Asphyxia, the entry from the North Carolina School of the Arts, explores the inner life of a shrink who’s more depressed than the patients he treats. Cynical and jaded, Christian Brock’s life hangs on a subconscious dare based on the survival of his last surviving pet goldfish. Like his fish, Brock (played by David Holland) lives confined to a tedious existence, hopelessly circling around his patients. Brock lives only to sleep, hoping he will dream of the stimulation so missing in his life.

Director/Writer Giovanna Federico’s graduate thesis project at Chapman University is Bean. The slug line for the film reads, “Anything to get away.” The film won a 2008 Cecil Award for Best Director from Lawrence & Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

This animated film from MFACA’s School of Visual Arts looks at the process of finding a balance between freedom and restraint, losing your heart but struggling to reclaim it.

In Eater, a rookie cop works the night shift at a police station with a cannibal prisoner on the loose.

It’s just another sunny, slow day at David and Jane’s house—until David discovers that Jane’s been cheating on him. David’s going to make her pay by sacrificing more than her life, in this Cal State Fullerton film.

Director/Writer Kimberly Townes describes her student film, Game Master, as “an extreme example of when video-game addiction leads to obsession, delusion, schizophrenia, social spontaneity, compulsion and introverted living.” In the film, a video-game geek meets a woman while playing “World of Warcraft.” His game persona might not let him win the game of love, however.

A Jewish youth, Jason Cohen, wants his parents to let him take his Protestant girlfriend to the winter prom. But there’s a problem with his attempt to play it cool for one more day: A dare from his little brother somehow endows him with the powers of Christ.

A medieval well that was featured in Boccacio’s The Decameron becomes the main location for La Vita del Pozzo, a short film about an American tour guide and two antique dealers who recount Boccacio’s tale in Arezzo, Italy.

In Le Retour (The Homecoming), Katherine returns to Orange County after spending a year living and studying in Cannes, France. As she struggles to readjust to American culture and reconnect with friends, the homecoming proves harder than expected.

In this UNC-Asheville student film, hand-drawn animation helps make Mr. Crooked Spine humorous and surreal. Mr. Crooked Spine (the character) tells the tale of his childhood, explaining how he ended up with such a curiously shaped body. Local film.

Two friends traveling through a dystopian landscape are suddenly confronted with peril when they meet a drifter who tests the strength of their friendship.

Barry is a couples therapist with a lot of heart and no talent. He goes on a blind date only to find out that his date is Claudina, a strange old hag with a curiously over-active libido. After a series of strange paranormal events, Barry must rely on his shoddy couple-therapy skills to make it through the night with his body and soul intact.

Meet Steven Roberts, a self-assured psychologist concerned less with his family and more with the promotion of his new book, ironically titled Deepening Our Connection to Others. Indulging his new fiancée’s whimsical interest in the psychic art of astral projection, he participates in a series of mental exercises designed to cultivate the abililty to separate consciousness from the physical body. It’s an idea Roberts doesn’t take seriously until his airplane develops engine trouble ...

Hundreds of years in the future, our world has ended and all that’s left of humanity has embarked for a distant, new planet. But the journey is endless, taking countless generations to complete. It’s here, in the middle of the voyage, that everything is about to change. The film tells the story of Vega, a lonely young boy struggling to find his place in a futuristic world much bigger than he is. Led only by a dream, Vega comes to question his new world and discovers that humanity has lost something very important along the way.

Writer Jason Adams is struggling to finish his latest story. His girlfriend suggests he take a break. While out taking a walk, Jason is catapulted into a strange series of events. Battered, handcuffed and left with only one shoe, Jason ponders the relevance of finishing his story.

A ventriloquist’s relationship with his dummy becomes strained after the two lose their job with a vaudeville theater. The ventriloquist turns to scamming poor farmers for money, much to the dismay of his dummy.

Simon and Cecilia live separate lives in close proximity without knowing of each other’s existence. They come close to meeting on several occasions, but never quite connect. Their stories unfold in “the Waiting Place.”

LOCAL FILM

Isiah is a plesant young man, but he’s having a rough time at work. Conflicts begin to wear him down. Luckily, his best friend, Gillian, is there to help him through his dislike of the job he does everyday. But one evening during a full moon something happens to Isaiah, turning him into a jerky beast who runs amok in the office. Hilarity ensues.

A story of a young man who has dreamed of living among the stars since childhood, but now finds himself trapped under the oppressive control of Brother, the A.I. of the ship on which he lives and works alone. Every night Tipota dreams of his younger self, and each morning he wakes to the monotony of his working life aboard an interstellar spaceship. One day Tipota sees a vision of his younger self, who tries to rekindle his childhood ambition. Brother and Tipota clash as Tipota seeks to regain his freedom and take back his dreams.

An exploration of what happens when a group is labeled by others as being inferior. Through interviews, autistic individuals describe their experiences with discrimination and their hope for a more inclusive and tolerant society. The film places autistic self-advocacy squarely in the light of disability self-advocacy and human rights. The film invites viewers to better understand persons whose abilities are diverse, and persons who are autistic.

A little girl gets anything she wants from her parents until her little brother is born and all of the attention is turned toward him. She tries over and over again to get rid of him and is willing to do almost anything to regain her former status. Her parents continuously punish her for misbehaving, and her little brother just wants her love.