Per Anderson

Z, a Seattle bicycle cop, tries to make sense of the world while patrolling the city streets.

A married Seattle couple struggle in their relationship as they approach the millennium, each looking for new directions in their life. He dreams of shedding all material worth and going on a spiritual awakening. She wants a new relationship with an old lover who wrote her a love note years ago. When a male friend commits suicide, he leaves all of his belongings to his friends. The two choose a piano from his possessions, which comes to represent the couple's relationship as he pushes the piano 50 blocks across the city to their home.

Photography student Stanley Cuba's (Mike Birbiglia) life has striking parallels to that of iconic director Stanley Kubrick -- except that our Stanley is neither famous nor exceptionally talented. But an upcoming photo contest may give Stanley his "Shining" moment. Filled with clever references to Kubrick's oeuvre, this first feature from writer-director Per Anderson screened at festivals in Santa Barbara, Calif., and Milan.