Rome International Film Festival 2008

50,000 balls chronicles the trials, tribulations, and rewards of the boys 12 and under USTA tennis circuit. The film features interviews with players, parents, and coaches interweaved with hard-rocking action footage of the sport's top young athletes. Follow four families as they navigate the globe and the inner workings of competitive tennis. Just curious about how the next generation of world-ranked tennis players are shaping up? See 50,000 balls. Are you interested in playing competitive tennis or want to know what the parents' role is? Read on...

In the summer of 2005 the doctors said they were 99% sure filmmaker Phoebe Brown did not have ovarian cancer. She turned out to be the 1%. Two years later Phoebe is cancer free but not without scars. In 99 to 1: Ovarian Cancer and Me, the filmmaker takes us on a journey through her diagnosis, her grandmother's death from ovarian cancer, her physical and emotional reactions to chemotherapy treatment and her hopes for the future. Using experimental technique and the fragments of her cancer archive, 99 to 1 delivers a powerful narrative of hope and brings awareness to the often overlooked issues of ovarian cancer. 99 to 1 reminds us that while sometimes being the exception is tough, it can also lead to strength you never expected. Shot, edited and narrated by Ms. Brown, 99 to1 is ian intimate and quirky portrait of a survivor. The inspiration for this project was to break the silence that often accompanies gynecolgical cancers and the correct the misperception that ovarian cancer only effects older women. Phoebe tells a story that is fresh, honest, and ultimately, uplifting. This was a film created to help heal--both herself and anyone who has been touched by the pain of cancer.

Since silicone implants first became available in 1964, over two million women have chosen to surgically reconstruct or augment their breasts. In 2005 alone, over 200,000 women underwent surgical breast enhancement or reconstruction, more than triple the number who did ten years earlier. At its heart, ABSOLUTELY SAFE is driven by the experience of the filmmaker's own mother. Diagnosed with breast tumors, Audrey Ciancutti underwent a double mastectomy with silicone-implant reconstruction surgery. A year later, her implants ruptured, and soon after, her health steadily declined. Like thousands of other women, Audrey believes her debilitating illnessesjoint pain, chronic fatigue, scleroderma-- are linked to her breast implants; however, most doctors and researchers deny this link. Among the debate by plastic surgeons, toxicologists, attorneys, implant manufacturers, whistle blowers, government officials and activists, ABSOLUTELY SAFE introduces more everyday women like Audrey who make choices about their breasts in our appearance driven culture.Even though the FDA recently lifted its restrictions on silicone implants and approved them for wide-scale use, many serious questions remain regarding breast implant safety. However, ABSOLUTELY SAFE reveals that the conversation on implant safety is far more complex than simple pros and cons. Rather, the real conversation, the most important conversationwith the most difficult and challenging questionsrests with viewers themselves, as all individuals in our culture ultimately face this confusing intersection of choice, risk, money, beauty, and health. ABSOLUTELY SAFE sparks this long overdue cultural conversation.

A middle class couple in retirement takes a leisurely excursion to the park for a picnic. The serenity of an intimate meal in nature is shattered by the appearance of a distraught mime on the run from a mysterious threat. As the mime explains his predicament through an elaborate performance, the man and woman grow bored and indifferent, hoping to just pay the 'street performer' and be on their way. Their efforts fail. Before there is time to escape, they evolve from idle spectators to unwilling participants in an imaginary crime.

Richard Harrison has a loving wife, a reliable job and two typicallyrambunctious teenagers. He is currently experiencing a crisis. A midlifecrisis. He's hit the big 4-0 and his life has drastically changed.While every mid-life working stiff descends into daydreams in order toescape their mundane reality, Richard doesn't merely scratch the surfaceof his fantasies. He physically enters them. For moments at a time,until he's forced to snap back into reality with hilarious results.Whether he mouths off to his boss after fantasizing her as a dominatrixor performs live with Aerosmith to a crowd of thousands only to fallout of a karaoke booth, its clearly evident that Richard has a problem.A problem that needs to be solved in order to regain the trust of hisloving family.A psychologist helps Richard trace the source of his problems, whichbegan on a family trip to an amusement park on his 40th birthday. Itwas here that he revisited memories of a lover from his younger andmore formative years possibly sparking his need for escape. One commonalitythat exists within all of his fantasies is the appearance of amysterious blonde-haired beauty who may hold the key that unlocksthe mysteries of mid-life.

This is the story of the Anagama Kilncast, a live Webcast series about an anagama kiln at the University of Montevallo in central Alabama. Anagama kilns are rare wood fired ceramics kilns that produce beautiful and unique pottery at the end of a weeklong firing process. In 2007, the faculty and students at Montevallo tried to capture the drama and artistry that goes into firing an anagama kiln and produce a first of its kind Webcast. Focusing on the sights and sounds of the artistic community that springs up at an anagama firing, the viewer is first introduced to the kiln affectionately named, 'Fat Bastard.' Next, the history and impact of the ancient Japanese anagama techniques on modern art are explored. Afterwards, the viewer is taken on a journey through the preparation for the kiln Webcast, both by the ceramics artists and by the TV production crew. Finally, each of the stages of an anagama kiln firing- loading, lighting, firing, and unloading- are explored with images and sounds from the Webcast shows and the rest of the firing process. This documentary was produced without a lot of special editing effects, instead using the images from the kiln and the words of the participants to draw the viewer into the story.

And Then She Was Gone” is a narrative short filmed in Savannah, GA.The story focuses on a young woman who meets a mysterious older womanin a park. She engages the woman inconversation and finds that the woman is both the key to her past andthe mystery of her future. Inspired by Italian cinema, the filmsquality is that of a dream, set to the backdrop of Spanish moss, and atown textured with ghosts and nostalgia. The message of the film issimple: life is sometimes too short and bittersweet. “A small group of visual storytellers with a shared vision came together to create a shortfilm that touches the soul. All the elements are there. The story, performances, vision ofthe director and artful cinematography are threads in the fabric of a story that touchesthe soul. The conclusion left me wanting to see more, especially a happy ending.Hopefully, ’And Then She was Gone’ is the first step on a journey to a dream.” Bob Fisher – American Cinematographer Magazine “A beautiful film…visual poetry” John David Allen – Merchant Ivory Pictures "The sense of space and style and movement and rhythm in the film is just gorgeous." John Columbus – Director of the Black Maria Film Festival