Jacksonville Film Festival 2009

Panoramic visuals, cutting-edge technologies and engaging interviews position 400 Years of the Telescope as the must-see cinematic feature for the International Year of Astronomy in 2009. Beautifully photographed in 4K resolution digital cinematography, the film is a visually stunning chronicle of the history of the telescope from the time of Galileo, its profound impact upon the science of astronomy, and how both have shaped the way we view ourselves in the midst of an infinite universe. The Interstellar Studios production team traveled the globe to interview leading astronomers and cosmologists from the world’s renowned universities and observatories. The producers sought the most acute minds at great astronomical centers including the European Southern Observatory, Institute for Astronomy, SETI Institute, Space Telescope Science Institute, Anglo-Australian Observatory, and Harvard University. They journeyed across five continents to visually write the story of the past and the future of telescopes, astronomy, and our ever-changing perception of the cosmos. A carefully chosen array of today’s leading astronomers explain concepts ranging from Galileo’s act of revealing the telescopic cosmos to humanity and challenging religious teachings of the day, to the latest discoveries in space, including startling new ideas about life on other planets and dark energy – a mysterious vacuum energy that is accelerating the expansion of the universe. On the horizon, viewers learn of emergent telescopes the size of stadiums. With unprecedented resolution and light gathering, these enormous new instruments will look back to the initial moments of the Big Bang and – like Galileo’s first telescopic observations – will reshape our model of the universe.

When a catastrophic hurricane rips through Florida, it leaves in its wake a wasteland of matchstick trees, overturned cars, and shattered lives. Afraid to leave his home unprotected, Perry, a dedicated family man, weathers the storm only to find himself stranded with his wife and child in the threatening aftermath. As Perry struggles to salvage what little remains, his insecurities slowly tear at the fabric of his marriage to Patrice, who wishes for nothing more than to celebrate their survival. But as tempers flair, the couple soon discovers that the storm was only a prelude to an even darker fury ahead.

In a trailer, a woman who used to be an alternate on her high school tennis team beats her boyfriend senseless once a week. Meanwhile, an eight-year-old girl experiences an awakening that makes her wonder if the guy next door driving the ‘89 Subaru is, in fact, the guy she thinks he is. On the other side of the tracks, Kobe beefsteaks and manicured gardens go hand in hand, a man of privilege has an epiphany at the dinner table that ultimately leads to a contusion and a revelation. Told in three subtly related segments, featuring a cast of mostly non-professionals and exploring passive racism, geo-political vagaries, good intentions, faith and disappointment, this deeply personal film manages to tread the lines between vulgar and humane, between absurd and tender, and finds its heart in the story segment featuring the director’s own daughter and a man living in a van.

A glimpse into the world of population control in Asia as seen by four young women growing up in the United States, Produced by Landon College Preparatory and Leadership Development School which offers middle school students 6th through 8th grade leadership and critical thinking curriculum. The 8th graders focus on Leadership in the Global World and in groups design their own multi-media presentations.

Do you remember where you were on November 22, 1963? The Assassins wife is a short historical fiction film based on the final morning of JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald and his wife Marina. Built around the little known fact of Oswald's suicide note which has never been formally released, The Assassin's Wife theorizes a new perspective on a story most people think they already know. Jacksonville

Bean, a fifteen-year-old writer, says goodbye to her surrogate father, while her mother has a new redneck boyfriend. Dodge College at Chapman University - California Best of USA Student Shorts

Anna needs money. Not for herself. For her son. The father says no. Swears he’s got none. Some men show up. They have a gun.

Some of the best short Independent films Florida has to offer.