Friday, February 6 – Thursday, February 26, 2015

CRISIS HOTLINE: VETERANS PRESS 1 (USA/40 min.)
Dir. Ellen Goosenberg Kent
The timely documentary CRISIS HOTLINE: VETERANS PRESS 1 spotlights the traumas endured by America’s veterans, as seen through the work of the hotline’s trained responders, who provide immediate intervention and support in hopes of saving the lives of service members.

JOANNA (Poland/40 min.)
Dir. Aneta Kopacz
With great visual poetry, ‘Joanna’ portrays the simple and meaningful moments in the life of her family. Diagnosed with an untreatable illness, Joanna promises her son that she will do her best to live for as long as possible. It is a story of close relationships, tenderness, love and thoughtfulness.

OUR CURSE (Canada/Poland/27 min.)
Dir. Tomasz Œliwiñski
The film is a personal statement of the director and his wife, who have to deal with a very rare and incurable disease of their newborn child – the Ondine’s Curse (also known as CCHS, congenital central hypoventilation syndrome). People affected with this disease stop breathing during sleep and require lifetime mechanical ventilation on a ventilator.

THE REAPER (Mexico/27 min.)
Dir. Gabriel Serra Argüello
Efrain, known as the Reaper, has worked at a slaughterhouse for 25 years. We will discover his deep relationship with death and his struggle to live.

WHITE EARTH (USA/20 min.)
Dir. J. Christian Jensen
Thousands of souls flock to America’s Northern Plains seeking work in the oil fields. “White Earth” is the tale of an oil boom seen through unexpected eyes. Three children and an immigrant mother brave a cruel winter and explore themes of innocence, home and the American Dream.

Oscar Shorts! 2015 Live Action Program
Oscar Shorts! 2015 Animated Program