The Romance Language

2019 | Best Comedy | Mitchell Keeran | 6:46 | Mason City, IA

Bobbie is a hopeless romantic, but he tries to teach himself how to speak Spanish so he can ask out a beautiful transfer student, Eulaulia.

Special Delivery

2019 | Best Comedy | Eric Lang | 12:00 | Omaha, NE

When Corey opens a package addressed to his girlfriend, he finds himself in a situation that must be handled with care.

Virginity

2019 | Best Comedy | Raza Rizvi | 14:47 | Sudburym MA

A young couple has decided they are ready for their first time. They just don’t exactly know what they’re doing.

Murphy’s Law

2019 | Best Comedy | Jim Brockhohn | 17:33 | Forest City, IA

Murphy’s life is in Shambles. He believes that seeking for a near death experience, may provide him with a better perspective of LIFE.

Enemy Territory 2: Future Fight

2019 | Best Comedy | Matt Wagner | 16:33 | Urbandale, IA

In the sequel to Enemy Territory, two boys have their mission interrupted by an even more important one — in the future.

Neptune

2019 | Best Micro-Short | Sen3 Productions | 1:55

A woman is confronted with an otherworldly threat.

Postfactum

2019 | Best Micro-Short | Salvatore Metastasio | 3:12 | Cork, Ireland

A robbery happens inside a café but nobody notice it because too absorbed by their smartphones.

Just in Time

2019 | Best Micro-Short | Mike Sheehan | 1:00 | Saint Petersburg, FL

Three friends find themselves caught in a race against the clock. Will they make it in time?

The Honey War

2019 | Best Micro-Short | Landon Walsh | 1:41 | Muscatine, IA

A short animated tale of heroism, betrayal, and countless other nonsense as you learn about the stupidest war Iowa has ever been involved in.

Natura Obscura

2019 | Best Micro-Short | Kelsey Quakenbush | 3:55 | Westminster, CO

A former deputy district attorney leaves her law books behind to find her true nature and shares the meaning of her discovery with others culminating in the successful immersive art experience, Natura Obscura.

Unimate

2019 | Best Micro-Short | Nolan Quade | 1:20

A scientist builds himself someone who he has always loved, himself.

A Christmas Surprise

2019 | Best Micro-Short | Chit-Chat Gaming | 3:40

Christina is used to celebrating Christmas every year without her husband & father of their child. This holiday season they are about to get an unexpected surprise under their Christmas tree.

SUBVERSION

2019 | Best Micro-Short | Patrick Burns | 3:57

Thriller/ Chase Scene

At the Violet Hour

2019 | Murder & Mayhem | Best Micro-Short | 3:43

A young man in the throes of addiction carelessly wanders from one situation to the next.

The Baker Institute

2019 | Baker Film Block | Chad Bishop | 66:00 | Muscatine, IA | Not eligible for awards

World Premiere of the Baker Institute is Saturday at 2pm. This is a feature length documentary that features interviews and research regarding Muscatine’s most infamous former resident “Norman Baker”.

Mother of All Time

2019 | Best Sci-Fi/Experimental | P. Sam Kessie | 4:06

An experimental dance project that explores the relationship between time, space, dance, and music. This was the first of it’s kind to combine choreographed dance, hyperlapse presentation, and dramatic camera movement. The piece shows how a person’s interpretation of time can affect their perception of movement.

The Book of Faces

2019 | Best Sci-Fi/Experimental | Rus Blemker | 15:15 | Chicago IL

Five teens join a creepy website where you can conduct a séance by video chat – what could go wrong? This is an exciting new entry in the desktop film genre. The title and tagline is a play on words as the feature length version goes even deeper – social media ills become truly EVIL.

FLAVA

2019 | Best Sci-Fi/Experimental | 20:00 | West Des Moines IA

Raekwon, the actor behind a popular energy drink mascot named Lil Pooky, is criticized for the messages his performances send to the public. In a knee jerk attempt to put a message behind his character, he finds that Lil Pooky may be tied into a horrifying conspiracy.

72 Seconds

2019 | Best Sci-Fi/Experimental | Jeremy Ferguson | 25:13 | Muscatine, IA

In 1977, a mysterious 72 second radio transmission was picked up from the M55 star cluster. Jim is on a mission to explore the region, but to find what he is looking for, he must confront the life he left behind. Is 72 seconds enough time for a second chance?

Enemy Territory 2: Future Fight

2019 | Best Sci-Fi/Experimental | Matt Wagner | 16:33 | Urbandale, Iowa

In the sequel to Enemy Territory, two boys have their mission interrupted by an even more important one — in the future.

In the House of Paper Flowers

2019 | Best Short Film | Anita George | 7:30 | Altadena, CA

In a house covered with papery flowers, a woman with white hair, two cats and a tiny wolf songstress learns a valuable lesson about the enduring power of love.

Haunting the Haunted

2019 | Best Short Film | John Gigrich | 6:05 | New York, NY

The crew of a haunted house try to find a teenage trouble making ghost, even though they’re not sure if she’ll talk their ears off or rip their limbs off.

Bella

2019 | Best Short Film | Seth D. Myers | 18:27 | Dubuque, IA

A young female dancer travels on an emotional journey through psychological and physical worlds to discover a crucial truth that lives within her.

Knee High

2019 | Best Short Film | Marissa Vonn | 13:50 | Ottumwa, IA

Set against the Iowa farmlands, KNEE HIGH follows Calvin Melbourne as he struggles to keep hold of the reins to the family farm while still making time for his young son, Avery.

DREAM DATE

2019 | Best Short Film | Phillip Lindsey | 24:56 | North Hollywood, CA

Daron goes on a blind date with a girl he met on the internet. His car is stolen during his dinner date, and he must learn to trust a crazy girl he just met in an attempt to get his car back.

The Interrogation

2019 | Best Short Film | Bob Klein | 19:00 | Hackensack, NJ

When a middle-aged “nice guy” is taken into a police interrogation room by a female officer, he soon realizes that perhaps he hasn’t been such a nice guy after all.

In the Driver’s Seat

2019 | Best Short Film | Ralph Klisiewicz | 19:23 | Chicago, IL

A biker and a driver get into an accident on a cold winter morning. They begin to argue about fault, but come to no conclusion. They decide to go to a nearby coffee shop to discuss the matter further. However, once at the cafe, the argument takes a turn. A deeper conflict between the characters is revealed. Showing little respect for the biker, the driver challenges his adversary. The subsequent conversation evolves into a play of control and manipulation.

Damaged

2019 | Best Short Film | Santiago Sun | 16:44

While at war, a US Army Sergeant helps one of his soldiers cover up the murder of another making it look like a suicide. His life is turned upside down as the soldier is racked with guilt and wants to confess his crime.

Take Me To Church

2019 | Best Short Film | Elise Edens | 10:46 | Moline, IL

Born into an Irish Catholic family, Saoirse and Nora were raised to be religiously conservative, but when Saoirse fell in love with someone who was unacceptable to family standards, she was ostracized. Four years later, Nora finds herself in an unconventional situation, and needing a more impartial opinion, she tracks down her shunned sister for help.

Blake

2019 | Best Short Film | David Busch | 12:48 | Iowa City, IA

“Blake” is a heartwarming short film about a man and his cat. And time travel.

The Burial

2019 | Best Short Film | Jack Meggers | 24:55 | West Des Moines, IA

Abby is a young American woman, a recent college drop out, of Native American and Caucasian descent. She is called to her childhood home, the upper Mississippi River valley, after the death of her estranged father. There, she is tasked with burying a father she hardly knew. Once back in the tiny river town she called home as a child, Abby runs into her childhood friend, Haley, and Haley’s new boyfriend, the charismatic yet threatening Tyler. Avoiding her responsibility, Abby carouses with her small town friends. The threesome heads downriver and in the woods, they discover an undocumented ancient Indian burial mound, a remnant of a 1,800-year-old indigenous society. Their exploits disturb the sacred space, and an ancient sickness is awakened inside them. The friends turn against each other and must fight for survival.

FALSE NUGATORY

2019 | Best Short Film | Patrick Burns | 9:01 | Muscatine, IA

A group of friends before and after an unexpected death.

A Talk With The Devil

2019 | Best Short Film | Dylan Jaeger | 7:16 | Mount Vernon, IA

Jackie’s past comes back to haunt him in this short thriller “A Talk With The Devil”

Saving Grace – Pilot Episode

2019 | Best Short Film | Michael Huntington | 21:29

Ex-communicated mafia member, Joey, plans to take out his former mob boss Tommy; driven not only by his desire for revenge on Tommy, but also by his passion for protecting his hometown of Grace City from the corrupt forces taking root in the mob.

Leslie’s Gift

2019 | Best Short Film | Charles Cunliffe | 11:04 | Dubuque, IA

A man who is visiting his parents grave with his sister, reminiscing about their childhood, is surprised by her unexpected gift of forgiveness.

Nocturnal

2019 | Best Short Film | Ben Schmidt | 17:29

Owen is out for a evening stroll when he encounters a young woman named Mercy who claims she is being followed by a strange man. Owen decides to walk Mercy home, thinking he can keep her safe. However, as the night goes on, it is revealed there is more to Mercy and this strange man than it seems.

A Love Affair (in Brief)

2019 | Best Student Film | Amber Krieg | 4:14 | Dubuque, Iowa

Hopeless romantic Casey details the events of the twisted, brief, love affair that has distanced her from her “boyfriend” Allen.

Evil Acts, Freak Storms, Infidelity & Murder

2019 | Best Student Film | Drew Lawton | 10:01

In Iowa City’s Oakland Cemetery sits the mysterious Black Angel. Is it just a statue, or is there more?

Cordelia Moves In

2019 | Best Student Film | Shannon Mulligan | 11:20

Lester meets his strange new roommates, Cordelia and Conrad, who are very obviously hiding something. Little do they know, he’s hiding something too.

Five Course Meal

2019 | Murder & Mayhem | James Cadden | 6:00 | Alberta, Canada

Mark and Jenny agree to take part in a mysterious experiment for money. Things get exceptionally messy. Based on the short story by Josh Saltzman.

Tea Party

2019 | Murder & Mayhem | Kevin Isaacson | 8:16 | Manly, IA

A Southern belle hosts a twisted tea party for the very classmates who tortured her in high school.

Nocturnal

2019 | Murder & Mayhem | Ben Schmidt | 17:29

Owen is out for a evening stroll when he encounters a young woman named Mercy who claims she is being followed by a strange man. Owen decides to walk Mercy home, thinking he can keep her safe. However, as the night goes on, it is revealed there is more to Mercy and this strange man than it seems.