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Show Sat/Sun/Mon, December 21-23, 2019 C-3 The Park Record Volunteers Give a Bleep for veterans every Christmas Group has visited residents for the past seven years SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record Park City’s Giving a Bleep, known for its fall musical comedy farce that raises money for local nonprofits, will continue to spread Christmas cheer to residents of the William E. Christoffersen Salt Lake Veterans Home this season. Everyone is invited to stop at the home, located across the street from the Salt Lake Veterans Hospital at 700 Foothill Drive, anytime on Christmas day Wednesday, Dec. 25. The tradition, known as Give Your Hearts, Not Your Wallet, started seven years ago when Giving a Bleep director Annette Velarde decided to do something more personal than just writing checks to various organizations. “We just spend a few minutes to a few hours with these veterans who either can’t leave the facility or don’t have anyone to spend the holiday with,” Velarde said. “Although the veter- Continued from C-2 Special events announced 24 is an experimental documentary and animated retrospective of a young man born between different cultures, it depicts moments of memory through short vignettes of the past. • A Black Hole is a Black Hole in the Ground – (USA); Directors: Tyler Macri, Sophia Feuer An intimate depiction of the strange, ephemeral realities that arise on evenings of play during early youth. • Gods from Space – (USA); Director: Annalise Pasztor Welcome to The Aetherius Society— a religion where prayer can be stored in a battery, Jesus was an alien, and an unusual but kind-hearted community works toward the betterment of humanity. • Happy Ending – (UK); Director: EunJu Ara Choi With real testimony from a Korean sex worker, this beautiful painted animation explores what it is like to be the subject of other people’s pleasure. • Hayat – (Australia) North American Premiere; Director: Rendah Haj Hayat documents the lives of Rahma, an Eritrean migrant and her four young children living in Melbourne, Australia. • In a Lion – (Poland); Director: Karol Lindholm In a Danish zoo, visitors can get to know that animals are beautiful on the inside, too. But not all the spectators succumb to the magic of that show. • Margarita of the River – (USA); Director: Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsemsa An animated documentary 3 an’s home houses nearly 90 residents, there are usually around 40 who don’t have family nearby or aren’t healthy enough to be checked out.” There isn’t any big-time production, instead, participants usually converse or watch TV with the veterans, according to Velarde. This is one way people, like you and me who aren’t wealthy, can practice a little philanthropy...” Annette Velarde, Giving a Bleep director “We leave it up to each person to decide when they can go visit the veterans,” she said. “They can just check in at the front desk and tell them they are from the Giving a Bleep group.” Throughout the years, some of the Giving a Bleep volunteers have created friendships with some of the residents which showcases moments in the life of a woman from Honduras, who immigrated to the United States in order to support her family back home. • My Favorite Food is Indian Tacos, my Favorite Drink is Iced Tea and my Favorite Thing is Drumming – (Canada); Director: Derius Matchewan A film about courage, and the passion for drumming and traditional singing that young Derius shares with his friends. • Names for Snow – (Canada); Director: Rebecca Thomassie This short follows Rebecca Thomassie, an Inuk woman, around Kangirsuk as she learns the 52 Inuktitut words for snow. • Old Young – (USA) World Premiere; Director: Emma Baiada Following 92 year-old Ruth Young and 53 year-old David Maitz, Old Young is a film about companionship, coins, life, and death. • One Nation Under – (USA); Director: Justin McHugh One Nation Under is an investigation into what it means to be an American, questioning idyllic notions of freedom and power by observing the structures around us and hearing from the people overshadowed by them. • The Real Thing – (USA); Director: Julianna Villarosa Using physical media (16mm, VHS) destroyed by Coca-Cola, “The Real Thing” contrasts the famous ad “I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke” with The Coca-Cola Company’s most recent scandal: unconscionable water privatization in Chiapas, Mexico. • To Calm the Pig Inside – (Philippines) World Premiere; Director: Joanna Vasquez Arong Ang Pagpakalma sa Unos (To Calm the Pig Inside) is a contemplative film that ponders the effects a typhoon leaves on a small town where myths are woven to help cope with the devastation and trauma. • Spontaneous – (USA) World Premiere; Director: Lori Giving a Bleep: Give Your Heart, Not Your Wallet When: All day on Wednedsay, Dec. 25 Where: William E. Christoffersen Salt Lake Veterans Home, 700 Foothill Drive, Salt Lake City Cost: Free during these Christmas visits, she said. “I have at least one conversation that will change how I look at my own life,” Velarde said. “There was one gentleman that I actually visited once a month, until he passed away a couple of years ago.” Some of the vets in the home have cognitive conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s, she said. Velarde’s son, Ruli, came up with an idea of how to reach those who reside in the home’s memory care unit. He puts together music playlists of songs that were popular during the years they served in the military. “He finds songs from the 1940s and puts them on his iPod for World War II veterans, and then he finds songs that were Felker You never know when someone is miscarrying; it could be happening right next to you. • Umbilical – (USA, China); Director: Danski Tang An animated documentary exploring how a mother’s abusive relationship shaped the director’s own experiences in boarding school. Through a conversation, a mother and daughter learn to understand and support one another. • When the Children Left – (Canada); Director: Charlene Moore After the untimely passing of her sister, Amelia McLeod, Angelina McLeod travels back home to Shoal Lake 40 First Nation to honour her sister’s spirit and advocate for equal access to education. EPISODES • The 410 “Episode Two” – (Canada) U.S. Premiere; Creator/Screenwriter: Supinder Wraich Director: Renuka Jeyapalan Hard-boiled noir meets hipster chill in this tale of familial strife and vigilante justice. Desperate to bail her father out of jail, Suri (Indian, blonde and bougie) comes face-to-face with the criminal underworld that operates inside her seemingly quiet suburban community. Cast: Supinder Wraich, Jade Hassouné, Cas Anvar, Balinder Johal • Apricot “Popcorn” – (USA) World Premiere; Creators/Directors/Screenwriters: Sam Icklow, Jake Thompson Marrying the verve of social media with sketch comedy absurdism, besties Sam and Jake equally celebrate and lampoon our kaleidoscopic consumer world with wit and whimsy. In ‘Popcorn’, our fashionable jokesters get a hankering for everyone’s favorite movie-time snack. Cast: Jake Thompson, Sam Icklow PHOTO BY RICARDO VELARDE During their Christmas visit at the William E. Christoffersen Salt Lake Veterans Home in Salt Lake City, Giving a Bleep volunteers play music, games and even watch TV with the residents. popular in the late 1960s and 1970s for (Vietnam veterans),” she said. “Ruli is always moved when he sees the veterans come alive and sing along to the songs.” Over the years, Velarde and the Giving a Bleep volunteers have also created friendships with the facility’s staff. “They always do such a great job with the veterans,” she said. “We always make it a point to keep them in mind when we visit, as well.” Velarde is grateful for Giving a Bleep’s opportunity to continue these holiday visits. “Each year we get new volunteers who go with us, and we have those who have been with us from the beginning,” she said. “One of the most precious commodities we have is our spare time, and what better day to give our time than on Christmas. This is one way people, like you and me who aren’t wealthy, can practice a little philanthropy.” • Bleeding Art “Episode One” – (UK); Creators/Directors/Screenwriters: Pardeep Sahota Join artist Daniel Crossan as he shows you his journey down the creative process, all the way down. Cast: Daniel Crossan, Mike Sumpter, Mark Mathews, Caspar • Candide “Home Sweet Home” – (Hungary) U.S. Premiere; Creators/Directors: Zsuzsanna Kreif, Oliver Hegyi Screenwriter: Nandor Bera Behold! Voltaire’s immortal satire remixed for our manic meme age. In this animated adventure, our titular pacifist hero is cast as a vile instrument of war by the nefarious General Pangloss. Cast: Borbala Zetenyi, Marcell Szenasi, Fanni Nemethi, Zoltan Koska • Countdown “Overslept” – (USA); Creator/Director: Nathan Breton Screenwriter: Joseph Killeen This anthology series explores the unique challenges of choices made when the clock is ticking down. In ‘Overslept,’ Ellen awakens before her alarm but it’s already too late to undo a bubbling betrayal. Cast: Cassandra Clark, Matt Hopkins, Tanmaya Shekhar • Fashion in the Dark II – (Scotland, Poland); Creator/Director: Emily Ford-Halliday This short-form documentary series observes the way individuals with limited sight redefine their style identities and express themselves through fashion. Visiting 24-year old Rae, we are immersed in a sensual cotton-candy world of youthful idealism and tactile magic. Cast: Borbala Zetenyi, Marcell Szenasi, Fanni Nemethi, Zoltan Koska • Monday “Pixelface” – (Finland) North American Premiere; Creators: John Lundsten, Melli Maikkula Director: Samuli Valkama Screenwriters: John Lundsten, Melli Maikkula Nestled disturbingly between ‘Night Gallery’ and ‘Black Mir- ror’ - each ‘Monday’ installment of this anthology series translates the surreal into a shared dilemma of truth. In ‘Pixelface’ a man’s scrambled face reveals hidden secrets as his wedding day nears. Cast: Jarkko Niemi, Saara Kotkaniemi, Niina Koponen, Teijo Eloranta • Take One Thing Off “All the Pretty Bottles” – (USA); Creator/Screenwriter: Scout Durwood Director: Bruce Allen An evolving personal odyssey based on original music from cabaret star Scout Durwood’s debut album, this short form series fuses sketch comedy with music videos as fans follow Scout’s transition from a NYC dive bar star to becoming an LA-based internet legend. Cast: Scout Durwood, Graham Beckett, Dre Swain, Nikkilette Wright land where ecology and mythology have coexisted since before Juan de Bermúdez’s 1505 expedition. Where spirits whisper through the island’s flora and fauna, only to be interrupted by the alternating currents of manmade ruin and regeneration. • Patient’s Copy – (UK) North American Premiere; Director: Patrick Tarrant A hand-made reflection on the underconscious and on the illustration of ideas on plastic. • Re-Education of the Senses – (USA); Directors: Erinn E. Hagerty, Adam Savje An experimental vision of Bauhausian hypnotherapy orchestrated by sentient technology. • Shooting Stars – (Germany, Poland) North American Premiere; Director: Magda Jaroszewicz The starting point is an observation, through which I near a picture searching for stories that ultimately emerge in one’s head. That night was a different one. It’s a midnight song about masculinity, joy and rivalry. EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS • The Eyes of Summer – (Sri Lanka, USA) World Premiere; Director: Rajee Samarasinghe Made collaboratively with the director’s family shortly after the Sri Lankan Civil War, an improvised narrative develops around an investigation into his mother’s childhood interactions with spirits in the community. • For All Audiences – (USA); Director: Josh Weissbach A trailer of an experiment searches for meaning in a moldy montage. • Meteorite – (Mexico); Director: Mauricio Saenz Bird men suffer mysterious falls in the search for where the sun rises. An altered reality through rites that converge in one objective: dying to generate life. • No Garden Beyond – (Bermuda, USA) World Premiere; Directors: Rhys Johnevan Morgan, Anna Kipervaser Scenes from above, below and around the Sargasso Sea, a body of water unbounded by NARRATIVE SHORTS • Ava’s Dating a Senior! – (USA) World Premiere; Director/Screenwriter: Frederic Da Silas is a freshman in high school. He’s in love with Ava, a girl in his grade- but rumor has it she is dating a senior. Cast: Silas Mitchell, Ava Cooper, Archie Thorpe, Loulou Baltz • Blown Joan – (UK) World Premiere; Director/Screenwriter: Teva Cheema A man visits his newlywed brother and sister-in-law and masturbates on their bed. Cast: Charlotte Mangel, Cael King, Jimmy Gorniak • Chubby – (Canada); Directors/Screenwriters: Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli A ten-year-old girl struggles with the residual trauma of her Please see Festival, C-5 “People Banking With People” Our Gift Cards Make Giving and Receiving More Fun 1225 Deer Valley Dr. Park City 435-615-2265 grandvalleybank.com There is a one-time processing fee of $5 at the time of purchase. After 12 months of no activity there is a $10 monthly maintenance fee. The lost card replacement fee is $10. Maximum load value is $750. |