Santa Cruz Film Festival 2009

A beautiful and evocative film about the remarkable journey out of poverty a group of illiterate women from the impoverished village of Belsi in southern Nepal make. Working with Heifer International, an aid organization that promotes sustainable development through gifts of livestock, we meet Shanti, Sita, and Parabati. These economically and culturally oppressed women are now helping hundreds of other women and their families rise out of poverty.

An auditory and cerebral visual experience unlike anything you’ve seen before. Directors Catto & Bridgeman traveled to over 50 countries, recording music and interviewing thinkers.

A young man falls in love with a woman he thinks is his female co-worker, but soon discovers that his own computer may offer him more than any human ever could.

88 is a glimpse beneath the veil. An exploration of those feelings running just below the surface. A timely reminder that the greatest gift we may bestow upon another is to make a gift of ourselves.

How is AIDS affecting the local community? What are organizations doing to make people aware of the affects of AIDS? What do people in Santa Cruz think about AIDS? Do they know the difference between HIV and AIDS? The documentary’s mission is to explore the effects of AIDS on the community and to see what education has been taught about the issue to make people more concerned about the deadly virus.

Eric, a digital loving executive on a mansion hunting expedition finds himself crossing swords with his realtor, Max, an out of work hand drawn toon rabbit.

Musicians Maya and Noah are about to perform a song they’ve composed for the “Young Songwriter’s Competition.” As they go on stage, Maya suddenly becomes confused. As Noah begins to play the piano, lost memories associated with their song come filtering back. Only the sound of music can bring back her disappearing memories. Shot inside the Del Mar Theatre!

Sherman Arch began protecting iguanas on his personal property in the early 1980s. 27 years later he has over 3500 iguanas roaming his farm and is educating and entertaining thousands of visitors each year about the dangers that over-hunting and poaching pose to this animal’s existence.

Romantic fairytale of a young San Francisco woman's self-discovery and transformation. Sweet, shy June spends a solitary life working at a diner and caring for her simple-minded Uncle Henry and her alcoholic, abusive Father. One day she meets Juan Diego, a struggling immigrant. Earnest and sincere, he too is taken by her beauty and radiant spirit. Prodded by Henry, these two lonely outsiders come together and begin a delicate romance. With the love and kindness of Juan Diego, June confronts distant family tragedies and finds the strength and courage to fly away to freedom. Set in San Francisco’s eastern Potrero Hill, the neighborhood is turned into a lush, dreamlike, coastal village. This San Francisco is unlike any ever seen on film and is interwoven with playful animated sequences to create a magical storyland.