Bitter Weeds
Mischievous 16-year-old Liam is sent to look after his dementia-suffering grandmother Pat, who unravels as she mistakes him for her cheating, late husband. It’s a weird, dark twist on the coming-of-age drama about caring for the ailing, generational trauma, and the cruelty of immaturity.
Bootie’s
An overworked assistant who moonlights at a lap dance party is thrown when her day job boss comes into the club. As her worlds collide, the two are caught in a delightfully awkward game of social chicken and an unspoken power struggle that begs the question, who’s really in charge?
Cucumber
Shintaro receives a homegrown cucumber from the older lady next door, and his crippling anxiety convinces him that he has to reciprocate the gesture.
Dawn Every Day
Set in 1956, 8-year-old Nabil navigates through new social norms he cannot fathom that impact his next-door best friend in post-nationalized Egypt. Inspired by true events.
Derby
In Derby, Kansas, summer is coming to an end, and nine-year old Percy is confronted with the harsh reality of his mother’s addiction. Student Film – Columbia University.
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting
An allegorical, 1930s-set, coming-of-age fable about mothers, daughters, & the beasts they hunt.
Giving Mom the Talk
In this literal “coming”-of-age story, an Indian daughter gives her mom “the talk.”
Knead
When an alien landing mysteriously drives people around the world to achieve their deepest dreams, an aspiring baker in an unhappy marriage wonders why she hasn’t been affected at all—forcing her to take matters into her own hands.
Last Dance, The
The final chapter of a famous East London haunt and the brainchild of successful club owner/promoter Linford “Fox” Wilson. Fox’s world tailspins, as his iconic “LA bar”—a staple for the Caribbean community, a home of Reggae music, and a hub for the Windrush generation—is compulsory purchased by the council, forcing him and his patrons out, leaving his life in disarray. We witness a community rise up against the onrushing tide of gentrification that threatens to
Lumen
It has been raining heavily for months, and the sixth wave is depressing humanity. In this prevailing darkness, Claude, 70 years old, compulsively buys lamps online to break his solitude and bring light into his life, at any cost.
Narrative Shorts, Program 1: A Break for Laughter
Considering how many of us are feeling about the state of the world right now, a moment to take a breath to smile and laugh is necessary. These shorts are a welcome respite and opportunity to take that breather.
Narrative Shorts, Program 2: Time to Grieve
While program one is about taking the time to laugh, this shorts program is all about acknowledging the various forms of grief many of us often experience, be it the loss of a loved one, a loved place, or a period in your life.
Narrative Shorts, Program 3: Coming of Age
One thing that really stood out in this year’s submissions is just how tremendous young people really are. Whether they are saving a crush from a deadly bee sting, hunting griffins, or wrestling with the everyday challenges of being a teenager, they all learn to come of age in their own unique way.
Pack Rat
In rural New Zealand, a 15-year-old girl fights to keep her place among the pack of boys she has grown up with. As day turns to night, she falls into a power game with the pack’s alpha, but it is the wrestle within herself that proves to be her hardest challenge.
Sheep
A little girl in Tehran, living with her mother, decides to save sheep from being sacrificed for the traditional ceremony called Eid-e-Ghorban.
