Whitetail
Synopsis
During her shifts supervising a wild swath of southern Irish terrain, park ranger Jen is fierce when it comes to fending off the poachers who attempt to encroach on the wildlife inhabiting the forests she safeguards. But shorts when an old boyfriend returns after a long absence, bringing with him memories of a tragedy that changed the course of their lives, cracks begin to show through her tightly controlled demeanor. As the past rears its head, Jen is faced with reconciling deep-seated traumas with new threats lurking both at home and in the woods.
Crackling with intensity, Whitetail is both a white-knuckle thriller and a meditation on the possibility of redemption for past sins. Anchored by a riveting lead performance from Natasha O’Keeffe, writer-director Nanouk Leopold’s probing character study is amplified by its rugged woodland setting, reflecting the unexplored depths of Jen’s fractured psyche.
Screenings & Events
There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.
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Media
Film Credits
- Stienette Bosklopper, Maarten Swart
- Nanouk Leopold
- Katharina Wartena
- Frank van den Eeden
- Natasha O'Keeffe, Andrew Bennett, Aaron McCusker, Rory Nolan, Simone Kirby, Aidan O'Hare
- Stephen Rennicks
- Jorn Baars, Anne Carey, Mike Goodridge, Niam Fagan
- Circe Films, Kaap Holland Film. Co-production companies: Keeper Pictures, Savage Films & VPRO broadcast company
- https://circe.nl/films/whitetail/
Sponsors
Program Patron
John and Jacolyn Bucksbaum Family Foundation
With support from
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Shorts 1: After Dark
Synopsis
Unfulfilled dreams, dark obsessions, and illicit desires take center stage in this program that transports viewers into the bold and blood-curdling world of genre film. From ventriloquist dummies to unrequited love, these shorts expose our darkest fears… and create new ones.
Blue Violet is a camcorder video compilation for Violet’s birthday that captures just how far Blue will go to prove her devotion to her beloved. While driving home alone on a deserted West Bank road, a Palestinian woman’s flat tire forces her to accept the help of a stranger with unknown intentions in Coyotes. Dummy! takes place in an alternate universe populated by ventriloquist dummies, where a human woman dreams of following in her domineering mother’s footsteps as a cabaret singer. In Earworm, an office worker seeks medical attention after being driven to madness by the notorious earworm “Cotton Eye Joe.” Between a tough-as-nails instructor, apathetic classmates more interested in partying than practicing medicine, and a lack of cadavers to help him hone his skills, Wolfe feels he has no choice but to take his dream of becoming an anesthesiologist into his own hands in Pinpoint. Following her partner’s death, a pregnant woman with a mysterious wound along her spine is visited by an old lover who wants to help her heal in Hotel Acropole.
Screenings & Events
There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.
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Blue Violet
Synopsis
Blue’s devotion to her beloved Violet knows no bounds, as the video compilation she’s assembled for Violet’s birthday attempts to convey. When hours pass with still no response to her many birthday well-wishes, Blue’s love transforms into violent, self-destructive obsession.
This film screens as part of Shorts Program 1: After Dark.
Film Credits
- Archie Sinclair, Chuckie McEwan, Esme Allen, Josie Charles
- Esme Allen
- Romany Rowell
- Jos Bitelli
- Esme Allen, Talitha Wing, Saphira Wing
- William Smith
- Grey Moth
- https://www.josiecharles.com/portfolio/blue-violet
Coyotes
Synopsis
When Israeli soldiers interrupt her commute home, a Palestinian doctor is forced down a desolate road and her future is thrown into disarray.
This film screens as part of Shorts Program 1: After Dark.
Film Credits
- Myriam Sassine, Laura Jumel
- Said Zagha
- Mattieu Taponier
- Simone D'Arcangelo
- Maria Zreik, Ali Suliman, Yumna Marwan, Jamal Meri, Eslam El-Awadi
- Amin Goudarzi
- Ali Suliman, Sophie Heard, Flavia Zanon, Frank Barat
- Night Owls, The Imaginarium Films, Saffuriya & Ma'alul Productions
- https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2025/orizzonti/coyotes
Dummy!
Synopsis
Cecily dreams of following in her mother’s footsteps to become a famous cabaret singer, but there’s just one problem. In a world populated by ventriloquist dummies, Cecily is a human woman, shamed for her size and lack of talent by her diminutive and domineering mother.
This film screens as part of Shorts Program 1: After Dark.
Media
Film Credits
- Rae Boyadhis, Francesca Pazniokas, Emilia Pazniokas, Wren Mack, Phyllis G. Mondelli
- Francesca Pazniokas
- Francesca Pazniokas
- Maddalena De Beni
- Natalie Walker, Pam Arciero
- Simon Hanes
- Alienchild
- https://francescapazniokas.com/filmmaking/project-two-llrgk-3c4cd
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