HIP HOP MAESTRO
USA, Documentary, 2011, DV, 40 min. (WORLD Premiere, DWF 2011 - AUDIENCE AWARD)
Dir: Christine Lee | Prod: Stuart Levy | Featuring: Geoff Gallegos (Double G), daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra

Hip Hop Maestro follows young Los Angeles composer Geoff "Double G" Gallegos and his 70 piece orchestra (called "Dakah") in its pursuit of the Holy Grail of gigs; Walt Disney Concert Hall. Blending hip hop, jazz and funk stylings in an orchestral setting, Dakah manages to gain talented musicians, earn accolades and increase its audience--despite all odds and zero budget. Can one man's talented leadership, single-minded determination and dumb luck propel a band from a local hole-in-the-wall nightclub to the biggest stage in Los Angeles?

HITTING THE RIGHT CHORD
USA, Documentary, 2003, Digital, 51 min. (WORLD Premiere, DWF 2004)
Dirs/Prods: Wendy Tumminello, Lynda Allen

Edgy and explosive, HITTING THE RIGHT CHORD captures the life and spirit of female artists doing what they love to do - write and play music on their own terms. We learn that there is no such thing as an overnight success. To be a musician is a long, and sometimes demoralizing, sometimes delirious struggle. We experience the daily pressures they face from the recording industry and the media as they are forced to choose between sharing one’s voice and selling one’s voice.

HOLLYWOOD HIGH: THE FIRST 100 YEARS
USA, Documentary, 2006, DIGITAL, 73 min. (WORLD Premiere, DWF 2007)
Writer: Brooks Wachtel • Exec. Prod: Daniel Doyle • Prods: Brooks Wachtel, Hilarie Thompson, Lois Lillibridge • Interviews Include: Warren Christopher, Nanette Fabray, Stefanie Powers, Ruta Lee, Carole Wells, Meredith Baxter, Anthony Frank, Mike Farrell, Donna Anderson, Hilarie Thompson, Charlene Tilton, Michael Sloane and other past and present students from Hollywood High School.

More than a century old, from its humble beginnings above a bakery. Hollywood High School has been a symbol of consistency in an ever-changing community. Once surrounded by pastures and orange groves, the school has witnessed phenomenal urban growth along with the birth of the motion picture industry. Simultaneously, a great many HHS students became world famous artists, statesmen, and scientists. In honoring this remarkable history, we who undertook this vast task of creating a video to document the first 100 years of our Alma Mater, wish to dedicate it to future generations of graduates who will continue to carry on Dr. William Snyder's challenge to “Achieve the Honorable.” This documentary was created by alumni as a gift to Hollywood High School. All proceeds go directly toward funding scholarships.

HONOR IN THE VALLEY OF TEARS
USA, Documentary, 2009, DV, 100 min. (West Coast Premiere, DWF 2010 - AUDIENCE AWARD)
Writers: Eric S. Dow, John A. Ponsoll • Dir: Eric S. Dow • Prod: John A. Ponsoll

Centered on Congressional Medal of Honor recipient 1st Sgt. David H. McNerney and the men of A-Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry of the 4th Infantry Division that he trained and led into a bloody, yet forgotten battle near Polei Doc in the Central Highlands of Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War, later known as The Valley of Tears. In their own words the film brings insight into their time spent together and the bond they formed that remains unbroken to this day. The men of A-Company trained together for 11 months and served together for one year. Their story begins with basic training at Ft. Lewis, Washington in 1965 and continues 40 years later at their most recent reunion in 2007. The highlight of the film is a detailed, first-hand account of their intense combat encounters, including the events of March 22, 1967 (for which Sgt. McNerney was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor). He is celebrated by the men he trained and served with and whose lives he saved on March 22, 1967.

HUMMINGBIRD
BRAZIL/USA, Documentary, 2004, Digital, 48 min. (Los Angeles Premiere, DWF 2004)
Dir/Prod: Holly Mosher

Hummingbird goes onto the street to see the harsh reality of street kids in Recife, Brazil. Brazil's House of Passage and Women's Life Collective work with these kids in an attempt to break the cycle of domestic violence and homelessness, giving them a chance for a real future. After reading an article about the child sex trafficking industry, Holly Mosher began to research this little talked about problem. In the city, Recife, a worldwide hub for sex tourism, a few determined women decided that they would do what they could to make a difference in their community. Hummingbird is a film that goes onto the streets and sees the kids in their despair and then goes into the programs and see just how they are helping these at risk children.