RIGGED, 74min., USA
Directed by Tracy MacDonald
The recent U.S. college admissions scandal is not merely an aberration in an otherwise virtuous system. It lays bare a US higher education culture in which wealth and influence remain the predominant values. RIGGED examines how this obsolete value system favoring wealth in our higher education system grows the disparity between rich and poor and thereby undermines the future of American Democracy.
Showcase of the best SHORT FILMS in the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS:
Best Film: FRONTLINE KITCHEN
Best Short Form Short Film: POWWOW
Best Cinematography: NATION IN TRANSITION
Best Sound & Music: A LITTLE PIECE OF HOME
Best Direction: A SECOND CHANCE
Theme of night: Life
Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Videos:
 FRONTLINE KITCHEN, 15min., Canada, Documentary
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 A LITTLE PIECE OF HOME, 10min., USA, Documentary
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 POWWOW, 4min., USA, Documentary
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 A SECOND CHANCE, 10min., USA, Documentary
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 NATION IN TRANSITION, 30min., USA, Documentary
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The beginning of a (temporary) new era.
See you at the festivals. Whenever that happens!
– Matthew Toffolo
Andrew Cromey is a Toronto based commercial and documentary editor. He graduated from York University’s Film Program in 2006 and has developed his post production skills over the past 15 years. He has worked in multiple roles as Director, Picture Editor, Assistant Editor, Motion Graphics Artist and Colorist.
Director Statement
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, we, became very interested in local businesses and how they would be affected by the pandemic. Many business owners were forced to shutdown in a way that they never have before. What we hoped to capture was the community spirit that brought so many people together during one of the darkest years in recent memory.
Frontline Kitchen is a short documentary about local restauranteurs that stepped up during the COVID-19 lockdown to help those in need during a national emergency. Together they use their combined kitchens, staff and facilities to help feed frontline workers and highest risk communities.
A well-regarded and in demand video and film production company, Christopher Aumen is as comfortable in a Director’s chair as he is behind the lens. He brings an artistic eye and sensibility to capture the story needing to be told. Also, a drone expert, he is fearless and puts himself and his team into any environment required to capture what’s needed. Avis, Mevo and X3 are among their clients.
Director Statement
What began as a single-day-shoot quickly transformed into a much larger passion-fueled film production. After the first cut, it was clear our story was not simply a group of friends out for a climb, it was Nicky. We set up additional production days with a more intimate crew to focus solely on Nicky and her story. Our assignment from Chris Paradysz was simple: dig deeper. After a quick climb, we sat at the foot of the wall, rolled camera and sound, and let our conversation meander beyond the menial.
In post-production, her story was woven beautifully around the breathtaking imagery from DP Matt Stambaugh and camera op Andrew Baer, pulled tightly together by the golden thread of music. The soundtrack, skillfully composed by Nico Paradysz and Tom Matera, plays carefully throughout, leading us to the sonic home of that now-familiar melody.
This film is a testament to the combined power of a well-planned roadmap and the bold embrace of detours, and the freedom to exercise that boldness could be provided only by Adventure Explorations. I sincerely look forward to the next film under their banner.
In the snap of moment, pausing while climbing up an 80-foot rock wall, a young mother decides to transform her life into the journey she knows she needs. Choice and commitment to live only with purpose and passion rules her decisions. Her husband, her kids, friends, family, and profession, all get re-imagined to be understood. Struggling with the decisions the choice has created, the demons in her past push constantly on the fringes of her reality. Understanding and conquering them becomes a constant reminder to live her life with vigilance, never letting her past swallow up the clarity she craves.
Project Links
“POWWOW” documents a central event in Native American cultural that allows tribes to gather and reclaim indigenous rites and expresses the sacred and spiritual. The film is a message of strength and inspiration to promote the importance of indigenous people and cultures around the world who’s existence, identity and land rights are at threat.
Lina Plioplyte is an Emmy, Silver Lion and Clio-winning director and cinematographer. As a filmmaker, her work bridges documentaries, commercials, music videos and short films that have aired on MTV, PBS, VICELAND, Pitchfork, A&E and screened at various film festivals, including Hot Docs, MIFF and IDFA. Plioplyte’s feature-length directorial debut Advanced Style is currently streaming on Hulu after a successful run on Netflix. Plioplyte loves featuring individuals living unapologetically and striving to make the world a better place. Her goal as a director is to provoke change through storytelling in front and behind the lens, hiring women and minorities, highlighting and supporting the communities that she films in and making her film sets plastic-free.
The Pedacito de la Tierra (A Little Piece of Home) documentary series weaves together humanitarian, migrant & refugee, food, and sustainability issues from around the world. The series shares stories of hope, growth and community to raise awareness and support for the efforts of global humanitarian organization, Alight, and Burners Without Borders. Set in a temporary shelter in the U.S./Mexico border town of Nogales, Mexico, the film shares a touching, enlightening story of the power of togetherness in the face of strife and hardship. As a community of unsettled migrants seeking asylum in the United States, these individuals show the true essence of perseverance and faith in one another to create a better life in their temporary shelters. This tale of innovation and inspiration is told in an effort to initiate an avalanche of constructive thought, discourse, and action, and to leave a lasting social impact that increases public awareness and incites change in policy.
Project Links
Roger Sorkin is a film producer, writer, editor, director, and founder of the American Resilience Project (ARP), which creates mission-driven films designed to strengthen civilizational security. ARP’s award-winning films, The Burden, Tidewater, and the first of its energy transition film series, Current Revolution, are tailored to clear calls-to-action that have helped achieve a number of policy victories. Prior to founding ARP in 2017, Roger consulted with and created documentary and dramatic films for a wide range of nonprofit, academic and government institutions, including USAID and NATO. He currently serves on the Climate and Security Working Group for the Center for Climate and Security, on the Managed Retreat Expert Group with the American Society of Adaptation Professionals, and as a fellow with the Truman National Security Project. Roger also teaches energy and environmental communication at the Fordham University Gabelli School of Business, and he has lectured at NASA, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and at the U.S. Naval Academy. Other ARP films in production include The Last Mechanic, about the EV revolution as seen from the perspective of auto dealers and mechanics, and the first of ARP’s new series, Food, Farms and Fashion, designed to strengthen farming livelihoods and food security through better soil health.
