The Second Annual

GIRL IMPROVED (short) FILM & THEATRE FESTIVAL

GIFT Fest 2020

Presented by ImprovEd Arts and Ground Floor Theatre

Online (POWERED BY FILMOCRACY): August 1st-2nd, 2020
BLUE STARLITE Drive-In: August 3rd, 2020

At GIFT Fest 2020, all content met the following parameters:​

– Key creative crew members were at least 50% female or nonbinary;
– At least 50% of the characters in the piece were female or nonbinary;
– The story was centered outside the realm of romance;
– And it was ten minutes or less.

 

 

GIFT FEST 2020 AWARD WINNERS

 

D&T FIGLIO BEST OF FEST AWARD: Cravings | Maryanna Tollemache (17)
$150 cash prize

HEART OF TEXAS AWARD: Missing Pieces | Talia Washington (17)
$100 cash prize

AUDIENCE AWARD: Wake Up! | Arianna Williams (16)
$100 cash prize

SHELTER-IN-PLACE AWARD: Reach | Eden Quine-Taylor (16)
$100 cash prize

INNOVATION AWARD: Patient 6208Danielle Martinez (18)
$100 cash prize

ONE TO WATCH AWARD: RunawayMichelle Tang (14)
$100 cash prize

LITTLEST FILMMAKER AWARD: Magik Head | Anastasia Shinkarenko (7)
$50 cash prize

PHOTO GALLERY

Click on photo to start the slideshow.

SHOW BLOCKS FOR GIFT FEST 2020

Selected from submissions by young creators around the world, the virtual GIFT Fest 2020 featured work created by forty female and nonbinary artists ages 18 and younger.

SCREENING BLOCK 1

Featuring:

  • “Chupacabra Uncovered” (Kate Saltel, 17) TEXAS
    After discovering a chupacabra, two friends set out to make a documentary proving its existence equipped with a supposedly reliable resource from Reddit.
  • “Alter” (Kate Saltel, 17) TEXAS
    An experimental film about the perception of media during the coronavirus pandemic and the feeling of numbness to the news. *Shelter-in-place*
  • “Reach” (Eden Quine-Taylor, 16) UK
    Have you ever dreamed of achieving the unimaginable ? Have you ever dreamed of reaching for something so beyond your limits that you’ve been told to stop? To give up? ‘ Reach’ is a short film for all of the dreamers out there. 
  • “WAKE UP” (Arianna Williams, 16) NEW YORK
    In quarantine, teenage girl Arianna, wakes up only to live another day in isolation. From chaotic times attempting to balance schoolwork to finding a way to “float” through the day. But all this filmed with same storytelling question in mind, “what would Spike Lee do (WWSLD)?” *Shelter-in-place*
  • “Colors Run” (Olivia Carter, 17) TEXAS
    The unlikely friendship of a broken old soul and a young imaginative girl ends up in them ultimately saving each others lives. *Not eligible for Awards*
  • “In HER Eyes” (Brianna Gallardo , Sofia Prieto Black , Ashley Aguilar, Atinuké Asalu, 16) OKLAHOMA
    A closer look into a girl’s daily life living in the U.S. as an Asian American amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We are four students from the Fresh Films Virtual Summer Program who live in different cities across the U.S. We met with each other virtually and worked on the short film without ever meeting in person! The majority of our group has never had any film experience before and we worked collaboratively on this short film.
  • “Kaleidoscopes” (Lily Barfield, 16) FLORIDA 
    The Writer/Director of Kaleidoscopes opens up about her experience with bipolar disorder in the form of a poem.
  • “Longface” (Lily Barfield, 16) FLORIDA 
    A girl wanders around her town in search for one thing: to find what makes her smile.
  • “The Test” (Michelle Tang, 15) NEW JERSEY
    Michelle, a high school student, and her friend are put in quarantine due to a case of the Corona Virus at their school. She becomes increasingly anxious as she waits for her test to come back. *Shelter-in-place*
  • “Runaway” (Michelle Tang, 14 at the time of production) NEW JERSEY
    Jackie is going to run away from home. She plans for everything. Well, almost everything…
  • “Crunch” (Zia Schwartz Kinzy, 17) TEXAS
    The wait is unbearable… *Shelter-in-place* *Not eligible for Awards*
  • “Removal Recommended” (Zia Schwartz Kinzy, 17) TEXAS
    A narrative-documentary exploring the bizarre connection between us and our leg hair. *Not eligible for Awards*
  • “Image” (Gracie Flores, 17) CALIFORNIA
    Alexandra, an introverted 15 year old girl, faces the new person she’s become.
  • “In Loving Memory” (Izzy Krause, 17) TEXAS
    An experimental film about the five stages of grief, that the filmmaker wrote after her grandfather passed away.
  • “Missing Pieces” (Talia Washington, 17) TEXAS
    Two friends must re-evaluate their relationship after one betrays the other’s secret.
SCREENING BLOCK 2

Featuring:

  • “My Red Ball” (Esabella Strickland, 13) CANADA
    An urban legend about a girl who has been bullied and socially alienated in school because of her learning disabilities. She is so lonely that she makes friends with a boy in the forest and soon disappears with her red ball (her heart).
  • “How to Draw a Self-Portrait” (Poppy Harris) TEXAS
    A young lady teaches art with uncooperative arms. From Film Kids program
  • “You can achieve anything, just believe it!” (Students of Agios Dimitrios Primary School, 12) GREECE
    How many women do bosses trust in their jobs? What are women’s pay compared to men’s? What are the incentives that the state gives women to be able to have children? Women deserve our respect, starting with mother, grandmother, wife, partner, colleague.
  • “Locked in the Library” (Jane Hoinski and Gracie Press) TEXAS
    A young lady who runs in the hallway reflects on the events that led her to lock-up. From the Film Kids program.
  • “Magic Head” (Anastasia Shinkarenko, 7) UKRAINE
    The story of an amazing Magic Head that saved birds and animals from villains. She not only punished the villains, but also gives them kind hearts.
  • “Quarantine Pals” (Isabella Anderson, 12) TEXAS
    This film is about friends who are able to hang out with masks, but struggle not being able to hug each other. In this comedy, the friends learn to wear masks and still have fun! *Shelter-in-place*
  • “Lisel’s House Tour” (Lisel, 10) TEXAS
    Lisel gives a tour of her house. *Shelter-in-place*
  • “The Dancing Disruption” (Katharine Pruett-Ponvert, 10) TEXAS
    A silent film about the evils of Fortnite dancing. From the Film Kids program.
  • “Autism” (Annika, 12) TEXAS
    A documentary about autism’s advantages and disadvantages, symptoms and therapies. *Shelter-in-place*
  • “100% Girl” (Chen Liangyu, 14) TAIWAN
    The difference between men and women creates the most difficult battlefield in the world. Magical kitchen appliances try to do a little magic to fight for peaceful and sweet life. 
  • “Doggone It: The Humans Are Home!” (Jessica Brynn Cohen, 14) TEXAS
    Maui the Havachon is surprised to see his humans at home with him all day everyday since the pandemic has struck the country. He is tired from all the playing, treats, and walks he now has to endure everyday, but he goes along with it to keep his humans happy. *Shelter-in-place*
  • “My New Best Friend” (Ella Schupp, 14) TEXAS
    A lonely girl is bullied but then feels hopeful when she meets a new friend. She soon discovers he is not who he appears to be and begins to make her question everything.

 

SCREENING BLOCK 3

Featuring:

  • “ROTTEN” (Maryanna Tollemache, Emily Steinbomer, 17) TEXAS
    An experimental horror that follows a teen girl reliving her abusive relationship through flashbacks and memories.
  • “Cravings” (Maryanna Tollemache, 17) TEXAS
    An experimental horror about the gruesome reality of living with an eating disorder.
  • “Elevated” (Gracie Marcellus, 18) VIRGINIA 
    A young couple gets trapped inside of an elevator, which then forces them to confront their relationship issues.
  • “Baka” (Isabella Saban, 16) NEW YORK
    Baka is a woman who spends her life making sure her family feels cared for, loved and well fed. With a little cooking and singing, she’s bringing the family together one day at a time.
  • “Words From a Kid in 2020” (Isabella Saban, 16) NEW YORK
    A 14 year old boy expresses his thoughts and feelings surrounding the 2020 pandemic. *Shelter-in-place*
  • “Evie – A Teenagers Struggles” (Thalia Torio, 17) NEW YORK
    Growing up as a teenager in 2020 is very difficult. We follow 16 year old, Evie, through her day while she faces the struggles many teenagers today face.
  • “On The Line” (Sophia Sutter, 16) TEXAS
    A film made during quarantine about information overload. *Shelter-in-place*
  • “Hey there, Delilah Animatic” (Beatrice Rose, 16) TEXAS
    An animatic about missing your friends during Covid lockdown in New York.
  • “Skin” (Bridget Beecham, Hannah Peaslee, 17) TEXAS
    Kay, like many adolescents her age, struggles with her blemished skin. In this film, a young girl comes to terms with her imperfect appearance.
  • “Yes, I’m Changing” (Julie Garcia, 18) CALIFORNIA
    A walk home brings forth a reminiscence and recollection of a woman’s past.
  • “Suicide Prevention” (Julie Garcia, 18) CALIFORNIA
    Outlines the resources an Orange County high school has available to students who not only struggle with suicide, but with other personal and external issues. 
  • “Insides to Outsides” (Bella Shepard, 16) TEXAS
    An experimental short made from the confinements of quarantine in a suburban neighborhood. *Shelter-in-place*
  • “You Were Only Waiting” (Bella Shepard, 16) TEXAS 
    A girl and her best friend discover the secrets they have kept from one another over a phone call.
  • “Last Man” (Sadie Lorena Sweitzer, 17) TEXAS
    The last man on Earth awakens to discover he is alone. There are no bodies, his friends don’t answer the phone, and the radio only plays silence. Solitude and desperation lead him to question his reality altogether. *Shelter-in-place*
  • “May and Marge” (Georgia Horton, 16) TEXAS
    In this comedic short, May, a lively young woman, filled with the joy of life, moves into her new home only to be harangued by Marge, her elderly, nosy neighbor.
  • “Kinga” (Georgia Horton, 16) TEXAS
    A documentary about a prolific artist.
  • “Patient 6208” (Danielle Martinez, 18) TEXAS
    An unknown infection has broken out as a medical team tries to contain the infected.

 

WORKSHOPS FROM GIFT FEST 2020

WORKSHOP: SHOOTING WITH A CREW OF ONE

Description: Tips and tricks for guerilla filmmaking in the time of COVID. Ideas for how to use the resources you have (i.e. using home lighting fixtures to get great lighting, how to get the best sound, etc.) Led by: Kayla Sullers is a 20 year old native of Chicago, Illinois, and a rising Junior at Grambling State University majoring in Mass Communication. Prior to attending college, her work as an award winning filmmaker has been recognized by the Chicago International Film Festival’s CineYouth,  Museum of Science & Industry Black Art Exhibition, WTTW Chicago Public Media and many more publications. Kayla recently finished working as an intern for the camera department on the FOX’s hit television series Empire and as a second unit Digital Utility for the up and coming Jordan Peele film, Candyman. Kayla currently works as a Student Mentor for DePaul University’s “Becoming a Filmmaker” CHA summer program all while working as a freelance filmmaker. 

 

WORKSHOP: WRITING A MONOLOGUE FOR DIGITAL PERFORMANCE

Description: This workshop will offer step-by-step guidance on building a character, working through monologue structure, setting, dialogue and conflict. You will work on having a monologue you can perform for a digital audience. Led by: Karen Cecilia is a Playwright/Screenwriter/Educator. Her work has been seen in NYC and in regional theaters and she has received recognition for her work. She is a member of The Actors Studio Playwrights/Directors Workshop, The League of Professional Theater Women and The Dramatists Guild. She teaches theater and writing at colleges in New York and New Jersey. (Upcoming Fall 2020) Publications: 100 MONOLOGUES FROM NEW PLAYS 2020 — WOMEN Limelight Editions/The Applause Acting Series.

GIFT FEST 2020 THANKS:

PARIS VINCENT, NAMRATA PRAKASH, SELOME HAILU, JANELLE PERUSI, ZIA SCHWARTZ KINZY, OLIVIA CARTER, KAYLA SULLERS, KAREN CECILIA, HOLLY PORTER PHILIPS, PAUL JUN, KASIA KACZMARCZYK, ANALISA MARIA SWEETEN, BELLA SHEPARD