Helen Parrish

This delightfully sentimental movie documents (via a fictional tale) the real-life story of New York City’s Stage Door Canteen, an east coast version of the Hollywood Canteen, where soldiers were entertained by stage and screen stars of the era.

Stage Door Canteen -- A soldier on leave in New York goes to the Stage Door Canteen where they put on a show for servicemen during the War. He meets a pretty hostess and they enjoy the acts together.

This cinematic tour-de-force from IFC Films attempts to capture one man's quest for spiritual direction, as he finds beauty, bravery and humanity in the diverse people of the United States. An audience favorite at the 2000 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, this existential indie follows John Seed (John Michael Bolger) after he’s contracted an unspecified terminal illness. Emotionally shattered, Seed travels across America searching for answers to questions about love, life, death and human nature. As he shares unscripted exchanges with an eclectic array of real people - from housewives to religious leaders, jazz musicians to alcoholic street people and sex workers – the film explores the sociological landscape of America.

Shorts International is proud to present THE SEED, directed by Linkin Park's DJ Joseph Hahn. Hahn, whose directorial credits include such award-winning videos as Linkin Park’s “In The End” (2002’s VMA “Video of the Year” winner) and “Somewhere I Belong” (2003’s VMA “Best Rock Video” winner), as well as music clips for Xzibit, Story Of The Year and Alkaline Trio, as well as Linkin Park's videos for the smash hits “What I’ve Done,” “Bleed It Out” and “Shadow of the Day” off their double-platinum-selling Minutes to Midnight album. Musically, THE SEED features two untitled original compositions by Hahn as well as a track (“There They Go”) from Fort Minor, the side project fronted by Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda. Discussing the film’s impetus, Hahn says, “I saw a homeless guy having an argument with someone who clearly wasn't there. I wondered what it would look like to see the fight through his eyes. What if what he was seeing was real? Who does he think is out to get him?” THE SEED tells the story of Sung, portrayed by Will Yun Lee (Torque, Elektra, Die Another Day, “CSI,” “Bionic Woman”), a homeless veteran losing his mind on the banks of the L.A. River. Pursued by unseen forces, fighting unseen foes, Sung is ostensibly “just another lunatic.” But as his invisible war continues under bridges and in tunnels, the viewer is taken deeper into his nightmare—into a nightmare of conspiracy, cloaking and the government's unseen war. Sung struggles to fight through what is visible to him, yet invisible to the world around him. THE SEED premiered at the 11th annual Pusan International Film Festival in 2006 and has shown at numerous festivals including the Festivus Film Festival in Denver, CO where it won "Best Short Short" in 2008 and the Veneration Film Festival in Newport News where Hahn took the award for "Outstanding Cinematography" in 2007. Upcoming festivals include The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, The Malibu Film Festival, The Beverly Hills Film Festival, The Los Angeles United Film Festival and the Swansea Bay Film Festival in England. After attending Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA for illustration, Joe pursued a career in special effects in television and film before joining Linkin Park in 1996. Hahn says, “My love for film actually comes from my love for comic books as a kid. I used to not eat lunch so I could spend that money on comics. Eventually, as I got older and wiser, I started to correlate the similarities of graphic storytelling to cinema.” THE SEED is Hahn's first foray into directing short films.