Silent River Film Festival Brings an Ambitious and Intriguing Lineup to Irvine

Based on the lineup for what's billed as Irvine's first international film festival, which kicks off today in conjunction with the city's 40th anniversary year and UC Irive's Film & Media Studies, is quite ambitious and intriguing. The eight-day Silent River Film Festival includes more than 80 hand-selected features, shorts
and documentaries from 20 countries in 15 languages. They screen through Sept. 16 at Edwards Westpark 8 and UCI's McCormick Theatre. The event begins with an opening-night gala at Kimera Restaurant & Lounge.
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Founded by Irvine poet, writer and film director
Kalpna Singh-Chitnis, the festival “is established with a vision to
discover, recognize and celebrate the spirit of independent filmmakers,
bringing the rich cinema of Eastern and Western cultures together,” according to a press release. “SRFF
will showcase award-winning films that are selected to share the
inspirations of the writers and moviemakers, and highlight the current
issues that surround us today.”

Singh-Chitnis' short film Girl with an Accent won the Silver
Ten Award at the SMTV Mumbai Film Festival in India in 2006. Her first feature film, Goodbye My Friend, makes its world premiere at the Irvine festival but is not in competition. She also
received the Rajbhasha Award in India for her poetry collection, Chand Ka Paivand.

The fest's press release includes the following welcome from Irvine's Mayor Pro Tem Beth Krom: “I'm very excited
about the first Silent River Film Festival in the city of Irvine. Being
an 'international crossroads city,' this is a perfect fit–and a perfect
way to celebrate our 40th anniversary.”

Daily screenings of the films listed on the next page will be followed by after-parties at Irvine restaurants. For tickets, showtimes and other information, visit DestinationIrvine.com or SilentRiverFilmFestival.com.
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Silent River Film Festival's 2011 Line Up

Narrative Features

1. I am Kalam (India) | Director. Nila Madhab Panda
2. Meherjaan (Bangladesh) | Director. Rubaiyat Hossain
3. The Kindness of Strangers (UK) | Director. Deborah Hadfield
4. Fairview St. (USA) | Director. Michael McCallum
5. Life! Camera Action (USA/India) | Director. Rohit Gupta
6. Dark Resonance (Bangladesh) | Director. Mithu Mahmood Khalid
7. Mausams (Singapore) | Director. Shilpa Krishnan Shulka
8. Finding Jenua (USA) | Director. Alison Mason
9. A. Hitler (USA) | Director. Barry Hershey (Non-competition)
10. Goodbye My Friend (USA) | Director. Kalpna Singh-Chitnis (Non-competition)

Documentary Features

1. The Highest Pass (USA) | Director. Jon Fitzgerald
2. Wild Eyes: The Abby Sunderland Story (USA) | Director. Laurence Sunderland
3. When the Dragon Swallowed the Sun (USA) | Director. Dirk Simon
4. Tareq Aziz: The Other Truth (Italy) | Director. Jean-Marie Benjamin
5. Wild Horses & Renegades (USA) | Director. James Kleinert
6. Death By Medicine (USA) | Director .Gary Null
7. Out of the Darkness (Germany) | Director. Stefano Levi
8. Catching Dreams (USA) | Director. Kevin Flint
9. Walking the Waking Journey (Nepal, Philippines) | Director. Ferdinand Balanag
10. John Muir in the New World (USA) | Director. Catherine Tatge
11. Problema: Who are we in the 21st Century? (Germany) | Director. Ralf Schmerberg
12. Changement I'Histoire a travers les yeux des Guineens (Italy) | Director. Chiara Cavallazzi
13. Strong Bodies Fight (USA) | Director. William Donaruma

Documentary Shorts

1. Striking a Chord (USA) | Director. Susan Cohn Rockefeller
2. Challenging Impossibilities (USA) | Director. Sanjay Rawal
3. Food for Thought (USA) | Director. Serena Felsher
4. We Come From Jambiani (USA) | Director. David Nonberg, Bobby Mober, MJ Lat

Short Films

1. When Life Gives You Lemons (Canada) | Director. Lee Chambers
2. Handcuffed (UK) | Director. Deborah Hadfield
3. Porque hay cosas que nunca se olvidan (Spain) | Director. Lucas M. Figueroa
4. Butterfly Circus (USA) | Director. Joshua Weigel
5. Heal (Pakistan) | Director. Mia Adnan Ahmad
6. Brief Encounter 21st Century (UK) | Director. Deborah Hadfield
7. Enganchate (Spain) | Director. Isabel Soria
8. Tasnim (Israel) | Director. Elite Zexer
9. Le Miroir (France) | Director. Sebastien Rossignol
10. Profile (Germany) | Director. Timo Pierre Rositzki
11. Nocturnal Animals (China) | Director. Carol Zhang
12. After She's Gone (USA) | Director. Eunice Lau
13. La Nina del Disierto (USA) | Director. Malachi Rempen
14. El Rayo Y La Sirena (Spain) | Director. Diego Sanchildrian
15. Heaven Garden (Brazil) | Director. Ari Candido Fernandes
16. Bathing & the Single Girl (USA) | Director. Christine Elise McCarthy
17. For Water (USA) | Director. Natalie Metzger
18. Beholden (USA) | Director. David Jibladze
19. Something Special (New Zealand) | Director. Kristie L. Simkins
20. Da Capo (Desde El Comienzo) (Spain) | Director. Jezabel Martinez
21. Mugs (USA) | Director. Ronnie Crammer
22. Long Live the Duke (USA) | Director. Matt Brailey
23. 11 24 (USA) | Director. Michele Gutierrez
24. La Orquesta De Las Mariposas (Spain) | Director. Isabel Soria
25. Plight of the Earth Fairy (USA) | Director. Kim Sheridan
26. The Continuing Adventures of the Battling Bag Lady – Black and Blue (USA) | Director. Lynnette Privatsky
27. The Child (USA) | Director. Shantal Reich
28. Relinquish (USA) | Director. Garrett Goldenberg
29. Polly (USA) | Director. Clayton Olsen
30. One for Sorrow (USA) | Director. Linda Brieda
31. The Park (UK) | Director. Michael Lavers

Short Films (Colleges and Universities)

1. The Response (USA) | Director. Andrew Spiler
2. Raju (Germany/India) | Director. Max Zahle
3. Fiasco (USA) | Director. Nadia Hamzeh
4. Another Day Another Life (USA) | Director. Rohit Gupta
5. Uss Paar (India) | Director. Arati Kadav
6. The Haymaker (Canada/ USA) | Daniel Dalimonte
7. Jeremy (USA) | Director. Brian Faye
8. Free Lunch (USA) | Director. Rick Curnutt
9. The Last Page (USA) | Director. Kevin Acevedo
10. Play Time (USA) | Director. Roxy Shih
11. The Show Must Go On (USA) | Director. Sean O'Brien
12. She's a Fox (USA) | Director. Cameron Sawyer
13. No Strings Attached (USA) | Director. Steven Jonatan
14. Let the Block Know (USA) | Director. Lai San Ho, Lynne Koester

Animation Shorts

1. Topi (USA) | Director. Arjun Rihan
2. Sharfik (USA) | Director. Karina Gazizova
3. Prayers for Peace (USA) | Director. Dustin Grella
4. Bait (USA) | Director. Michael Moore
5. Hop to It (USA) | Director. Michael Cusic
6. Cranked & Cursed (USA) | Director. Todd DeJong

Teen Shorts

1. Losing Touch (USA) | Director. Nicole Abbott
2. The 36 (USA) | Director. Nic Weinfeld
3. Tie Man (USA) | Director. Katherine Harrison
4. How Could She? (USA) | Director. Kevin Rieg
5. My Name is Anna (USA) | Director. Tara-Nicole Axarian

SilentRiverFilmFestival.com