Documentary Short Competition presented by You42
Documentary Short Program 1
Weekend trips, city breaks, a detour into nature or once around the world. Barely a few days off, you're already gone. Never before has the desire to travel been so widespread and visited places so overloaded. What do we get out of it, other than the picture proof that we have been there?
At 99 years old, Frank Lucianna is the oldest practicing attorney in America. And now, he's preparing to mount his final criminal defense. Frank has lost a step, but he won't be alone: his law partners are daughter Diane and Frank Carbonetti. Together, they hope the case will be the old man's greatest.
Shannet's voice echoes in the darkness. She is lost. The night scenery of a modern city opens up. She remembers it was a sunny summer day. As she wanders the empty streets, memories begin to haunt her. The cold concrete and a threatening stream of thoughts pull Shannet into an endless tunnel. Trapped in the horrifying reminiscences, the noise transforms into music. She is playing the violin; she is alive. It is a sunny summer day. Shannet finds herself in front of a motionless carousel, waiting. She smiles as her friends join her. Together with them, Shannet stands still in silence.
"Sandcastles" parallels two Singapores: one in Southeast Asia, and one buried on the western coast of Michigan. On top of sharing the same name, these two places also share a fraught relationship with sand. Singapore, Michigan was a thriving lumber town in the late 19th century until erosion from mass deforestation caused the sand dunes around it to shift and swallow the town whole. Just as quickly as Singapore, Michigan disappeared under sand, its namesake in the East emerged from it through land reclamation. The film weaves a narrative that intertwines the two Singapores to depict the temporal nature of human edifices built on and destroyed by nothing more than sand.
The Ojai School of Canine Massage provides professional training in the art and science of dog massage therapy. With a mix of whimsy and tenderness, “The School of Canine Massage” offers a portrait of this unique school and its dog-loving participants — revealing how people heal dogs and dogs heal people.
"We Ride for Her" follows the dual narratives of two Indigenous women: Lorna and Heather. Lorna is part of an Indigenous motorcycle group and sisterhood called The Medicine Wheel Riders. The sisters organize a ride every year called The Medicine Wheel Ride that brings the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) to Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the largest motorcycle rally in the United States. Heather is a travel nurse and devoted mother to her son Khalid. Khalid is in his final year of college and is dedicated to becoming an activist for Indigenous rights. Both Heather and Khalid are searching for their sister and aunt Susan, who went missing a little over a year ago.
Having built a colorful life in Iowa, a costume designer returns to their island hometown, Guam, to make costumes for a children's theater show and reconnect with distanced parents.