Columbus International Film & Video Festival 2009

Once upon a time a guardian was chosen to watch over all living things. She was called The Magistical. Hoping to preserve all precious life, The Magistical created a spell. This spell granted the last of every type of creature, immortality. However, to one very evil Draken, the spell would carry a very different meaning than intended. By killing all other Drakens, she would become the last. Without fear of death, such a beast could rule the world. Now only one baby cub stands between her and her evil ambitions. And between them stands a small, but determined obstacle, named Foible.

My Son the Pornographer is a love story between a father and a son.

Two short documentaries highlight the efforts of some of America's first suburbs to reverse their long decline.

Not Yet Rain, a short film by Lisa Russell, is a powerful film charting the course of reproductive freedom in Ethiopia.

Winner Central Ohio Green Education Film Award Winner Best of Festival Filmed in 15 countries in both hemispheres, the film churns together stirring visual sequences, compelling expert commentary, hypnotic local music and a score performed by the world-renowned Russian National Orchestra to immerse audiences in a direct and exhilarating experience of all that water means to humanity. The film highlights a world where water is exquisitely abundant in some places and dangerously lacking in others, where taps flowing with fresh, clean water are contrasted with toxic, polluted waterways that have turned the blue arteries of our planet murky. One Water leaves audiences with a series of provocative questions that culminate in one that will impact all of our futures: is water a human right or a commodity? Through a starkly emotional journey, the audience is invited to bear witness and encouraged to recognize this major global crisis as his or her very own. Admission is just $5, CCAD students get in free. Parking is free in CCAD lots.

On genetic engineering and freedom of speech Árpád Pusztai and Ignacio Chapela have two things in common. They are distinguished scientists and their careers are in ruins. Both scientists choose to look at the phenomenon of genetic engineering. Both made important discoveries. Both of them are suffering the fate of those who criticise the powerful vested interests that now dominate big business and scientific research. Statements made by scientists themselves prove that 95% of the research in the area of genetic engineering is paid by the industry. Only 5% of the research is independent. The big danger for freedom of science and our democracy is evident. Can the public – we all – still trust our scientists? This is a documentary thriller about how Agro-Chemical multinational corporations victimize international scientists to prevent them from publishing their scary findings. Admission is free, donations accepted. Beer and brats will be available at the bar. Doors open at 7 pm.

STRONG COFFEE tells the story of Café Femenino—a revolutionary idea that is helping people in need all over the world. Café Femenino beans are the first coffee beans grown entirely by women farmers. Remarkably, the Café Femenino project is helping to change long-established attitudes and weaken the grip of machismo in remote farming communities. In response, a cultural shift is taking place. There is more equality between women and men, abuse and violence towards women are decreasing, and the quality of life in these regions is improving. To better understand this phenomenon, a small group of coffee roasters travel to Northern Peru to meet some of the impoverished women farmers who grow this high quality, certified organic, fair trade coffee. The film follows the roasters as they travel to remote villages to see how coffee beans are grown, picked, processed, and sold. We learn about the Peruvian women’s struggles, their courage and incredible achievements, and meet some of the remarkable people involved in the formation of the Café Femenino project. STRONG COFFEE also shows how Café Femenino helps women in our own communities. The documentary takes a peek at the billion dollar coffee industry from the perspective of Café Femenino and provides an interesting look at the power of the consumer dollar. STRONG COFFEE: The Story of Café Femenino is an uplifting, motivating, and inspiring film. This film screening has been co-sponsored by Stauf's. Admission is just $5.

Filmed over a twelve-month period, from Rochester, NY and Cleveland, to Seattle, Los Angeles and San Diego, WE ALL FALL DOWN also shows how an out-of-control "mortgage machine" has today led to home foreclosures nationwide, featuring interviews with families who have been devastated, as loan defaults and evictions spread from the poor to middle-class sectors of the populace, in turn creating millions of abandoned and disintegrating properties in neighborhoods and cities throughout the U.S. Their emotionally moving stories reveal the all-too-real personal consequences for Americans caught up in this financial spiral. This screening is co-sponsored by the Free Press. Admission is free, donations accepted.

Canzani Center at the Columbus College of Art & Design Zombies are part of pop culture, but what are they? Where do they come from? How can we ever be free of the curse of the living dead? To find real zombies we will have to go quite a ways from Hollywood and its pop culture offshoots. In Haiti Zombies are an integral part of the island’s cultural and religious roots. Outlawed by the government, zombification is said to be performed secretly in the countryside. It’s meant as a punishment for crimes against the community. The culprit is magically killed, resurrected and enslaved. We take a look at the practice of Voodoo, examine advances in psychopharmacology, and zombies in popular culture. It’s a surreal mix of religion, science and fun ‘When the Dead Walk’. Admission is $5, free with student id. Dress like a zombie and get in free. Prizes for best zombie costumes. Parking is free in CCAD lots