PEOPLE PLACES AND THINGS TRT: 85 min.
These comedic stories take us on a fun journey, from a harried call center boy to a godmother with a suspicious double life. Indians, samurais, gangsters, corporate wonks, and even bicycle thieves remind us that our lives are unpredictably funny and full of surprises.
– Huy Chheng

DATE: MONDAY, MAY 3
TIME: 9:15 PM
VENUE: DWNTN
BUY TICKETS

THE INDIAN AND THE SAMURAI (United States, 2009) Dir.: Shilpi Roy Anil, an awkwardly shy Indian teenager, works at his family’s grocery store but dreams of becoming a Samurai warrior. One day, Anil meets a Samurai named Eddie and his dreams become reality. But will the world accept an Indian Samurai? Video, 15 min., color, narrative

MARKET PRICE (United States, 2009) Dir.: Peter Chen Rachel is a young woman who doesn’t know how to stand up for herself, so her wise, tough grandmother sends her on a mission to navigate her way through a busy and intimidating Asian supermarket. While reluctant to go at first, Rachel ends up learning a valuable lesson in life. Video, 4 min., color, narrative

THE GODMOTHER (United States, 2009) Dir.: Lior Chefetz Rosella Wu, a capricious but caring young wife, is convinced by her overbearing mother to kill her no-good mobster husband, Danny. But when Danny quits the mob and cleans up his act, she cancels the hit – except it’s now too late. Rosella must find a way to stop the hitman, prevent Danny from finding out, and stand up to her dictatorial mother who still wants Danny dead! Film, 15 min., color, narrative

THUG LIFE (United States, 2009) Dir.: Kuang Lee, Emil Lin Wallace ‘Thug Life’ Williams, a Stanford-grad turned gangsta-rapper, takes a journey to the center of the rap industry, and it’s not without its hiccups: not only must a music executive transform him from an 80′s-loving wimp to a gun-toting thug, his girlfriend has to find a way to fend off video vixens, and there’s also that little matter of his tone-deafness. Video, 5 min., color, narrative

HECTOR CORP United States, 2009) Dir.: Gary Lee Victor only wants to be a good, hardworking employee at Hector Corporation. But something is terribly amiss when it appears that his company environment is only interested in downsizing – and downsizing in a totally extreme measure. Follow Victor along through his tribulations and find out whether or not our righteous hero will ultimately find justice – and survive! Video, 10 min., color, narrative

BICYCLE (JITENSHA) (United States/Japan, 2009) Dir.: Dean Yamada After losing his job, Mamoru Amagaya struggles to find meaning in life. As if things could not get any worse, he discovers that parts of his bicycle begin to disappear one by one. When the only remaining piece is a lonely bell, he receives an envelope containing addresses where each part of the bicycle might be found. Can he collect the pieces and reassemble them – and himself in the process? Video, 22 min., color, narrative, in Japanese w/ES

THE CALL CENTER (United States, 2009) Dir.: Rumana Huq ‘The Office’ is outsourced to Mumbai in this mockumentary about a novice call center agent in India. Film, 14 min., color, narrative