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Interrobang Film Festival

The Interrobang Film Festival, presented by Des Moines Arts Festival, is a three-day IMDb-verified Festival. It is a juried show, including public showings and talkbacks with Directors. Filmmaker submissions are accepted in nine categories and are juried by a panel of peers. This year, the Festival is pleased to be screening over 40 films from nine countries. Interrobang Film Fest is held at the east end of the Des Moines Arts Festival inside the (air-conditioned) Des Moines Central Library.

Special thanks to the Des Moines Area Community
College Video Production Students

Saturday, June 24 Schedule

11 AM

11:25 AM

12:20 PM

1 PM

1:50 PM

3 PM

3:25 PM

5 PM

Open Doors

Open Doors

TRAILER

Showtime: 11:00 AM, Friday

Director & Producer: Farshid Akhlaghi

Country of Origin: Australia

Running time: 20:00

Synopsis: One take. One night. One survivor of Australian institutional care. Sixty-five years after leaving the orphanage, Bill, a victim of forced child migration from Scotland, finds himself back where he started. He thought he’d left that world behind him, but he is now faced with a terrible reality.

Written In Ink

Showtime: 11:20 AM, Friday

Director: Cordelaine Kline

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 00:05:51

Synopsis: A man hangs a noose, feeds his cat, and starts writing his suicide note, but his pen runs out of ink.

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Written In Ink
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The Goats of Monesiglio

TRAILER

Showtime: 11:25 AM, Friday

Director & Producer: Emily Graves

Country of Origin: Canada

Running time: 0:25:41

Synopsis: Observational short documentary about the lives of two families working together to manage a goat farm. One Punjabi family and one Italian family work side-by-side in the northern Piedmontese town of Monesiglio. Through brief observations of everyday moments, viewers gain fleeting insights into the characters' experiences as they care for a flock of over 300 goats and produce traditional artisanal goat cheese. With hundreds of thousands of Indian agricultural labourers working in the dairy production sector of Italy today (the vast majority Punjabi Sikhs), the film captures a microcosm of contemporary rural Italian life - while harkening back to a historical way of life. Themes of cultural belonging, our relationships with animals and our connection to food are explored.

The Goats of Monsiglio

Operation

Showtime: 11:50 AM, Friday

Director: Alyson O'Hara

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:06:30

Synopsis: Fred and Fran Mixter pick out things for date night.

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Operation
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Crank-In

Showtime: 12:00 PM, Friday

Director: Jae Hyun Park

Producer: Jong Chul Kim

Country of Origin: Republic of Korea

Running time: 1:35:00

Synopsis: "Woori-Choi" is a young girl suffering from the debilitating eye disease "Retinitis pigmentosa." Despite her condition, she passionately pursues her career as a YouTuber, specializing in reviewing "failed movies." However, as her symptoms worsen, her vision deteriorates rapidly. Determined to fulfill her dream, she enlists the help of her parents to create her own film.

Crank-In

Frame Fumble

TRAILER

Showtime: 1:40 PM, Friday

Director: Alexander Griffin

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:03:34

Synopsis: What if the video frame fought back? FRAME FUMBLE is a new and innovative slapstick/vintage comedy short film that explores the misadventures of a stressed computer worker and his troubles with the aspect ratio.

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Frame Fumle
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Motel

Showtime: 1:43 PM, Friday

Director: Carolin Harvey

Producer: Dylan Powers

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:07:22

Synopsis: Motel is the story of a young woman who, after traveling out of state to get an abortion, must spend the night at a motel and grapple with the decision that she’s made. Isla has made a choice, and the weight of that choice hits her as the pressure from family and society seem to close in. As strange occurrences start to haunt Isla, she must do all she can to get through the night.

motel

Flood

TRAILER

Showtime: 1:51 PM, Friday 

Director: Almourad Aldeeb

Country of Origin: Germany

Running time: 0:11:25

Synopsis: On July 14, 2021, a natural catastrophe happened in the Ahr Valley in Rhineland-Germany: a flood took the lives of 136 people. The town of Ahrweiler looks like a ghost city - a dystopian sight. Abdo, a resident of the town, shares the pain of loss and re-lives the feeling of fear and helplessness. For Abdo, who was born and raised in Syria, it is not the first catastrophe.

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A Letter to V

Showtime: 1:54 PM, Friday 

Director: Ruixiang Xu

Country of Origin: China

Running time: 0:05:14

Synopsis: Escape or stay? A real memory or a confused dream? Danger always accompanies with love, making it difficult to choose. It is fate, it is the way back, and it is also a letter that has never been touched...

Flood
A Letter to V
Last Memory of Spring

Last Memory of Spring

Showtime: 2 PM, Friday 

Director: Samuel Mitchell

Country of Origin: Czech Republic

Running time: 0:12:56

Synopsis: Two old friends revisit the major venue of their childhood to honor a lost friend — though they soon realize that they, along with their friend, are trapped in the past.

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Amount Due

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Showtime: 2:13 PM, Friday 

Director: Hernán Ballard

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:05:45

Synopsis: "Amount Due" is a semi-autobiographical film about a mother, her terminally-declining health, the injustices of the U.S. healthcare system, and the suffering it brings upon the loved ones of the deceased.

AmountDue

Getting Through

TRAILER

Showtime: 2:30 PM, Friday

Director: Mason Beck

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:12:26

Synopsis: Vee, a deaf woman, feels her life's mishaps and mistakes are due to her inability to hear. Her boyfriend Aiden does his best to communicate with her and show her the truth of how he feels

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Getting Through
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Black is Beautiful

TRAILER

Showtime: 3 PM, Friday

Director: Marco Ortega

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:32:49

Synopsis: When the "Black Lives Matter" movement grew in awareness, Marcus Baskerville head brewer of Weathered Souls Brewing Co. wanted to shed light on the growing problem of inequality and police brutality. This is where the "Black is Beautiful" project was born. We follow the impact of the initiative and where it is today.

Black is Beautiful

Safe Place

Showtime: 3:45 PM, Friday

Director: Mirpoorian

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:19:20

Synopsis: A Southern Indiana man endures a fatal night of torture after being arrested for a routine traffic stop.

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Safe Place
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Into the Lions Den

TRAILER

Showtime: 4:05 PM, Friday

Director: Quinn Early

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:24:30

Synopsis: A Marine turned football coach creates a winning tradition wherever he goes. He builds character, and is a mentor to young men. His courage is tested in 1965 when he gives a scholarship to a high school football star who happens to be Black. Together, the two would help reshape the landscape of college football history in the south.

Into the Lions Den

Intruder

 

Showtime: 11 AM, Saturday

Director: Peng Ziqi

Country of Origin: China

Running time: 0:02:03

Synopsis: In the future, a man found there was a female that cannot be eliminated at will in his private world, he was eliminated by her.

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Intruder

(Un)alarmed

Showtime: 11:02 AM, Saturday

Director: Logan Westin

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:05:00

Synopsis: Derek, a young man indebted to his sleep and schoolwork fractures his perception of reality as his association of alarm and anxiety is numbed by the repetition of his stresses.

(Un)alarmed

Confusion of the Afternoon

TRAILER

Showtime: 11:07 AM, Saturday

Director: Yung Chieh

Country of Origin: Taiwan

Running time: 0:02:50

Synopsis: During the boring afternoon after class, two boys play poker. The inadvertent physical touch and eye contact touched one of the boys. In game after game, he has a beautiful imagination from this indescribable feeling, and feels that all subtle touches seem to be dancing. However, it’s just that in this game where gays obsess over heterosexual men, he finally has to face the moment when the dance ends...

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Confusion of the afternoon
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LINT

Showtime: 11:10 AM, Saturday

Director: Jack Horrigan

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:08:59

Synopsis: A man embarks on a surreal journey to save a sock and ultimately finds the connection he's been searching for.

Lint

Reflection

TRAILER

Showtime: 11:19 AM, Saturday

Director: Alyssa Myers

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:03:13

Synopsis: A seemingly ordinary woman is unsatisfied with her mundane life and begins to experience dream-like flashbacks of another lifetime in a déjà vu fashion. In her visions, she is a golden-age starlet living a glamorous life of fortune and fame in 1930s Hollywood.

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Reflection
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Best Buddies

Showtime: 11:25 AM, Saturday

Director: Mckegg Collins

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:14:47

Synopsis: Two best friends grapple with their future after one eventful night.

Best Buddies

Ella

TRAILER

Showtime: 11:40 AM, Saturday

Director: Hannah Wright

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:11:45

Synopsis: A young girl, Ella, struggles with the distance between her and her mother and her desire to be free.

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Ella
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The Family We Choose

TRAILER

Showtime: 11:52 AM, Saturday

Director: Justine & Kristin Schaack

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:08:00

Synopsis: Michael’s holiday tradition is avoiding his wife’s family by retreating to the basement. This year, his wife’s brother’s wife, Sarah, passively confronts him about his Grinch-level attitude towards the family. From childbearing expectations, politics, and convincing their mother in-law to downsize, the two in-laws build a connection over the dynamics of the family they married into.

The Family We Choose

Big Iron

Showtime: 12 PM, Saturday

Director: Caleb Stevens

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:15:58

Synopsis: An Arizona Ranger travels to the tiny town of Agua Fria to locate the deadly outlaw Texas Red. This western short film is inspired by the classic Marty Robbins song, “Big Iron.” Filmed entirely in Austin, Texas by Iowa, Illinois, Texas, and Tennessee filmmakers.

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BigIron
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Soft Eyes

Showtime: 12:16 PM, Saturday

Director: Sam Fathallah

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:06:24

Synopsis: A short portrait of a nature photographer.

Soft Eyes

Hibernation

Showtime: 12:20 PM, Saturday

Director: Joel Benjamin

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:20:00

Synopsis: On a damaged and drifting interstellar science vessel, an aging mother watches over her cryogenically frozen son and husband as she waits and hopes for an improbable rescue.

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Hbernaton
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Combined Efforts: Changing Perspectives of Disabilities Through Performance

TRAILER

Showtime: 1:50 PM, Saturday

Director: Jacob Daniels

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:52:44

Synopsis: Combined Efforts is a documentary about a community theater company called Combined Efforts in Iowa City, Iowa that seeks to include people with disabilities into the creative arts via stage performances. This documentary follows the cast and crew of Combined Efforts' production of The Beggar's Musical, as well as current and former members of Combined Efforts to highlight their history and mission in the artistic community. It also serves to inform the audience about the importance of inclusivity in all artistic endeavors.

Combined Efforts
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Bombs Away

TRAILER

Showtime: 3:00 PM, Saturday

Director: Will Roberts

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:07:31

Synopsis: A workaholic faces the imminent nuclear apocalypse by taking his dog for a walk.

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Bombs Away
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Critic

TRAILER

Showtime: 3:25 PM, Saturday

Director: Michael Hennesy

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 1:20:00

Synopsis: After savaging a reclusive Director’s new film, a disenchanted Film Critic is surprised to find himself invited to dinner with them, where their match of wits soon turns into something far more sinister.

Critic
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Episode 3: Ghost

TRAILER

Showtime: 5 PM, Saturday

Director: John Gigrich

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:07:00

Synopsis: Join host Darrell Moistrouser and the Mysteries Investigations team as they try to make a tv show investigating the mystery of the ghosts that need investigating to solve the mystery.

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Episode 3: Ghost
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For the Love of Dick

Showtime: 5:25 PM, Saturday

Director: Jesse Eastman

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:24:55

Synopsis: In this black and white silent short film, with influences of Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Odd Couple, and Buster Keaton: A recently retired Scientist tries to cure his loneliness by creating a new friend for himself, but fails to understand that it takes a lot more than brains to connect with others. With help from his neighbor, he opens up to love.

For the Love of Dick
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Frozen Out

TRAILER

Showtime: 11 AM, Sunday

Director: Hao Zhou

Country of Origin: China

Running time: 0:05:00

Synopsis: An émigré retreats to frozen prairies and forests, hoping to find a meaningful story and escape the anxieties of dislocation. Delivered as a film-letter to the protagonist’s sister in rural China, the film considers his queer self-exile and the vulnerable nature of home, relationships, and the self.

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FrozenOut
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Shadows

TRAILER

Showtime: 11:05 AM, Sunday

Director: Oleksandra Vinnichuk

Country of Origin: Ukraine

Running time: 0:07:53

Synopsis: Pasha goes to the mountains to photograph the canyon and decides to spend the night in an abandoned house. He expects to meet someone there, but this meeting will change him

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The End

Showtime: 11:13 AM, Sunday

Director: Grace Maddox

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:09:32

Synopsis: The End follows a couple, Alice and Evan, having one final night together before a meteor strikes the earth.

The End
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Brother

TRAILER

Showtime: 11:22 AM, Sunday

Director: Aleksei Borovikov

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:17:17

Synopsis: With his wedding to Carlos approaching, Tony, a young immigrant to the US, invites his conservative elder sister to the ceremony — a fateful decision that forces Tony to choose between his family and his happiness.

Brother
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A Trout in the Milk

TRAILER

Showtime: 11:45 AM, Sunday

Director: Asato Sakamoto

Country of Origin: Japan

Running time: 1:06:00

Synopsis: 'What does it mean to protect species?’ Japan is a river country with more than 14,000 first-class rivers. The Charr, a fish that lives in the deep mountain valleys at the headwaters of these rivers, has been passed down through numerous folk tales, legends, and forbidden traditions. The researchers who have been investigating the hidden mysteries and way of life of the Charr once called the phantom fish, have been confronted with its dwindling endemism and diversity. What challenges face fish researchers, fisheries cooperatives, and anglers who love fish and are trying to protect them? What emerged from the interviews were old and new problems that the country has been facing since its period of rapid economic growth. This new science documentary explores how technology and the natural environment, science, and culture can happily go hand in hand, and invites the audience to take active action in this age of loud calls for sustainability.

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Atrout in the milk
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To Memphis & Back

TRAILER

Showtime: 1:10 PM, Sunday

Director: Eric Smidt

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:27:00

Synopsis: When the Buckmiller/Schwager Band won the Iowa Blues Challenge, they had an opportunity to play on Beale Street in Memphis, TN at the International Blues Challenge and continue their mission to keep the blues alive. With the trip to Memphis serving as the backdrop, To Memphis and Back captures how this blues band uses their live shows to educate each crowd about the blues.

ToMempis and Back
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On board

Showtime: 1:37 PM, Sunday

Director: Sebastián Martínez Valdivia

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:15:49

Synopsis: In a boy-dominated sport, members of an all-girl skate crew carve their names into hometown history. Lauridsen Skate Park, located in Des Moines, Iowa, is the largest skate park in the nation and home to the Subsect Kids Skate Crew. On Board follows Luca, Mina, and Azra as they navigate adolescence while learning to skate.

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On Board
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FOREVER QUEER

TRAILER

Showtime: 1:37 PM, Sunday

Director: Candle Leung

Country of Origin: Hong Kong

Running time: 0:36:00

Synopsis: While many queer individuals from the Chinese diaspora often struggle with their gender and sexual identities, some found in Hong Kong a relatively friendlier haven to discover and grow — one in which they could live and thrive as their ‘true selves’. Here are some of their stories — in light of enormous challenges that remain ahead.

Forever Queer
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Greener Pastures

Showtime: 1:37 PM, Sunday

Director: Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 1:22:00

Synopsis: Greener Pastures captures the day-to-day lives of four small, multi-generational family farms over the course of four years. Through an intimate, observational lens we examine the various farm stressors, policies and politics farmers must maneuver to survive, connecting the dots between mental health, industrialization, food production and climate change. It is a story of perseverance, patience and determination that tackles nothing less than the future of farming in America.

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GreenerPastures
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 "She Said"

Showtime: 3:55 PM, Sunday

Director: Alaina Thetford

Country of Origin: United States

Running time: 0:04:25

Synopsis: ANIMA Works presents “She Said,” a moody and artistic visual approach to Academy award-winning songwriter and artist John DeNicola’s latest release.

Shesaid
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Hafen von Genua

Showtime: 3:59 PM, Sunday

Director: Lucas Ackermann

Country of Origin: Italy

Running time: 0:3:55

Synopsis: The video for the musical encounter between Teilabschnitt A and Mare May. Two musicians from Berlin who explore themes such as longing, loneliness and the abysses of the human soul with their debut EP "Für all die dunklen Nächte".

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Hafen von Genua
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