_{Starring: Perry Millward, Bob Goody; Written and Directed by: Jamie Magnus Stone; OFFICIAL WEBSITE}



Stranded in a foggy post-apocalyptic wasteland, Gideon (Bob Goody) and his son Blue (Perry Millward) build a flying machine to see above the clouds. Blue, however, has lost faith in his father's crazy dream and their flying attempts are becoming increasingly dangerous. Blue is quite sure there's nothing but cloud in the sky, so he hatches a devious plan to keep his father on the ground.

Written and directed by Jamie Magnus Stone, Skyborn was recently named one of five finalists in the foreign film category of the Student Academy Awards. The film, which is also in the early stages of becoming a feature film, features a beautiful story lovingly brought to life by Stone. Both Bob Goody and Perry Millward do a terrific job here in selling characters who could have easily become overwhelmed by the film's terrific production design. The film is an official selection of the 2012 Heartland Film Festival, though it's the type of film that seems to mostly get lost upon Heartland viewers.

Skyborn is Stone's ambitious Graduation Film from the National Film and Television School in the U.K., and if the film's a prime example of his creative spirit he should enjoy a long life in film.

_{Starring: Johannes Silberschneider, Toks Korner and Myriam Aegerter; Directed by: Matthias Rosenberger and Betina Dubler; Written by: Betina Dubler; OFFICIAL WEBSITE}



An official selection of the 2012 Heartland Film Festival, this 18-minute German film is about a seemingly ordinary man and a day that becomes not so ordinary. Co-directed by Matthias Rosenberger and Betina Dubler, the film is a dark yet hopeful film featuring a strong performance by Johannes Silberschneider that holds it all together and makes it stick in your mind for quite some time.

_{Directed by: Jason Wallis and Taylor Robinson}

An interesting doc short from this year's Heartland Film Festival, Jason Wallis and Taylor Robinson's Speakeasy Supper-Club documents Atlanta's PushStart Kitchen, a dining club that serves only one table of 10 per night and only two nights per week. One of a growing number of "novelty" supper clubs with unique themes and concepts surrounding them, PushStart was started by a husband and wife team seeking to do what they love doing on their own terms.

Mission accomplished.

While Speakeasy Supper-Club is a rather straightforward documentary short, it fits well within the Heartland Film Festival's mission and solidly within its "interesting individuals" block of shorts.