2004 Film Selections during UMFF 2004

All screenings will be held at Lab 601 Digital Post, in downtown, at 621 North Avenue, NE, #A-100, Atlanta, Georgia. (Directions below.)

Thursday, October 21, 2004 - "Independent Filmmaking" Networking Event [read more]

The UMFF 2004 Short Film Competition will take place during the "Independent Filmmaking" networking event on Thursday, October 21, 2004, from 6:30-10:30 p.m., at Lab 601 Digital Post, 621 North Avenue, NE, Atlanta, Georgia (in downtown Atlanta). The competition screening time is 8:00 p.m. Don't miss these superb films!

Short Film Competition...

Solitaire — (Richmond, MA) Solitaire's first and last encounter with her father is his death. An edgy, off-kilter experimental narrative about how death brings families closer together. Theodore Collatos, Director.(RT: 10min)

Red Eye — (Brooklyn, NY) What goes through a person's mind in the blink of an eye? Could you let an assumption made in a split second influence your judgment? Those are the questions this short film seeks to explore. Kevin Gordon, Director, Gordon Pictures.(RT: 16min)

Hit — (Marietta, GA) Murder for hire is this name of the game. Jay Williams, Writer/Director. (RT: 10min)

Man Made — (Los Angeles, CA) A comedy short that takes the cliché" man made" to another level. Deborah E. Ward, Producer, Erma Elzy-Jones, Director, DEW Productions. (RT: 15min)

Peep Game — (Philadelphia, PA) A lighthearted tale of an arrogant young woman's attempt to enjoy some leisure reading at an outdoor cafe and how four very different people that trickle through a nearby bus stop will perceive her. But she soon learns that beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. Brian C. Thompson, Writer, Director and Producer, Forward Motion Films. (RT: 6:18min)

Follow — (Atlanta, GA) A sci-fi thriller of how the mind will lead you wrong. Carlos Ramsey, Writer, Director, Producer, Editor. (6min)

Independent Short Film Screening...

Mean Jadine — (Los Angeles, CA) Jadine is an attractive woman living in LA. She's cute, but no spring chicken and has kissed a lot of toads in her day. With the help of her fairy god parents, she might turn her latest encounter into something she can work with after all! This film is dedicated to the memory of Eugene "Doboy" Williams and Blue La Salle. Toni Ann Johnson, Writer/Director/Producer. Cast includes Michael Colyar, Toni Ann Johnson, Eugene "Doboy" Williams, Blue La Salle, Christopher Williams, Bennett Guillory, James Black, Mark Anthony Williams, Kevin Rock, Tracy Vilar, and Gregory Vahanian. (Screening Time: 10:00 pm. RT: 22:00min)

State of Grace — (Atlanta, GA) A tale of the desperate struggle of two mothers finding common ground, friendship, and healing within a world marred by crime and incarceration. The film features Deborah Lacey (Devil in a Blue Dress, Five Heartbeats) and Joy DeMichelle Moore (Dancing in September). Ron Mayes, Writer, Director. Layle Sewell, Producer, Todd Dos Reis, Director of Photography. (Screening Time: 7:30 p.m. RT: 20min)

Join the Resistance — (Atlanta, GA) The story is about two couples. One who followed the path that will most likely please society, and the other couple are too passionate about life to care what anyone thinks. Inspired by the "L is for Love" chapter of Crimethinic's Days of War, Nights of Love. Franklin Lopez, Director, 2003 City of Atlanta Emerging Award Recipient. (RT: 16:30min)

Friday, October 22, 2004 - "Independent Music and Videos" Networking Event [read more]

The UMFF 2004 Music Video Competition will take place during the "Independent Music and Videos" networking event on Friday, October 22, 2004, from 6:30-11:00 p.m. at Lab 601 Digital Post, 621 North Avenue, NE, Atlanta, Georgia (in downtown Atlanta).

Independent Short Film Screenings...

Broke, Struggling and Still Independent — (Atlanta, GA) This is the first feature length production from BrownAge Pictures. It documents the lives of four female Atlanta-based musicians – Phillippia, Taffether, Jill Rock-Jones, and Carmen Liana. These four musical powerhouses are stripped down to the only thing that matters — the music in their souls. Spurgen Brown, Writer, Director, Editor, BrownAge Pictures; Loraine Foushee, Producer, Videographer; and Tyga Lee, Sound Mixer, Original Film Score. (Screening Time: 7:30 p.m. RT: 45min) [read more]

Turned Out: Sexual Assault Behind Bars — (East Cambridge, Massachusetts) This exceptional documentary illustrates that prisoner abuse in not "totally un-American," as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld claims, but a domestic crisis. Abuse of American prisoners — by guards or fellow inmates — occurs regularly in U.S. prisons. Sexual abuse is particularly troubling: one out of every five men is raped while incarcerated and, when they are released, the sexual violence follows them out onto the streets. Turned Out looks behind this grim statistic to uncover the social and power hierarchies that bolster the tradition of prison rape. Jonathan Schwartz, Director, Interlock Media; June Cross, Senior Producer; Danny Trejo, Narrator; C-Nile, Musik. (Screening Time: 10:00 PM RT: 57min) [read more]

Music Video Competition...

Screening time of the music video competition is 8:30 p.m.

In Disguise — (Decatur, GA) A reminder that not every story has a happy ending. The Joshua Golden Band. Justin W. Green, Director, Labor Films, LLC. (RT: 4:30min)

Street Sweepers — (Silver Spring, MD) A gospel music video featuring the Street Sweepers. G-Wade, Director, I-66 Entertainment. (RT: 4:08min)

Spin Factor/Up All Night — (Atlanta, GA) The music artist Dinko. Deronté Smith, Director (RT: 3:49min)

Dusted — (Decatur, GA) Rock-n-Roll music video of the band Gonzalez. John Milavic and Joe Viosin, Producers and Directors, Mixed Bag Media. (RT: 3:55min)

Move/Crown the King — (Seattle, Washington) Featuring the artist, Damian Black. Chris Gambol, Director. (2:10min)

ILLCOM: The Uprising — (Los Angeles, CA) From beneath the sands of the Mojave deserts, Rap poets ILLCOM are awaken by an eruption of Hip Hop poetry that bring them to the center of LA's Rap and underground music scene. This music video reenacts their actual journey! Jesse Russell Brooks, Director. (RT: 3:26min)

Fall to the Ceiling — (Sacramento, CA) Sounds from the Heroes To Know One band. Darren McCaulley, Director/Editor. (RT: 4min)

I Like Big Girls — (Atlanta, GA) Featuring Hotep of Skinnymen Productions. Carlos Ramsey, Director, Editor. Made You Look Films. (RT: 3:50min)

Walk in New York/I Got That Dro — (Atlanta, GA) Skinnymen Production. Baby Hype, Director, Editor. (RT: 4min)

Gotcha — (Atlanta, GA) The "high risk" Prophetix crew is composed of lyricists Eddie Meeks, Mello Melanin and DJ/Producer Jon Doe. Matt Hutchinson, Director. (RT: 4:00min)

Shining Hour — (Cary, NC) Featuring the musical artist Renata Jackson. Breg de Deugd and Brand Li, Directors, Monstrous Little Voice, LLC. The members of Renata Jackson get their song played on the radio by hijacking a major media conglomerate. But "the man" fights back. (RT: 4:16min)

Moving Along — (New York, NY) Dark imagery of conformity takes the screen as hip hop, rhythm and poetry are visualized in the Planets' track "Moving Along." Animated. Patrick Smith, Director. (RT: 3min)

Saturday, October 23, 2004 - All Day Independent Film Screenings
($3 per screening/$10 All Day Screening Pass)

Unprecedented: 2004 Election Edition — (Santa Monica, CA) This documentary tells the riveting story about the battle for the Presidency in Florida and the undermining of democracy in America. A disturbing picture is painted of an election marred by suspicious irregularities, electoral injustices and sinister voter purges in a state governed by the winning candidate's brother. It reveals how the Voting Rights Act was violated as thousands of African Americans were denied their right to vote. The 2004 Campaign Edition, hosted by Danny Glover, warns of potential voter fraud in the November 2004 election with the widespread use of touch screen machines which can easily be tampered with. Joan Sekler, Writer, Producer, Director; Richard R. Pérez, Writer, Producer, Director; William Haugae, Writer. (Screening Time: 9:00a.m. RT: 90min)

Silence: In Search of Black Female Sexuality in America — (Brooklyn, New York) A candid and compelling documentary that looks at the reasons for sexual silence in the black community is illustrated through historical facts and testimonies that date back to slavery and the black church experience. Mya Baker, Director, Shoot Film Not People Production. (Screening Time: 10:40am. RT: 75min)

Land of the Free — (Atlanta, GA) In the aftermath of 9/11, an Arab-American man finds himself the victim of a hate crime which leads to murder. His only hope is an attorney who has limited time and evidence to build a case. Edford M. Banuel, Writer, Director, EMB Filmworks, Recipient of the Showtime Black Filmmakers Award 2003. (Screening Time: 12:05 PM RT: 29min)

Turned Out: Sexual Assault Behind Bars — (East Cambridge, Massachusetts) This exceptional documentary illustrates that prisoner abuse in not "totally un-American," as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld claims, but a domestic crisis. Abuse of American prisoners — by guards or fellow inmates — occurs regularly in US prisons. Sexual abuse is particularly troubling: one out of every five men is raped while incarcerated and, when they are released, the sexual violence follows them out onto the streets. Turned Out looks behind this grim statistic to uncover the social and power hierarchies that bolster the tradition of prison rape. Jonathan Schwartz, Director, Interlock Media; June Cross, Senior Producer; Danny Trejo, Narrator; C-Nile, Musik. (Screening Time: 12:45pm. RT: 57min) [read more]

Street Tales of Terror — (Richmond, Texas) The story of three thugs who terrorize a homeless man who witnessed them commit murder. While pleading for his life, the homeless man tells the trio of three "true" tales of terror and revenge. J.D. Hawkins, Producer, Hawk In Flight Productions. (Screening Time: 2:40pm. RT: 88min)

Troubled — (Atlanta, GA) A thriller that tells the story of a young man who is physically, emotionally and mentally abused by his mother. Due to all the abuse suffered at the hands of his mother, the boy grows up to be very sheltered, bitter and resentful toward everyone, especially women. Robinson Vil, Director. Starring Tashana Salmon, Robinson Vil, Brad McFadden, Tara Frix, Tisha Frederick, and Sherie Debellotte. (Screening Time 4:20pm. RT: 30min)

Music Therapy 101 — (Atlanta, GA) The story of one woman's battle to overcome her personal demons in order to achieve greatness as an R&B musical artist. The film is filled with original music and a powerful message that encourages its audience to believe in the power of one's dreams of success. Kirsten Person-Ramey, Writer/Director, Cool People Entertainment, LLC. (Screening Time: 5:00 p.m. RT: 40min)

Cheatin' — (Stone Mountain, GA) Looks are deceiving as this romantic comedy leaves you understanding. A mild disagreement between a couple turns into open hostility as both set out to get some payback. They discover their reason for payback were not reasons at all. Ken Burton, Writer, Producer, Director. Cast includes D'Wayne Boyd, Arianne Price, Chase Dyami, Raquel Riley, Tisha Fredericks and Issac Cobb. (Screening Time: 5:50 PM RT: 30:00min)

Love of Making Love — (Atlanta, GA) This documentary opens the viewer's insight about young men and women as 12 urban individuals come together to skillfully express their thoughts and understanding of the 'love-lust scale' of society. This film puts the fire into reality TV! Ardrae Jackson, Director, DraeJackson Films. (Screening Time: 6:30 p.m. RT: 29min)