Acid Test
A teenage girl drops acid and goes home to her parents, sparking a hallucinogenic family meltdown.
14 minutes
Directed by Jennifer Waldo
Narrative Shorts Block: “To Be Free”
11:00 am Saturday, October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
A Fine Line
Well-known women chefs and restaurateurs describe the challenges they faced on their way to celebrated careers in an industry where fewer than 7% of restaurants are helmed by female chefs or owners. The film focuses on the story of Valerie James – the director’s mother – who’s a small-town restaurateur and single mom on a mission to do what she loves, while raising two kids with the odds stacked against her.
72 minutes
Directed by Joanna James
11:00 am Saturday, October 20th, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
El Aguacate
Coworkers Rosa and Raul always take their lunch breaks together, sharing Rosa’s homemade dishes and an avocado from Raul’s tree. With hopes of companionship and possibly of love, Raul finally gets the courage to ask Rosa for a date. But when the day finally arrives, unexpected tragedy occurs.
11 minutes
Directed by Darwin Serink
Narrative Shorts Block: “To Be Free”
11:00 am Saturday, October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
Amateurs
In this Swedish comedy/drama, a city council initiative to create a promotional video for their small industrial town prompts two teenage schoolgirls to create their own rival project. But while the council’s puff piece tries to airbrush out any hint of poverty and remove any non-white people from the frame, the phone footage opus created by the teenagers captures the true spirit of the community, for better and for worse. ScreenDaily calls it “a feisty delight, combining fizzing energy with finely-crafted characters and a light-footed approach.”
110 minutes
Directed by Gabriela Pichler
1:30 pm Saturday, October 20th, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
Cartoons and Cereal
Sidewalk Film Festival presents Cartoons & Cereal at the Flyway! 90 Minutes FREE ADMISSION Each year, the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama (which, like Flyway, is one of MovieMaker Magazine's "25 Coolest Film Festivals") compiles an awesome selection of 1980's and 90's cartoons and vintage Saturday morning commercials. And this year, because we asked nicely, they're sharing this family-friendly program with the Flyway! To accompany the screening there will be a free cereal bar, because what else are you going to eat on a Saturday morning while watching cartoons? Bring the kids! Fun for all ages!
90 minutes
11:00 am Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
FREE! No tickets required!
Augenblicke
A woman walks home at night. She is overwhelmed from behind by a stranger. Three perceptions of only one truth: hers, his and ours.
4 minutes
Directed by Kiana Naghshineh
Late Night Shorts Block: “We Are In a Dream”
9:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
Beneath The Ink
As society's belief systems are changing or even reverting in time, Ohio artist Billy Joe White is challenging his community by saying, "Bring me your mistakes." The film is a timely look at hate and racism in one Appalachian community that reveals heartfelt stories of change and redemption.
13 minutes
Directed by Cy Dodson
Documentary Shorts Block: “In Our World”
1:30 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
*Director attending!
Café de Temporada
Four Nicaraguan kids move to a Costa Rican coffee farm with their families to work during their summer break. They spend the majority of their day helping their parents pick and sort coffee, but their adventurous spirit takes them on unusual breaks.
13 minutes
Directed by Luisa Santos
Documentary Shorts Block: “In Our World”
1:30 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
Catherine
A tragic comedy of a sweet little girl who grows up to be a crazy old cat lady.
12 minutes
Directed by Britt Raes
Late Night Shorts Block: “We Are In a Dream”
9:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
Don't Get Trouble in Your Mind: The Carolina Chocolate Drops Story
Ranging from the historical to the deeply personal, this documentary tells the story of three African-American musicians from the hip-hop generation who embraced a traditional 19th-century folk genre and took it to Grammy-winning heights. Minnesota director (and Wisconsin native) Whitehead followed the band from their meteoric rise through their breakup, making for an emotionally satisfying journey as well as a spectacular musical one.
83 minutes
Directed by John Whitehead
6:30 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
*Director attending!
End of the Line
Oscar-nominated, Sundance and Cannes winner Jessica Sanders based this short on writer Aimee Bender's surrealist short story about a lonely man who goes to the pet store and buys a tiny man in a cage. Starring Simon Helberg (Big Bang Theory, Florence Foster Jenkins) and Brett Gelman (Stranger Things, Lemon).
15 minutes
Directed by Jessica Sanders
Late Night Shorts Block: “We Are In a Dream”
9:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
Family Happiness
The Wells orphans, Romilly and Fiona, are having a family gathering -- just the two of them. A former pop idol is selling religious paraphernalia outside Romilly’s building. Fiona has an older boyfriend who wants her to be home before he takes his sleeping pill and she doesn’t miss their dad. In short: they’re a mess.
15 minutes
Directed by Alice Englert
Narrative Shorts Block: “To Be Free”
11:00 am Saturday, October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
Farmer of the Year
After selling the Minnesota family farm, 82-year-old Hap Anderson (Barry Corbin) feels old and in the way. He tries to recapture his youth by setting out to attend his 65th WWII reunion in California, road-tripping with his unemployed granddaughter (Mackinlee Waddell) in a dilapidated Winnebago while desperately trying to find a date to impress his old army buddies. Co-writer/director Swanson is from Tyler, Minnesota, where the film was shot.
103 minutes
Directed by Kathy Swanson and Vince O'Connell
6:30 pm Saturday, Ocobert 20, 2018
Big River Theater
*Special guest attending!
First Generation
A short that explores the boundaries of self-expression and what it is like growing up in America as a first generation Asian American in the late 90's.
9 minutes
Directed by Jeannie Nguyen
Narrative Shorts Block: “To Be Free”
11:00 am Saturday, October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
The Future is Bright
In 1979, a local newscaster prepares to cover an anti-KKK protest in Greensboro, NC and realizes that she may never be ready for the events to come.
10 minutes
Directed by Courtney Powell
Narrative Shorts Block: “To Be Free”
11:00 am Saturday, October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
Hair Wolf
In a black hair salon in gentrifying Brooklyn, the local residents fend off a strange new monster: white women intent on sucking the lifeblood from black culture.
12 minutes
Directed by Mariama Diallo
Late Night Shorts Block: “We Are In a Dream”
9:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
Home + Away
Part coming-of-age story and part sports documentary, this stunning, beautifully shot film follows the lives of three students -- Erik, a soccer player, Shyanne, one of the school’s best wrestlers, and Francisco, a hard-throwing pitcher and third baseman -- who cross the border every day from their homes in Juarez, Mexico to attend high school in El Paso, Texas, where they look to sports as a path toward success.
83 minutes
Directed by Matthew Ogens
4:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
*Special guests attending!
Hús
A meditation on emigration, immigration, house, and home.
1.5 minutes
Directed by Kyja K-Nelson
Late Night Shorts Block: “We Are In a Dream”
9:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
In Our World
Witches are evil. Ghosts are evil. Fire girl is evil. A non-fiction travelogue led by 5-year old Unna Katla.
2 minutes
Directed by Kyja K-Nelson
Documentary Shorts Block: “In Our World”
1:30 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
June
An immigrant Chinese wife tries to fit in at her husband's graduation reception in 1950s Texas.
13 minutes
Directed by Huay-Bing Law
Narrative Shorts Block: “To Be Free”
11:00 am Saturday, October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
Kinderchomper
A mild-mannered artist from Minnesota leads a double life as a baby-eating professional wrestler in Japan.
17 minutes
Directed by Mike Scholtz
Documentary Shorts Block: “In Our World”
1:30 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
*Director attending!
Lady Lillian
A dark comedy about a tarot reader/psychic whose rambling and somewhat absurd conversations with clients become self-fulfilling prophesies.
7 minutes
Directed by Amber Johnson
Late Night Shorts Block: “We Are In a Dream”
9:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
Language Lessons
Faced with the global refugee crisis, many people feel they don’t know how to help. But a group of women who speak both Arabic and English found a way to make a difference -- even with limited time and resources.
5 minutes
Directed by Lucy Kreutz
Documentary Shorts Block: “In Our World”
1:30 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
Life in the Doghouse
Ron Danta and Danny Robertshaw, both in their 60s, live on a horse farm in North Carolina, where they train show horses. They also operate Danny & Ron’s Rescue, which has saved more than 10,000 abandoned dogs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Now their home is occupied by the menagerie of dogs that they have rescued, mainly from animal shelters who would have had to exterminate them otherwise. Their story is “one of those documentaries that will touch the heart of the coldest of souls” (We the People).
84 minutes
Directed by Ron Davis
1:30pm Saturday October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
Little Woods
In a North Dakota fracking town, Ollie (Tessa Thompson) is nearing the end of her probation after being caught running prescription pills over the Canadian border. She’s ready to start anew when, after her mother dies, she learns that her estranged sister Deb (Lily James), is pregnant and about to be homeless. Writer-director DaCosta’s debut is “an emotionally-charged small-town thriller that weaves themes of economic downturn and the opioid crisis into its intimate story of two sisters just trying to get by” (Cara Cusamano, Tribeca).
105 minutes
Directed by Nia DaCosta
9:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
People's Republic of Desire
In China, live streaming has become the most popular online entertainment. This “provocative and unsettling” (Variety) documentary takes us into a bizarre digital universe, where marginally-talented young performers earn as much as $150,000 a month by live-streaming to millions of viewers who seek the comfort of virtual relationships, and where China's super-rich lavish virtual gifts on their favorite performers every night. The film won the documentary competition at this year’s SXSW Film Festival.
95 minutes
Directed by Hao Wu
9:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
Pie
Carol invites Annette over for homemade pie and coffee, and after much prodding she divulges her special secret and gruesome ingredient. It’s Sweeney Todd meets Thelma & Louise via Stepford, Connecticut.
11 minutes
Directed by Adria Tennor
Late Night Shorts Block: “We Are In a Dream”
9:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
*Director attending!
Preschool Poets: Bullets
Brayden asks for a calmer world, without the chaos of tornadoes, hungry wolves and guns with bullets. The films in Preschool Poets: An Animated Series are based on poems composed and spoken by preschoolers from the near east side of Columbus, Ohio and animated by artists from around the world. “Bullets” is animated by Stas Santimov.
1.5 minutes
Directed by Nancy Kangas & Josh Kun
Narrative Shorts Block: “To Be Free”
11:00 am Saturday, October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
Preschool Poets: A Poem Play
Delanie imagines a world locked in routine. Parents work two jobs. They can’t come home because they work a double. Even the pleasure of a hot tub has a time limit. The films in Preschool Poets: An Animated Series are based on poems composed and spoken by preschoolers from Columbus, Ohio’s east side and animated by artists from around the world.
1 minute
Directed by Nancy Kangas & Josh Kun
Narrative Shorts Block: “To Be Free”
11:00 am Saturday, October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
Pumpkin Movie
When two long-time friends call each other over Skype to continue their annual Halloween tradition of carving pumpkins together, they swap stories of negative encounters with men.
10 minutes
Directed by Sophy Romvari
Late Night Shorts Block: “We Are In a Dream”
9:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
Scent of Geranium
Immigration is a new chapter in one's life, a chapter with unexpected events that can take one's life down paths different from the one imagined. This film is an autobiographical account of the director's experience with immigration.
5 minutes
Directed by Naghmeh Farzaneh
Documentary Shorts Block: “In Our World”
1:30 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
Science Fair
In this uproarious documentary by Wisconsin native Cristina Costantini, nine high school students from disparate corners of the globe navigate rivalries, setbacks, and hormones on their quest to win the prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair, or the "Olympics of science fairs," as one student puts it. USA Today says, “‘Science Fair’ is so funny and so moving, it almost seems too good to be true.”
90 minutes
Directed by Cristina Costantini/Darren Foster
4:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
Sexxy Dancer
A woman down on her luck gets a lift when a friend loans her a Sexxy Dancer for the week.
6 minutes
Directed by Jessica Makinson
Narrative Shorts Block: “To Be Free”
11:00 am Saturday, October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
Stems
A eulogy to the short lifespan of stop motion animation puppets.
2 minutes
Directed by Ainslie Henderson
Documentary Shorts Block: “In Our World”
1:30 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
Strawberries Will Save The World
Yuko's love for strawberries knows no bounds and she believes they will save the world.
6 minutes
Directed by Yoko Okumura
Documentary Shorts Block: “In Our World”
1:30 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
This Little Piggy Went to Market
This documentary captures a slice of Central Californian life as it follows Austin Blomquist, a 15-year-old pig farmer, from the field to the county fair, where Austin is determined to be crowned this year’s “Grand Champion.”
15 minutes
Directed by Jeanine Fiser
Documentary Shorts Block: “In Our World”
1:30 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
*Director attending!
To Be Free
In a tiny after-hours club, Nina Simone finds a way, for one moment, to be free.
12 minutes
Directed by Adepero Oduye
Narrative Shorts Block: “To Be Free”
11:00 am Saturday, October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
The Traffic Separating Device
A traffic separating device is installed in the middle of Stockholm, Sweden, intended to keep cars out and only let buses pass. It turns into a tragicomic disaster as cars continue to go there and get destroyed every week.
14 minutes
Directed by Johan Palmgren
Documentary Shorts Block: “In Our World”
1:30 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Minema
TransMilitary
Around 15,500 transgender people serve in the U.S. military (notably the largest transgender employer in the U.S.), where they must conceal their gender identity because military policies ban their service. This personal, emotionally compelling documentary, which received the 2018 SXSW Audience Award, chronicles the lives of four individuals defending their country's freedom while fighting for their own. Minnesota native Jamie Coughlin produced the film.
93 minutes
Directed by Gabriel Silverman and Fiona Dawson
4:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
Big River Theater
*Director attending!
We Are In A Dream
Based on personal recordings of people narrating their nightmares, we race through their unconscious desires and fears.
6 minutes
Directed by Henna Välkky & Eesu Lehtola
Late Night Shorts Block: “We Are In a Dream”
9:00 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
*Directors attending!
Wild Nights with Emily
Olnek’s dramatization of the little-known side of writer Emily Dickinson's life, in particular her relationship with another woman, has been heralded as “entertaining and thought-provoking” (IndieWire) and “warmly funny” (Hollywood Reporter). It stars Molly Shannon as Dickinson and Minneapolis native Susan Ziegler as her beloved sister-in-law. Ziegler will attend the screening for a Q+A, along with other special guests.
84 minutes
Directed by Madeleine Olnek
6:30 pm Saturday, October 20, 2018
WideSpot Performing Arts
*Special guests attending!