Connecticut Film Festival 2008

What happens after you say “Yes?” For Madeline saying yes to a personal life seems to be harder than she could imagine. Betrothed takes a good look at the modern woman in the modern relationship and asks if we worrying for nothing. Told through animation and live action, Betrothed takes us into our own heads, along with Madeline's.

THE BEVERAGES tells the comedic tale of a pretentious filmmaker (Monty Zuchard) as he follows a feeble two-man band (The Beverages) around Boston in hopes of exposing the dire state of today's popular music and 'art.' It begins as a how-to on what not to be or do if you strive to be a musician or artist of any kind, but quickly turns into an uncharted sea of street performances, open mic action, sleazy music video tycoons, and slapstick comedy.

In a true-life Indiana Jones meets Mother Teresa adventure, three middle-aged men, former soldiers and modern-day knights, travel the world delivering life saving humanitarian aid directly into the hands of civilians and doctors in some of the most dangerous yet beautiful places on Earth, the front lines of war. Ed Artis, Jim Laws and Walt Ratterman are Knights of Malta, and in 1995, they formed Knightsbridge International, a unique humanitarian aid organization, whose motto is "High Adventure and Service to Humanity." Their specialty is going where death from landmines, bullets, or bombs is as frequent as death from hunger, disease, or the elements. As Laws tells it simply, “We do what we can, when we can, because we can.”

In 1979, a teenage boy’s days (and nights) of personal discovery are blind-sided by the unexpected death of his father on Easter Sunday. The camera follows a narrative form with a 'home movie' style to capture a typical father and son relationship. The camera follows the son through his daily routines of self-discovery and personal view of the world both before and after the sudden death of his father.

The horse-drawn carriages of Manhattan are a beloved institution attracting tourists from around the world, though animal rights activists have protested for decades that the noisy, congested streets of midtown Manhattan are no place for horses, and pointed to evidence of abuse. After three recent dramatic and fatal accidents, the industry has come under greater scrutiny. Via hidden camera footage and expert interviews, BLINDERS goes undercover to expose the truth behind the tradition.

Set in the (frighteningly) near future, with gas at $40/gallon, Archie Andrews (Mike Brune), a nerdy vegan, seeks an alternative energy source. Cutting himself during an experiment, he discovers his car runs on blood, and, as the last guy in town who can afford to drive, he attracts sex-crazed Denise (Katie Rowlett), whose need for transportation is satisfied along with Archie's ever-expanding libido. While scrambling to secure a never-ending supply of blood, Archie is observed by government agents anxious to learn the secret of his special engine—agents who will make him face the ultimate decision.

This lovely animation of a man and a woman living in glass bottles (as imagined by an unseen artist) overcome their fear of leaving the safety of their bottles in order to discover the joys of freedom and love.

“Old West” meets “New West” in the work of writer, publisher, artist, and activist, Jim Stiles, who began publishing the politically-progressive “Canyon Country Zephyr” in 1989, an independent paper that boasts it is , “Hopelessly clinging to the past.” in the heart of conservative Mormon Utah. Now recognized as one of the best independent papers in the West, “The Zephyr” combines humor, history, honesty and artistry in its coverage of issues.

18-year-old Erica Schwarz was born with the fatal genetic illness Cystic Fibrosis, which causes the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that leads to lung infections and obstructions in the pancreas. Doctors predicted that she would not make it to her 6th birthday, but today, at age 18, Erica has joined the growing population of adults living with CF.