DocuWeeks 2012 Shorts Program 1

Friday, August 3 - Thursday, August 9, 2012

CUTTING LOOSE

Directors/Producers: Finlay Pretsell, Adrian McDowall, SDI Productions, 29 min. Scotland

Hairdressers poised, scissors at the ready, clients in place. Cutting begins. The salon looks familiar enough, chatter rising above the chopping and blow drying, but the hairdressers have something in common—they’re all serving time in Scotland’s jails. Cutting Loose provides a fascinating snapshot of prison life during the build up to the annual Scottish Prison Service hairdressing competition. As the competition approaches, we hear the dreams and aspirations of some of Scotland’s most dangerous prisoners as they style the hair of fellow inmates on a daily basis.

JIMMY

Director: Martin Smith, Producer: Finlay Pretsell, Executive Producers: Noe Mendelle, Sonja Henrici, Writer: Jimmy, SDI Productions, 12 min. Scotland

A day in the life of Jimmy McIntosh, MBE, who has tirelessly campaigned for disabled rights since 1972. An incredibly intimate portrait told from Jimmy’s point of view, a wheelchair bound cerebral palsy sufferer. Nothing stands in Jimmy’s way.

KINGS POINT

Director/Producer: Sari Gilman, Producers: Jedd Wider, Todd Wider, Co-Producer: Susannah Ludwig, Kings Point Documentary/Wider Film Projects, 30 min. USA

Director Sari Gilman tells the stories of five seniors living in a typical American retirement resort—men and women who came to Florida decades ago with their spouses by their sides and their health intact, and now find themselves grappling with love, loss, and the prospect of dying alone. A bittersweet look at our national obsession with self-reliance, Kings Point explores the dynamic tension between living and aging—between our desire for independence and our need for community—and underscores our powerful ambivalence toward growing old.

THE PERFECT FIT

Director: Tali Yankelevich, Producer: Finlay Pretsell, Executive Producer: Noeme Mendelle, SDI Productions, 9 min. Scotland

Ballet shoes may be worn by delicate girls, but they’re crafted by big burly men whose hands tell another story.

StoryCorps Animated Shorts

Directors: The Rauch Brothers, Producers: Lizzie Jacobs, Mike Rauch, Executive Producers: Donna Galeno, Dave Isay, StoryCorps, 7 min. USA

Facundo the Great Ramòn “Chunky” Sanchez recounts how the new kid at school became a hero when his name stumped their teachers.

Sundays at Rocco’s Nicholas Petron remembers family dinners at his grandfather’s place and how everything changed when the city made new plans for their neighborhood.

Eyes on the Stars Carl McNair tells the story of his brother Ronald, an African American kid in the 1950s who set his sights on the stars.

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.