Newport Beach Film Festival 2008

Twenty Seven American university students are recruited to join Carlos Silveria, an artist educator and social activist as part of a pilot program using drawing and painting to help HIV/AIDS affected Cambodian children to express their wishes and desires for their futures. As Carlos and the students grapple with the realities of a culture much different from their own, a language they don't understand, art projects that don't go as planned and a three-week deadline, they form a bond with the children. Through these young Cambodian mentors, the Americans empower their own social activism and learn the true meaning of kindness, selflessness and community.

15-year old Tracey Berkowitz is naked under a tattered shower curtain at the back of a bus, looking for her little brother Sonny, who thinks he’s a dog. Tracey’s journey leads us into the dark underbelly of the city, into the emotional cesspool of her home, through the brutality of her high school, the clinical cat and mouse games with her shrink and her soaring fantasies of Billy Zero – her boyfriend and Rock ‘n’ Roll savior. Her travels also put her in contact with the seedier inhabitants of the city. Like Lance, her would-be savior who ultimately puts her life in jeopardy. Tracey’s stories begin to intertwine the truth with lies, and hope with despair as we move closer to the truth of Sonny’s disappearance.

The American waste stream is fast approaching a half billion tons annually. What are the effects all this waste will have on already strained natural resources? Why is so much of it produced? While every American creates almost 5 pounds of it every day, who is affected most? And who wants America to make more?

To raise the ransom needed to free his kidnapped wife, Arjun takes their family jewelry to a Pawnshop. With the help of an ancient Indian Trident and a healthy dose of Hindu spirituality, the mysterious and wise shopkeeper helps Arjun discover his inner warrior.

Short films screening in this program include: High Maintenance, Knowing, Passing, Pleasance, The Pre-Nup, Stuff

Who is Jack Sheldon? You may remember him as Merv Griffin’s comedic trumpet-wielding sidekick, or the indelible voice on School House Rock, but musicians know him as a jazz giant. Unlike his close friend, Chet Baker, Jack Sheldon survived the demons of drugs, alcohol, and unspeakable personal tragedy. As friend Billy Crystal puts it, “Jack Sheldon is the last cat standing from the bebop generation”. Featuring historic footage with Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton and other legends this film takes a deep look inside the soul of an artist who’s not just trying to “get good” on the trumpet, but in his life as well.

A family gathers at their mother’s home on the anniversary of her death. They are overwhelmed with grief and a shared sentiment of a regretted absence. In the middle of it all is Uncle Manuel, a remarkable man who is determined to support his brother-in-law, and help raise his children. Amid lost dreams, the family struggles to survive with one another, but most importantly, with themselves.

Short films screening in this program include: House of the Olive Trees, The Nemesis Bird, The Replacement Child, Ruthless

“Unconditional” tells the compelling story of how a seven-year old boy’s unconditional love for his mother prevails over the destructiveness of her drug addiction. Set in a run-down California neighborhood, a young boy struggles to find his place amid the chaos of his mother’s loveless one-night stands and all-night drug binges. Despite her downward spiral, this courageous little boy’s love for his mother never falters, and we see how it deepens when she is nearly taken from him.