Crush It All Weekend Long

To properly fall in love with the Crush, we highly recommend staying until Monday.

The Walla Walla Movie Crush is programmed thematically, comprised of short films packaged in hour long blocks.  In each block, you’re likely to find a mix of animation, live action, documentary, and music video.  

Blocks run 45 - 50 minutes total, with a few minutes leftover to enjoy conversation with visiting filmmakers (moderated by Movie Crush curator Warren Etheredge), transition between blocks, and refill your wine glass.

Please note that, with the exception of the WE ARE FAMILY block of shorts, all content is unrated and may not be suitable for younger viewers.

💜 = member of filmmaking team in attendance

† = 2019 Movie Crush award finalist

WP = World Premiere

Schedule of Films

Friday, July 12 | 6PM-10PM

6:00 PM: POST-TRAUMATIC STRETCH

For those who serve in the military, coming home is too often only half the battle. There are still the repercussions — PTSD, moral injury — to combat. There is no one right way to heal, but civilians owe vets the effort of hearing their stories. Here, three veterans travel very different roads to recovery, via dance, nature and religion. 

  • EXIT 12: MOVED BY WAR (d. Mohammad Gorjestani) 💜 †

  • THE SECRET LIFE OF MUSLIMS: RICHARD MCKINNEY (d. Josh Seftel)

  • GRIZZLY COUNTRY (d. Ben Moon)

7:00 PM: EXPRESS YOURSELF
presented by Bonnie & Bill Szuch

According to Ursula LeGuin, “The creative adult is the child who survived.” Of course, it could very well be that self-expression is what allows the child to survive. Here, a fanboy moviemaker, a celebrated artist, a feuding band, a tortured cartoon buff, a pop-star impostor, a fledgling poet and a life-risking photographer reveal their evolutions from kids to enviable creatives.

  • WORLD FAMOUS IN POLAND (d. Evan Mather) 💜 

  • NO BLUE WITHOUT YELLOW (d. Maciek Janicki)   

  • GO (d. Bryan Schlam)

  • NEUROTICA (d. Laura Moss)

  • MJ IMPERSONATOR (d. Sam Milman & Peter Vass) 💜 

  • SHARE YOUR GIFTS (d. Buck Productions)

  • CHASING MONSTERS (d. Krystle Wright & Toby Pike) †

8:00 PM: CLASS MATES

We are shaped by our peers as much as by our parents. Arguably, we spend more time with our school chums than our mums. Their influences can be as positive as they are misguided, as proven by an array of teens just trying to find themselves and their way.

  • LOCKDOWN (d. Celine Held & Logan George)

  • MACK WRESTLES (d. Erin Sanger) †

  • COLORLESS (d. Hyoung Joon Yoo)

  • EAST OF THE RIVER (d. Hannah Peterson) 💜 †

9:00 PM: UNCONSCIOUS COUPLING

Love is illogical — unpredictable and not always pragmatic. Love is sweet, it is sexy, and for some, ill-considered… if considered at all. Teenagers, Irishmen, new lovers and near-future romantics get their heads out of the games and their hearts in the right place?

  • EVERYTHING MATTRESS (d. Chase Joliet) 💜

  • FALLING (d. Anthony Yamashiro, Dylan Welles, Delaney Walnofer, Cullen Dallas)

  • SKIN THE WIRE (d. Erin Greenwell) 💜 

  • IRISH PRINCE (d. Joey Garfield)

  • GOD I NEED A GIRLFRIEND (d. Foster Huntington) †

  • AT FIRST GLANCE (d. Bianca Poletti) — WP

  • SEX NOTES (d. Will Gordh)

  • STORM (d. Will Kindrick) 💜

Saturday, July 13 | 10AM-5PM & 7PM-10PM

10:00 AM: WE ARE FAMILY

This is the only package that plays at the Walla Walla Public Library. It is also the only package that is approved for all audiences. All other material is unrated and may not be suitable for younger viewers.

You can’t please everyone, but heck knows, we’ll try. Here, a special, hand-picked collection of top-notch shorts — including cartoons and musicals, silliness and sci-fi — to delight the young and the young at heart.

11:00 AM: YUTE TUBE

I believe the children are our future… moviemakers. Here, the best of the best from middle and high-schoolers: a selection of narratives, documentaries and animation that showcase those who will be securing followers and green lights with ease from here to maturity.

  • QUESTIONABLE (d. Chelsea Eisen) 

  • STARGAZER (d. Kathryne Garrido) †

  • THE SPIRIT OF LIBERTY (d. Annabel Zimmer & Imogen Shearmur)

  • A DAY AT THE BEACH (d. Marley Rankin)

  • MR. BEAR AND THE RABBIT (d. Varun Sreedharan)

  • GREY HEART (d. Theo Taplitz) †

  • THIS HOUSE (d. Kate Graves) 💜 

  • DOUBTS (Zach Boone, Liam Bonds & Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas) 💜 †

  • VIOLENCE IN MEDIA (d. Andru Miller) †

  • GUNSLINGER (d. Kathryne Garrido)

  • LIFE ON THE ROPES (d. Taeho Choe) 💜 †

NOON: HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Wherever you go, there you are. True, but once you leave your birthplace, the block, can you ever feel fully at home? Immigrants, architects, ex-offenders and the hapless all seek a warm welcome, once past the welcome mat.

  • ONE CAMBODIAN FAMILY PLEASE, FOR MY PLEASURE (d. A.M. Lukas)

  • DUEL CITIZEN (d. Marcel Giwargis)

  • DEEP DIVE (d. Mohammad Solei)

  • JOHNNY’S HOME (d. Elyse Kelly)

  • NO TRAVELER RETURNS (d. Ellie Foumbi) 💜

  • THE MUAY THAI KID (d. Andy Schlactenhaufen)

  • GLASS BOX (d. Izzy Liberti)

  • HONEY (d. Andy Schlactenhaufen)

1:00 PM: FOODHARDY

Food sustains us, physiologically and spiritually. It can craze us or cure us, and those who fall under its spell are often reckless… whether serving patrons, helping neighbors, teaching students, waiting on take-out, or the world’s end.

  • NOODLE SCHOOL (d. Jia Li)

  • CURED (d. Gabriel Villanueva)

  • CHEF MATT (d. Andy Schlactenhaufen)

  • A NEW ORDER (d. Rishab Soni)

  • ALL AT ONE POINT (d. Anastasia Sanger)

2:00 PM: BORDER-CROSSED

Take back your tired, your poor, your huddled masses? As our nation’s leaders redefine immigration policy, many remain eager to come to the states… though in this case, getting here may not be half the fun. In fact, it may be none of it. Still, America is the draw, and these Americans share their stories… hellish, hopeful and honest.

  • AMERICA: YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE (d. Daniel Klein & Mirra Fine)

  • A LINE BIRDS CANNOT SEE (d. Amy Bench)

  • LIBRE (d. Anna Barsan)

  • THIS BEING HUMAN | إنسانية | (d. Aimie Vallat) 💜 

  • I FOUND YOU/NILDA’S STORY (d. Jake Scheier) †

  • MY IMMIGRANT STORY (d. Yuriko Gamo Romer)

3:00 PM:  IDENTITEASE

Don’t let others define who you are. Heck, no need to define yourself either. Labels may be convenient, but they are also ill-suited for the fluidity of today’s society. Doesn’t matter what boxes you tick for race, gender, orientation, etc.  You are who you are in the moment. Why not play with identity and make others form their own perceptions?

  • SUNDAYS (d. José Andrés Cardona)

  • I COME FROM THE FIRE CITY (d. Daniel Daly)

  • TELLING PEOPLE YOU’RE NATIVE WHEN YOU’RE NOT NATIVE IS A LOT LIKE TELLING A BEAR YOU’RE A BEAR WHEN YOU’RE NOT A BEAR (d. Joey Clift)

  • LACIE (d. Zach Strum)

  • THE LUCAS BROS: COMEDY IS THERAPY (d. Tynesha Foreman)

  • MILLER & SON (d. Asher Jelinsky) †

  • HIDE (d. Kyle Thrash)

4:00 PM: I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW

Even if surrounded by others, it is easy to feel isolated, insecure, misunderstood. A trucker, a dancer, an IT guy, and an assortment of the medicated, dedicated, depressed and hopeful try to make peace with the solitude of their individual lives.

  • THE PHANTOM 52 (d. Geoff Marslett) 💜 †

  • DUALITY (d. Richard Gerst)

  • LANDMARK (d. Victor Bonafonte)

  • SOMETIMES, I THINK ABOUT DYING (d. Stefanie Abel Horowitz) †

  • LIQUID DAYS (d. Mark Romanek)

  • ELI (d. Nate Milton) †

  • SUBWAY (d. Carlos Garcia de Dios) 💜

7:00 PM: GOOD GRIEF

Confronting death may be life’s greatest challenge. As Kübler-Ross prescribed, when facing our demise, we typically travel from denial to anger to bargaining to depression to acceptance. These shorts span the 5-step spectrum as a schlub, a singer, an artist, a lover, a Red Sox fan, and a covert couple navigate mortality.

  • JACK (d. Nick Paonessa) 💜 †

  • DIEORAMA (d. Kevin Staake)

  • MORE THAN A FEELING (d. Callum Hanlon) 💜 †

  • LAMENT FROM EPIRUS (d. Drew Christie) 💜

  • WATER ON STONE (d. Nancy Allison)

  • HOW I GOT TO THE MOON BY SUBWAY (d. Tyler Rabinowitz) 💜 †

8:00 PM: CONSCIOUS UNCOUPLING
Presented by Greater Good Productions

Gwyneth got it right? Sometimes, the wisest break-ups are the ones most carefully considered... only, not everyone got the memo. Here, old schoolmates, lovers, spouses, cameras, colors, seniors and the stricken face the ends of relationships with wit, grace and/or the help of others.

  • PINKY & BLUEBOY (d. Chase Joliet) 💜 

  • HOW TO MAKE A GHOST (d. Gabriela Escovar)

  • STEPDADDY (d. Lisa Steen)

  • RELATIONSHIPS (d. Aaron Bourget) 💜 

  • IN AN EMPTY WOOD (d. Chia-Hsin Lee) 💜 †

  • GEORGE & BRENDA (d. Kai Burley)

  • SUNDOWNERS (d. Lisa Steen)

9:00 PM: BEAUTY SURPRISE

The beauty industry is a $500+ billion per year behemoth. But does our obsession with good looks come at an ugly price? A self-proclaimed guru, a salon employee, a yoga denier, a plus-size booty queen, a celebrity spray-tanner and a temp spray-tanner urge us to look in the mirror. Kiss, tell and make up your own minds.

  • THE SCHOOL OF BEAUTY AND LONG LIFE (d. Noah Sheldon) 💜

  • AGUA VIVA (d. Alexa Lim Haas)

  • LADY HATER (d. Alexandra Barreto) 💜

  • JUICE (d. Quinn Wilson)

  • MACRO BEAUTY: JIMMY COCO

  • BRONZED (d. Mike Egan) 💜

Sunday, July 14 | 12PM-5PM & 7PM-9PM

NOON: HER BODY, POLITIC

Women’s bodies are now battleground states. The threat to women’s autonomy and their very lives cannot be ignored. Women’s safety, sexuality and right to choose are subject(ed) to ballot initiatives, bald-faced lies and brazen assaults. In this eclectic collection, women reclaim their power, from conception to interment.

  • ME TIME (d. Iyabo Boyd)

  • BIRTH CONTROL YOUR OWN ADVENTURE (d. Sindha Agha)

  • LAS DEL DIENTE (d. Ana Pérez López) †

  • HERE (d. Vance Malone) 💜 — WP

  • DANIELA (d. Natalie Labarre)

  • EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SUDDEN BIRTH* (*BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK) (d. Scott Calonico)

  • MONOLOGUE WITH LAURA LIPPMAN (d. Keith Stack)

  • THE KATY UNIVERSE (d. Patrick Muhlberger)

1:00 PM: BEARING ARMS

The right of the people to keep and bear arms has not been infringed, yet there is great debate as to whether the Second Amendment should be revisited, revised or excised altogether. Here, a look at gun violence, its causes, complications and possible remedies, from the perspective of quick draws, school shooters, totin’ teachers, madmen, lawmen and survivors.

  • DRAW (d. Christian Cordes)

  • GUNS FOUND HERE (d. David Freid)

  • LITTLE BANDITS (d. Alex Avagimian)

  • DIFFERENT THIS YEAR (d. Meghann Artes)

  • GUN SHOP (d. Patrick Smith)

  • INCEL (d. John Merizalde)

  • WHEN YOUR CHILD’S BOGEYMAN IS REAL (d. Margaret Cheatham Williams & Ella Dobson)

  • OUTGUNNED (d. Aaron Bourget) 💜

2:00 PM: TO OUR OWN DEVICES

Smartphones may make us stupid. Social media may make us, well, anti-social. But what are we to do when technology proves addictive and our continued ease becomes imperative? What happens when a driver, an online striver, a night owl, a nature lover and near-newlyweds abandon common sense, left to… their own devices?

  • SQUIRREL (d. Alex Kavutskiy) 💜 †

  • LIVE STREAMER (d. Noah Sheldon) 💜 

  • NOCTURIA (d. Ty Huffer) 💜 

  • LOOK UP (d. David Freid)

  • MADE PUBLIC (d. Foster Wilson) †

3:00 PM: MY COUNTRY, ’TIS OF THEE

Learn it, love it or leave it: America may not be perfect, but it’s what we’ve got. Here, an assortment of patriots, partisans, protestors, passengers, pariahs and the peaceful take a tip, take a knee, take to the streets or escape overseas, driven by the promise and the perils of this great nation.

  • GHOSTS OF SUGAR LAND (d. Bassam Tariq)

  • LAND OF THE FREE? (d. Chenglin Xie, Patrice Pinardo, Molly Murphy, Sequoyah Madison, Kaitlyn Leewing, C. Leigh Goldsmith, Haley Hudkins, Ken Egu, Lakota Dodging Horse, Brian Cawley, Liam Campbell, Alissa Brasington)

  • DREAM CRAZY (d. Lance Acord)

  • CARRO (d. Gustavo Rosa)

  • TRUMP DRIVER (d. Bryan Weider & Ben Rosen)

  • LAND OF THE FREE (d. Spike Lee)

  • ALL TOGETHER, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (d. Morgan Gruer)

4:00 PM: MALE ORDER PRIDE

Like father? Like son? Not always. Why can’t men of the same bloodline just get along? Why must it be, so often, a battle? In a word: Pride. And it is that very same trait that sometimes brings out the best in men. Here, five pairs of fathers and sons vie for attention, respect, love and peace.

  • WAITING GAME (d. Jon Bloch) 💜 †

  • SORRY, NOT SORRY (d. Monique Sorgen)

  • TA-NEHISI COATES: DREAMS OF A FATHER (d. Lyndon Barrois)

  • THAT’S MY JAZZ (d. Ben Proudfoot) †

7:00 PM: CRUSH CHALLENGE: The Rule of Three

As is Crush tradition, Artistic Director Warren Etheredge has invited ten of his favorite moviemakers/moviemaking teams to create brand-new short movies in response to a single, unifying prompt. The moviemakers are given no constraints other than this year’s prompt (“the rule of three"), and the guideline that the completed piece may be no longer than seven minutes.  The shorts can be any genre or style, and are meant to reflect a diverse range of creative expression. No one — including the Crush team — will have seen these movies until they hit the Power House screen this evening.

This year’s participants are: Wenjo Carlton & Anne Hanson, Sue Corcoran, Kate Graves, Courtenay Johnson, Nardeep Khurmi, Mark Millhone, Patrick Smith, Lindsay Stidham, Amanda Lovejoy Street, and Jacques Thelemaque.

8:00 PM: Walla Walla Movie Crush Award Ceremony

Like good parents with their children, we love all of the movies we program equally. That’s why we have called upon multiple juries comprised of Oscar®-winners, nominees, cult heroes and up-and-coming superstars to select this year’s best shorts. The presentation is a wildly entertaining, semi-formal celebration of talent and perseverance.

Awards will be announced for Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animated Short, Best Youth Short, Best Short Screenplay and Best Performance. Additionally, Warren will proclaim the winner of the Curator’s Choice Award, and the dedicated movie-lovers who watched every single short this weekend (aka The Iron Ass Jury) will determine the 2019 Audience Award.