"Molasses" is a story of love, Black identity, and growth. This film of pursuit feels rich and nostalgic, like an R&B mixtape. "Molasses" is slow jam for our generation. Directed by Micah Ariel Watson (USA)
In the wake of the brutal 1955 lynching of Emmett Till, an entire church is left to grieve. What happens when mourning becomes political and fighting becomes spiritual? "40th & State" is an experimental requiem for lost Black life and exploration of the Pentecostal church. Directed by Micah Ariel Watson (USA)
A day in an 8-year-old boy's life. Directed by Victor Jorge (Portugal)
Three married couples are court mandated to group therapy after crashing a child's party in the park. Directed by Jim Whipple (USA)
12-year-old Marcela finds an airmail letter that she suspects may be from her absent father, who left Mexico to go to The United States. Her brother Rogelio, betrayed by his father’s absence takes the letter from Marcela. In order to learn more about her father, she must convince Rogelio she is ready to read what’s inside the letter. To prove this, Marcela shows him her secret scrapbook containing naïve scenarios and clues to her father’s silence. Directed by Jazmin Aguilar (USA)
Mel hires a local film crew to shoot a commercial for his plumbing business. Directed by Jim Menza (USA)
A young woman checks into a secluded holiday cottage and discovers that some vacations stay with you... forever. Directed by Frazer Lee (UK)
An OCD tennis player on a long haul flight to Australia. Mid-flight she needs the loo. Simple. Right? Wrong! Can Helen overcome her demons and escape the toilet before the plane lands? Directed by Jo Southwell (UK)
This film is inspired by Leonard Cohen’s famous quote: “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in”. An old, wise filmmaker takes us through the intricacies of working with analog film: the corn, light leaks and the imperfect yet inherently beautiful developing process. With short glimpses of unique characters, shot entirely on analog film, this piece celebrates the beauty in ugliness, the cracks in our personalities and the quirks of humankind while connecting it to the iconic, flawed look of analog film. Directed by Marko Roth (Germany)
Shapes, shadows, light and night from another world. Directed by Ian Montgomery (USA)
This comedy short film is based on a story by O. Henry "The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein". Dr. Akhilesh loves Bela but cannot express his feelings. In order to win her love, he takes resort to a love medicine in the story. What happens next is O. Henry's twist adapted to an Indian setting. This short film marks the launch of Ashima Pictures’ Purane Panne short film series where old masterpiece stories by famous authors will be adapted in Indian settings. Directed by Mayank Singh (India)
"Family in Exile" is an intimate documentary, set in Morocco, about the conflicts within the filmmaker's family. It is a daughter's quest to understand her father's refusal, over many years, to interact with her and her mother. Through a series of revealing conversations with family members, stories touching on gender tensions, religious beliefs, and parent/child relationships are evoked. It is a personal visual letter of resistance by a daughter to a dictatorial father. Directed by Fatima Matousse (Morocco)
Two Hollywood producers try to save their dying careers by creating a blockbuster out of old movies and their warped imaginations. What they don't know is that they are being mined for their creative ideas. The film was in production for 25 years and shot in seven states including Wash D.C. (Linklater eat your heart out!). Homages galore! The next Rocky Horror! Directed by Wayne J. Keeley (USA)
