HIGH CONCEPT/LOW BUDGET FILMS

Tales of Mere Existence - Ready - Lev Yilmaz, San Franicsco - 4min, mini dv, An honest depiction of a struggle that taunts us all.

Mates of State: Fraud in the 80s - Arno Salters & Daniel Cavey, San Francisco - 4 min, hd & stills, A whimsically painted chest whose drawers pop open to the beat of a paper cutout band.

Sideshow - Lisa LaBracio, New York - 5 min, animation, A nostalgic animation that explores the ¬ ruminations of a retired clown.

The Curling Stones - Pascal Franchot & Jason Young, Los Angeles - 5 min, mini dv, Inspired by the Olympic sport of curling, Canadian artist Jason Young, creates a “curling” match installation out of highly polished aluminum “curling-stone” sculptures.

Dear Bill Gates - Sarah J. Christman, Philadelphia - 17 min, mini dv, A simple correspondence evolves into a poetic visual essay exploring the ownership of our visual history and culture. Combining original and archival film, video and images from the internet, “Dear Bill Gates” draws unexpected connections among mining, memory and Microsoft.

Man From Below - Episode 1 - Charile Tweed & Siobhan Wootton, London - 8 min, mini dv, The Man From Below leaves his old life behind to instigate an underground revolution.

Prioritaire - Leah Dieterich, Los Angeles - 5 min, dvcpro, A written correspondence elegantly confronts the weight timing plays relationships.

Pretty Things "I Want To Know" - Michael Lucid & A. Barrett, Hollywood - 3 min, mini dv, Got questions about the birds and the bees? If knowing is half the battle, this lover is only halfway to figuring out where her baby came from.

Potty Talk - Rick Curnutt, Garden Grove - 5 min, 16 mm, One couple explores bathroom etiquette after a boundary is clearly crossed.

looking for a roommate - David Santamaria, San Francisco - 4 min, mini dv, Finding a roommate isn’t easy, even with the help of craigslist. Follow one man's search for a perfect to his unique compulsion.

Still Life With Flowers - Leo Bridle, Southhampton - 2 min, animation, A trans-global tale of desert island castaways, giant flowers and baked bean tins.

Love in Familiar Places - Jason Labatt, San Franicsco - 5 min, mini dv, When couples start to look alarmingly similar, maybe there’s a reason.

Mean - Sebastian Ischer & Marina Parker - 30 min, mini dv, At hi/lo, we know that $40 million dollars can kill a good idea, but this film proves that you don't need a big budget to sport a big ego. Watch the director take center stage in this behind-the-scenes view of filmmaking.