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 on her own. Seeing his opportunity, a neighborhood bachelor snatches the little girl and 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.HER NAME WAS STEVEN is the story of Stanton's metamorphosis from Steven to Susan ... and of the triumphs and tragedies along the way. For two years, CNN has been with Stanton documenting events big and small. It goes far beyond the physical aspects of transitioning from a man to a woman -- exploring the deep emotional, psychological, spiritual and political changes that Stanton experiences as a transgender person.As a conflicted child, Stanton grew up knowing that his physical appearance didn't match how he felt inside. He talks about getting married and having his son and the struggles of his early adult life. Using family photographs, home videos, tape recordings and twenty years of Stanton's personal journals and two years of our own documenting Stanton's life, the film explores a lifetime of pain and joy, progress and set backs. Our filming was without restrictions. We focus in part on a particularly troubling period when Stanton was thrust onto the national stage --fired as City Manager when a local newspaper revealed he was planning to become a woman. That is when Stanton decides to make a full transition--and CNN is there to witness the journey. We are with Stanton as she takes the first steps toward living as a woman full-time... her first mammogram, electrolysis and therapy sessions. We are with Stanton in Washington, D.C. as she lobbies Congress for transgender rights.HER NAME WAS STEVEN explores the quiet moments as Stanton remakes her body - all the time trying to keep her thoughts and feelings focused on what she knows she must do. We are there when she interviews for a new job. We capture the conflicts of her teenage son and wife, who grapple with Stanton's transition that will forever change her life. CNN is with her through love, loss, sex and self, and the extraordinary journey of one woman whose name was Steven.

This screening is sold out.