2019 Hobnobben Film Festival Saturday Schedule

October 11 - 17, 2019

Saturday: 10:30 AM - 11:35 PM • Main Theater

Moments of Transformation

An unconventional and lighthearted collection of four short films that take on life’s most challenging moments – from facing the mortality of your parents to realizing new relationships are okay after a loved one has passed.

2019 Films
Grounded
Grounded

A career-focused pilot and his very proper mother embark on what may be their last road trip.

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The Reunion
The Reunion

Paul, a widower and recent retiree, follows a typical mundane lifestyle after the loss of his wife. However, a 50th high school reunion may be just the occasion to rebuild his social life.

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Burying Mitchell
Burying Mitchell

Having loved and lost the same man, two women meet at the funeral of their ex-husband for the first time to settle a one million dollar life insurance policy. They work together as they put their past in the ground.

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Sparky & Butch
Sparky & Butch

Imagine Starsky and Hutch are retired but can’t stop fighting crime or chasing ladies: Meet Sparky & Butch. In their unrelenting pursuit of justice, things go awry for the pair and Butch’s son Dirk shows up to force them into an assisted living facility.

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Saturday: 11:45 AM - 1:35 PM • Spectator Lounge

Embracing Life

This pair of films profiles two very different people with two very different but equally powerful stories.

2019 Films
Grateful
Grateful

A courageous young woman debilitated by ALS sees beauty and humor in life – and keeps moving forward.

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Jumpin’ Johnny: The Incredible True Story of Dr. John Kline
Jumpin’ Johnny: The Incredible True Story of Dr. John Kline

Profile of Dr. John Kline who played for the Harlem Globetrotters from 1953-59. After his basketball career, he struggled with drug addiction before finding a path to sobriety and returning to school to gain his bachelor's, master's, and doctorate.

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Saturday: 12:30 PM - 2:05 PM • Main Theater

Book Week

When it looks like his novel is going to be published, high school teacher and once-famous novelist Nicholas Cutler thinks his luck had finally changed. But what promises to be the best week of his life quickly spirals into seven days of hell.

2019 Films
Book Week
Book Week

Saturday: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM• Spectator Lounge

Vulnerability in Human Connection

Life is fleeting yet full of joy. These four short films address loss, loneliness, and the comfort we get from those we let into our lives, despite convention.

2019 Films
Sister
Sister

A lonely young woman reminisces about what life is like with her annoying younger sister.

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Bird of Paradise
Bird of Paradise

Despite age and background, love can develop between anyone. Yet, rarely is everyone okay with unconventional love. This film is not just a fictional representation of the societal strains placed on relationships that defy the norm, but also a direct critique of how society forces relationships for the sake of comfort.

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You Are My Person
You Are My Person

When a couple having an affair decides to take their relationship to the next level, breaking up with their partners proves to be harder than expected.

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For Rose
For Rose

Follow the life of a single mother as she decides to leave one final gift to her daughter.

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Saturday: 2:45 PM - 4:15 PM • Main Theater

Life•Love•Dogs

Every dog’s life has value. Every one, a story worth telling. Through the lens of three distinctly different stories, Life•Love•Dogs explores the intense emotional bonds we share with our dogs, and how these bonds inspire human and dog to mutually rescue each other.

Saturday: 3:45 PM - 5:40 PM • Spectator Lounge

Black Pool

Thirty years ago, Michael’s life was shattered by a shadowy figure he saw for only a fleeting moment. Through a chance encounter, he believes he’s found the man responsible for ruining his life. And he’s going to make him pay. But does he have the right man?

2019 Films
Black Pool
Black Pool

Saturday: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM• Main Theater

Tough Topics, Thoughtful Reflections

Double lives, secrets, and absurdist kafkaesque experience, and the hegemonic rules that dictate our lives. These four shorts examine the subtle (and not so subtle) ways cultural norms influence or are reinforced in the character’s lives.

2019 Films
Double Standard
Double Standard

Why can’t I play soccer with the boys at recess? It’s because they’re too rough, say the teachers. We can jump rope instead, say my friends. It’s because you’re a girl, say the boys.

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The Tattooed Heart
The Tattooed Heart

A creative writing instructor at a juvenile detention center finds common ground with a troubled student, yet quickly finds herself in great danger when she decides to help her.

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Burqa City
Burqa City

Souleymane and Leila just got married, for better or for worse. The better is that they love each other very much. The worse is that they are forced to live by societal standards.

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Residents of the Last Floor
Residents of the Last Floor

What is life when happiness is illegal? What is salvation when fun is a sin? Where does one seek privacy when all is monitored? This short film from Iran provides a bittersweet look at the reality of modern life under Sharia laws.

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Saturday: 6:00 PM - 7:15 PM• Spectator Lounge

Contemplative International Shorts

A block of contemplative and visually stunning films. These four short films find heart and humor in dire and unavoidable situations.

2019 Films
You’re Still Here
You’re Still Here

When the relationship of a young couple is on the verge of collapsing in the face of one man's blindness, the only thing that will save them is their common past.

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Elephantbird
Elephantbird

A bus is on a journey across the mountains to Kabul. Each person on the bus has a reason to take this journey, including an ailing old man traveling to give a turkey to his grandchild. However, the main road is blocked by insurgents. They decide to use an alternative road, which is not very secure and also carries with it the possibility of getting caught by insurgents.

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Rise from the Tide
Rise from the Tide

Hau Xi wants to leave the small Chinese village where she lives with her grandfather and join her parents in the big city. She tries to practice ballet every day after learning that the best students get to go to the big city for a tour.

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Saturday: 6:45 PM - 8:10 PM • Main Theater

Ako

A Young Kurdish porter works to provide for his family at Tehran’s grand bazaar. At the bazaar, every product has a secret. Ako does not want anyone to know his secret.

2019 Films
Black Pool
Black Pool

Saturday: 7:45 PM - 8:10 PM • Spectator Lounge

We

In the pursuit of love and the better side of humanity, Ethan must face many obstacles, some that threaten to end his quest. As he makes his way through this kaleidoscope of challenges, he meets an eclectic mix of people who help him better understand life and its complexity.

2019 Films
we
we

Saturday: 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM• Main Theater

Not All Blocks of Movies Need Titles

This block has it all: dancing, deceit, your mother’s voicemails. Republicans, and an order of queer and trans nuns.

2019 Films
Homecoming
Homecoming

When a college sophomore returns home to share some important news with his parents, things don’t go exactly as he had expected… until they do.

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Dance Ditchers
Dance Ditchers

Three students decide to ditch their school dance and have their own party in the halls of the school, but encounter trouble when they run into a no-nonsense teacher and the ex-girlfriend of one of the students.

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Sin Regresos (No Returns)
Sin Regresos (No Returns)

Karina and Emilia are two young novices living in a religious order. Emilia appears to have a strong vocation, while Karina is a youthful rebel hiding from justice. Once they notice the police presence increasing, Karina asks Emilia to help her orchestrate an escape.

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Places
Places

This mockumentary follows a three-member dance troupe reuniting despite bad blood between two rival dancers. Tension emerges as they relive the moments leading to their disastrous performance three years ago.

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The Sisters
The Sisters

Drag nun order, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, believe all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty. This short doc follows JP on his path to sisterhood.

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I’m Not Avoiding You, But Please Don’t Call Here Again
I’m Not Avoiding You, But Please Don’t Call Here Again

An experimental exploration of the dynamic between mother and daughter.

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Straight or Alive
Straight or Alive

A group of people attempts to escape a conversion camp that's turning the nation's gays into straight zombies!

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Saturday: 9:45 PM - 10:50 PM• Spectator Lounge

Scintillating Shorts for a Saturday

A quirky block of three shirts featuring a family of vampires, a group of punk clowns, and some “ganjapreneurs” looking to break into a new industry.

2019 Films
Blue Collar Vampire
Blue Collar Vampire

A local reporter gets drawn into an unconventional family after learning that an ordinary night-shift worker at the Lansing GM plant thinks he is a vampire. Their story is sweet, quite ridiculous, and strange.

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R. Clown Presents “The Big Break”
R. Clown Presents “The Big Break”

The Big Break is a musical short film following the hijinks and lojinks of the rodeo-punk band R. Clown and their quixotic quest to entertain the masses.

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The High Five
The High Five

Five colleagues grind it out as "ganjapreneurs" dealing with the issues of the day and the challenges of pioneering a new industry – all while a bit high.

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