Beyond Shorts: Family Business

ABOUT THE EVENT: A daughter uncovering her mother’s secret legacy, a clown-for-hire having a horrible day, a ballplayer chasing his father’s approval into dangerous territory, a forensic artist reconstructing faces, including his own: this block digs into what we inherit, for better and worse. Tender and unflinching by turns, these shorts examine the ties that bind (and gag). ABOUT THE FILMS: “Marge,” Dirs. Julia Kern and Michael Prieto, 15 Mins, USA After learning she’s pregnant, Sadie reflects back on the night she learned her mother was a serial killer. But now becoming a mother herself, Sadie suddenly finds herself understanding Marge in a way she never has before. FORMAT: DCP “Beauty Night,” Dir. Dalila Droege, 12 Mins, USA 12-year old Mia just got her period. After a spa night where her Mother shows her how to beautify herself into a woman, Mia is initiated into a terrifying new role in the family. FORMAT: DCP “Imprint,” Dir. Ran Jing, 15 Mins, USA In a near-future society where knowledge is traded like currency, a desperate mother purchases expertise from an immigrant to give her daughter an advantage, only to discover the unsettling price of such progress. FORMAT: DCP “Claddagh,” Dir. Anna Drezen, 11 Mins, USA Two sisters have put off deciding until the last possible minute if their mom would have wanted to be buried wearing her favorite necklace, or if she wanted them to keep it for themselves. FORMAT: DCP “Are You Fucking Kidding Me?!”, Dir. Zen Pace, 12 Mins, USA When a broke birthday party clown finds out in the middle of the gig from hell that his mother is on her death bed, he must do whatever it takes to afford a flight home to say goodbye. FORMAT: DCP “Clayhead,” Dir. Jamie Sanger, 12 Mins, USA An aging forensic facial reconstruction artist – tasked with approximating the faces of unidentified remains – creates a model of their own face. FORMAT: DCP “In My Blood,” Dir. Alex Bendo, 20 Mins, USA Desperate to live up to his father’s expectations, a talented but inconsistent minor league baseball player turns to steroids, igniting a dangerous transformation of body and mind. FORMAT: DCP “A Stable for Horses,” Dir. Davie Paterson, 7 Mins, Australia As Remy prepares for a baptism by fire, his uncle recounts the legend of his father and the sad, violent tale of the Smith Street Sharps. FORMAT: DCP