White Sands International Film Festival 2009

Rob is married with a little girl he adores. A successful chef, he lives his life as he runs his kitchen, but his regime of order and control is shaken when he falls in love with one of his staff. Today he decides to make his feelings known, and so he struggles to write the letter that could overturn his ordered life forever. Aspect Ratio: 1.85 (USA)

Mark Medoff will discuss his experiences in screenwriting and directing. Moderated by Dr. Sam Smiley. Q & A to follow. Mark Medoff is a playwright, screenwriter, and director. He received a Tony Award for CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD as well as London’s Society of West End Theatres Award for Best Play. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the film script of CHILDREN and for a Cable ACE Award for his HBO Premiere movie, APOLOGY. He received an OBIE Award for WHEN YOU COMIN BACK, RED RYDER. Among his movies are CLARA'S HEART, OFF BEAT, and CITY OF JOY. He has written one novel, DREAMS OF LONG LASTING. In 2000, Mark directed and co-produced the documentary film, WHO FLY ON ANGELS’ WINGS, about a mobile pediatric unit traveling through the underserved areas of southern New Mexico. In 2001, Mark directed the feature film, CHILDREN ON THEIR BIRTHDAYS, based on the story by Truman Capote. Among other awards, it received the Houston World Film Festival Award for Best Family Film. His latest play, PRYMATE, ran briefly on Broadway in 2004. He was Reynolds Eminent Scholar in the School of Theatre at Florida State University 2003-2006. He is now Distinguished Lecturer in Playwriting at the University of Houston and Artistic Director of the Creative Media Institute for Film & Digital Arts at New Mexico State University. He formerly taught at NMSU for 27 years and was Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the American Southwest Theatre Company and Head of the Department of Theatre Arts for 9 years. In 1974, he received NMSU’s highest faculty honor, the Westafer Award. In 1980, he was honored with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, New Mexico’s most prestigious artistic honor. In 2005, he received The Kennedy Center Medallion for Excellence in Education and Artistic Achievement. In 2006 he directed the short film 100 MPG, which was invited to a number of film festivals. Most recently, he directed BOOM, a training film for the military, and THE MEN OF MAH JONGG, a new play by Richard Atkins, that ran at New York City’s Queens Theater in the Park in December 2008. This summer, he’ll direct the feature film REFUGE, which he wrote from a story by Phil Treon and him. He has been married for thirty-six years to Stephanie Medoff; they have three daughters and five grandchildren.

Courting Condi is the first musical docu-tragi-comedy ever! Part Borat, part Fahrenheit 9/11, part Mamma Mia -- the film follows a love-struck soul's hilarious, emotionally engaging, and ultimately shocking quest to woo Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

If an illegal immigrant falls dead in the Mexican-American Border and no one is around? will it make a sound? Does anyone care?

Andrew Garcia of San Juan Pueblo and his charismatic family of dancers give a rare inside view of the historically mysterious and magnetic Pueblo culture and show how it is handed down from generation to generation. Dances in varied locales alternate with preparations, feast days, learning and prayers. Aspect Ratio: 1.33 (4x3 VIDEO)

Dia de las Madres is a story of a Mexican-American immigrant and her relationship with her daughter. It explores how the mother’s decision to move stateside has affected both women’s lives. Aspect Ratio: 1.78 (16x9 VIDEO)

Land Before Space and Time :72 min She Should Have Gone to the Moon :58 min

Karearea: The Pine Falcon :48 min The Thin Green Line :82 min