Killing Time

A woman who lives in a remote mountain home is followed home during her daily run. Whoever or whatever is stalking her, it's wearing full black camouflage. She enters her home, unaware, but a creaking door alerts her that something is wrong. She calls out and there's no answer.

And this is no ordinary stalker. The figure in her house has gone to great trouble to get there and it has a burning sense of urgency. A theoretical physicist, she normally can think her way through any problem, but this time may be different; her visitor has chosen this moment exactly.

Writer and Director P. Patrick Hogan has accomplished much since earning his MFA at USC Cinematic Arts, with numerous awards and nominations to his credit, and this spine-tingling short utilizes all of his experience with a combination of plot and atmosphere that will set his audience on edge.   

You can watch the trailer here: Killing Time

The Calling

You most assuredly don't want to work at HighWire Cable, a telecom company from hell, but fresh recruit Beth Morrow hardly has a choice. She needs the job—they threw her on the team without any meaningful training or honeymoon period—and now she's stuck in her headset foxhole for better or worse. At least she's a fighter, and she will need every ounce of that spirit to shake off the incoming missiles exploding all around her. 

A Brooklyn production helmed by indie writer, director and editor Brian Lederman, A New Voice is Episode One of a web series called The Calling. If that sounds a bit like the title of a horror film, you're not far off, but there is also something subversively funny about this crazy workplace. So crazy, heck, it might even remind you of a former job—or the one you have now. 

You can watch the trailer here (parental discretion advised): The Calling Trailer

Manifest

New York City-based filmmakers, performers and self-described chicken quesadilla enthusiasts Bonnie Dennison and Allison Barton are joined at the hip when it comes to producing comedy. Their feature film, "What Would Dakota Do?" is currently under development with National Lampoon, and they really are on a roll—or um, maybe a tortilla. 

Despite their collaborative spirit, the pair apparently grasps that other, darker side of the performing arts. That would be called "competition for roles," and in this knowing, barbed little indie short, two actresses are pitted against one another in a manner that many actors in the biz will find familiar. 

One of these friends needs to fall—and fast—so the only question as they head for the inevitable collision is who will be upending whom. You can watch the trailer here: Manifest Trailer

Night Sky

A Hollywood studio, big picture feel is evident throughout this grand in vision yet touching and introspective short from LA. Writer and Director Greg Rulfs, whose IMDB credits include visual effects, assistant directing and sci-fi, has created quite a calling card with Night Sky. The storytelling is excellent, and so is the VFX on the back of his experience, but this film also has that special "It Factor"—a highly relatable abundance of heart and wide wonder normally associated with the works of much more experienced filmmakers at the tops of their crafts. Steven Spielberg comes to mind; that is to say, Rulfs could be onto something. 

The story revolves around 9-year-old Sam Collins, a kid in deep retreat after losing his father. The boy has set up an imaginary spaceship in his bedroom—an homage to his father's promise to take him to the international space station someday—and there Sam plays, hoping for a miracle. 

That or sweet, sweet death. 

Just then a young voice crackles over his ham radio and the girl, named Marie, offers to pull him away from this make-believe world in a surprising and exciting way. Sam might still pursue his space station dream, after all, and he has a new person on Earth who can lead him there. 

You can watch the trailer here: Night Sky Trailer

Subjects of Desire

This probing and thought-provoking documentary explores societal attitudes toward black women as manifested in standards of beauty. 

Canadian Writer/Producer/Director Jennifer Holness, whose filmography includes more than 20 years of film and television production, decided to shed light on this important topic after her daughters raised concerns about systemic bias against black women in the beauty space. 

As one would expect in a film about beauty, the aesthetic of this project is impressive, as is the impact. Holness provides her audience with a deeper understanding not only of what the culture is insinuating to black women on a daily and oppressive basis, but also why—and where these ideas started. Her narrative combines topical liveliness with an academic's appreciation for history, words and structure, a blend of elements that magnifies the power, discomfort and optimism of the film's message. Like the stunning women it portrays, Subjects of Desire has it all and that, after all, must be the point. 

You can watch the trailer here: Subjects of Desire Trailer

Yellow

Yellow is the pilot episode of a seven part anthology series that immerses its audiences in all colors of the rainbow. With this beautiful vision as a focal point, the show starts in a most opportune place, a sophisticated and modern art gallery. 

Creator, writer and director Sarah Deakins, a graduate of the University of Victoria Department of Theatre who was born in Wisconsin to British parents, brings a vibrant palette to her filmmaking craft. Her choices of lighting, color, and arrangement, and best of all, her intimate eye for the subtleties of acting, altogether lend warmth and spirit to a setting that is often felt as imposing and somber. Museums have the potential to evoke calmness, reflection and openness—a visit is a classic way to break the ice on a date—and Deakins brings this potential to full effect. Her international background begets a genuine appreciation for diversity, too, not just in character type but also in personality and tone. 

This is a fine work. Yellow captures a moment in time, with the infinite yet subtle profundities that can arise from something as simple as sharing a selfie or wheeling a baby past great works of art. There is no discernible story arc as the film flits from one vignette to another, but then when you stumble upon a rainbow, you may have reached the end the story already. So you move on to the next color, expectant. 

You can watch the trailer here: Yellow Trailer

My Sister Hali

Many years ago, when a gymnastics coach asked filmmaker Paul Sheriff whether he was related to a once-rising gymnastics star, the only word Paul could summon was no.  

Hali Sheriff's rocketlike career as a world-class gymnast began to escape Earth's orbit in 1966, as her dominance in all areas of the sport made her the frontrunner for the 1968 U.S. Olympic Women's Gymnastics Team. She was only 14 at the time: plucky, gifted and destined to make her mark, yet still devoid of the rich life experiences that surely would follow.   

Hali's story ended right there. Instead of claiming Olympic glory, she faded into history, largely forgotten by all except family, teammates and those who follow gymnastics. You see, Hali died in a plane crash in the early summer of 1966. All six passengers on the small plane perished, including her mother and father.

Her brother Paul Sheriff couldn't muster the word yes when asked about his relationship to Hali because he understandably found the subject too painful. And hadn't his sister's life ended with an epic no, too, so could there have been a more appropriate answer in a grand, cosmic sense? 

This documentary is a fine tribute to a young athlete who burned brightly, then disappeared into the stars, over 50 years ago. Hali tells her story here in absentia with the assistance of her brother Paul, who deserves special thanks for his everlasting devotion. You can watch the trailer here: