Power Dynamic Short Block

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Dream Nails Katja Straub
When the growing hostility and negativity around Cindy finally reaches the haven of her local nail salon, she decides to fight it with the magic of love.

Awaking Pilot by Cedrick May
Two brothers struggle through a series of nested dreams within dreams while haunted by relentless, malevolent figures seeking to enlist them as soldiers in a cosmic war between the dreamworld and reality. "The Awakening" is a streaming series comprising nine contained episodes following the brothers as they fight to free themselves from their antagonists and maintain their sanity in an uncertain universe.

Power by Chris Foito
A mother tries to reconnect with her son across memories, missed calls, modern distractions, and the distance of neglected relationships.
This short premiered at Fantastic Fest! in Austin, TX - September 2019

Density and Black Eternity.By Jane Terry
Only pieces remain of the story of my family before my birth, now buried in old photographs and albums. Traces of heartbreak still linger, secrets forever sealed. With this film, I hope to release the unspoken sorrow.

Switch by Natasha Straley
A child challenges his parents with their own tactics.

Awakening 2 All the Spaces Around Us by Cedrick May
William encounters “The Man” again and finds himself trapped in a twilight world between dreams and reality. Thomas discovers his brother and parents are missing.

Motivation Monday By Kevin Nail
Following a fatal accident, a motivational podcaster struggles to balance life without his parents, caring for his younger sister, and finding the words to motivate his audience.

Machismo By Gabriel Duran
A couple of days out of jail, Freddy is eager to show his new baby boy the ropes on how to be a man. But Freddy's Machismo ways get him into something he wasn't expecting.

Awakening 3 A Monstrous Rapture by Cedrick May
Thomas discovers people the world over are disappearing at random and has an encounter with “The Man” in the real world. William finds a sack filled with blankets and stale food, but what he does not see are the Shadows that move through the trees around him.

Who Let the Taxidermy Out? By Laurence Unger
A reformed taxidermist brings taxidermy animals back to life with chaotic consequences for an uninvited guest in this all-female silent film. This experimental kitsch comedy invites viewers to re-think what little girls are made of. This film was produced in Houston, Texas, with an all-female cast and a 90% female crew and post-production team. This is the director's first short film of more than 60 seconds. It was conceived as her thesis project for her MFA in Film at the Vermont College of Fine Art

Once Upon a Time By George Wada
Every American, no matter where they come from had to travel to get here. Some are welcomed immediately, some no so much. Even when natural-born Americans move to a new neighborhood it is for better opportunities. George Wada, Dog Paw Productions, takes a look at coming to America and the hopes and dreams of the travelers. Sometimes the experiences are not nice. However, we as people will make things right. America is still the land of opportunities.

Blood Bank by David A Davis
Blood Bank is an animated comedy short film produced by David Davis with music performed by Kathy Waller. A tiny little pest is residing in the blood bank and a hero is on the way.

Awakening 4 All the Lonely People by Cedrick May
William discovers a way out of the clearing and finds a couple trapped in a clearing of their own, where more Shadow Figures creep between the trees. Thomas is visited at home, in the "real world" by “The Man,” who tells him it is time he knew who he and his brother really are.

Contributors

Jane Terry

Jane Terry is a Professor of Art at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. She received her BFA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MFA in photography from Tyler School of Art, Temple University. Terry is the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including a grant from the Peter and Madeleine Martin Foundation for the Creative Arts, an artist residency at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, CO and a grant from Tree of Life Foundation in support of her film Stations. She has exhibited widely at regional and national venues including Luise Ross Gallery, New York, NY; Louis K. Meisel Gallery, New York, NY; the San Francisco Art Institute, CA; Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, FL; North Carolina Museum of Art; and Wake Forest University Fine Arts Gallery. Screenings include Dallas Video Fest; Santa Fe Independent Film Festival; Santa Cruz Film Festival, San Francisco Frozen Film Festival, University Film and Video Association Conference, New York City Independent Film Festival and Laguna Film Festival. Terry’s work has appeared or been reviewed in publications such as Popular Photography and Imaging and American Photographer. Her current work focuses on personal myths and truths that emerge from memories.
Kevin Nail

Kevin Nail is a junior film student at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is married and has two children. Kevin's favorite parts about filmmaking include writing, directing, and gaffing.
Natasha Straley

Natasha started as an actor before accepting roles on the other side of the camera in 2010. She has since worked on various film productions sifting through every department until directing naturally rose to the surface. Focusing on both comedic and dramatic narrative films with dark undertones, her work typically explores the uncomfortable nuances of human nature and relationships. She is attracted to screenplays which push boundaries and dive into the grey area between right and wrong. Directing credits include the comedic social commentary - CAULIFLOWER; the whimsical lover's story - SHOW & TELL TANGO (starring Jayson Allen Carvel and Melissa Skirboll); a lovers' slice-of-life demise - FINISHED; and a nod to honor mothers everywhere - SANDRA. Natasha was born in DC and lived across the world as a military brat. Texas became her home before moving to New York in 2007.
Chris Foito

hris is a filmmaker & outdoor educator. He is interested in conservation, social issues, storytelling, adventures, and humor. His work has been used by outlets such as the Department of Environmental Conservation, The Nature Conservancy, National Geographic, PBS, NASA, and Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology. Chris is interested in collaboratively exploring how visual mediums can engage viewers to learn about a new or overlooked perspective – as well as exploring how to incorporate at least a few jokes into each project. When Chris is not working on a project he is on his bicycle.
George Wada

George Wada, is a photographer and filmmaker based out of Arlington, Texas.
I am honored to have “Once Upon at Time”, a music video featuring Texas blues rocker Steve Hill and his version of an iconic American folk song, “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” screen at VideoFest. “Once Upon a Time” is my tribute to all Americans who make this country great. Once upon a time my grandparents came to America from Japan, to start a new life, by way of a wartime relocation camp and once upon a time my father was a soldier in the US Army. Once upon a time I was a young boy growing up on a farm in California who’s playmates where children of migrant Mexican farmworkers, and “okies” from “Little Okie”.
David A Davis

I would have completed this video sooner except for two cats that kept jumping into my lap.
Gabriel Duran

Gabriel is an award-winning filmmaker with a masters in film from the University of Texas at Arlington. As a writer and director his films have won several awards and have screened on more than 50 different occasions all over the world including a television showing on PBS (KERA). As a successful filmmaker he has been invited to be a judge on several film festivals such as Dallas Videofest, Fort Worth Independent Film Showcase, Denton based Granatum and the Brownsville International Film Festival and many others. Gabriel is also the founder and director of an international Latino film festival here in DFW. He strives to bring DFW the complete Latin American film experience. His goal as the director of the Festival De Cine Latino Americano is to bring independent filmmakers of Latin America into the spotlight. Gabriel strongly feels that not only do these filmmakers need a place to screen their work, but they also need an audience to listen. Gabriel teaches courses in film, intermediate screenwriting, and production.
Laurence Unger

Laurence Unger is a Houston-based digital and video artist. Her primary focus is on fantastical flights of video fancy geared towards children and the young at heart. She is currently a member of the BLOCK studio art program at the Glassell School of Art attached to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She graduated from Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA in film in May 2018.
Cedrick May

Cedrick May is a filmmaker and literature professor who lives in Arlington, TX. His web series, The Awakening, takes the horror fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and adapts it for a modern audience. The Awakening is a nine-episode web series, with the final five episodes currently in production with a completion date of summer, 2020. Updates about the series can be followed on Instagram at @awakening_web_series.”
Katja Straub

Katja is an artist, writer, and award winning filmmaker from Berlin, whose films have screened in numerous festivals and museums around the world including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Images Festival in Toronto, the Viper Basel in Switzerland and the Museo Nationale Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Seattle International Film Festival, the Munich International Film Festival ect. She is also is teaching film acting at Filmuniversity in Potsdam/Berlin.