16th Annual Chesapeake Film Festival

Sunday, October 1 at The Ebenezer

12 Noon – 1:20 PM   

The Life and Legend of Jane Goodall - Documentary Feature, TRT: 60 min. Directed by Judith Dwan Hallet. Jane Goodall’s life-long work studying chimpanzees, the first in-depth profile on her life.  Live  Q & A with Judith Dwan Hallet, director of The Life and Legend of Jane Goodall.  

1:20 – 2:10 PM  

Outdoors Maryland – MPT Television Segment, Natural History, TRT: 26:45 min, Three shorts about Maryland’s natural resources: one woman’s quest to revive the Chesapeake Bay’s oyster population; volunteers search for historic Mason-Dixon line markers to save them; Maryland’s Monarch Butterflies and efforts to preserve their numbers.  Live  Q & A with Sarah Sampson, Senior Producer of Outdoors Maryland/MPT and Irene Magafan, Producer of World Wildlife Fund and CFF Board Member. 

2:10 – 3:30PM   Animations  

Freedom Swimmer – Animation, TRT: 15 min, United Kingdom. Directed by Olivia Martin-McGuire. One of the most extraordinary mass escapes of the 20th century that tells the tale of a grandfather’s perilous swim from China to Hong Kong during the Cultural Revolution.

Tying The Knot – Animation, TRT: 2:17 min Directed by Ryan Wilton Zlatniski. A String feels overwhelmed by his tedious life, but finds comfort in a new relationship.  

Something Fishy – Animated Short, TRT: 3:30 min, Directed by Christina Woo. Sara is getting ready to go on a date with her new boyfriend, but Jessica, Sara’s pet goldfish notices something not quite right about him.  

ETC. – Animation, TRT: 6:18 min, Spain, Directed by Pablo Millan. A man gets caught in a rut due to a dominating presence.  

An Elliptic Expedition - Animation, TRT: 2 min, USA Directed by Kristian Panashe Chitate. A visual music animation showing a ball on a short rhythmic adventure.  

The Flying Sailor - Animation, TRT: 7:53 min, Canada, Directed by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis.  Two ships collide in a harbour, an explosion shatters a city, and a sailor is blasted skyward. With ears ringing, blood pulsing and guts heaving, he soars high above the mayhem and towards the great unknown. A bold blend of comedy, suspense and philosophy.   

Mary - Animation, TRT: 1:30 min, Directed by Wyatt Carson. The hijinx of a cat’s exploration of a bedroom at night.   

Bug Box - Animation, TRT: 2:30 min, Directed by Kat Navarro. A box full of bugs, snails, and the fleeting childhood memories of summer.  

Wish You Were Here – Animation, TRT: 5:42 min, Directed by Colman Hallinan. A visual poem written as a letter from a brother to his deceased younger sister that explores grief. Live Q & A with the filmmakers and students including Kristian Panashe Chitate who directed An Elliptic Expedition; and Kat Navarro who directed Bug Box and Wyatt Carson who directed Mary will be on hand to answer questions.  Phil Davis, currently a professor of animation and digital art in the department of Art and Design at Towson University and Founder and Director of Programming for the Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival will moderate the panel.  

3:30 – 4:50PM  Student Shorts  

A River Called Home – Student Environmental Short, TRT: 26:46 min Directed by Jess Wiegandt. A River Called Home follows the journey and challenges of four women who launch at the headwaters of the James River in Virginia and paddle to the Chesapeake Bay.  

Lorraine – Student Short, TRT: 9:21 min – USA Directed by Jeremiah Battle. In this documentary, Lorraine Battle speakes on the death of her son, Calvin Antoine Battle. One of the biggest burdens a soul can carry is the loss of a loved one.  

Shifting Tides – Student Short, TRT: 9:18 min, USA Directed by James Mertz. Multi-generational watermen in southern Maryland try to adapt and survive in the face of climate change, rising costs and increased regulation.     

East of the River – Student Short, TRT: 11:27, USA Directed by Amin El Siwi and Phil Bouknight. The story of the Kenilworth area from its days as a burn-pit landfill to its reclamation as a park.  

A Reason for Hope – Student Environmental Short, TRT: 4:54, USA Directed by Mason Mirabile. The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and how one community is embracing the change.  Live Q & A with the filmmakers including Jess Wiegandt who directed A River Called Home, Jeremiah Battle who directed Lorraine, James Mertz who directed Shifting Tides and Mason Mirabile who directed A Reason for Hope.  This panel will be moderated by Kimberly Skyrme, director and producer of Butterfly Films and CFF Board Member.     

4:50 – 5:30PM  Comedy Shorts 

Block  In a Funk – Comedy Short, TRT: 6:40 min, USA A film about a character feeling funky.  

Another Man’s Trash – Comedy Short, TRT: 30 min,  USA Directed by John Bukovec. A heartfelt comedy, follows the life of Theodore Fuocco, a successful yet embittered businessman in Philadelphia who comes to terms with his personal issues when he crosses paths with a talented, down-on-his-luck homeless man. 

5:45 – 7:15PM  Closing Night Film  

The Automat – Documentary Feature, TRT: 79.3 min -- USA Directed by Lisa Hurwitz. The 100-year story of the iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, the inspiration for Starbucks, where generations of Americans ate and drank coffee together at communal tables. Live Q & A with director Lisa Hurwitz following the screening moderated by Martin Zell, CFF President. 

Founded in 2008, it is the mission of the Chesapeake Film Festival to entertain, empower, educate and inspire diverse audiences of all ages by presenting exceptional independent films and events. We offer outstanding filmmakers, experienced and emerging, a forum to showcase and discuss stories of compelling interest to our local and global community. Because of our location on the Chesapeake Bay and our diverse population, we prioritize films that focus on the environment and social justice issues. The Festival also strives to be an economic engine for the Eastern Shore by enticing visitors to experience exceptional films, world-famous seafood, art, and the beauty of our waterways.