Shorts Block IV

The explosive video of Nervous Countdown is an hypnotic journey from the micro to the macro cosmos, an inverse evolution from technology to nature. It is a countdown, realized with a unique sequence plan, that begins with an apparently insignificant detail and ends with the vision of the entire global system. Little events follow one another, in a chain of normality that doesn’t let you foresee an hypothetical catastrophic ending.

Quirky 16 year old Rose loves flowers, animals, and mythical creatures. But when her older sister Dawn dies, she struggles to make sense of this sudden dose of reality. Her best connection to her sister is Dawn’s boyfriend David. Together the of two of them begin the slow process of healing and acceptance.

Since the overturning of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) by the Supreme Court in June 2013, the subtext of this movie is the impact that has on families; both gay and straight. In this 4 character drama, a recently married gay couple struggle with the ramifications of their brief marriage gone wrong. The story opens with the couple seeking out support from one of the couples’ brother and sister in law, and it quickly becomes a trigger of strong emotions, deep seated bigotry, and ulterior motives. This movie is clearly relevant for millions of Americans impacted by federally recognized marriage for same sex couples, whether personally or politically, and explores the possible consequences of legal unions be it straight OR gay.

A guy and girl prove that love comes in many forms, and its expressions are boundless. ‘The Proposal’ puts us in the middle of the most important moment in these lovebirds’ lives — the moment they ask the other to be theirs forever. On the verge of creepy, these sincere deliveries defy convention.

On Halloween day, the Sun gives a scarecrow girl one night freedom until Sunrise. Transforming herself into human being, she gets mixed up with crowds of a Halloween matchmaking party in the big city, Tokyo. Coming from rice paddies and feeling isolated from the real human beings, the scarecrow falls in love with a real zombie. They are only real monsters among all, so the scarecrow thinks he is ‘different’ from others. The zombie has strong sense of justice, and he only eats bad people’s bad brains for the world peace. The scarecrow starts to follow the zombie’s bad brain hunting. Even though the outsiders nurture love, the time limit approaches to end their happy journey.

東京ハロウィンナイト予告編 (Tokyo Halloween Night Trailer) from Mari Okada on Vimeo.

Ben is searching for purpose. Masi is following a dream.
From separate islands, yet connected through music, their paths crossed at Fiji’s Beat Making Lab.

The Beat Making Lab believes music can transform individuals and communities. They build studios around the world, training youth in the art of beat making.