SPONSORS

MONARCH FILM FESTIVAL

PO BOX 51803

PACIFIC GROVE, CA 93950

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO KAREN & JEFF OTTINGER,

FRED & BRENDA DIPIETRO, JEFF & JACKIE KILPATRICK, JO &

MONTE KERR, ROBIN & CLAIRE LOVELL, MATT & BARBARA

WOODRUFF, SAM KELLEY, KAREN NORDSTRAND, JAYNE

GASPERSON, MARCOS CABRERA, MATT & KELSEY DIPIETRO,

DON JAYNE, JACOB SHAFER, ADAM KASPAREK, HANNA

BRADSHAW LOZIER, DEBBIE YOUNG, MARGE ANN JAMESON,

MIKE DEGIVE, WALTER RYCE, MOE AMMAR, DON MARTINE,

ENID BLADER, CHRIS CARPENTER, LUIS CAMARA,

NATHAN WHEELER AND ALEXANDER LVOVSKY.

29

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HISTORY .................................................................................................... 1

MASTER OF CEREMONIES ..................................................................... 2

FEATURE NARRATIVE COMPETITION ................................................ 3

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION ........................................................... 4

SHORT NARRATIVE COMETITION ................................................ 5-10

STUDENT NARRATIVE COMPETITION ..................................... 11-14

MONARCH AWARD COMPETITION ........................................... 15-16

CSUMB CAPSTONE PRESENTATION ......................................... 17-21

LOCAL’S CORNER.......................................................................... 23-24

JUDGES AND AWARDS ................................................................. 25-26

SUPPORT THE FILM FESTIVAL ................................................... 27-28

SPONSORS ...............................................................................................29

MISSION

As Pacific Grove's only festival dedicated solely to Cinema art, The

Monarch Film Festival's mission is to be a catalyst for greater appreciation of

Cinema as art, build the local filmmaking community and work with

Hollywood and independent film makers alike to showcase Northern

California as a dynamic place to shoot and screen movies.

FRIDAY, 12/1/17

SATURDAY, 12/2/17

HISTORY

The Monarch film festival was founded in 2012 by Cristiana DiPietro

and Matthew Kalamane. As independent filmmakers who grew up in

Pacific Grove, DiPietro and Kalamane’s main objective was to bring

independent films to their beloved hometown. After successfully

crowd-sourcing their start-up fees, the Monarch Film Festival was

born. DiPietro and Kalamane put out a call for entries and so began a

now six-year venture into celebrating independent cinema. As both

festival founders are from Pacific Grove, it was very important to

them that they be able to support local filmmakers as well as

showcasing the best in films from all over the world. That’s why, in

their premiere year, they introduced the “Local’s Corner.” This

highlight of the festival allows locally produced films a place to shine

and be celebrated. In 2016 they introduced a segment that showcases

CSUMB Capstones, giving student filmmakers an opportunity to be a

part of a film festival before they venture out into their own

filmmaking careers. Both DiPietro and Kalamane believe that the arts

are an important reflection of who we are as a culture, and if they are

able to give back by creating a venue specifically featuring this art

form, then the film festival will always be a success.

About OUR

MASTER OF

CEREMONIES

CHRISTINE WINGE

1 2

Winge, a long-time Monterey

Peninsula resident, comes to

AMP Media from the USS

Hornet Sea, Air & Space

Museum in Alameda, CA, where

she served as the Senior Director

of Operations. Her background

includes broadcast news, fund

development, consulting, and

operations. She holds a Master’s

degree in Counseling Psychology

from the University of Santa

Clara and Bachelor’s degree in

Social Science from

UC Berkeley.

FEAR, LOVE,

AND, AGORAPHOBIA

by Alex D'Lerma

12/1/17: 8:15PM Q&A TO FOLLOW

An agoraphobic man and a female Marine become

emotionally entangled as they struggle to escape from

their personal prisons. USA/90 Min.

THE MOUNTAIN II

by Alper Caglar

12/1/17: 6:30PM

In a desolate war zone

where screams of the

innocent echo, on the very line between disaster and

valor, 7 Maroon Berets will dance with death as they

take on ISIS in occupied Iraq. TURKEY/95 Min.

VAMAN

by Manish Vaidya

12/1/17: 5:00PM

Vaman, a typical

middle-class boy, fights

against his circumstances and achieves the difficult

task of taking care of his grandpa and also ensures

that he takes him to his favorite place every day.

INDIA/127 Min.

10/10THS

by Marco

Solorio

12/1/17: 8:10PM Q&A TO FOLLOW

“10/10ths” is a true story

of dreams, struggles, and unwavering perseverance in

grassroots motorsports., editor, colorist, and music

composer, Marco Solorio. USA/112 Min.

GAVIOTA:

THE END OF

SOUTHERN

CALIFORNIA

by Shaw Leonard

12/1/17: 7:15PM

Facing the reality of mass extinction, California’s

Gaviota coast is a startling reminder of what we have

lost and what remains to be saved. USA/42 Min.

THE LURE

by Tomas Leach

12/1/17: 5:00PM

Forrest Fenn sits in

his museum-like home

plotting another clue in

his $3 million treasure hunt. The search for the gold

he hid in 2010 is spiraling out of control.

USA/77 Min.

DOCUMENTARIES FEATURE NARRATIVES

3 4

DON’T BE AFRAID

by Unnikrishnan

Parameswaran

Don’t Be Afraid is about

an Indian girl who is smart and

yet devoid of opinions as ' having an opinion' was never

an option. The movie depicts her strength portrayed by

simple thoughts. INDIA/20 Min.

EARWORM

by Tara Price

Oh, the things that get

stuck in our heads.

When a reclusive man is

repeatedly woken up over the course of a night by

severe headaches, accompanied by musical repetition

from an unknown source, his sanity begins to swiftly

unravel. USA/6 Min.

EGGS

AND SOLDIERS

by Imelda O'Reilly

A single Irish Dad forgets to

buy the tree on Christmas eve.

Ned the older son's humanity

is challenged when he risks everything to give his

younger brother Marco a real Irish Christmas.

USA/20 Min.

FOR A

GOOD TIME...

by Jonathan Browning

A man calls a phone

number scrawled on the

wall of a public restroom

and ends up having a really good time. USA/2 Min.

SHORT NARRATIVES

Saturday, December 2nd, 2017: 12:00PM

Q&A TO FOLLOW

DON'T BE AFRAID

by Unnikrishnan

Parameswaran

EARWORM

by Tara Price

EGGS AND SOLDIERS

by Imelda O'Reilly

FOR A GOOD TIME...

by Jonathan Browning

IN MY ROOM

by Dylan Avnet

JONAH

by Michael Maschina

MISAPPROPRIATION

by Ana Maria Ferri

NATIVITY UNSCENE

by Mark Datuin

PENITENT

by Ryan Rozar

THE CHOICE

by Robert Florio

THE GIFT OF

MAGPIE

by Anita George

THE HIT AT 1700

by Shelly Russell

UNDETECTABLE

by Cody Duvall

WATER

by Jim Wilmer

5 6

IN MY ROOM

by Dylan Avnet

An artist quietly

draws at his desk

while his imagination runs

wild in the same room.

USA/4 Min.

JONAH

by Michael

Maschina

Jonah was inspired by the

events of August 27th 2015,

when the Austrian police found the corpses of seventy-

one refugees abandoned in a lorry parked on the side of

the street in Burgenland State. AUSTRIA/13 Min.

by Ana

Maria Ferri

Misappropriation is a dark

tale about how everything

that makes you happy can disappear in the blink of an

eye. One moment of distraction is enough for our life

to end up in the hands of a destiny that was not ours ...

or maybe yes. SPAIN/9 Min.

PENITENT

by Ryan Rozar

A broken-down former

priest hits a new low,

waking up hungover in a

jail cell. His new cellmate talks to himself and

trembles in his sleep. As the nightmares intensify, the

priest reluctantly comes to the dark conclusion that his

cellmate is possessed by an evil spirit. USA/17 Min.

THE CHOICE

by Robert Florio

“The Choice” starring

Lou Ferrigno Jr. and

Flavia Costa, is a Short Film

with an important social and moral message. Once a

newlywed couple discover the reason that they can’t

get pregnant “The Choice” they make will change

their lives and the way they live forever.

USA/28 Min.

NATIVITY

UNSCENE

by Mark Datuin

A couple of the verge

of a breakup decides to

attend one final eye-opening Christmas getaway.

CANADA/12 Min.

MISAPPROPRIATION

7 8

THE GIFT OF

THE MAGPIE

by Anita George

It's carpe diem for a couple

of small time grifters on

Christmas Eve 1934.

Starring Helen Slayton-Hughes

Milton Severe, Adam Osterhaus and Pamela Forrest.

USA/11 Min.

UNDECTABLE

by Cody Duvall

A young

gay couple,

are faced with a life-

changing decision when

one of them is diagnosed with HIV. USA/17 Min.

WATER

by Jim Wilmer

Window Channel

Network

takes you on

a four-minute

journey to some of the

planet's most spectacular glaciers, waterfalls,

beaches, rivers and waterways. Music score

Wieland Reisssmann by Peter Simmer.

USA/4 Min.

THE HIT

AT 1700

by Shelly

Russell

Alpha, an agent with a past,

prepares and executes

a critical mission. USA/9 Min.

9 10

JUST WORDS

by Ilia Antonenko

A quiet, domesticated

policeman and his

happy-go-lucky colleague

are investigating a routine suicide. The policeman

breaks the law and his own moral principles after he

has heard a familiar voice from a victim’s cellphone.

RUSSIA/24 Min.

REC TRAIL

by Eric Daniel O'Hagan

A short film about being

from Pacific Grove and

riding along the Monterey

Rec Trail.

USA/4 Min.

ADVENTURES OF LUCY

by Teddy Valentovich

In order to defeat the dark

manifestation of her cancer,

a young girl must use the

power of imagination to

overcome her fears.

USA/15 Min.

RELEVÉ

by Desirée

V. Castro

RELEVÉ tells the story of

Sophia, a talented dancer

reaching the end of her prime,

who is both physically and emotionally injured. She

must use her passion for dance to empower herself

and rise to the occasion. USA/15 Min.

11 12

STUDENT NARRATIVES

Saturday, December 2nd, 2017: 2:15PM

Q&A TO FOLLOW

ADVENTURES

OF LUCY

by Teddy Valentovich

JUST WORDS

by Ilia Antonenko

REC TRAIL

by Eric Daniel O'Hagan

RELEVÉ

by Desirée V. Castro

SUNSETS

by Kristina Kalchev

THE LOCKET

by Spencer Williams

THE WOMAN IN

THE MIRROR

by Ryan Huang

TIME IS THE

LONGEST

DISTANCE

by Bryan Powers

WHO SANK

YOUR SHIPS?

by Ella Kohn

SUNSETS

by Kristina

Kalchev

In search of bigger

opportunities, Derreck

leaves his small, coastal

hometown only to return years later for an

unexpected funeral where a gift from his first love

awaits him. USA/10 Min.

THE LOCKET

by Spencer

Williams

After escaping a life in

captivity, a young girl

begins an epic journey

in search of her mother, from whom she was taken

long ago. CANADA/9 Min.

TIME IS THE

LONGEST

DISTANCE

by Bryan Powers

Time is the Longest

Distance conveys the

importance of family love and acceptance through the

story of three generations of men. USA/15 Min.

WHO SANK

YOUR SHIPS?

by Ella Kohn

Yuli, a petite military

photographer, is in love with

Michael, a mysterious

Ukrainian-Israeli soldier from her base. Michael has a

girlfriend. One night, Yuli witnesses a harsh fight

between them and decides to follow Michael.

ISRAEL/24 Min.

THE WOMAN

IN THE

MIRROR

by Ryan Huang

The first biographical

film ever made on

Vivian Maier, an eccentric nanny who led a double

life as a street photographer and whose work took

the art world by storm after her death. USA/14 Min.

13 14

ABALONE:

SAGA OF A

MONTEREY BAY

MOLLUSK

by Eric

Palmer

"Abalone: Saga of a Monterey Bay Mollusk" tells the

story of this tenacious sea snail, from native

Californians to commercial fishing to

Sustainable aquaculture.

USA/13 Min.

MY NAME IS BELLE

by Terri DeBono

& Steve Rosen

Belle Yang uses herself

as a model for her paintings

and stories to explain the

difficulties of coming to a new country.

USA/26 Min.

REWRITING LOVE

by Marrok Sedgwick

Rewriting Love features

the amazing true stories

of families who have

redefined themselves to

include transgender, asexual, bisexual and other

members of the LGBT+ community.

USA/61 Min.

THEY PLOT BY NIGHT

by Andrew Enriquez

When ex-GI Sam runs into his

former wartime flame, the torch

singer Solange, he finds this

femme fatale too hot to handle. USA/9 Min.

MONARCH AWARD BLOCK

Saturday, December 2nd, 2017: 4:25PM

Q&A TO FOLLOW

ABALONE: SAGA OF A

MONTEREY BAY MOLLUSK

by Eric Palmer

MY NAME IS BELLE

by Terri DeBono & Steve Rosen

REWRITING LOVE

by Marrok Sedgwick

THEY PLOT BY NIGHT

by Andrew Enriquez

15 16

IN MY ROOM

by Dylan Avnet

An artist quietly

draws at his desk

while his imagination

runs wild in the same room.

USA/4 Min.

THE SOLOIST

by Zane Adamo

A young violinist

battles stage-fright

as he journeys to the stage.

USA/6 Min.

MARINE

BEFORE ME

by Haley Ryals

This emotional

documentary explores

one Marine’s journey as they undergo gender

transformation while serving in the armed forces.

USA/5 Min.

A FISHING

TRIP

by Kyle Brennan

An animated tale of a

fisherman's trials and

tribulations during

a day at sea...

USA/4 Min.

17 18

MARTINE INN

CSUMB CAPSTONE PRESENTATION

Saturday, December 2nd, 2017: 12:00PM

Q&A TO FOLLOW

IN MY ROOM

by Dylan Avnet

THE SOLOIST

by Zane Adamo

MARINE

BEFORE ME

by Haley Ryals

A FISHING TRIP

by Kyle Brennan

CLEARLY

by Sarah Horn

AMY

by Alicia Robbins

THE GREAT

EMU WAR

by Aimee Scholz

I’LL BE

by Briana Gonzalez

THE MAN WITH

THE HAT

by Jeanne Nicolas Sutter

& Lucie Baudin

HIGH FLY

by Callen Lowery

STUPEFIED

by Alba Roland Mejia

HONEY, I’M HOME

by Annie Taylor

SCHLIMAZEL

by Miles Guynn

& Justin Sariñana

CLEARLY

by Sarah

Horn

An experimental

film about a seemingly

unremarkable moment

that results in unexpected clarity and opportunity.

USA/3 Min.

19 20

THE GREAT

EMU WAR

by Aimee

Scholz

This heroic animation

explores the untold story

of the Great Emu War of 1932.

USA/4 Min.

THE MAN WITH

THE HAT

by Jeanne

Nicolas Sutter

& Lucie Baudin

The Man with the Hat is

a fantasy/drama about

Eddy, a drunken 40-year-old pickpocket.

Eddy decides to retire, putting Jo, a 25-year-old

woman he just met, in a delicate position.

USA/9 Min.

I’LL BE

by Briana

Gonzalez

An experimental

Claymation about

the power of

written communication.

USA/5 Min.

AMY

by Alicia

Robbins

While reviewing old

photos, a young

photographer suddenly

realizes something is amiss.

USA/5 Min.

HIGH FLY

by Callen

Lowery

‘Practice makes Perfect’

in this exploration of

one baseball player’s

drive to succeed.

USA/6 Min.

STUPEFIED

by Alba

Roland Mejia

A supernatural

abstract-thriller

about one woman’s

paralyzing nightmare.

USA/5 Min.

HONEY, I’M HOME

by Annie Taylor

Conrad comes home

upset after a rough

day at school.

Perhaps his puppet wife,

Honey can help him sort things out.

USA/5 Min.

SCHLIMAZEL

by Miles

Guynn

& Justin

Sariñana

After finding his

recently deceased

brother’s ‘joke book,’

Martin decides to read from it at open-mic-night,

something his brother never had the nerve to do.

USA/10 Min.

21 22

CANNERY ROW

REVISITED

by Jeff Sax

Following in the

footsteps of John Steinbeck's

"Cannery Row," the new

Mack and the Boys,

(Alan, John, Mike, Dan, Jimbo, Karl, Kenne, Buddy,

and Glen, (a.k.a. Johnny Coin) continue the legacy!

USA/43 Min.

CUBA: PEOPLE

TO PEOPLE

by Clemencia Macias

Cuba: People to People

explores what people think

of their society, their past revolution, the current

changes and their future opening to the world.

USA/20 Min.

FACE OF A DREAMER

by Robert Pacelli

50 years of art &

life with artist

Ray Magsalay.

USA/30 Min.

NO ES BASURA

(THIS IS NOT TRASH)

by Wolf Bukowski

For ninety days in 2012,

environmentalist and

educator Peter Kreitler walked

the same one quarter mile stretch of Santa Monica

Beach collecting flotsam and debris that floated in

from the ocean or was left on the beach.

USA/26 Min.

TAXI MAN

by Silvia Turchin

& Robert Pacelli

Released from prison and

have beaten heroin

addiction, San Francisco

taxi driver, Dennis Breit introduces us to his

regular fares whose stories are all parts of Dennis'

story, and indeed parts of all of our stories.

USA/49 Min.

23 24

LOCAL’S CORNER

Saturday, December 2nd, 2017: 2:50PM

Q&A TO FOLLOW

CANNERY ROW

REVISITED

by Jeff Sax

NO ES BASURA

(THIS IS NOT TRASH)

by Wolf Bukowski

CUBA: PEOPLE TO

PEOPLE

by Clemencia Macias

TAXI MAN

by Silvia Turchin

& Robert Pacelli

FACE OF A DREAMER

by Robert Pacelli

JUDGES/MONARCH BOARD

Co-Festival Director Cristiana DiPietro has been

actively involved in the entertainment industry

since she was a child, performing on stages across

California. Currently, she is a feature film Producer,

film festival Director and Author.

Co-Festival Director Matthew Kalamane got his

start on stage in Monterey County. After training

with the San Francisco Ballet, Kalamane turned his

sights to feature film writing and directing for his

own production company, Emberlight Productions.

Marketing Director Karen Ottinger has an

extensive history in event management and line

producing in Monterey County and Los Angeles.

Ottinger has been a Production Manager for

independent feature films since 2008.

Sponsorship Director Sam Kelley has spent the

past eight years working for non-profits that

provide services to seniors and visually impaired

adults. She is also a Dive Master, certified massage

therapist and book editor.

AWARDS

12/2/17: 6:30PM

Presented by Christine Winge,

Executive Director of Amp Media

BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE

BEST DOCUMENTARY

BEST SHORT NARRATIVE

BEST STUDENT NARRATIVE

MONARCH AWARD

JUDGES CHOICE

25 26

Technical Director Matt DiPietro is a Pacific

Grove native and CSUMB Graduate. DiPietro has

worked in all aspects of filmmaking over the last

eight years, spanning from independent films and

advertising, to educational multimedia.

27 28

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SUPPORTING THE OPERATIONAL

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YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE ARTS!

MONARCH FILM FESTIVAL IS A 501 (C)(3)

NON-PROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATION. TAX

IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: 46-0576842

CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE AS

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NUMBER: 46-0576842

CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE AS PERMITTED

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