"Petrichor" is a poignant drama about sacrifices we make for love. When a dark secret of her past threatens to ruin her current relationship, Faith takes drastic measures to protect her love. Directed by Ava Ismaiylova (USA)
"Deep Water" tells a story of a young Alison, who is struggling with serious problems at work and in her personal life. Her addictions and a rise of escalating sexual advances from a work colleague are beginning to come to a head in this thought provoking short. Directed by Xiao Ni (USA)
Two women journey toward peace in opposite ways: One by abandoning Islam and the other, by finding it. Zainab is a medical student who has a big problem. She is Muslim but also a lesbian. One day after making love to her girlfriend Michelle, she goes home to find out that her parents have arranged a marriage for her. Not only that, but she later gets caught having an intimate phone conversation with Michelle. Before getting beaten up, Zeinab decides to run to her girlfriend. This means abandoning both the family and the faith that do not accept her for who she really is. Angel, is a New Zealander who has been subjected to horrific sexual abuse from an early age thanks to a drug addict mother. As she grows, she has no regulatory sense of self worth and seems to either create or attract drama with the opposite sex. This is until she meets Ali, her Muslim co-worker who not only saves her from a sleazy customer, but also has no interest to take advantage of her. Intrigued by the first man who has treated her with respect, she decides to learn more about his religion. Written by Maza White (New Zealand)
When their car breaks down, a couple is forced to address the growing distance between them. Directed by Dylan Calder Stein (USA)
Dani’s anxiety is building and she’s about to break in a scary way. The pressure of work becomes too much when she realizes she can't hide from it any more. Directed by Corey Allen (USA)
Following his therapist’s advice to be more social, Gary, an aspiring NYC playwright, channels his obsessive-compulsive tendencies towards online dating. With his "hit" play 'The Waiting Room' soon approaching, Gary risks exposing himself and his neuroticism to the world. But could this be the key to a real awakening? Directed by Delia Kelly and Stephen Riscica (USA)
"Benjamin" follows a handful of characters (all criminals of varying degree), but at it's core is about the strained relationship between two loan shark brothers, who are dealing with their late father's death, and the sole object he left behind for them in his will: a hundred dollar bill. Directed by Marco WestWood Gonzalez (USA)
It’s Kat’s 17th birthday and she’s excited about seeing her boyfriend first thing but when he turns up, her mother dismisses him. Tension further rises when her estranged father unexpectedly knocks on the door. The hate between her parents is expressed in a volatile shouting match. After school, Kat’s drunken mother reveals that her father has leukaemia and is dying. Kat wants to see him but her mother still refuses. Upset, the teen stands her ground until things escalate and she is slapped in the face. This incident acts as the catalyst to the youth’s self-destructive drinking session later that night, which frightens both her brother and boyfriend Josh. The next day, Kat and Josh argue over alcohol, but their passion for each other prevails as their argument dissolves into a make-out session. Unbeknownst to them, someone is watching and misinterpreting the situation. This stranger tries to attack Josh but is beaten up by the young couple. Weak, he falls to the ground but instead of stopping, Kat’s frustration is turned into fury and she keeps kicking him. She is pulled away by Josh but wants to keep attacking until the helpless man finally calls out her name and she realizes it is actually her estranged father. Directed by Maza White (New Zealand)
"The Last Page" is a short film that follows the story of a once famed comic book writer Emanuel Delgado. After a long career of award winning comics, and a mega fan base, it’s been nearly a decade since Emanuel abruptly ended his career. Currently living in a house littered by the drunken debris of his depression, a package with familiar contents arrives at his door and helps the comic legend reconnect with the hero character at the center of it all. Directed by Nick Powers (USA)
A man tries to escape from a mysterious world. Directed by Chaw Khanawutikarn (Thailand)
A documentary movie about the last exhibition of Japanese historical contemporary art gallery, Ai gallery (Tokyo, Japan). After the exhibition, the gallery was dismantled. Directed by Chihiro Ito (Japan)
Dylan and Matthew, two idealistic troublemakers, refuse to live by society's rules. They squat foreclosed homes, steal to survive, and romanticize crime. As the consequences of their lifestyle start to manifest, Matthew wonders if this life they've carved for themselves has finally run its course. But Dylan refuses to give it all up, putting the two at a crossroads, and testing their once unbreakable bond. Directed by Christopher Connor (USA)
Through the whines and whispers of broken liquid souls, Eros returns to make us whole again by Plato’s words and the myths that form his true and rusty nature. The director and producerThotti Cardoso had 17 years when the film was completed. Directed by Thotti Cardoso (Brazil)
