Screening: Friday, April 25, 2014 @ Penn Cinema Riverfront, Wilmington, Delaware
The Apothecary (18 mins, USA, Student)
dir. by Helen Hood Scheer
The Apothecary is a cinema verite documentary short film about Don Colcord, the beloved druggist in a remote Colorado outpost; his pharmacy is the only one within 4,000 square miles. Don navigates a profound divide between his public persona and his personal life. To the community in this former mining region, he is jovial and almost heroic; at home, on the other hand, he is impotent and isolated as a result of his wife's long-term disability. Thematically, The Apothecary explores notions of individual duty and obligation in the face of privately held grief and ambivalence. Program 3 - 1pm - Shorts: Reconnection - Followed by a Q&A featuring Gaudenzia
The Boy and The Bus(23 mins, UK, Professional)
dir. by Simon Pitts
After young Joe's mother dies in an accident, he and his devastated father find themselves alone after moving to a remote new village. The boy won't give up on life even as his own falls apart. One morning, lost on the way to his new school, the young boy finds himself running through hillside fields to catch the town bus. He misses it, but is inspired. Program 2 - 11am - Loss & Recovery - Followed by a Q&A featuring Supporting Kidds
Computer Potato (13 mins, Canada, Professional)
dir. by Todd Kipp
Charles Benzinger seeks a doctor's attention to treat an overwhelming desire to touch everyone he sees. The doctor insists this condition doesn't exist, but Charles soon faces an opposite complication, his inability to touch a passenger on the bus. Ultimately the film is a dramatic comedy about the disconnection in society and one man's struggle to move away from the wired world he lives in. Program 3 - 1pm - Shorts: Reconnection - Followed by a Q&A featuring Gaudenzia
Gold Star Children(60 mins, USA, Professional)
dir. by Mitty Griffis Mirrer
Gold Star Children is a documentary feature film that takes an intimate look at American children who've lost a parent to war. The film follows the parallel journey of two generations; today's war orphans heal alongside the now adult-children survivors of the Vietnam War. Gold Star Children is an inspiring narrative told through the eyes of a young girl whose father was killed in Iraq and a child of the Vietnam war who grew up suffering parental loss in silence. The once hushed Vietnam era children reach out to today's war orphans. A story of hope, the film explores the redemptive power of sharing and the resilience of our nation's Gold Star Children, who continue to carry the greatest burden of our country's wars. Program 2 - 11am - Loss & Recovery - Followed by a Q&A featuring Supporting Kidds
Methel Island (12 mins, USA, Student)
dir. by Meg Smaker
A meditation on meth. There is an island on the delta 45 minutes east of San Francisco that is infested with crystal meth: in this documentary we explore the island and its inhabitants' relationship to the drug. Four characters will take us on the journey of an addict: from the first stages, to the comedown and finally the long road to recovery. Program 3 - 1pm - Shorts: Reconnection - Followed by a Q&A featuring Gaudenzia
Silver Lining (5 mins, USA, Youth)
dir. by Emily Webster
Most people believe that foster care is a terrible thing to be involved with. In this film, a teenage girl explains her experiences with foster care and how it affected her life. Program 3 - 1pm - Shorts: Reconnection - Followed by a Q&A featuring Gaudenzia
Who Cares About Kelsey?(56 mins, USA, Professional)
dir. by Dan Habib
Kelsey Carroll has one goal--to graduate from high school--and plenty of reasons why she shouldn't. She attends a school with one of the highest dropout rates in New Hampshire and has dealt with homelessness, sexual abuse, and ADHD. As a freshman, she didn't earn a single academic credit, but she did get suspended for dealing drugs. 'Who Cares About Kelsey?' is the story of her transformation from a defiant and disruptive 'problem student' to a motivated and self-confident young woman. Along the way, critical figures in her personal and educational life shape her coming of age and play important roles in an education revolution that's about empowering--not overpowering--our most emotionally and behaviorally challenged youth. Program 1 - 9am - Challenges of Youth, Followed by a Q&A featuring Delaware Guidance
