Grand Prize Winner
a. k. a. DOC POMUS
U.S. Premiere—U.S.A.—99 minutes
A documentary directed by Peter Miller and William Hechter.
Doc Pomus' dramatic life is one of American
music's great untold stories. Paralyzed with polio
as a child, Brooklyn-born Jerome Felder reinvented
himself first as a blues singer, renaming himself
Doc Pomus, then emerged as a one of the most
brilliant songwriters of the early rock and roll era,
writing "Save the Last Dance for Me," "This Magic
Moment," "A Teenager in Love," "Viva Las Vegas,"
and dozens of other hits.
For most of his life Doc was confined to crutches
and a wheelchair, but he lived more during his
sixty-five years than others could experience in
several lifetimes. Packed with incomparable
music and rare archival imagery, a.k.a. DOC POMUS features interviews with his collaborators
and friends, including Dr. John, Ben E. King, Joan
Osborne, Shawn Colvin, Dion, Leiber and Stoller,
and B.B. King.
a.k.a Doc Pomus was conceived by Doc's daughter, Sharyn Felder. It comes
from the same team that gave us the documentary film Jews and Baseball: An
American Love Story, which screened at the 2010 Stony Brook Film Festival.
That team includes: Directors Peter Miller and William Hechter, Producers
William Hechter and Peter Miller, Director of Photography Antonio Rossi and
Editor Amy Linton.
Produced by William Hechter, Peter Miller and Sharyn
Felder. Director of Photography: Antonio Rossi.
From Clear Lake Historical Productions.
Audience Choice Award
WUNDERKINDER
New York Premiere—Germany—100 minutes
Directed by Marcus O. Rosenmüller. Written by Stephen Glantz and Rolf Schübel
from a story by Art Bernd. With Kai Wiesinger, Catherine Fleming, Gudrun
Landgrebe, Elin Kolev, Mathilda Adamik, Imogen Burell, Konstantin Wecker,
Gedeon Burkhard, Natalia Avelon, Michael Mendl and Brigitte Grothum. In German
with subtitles.
Poltawa, Ukraine 1941: Three children who share a love
of music become friends. Larissa and Abrascha are a piano and violin duo and
exceptional young musical prodigies. The Jewish wunderkinder become friends
with Hanna, a young German girl in their town who admires them and shows
promise on the violin. All is well until German troops arrive in Poltawa and the
children and their families see their world turn upside down.
Produced by Alice and Artur Brauner, CCC Filmkunst. Director of Photography:
Roman Nowocien. From Global Screen.
Jury Award Best Feature
SHUFFLE
New York Premiere—U.S.A.—82 minutes
Written and directed by Kurt Kuenne. With TJ Thyne,
Paula Rhodes, Chris Stone, Michelle Krusiec and Tamara
Taylor.
Shuffle is the tale of a man who begins experiencing his
life out of order. Every day he wakes up at a different
age, on a different day of his life, never knowing where or
when he's going to be once he falls asleep. He's terrified
and wants it to stop—until he notices a pattern in his
experience, and works to uncover why this is happening
to him—and what or who is behind it.
Part Twilight Zone-style mystery, part Frank Capra
fantasy, Shuffle stars TJ Thyne, co-star of the hit TV
show Bones. The film was written, directed and scored by
Kurt Kuenne, filmmaker of the acclaimed documentary
Dear Zachary: a letter to a son about his father and the
hit short film Validation, also starring TJ Thyne.
Produced by TJ Thyne, Kurt Kuenne, Dave Kuhr and Chris
Stone. Director of Photography: Kurt Kuenne. From
Theatre Junkies Productions.
Jury Award Best Feature
TAPED
U.S. Premiere—The Netherlands—81 minutes
Written by Marnie Blok and Diederik Van Rooijen.
Directed by Diederik Van Rooijen. With Barry Atsma
and Susan Visser. In Dutch with subtitles.
A young couple take a vacation to Buenos Aires in
an attempt to recapture their romance. While there,
they inadvertently tape the murder of an innocent
man by a corrupt policeman, forcing them to find
resources they didn't know they had to fight for their
lives as they attempt to escape. A tense Dutch
thriller.
Produced by Alain De Levita. Director of
Photography: Lennert Hillege. From NL Film.
Audience Choice - Best Short
BORDANDO LA FRONTERA
East Coast Premiere—
U.S.A./Mexico—27 minutes
A film by René Rhi.
A father who would do almost
anything to save the life of
his young daughter is faced
with a difficult choice. In
Spanish with subtitles.
Jury Award - Best Short
SHOOT THE MOON
New York Premiere—U.S.A.—27 minutes
A film by Alexander Gaeta.
In a desperate effort to save her home and family,
Marcy Meyers turns to the only hope she has left: a
nationally televised game show Shoot the Moon.
Festival Achievement Award for Outstanding
Performance
Philippe Torreton
GUILTY (Présumé Coupable)
France —102 minutes
Written by Hubert Delarue, Serge Frydman, Vincent Garenq and Alain Marécaux.
Directed by Vincent Garenq. With Philippe Torreton, Wladimir Yordanoff and
Noémie Lvovsky. In French with subtitles.
The Stony Brook Film Festival awards Philippe Torreton for his portrayal of the
real-life Alain Marécaux in the French feature GUILTY. In 2001, Marécaux and his
wife were arrested along with 12 other people for acts of pedophilia that they
never committed. During the ensuing years he faced a descent into hell as an
unjust and inhuman judicial system took its toll on him and his family. On
screen for the entire movie, Torreton’s unforgettable performance of an average
man facing inhuman persecution includes the re-enactment of Marécaux's hunger
strike, for which the actor lost over 50 pounds to portray.
