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  4. Hidden Stories Short Block

Hidden Stories Short Block

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Pillars by Cameron Bruce Nelson
A Mennonite woman reverts to a secret language when her best friend begins the rites of marriage.

The Dendrite by Peter Koutsogeorgas
An arborist investigates a strange tree overtaking the house of a librarian.

Coup d’état Math by Sai Selvarajan
“Coup d’état Math,” the animated short film was written and directed by Sai Selvarajan will enjoy its world premiere at SXSW 2020. The film depicts four immigrant stories -- a fight to be born, a fight to survive, a fight to find your place, and the fight to maintain

Hiding in Daylight by Cheryl Allison
After a gay purge, four best friends are surviving by living in fake marriages to each other. They secretly meet once a week to see their true spouse and play a "game" where they reminisce about their former openly gay lives. After 3 years of weekly gatherings, they must determine if their clandestine meetings are worth risking their lives. In one night, emotions run high, friendships begin to unravel and everything changes in an instant.

MYDOLLS: A WORLD OF HER OWN by Cressandra Thibodeaux
MYDOLLS: A WORLD OF HER OWN, highlights Houston’s legendary female-fronted punk rock band, Mydolls. The short documentary follows the band over the course of a year as they engage in mentoring young female musicians and support and nurture female empowerment.

The Menache by I-hui Lee
Shiang-Chi won't be able to go to middle school without the scholarship. If she gets to be the municipal winner, she gains the scholarship. However, she was beaten by her best friend Aijia in the school competition. Therefore, she replaces Aijia's period pills, in order to replace her in the municipal swimming competition...would she finally get the scholarship? or would she be caught and ruin her career?

Nice Shoes by Tommy Mack
A sci-fi extravaganza that is as pointless as the lyrics. Over 40 classic movie references are featured in this epic music video.

Alora by Nicholas Muthersbaugh
A possible Earth-like planet, A-107A, has been discovered within the goldilocks zone near a star. A mother, training for the mission of a lifetime as a NASA astronaut, has to make a choice between her dream of space flight and the love of her daughter whom she would leave behind.

Red Dot by Natasha Paris
Fun PG Dramedy about Reece London, a talented artist, who confronts a career crossroads. Her signature art, the “definitive bluebonnet,” has stopped selling. What risks will she take to invigorate her art and revive her care

Contributors

  • Cressandra Thibodeaux

    Cressandra Thibodeaux received her MFA from Columbia University’s Film program and her undergrad at U.T. at Austin. She has produced/directed/edited numerous documentaries, short films and commercials. Her first 3 commercials won 3 silver Addy Awards. She has written a one-act play "Bitter Valentine," which was showcased in 2003, by Naked Angels at WestCoast Playhouse. Recently, her full-length play "Dialogues on Grace" received great reviews by the Houston Chronicle and BroadwayWorld and was called one of the 6-most important Houston theatrical productions of 2016. In addition, her writing and directing has won numerous awards, including fourth place at Slamdance and a residency at the distinguished MacDowell Colony. In 2010, she founded 14 Pews a thriving arts organization in the Houston Heights and is presently the Executive Director.

  • I-hui Lee

    I-hui Lee is a writer-director based in Taipei and New York.
    Her short Asylum was awarded The Best Short in SONY 4K Short Film Competition. Her script The Menarche was a finalist in Atlanta Film Festival (Top3%) and was awarded Best MFA short script in Ivy Film Festival. Her first short Away From Heaven won the Jury Prize of Columbia Gorge Film Festival, and was a official selection of Urban Nomad Film Festival, Beloit International Film Festival and Golden Harvest Awards & Short Film Festival.
    Her latest short , The Menarche, has won the Best MFA Short Screenplay in Ivy Film Festival and is a finalist of Best Short Screenplay of Atlantic Film Festival(Top 3%).

  • Peter Koutsogeorgas

    Peter Koutsogeorgas is a Greek American writer/director from Texas. His previous short film, HINGE, premiered at the 19th Maryland Film Festival. He is a National Geographic Explorer grantee and a graduate of Boston University.

  • Natasha Paris

    As a teen, Natasha Paris wrote 30 feature screenplays, which served as a practice run until she was old enough to study screenwriting at the university. For BBR Productions, a renowned Montreal-based film production company specializing in dramatic broadcast media, Natasha worked on EMOTIONAL ARITHMETIC (Susan Sarandon, Max Von Sydow, Gabriel Byrne, and Christopher Plummer); ENTER THE VOID, directed by Gaspar Noé, and more. 


    on KERA TV as part of the Frame of Mind program in Fall 2017) and MARGARITAS ON THE ROAD, her second short sponsored by Cirque du Soleil. She won the Chick Flicks 2013 Promo Script Contest with the screenplay DON'T HAVE TO BE A CHICK TO ENJOY CHICK FLICKS. Most recently, Natasha’s Dallas 48 Hour Film Project, SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMEONE BLUE won Best Film, Best Writing as well as Best Cinematography. Natasha was recently hired as the producer, writer, and director for 7 Public Service Announcements for Women In Film Dallas. Her screenplays have been rewarded with numerous nominations, especially THE ZODIAC DATER which won the Scriptapalooza Fellowship and most recently PANDORA’S VOODOO - her first draft made it as a Second Rounder at the Austin Film Festival. So far, Natasha’s short films have been screened in more than 20 various national and international film festivals. 


  • Cheryl Allison

    Cheryl is an award-winning actress who has performed in Broadway, Regional Theatre and Film/TV for over 25 years. She is best known for her starring role in the feature film NO LETTING GO (2016) opposite Kathy Najimy, Richard Burgi, and Alysia Reiner. Her performance in the film garnered her 3 Best Actress Awards. She is the Founder/Producer of WOW FILMS, a production company that strives to create thought provoking stories that deepen our understanding of the human experience. WOW FILMS recently produced short film FAR FROM THE TREE has received 26 awards in over 22 film festivals worldwide, including 6 Best Short Film awards. Current directorial projects include the documentary feature SHATTER THE SILENCE (2019), featuring former Texas State Senator and Women's Rights Activist Wendy Davis. The film is currently in post-production and scheduled to hit film festivals in 2019. Cheryl, a Regional Emmy Nominee, is also the recipient of both the Silver and Bronze Telly Award for a PSA she produced and directed called "This is Cole" for the 5P Minus Society.

  • Nicholas Muthersbaugh

    Nicholas Muthersbaugh is a Director/Producer for an owned and operated NBCUniversal broadcast station in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. In two years, he’s garnered over 10 top awards, including an Emmy for his work at NBC. “Alora” is his second short film, the first of which is “LFTA” (Look Feel Touch Adore), a thriller found on IndieFlix.com, and Vimeo. “Alora” is co-written, co-produced, and directed by Mr. Muthersbaugh

  • Cameron Bruce Nelson

    Cameron Bruce Nelson is a writer/director whose award-winning first feature, Some Beasts, was chosen to participate at the IFP Narrative Labs, the U.S. in Progress-Wroclaw, and received an Austin Film Society post-production grant. He is a graduate of Black Factory Cinema's workshop with Abbas Kiarostami and is an MFA candidate in Screenwriting/Directing at Columbia University's School of the Arts, where he was awarded a Janowsky Screenwriting Fellowship. His producing credits include Frank Mosley's Her Wilderness and Daniel Laabs' Jules of Light and Dark, which won the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Narrative Feature at LA Outfest and was the recipient of a SFFILM/Kenneth Rainin Filmmaking Grant. He has served as the technical director for the Dallas international Film Festival, Lone Star Film Festival, Oak Cliff Film Festival, and as an Assistant Programmer and Technical Director for Dallas Videofest. Currently, he is serving on the Austin Film Society's Film Advisory Committee and as a Teaching Fellow for Columbia's School of the Arts. He lives in New York City.

  • Sai Selvarajan

    Sai Selvarajan is a film director and editor. He was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in Nigeria, and after a brief stint in the UK, moved to Dallas, TX, at the age of nine. He graduated in 2001 from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in film and graphic design. He co-created the site sequence from Frame of Mind/

  • Jonathan Lawrence

    Jonathan Lawrence picked up a movie camera at the impressionable age of eight, and he hasn't put it down since.Jonathan's instinct and technical expertise combine to create powerful, kinetic imagery and seamless storytelling in notably unique and riveting compositions that serve a purpose

April 5, 2020
Sun 5:30 PM CDT

Duration 1H 30M

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