Vail Film Festival

The Duke: Based on the Memoir "I'm The Duke" by J.P. Duke
Mired in a concussed haze, an ex-NFLer struggles to adjust to life off the field during Super Bowl Sunday.
Runtime: 23m
Director: Max Barbakow
Writers: Derek J. Pastuzek, Andy Siara
Producer(s): Dan Leonard
Cast: LaMonica Garrett, Catherine Urbanek, Amy Goddard, Alejandro Patiño, and Jeff Marlow
CO Premiere

The Discovery of Alan Hindley
A ham radio enthusiast discovers a mysterious object that might be a window into another world.
Runtime: 6m
Director: Andy Fortenbacher
Writer: Andy Fortenbacher
Producer(s): Zac Page, Cassidy Bisher, Lisa Mueller, Andy Fortenbacher
Cast: Ralph Lister, Jamie Newell
CO Premiere

Cuddling with Strangers
Professional cuddling services that provide non-sexual snuggle sessions to customers have been opening up around the world. But do these services really alleviate isolation—or are they a Band-Aid on an open wound? Several cuddle practitioners attempt to cure the world of loneliness and are met with mixed results—both personally and professionally.
Runtime: 17m
Director: Sara Joe Wolansky
Writer: Sara Joe Wolansky
Producer(s): Sara Joe Wolansky
Cast: Steve Maher, John Walsh, Matthew Hurtado, Monique Darling, Jennifer Zilavy
CO Premiere

Tempus Fug'it
It's 3 a.m. when Tuesday walks into a deserted launderette. All he really wanted to do there was his laundry, but things change when beautiful - and heavily armed - Strathisla enters the room. Now time is of the essence.
Runtime: 19m
Director: Béla Baptiste
Writer: Ernst Golda
Producer(s): Ernst Golda
Cast: Sarah-Jane Honeywell, Jack Bailey, Andy Hutchison
U.S. Premiere

Blue Streets
Blue Streets is a short documentary focused on post-Katrina street musicians struggling to keep the “traditions of New Orleans alive.” Set against the backdrop of the French Quarter to the 9th Ward, people from diverse backgrounds share the struggles and hopes of being a successful musician on Bourbon Street. Native residents, professional musicians, struggling performers, and international immigrants reflect on the revitalization of the NoLa music scene, survival, art, and life. “Some people don’t know they have the blues until they hear the blues.”
Runtime: 10m
Director: Vincent Jaramillo
U.S. Premiere

Disconnect
A mother is too wrapped up in her work to realize her son is growing up without her. She goes through a fantastical journey that wakes her up.
Runtime: 5m
Director: Isabelle Gedigk
Writer: Isabelle Gedigk
Producer(s): Isabelle Gedigk
Cast: Kayla Wong, Lena Kim, Vicky Lim

[solitary]
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS: INMATE IDENTIFICATION
Facility: STATE SUPERMAX.
Location: SEGREGATED HOUSING UNIT (SOLITARY CONFINEMENT).
Inmate/Cell No.: SHU-#B1-67.
Sex: M.
H/W: 6' / 170.
Race: BLK.
Category: SECURITY LVL 3 (HIGH THREAT).
Runtime: 17m
Director: Derek J. Pastuszek
Writer: Derek J. Pastuszek
Producer(s): Cedric Gamelin, Fabrizio Muscia, Halee Bernard
Cast: Kofi Bamfo
World Premiere

Chrysalis
In a future in which genetics has transformed human society, a young Global Security agent named Tristan Winters goes through a change known as Chrysalis that threatens to reveal his past and endangers his life.
Runtime: 19m
Director: Keaton McGruder
Writer: Keaton McGruder
Producer(s): Ricky Lloyd George, Lauren Brown, Keaton McGruder, Danielle Savre
Cast: Anthony Garland, Danielle Savre, Jared Ward, Marem Hassler
CO Premiere

The Bench
There is more than meets the eye in this random encounter on a park bench.
Runtime: 6m
Director: Cameron Burnett
Writers: Cameron Burnett, Alonso Alvarez Barreda
Producer(s): Alonso Alvarez Barreda, Tomas Cordoba
Cast: Judah McFadden, Harwood Gordon
CO Premiere

Manoman
Glen is barely a man. In a desperate attempt to tap into his masculinity he attends a primal scream therapy session, but even surrounded by wailing men he cannot make a sound. When another member of the class pushes Glen too far he finally lets something out- a miniature version of himself which does whatever it wants, regardless of the consequences.
Runtime: 11m
Director: Simon Cartwright
Writer: Simon Cartwright
Producer: Kamilla Hodøl