Independent & Inspired Film Series

The Great Park in collaboration with the Irvine International Film Festival will host a series of special screenings of award-winning films at the Great Park Artists Studios in the Palm Court Arts Complex. The Independent and Inspired Film Series provides an opportunity for film buffs to view independent short films and features, and interact with their directors, actors, producers, writers and cinematographers. The first screening is Thursday, October 4 at 7 p.m. and the series begins weekly Thursday evening screenings on October 18 through November 15. Admission and parking are free.

October 4 - November 15
Time: 7pm
Location: Artists Studios, Palm Court Arts Complex
Free Parking & Admission
Limited seating - seat passes distributed at 6:30 pm

Full Schedule

Films are shown on select Thursdays at 7pm.

October 4
Deep Blue Breath
Directed by Patricia Cardoso *
A boy, Clay, travels deep inside his body to an animated dream world where he engages in battle against the Evil Lord Vater and his army of Kuk-nuks. Meanwhile, in the waking world, a medical team struggles to save Clay’s life.
18 minutes, USA

Good Men
Directed by Brian Connors *
A short film about two elderly men (Ed Asner and Mark Rydell) who get into a serious argument over the circumstances surrounding the 9/11 attacks on The World Trade Center.
12 minutes, USA

6Gun
Directed by Hebron Simckes-Joffe (Chapman) *
Years after the kidnapping of his child, and the murder of his wife, Silas locates and identifies the culprit as his former friend, and current gubernatorial candidate, and sets out to exact revenge. Six bullets will fire…but from which gun?
15 minutes, USA

October 18
To Rest in Peace
Directed by Fawaz Al-Matrouk (USC) *
Inspired by the true story of Malek, a Kuwaiti man during the Iraqi Invasion in 1990. Day after day, he passes two unburied bodies. Malek wants to find out why, but everyone is afraid to interfere. Caught between fear of death and respect for human dignity, Malek decides to bury the bodies himself.
8 minutes, USA

Mossadegh
Directed by Roozbeh Dadvand (USC) *
Iran. 1959. Six years after the CIA orchestrated coup that overthrew democratic Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh from power, and now living under house arrest and suffering from a life-threatening condition, Mossadegh must decide whether or not to trust a brilliant American physician sent to treat him.
24 minutes, USA

Love at First Sight
Directed by Michael Davies
Do you believe in love at first sight? When Arthur (John Hurt) spots Ruth (Phyllida Law) he knows her heart is true.
13 minutes, UK

The Potential Wives of Norman Mao
Directed by Derek Nguyen
Norman Mao is an overweight, and socially awkward junior businessman from Hong Kong, who at the age of 33 is still unwed. Desperate to get him married, Norman’s parents take him on an international junket to find a worthy Chinese wife.
8 minutes, USA

October 25
The Maker
Directed by Christopher Kezelos *
A strange creature races against time and wins.
5 minutes, Australia, UK, USA

The Burying Beetle
Directed by Dave Rock *
A boy coping with his father’s impending death befriends a pastor at a local church who convinces him that his father must be baptized to save his soul. His father, a scientist and avowed atheist, doesn’t quite see it that way.
27 minutes, USA

Nanuq
Directed by Jill Jones
A young girl is plagued by illness in a cold, unforgiving land. A steadfast protector helps illuminate her way.
18 minutes, USA

November 1
The Desperate
Directed by Ben Hur Sepehr *
On a rainy night in a concentration camp a Nazi general is forced to plead with a condemned Jewish doctor to save his only son who is dying.
33 minutes, USA

Walter
Directed by Jonathan Browning *
Walter, a lonely widower, reaches out to his family and friends, only to be told that they don’t have time for him. This gives him the idea that the elderly aren’t the only ones marginalized in today’s society and he finds friends in an unlikely place.
4 minutes, USA

The Carrier
Directed by Scott Schaeffer *
A grieving mother is dealing with the loss of her philandering son. She discovers a secret that will profoundly influence the lives around her, as she comes to a new understanding of her son’s behavior.
18 minutes, USA

November 8
Love, At Last
Directed by Alexander Jeffery *
A celebrity couple in the late 1950’s reflect on their past before facing their mortality.
5 minutes, USA

Lost Player
Directed by Nicolas Alvarez (Canyon View Elementary - Irvine, CA) *
A young boy loses his cleats and goes on an adventure to find them. Along the way, he bumps into strangers that get him closer to what he thinks is important. In the end, he realizes material things will pass, but friendships will last a lifetime.
5 minutes, USA

Test Subject B
Directed by D.B. Hansen
Take one 10 year-old boy genius, add a little extra free time, and mix with the frustration of yet another family move. The result? Nicholas has determined once and for all to plan his own destiny by building a time machine. But when the initial tests go awry, particularly the one involving his little sister Bethany, Nicholas must go back in time to set things straight before his mother finds out.
20 minutes, USA

Shanghai Love Market
Directed by Craig Rosenthal
Every weekend in Shanghai’s famous Peoples’ Park, parents seek matches for their unwed children. When true love is at stake, the best-laid plans have a funny way of coming undone.
9 minutes, China, Singapore

November 15
Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone
Directed by Lev Anderson* and Chris Metzler
From the shifting fault lines of Hollywood fantasies and the economic and racial tensions of Reagan’s America, Fishbone rose and became one of the most original bands of the last 25 years. Everyday Sunshine is about music, history, and artistic courage. Includes interviews with Flea, Gwen Stefani, Ice-T, Branford Marsalis, and more.
107 minutes, USA