TWISTS & TURNS
Runtime: 88 minutes
Things are not always what they seem in this imaginative collection of six distinctive thrillers that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Program lineup:
SENSES
MONEY & DUCKS
MILLSTONE
TARNEIT
THE PARTICIPANT
DR. VOXOFF’S SIGN LANGUAGE SCHOOL…
ID: A poster for “Senses” with the title in blurred white text across the top, superimposed over a black and white image of two women in silhouette, with a red person on a platform between them. White subtitle above the title: “Things aren't always what they seem.” Additional film details in white, including a R-rating logo is across the bottom.
SENSES
Short | United States| 13 Minutes | American Sign Language
Director: Alyscia Cunningham
Two women friends, one blind and the other Deaf, must be resourceful and work together to defend themselves against an unwanted intruder. This tense thriller from filmmaker Alyscia Cunningham is memorable and chilling.
Content warnings: Adult, Racism, Violence
ID: A poster for “MONEY AND DUCKS” with a light yellow background with an outline of the world map in gray. On the top of the poster, in the center, a black practice target shaped a duck with a red target on the head and across its body in gray letters: “MONEY AND DUCKS.” Under the duck, in black letters, “The first fiction film in LSE, LSCh y LSA. Director: Veru Rodriguez. Screenplay: Veru Rodigeuz & Ximena Quiroz-Peters. Under letters, an old-fashioned Mustang’s front bender parked over a striped road. On the both sides of the poster, there are awards on sides of the poster and more film details outlined at the bottom.
MONEY & DUCKS
Short | Chile | 19 Minutes | Spanish Sign Language
Director: Veru Rodríguez
In this sophisticated action comedy told in sign language, a woman police officer interrogates a drug trafficker about a missing box linked to a mafia network throughout Spain and Chile. What is going on with the rubber ducks, and are things really what they seem?
Content warnings: Adult, Blood, Drug, Violence
ID: A poster for “Millstone” with the text in white across the top, superimposed over an image of a man looking off-screen with the background blurred. Subtitle under the title: “Daniel Durant, Bellamie Bacheda, Eddie Buck.” Subtitle on bottom right corner: “Written and directed by Peter Hoffman Kimball.” The Sundance Film Festival logo is on the bottom left corner with “2023” inside.
MILLSTONE
Short | United States | 16 Minutes | American Sign Language
Director: Peter Hoffman Kimball
Daniel Durant (CODA, “Switched at Birth”) stars as half of a married couple that has recently experienced the tragic loss of a child. As grief consumes their lives, they desperately seek help from a therapist whose experimental methods may be the only thing that helps. It soon becomes clear, however, that there is more to this therapy than meets the eye.
Content warnings: Adult, Death
ID: A poster for “Tarneit” with the title in white superimposed over an image of two men standing on top of a pile of boxes and furniture in the middle of a dead grass field. One of them holds a basketball in one arm. Film aware logo on top center. Additional film details across the bottom.
TARNEIT
Short | Australia | 20 Minutes | Australian Sign Language
Director: John Sheedy
Tyrone and his best friend Clinton both live in tense, sometimes abusive, family situations and share a close bond because they are both Deaf and long to escape their chaotic circumstances. One day, an unexpected opportunity presents itself.
Content warnings: Adult, Death, Profanity, Racism, Death
ID: A poster for “The Participant” with the title in white, superimposed over a muted image of a person holding up a pill between their finger and thumb. White text across the top: “Mooseback Media presents”.
THE PARTICIPANT
Short | United States | 10 Minutes | American Sign Language
Director: Kyle Emroe
A man, who is known only as “Number 79,” takes part in an experimental drug trial. While under the influence of the mysterious new drug, Number 79 embarks on an experience that he will not soon forget.
Content warnings: Adult, Substance Abuse, Violence
ID: A poster for “Dr Voxoff’s Sign Language School for Hearing Children” with the title in white on a black background across the top, with text below: “Short film by Marty Gurney''. Below is a black and white photo with two images superimposed onto each other, one being a man with a striped shirt and the other being another person holding an old-fashioned video camera. Text across the bottom: “Commissioned by Ad infitinium in association with HOME, Manchester''.
DR. VOXOFF’S SIGN LANGUAGE SCHOOL…
Short | United Kingdom | 12 Minutes | British Sign Language
Director: Matthew Gurney
What if history was reversed with sign language being the norm and oral hearing people being persecuted and oppressed? In this innovative dystopian story, filmmaker Matthew Gurney turns the tables between the Deaf and hearing worlds to imagine an alternate reality that carries lessons from the past.
Content warnings: Adult, Discussion of Medical Procedure, Discussion of Abuse