Eye For Film >> Festivals >> Tribeca >> 2008 >> Shorts
The organisers say: "This year’s shorts represent 30 countries, offering a rare cinematic glimpse of global landscapes that include Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, The Philippines and Uruguay. From fantasy narratives to gripping documentaries, these short films explore a wide range of themes and diverse subject matter."
Seventy-five short films from the 2008 line-up are eligible to compete for combined cash and value-in-kind prizes totaling over $15,000 for Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short and Student Visionary Award.
Following is a listing of the selected short films which will run in 11 programmes, plus seven films that will screen preceding features, along with what Tribeca say about them.
View other Tribeca Festival Films by strand: Discovery, Encounters, Midnight, Restored and Rediscovered, Showcase, Special Events, Spotlight, World Documentary Feature Competitions, World Narrative Feature Competition
Cargo and The Second Line
200000 Phantoms (200000 Fantômes)
(Country: France; Year: 2007; Director: Jean-Gabriel Périot; Writer: Jean-Gabriel Périot)
Periot assembles a collage of postcards to highlight the havoc wrought by the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
2007 Before The Tracks Are Lost On the Wind (2007 Ehe die Spuren verwehen)
(Country: Germany; Year: 2007; Director: Renate Günther-Greene; Writer: Renate Günter-Greene)
Remnants of the Dusseldorf train station where Jews were deported to concentration camps. (D)
7 Cities (7 Sehir)
(Country: Turkey; Year: 2008; Director: Reza Hemmatirad; Writer: Reza Hemmatirad)
Painted animation evoking the encounter between the great 13th Century Sufi poet Mevlana Rumi and the wandering dervish Shamsuddin of Tabriz who would become his lover and mentor. Preceding My Marlon And Brando at Tribeca Film Festival. (N)
About Face
(Country: Canada; Year: 2008; Director: Chad Maker ; Writer: Kirk Comrie; Stars: Hugh Dillon, Ryan Ward, Philip Mansfield, Marc Kelsey, James Fearnley ), Official Site
An office worker becomes much too popular when he signs up for a virtual reality social networking site. (N)
All Saints Day
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Will Frears; Writer: Brooke Berman; Stars: Mamie Gummer, Ben Walker )
Goings on, on a New York stoop the day after Halloween. (N)
Last Time In Clerkenwell and The Milky Way
Ana's Way (El Camino De Ana)
(Country: Spain; Year: 2007; Director: Richard Vazquez; Writer: Richard Vazquez; Stars: Marisa Paredes, Juan Fernández), Official Site
A woman faces a long and lonely road. (N)
Angels Die in the Soil (Fereshtegan Dar Khak Mimirand)
(Country: Iran; Year: 2007; Director: Babak Amini; Writer: Babak Amini; Stars: Donya Ghobadi, Pedram Seyfuri)
An Iraqi-Kurdish girl faces war and redemption. (N)
At Day's End
(Country: Egypt; Year: 2008; Director: Sherif El Bendary)
An Egyptian family gathers for food and television. (S)
The Aviatrix
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Toddy Burton; Writer: Toddy Burton; Stars: Barbara Chisholm, Hannah Morgan, Garry Peters, Jessica Robertson, Nicholas Yedinak), Official Site
A life or death battle is fought by a superhero. (S)
Baghdad Twist
(Country: Canada; Year: 2007; Director: Joe Balass ), Official Site
Recollections on being Jewish in Iraq. (D)
On The Ice and John And Karen
Beginning Filmmaking
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Jay Rosenblatt; Writer: Brian Hecker; Stars: Ella Rosenblatt, Jay Rosenblatt)
A father takes us through one year of trying to teach a preschooler how to make a film. Preceding Head Wind at Tribeca Film Festival. (D)
Being Human
(Country: Canada; Year: 2008; Director: Mike Palermo; Writer: Mike Palermo), Official Site
Two brothers decide how to handle a medical miracle. (S)
Cargo
(Country: New Zealand, Czech Republic; Year: 2007; Director: Leo Woodhead; Writer: Leo Woodhead; Stars: Jaroslav Horvath, Ivo Haman)
A trafficked boy is saved from his fate, but is the alternative any less bleak?
Coffee Break (Kaffepausen)
(Country: Denmark; Year: 2007; Director: Johannes Pico; Writer: Lars Bang; Stars: Soren Malling, Mads Koudal, Charlotte Rathnov )
A cop tries to impress his partner. (N)
Cupcake
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Sean McPhillips ; Writer: Sean McPhillips ; Stars: Kinna McInroe, Michael Consolmagno, Yin Yue, Clare Cook, Christina Noel Reaves, Lori Byargeon ), Official Site
Discover if Candi gets to have her cake and eat it too. (N)
Suspended and Little Minx Exquisite Corpse: Rope A Dope
Deconfliction
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Edward Tyndall ), Official Site
Rant and reflect with Tina Highland. (D)
Dusk (La Hora Cero)
(Country: Mexico; Year: 2008; Director: Gary Alazraki ; Writer: Guillermo Arriaga ; Stars: Jose Maria Yazpik, Iliana Fox), Official Site
A roadside quandary causes a couple to question their morals. (N)
Eau Boy
(Country: Canada/France; Year: 2007; Director: Eric Gravel ; Writer: Eric Gravel ; Stars: Benoit Côté, Sandy Schwermer, Jean-Marc Dardenne, Chantal Poirier )
An unusual young man thirsts for friendship. (N)
Eclipse
(Country: India; Year: 2007; Director: Mark Lapwood; Writer: Mark Lapwood), Official Site
A melange of mystical images from Mumbai. (D)
The Elephant Garden
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Sasie Sealy; Writer: Sasie Sealy; Stars: Kelley Mack, Elise Couture, Billy Magnusson, Edward Saulisbury, Jordan Shipman, Vince Paul ), Official Site
An older sister's romance spins 11-year-old Chloe into a world of change. (S)
Feathers To The Sky
(Country: Uruguay, US; Year: 2007; Director: Leonardo Ricagni; Writer: Leonardo Ricagni; Stars: Camila Tamareo, Julio Cesar, Jorge Esmoris )
An inspirational teacher provides impetus for 10-year-old Tamara. (N)
For Tomorrow: The First Step Of The Revolution
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Ken Kokin ), Official Site
A chance to meet the unselfish shoe droppers. (D)
GIFT OF FIRE Nineteen (Obscure) Frames That Changed The World
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Ken Jacobs)
Cutting edge artist Ken Jacobs re-imagines inventor Louis Le Prince's nineteenth-century motion picture experiments. (D)
God's Beach
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Abigail Carpenter; Writer: Abigail Carpenter; Stars: Azura Skye, Clayne Crawford, Maeve Chapman, William Steele), Official Site
Cycles of life and death intersect in 48 hours for the young woman. (S)
God Only Knows
(Country: Philippines; Year: 2007; Director: Mark V Reyes ; Writer: Manjula Nadkarni, Mark V Reyes; Stars: Angel Aquino, Robbie Felongco, Bon Vibar, Carme Sanchez ), Official Site
A young mother is torn between love and a better life. (N)
Goldfish
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Joe Wein; Writer: Joe Wein; Stars: Laura Marano, Madeline Carroll, Tim Bagley, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Mindy Sterling, Carlos Alazraqui, Patrick Kerr, Andrew Lauer), Official Site
Two third-graders embark on a mission. (N)
Good Boy (Bom Garoto)
(Country: Brazil; Year: 2008; Director: Davyde Wachell; Writer: Davyde Wachell; Stars: Wallace Coutinho, Marilia Coelho, Jaqueline Macóeh, Diego Ferreira, Juan Lima, Lauro Albuquerque ), Official Site
Surviving the slums of Rio is a challenge for a boy and his mum. (S)
Great Genius And Profound Stupidity
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Benita Raphan; Writer: Benita Raphan; Stars: Merce Cunningham, Ian Garrison, Andrew Granville, Avital Ronell, Oliver Sacks, , , , , ,)
Director Benita Raphan "explores the twin concepts of genius and stupidity," focusing primarily on deaf and blind Helen Keller and itinerant mathematician Paul Erd?s
Green Porno
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Isabella Rossellini; Writer: Isabella Rossellini; Stars: Isabella Rossellini)
A series about the sex lives of bugs, insects, and various creatures. The films are a comical, but insightful study of the curious ways that "bugs" make love.
Have You Ever Heard About Vukovar?
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Paolo Borraccetti; Writer: Paolo Borraccetti; Stars: Ash Mayberry, Josip Kuchan ), Official Site
An emotional collision occurs between an American soldier and his Croatian driver. (S)
Heartbeats (Hartslagen)
(Country: Belgium; Year: 2007; Director: Vincent Coen and Sebastiaan Lagrou ; Stars: Nona Bal, Ella Bal, Charlotte Timmers, Tom de Wispelaere, Ina Geerts, Hélène Couvert )
Fannie reflects on past choices the night before leaving the parental nest. (N)
Heaven On Earth (Himmel Auf Erden)
(Country: Germany; Year: 2007; Director: Florian Riegel)
The Pope is in the plumbing.
Hestitation
(Country: France, UK; Year: 2007; Director: Virginia Gilbert; Writer: Virginia Gilbert; Stars: Gerard McSorley, Suzanne Burden
), Official Site
An idyllic vacation is interrupted. (N)
Icebergs
(Country: Switzerland; Year: 2007; Director: Germinal Roaux ; Writer: Germinal Roaux ), Official Site
A teenage girl hunts down the thief that stole her cell phone.
Irish Twins
(Country: US; Director: Rider Strong and Shiloh Strong; Writer: Rider Strong and Shiloh Strong; Stars: Rider Strong, Shiloh Strong, John DiMaggio, Al Vicente, Chris Solari, Devon McGinn ), Official Site
Brothers Michael and Saemus come to blows over their fathers ashes. (N)
I Think I Thought
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Matthew Modine; Writer: Matthew Modine; Stars: Matthew Modine, Ewa De Cruz, Nick Raynes )
To think, or not to think, that is the question. (N)
John And Karen
(Country: UK; Year: 2007; Director: Matthew Walker; Writer: Matthew Walker; Stars: James Bachman, Emma Cunniffe), Official Site
An animated animal couple try to resolve their problems. (N)
Kid
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Miguel Alvarez; Writer: Miguel Alvarez; Stars: Juan Meraz, Felix Solis), Official Site
A coming-of-age ritual defines the relationship between a father and son.
Kirksdale
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Ryan R Spindell; Writer: Bradford Hodgson, Ryan R. Spindell; Stars: Joshua Mikel, Jessica Mansfield, Greg Thompson, Lanny Thomas, Wayne DeBary, Greg Watterson ), Official Site
Inmates are running the asylum. (S)
Last Time In Clerkenwell
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Alex Budovsky; Stars: n/a), Trailer
Birds go bonkers.
Launch
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Brian Doyle)
Brian Doyle intermingles, in lyrical fashion, abandoned homes and buildings with changing weather patterns surrounding a rocket launch.
Life For A Child
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Ed Lachman)
Three stories of sacrifice from Nepal. (D)
Little Minx Exquisite Corpse: Rope A Dope
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Laurent Briet; Stars: Gina Williams, Jason Cuadra, Ismael Cornier, Angel Gonzales )
Kick some butt. (N)
Lost Girl
(Country: Iraq; Year: 2008; Director: Ali Taleb ), Official Site
A 20-year-old Iraqi refugee in Amman, Jordan works as a prostitute to support herself. Preceding Baghdad High. (D)
Made In Slovenia
(Country: Slovenia; Year: 2007; Director: Miran Zupanic; Writer: Miran Zupanic; Stars: Iva Krajnc,Vladimir Vlaškalic,Julijana Zupanic, Barbara Vidovic, Mateja Pucko, Urska Vucak ), Official Site
Miran Zupanic; North American Premiere) Lack of day care leads to desperation for a working mum. (N)
Mamitas
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Nicholas Ozeki ; Writer: Nicholas Ozeki ; Stars: Boris Orozco, Minni Jo Mazzola, Maynor Alvarado, Cecilia Franco, Ramon Chavez, Antonio Farre )
A teenage Casanova teaches his best buddy how to talk to girls.
Mandatory Service
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Jessica Habie)
A timely tale of today’s military. (D)
The Milky Way
(Country: France; Year: 2006; Director: Luc Moullet; Writer: Luc Moullet; Stars: Claire Bouanich, Lucas Harari, Iliana Lolic)
A trip to buy milk is a real drama.
The Money Shot
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Aaron Rapke; Writer: Aaron Rapke, Stewart Kaye ; Stars: Robert Berlin, Andy Waldschmidt, Ryan Andes, Genievieve Morritt, Richie Allan, Quinn Johnson)
A New York cop steps in front of the camera (S)
Moon Mermaid (Sirène De Lune)
(Country: Belgium; Year: 2007; Director: Psyché Piras and Sophie Collay ; Writer: Psyché Piras and Sophie Collay ; Stars: Psyché Piras, Benoît Verhaert, Elie Lison), Official Site
Once a month, on a full moon night something magical happens. (N)
My Mother Said (Kuna Ni Nanang)
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Jessica Sison)
Elena, 99, recounts her life in mere minutes.
New Boy
(Country: Ireland; Year: 2007; Director: Steph Green ; Writer: Steph Green ; Stars: Olutunji Ebun-Cole, Norma Sheahan, Simon O'Driscoll, Sinead Maguire, Fionn O'Shea, Byron Kumbala ), Official Site
The New Yorkist
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Dana O'Keefe; Writer: Dana O'Keefe; Stars: Alex Kliment), Official Site
A troubled artist tries to make sense of things. (N)
Night Light
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Mark Mollenkamp; Writer: Mark Mollenkamp; Stars: James McCarthy, Michael Arnold, Scott Peat, Sara Messer)
Fear of the dark is illuminated. (N)
Not Sacks
(Country: UK; Year: 2007; Director: Fiona Colins)
Real men do embroidery. (D)
Number One
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Leighton Pierce; Writer: Leighton Pierce)
Water imagery engages the experience of elasticity between varying states of mind.
On The Ice (Sikumi)
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean; Writer: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean; Stars: Tony Bryant, Olemaun Rexford, Brad Weyiouanna), Official Site
An Inuit hunter inadvertantly witnesses a murder.
Polar
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Scott Nyerges ), Official Site
An abstract rendition of the melting of the polar ice caps.
Rattlesnakes (Skröltormar)
(Country: Iceland; Year: 2007; Director: Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson ; Writer: Huldar Breidfjord ; Stars: Johann Sigurdarson, Sigurdur Skulason, Lilja Thorisdottir, Petur Einarsson, Sveinn Olafur Gunnarsson, Runar Juliusson )
A man's boots aren't made for selling. (S)
Roads
(Country: Israel; Year: 2007; Director: Lior Geller ; Writer: Lior Geller; Stars: Waseem Nur Habshi, Daniel Chernish, Mahmud Mura, Osama Rabaya, Haled Mayer Marwat), Official Site
A 13-year-old Arab and an Israeli ex-soldier connect. (S)
The Second Life Of The Sugar Bowl (La Deuxième Vie Du Sucrier)
(Country: France; Year: 2007; Director: Didier Canaux; Writer: Didier Canaux; Stars: Philippe Clay, Andrée Damant, Elisa Heusch), Official Site
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder for a grandfather. (N)
The Second Line
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: John Magary; Writer: John Magary; Stars: Al Thompson, J D Williams, Dane Rhodes, Karen Pritchett)
Cleaning the filth after Hurricane Katrina.
Self-Portrait With Cows Going Home And Other Works - A Portrait Of Sylvia Plachy
(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Rebecca Dreyfus )
A camera-shy photographer. (D)
Shift (15 Minuten Wahrheit)
(Country: Germany; Year: 2007; Director: Nico Zingelmann; Writer: Nico Zingelmann; Stars: Herbert Knaup, Christoph Bach )
Hell hath no fury like an employee scorned. (S)
Skeletons In The Closet (Skelett I Garderoben)
(Country: Sweden; Year: 2008; Director: Ulrik Friberg ; Writer: Ulrik Friberg ; Stars: Laszlo Hago, Josephine Bauer, Niclas Abrahamsson ), Official Site
A couple may never get a chance to remember their night together. (N)
Song Of Slomon
(Country: Canada; Year: 2007; Director: Emmanuel Shirinian; Writer: Amy Cameron, Emmanuel Shirinian; Stars: Michael Cohen, Danny Wells, Joel Keller)
A rabbi suffers an existential crisis. (N)
So Beautiful (Zo Mooi)
(Country: Netherlands; Year: 2007; Director: Stefan van de Staak ; Writer: Stefan van de Staak; Stars: Sarah Pach, Daniele Trio )
Nostalgic story about longing and staying young forever. Preceding 57,000 Kilometers Between Us. (N)
Supply And Demand (L'offre Et La Demande)
(Country: France; Year: 2007; Director: Frédéric Farrucci; Writer: Frédéric Farrucci; Stars: Bernard Alane, Cyprien Fouquet, Alain Blazquez, Marc Wilhelm), Official Site
A medical examiner's assistant will do anything to keep his job. (N)
Suspended
(Country: Iran; Year: 2008; Director: Bahar Behbahani; Writer: Bahar Behbahani; Stars: Bahar Behbahani, Andre Hovsepian), Official Site
A woman questions love, humanity, identity, freedom and femininity when everything is normal. Preceding Somers Town. (N)
Takoma Park
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: David Andalman; Writer: David Andalman; Stars: Brandon Thane Wilson, Keziah Niambi John- Paul, Vikrum Mathur, David Aaronson, Martha Bergmark, Elliott Andalman ), Official Site
A pasty basketball player longs for some color in his life. (N)
Tale Of Two Bondage Models
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Brian Lilla; Stars: Princess Donna, Lorelei Lee), Official Site
Lorelei Lee and Princess Donna reveal pleasure and pain. (D)
Teslamania
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Joel Schlemowitz; Writer: Joel Schlemowitz; Stars: Gecko Saccomanno)
Experimental filmmaker Joel Schlemowitz pays tribute to electrical engineer Nikola Tesla. (D*)
The Tournament (Il Torneo)
(Country: Italy; Year: 2008; Director: Michele Alhaique; Writer: Federico Mazzei
; Stars: Lorenzo De Angelis, Andrea Meloni, Fabio Scotti, Alessio Attanasio, Danilo Meloni, Giada Fradeani, Giordano de Plano )
Footballing boys learn lessons in sportsmanship. (N)
When I Become Silent (Watashi Ga Chinmoku Suru Toki)
(Country: Japan; Year: 2008; Director: Hyoe Yamamoto ; Writer: Hyoe Yamamoto )
Writers block causes a roadblock between two women. (N)
Willingly
(Country: Israel; Year: 2007; Director: Pazit Lichtman; Writer: Pazit Lichtman; Stars: Avital Abrgel, Sharon Fridman, Yifat Hagbi, Mital Glazer, Ayala Zamir, Maya Madger, Yiftach Erez )
A couple question their commitment at a Jewish divorce ceremony. (S)
The Year Of The Pig (El Año Del Cerdo)
(Country: Cuba, Puerto Rico; Year: 2007; Director: Claudia Calderón ; Writer: Claudia Calderón, Leopoldo Nakata, Fernando de Peña ; Stars: José Antonio Rodríguez, Antulio Marín, Annia Bu, Caridad Amarán, Alejandro Chiu, Mario Guerra, Luis Alberto Delgado, Hilda Chiu, Marlenys Choy Chang, Bárbara Díaz, Joan Abreu )
A delivery boy from Havana’s Chinatown longs to alter his destiny. (S)
Yellow Sticky Notes
(Country: Canada; Year: 2007; Director: Jeff Chiba Stearns; Writer: Jeff Chiba Stearns), Official Site
Animated self-reflection on to-do lists.
Zombie Gets A Date
(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Leetal Platt; Writer: Leetal Platt; Stars: Hamilton Longyear), Official Site
A dinner to remember. (S)
59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground
Eye For Film continues to support festivals both locally and across the world. At the moment, we're covering:
Sands Film Festival
Weekend film event in St Andrews
Visions du Réel
Swiss documentary showcase
New Directors/New Films
New York's celebration of new voices
Cannes Film Festival
Archive of festival coverage.
Sundance Film Festival
Daily diary and reviews from 2005-2018.
Berlin Film Festival
Coverage of the lynchpin German festival.
Search Movie Database
Browse our full archive
Browse our short film archive
Browse our media archive
