ACEFEST 2009

Ashok's very traditional Indian parents are pressuring him into an arranged marriage - with a girl he's never seen or met before. Shortly before he's supposed to meet his bride-to-be, he runs into Maya, a fun, free-spirited, and head-strong girl. They spend the day together and really hit it off - but Ashok fails to get her number at the end of the night. And so Ashok embarks on an obsessive search to find Maya, his last shot at escaping the dreaded arranged marriage. Will Ashok find Maya before it's too late? Or will he have no choice but to succumb to his parents' designs?

A dark Halloween night in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Trick or treaters out with their parents. A little girl dressed as a fairy making the rounds alone. Seeing his opportunity, a neighbor snatches the girl, takes her into his basement where their game of cat and mouse begins... and ends.

This is a story about Apple your typical fruity guy. Trying to live his life like a normal Apple; hold a job, have friends etc... but his tree mates try to hold him back from achieving his normal life. In this episode Apple, tries to go to work but ends up being Chased by Grape, Banana and Barky the Tree in which they all reside. It becomes a race against the odds as Apple's fruitmobile is pit against Barky's long legs. The story comes to a climax as the characters finally reach the 'finish line', and the unimaginable happens.

Three hilarious must-see short films from America's up-and-coming directors!

Animation screening block featuring six brand new shorts!

This is the story of two men who rob a bank, only to have everything go horribly and irrevocably right. Kyle Sullivan was the big shot in high school, following in the storied and equally large footsteps of his big shot brother, Ben. Both men were the fabled high school quarterback. Both men were the prom king with their queen dates. Both men were able to get anything they wanted. And so it is written, both men failed to escape their small town. Both men live off a hallowed past. Ethan Dautry is Kyle’s best friend, and his lone continued disciple. He grew up idolizing Kyle, often at his own expense. Kyle has exploited Ethan his whole life, using Ethan’s worship for personal gain. And Ethan has taken it as a right of passage, even to the point of staying behind in the town with him, turning his back on any potential life. So as Ethan maintains a job through his father, Kyle gains and loses his jobs, following in the proud footsteps of his big brother, Ben. And this is their life, as far as the eye can see. Until one day Ben gets sick. And everyday that follows, Ben gets worse. Kyle, concerned for his brother’s life, takes him to the hospital. The doctors there say lots of words he can’t understand, but a single mission statement becomes clear to Kyle: to save Ben’s life, Ben needs treatment – and to get treatment, Ben needs money. To save his brother’s life, Kyle needs money. What starts as a desperate, drunken pronouncement in a bar to Ethan, becomes a grounded reality as Kyle becomes more confident and comfortable with the idea of robbing a bank. Though resistant at first, Ethan finally concurs with Kyle that is the only way the men can save Ben’s life. So they plan. And they plot. And they wait. We pick up on the day of their proposed heist, when everything appears to be going according to their plan. Until.

Steven Stanton was living a normal American life. He had a lovely wife and teenage son. He had an important job -- City Manager for Largo, Florida. Steve was successful, well thought of and influential. He loved sports and was an avid runner. But on the inside, Stanton knew that his life was anything but usual. From an early age, Steve Stanton knew that he was really meant to be a woman.

This screening is sold out.