"The quality of entries in this year's POW! Fest transcends most of the stuff we've seen on the local festival circuit since like, Cannes 1969."
- Portland Mercury
See the full PORTLAND
MERCURY review
POW! Fest was a Williamette Week Film Pick!
POW! Fest was featured in the PORTLAND TRIBUNE
POW! Fest was featured in Media Inc. Magazine
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS FOR 2003
PORTLAND WOMEN'S FILM FEST
POW! FEST
WINNER - AUDIENCE CHOICE
What's He Building?*>>Portland, OR>>Nancy
Garvin & Jamie Dohrmann
*World Premiere*
A modern Gothic tale that explores the disintegrating
reality of a man as he constructs a nightmarish
mental image of his neighbor.
Partial Selves>>Toronto, Ontario>>Gloria
Kim
*US Premiere*
This experimental documentary explores the complexities
of Louise Bak, a Toronto poet, PhD candidate,
cultural worker and dominatrix. As Bak describes
her childhood
and events that have shaped her life and philosophy,
the film provides a visual landscape that attempts
to reflect her reality.
Transit>>Portland, OR>>Leslie
Piper
*World Premiere*
The real life musings of a stranger on a train
underscores this dream-like film of an unforgettable
commute to work.
Art and Della>>Portland, OR>>Lisa
Shannon
Art and Della have remained in a bitter, hateful
marriage for over 50 years. But as Della's memory
fades with her progressing Alzheimer's and her
youthful qualities reemerge, she forgets her
long held resentment towards Art. Art's years
of defensiveness
thaws, and the two reconnect, if briefly, at
the end of their lives together.
Friendship Village>>Vancouver, BC>>Michelle Mason
A documentary film about an international group
of veterans who are building a village in Vietnam
for children suffering from Agent Orange induced
deformities. The Village stands not only as a
symbol of peace and reconciliation, but as a
testament
to the potential for all people to come to terms
with the past and create a better world.
WINNER -Jury Award Best Documentary
In the
Name of Love>>Los Angeles, CA>>Shannon
O'Rourke
World Premiere
Set in the 'love for sale' world of marriage
agencies in St. Petersburg, Russia, over the
course of nearly
three years, this documentary profiles the hopes
and drama of the lives of a handful of Russian
women as their lives are transformed by their
experiences with American men.
WINNER -Jury Award Best Narrative
Showa
Shinzan>>Canada>>Alison Reiko
Loader
During World War II, young Yasuko goes to live
with her grandparents in Hokkaido. When nearby
Mount Usu erupts, her grandfather decides to record
its activity. As the realities of war creep into
their remote village, the volcano continues to
erupt. As Yasuko looks at her grandfather's drawings,
she realizes that she is witnessing the birth of
a new mountain, named Showa Shinzan. This animated
story, based on actual events, evokes the look
and feel of the Japanese art of Bunraku puppetry.
Fair Phyllis>>Canada>>Beth
Portman
An amusing animated film that celebrates the resiliency
and resourcefulness of the female sex. Fair Phyllis
is an 18th century shepherd who struggles to
balance the chaos of tending her flock while
being wooed by a handsome suitor.
The Fastlane>>Victoria,
BC>>Rachel
Moore
A swim coach encourages a reluctant swimmer to
overcome her fears and live up to her instructor's
expectations. This paint on glass animated drama
explores the power dynamic between instructor
and student.
In Hot Pursuit>>Los Angeles, CA>>Davah
Avena
Lupita Lopez (Yeni Alvarez) is cursed. Her search
for her own "boy in blue" to satiate
her infatuation with CHiPs Officer Frank Poncherello
is in jeopardy until she can break the curse.
All she needs is a lime, an egg, exactly three
yards
of red thread and....a camel hoof.
Short
on Sugar>>Valley Village, CA>>Lynn
A. Henderson, Kimberly Browning, Joseph Anaya
Pam (Lynn A. Henderson) has fallen for Stephan
but is too shy to ask him out. Her foolproof
plan to "casually" meet him again turns
out to not be as perfect as it seems.
Copywrite>>Greenbrae, CA>>Stephanie
Green
A writer struggles when the protagonist in his
novel rejects her story line and changes the
plot.
The Age of Weddings>>Pawtucket, RI>>Lee
Fearnside
A series of humorous vignettes leads the viewers
through a lesbian's experience of straight
weddings.
Roundabout>>Australia>>Rachel
Griffiths
Academy Award nominated actress Rachel Griffiths
wrote and directed this short film about a man
who heads for work one morning and never makes
it. A sudden event triggers a fragility not yet
revealed and he spirals out of control. Endlessly
circling, he is lost to the world and to himself.
Ava Elderberry>>Santa Monica, CA>>Jacqueline
Schaeffer
*World Premiere*
Ava Elderberry wakes to discover that a tree has
taken root in her ear. After trying everything
to eradicate the growth, she begins the journey
to and finally arrives at self acceptance
Bingo
Ladies>>Vancouver, BC>>Tami
Wilson
*US Premiere*
Set in the smoky din and blue-haired haze of
Vancouver's gaming halls and community centers, "Bingo
Ladies" provides a closer look at this simple,
yet pervasive game of chance. The result if both
comical and sobering and reveals the inherent contradictions
of the community-based, charity driven Bingo industry.
Signed, Stamped, Dated: The story of
the Typing Explosion>>
Seattle, WA>>Gina Mainwal
This spirited documentary profiles "The
Typing Explosion", a trio of women who
don the dress and persona of 60's era secretaries,
type poems
on demand on vintage typewriters and force their
audience to "follow the rules". The
story of "The Typing Explosion", from
their creative beginnings through their rise
to fame
and national coverage, is an inspiring account
of how one small idea can skyrocket to success.
Bollywood Bound>>Canada>>Nisha
Pahuja
Bollywood Bound is the story of four young Canadians
looking for fame … Indian style. Raised on
a diet of Hindi movies, success in Indian cinema
does not seem so far away to these young actors.
Follow the ups and downs of Neeru, Vikram, Vekeana
and Ruby, already the most famous Canadian in India,
from casting calls to auditions and rehearsals
- as Bollywood Bound conveys a new twist on an
old showbiz tale.
Tulia, Texas: Scenes from the Drug
War>>Brooklyn,
NY>>Emily Kunstler & Sarah Kunstler
A look at the collateral consequences of the
Drug War in America. A federally funded undercover
anti-drug
sting is undertaken in the small agricultural
town of Tulia, Texas. The resulting fall-out
is the
imprisonment of more than 10 percent of Tulia's
African-American community.
The Spirit of Annie Mae>>Canada>>Catherine
Anne Martin
In 1975 Annie Mae Pictou Aquash, a 30-year old
Nova-Scotia born Mi'kmaw Indian was shot dead
execution style on a desolate road on the Pine
Ridge Reservation
in South Dakota. Nearly three decades later,
the crime remains a mystery.
Rub and Tug>>Toronto, Ontario>>Soo
Lyu
Lawrence, the owner of a "full body" massage
parlour, suspects that his girls are providing
customers with "full service". To catch
them in the sexual act, he hires an unlikely
candidate, Conrad, to be manager of the shop.
The parlour
staff - Betty, Cindy, and Lea - welcomes the
opportunity to manipulate the naive new manager.
The battle
wages as Conrad fights for control of the shop.
PARTNERS:
PREMIERE SPONSOR:
SPONSORS:
