Chronicles of Courage | Directed by Ernest Mills | 25 min. | United Kingdom, 2015. East Coast premiere. To coincide with the 2014-2015 Centenary of the First World War, Chronicles of Courage explores 3 very personal, contrasting experiences of the war. The message is a heartbreaking one, as resonant today as it was 100 years ago.
Les Corps Estranger (Strange Bodies) | Directed by Laura Wandel | 15 min. | Belgium, 2014. During physiotherapy at a local swimming pool, a war photographer is apprehensive ot the gaze of others and he proximity of other bodies. The physiotherapist treating him also tries to rehabilitate the way he looks at the world around him.
Where We Begin | Directed by Mitsuyo Miyazaki | 22 min. | USA, 2015. New England premiere. Sophia reflects on her past in the last hours of her life - She is a young, vibrant woman who falls in love with a gypsy boy, Leo. Through dance movements, we shed light on the many faces of love and life, the pressures we place upon ourselves, and those that others place onto us. “Where We Begin” is a story of courage, perseverance and the strength to endure all other obstacles.
Riding My Way Back | Directed by Robin Fryday | 28 min. | USA, 2014. Riding My Way Back' is a short documentary that chronicles one soldier's journey back from the brink of suicide. In 2010,Staff Sergeant Aaron Heliker returned from multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), in addition to third-degree burns and nerve damage from a roadside bomb. At his most desperate and isolated, on 42 medications and suicidal, Aaron is introduced to the unlikeliest of saviors: a horse named Fred. Through caring for Fred and building mutual trust, Aaron begins the difficult process of reconnecting to the world around him and healing the terrible, invisible wounds of war that had nearly defeated him.
The Haircut | Directed by Alexis Korycinski | 14 min. | USA, 2014 It's 1976 and petite 18-year-old Amy is among the first class of female cadets accepted into military service academies. Under incredible emotional and physical strain, Amy struggles to survive her first day, battling vicious sexism, swallowing self-doubt, and fighting to prove she has what it takes.
