2014 Official Film Selections
Learn more about the 2014 Official Film Selections for the Eugene International Film Festival. Click the selection photos for more information on each film.
Agave is Life
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Agave is Life is the story of mankind’s symbiotic alliance with the marvelous agave plant, from which tequila, Mexico’s iconic distilled spirit is derived.
Bum Rap
BEST ART SHORT SHORT
BUM RAP began as a graphic poster designed as a lobby card to comically reflect an extremely noir relationship of a friend.
Coffee and a Bagel
BEST ANIMATION SHORT SHORT
A senior citizen, Gilbert, is recently widowed and decides to use a modern online dating website to try and meet friends again. This presents him with results he was not expecting.
Dryland
Produced by Sue Arbuthnot & Richard Wilhelm.
Evolution of a Mural
The EIFF will launch the “Mural Masters” project with the screening of this documentary, which received the award for Best Art Short from the festival in 2014. Lots of walls and lots of paint have been donated by members of Lane Leaders Association to move this initiative forward.
Families are Forever
BEST YOUTH THEME SHORT
Tom and Wendy were devout Mormon parents living in a conservative community: Attending church every Sunday, actively serving in their ward, raising five children and knocking on doors to promote support for California’s Proposition 8 to prevent same-sex marriage.
Flash
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT SHORT BY A NORTHWEST FILMMAKER
FLASH takes place over one night, following a young girl with a vivid imagination, whose sense of reality is constantly blurred with her vast inner world.
Free Man, The
BEST FOREIGN SHORT
Just being released on parole, A-Jie helps out in a laundry store. All he hopes for is to wash away his wrongdoings in the past, just as stains are washed off from the clothes.
Life Line
As art imitates life and life returns the favor, a figure responds to her own line and act of creation in the same manner as the animator.
Mei Mei
Mei Mei is a short film adapted from Dmae Roberts’ radio documentary Mei Mei, A Daughter’s Song first heard on NPR in 1989.
My Name is Water
A Holocaust surviving grandfather tells his grandson, ‘I may die soon. But if in the morning you are the dead one, will you be happy with the way you have led your life?’
One Armed Man
A wealthy cotton gin executive is confronted by a disgruntled former employee demanding the return of an arm lost in the gin’s machinery, in Oscar-winning writer Horton Foote’s chilling drama, One Armed Man.
Penguins at North Pole
The biggest wish of Helen’s mom is to see her only daughter getting happily married with a perfect man. She suspects that Helen is seeing someone, but Helen never wants to say a thing.
Saving Una’s Island
In a remote Melanesian village a small clan struggles to save their culture, and preserve island life for their children.
Scrapbook Memories
An experimental Behind the Scenes Documentary filmed and edited by Alvaro Ron while directing ‘Los Protegidos’ on location.
Sin Frontera (Without Boundary)
Inspired by true events, Monica and Gabriel are an engaged couple on the verge of a relationship breakdown when they are unexpectedly torn apart by an unjust law.
Spiny Shiny Grocery Store
One day, Arnold the bear and his friends discover a mysterious grocery store on a treetop. Hedgehog is the owner of the store and he has closed his heart, never making friends with anyone.
Stop Traffick
A simple Midwestern mom scours Las Vegas looking for her young daughter (Lauren Sweetser, WINTERS BONE) and some guy named ‘Kyle.’
Superdate
SuperDate is the story of young love. Two teens meet for the first time after months of dating via text only when their first date is nearly thwarted by the allegiance to competing super heroes.
God Question, The
Two scientists dare to ask an experimental super-intelligent computer the ultimate question: Is there evidence for God, for a spiritual framework to life? To their astonishment, it arrives at an answer.
Highest Level, The
The Highest Level follows the production of a CD featuring pianist Lang Lang, conductor Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Lucky 6, The
When employees of a Florida tech company win the mega lottery, they figure their futures are all but assured. But five years later, suspicions of lottery tampering arise and the group is forced to reunite.
Roar, The
This emotionally provocative film chronicles the steps and missteps of a young man who loves art, music, and poetry but who, due to familial and societal expectations, gives up his dreams to pursue ‘success’ as others see it.
Strong People, The
September 17th, 2011 marked the beginning of a three-year river restoration project on the Elwha River in Washington State. The main component of the restoration project is the removal of both the Glines Canyon and Elwha dams.
Tricky Bidness
Tricky Bidness looks at marijuana from the point of view of people who have lived with it in their community for over 40 years.
Under the Same Sun
Shaul, an Israeli, and Nizar, a Palestinian, seem to have little in common, but for a shared spirit of entrepreneurship. They create a solar energy company with plans to bring renewable energy to communities in the Palestinian territories.
Goldlust
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE BY AN INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER
An American dream lives on. Gold in the creeks. Gold in the mountains. There for the taking. Instant wealth. Miners, prospectors, ranchers, scientists, everyone who knows the land, agrees that the gold is there, locked in the Montana wilderness.
Headless
BEST MYSTERY FEATURE
After her twin sister is accused of witchcraft and beheaded by a fanatical religious cult, a young woman walks the razor sharp edge between myth and reality seeking the truth, hoping not to lose her head in the process.
Homes for the Houseless
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SHORT
This inspiring short documentary is about some of the homeless in Eugene, Oregon who find temporary housing and mutual support at the innovative ‘Opportunity Village’ community.
I Need My Monster
BEST YOUNG AUDIENCE SHORT
When Ethan checks under the bed for his monster, he finds a note instead: ‘Gone fishing. Back in a week. – Gabe’ What will Ethan do?
Into the Silent Sea
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
Alexander, a lone cosmonaut, is adrift in orbit around Earth. He has lost communications and life-support systems are dwindling fast. At the same time in Italy, a radio engineer is working the night shift.
Inverse
BEST SCIENCE FICTION FEATURE
A man bursts into consciousness, disoriented and confused. As he tries to regain his memory, he discovers a mind-blowing truth: he is from a parallel universe.
Jasmine
BOARD CHOICE AWARD
Ashy, lonely hospital janitor, Duane, is caught in his work routine destined to live the rest of his life alone. His Aunt Lola, a hospital volunteer, occasionally cheers Duane up with the occasional Sunday dinner or some new hospital gossip.’
Jersey Chasers
BEST PILOT
In this drama, Harper Payne transfers to Southwest University with dreams of becoming a female sportscaster. However, she soon realizes that it’s a man’s world.
Know How
BEST YOUTH THEME FEATURE
A film written and acted by foster care youth ripped from the stories of their lives. Five youth’s worlds interweave as they confront loss, heartbreak, and come of age in this tale about transience and perseverance.
Love Thy Nature
BEST SOCIAL BENEFIT DOCUMENTARY
Narrated by Liam Neeson, Love Thy Nature is a documentary film that takes viewers on an awe-inspiring cinematic journey into the beauty and intimacy of our relationship with the natural world.
Lucky 6: Behind the Scenes, The
BEST MAKING OF
When employees of a Florida tech company win the mega lottery, they figure their futures are all but assured. But five years later, suspicions of lottery tampering arise and the group is forced to reunite.
Red Notebook, The
BEST YOUNG AUDIENCE SHORT BY A NORTHWEST FILMMAKER
A young boy is struggling with personal loss. He gets help from an unexpected source.
Sam and Gus
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT SHORT
A coming of age short film that follows the lives of two boys, Sam and Gus. Life is innocent when you are young, age begins to complicate everything.
Shaggy Dog Project
A collection of films will be showcased by a well organized team of filmmakers under the mentorship of Hollywood Writer/Director Tom Blank. The Shaggy Dog Project is a program of Eugene's Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts, DIVA. Q & A with the Shaggy Dog...
Thru the Woods
BEST COMEDY FEATURE
What would you do if the man who ruined your life, smashed your dreams, derailed your career, and chased you out of the city showed up in the middle of the night at your secluded cabin in the woods, in the middle of a horrific snow storm, half frozen to death?
WildLike
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
Mackenzie, a troubled but daring teenage girl, is sent to live with her uncle in Juneau, Alaska. She longs for her struggling, absent mother, but as her mom’s phone calls become less frequent and her uncle’s care is not what it seemed, she must flee.
