2021 Hobnobben Film Festival Schedule

FRIDAY: 10:45 AM - 11:45 PM

From Hurdles to Triumphs

From daydreaming about mountains, to feeling at home in the water, to finding your safe space through running or youth football, this block of short films shows the power of physical activity in finding one’s purpose. Three of the four films are by Indiana filmmakers about Hoosiers.

FRIDAY: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Tough Topics: Family Edition

Sometimes family helps us through the tough times, and sometimes they create the tough times. This block of seven short films explores individuals navigating some difficult family relationships. A father and son deal with a recent diagnosis amidst family tension, a woman grapples with her inheritance, an Iranian woman comes to terms with being a caregiver, and more.

FRIDAY: 1:45 PM - 2:45 PM

Brought to you by: Quarantine

COVID — how sick are you of that word? These films explore what many of us have experienced over the last year +. Sometimes the pandemic makes you go stir crazy, and sometimes it helps you discover different sides of yourself, nine sides, perhaps. In the end, we must all be thankful for strong internet connections. And pizza delivery.

FRIDAY: 3:00 PM - 4:45 PM

Let’s Talk Menstruation

Periods. Menstruation. Vagina. Uterus. Tampons. Pads. Menstrual cup. None of these is a dirty word. Isn’t it time we ended the stigma surrounding menstruation? The Wound explores a young girl menstruating for the first time after an earthquake, while Bleeding Free follows Scottish students spreading awareness about period poverty. Panel discussion to follow.

FRIDAY: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Move, Listen and Sing!

Sometimes you just need to get lost in the music and dance! There’s plenty of talent in this block of eight amazing shorts. And so much of it highlights local artists like The Legendary Trainhoppers, Fort Wayne Dance Collective, Rosaline and the Way, Silbo Gomero, and a few new artists to add to your playlist. Check out this irresistible mix of music videos and introspective pieces.

FRIDAY: 7:00 PM - 9:45 PM

Opening Night Reception + Opening Night Film

RECEPTION:

Come hobnob with your fellow cinephiles at the Embassy Theatre before the Opening Night film. It’s your chance to meet the filmmakers, pose for selfies, and nibble on some yummy appetizers. Oh, and don’t forget the cash bar. Then join us for the awards ceremony in theatre before our feature film.

OPENING NIGHT FILM: ZOLA

"Y’all wanna hear a story about why me & this bitch here fell out? It’s kind of long but full of suspense.”

Zola (newcomer Taylour Paige), a Detroit waitress, strikes up a new friendship with a customer, Stefani (Riley Keough), who seduces her to join a weekend of dancing and partying in Florida. What at first seems like a glamorous trip full of “hoeism” rapidly transforms into a 48-hour journey involving a nameless pimp, an idiot boyfriend, some Tampa gangsters and other unexpected adventures in this wild, see-it-to-believe-it tale.

FRIDAY: 10:00 PM - 11:45 PM

Live Passionately, Be Weird, Express Your Beautiful Self

Everyone’s journey to love themselves and realize their own true beauty is unique — just as these four shorts are unique in their approach to storytelling. Enjoy the journey each of these films takes you on in this captivating block. And be sure to stay for the live burlesque show featuring the DisDress Dolls!

SATURDAY: 10:00 AM - 12:15 PM

Greyland

This powerful documentary follows two young residents struggling to reclaim the identity of their shrinking post-industrial city, Youngstown, Ohio. Filmed over six years, Greyland poetically portrays the conditions in their neighborhoods, their confrontations with city hall, and even the realization that their community might not be able to change in the way they had envisioned. Panel discussion to follow.

SATURDAY: 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Six Angry Women

In 1984 in Auckland, New Zealand, six women kidnapped, beat up and chained a university lecturer, who they claimed was a rapist, to a tree. More than 30 years later, this is the bizarre true story of that sensational feminist direct action. From New Zealand.

SATURDAY: 2:15 PM - 3:00 PM

Nature’s Comforting Companions

Animals and pets can lead us to great things, such as how to heal after a great hurt, how to preserve our natural environment, and even where to find a mysterious underwater relic. Some even know we need them to come home. Of course, other animals are just cute. We need cute right now, okay?

SATURDAY: 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM

The Power of Creation

The six films in this block illustrate the power of art and creation. Whether it's finding your unique creative outlet, creating art to get through the pandemic, or using it as an act of rebellion amidst a military coup in Myanmar — art and artists persevere. Panel discussion to follow.

SATURDAY: 5:30 PM - 6:45 PM

Expeditions (Mostly) Unknown

These six sci-fi and fantasy films will take you on a journey to other worlds. Explore the potential of technology. Watch dystopian imaginings of life on earth. Visit Vietnam with an interloper from another planet. And go on an adventure with a 120-year-old trying to find a labyrinth in a mystical library.

SATURDAY: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Living… Even When It’s Hard

This intense but artful block takes you all around the world — from Turkey, Israel, Iran and Myanmar to death row in the United States. These eight short films explore the things that can make life on earth a real-life horror show: trauma, pollution, road rage, state-sanctioned homophobia, and even a pandemic that seems right out of a Hollywood blockbuster script… 

SATURDAY: 8:45 PM - 9:45 PM

Dark & Twisty & Pretty Fun: Fright Night Edition

Yeah, we don’t really know how to categorize all the films in this block, but this is a Fright Night must. You’ll have fun. You might jump up in your chair and spill popcorn everywhere at some point, but you WILL have fun!

SATURDAY: 10:00 PM - 11:15 PM

Fearing the Unknown

Thriller and suspense lovers, here’s a collection of six dark and psychological short films. A woman’s anxiety creates an unsettling world, a gruesome trip to a campground, a Lynchian farmhouse, a grotesque creature, a vampire searching for prey, a man who seeks to absolve himself of the sins of his past, and more — all combining for a tense, twisted nightcap.

SUNDAY: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Rescue and Escape: Saving Jewish Lives

There are so many powerful films about the Holocaust, and yet year after year, filmmakers find compelling reasons to continue telling this undeniable piece of history. The two films in this block are inspirational accounts of heroic men and women who helped to save Jewish lives. Panel discussion to follow.

SUNDAY: 12:15 PM - 1:45 PM

Butterfly, Lost

After the death of his sister, a young man on the autism spectrum struggles to find his way in the world without her. Then one day, he meets the new waitress at his favourite cafe. From the United Kingdom.

SUNDAY: 2:00 PM - 4:45 PM

This is America

Addressing the worst parts of this country might not be comfortable or pretty, but it’s necessary and important. The nine powerful short films in this block do the hard work of confronting the systemic inequities and struggles of American life. Panel discussion to follow.

SUNDAY: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

You Can’t Define Me

What does it mean to accept and love yourself for who you are, eschewing the expectations society places on you? Our journeys to self-acceptance and living as our authentic selves are all so very different and hard to define, but these seven short films give us insight into the paths some of us take.

SUNDAY: 6:15 PM - 7:30 PM

Love ❤️ Love

There’s no feeling better than finding that special spark with someone new. Get ready to feel butterflies vicariously through these characters as they find themselves connecting on deeper levels than they expected.

SUNDAY: 7:45 PM - 9:30 PM

These are a Few of our Favorite Things

A philandering techie and a rent-struggling trio, a doubt-riddled woman and demons who tempt her, a cute thieving couple that’s tied up with cuffs — these are a few of our favorite stuffs. When the films stop. When the lights go up. When we’re feeling sad. We simply remember our favorite festival, and then we don’t feel so bad.