Official Selections

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CONTROL by Mr.GoM

This is first of our Mr.GoM "Love,Art&PEACE" project.
Inspired by the Vulcano eruption in Iceland the idea to take as basic fire, earth, air, water, and love... plus the story of Prometheus... what's been out of two dreams I had in the Covid situation... and reflecting about all our being, the basics we realy need and the personality of the time traveler Mr.GoM

Eunice Ou Carta A Uma Jovem Actriz

Eunice or letter to a young actress

We revisit the life of Eunice Muñoz through the private memories of her house. We watch the intimate side of the actress, who does not play any part here but that of being who she is next to whom she loves. We watch her natural complicity with Lídia, how they bodies are 62 years apart but their spirits not even one. They open us the door to their intimacy and household ritual

Birdhouse

''The long-beaked-keeper of a botanical garden welcomes you in her hilltop-home.''

I've always loved botanical gardens and the small trip to a tropical paradise they provide - I used to go there quite often, to draw plants and relax.

The feeling that you get when entering a tropical green house, the warm air on your face and the smell of the plants is something I tried to capture in this animation.

HOW LONG UNTIL

Castaway was about a man stranded on a deserted island. This is about two men stranded on a deserted island.

Which changes everything.

Intersections

A young man stops at an intersection on the road to someplace unknown. While the route takes him right, the left-facing path intrigues him. However, he goes in the set direction. This happens three times, and each time he must take the right-facing road yet wants to take the left-facing one. Will he stay on the given path, or will he eventually choose an alternate route?

The Dunes

Nicholas Rice, a renowned journalist for the Los Angeles Times, returns to his hometown of 'The Dunes’ to investigate the disappearance of the tenant in his childhood home. Whilst there, a mysterious figure from his past re-emerges and threatens his entire existence.

A psychological thriller set in a small fictional beachside town in Australia on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, The Dunes is a story of how your past will always catch up with you.

"Tim Phillipps is electrifying in his role and gives a chilling performance as William Knight,” - Cinema Australia Online Magazine

Banana Zakary

Zakary, a Dancing Banana, has had a VERY rough day.
Can he pull back the peel to reveal a better day or is his heart too bruised?

Don Garbaggio

Don Garbaggio runs a private sanitation company in New York.
This morning, Don, Frankie and Patty marvel over Don's new picture, the joys of trash and why you shouldn't mess with fiesty,"Ol lady Nussbaum'
Don's daughter also has a new boyfriend, and Patty has done a little investigating for him. What Don learns will determine if her new suitor is in..or out with the trash.

زنگ تفریح

The Recess

Seventeen-year-old Sahar is determined to watch her favorite soccer team play for the league championship. Barred from attending sports events as a woman, Sahar disguises herself as a boy with the help of her friends. Things take a tragic turn when Sahar’s disguise is uncovered. Inspired by true events, The Recess explores gender oppression in Iranian society.

Be Certain

No matter who you are, what situation you´re in or your plans for the future, when it comes to pregnancy, you want to be certain.
With this independent work we want to spotlight situations that are often ignored by the clichés of advertisement.

Vitriol

A short documentary exploring vehement social media interactions from both sides of the political spectrum.

Some Guy Named Bill

The Chaotic journey of an African-America Air Force veteran who runs for congress in New Jersey during the 2020 Election. (Work in Progress)

Shut Up, Astoria

Shut Up, Astoria is a sitcom pilot, recorded live, in front of a studio audience.

Kunsten å se en drage

How to See a Kite

While Henrik’s carefree niece flies her kite on the beach, he finds himself lost in despairing thoughts about his lost love.
When the kite crashes, she begs him for help, but all he can see is an unrepairable mess.

This is a sweet little short film about how a simple change in mindset can change how you see the world.

Hollywood Priest: The Story of Fr. “Bud” Kieser

Screening from Nov 17th- 21st

When Father Elwood “Bud” Kieser arrives in LA in 1957, he begins a 40-year career as a television and film producer. But when his successful television series “Insight” begins to struggle and he falls in love with a nun, Fr. Bud must go to famine-stricken Africa to re-discover what his life is truly about.

CROSSING LINES

Aya, a social worker in her twenties, volunteers at an "at-risk" teenage mobile unit in the city center. One night, she accidentally gets drawn into a gang of youths and their night time activities.

"A Boy's Journey: Crossing The Alenuihaha Channel"

On August 6, 2020, eleven-year-old Bobo Gallagher became the first person ever to cross the Alenuihaha Channel on a wing and a foil and only the second documented solo crossing of that crossing in history. This is his story.

Street Justice

STREET JUSTICE is a 5 ½ minute documentary about Hashim Garrett, a 15-year old Brooklyn, New York gang member and his personal redemption after being shot 6 times, was partially paralyzed, and left for dead on a Brooklyn street corner.

E=MC ³

In this surrealist dreamscape based on actual events, "E=MC ³" is Victor Stabin's bizarre tale of Albert Einstein's invention and patenting of the perpetual motion refrigerator that brings peace to the Middle East. The animation combines fantastic imagery with tongue-in-cheek storytelling and plenty of schtick.
This story had its genesis in the strange but true account of Einstein's work on a highly efficient refrigerator designed while in Berlin circa 1920s. This remarkable story combines Stabin's long-running love affair with public radio with a narrative that unfolds through an NPR-style radio interview - an interview conducted by a talking clam voiced by Dave Davies of NPR's "Fresh Air." Just Sayin.

BETZAADIM KTANIM

TAKING STEPS

Stav, newly married, is about to fly abroad with her husband for the mountain trek of his dreams. When she breaks her foot a week before they are due to leave, the couple must settle for a much less glamorous trip. But for Stav at least, it's a journey that will allow her to examine for the first time ever, her needs and desires within the relationship.

The Immortan Joe Memorial Highway

In a dystopian world, a small elephant stands up against an oppressive system.

Annie

Breaking news: Several children disappear in a U.S. town

A Moment on Main Street

Small business owners in a small New Jersey beach town reflect on their past, from hurricanes to terrorist attacks, and how that prepared them for a worldwide pandemic where each day brought new limitations, challenges, and (at times) opportunities.

Finbag

A fish gets into a plastic bag and trouble!

ZAP!

All Curtis Airy intended to do one fine evening was podcast to his viewers about the Galactic Center. Little did he realize that an infestation of mosquitos, a bug zapper and coyotes who play the ultimate trick on his exploration of other dimensions.

Planet M in Outer Space

This early era science fiction film was found buried (intentionally?) in the MGM Motion Picture Archives. Silent Film historians took steps to rescue the film and restore, preserve, and unwittingly share its content with the public. The film reveals a sinister plot by aliens to take over Manhattan.

The Cut-Ups

On a rainy night in the city, all Walter wants is a nice cup of tea, some light music on the radio, and some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, his plans are disrupted when Perkins, an overzealous saleswoman, arrives at his door, eager to make a sale and refusing to take "no" for an answer. But Walter will soon discover that his unwanted houseguest may be hiding a sinister secret.

Emotion Potion

Emotion Potion is a story about drug addiction and the social dynamics that influence substance abuse. The look and feel of the film and its characters and settings are cute, bright, and funny. We begin the story with happy and relaxed moods, but by the end, they will turn into deeper, darker emotions

PNIMIT

INTERNAL MEDICINE

Keren arrives at the hospital where her father lies on his deathbed. Their relationship has been full of conflict and there has been no communication between them for years. Now she needs to face her father in is last moments.

A TATTOO for Christmas

One lie divides a mother from her daughter and the daughter from her father. After 23 years, can the truth salvage even one of the relationships?

Untitled Sam Bennett Project

Sam Bennett is meeting with a film producer when her mentor Nick unexpectedly arrives. Complications arise as it is suggested the two have an interesting relationship.

Rock Paper Scissors

Sam and Missy Wagner have reached a crossroads in their mundane, suburban relationship. One night of horrific events lead them down a path of fear, retribution, and renewal.

WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH

Benny Haneman the director takes up his camera to explore the love, sadness, jealousy and loyalty that exists between him, his father and his older brother Gidi, who has a complex combination of special needs. For the first time, Haneman comes face to face with the fact that it is his childhood perception of his brother that informs their relationship today. Using his camera and a rich variety of archival footage shot by his father since Gidi’s birth, he creates a safe space in which the father and two brothers can eloquently and intelligently express what they have been going through, over the years.

Matthew

It’s a big day for Matthew. He is about to be released from a state psychiatric hospital ten years after he meticulously planned, but never executed, a mass act of violence at his high school. A decade after his arrest, the townspeople vehemently object to his return to the community.

Nothing Left

3 months after the zombie apocalypse, a group of survivors realize they aren't as well prepared as they thought, now they have NOTHING LEFT.

Disarray Days

A dejected man battles with a cruel universe while he inadvertently robs a store with an enigmatic hitchhiker.

A Revolver

A man writes a letter to his wife to recap what brought him to this new phase in life.

Mam's Old Chair

A film about repair, reuse, community and the joy that can be garnered from every day objects. The chance find of an old chair highlights how locally sourced, locally made goods can be repaired and reused across many generations.

Generation Wrecks

The story follows two 11th graders, Stacy Snyder (Bridget McGarry) and Liz Castillo-Campbell (Victoria Leigh) who were best friends until the 7th grade when a mysterious event drove them apart. Stacy joined the popular crowd and Liz, who was outed publicly, fell in with the freaks and became a goth. After years of antagonizing each other, Stacy is moved to repair the friendship after Liz's little brother accidentally drowns. Stacy invites Liz to join her for a weekend getaway at her vacation home in the Poconos where they used to go when they were friends, but Liz insists she be able to bring her own misfit group of friends and acquaintances from the school's fringe groups with the intent to retaliate for years of misery caused by Stacy. Chaperoned by Stacy's older brother Brandon and his bubbly girlfriend, Jess, the eight high school Gen-Xers are confronted by the future, adulthood, and their own personal issues. They realize they share more than just feeling alienated and lost, and that friendships can be mended in the woods with a lot of music, games and a little bit of love and weed.

Orion 1925

an unlikely encounter during the devastating tail wind 1925
between a fisherman and an Alien fighting for their lives
in the Atlantic Ocean

Lighter Than Air

Two estranged brothers come to terms with the recent death of their father but one holds a secret that could keep them apart forever.

Wicked Image

Lucifer, Satan, and the Devil meet with a corporate PR agent to rehabilitate their images — which includes reminding the world that they're women. However, they quickly discover that the PR agent is more evil than they are.

YOM KEF

A DAY OUT

Yochai, a melancholic bachelor in his 30s who has trouble taking responsibility, is asked to take care of his eight year old nephew.

Groove

Matt is in the zone, he's groovin'. Until the outside world intrudes.

Undertaker

An undertaker (Dustin Teuber) awakens at a train station, not knowing where he is. He runs into a series of characters who seem to know more about him than even he does. This leads him down a rabbit hole in this existential tale.

C A • D E N C E

Where's The Will

When their father dies, the children get together to discuss his will. What could possibly go wrong?

The reunion

Four friends get together and talk about their lives.

Shots of Light

‘Shots of Light' is an animated music video by Christian Scharfenberg based on the song 'Shots of Light', by Morgan Finlay. The film follows 'Shemp' as they walk through the city, observing the world around them and taking hope from the shots of light that appear through the cracks.

Feisty Fighter- The Marnesba Tackett Story

Marnesba Tackett was a woman trying to burst through barriers in a male-dominated world. This close friend of Rosa Parks fought for equality in the insurance and housing industries, and was instrumental in desegregating and integrating schools for all children. Referred to as a relentless "feisty fighter," her lifelong activism helped pave the way towards equal rights.

Wonderland

A young woman makes one last trip to the beach before leaving town.

Day One

Distance makes the heart grow fonder

Where To Now?

After the death of his wife and son a man struggles with the mundane existence of day to day life until, in a chance encounter, he comes face to face with the woman who killed them.

THE DISTANCE TO YOU

A window into the world of four ultra-Orthodox Jewish women: the conflicts, the dilemmas, the dreams and the dangerous balancing act on a knife edge between God and art, between the demands of the ultra-Orthodox world and the women's innermost desires. This is a lyric documentary about the tentative first steps in a painful journey towards truth and self-realization.

Something Borrowed

Angie, Tina and Julie, three lifelong friends, go to the Jersey Shore for a "girl's weekend" getaway. Angie reveals to them that she has an engagement ring in her care. Her brother is planning to surprise his girlfriend with a romantic proposal on the beach. Tina concocts a scheme to give Angie and Julie a fun night with free drinks by pretending to have a bachelorette party.

Recycled Verses

Recycled Verses is a cinepoem (video for a spoken word poem) about the cyclical nature of life and art and self-expression.

Worm

Nikki wants to catch a fish, so her friend Angie takes her fishing. In a single "Waiting for Godot"-style scene, they wonder about identity in relation to work until they run out of bait, at which time everything changes and Angie gives the ultimate gift to make sure her friend can catch a fish.

Cosmic Cooking

“Cosmic Cooking” is an animated meditation on the prevalent “cosmic egg” or “world egg” motif in creation mythology.

AMERICAN MARRIAGE

Leonardo, an Italian immigrant who lives in New York, marries a Latina woman, Nikki, to obtain the American greencard. Through the comedy of it all Nikki and Leo fall in love “for real” but it looks like "Uncle Sam" will be the one to have the last laugh.

No Going Back

A Bearded Man desperate to change his life, calls upon an old friend to come out of retirement for one last job.

A Tale of Redemption and Regret with Sunny the Heat

Old mobsters never die, they just fall apart in South Philly.

The Stakeout

Two detectives, one Cuban and one Italian, on a late night stakeout argue about the best mob movie of all time.

Headless Over Heels

A rooster, Lawson, comes home after a hard day at work and finds that his wife has been beheaded. However, she is still moving and behaving as she usually would. Shocked at this horrific new appearance of his wife, he is unsure how to handle the situation, threatening both their love and relationship.

The Right Side

On the eve of his retirement, undercover Det. Frank Nolan meets his match in the person of a young woman out to kill her third husband.

Majestic 8

A coming-of-age comedy set in 2008, MAJESTIC 8 follows high schooler Brandon, whose desperate search for a job leads him to the poorly managed Orlando branch of the Majestic Theatres cinema chain, where he shakes up the dynamics amongst the young, eccentric staff.

One All The Way

Three elderly New Jersey men search for the world's greatest Hot Texas Weiner, but along the way, discover what has happened to their hometown, Paterson, New Jersey. It’s a short but poignant journey that any parent, child, hot dog aficionado or lover of humanity will never forget.

A Wandering Heart

The most important things in life can be the hardest to find.

Home, Closed

An empty room. Rusty Wood enters, alone.
Finds a throne, makes himself at home.
Knock, knock, who’s there?
Will the intruder challenge him for his chair?

WIDOW

A widow plays piano every day. She talks to her husband through playing piano with joy and sorrow. The piano is the only connection to her world. No one visits her. The seasons change and her memories are shimmering like a dream. Base on Keiko's poem, "Widow".

The Fuzzies

A man wakes up locked in a strange bathroom where something is lurking behind the walls.

One Pint at a Time

Craft beer generates tens of billions of dollars annually for the US economy. Despite beer’s Egyptian and African heritage, these traditions have been mostly forgotten and are rarely found in American brewing culture. Today, Black-owned breweries make up less than 1% of the nearly 9,000 breweries in operation. Eager to shift the historical perception of who makes and drinks beer, Black brewers, brand owners and influencers across the country are reshaping the craft beer industry and the future of America’s favorite adult beverage.

The Perfect Cup

a silent short film about a boy who gets a new high quality coffee machine in the mail. His goal is to make the perfect cup of coffee with perfect latte art but runs into many struggles.

Midnight Snack

When strange, unexplainable occurrences torment a babysitter, Camille thinks she's discovered the culprit - or has she? There are things that lurk in the dark, studying their prey for attack, and it's possible that maybe she's become the midnight snack.

Alice Memorial Park

Three strangers visit a park one fine day, not knowing that a set of events would reveal a deep connection that binds them together.

Divertimento

Jonas Olsen (Kellan Lutz), a chess player haunted by a tragic past, is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, Divertimento.

CRYSTAL

Reeling from his wife's divorce, an obsessive man TIM
buys a smart home device, CRYSTAL, with the promise to make
his life "Crystal clear." Tim slowly learns to open up to
Crystal...perhaps too much.

The Puppet

A strange puppet encounters an old laptop that influences him to make a decision.

ED GEIN RARE RESTORED FOOTAGE FOUND IN 2019!

This short film contains rare footage of Ed Gein attempting to escape his arrest. This footage was thought to be lost but turned up at an estate sale and has been restored and edited back in to the original newsreel where it once appeared.

The Heart of Camden - The Story of Father Michael Doyle

Michael Doyle came to the US from Ireland in 1959, bringing with him a joyful disposition, faith and an unwavering determination to help his community. Narrated by Martin Sheen, Heart of Camden explores Father Doyle’s attempts to reverse the city’s fall. From the start of his placement at Sacred Heart Church, the strong-willed priest applied himself by "doing his bit".

Matched

A young woman explores an apartment during a blackout with nothing more than a box of matches.
But she’s not alone...

That's How They Get You

Under mounting pressure to sell his work in the evolving 1960s New York art scene, Oliver finds ways to ride the line between fine artist and con artist.

Kali Karate: The 2nd Beginning (Pilot)

A mocku series following the comeback of washed up prize fighter and action star, SENSAI Houston. After blackmailing a B list Hollywood producer, he gets his Martial Arts talk show fully financed, in hopes of getting his ex wife Jessica back.

The Horse Room

“The Horse Room” follows A spunky kid and their reserved aunt as they travel through different dimensions to find what seems to be the 7th wonder of the world, a very special group of small horses. As time ticks away the pair is put to the test to see if they can reach their goal in time… but the Aunt is hiding a dangerous secret.

LICORICE

Yosef, a special needs young adult, listens to tape recordings from his dead father in order to help him get through the day. As he attempts to grapple with adult life, Yosef grows and learns from his relationships with others when he experiences the insensitivity, and also the kindness, of strangers.

SCRIPT

Two screenwriters, a ghost story, the night that goes on. Who will put an end to this?

Love For Skating

A Mini Documentary about three girls with a love and passion for skateboarding. This film highlights their friendship and skateboarding skills. The girl skateboarding scene is growing and these three girls are at the forefront of the girl's skate movement in our local area in New Jersey. Our goal for this film was to share their story and inspire other girls to get out there and step out of their comfort zone.

Cripty in CryptoCoaster

Cripty is a character representing new Cryptocurrencies, the cartoon shows in a fun and entertaining way the development of cryptocurrency and the how banks try to sabotage it.

They say that "it won't succeed", "It's only a bubble waiting to burst", all because they can't control it nor get a piece of the profits.

TO THE WOOD

Fine art, puppetry, and salvaged collectables intersect with beautiful live action to create this modern day ode. Adeline, an ever shrinking child, doesn't fit in and longs for the beauty, peace and safety of THE WOOD.

SIMHONA

In 1954, baby Simhona's parents, new immigrants from Iran who were living in a refugee tent city in Bet Shean, Israel, were told that their daughter was ill and needed to be hospitalized. She was taken away from them by a "nurse", and they never saw the nurse or the baby again. Days later, they were informed of Simhona's death, though no body was returned to them. Simhona's mother, now in her 90s, never recovered emotionally from the loss of the baby.

Recently, following the opening of the Israeli archives concerning the abduction of Yemenite immigrant children in the 1950's, Eli (77), Simhona's older brother, decided to begin the search for Simhona with the help of his filmmaker daughter.

the game just got real

dogs and humans want to play. or not?

LoveLetters Profiles

Based on an actual dating profile business, "LoveLetters Profiles" is a TV comedy based on true stories. The pilot episode, "The Catholic Cougar," follows the twist and turns of a first date that goes sideways based on a misunderstanding on what "transitions" means to each party.

Kanda Bode (Don't Get Whipped)

This documentary focuses on the Hamar Tribe, a semi nomadic and rural people who live along the Omo River in Southwestern Ethiopia. Preserving the traditions of their ancestors is essential to defining Hamar life. One of the most venerated of the Hamar’s ancient traditions involves the transition of the Hamar male into an adult. Today, however there is a new awareness that aspects of this tradition are harmful to the health and well being of many who participate. The Hamar people are beginning to consider how their tradition can evolve.

“Kanda Bode…Don’t Get Whipped.”

The Andy Baker Tape

In October of 2020 food blogger Jeff Blake and his half-brother Andy Baker hit the road on a food tour that had the potential to change their lives. They were never seen again. This is their footage...

Served

A faux-documentary centered on Ted Russo, a chef whose career did not turn out quite the way he expected.

ZIKARON HOLECH VEBA

GRANDMA'S MEMORY

Dementia is an incurable disease. My grandmother Hadassah has it. In this movie, Grandma, once a mythic math teacher who now cannot do the simplest calculations, shares her feelings about the manifestations of her memory loss.

REFLECTION

Roy is suffering from a social phobia that makes it difficult for him to manage with people and especially with girls. In his work at an archive, he feels in full control, but outside, things do not go lightly. Every time he goes out on a date, his anxiety takes over and after a few minutes he runs away. One day he meets a mannequin in a shop window who changes his life.

Double Cross

A story of presumed betrayal.

The Melting of the Sun

The Melting of the Sun is the second single off of St. Vincent's new record, Daddy's Home. The music video was animated and designed by Chris McD, with direction from Annie Clark and Bill Benz, live action shot by Kylie Hazzard.

Knocking On Your Door

A lovely couple get their relationship ruined when the girlfriend has to move far away. The boyfriend, always thinking of her and the good times they shared decides to go for a road trip.

Once There Was a Girl

Why do stories we read as children stay with us through our lives and become broken bits of dreams, jumbled images from fairy tales that are always in the back of our minds?

Pap's Manifesto

A grief-stricken Gold Star father's commitment to avenge his son's death takes a series of shocking turns when he schemes to truck bomb a mosque.

Just Another Day

Two men gear up for the biggest day of their lives, though one is much more hesitant about the ‘big day’ than the other.

Λύκοι

Wolves

A Sunday lunch at granny’s house.
Holy greek family is being crumbled under the unbearable weight.
How many things can we ignore about our closest family members?
How many words are drowned before they are even spoken?
Our dearest family meals, start counting down…

The Memory Trade

"The Memory Trade" is a colorful parable about reconciling our happy memories with the the damage they may have unknowingly caused. Our story follows a Monster whose preparation for his Mother's favorite soup is interrupted by the sudden realization that he has been trading a community of sentient creatures to acquire the ingredients. Is the soup worth it? Will his fond memories of his mother vanish if he never eats the soup again? How can one Monster make a difference in the world? Find out in "The Memory Trade".

This film was made possible by The Green Feather Foundation and was entirely shot in a New York City bedroom during the COVID lockdowns.

Sandra's Sunday Best

Sandra, the perfect image of the Lord, wakes up her son, John, to get dressed and ready for church. As he showers, she does his laundry. She enters his room with his folded clothes and begins to put them away. She starts with the sock drawer, and inside she finds a loaded revolver! She says nothing to John as they sit in church - he doesn’t know she found it. After church, Sandra psyches herself up to talk to John about the gun before getting into the car. When she sees John abandoned his church shoes for ratty sneakers, she furiously takes John to his father’s trailer home instead of talking about it. Sandra whips out the revolver and tosses it to the father, Mack - it belonged to him. Mack shows pure apathy towards the two. John is crushed and embarrassed. At home, John and Sandra argue. John accuses Sandra of abusive, dictatorial behavior. Sandra uses his deadbeat father as a weapon, and John submits. John sits alone in his room. He retrieves a shoebox from his closet full of his weed paraphernalia. He starts a joint and exhales into a tube full of dryer sheets. Sandra walks in unannounced. To John’s surprise, she says nothing of the weed. She apologizes to him. She shows that she has had a change of mindset due to his words. She grabs his joint and takes a hit. She blows through the dryer sheets and jokes that he needs to smoke outside like a normal kid - oh, and not to bring a fucking gun into the house.

Burlington First Step Shelter

Homelessness is a circumstance – not a condition – and one that more and more people are finding themselves in, as low-cost housing becomes harder to find. This short film explores a few of the many challenges people face, through the experiences of five people, living in Skagit County, Washington. The story revolves around the Burlington First Step Shelter.

Growing Peace in the Middle East

After traveling to Israel in 2019, I was inspired to tell the story of Sindyanna of Galilee, a nonprofit organization working to make a big difference in the world by empowering communities through science. I chose to focus on Sindyanna’s hydroponics project because I love science and wanted to showcase its power in uniting the Arab and Jewish women I met there.

Booth Reading

Joe encounters a girl who seems too good to be true.

Mammoth: Primal Thirst

“Mammoth: Primal Thirst” is a 3D animated surreal fantasy that follows Mammoth the Sunflower lost deep in the desert and searching for anyway to quench his thirst.

My name is Matt Check, and I’ve been an artist and a musician the majority of my life. “Mammoth” first manifested in my imagination during the Summer of 2017 a few months after my Dad died. I was faced with the crossroads of whether or not to tend to the garden he would always grow each year. Looking for hope, I decided to rise to the task. By the time late July came, many of the Mammoth Sunflowers I planted looked so tall and strong; it looked as if they were going to pull themselves out of the ground and run off! Thus Mammoth was born into my life.

This project has allowed me to create a synergy between my music and my animation, a dream I’ve been following for a while now. This story explores depression and happiness. Mammoth is deprived of what he needs to maintain a healthy life, and progressively gets weaker and more desperate to survive. It is only when we have access to what we need to survive that we flourish and live happier, healthier lives. To me Mammoth represents Hope. My hope is that all that watch this animated short will root for him!

This animated short was made for my Senior Capstone Animation class at Bloomfield College in NJ from May 2019 - May 2020.

Springtime for My Soul

A woman takes joy in the small pleasures of gardening, but an evil spirit might cut her life shorter than her blooms.

SILVER

A young girl struggles with her frustration when she completes her favorite game, only to have only earned a silver medal.

HIDE!

Two little girls run through their home, hiding from a monster who is chasing them- unsuccessfully.

In the Wings

John goes to Woomin's house to take wings from Woomin.

Khaneye Bakht

House of Fortune

Rahil mohajer was buried alive by her husband and her father on her wedding night because they thought she wasn't a virgin.

A Jersey-Sized Disgrace (Official Music Video)

... in which a singing lawyer protests the unjustified DUI arrest of New Jersey's favorite son, while making a pitch to represent him. Sadly the author was not retained by The Boss, but happily the charges were dismissed in the manner proposed.

BIGGER THAN ME

Bigger Than Me is a female coming-of-age film about the complexity of being a girl and the challenges that drive you as a woman to take on the elemental power of big waves.

Wrenna is a young woman with a fearless dream - a 6’ 2” natural with a body built for the ocean, she wants to be a big wave surfer. But she finds the discipline and sacrifice required to be a professional, extremely challenging. Growing up in New Jersey with hippy parents, her teenage years were spent caring for her younger siblings and schooling herself in the local library. At 19, Wrenna makes her pilgrimage to Hawaii's North Shore risking it all on big waves.

She is confronted by the pressures of carving out a professional sporting life as a woman and without a sponsor she works two jobs to support her dream. Filming over ten years, from Oahu’s iconic big wave, Waimea Bay to the cold waters of Mavericks to the ultimate big wave of Peahi (Jaws), we travel with Wrenna through the seasons, the highs and the lows of facing your fears - to find out how much bigger you can be.

Small World

Two strangers meet in a faraway land and realize they are from the same town.

Sweet Wind

A film about a father, Phil (Paul Kandarian), and his adult son, Mike (Brian McDonald) reconnecting through surprise car trouble and an unforgettable afternoon.

CoPilot

CoPilot - We make a better you

The CoPilot program allows a person to let someone else do the hard stuff such as losing weight, kicking an addiction or recovering from a surgery. You enter a mental stasis and a CoPilot neuro links to your body and does the work.

But what happens when your CoPilot discovers a devastating secret. Can he somehow prevent the secure system from erasing his memory?

She is my Music

A short film following a teenaged boy with an abusive father who only finds joy in music.

yellow

A man wakes up to find himself trapped in the body of a rubber duck.

Crazy Hat Fridays

As the world locks down for an unprecedented pandemic, Frank retreats into total isolation, refusing to leave his apartment to accept even deliveries. Still employed, his job as a modern, clickable journalist finds him pitching content to his team each day. Frank’s boss suggests that for as long as quarantine lasts, they end each week with “Crazy Hat Friday,” which Frank embraces.

Yo Andrea

A middle-aged man hatches a plan to win the woman of his dreams.

VACCUM

Art can be positive and energizing, it can raise a smile, bring joy and excitement.
It is an early and significant characteristic of any culture. But beyond that, It is a practice in which the spirit and values of our community can be shaped, molded and expressed.
Art is born from personal and social conflicts, and introduces those conflicts to an audience, forcing the public to ask itself questions often ignored.
Through art, our collective and personal subconscious raises to the surface, allowing us to examine it and better understand ourselves and our surroundings.
Slowly, but steadily, art has brought about changes in world orders, among other things, by being a way to talk about things we could not talk about, until they were presented to us as they were viewed by artists.

In a time when performance art drops to the bottom of government and national priorities, and for many of us - entirely shut down, I asked dance artists around the world how it affected their self-image and self-worth.

This film deals with the impact of the covid-19 pandemic crisis on stage artists' mental state, as an image of the profound impact of the absence of stage art on society.

Not So Alone

A Girl. A House. A Knife. A Song.
Ava - after hearing noises from upstairs - realizes she is not so alone. Who is in the house with her? Or rather; who is she in the house with?

The Snail

Snails are hermaphrodites that can reproduce sexually or by stabbing their partner with a "Love Dart". Snails can only make their own love dart once they have been stabbed by one. Nate, trying to come out of his shell and meet new people at a party, encounters a strange seductive woman. After a one night stand goes wrong, his life is changed in strange ways.

Annabel Lee

A young couple flee to the coast to await a boat that will take them on to a new life. As they wait, dark forces close in and their plan starts to unravel, with tragic consequences. Based on the poem by Edgar Allan Poe.

“It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea. That a maiden there lived whom you may know, by the name of Annabel Lee”. Based on the poem 'Annabel Lee' by Edgar Allan Poe and set in the aftermath of the war, under the long lingering shadow of the Irish-Anglo conflict, ‘Annabel Lee’ is a tale of a forbidden love between two young stowaways from opposite sides of the Irish sea. As the couple run for their lives, they make it as far as a a cottage in Devon, awaiting rescue to take them to France. With the end of their journey in sight, they finally allow themselves to believe they might have made it. However, E. and Annabel begin to see signs that not all is as it seems. Is this the work of malevolent spirits? Annabel’s dangerous family ties? Or simply the misgivings of traumatised minds? With limited time on their hands the two must come to a decision before it is too late.

Piccolo Junior's

A diminutive pizza chef fears for his life when he encounters a mysterious patron.

MATCHES by Neverlyn

Official Music Video for the song MATCHES by Neverlyn from their album 'Beauty Sleep'.

MATCHES is a song by San Francisco Bay Area band Neverlyn and the video was born out of Covid-19 quarantine. The band contacted me to do an animated green screen video with their vocalist Anna Neitzel since they couldn't film with the full band. The concept revolves around going stir crazy while stuck inside surrounded by nothing but media and just wanting to get back to creating art with friends.

Statement from vocalist Anna Neitzel:

“Matches is a song about being frustrated with someone for their dishonesty and disregard for others. With COVID-19 and the lockdowns that happened, we really felt this frustration energy in our own personal lives from being stuck in our houses, and we channeled those feelings into the concept of the Matches music video.” – Anna Neitzel, vocalist

Homeward Clown

A lost clown travels across trouble stricken 1930's America to reunite with his circus family.

The Della Morte Sisters

The Della Morte Sisters

A recent death in the family brings three sisters together where they discover a shared dark past that changes everything they thought they knew about each other and their family.

The Trail Beyond Highland Road

A single father named Emilio Vasquez and his little daughter Ariel live in the quaint urban town of Highland, New Jersey. However, numerous deer have been eating up bushes and gardens all across the town. Upon pursuing one deer in the Meadows Trail forest, Emilio & Ariel discover something frighteningly off about the area.

Growing Pains

This short examines a teens past as she writes to her younger self. She reminisces on her journey in growing up and being who she is.

Lola in May

Lola O'Connors, a mid-20s introvert, struggles with social anxiety. One of her only outlets for self-expression is her love for hard rock. Specifically, she idolizes the front woman of her favorite band, May Hart. Who leads the otherwise all male rock band Limowreck. Tired of being shut in, she decides it's time to let the world see who she truly is and through the process discovers something about herself and her idol.

Burden

Things aren't what they seem for a young teen falling on hard times at home. Will disturbing experiences that follow her, give her the answers she needs?

Yearning for Work

Jerrod Kraus needed a job, but there was the question of the drug test.