything away to save Warren's life?

4:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

BICYCLE DREAMS – Documentary Feature
Directed by Stephen Auerbach – California

They are seekers, madmen, and angels hell-bent on riding across America on a bicycle in less than ten days. Eager to push their bodies to the limit, they set out on a daunting 3000-mile odyssey. But what begins as the adventure of a lifetime is transformed in an instant when tragedy strikes the race. These voyagers discover what is truly at stake as they pedal on, praying for the deliverance only the finish line can bring. By journey's end, some are saved, others are lost, but all learn that the fuel that takes a soul toward its own true destiny is desire.

THE PALUMBO BROTHERS – Documentary Short
Directed by James Palumbo – New Jersey

6:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

MIRA – Short Film
Directed by Michael Berry  

A woman finds herself stranded on an abandoned country right. As night falls, her hopes for rescue begin to fade, a stranger comes along.

THE DAY OF THE GRACKEL – Short Film
Directed by Michael Berry
 
A man's world is invaded by a ferocious bird, thrusting him into an escalating, action-filled battle that transforms his life into something far beyond his dreams.

FRAME – Short Film
Directed by Dan Buonsanto – New Jersey

A young woman from Ukraine cooperates with detectives to set up a deceptive Russian Madame who promises modeling work. While caught in the middle of the set up, the young woman has a chance at a real modeling contract - the result of being discovered by a famous photographer.

SLEEPING – Short Film
Directed by Doug Conant – California

A coming-of-age tale about a young girl’s unusual babysitting experience and the unexpected life lesson she learns along the way.

CLOWNFEST – Documentary Short
Directed by Matthew Weber – New Jersey

A documentary short examining the people and events that make up the week long convention known as Clownfest. This personal glimpse into the psychology of a professional clown explores not only the artistic and entrepreneurial spirit of clowning but also the subjects’ deeply rooted desires to entertain and inspire those around them.

6:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

KARMA POLICE – Feature Film
Directed by John Venable – Texas

Charles West's good intentions are put to the test when he's recruited to work for a secret organization that regulates karma.

SHANA’S RAINBOW – Short Film
Directed by Madeline Wasserman – New Jersey

The story is a colorful and lighthearted but informative cartoon set in the surfing community of Monmouth Beach on the Jersey Shore. The cartoon offers an endearing story where teenagers explain the warning signs and symptoms of Bacterial Meningitis.

8:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

THE VIDEO GUYS – Feature Film
Directed by Dan Brennan

A comedic look at the wedding business through the eyes of the men that shoot them and what happens when one of them has to shoot his ex-wife's wedding.  

THE BOOBY TRAP – Short Film
Directed by Simon Pennekamp – Illinois

The Booby Trap is a comedy about two young boys who discover a breast-feeding video and decide to watch it while they're home alone. Trouble arises when Mom comes back and the tape gets stuck in the VCR!

8:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

POET OF POVERTY – Documentary Feature
Directed by Freke Vuijst – Massachusetts

Martin Sheen

Father Michael Doyle is our Poet of Poverty. Using Father Doyle's monthly letters as its subject, the film bears witness to a horrendous crime: the total neglect of America's poorest city, Camden, New Jersey.

A VALENTINE FOR BERNIE – Short Film
Directed by Hemant Tavathia – New Jersey

On Valentine's Day 2008, when an 80-year old man suddenly wakes up in a nursing home, a young orderly must transfer him to his newly assigned room. When a mind is lost, when time is lost, we desire what we love the most. 'A Valentine for Bernie' tells that story.

GIMME A HUG – Documentary Short
Directed by Geert Droppers – Netherlands

The amazing behavior of a top predator.

8:30 p.m. – Pier A Park, Hoboken – Free Admission

TBA

10:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas – $9

CHATURANGA – Feature Film
Directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay – India

Chaturanga is the story of a love that is caught between conflicting worlds of ideas.  The lead protagonist Sachish fleets from radical positivism to religious mysticism in his quest for life's meaning; however, his search ultimately yields nothing but crushing disillusionment. Set in Colonial Bengal at the turn of the twentieth century, the film weaves a rich tapestry of crisscrossing desires and moralities.

10:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas – $9

NOSEDIVE – Feature Film
Directed by Erik Novk – Hungary

This story is a fairytale taking place in one of Budapests not very romantic corner. It is an urban legend about a young outlaw, a beautiful woman, and the worst adventure in life. Drugs, maffia, friends, love, betrayal, revenge and death. The protagonist of the film after having served a term of imprisonment for dealing with drugs gets realised. At the prison-gate he swears to himself to get on the right track. However his friends lead him into vice again and he is entrusted to do even bigger tasks then his earlier businesses. The young titan attracts the attention of the Russian maffia as well and hes given a huge business to transact for them. The orphan boy has only his uncle he can count on, but even he cant stop him from getting on the wrong track again. The transaction of the huge business gets more difficult when the chief boss niece who is guarded in fear appears on the scene. Can love overcome the maffias laws? Can love drive one out of sin? The film based on the authors personal experiences portrays reality very realisticly. Its moral lessons carry clear messages against drugs.

LA OPERACION – Short Film
Directed by Victor Cruz – New York

In 1937, a bill was passed in Puerto Rico allowing the sterilization of women on the island. One woman will have to make a choice, whether or not she will go through with this procedure.

2:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

LEO – Short Film
Directed by Daniel Ursitti – California

Deception has no boundary of sex or social order, but its service is always sweet for the beholder.

HOW TO BE A LOAN SHARK – Short Film
Directed by Ashley Smith – Florida

A story of a young egotistical Loan Shark, who un-expectedly finds himself in debt to Miami’s most notorious Cuban Loan Shark, Lester. Lester says, Harvey owes him four hundred thousand dollars and will stop at nothing until he gets it.

THE VANGUNDERHEIM DIET – Short Film
Directed by Joseph Doria – New York

A man who has tried everything to lose weight stumbles upon a strange, supernatural diet. On this diet, he can eat whatever he wants, as much as he wants, and still lose weight--as long as he completes a different ridiculous task each day. After he loses over 75 pounds, however, things take a bizarre and unexpected turn when one of the tasks truly tests how far he is willing to go to keep the weight off.

2095 – Short Film
Directed by Troy Romeo – California

A young man who falls in love with a woman he thinks is his co-worker, discovers that his own computer may offer him more than any human ever could.

THE ASSASSIN PROJECT – TV Pilot
Directed by Hal Jordan – California

Seattle Leary is a lot like you. She hates her job, her personal life is a mess, she seduces men and then assassinates them for a shadowy government agency. Then again, maybe she's not like you at all.

2:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

GOD IS AMERICAN – Documentary Feature
Directed by Richard Martin-Jordan – France

God is American, and he was born in the USA ! The people of Tanna, an island in the archipelago of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean, have invented a new religion. They pray the American flag and adore John Frum, an American prophet witch they are waiting the return.

KAREAREA: THE PINE FALCON – Documentary Short
Directed by Sandy Crichton – England

Wildlife photographer George Chance spent the 1970's following and studying the New Zealand Falcon; now some thirty years later he is suffering from ill health and going blind. Filmmaker Sandy Crichton gets ever closer to a remarkable wild population of falcons as he attempts to realize George's dream by adding movement to his photographs.

4:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

RELAPSE – Feature Film
Directed by Guillermo Navarro – Hawaii

Relapse is the story of Markus Garlow, a promising young lawyer whose career and marriage have been ravaged by his addiction to crystal meth. After a stint in rehab, he and his wife Dalia take the plunge and move to a secluded coffee farm in Hawaii to put the pieces of their broken relationship back together. But the two don’t realize that while they are struggling with their own demons, their little piece of paradise has secrets of its own.

CONFLICT OF INSTINCT – Short Film
Directed by Thomas Scarlett – New York

Inhibited by a self fulfilling prophecy of isolation and a negative outlook of the world a man is forced to live up to the expectations of his socially outgoing peers and overcome his fear of intimacy.

4:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

…AROUND – FEATURE FILM
Directed by David Spaltro – New York

'...Around' is a love-letter to NYC, the true story of an eccentric, witty young man with family demons who lives a dual life going to film school in NY while living out Penn Station until his relationships and worlds collide.

THE CAVE: AN ADAPTATION OF PLATO’S ALLEGORY IN CLAY – Short Film
Directed by Michael Ramsey – Colorado

An adaptation of Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave' animated in clay.

6:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

TEENAGE DIRTBAG – Feature Film
Directed by Regina Crosby

Scott Michael Foster

A popular high school girl is harassed by a delinquent boy until they are placed in creative writing class together. Through written words, they create a bond, but tragically a bond that cannot withstand her social pressures or his brutal home life.

6:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

THE DRUM BEATS TWICE– Feature Film (non-competition)
Directed by Kenneth Del Vecchio– New Jesrey

Charles Durning, Amy Redford, Costas Mandylor, Eileen Fulton, Louis Mandylor, Justin Deas, Robert Clohessy, Laura Bell Bundy, Susan Misner

John Carreck, a Vietnam War hero and police officer, was brutally attacked by two brothers in an effort to avenge their father’s death. Carreck, left without sight, speech and hands, has no means to communicate with the world. As the mystery of the true reasons of his attack unfolds, Carreck is brought back into the world of human communication by a determined young Christian worker whose guidance also marks the growth of this former war hero as a man and musician. A shocking, unlikely ending, though, may change everything….then again, it may not.

VETERANS AFFAIRS – Short Film
Directed by Kenneth Anderson – New York

A soldier visits Times Square and becomes a homeless, alcoholic veteran.

8:00 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

CARS OF THE REVOLUTION – Feature Film
Directed by Tolga Ornek – Turkey

“Devrim Arabaları” roughly translated as “Cars of the Revolution” is the emotional story spanning 130 days behind the first car produced in Turkey in 1961, a year after the military seized power. The film revolves around seven engineers and their families who believed that proving that a car could be done; and by doing it a country’s destiny could be changed for the better.

SCARECROW - Short Film
Direct by Patrick Knipe - New Jersey

Set during the American Civil War, SCARECROW is the story of a young Confederate soldier named Jack who goes off to war to be a hero. He is so horrified by what he encounters in his first battle that he runs away. But then Jack discovers his true character as he risks everything to save the life of another.

8:30 pm – Cedar Lane Cinemas - $9

SAVING GOD – Feature Film
Directed by Duane Chrichton – Canada

Ving Rhames, Dean McDermott, Ricardo Chavira

Who will save God for the souls who have lost Him?  Convicted felon Armstrong Cane (Ving Rhames) returns to his neighborhood a changed man looking to take over his father's old church and congregation. The neighborhood though is tough and full of drugs and gangs. Through Armstrong's tough demeanor and strong faith he tries to make a difference – especially with Norris – a youth on the edge of falling into a lifetime of drugs and gangs. Armstrong must also deal with his past history of violence and make sure he doesn't fall again.

FOR ALL MANKIND – Short Film
Directed by Dan Clifton – New York

Terrence Howard

Johnny Red always wanted to be a scientist and work for NASA when he grew up. After several academic mishaps, Johnny is stuck in his suburban Pennsylvania town. When all other means of impressing the local community fail, Johnny decides to build a functioning time machine. Instead of using correct science, Johnny decides to base all of his research on action-adventure films of the 1980s and 90s.

8:30 p.m. – Pier A Park, Hoboken – Free Admission

TBA

7:00 p.m. – Cedar Lane Cinemas – $100

GALA AWARDS CEREMONY TICKETS
One of the Nation’s Hottest Awards Ceremonies, this event features numerous Celebrity Guests and:

• Mingle with the Stars and the world's most cutting edge Officially Selected Filmmakers at a Closed, Elegant, Extravaganza Cocktail Hour, with an array of complimentary fine hors d ’oeuvres and complimentary Sailor Jerry Rum, Stoli Vodka, Hendrick's Gin and Stella Artois Beer;
• Celebrity Award Presenters including Academy Award and Emmy winners and nominees;
• Lifetime Achievement Award Personally Accepted by legendary film star Cloris Leachman (Academy Award, 4-Time Golden Globe, 19-Time Emmy Winner & Nominee);
• Star Standup Comedian Host Mike Marino, “NJ’s Bad Boy of Comedy” who frequently appears on The Tonight Show

 

2009 OFFICIALLY SELECTED SCREENPLAYS

Gottlieb by Jake Hart and Alexander Rubens

Screaming My Heart Out by Janyce Lapore

Halfway Home by David Schroeder

Third Man in the Ring by Barbara Maggio & James Maggio, Sr

Small Town Girl by Tom Stein

Snake Head by Wenhwa Ts’ao