The Woes of Marsh, 10 minutes, Animation:

When young Marsh begins to be haunted by strange and demonic creatures, he needs all his strength, and the help of some extraordinary friends to help reclaim his life.

"The Woes of Marsh" is winner of Awards from, and has been featured on the front page of Newgrounds(a leading Flash animation website), and has been nominated for the Washington metro area's Rosebud Award. It can be seen at Artomatic on Sundays at 8:35!

Presenting the Best of the 48 Hour Film Project from 2008. This collection of 15 films represent the top films from our international filmmaking competition. Last year, the 48HFP visited more than 70 cities on 4 continents and received more than 2,500 submissions.

The selections for Artomatic include a mix of US and International winners ranging from a hilarous buddy movie from Minneapolis to the 2008 grand champion, Transert, from Paris.

"Next Stop: Silver Spring" chronicles the history and restoration of Silver Spring’s B&O railroad station and the story of the Baltimore & Ohio's Metropolitan Branch, including scenes of D.C.'s famous Union Station.

From the B&O station, countless residents went off to war, went to visit loved ones, took trips West, or set out to start a new life. Presidents – from FDR to Harry Truman to Dwight Eisenhower – made use of the station.

The documentary intertwines the fascinating history of the station itself with the story of the restoration of the present 1945 Colonial Revival structure, including the original furniture, clocks, signs, flooring, roofing, brickwork, and lighting fixtures.

“Next Stop: Silver Spring” is an important slice of local history, Americana, and the enduring romance of the rails.

Better yet, it features an original score by regional artists!

Improv team, the Quest, creates films without a script. Directed by Christopher Andersen with William Hancock, Jamie Lantinen, Michelle Swaney and Stewart Wash. Photography by Phil Dixon.

The Heritage Film Festival presents a selection of films from the 4th annual Heritage Film Festival. The 95 minute program is followed by a Q& A with the Directors & Programmer. Screenings: Wednesday, 1 July, 6 - 8pm/Thursday, 18 June 6pm-8pm and Saturday, 13 June 7 pm - 9pm. Other dates/Times TBA. The following films are included:

Trepan Hole (2008) 6 mins. by Andy Cahill
Color and motion combine with music to transform this animated short.

The Rings (2008) 5 mins. by Neguella Demery & Vincent Williams
Thoughts on love & commitment are interrupted by the telephone.

On the Trail of Jack Thorp (2008) 30 mins. by Susan Gervasi
The life of the 1st person to collect American cowboy music is skillfully documented.

Reverie (2008) 7 mins. by Paula Wood
A young girl tries to make sense of her father's actions and her brother's death.

August (2008) 5 mins. by Chris Lynn
This experimental short re-visits a vacation spot.

Trouble With Truth (2008) 9 mins. by Dewey Ortiz Jr.
A young woman doubts her feelings after listening to others instead of her own heart.

The Garden (2009) 5 mins. by Jason Stefaniak
A girl discovers the magical qualities of nature in an urban environment.

911 Has No Clothes (2008) 10 mins. by S. Torriano Berry
The official 9 – 11 report is analyzed with strong text & visuals.

Bloom (2008) 15 mins. by David Norman
This audience favorite is an intriguing story about mixed messages, missed calls, and misunderstandings. (Director's Choice: Jon Gann/DC Shorts)

Window Pains (2008) 5 mins. by Paul Allen Tillery IV
Computer customer service tests the limits of a man's patience.

~ Q & A with the Directors and Programmer After Each Screening ~

HABESHA LIFE
(Episodes 1,2,&3)

SHOWING JUNE 13, 2009 @ 10PM-11PM on the 3rd flr

LIFE AND DRAMA IN THE DC METRO
Film Conveys a Coming of Age Story about Young Habesha’s in America

HABESHA LIFE is a web based episodic short films series that explores the lives of young East Africans coming of age in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

When the series’ creator, writer and director Ambessa Jir Berhe came to Washington D.C. to study film at Howard University, little did he know that his camera would be pointed inwards at the life he and others lived in a house on Harvard St. Northwest, D.C. The house, and its various inhabitants over the course of three years, inspired the director to create a film that looked at human issues faced by young adults who happen to be of Eritrean and Ethiopian heritage (otherwise known as Habesha or Abesha in broad terms).

The series explores these young adults “dreams, love, relationships, family, the Self, experimenting, living together…” Shot mainly in the summer and fall of 2008, the drama enlists many first time actors as well as area artists such as Kilenm, Eden Tecle Agustino, Robel Kasa, Yeneneh Ketema, Lula Gebersilassie, Binahkaye Joy, Behailu Zerihun, and Juliane Maxim. The film also uses popular DC backdrops like the U Street corridor and Georgia Avenue.

You have to see to believe Pancake Mountain, the Washington, D.C., cable-access show on which alt-rockers like Ted Leo, Scissor Sisters, and the Arcade Fire play before an audience of energetic little kids, most of whom are barely out of potty training.

MTV could never dream up a show that once featured Fugazi god Ian MacKaye lip-syncing a kiddie ditty he wrote called "Vowel Movement." Such moments have made Pancake Mountain the coolest TV booking in rock.

"Bands started hearing about it and called us," founder Scott Stuckey says. And they're not the only appreciative souls out there. "So many parents write us," says Stuckey, "and they're like, 'Wow, this is something I really like watching with my kids, rather than the Wiggles.'"

Watch Pancake Mountain every Saturday afternoon in the Film Room - or request it when it is "Jukebox"

Dan Sonnett is a Maryland-based filmmaker, screenwriter, and Web producer whose work includes documentaries and fiction films. He'll be presenting two films at Artomatic, both featuring original music by D.C.-based composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom:

"The Pride of Maasai Mara"

Shot in Kenya's Maasai Mara Game Preserve during the summer of 2006, this film is a lyrical exploration of the cycles of life and death in the vast grasslands of East Africa featuring dramatic footage of the area's top predators — the lions.

"Trauma Cup"

D.C. based-artist Matt Sesow has always been fascinated by monsters. After loosing his left arm in an accident as a child, he suffered from the unwanted attention that came with his disability. Forsaking the American dream and raising a family, he focused on defining himself by making paintings of grotesque figures in his studio — his 'trauma cup' — where he uses his imagination to contain his darkest thoughts on canvas.

FCTN (Fiction Creative)is a production studio out of Orlando, Florida. Submitted here are a few examples of the range of work they produce, including a music video for Washington DC based music duo, Bluebrain.

For 19 years the Rosebud Film & Video Festival has recognized and honored the innovative, experimental, unusual, and deeply personal in regional film and video making. Each year our annual competition awards large cash prizes, video products and services, as well as theatrical and cable television showcases, exclusively to film and video artists in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

The nineteenth annual Rosebud Film and Video Festival Nominee Showcase will be held on Saturday June 27th, 2009 at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theater, 1611 N. Kent Street, Arlington, VA. The entire twenty film (5 hour) slate of nominees will be screened beginning at 12:30 PM. Call 703-524-2388 for more information.

"Cannibal Cheerleader Camp"
dir. Paul Busetti

Something in the woods is growing tired of feeding on animals and is hungry for human flesh. Five girls at a defunct camp must band together and defend themselves from its attacks.

"Abraham Lincoln: The Motion Picture"
dir. Ian Albetski & Paul Busetti

A suburban basement in 1957 America is home to the revelations of the true dangers of "Reefer" in this satirical pastiche of the postwar paranoia and propaganda.

Two young women travel across the country in a bio-diesel modified Mercedes and find out just how hard it is to live without gasoline.

Rocktober -- 31 minutes.

Making a bad movie about not making a great one.

An ode to laziness, nothingness, and introspective escapism.

As my friend Kenny decided to use his brand new camera to finally work on a movie after a dozen years of post-university stagnation, I took advantage of sick leave following two knee surgeries and a faltering video camera I found in my parents' attic to document the quest.

Existentialism, road trips, white fence suburbia in Rockville vs. a "Noah's ark of animal pooh" in West Virginia, mike checks, musical escapes, post-mortems of past video gigs gone nowhere, monologues while sleeping, confrontation of leftists, Rocktober breaks new ground, not in filmmaking, but within our great illusions.

The film is by journalist Nico Colombant, who decided to go video after this project, and about Kenneth Tebo, who time will tell if you will one day know him for his own work. A companion project was a series of absurd and philosophical vignettes called "Conversations with Kenny" in postings within http://www.thirdratetropics.com

The trailer for Mike Ratel's documentary on the sport of lawn mower racing which is still in production. On Your Mark, Get Set, MOW! is a tale of hope and redemption through lawn mower racing. Running time for the trailer is 1 minute and 10 seconds. For mow info go to http://www.mowermovie.com.

I was born and raised in the D.C. area. Since the age of 17, I have been determined to become a filmmaker. I have also been determined to stay in Washington, resisting the siren call of Hollywood. Attempting to go from filmmaking hobbyist to professional filmmaker has been at times maddening, but it has also been highly rewarding as I have had the opportunity to work with many gifted individuals. I am happy to share four of my films with you.

DOGSTAR, 8 minutes, 2004
2004 National Film Challenge entry. A professional dog walker's suspicions are aroused by a group of unusual clients.

MARRIED IN MACKADOO, 11 minutes, 2008
2008 National Film Challenge entry. People flock to the Autonomous Republic of Mackadoo to marry whomever – or whatever – they desire.

NEXT CALLER, 10 minutes, 2009
2009 48 Hour Film Project entry. A shock jock's call-in contest takes a drastic turn when he is confronted by the target of one of his practical jokes.

BOXING DAY, 86 minutes, 2008
Debut feature film. A black man experiences the most nightmarish day of his life when he meets his white girlfriend's family in this irreverent and politically incorrect comedy.

The Africa I've Seen (16 minutes)

SHOWING SUNDAY, JUNE 14 7 - 8 PM

At 24 years old I moved to West Africa with my video camera to try to make it as a freelance journalist and reporter. I stayed for more than two years and reported on hundreds of stories. Some were the predictable ones that Americans are accustomed to hearing from the media - war in Eastern Congo, malnourished children, desperate attempts to migrate illegally to Europe. But other, less reported, sides of Africa I had the privilege to film have also stuck with me. Often these were stories of hope, strength and the ingenuity of the human spirit.

In this video I have put together three short documentary-style films in an attempt to represent the diversity of this experience. The subjects of these films range from bicycles trumping cars to total lawlessness to a child soldier who sings with a beautiful voice.

If The Shoe Fits....Buy It! is the video segment of my installation to be exhibited at the Fuller Craft Museum in Massachussetts from June 2009 through January 2010. It is part of a larger exhibition entitled The Perfect Fit. My work juxtaposes the Western concept of shoes as status symbol, sexual accessory and consumption icon, with the Eastern/Persian concept of 'kudara'. Kundara encompasses a broader shoe concept, defining the shoe as a polluting, degrading item which can be used powerfully to demean and humiliate, as perfectly illustrated by the infamous Bush incident in Iraq.

“An empire divided is a Chinese folklore set in the ancient time of china. It’s the legend of Li Chi Mu a great martial artist who is forced to serve a corrupt emperor. In this story we follow his life from childhood to adulthood. Where he becomes a tyrant & then a savior of his people. The story picks up where Li is at home with his daughter & bodyguards. They are having a conversation about the future he has planned for his daughter Mai & two lieutenants from his army come to give him a message from the neighboring villages. But it’s a message of death! “

"Extreme Commuting"

A driver, train rider, and bicyclist each ride 90 minutes or more to get to work in Washington, DC. "Extreme Commuting" follows the daily paths of these three professionals as they negotiate their way through one of the most congested cities in the nation. In accompanying each of these people on their daily rides, we learn the impact extreme commuting has on their quality of life and why so many choose to make the journey.