Rhode Island International Film Festival 2009

In DANDELION DHARMA, a magical tale of love, loss and letting go, we first meet Trudy (Amanda Tepe), a distraught 20-something determined to rid herself of the final dredges of a failed romance. Brokenhearted, she stands in the community garden plot she shared with her fiancé, once a reflection of their vibrant love for each other, now a barren weed-filled piece of land. Suddenly, Trudy is interrupted by three mysterious women who appear on the garden path; reluctantly she listens as the eccentric women eventually befriend and ultimately beguile her with their stories.Emma Chaise (Mimi Cozzens) - an 80-year old feisty Brit and WWII fighter pilot; Liah Montez (Myriam Tubert) a 70-something Hispanic beauty and former owner of a whorehouse in Guadalajara, and "Mad" Sonja (Damara Reilly) - a hip reefer-smoking ex-dancer - are the best of friends who seem to know the most private details of Trudy's life. The three women surprise her with their power of persuasion, as they become intimate sharing laced brownies and shots of vodka, as well as stories of failed romance and their own "Mr. Wrong." Savoring every detail of their touching and humorous accounts, Trudy continues to fall under the spell of these quirky wise women.Following their tales of love, where "beginnings come from endings, endings from beginnings," Trudy's perception of life, love and reality changes, as she unexpectedly uncovers new meaning to "letting go."

It's Me, Matthew! is a psychological drama, based on a true story, which leaps out at the audience in a powerful way.Running 15 minutes, "Matthew", deals with the notion that in life we may subconsciously follow patterns from our childhood.The story centers on the title character of Matthew,(Michael Ferreira), who is unconsciously drawn into relationships which mirror the same unresolved issue she felt with his family. His erratic romantic involvement with Brice (Emmy nominated actor, Paul Anthony Stewart) trigger these issues.Matthew with the help of a skillful,'Village Voice gadfly Michael Musto makes his acting debut in 'It's Me, Matthew!' playing a 'clever but clearly disconnected therapist.'' — STARR REPORT by Michael Starr, NEW YORK POST--June 5, 2008, and is enlightened through wondrous domino-effect revelations about his life. Ultimately it's Matthew's inner strength combined with his tongue- and-cheek attitude that prove to be his greatest asset.

A fly visits a family floating at sea. There is nothing to eat, and granny goes fishing. While she is away, the baby begins to cry, and the stormy sea engulfs everything. In the end, they are all saved by jellyfish.

'This morning I saw a frog with the shape of a seven on it's back' warns the War Minister. 'The revolution broke out!' says the Internal Affairs Minister. 'Deep inside, Leopoldo, you know what's going on. You are having a heart attack... excellence.' replies Justo, always ready to comfort the president. This story is strongly influenced by South American magic realism and Ionesco's absurd theater. Leopoldo Berenguer (Exit the King) faces his ending through the imagination of his dreaming mind. He doesn't want to disappear, he wants to keep on fighting, he wants to see his daughter and want's to be in company of others, but nothing works in this country... The lines are cut, and the battle against the guerrilla is being lost.The Last Moments of Leopoldo Berenguer is a desperate cry for life, for hope and for beauty. Leopoldo is a character whose motivation is the most important force in nature: the instinct for survival. This major motor will drive him through the story feeling anger, despair, confidence, astonishment and even indifference. Magical realism and surrealism are here for a reason. It helps to explain the struggle that or protagonist is going through. The story takes place inside the head of a poor old man, his imagination took us there to show us how the fight between life and death take place.

It looks like love has passed Georgie by until he discovers a strange television floating in the sea. He takes it home only to discover that there's more to it than meets the eye. 'How Deep Is Your Love' is a bittersweet romantic comedy with a dark twist.

Alfred T. Banks, a genius artist and scientist, "the Da Vinci of our time," has always been torn between the two passions and women that he loves dearly. But when Alfred invents a way to have it all, his 'solution' goes wildly awry as his artistic and scientific minds start to reconnect over time and space. Now literally seeing two worlds at the same time, Alfred races to save his marriage, his life and his sanity, in this futuristic telling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Donald plans to travel into the future in order to murder himself painlessly. He constructs a sophisticated time machine in his shower. But before the shower cum time machine can take him into the 4th dimension, he's confronted by a pair of his future selves who coerce him to travel into his past to visit his estranged wife one last time. Welgünzêr is a dark comedy that questions the possibility of significant change in a person over time.Welgünzêr is adapted from a story by Brandon Thompson in his book of short stories: A Secret Beast (2006). The story was originally inspired by comic genius Bill Watterson in his comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. Brandon and I grew up together in Colorado reading Calvin and Hobbes religiously. Traces of a Watterson homage can be found in the story, but Welgünzêr took on a dark and adult nature of its own. The costume design was inspired by Shel Silverstein's Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too. The story takes place in an antique futuristic world similar to Jeunet's 'Delicatessan' and delivered with a comedic style reminiscent to Gilliam and the Coen's.