Films

Abe's Story

Abe, an overworked writer, gets an idea for a bloody brilliant novel in Victorian London. He toils on the manuscript for seven long years, only…
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All the Possibilities...

All the Possibilities… is a documentary meditation on artist Vernon Pratt’s 1,450 square foot systematic abstraction painting, All The Possibilities of Filling in Sixteenths (65,536),…
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Alley Rats

As Ralph tries to reconnect with his childhood best friend, Jay, the two are thrust into their town’s unforgiving nightlife, turning a night of parties,…
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Animated Shorts 1

Films in this program of short animated works include: Blieschow Embraced I Bleed The Kite The Masque of Blackness Pace Petty Thing Saguaro When the…
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Animated Shorts 2

Films in this program of short animated works include: Abe’s Story Cats Can’t Swim Fata Morgana Grandad Was A Romantic If Anything Happens I Love…
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April Eighty-Nine

A woman recalls a fateful road trip taken thirty years earlier with her first love. This short screens as part of the NC Shorts 1…
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Ashes to Ashes

Winfred Rembert, the only living survivor of a lynching, a Star Wars fanatic and leather artist, develops a friendship with Dr. Shirley Jackson Whitaker, who…
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Automatic

Two girls think they are under threat after they accidentally photograph something they’re not supposed to. This short screens as part of the Narrative Shorts…
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Between a Rock and a Hard Place

A woman’s lifelong relationship with her disabled daughter is changed forever when she receives an unwanted letter. This short screens as part of the Narrative…
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Blieschow

Vast plains, colorful sceneries and a red dog that seems to reach into the sky bring to life the summer one boy spends on his…
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Blue & Gold Marching Machine

Follow along as 200 musicians and dancers celebrate the 100th year of the North Carolina A&T marching band, from band camp to the “Greatest Homecoming…
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Blue & Hues

Blue and Hues are a tight-knit duo in thievery. When they set their sights on a powerful man with a diamond lodged in his eye,…
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Bulls and Saints

Bulls and Saints is a lyrical documentary short based on a love letter written by an immigrant bull rider to his wife back home in…
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The Butterfly

Kota Ishijima spent most of her life hiding from who she is. Finding the strength to live that truth drove a wedge between her and…
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Call Center Blues

Call Center Blues is a lyrical portrait of an unlikely community of U.S. deportees and their loved ones struggling to rebuild their lives in Tijuana,…
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Camilla, Keep Your Word

Camilla, Keep Your Word offers a love story where you’d least expect it–right in the middle of an emergency evacuation caused by Hurricane Katrina. This…
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Cat's Can't Swim

In an anthropomorphic world, a young cat boy wants to win his school swimming contest with the support of his mother. This short screens as…
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Con Amore

A little toy pianist falls in love with a music box ballerina who is sealed beneath a glass bell in this tiny, desktop fairy tale.…
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Corporate Clueless

Everything comes crashing down when a corporate team-building activity goes from bad to worse. This short screens as part of the NC Shorts 2 block…
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The Credits Movie

After decades of announcing the casts and crews of countless movies, the end credits finally get to tell their own story. This short screens as…
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Dafa Metti (Difficult)

Under Paris’ glittering Eiffel Tower, illegal Senegalese migrants sell miniature souvenirs of the monument to support their families back home. Far from their families and…
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Dead in the Water

Dead in the Water exposes the stories, science, and solutions behind the over 2,000 industrial hog and poultry CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) throughout southeastern…
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The Deep End

Beau wants to be “just like the boys”, but most of his middle school peers won’t make room for a kid with Down syndrome. When…
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Documentary Shorts 1

Films in this program of short documentary works include: Call Center Blues Dafa Metti (Difficult) Follow the Sun Greykey Mr. Somebody Filmmaker in attendance for…
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Documentary Shorts 2

Films in this program of short documentary works include: Ashes to Ashes Elvers Exit 12 Flower Punk Still Plays With Trains Filmmaker in attendance for…
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Dragon Recipes

A young apprentice witch dreams of becoming like her mentor, so she decides to create her own dragon, using an old recipe and magic spells.…
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Elvers

In late winter along the coast of Maine, millions of baby freshwater eels called “elvers” float up tidal rivers and propel a highly lucrative international…
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Embraced

Standing still in front of the open window, a woman stares at the dark clouds that obscure the sky. Immobile, she fights against the remembrances…
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Exit 12

After two tours in Fallujah during the Iraq War, US Marine and Combat Veteran Roman Baca came home ravaged with depression, anxiety, and anger. With…
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Fata Morgana

Three women live their lives as nomads. One travels the world, another takes her daughter wherever she goes, and a third has made her home…
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Frederick Douglass Boulevard aka Food & Drink Boulevard aka F.D.B.

Armed with little more than white Americans’ conditioned fear of black violence, Malcolm concocts a ludicrous scheme to de-gentrify Harlem. This short screens as part…
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Films With Class Shorts

This collection of animated short films shows how many great films we get for young audiences. This program is being screened for area students during…
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Flower Punk

Japanese artist Azuma Makoto has sent his floral sculptures into space and sunk them to the bottom of the ocean, but most of the time,…
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Folding Fur

In a small paper forest lived a small paper fox who loved playing with all the animals, no matter how they were folded. When he…
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Follow the Sun

Follow The Sun captures the liminal moments of Central American men who find themselves in between grave danger and the hopes of a better life…
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Function

A recently activated robot discovers it looks and functions a lot differently than the robots around him, and is unable to understand his purpose until…
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Godspeed

Poetry, music, and visuals converge to lead us through the life of a Black girl as she becomes a Black woman. As she is forced…
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Grandad Was a Romantic

A child documents the love life of her grandfather, a man who has a reputation for being a passionate romantic. This short screens as part…
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The Great Toilet Paper Scare

The untold story of a notorious incident involving Johnny Carson, a lot of toilet paper, and millions of fearful Americans. This short film precedes the…
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Greykey

Fear and fascination arise in Muriel Grey when she remembers the figure of her father, who passed away when she was still very young. Thirty…
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Guard Dog

Louise, 14, keeps a look-out while her sister is having a relationship with a married man. This short screens as part of the Narrative Shorts…
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Hebo

Hebo explores the work of Sam Ezell, an outsider folk artist in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Sam has been a maintenance worker at the Daniel Boone…
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I Bleed

Inspired by a true story, I Bleed is the intimate confession of a person living with HIV and seeks to demystify issues that, to this…
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The Ice Climber

Hailing from the mountains of North Carolina, Anthony is no stranger to elevation. He lives for the winter time when he can climb the frozen…
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If Anything Happens I Love You

Two bereaved parents are comforted by a supernatural visit from the daughter they lost, ushering them through a waltz of their once happy life. This…
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I'm No Holiday

This comical mockumentary portrait chronicles renowned fireworks photographer Lawrence Sendass, played by Steve Zahn, as he attempts to reframe his work through the memory of…
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Infinite Scroll

A man catches a virus–a computer virus. This short screens as part of the Late Night Shorts block of films
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Inoculation

A woman faces an ultimatum from her husband, rooted in his desperate drive to protect them from impending environmental catastrophe. This short screens as part…
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Inside Blue

A pathological man needs all of his home decorations to be placed inside of square frames of adhesive tape in order to maintain peace of…
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Interstate 8

In the southern US, two young women meet by chance in a police car and, without speaking a word to each other, are confronted with…
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The Kite

Told with enchanting, richly-textured images, this tale of a man, his grandson and a kite is about remembering those who are no longer with us.…
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Kitty's Naughty Knickers

An aspiring law student resorts to selling her dirty underwear online, accidentally balancing the scales of justice with her ex at the same time. This…
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Late Night Shorts

Films in this program of short works include: Blue & Hues Infinite Scroll Kitty’s Naughty Knickers Love You Tyler Rope-a-Dope Sixteen Thousand Dollars Tom Sax…
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Little Chief

Against the landscape of a rural reservation in Oklahoma, the lives of a Native woman and nine-year-old boy intersect over the course of a school…
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Long Drive to Yadkin

A man walks into a barber shop for one last haircut. This short screens as part of the NC Shorts 2 block of films
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Love You Tyler

When Luke starts to talk about his new girlfriend, Tyler, who happens to have the same name and career as his roommate, things get a…
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Lulu DotAway

In a town where everybody has dots, Lulu is the natural center of attention, as she has the most beautiful dots. When she suddenly starts…
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The Masque of Blackness

The Masque of Blackness is a hand drawn animation re-imagining Ben Jonson’s 1605 play of the same name and Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of…
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Master Moley By Royal Invitation

A young mole picks a rose from the Queen’s Garden, not knowing that this simple act will change not only his life, but the life…
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The Match

An OkCupid date leads to love, marriage, and an organ transplant. This short film precedes the feature Love Type D
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Medium Rare

Medium Rare is a whimsical stop-motion survey of functional and aesthetic values in recurrent, yet questionable, domestic scenarios. This short screens as part of the…
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Misguided

Tom, a clumsy guide retriever, take his eye off his blind master, Albert, when a tennis ball distracts him, putting his owner in danger. This…
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The Moon's Not that Great

After an astronaut returns from her lunar mission to find that the public no longer cares about the moon, the stories of the astronaut, a…
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The Most Magnificent Thing

This inspirational story is about a little girl with a creative spirit, determined to make great things. When she receives a toolkit as a present,…
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Mr. Somebody

A former Crip gang member searches for redemption after fourteen years behind bars. This short screens as part of the Documentary Shorts 1 block of…
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Mum

After 15 years of averting the source of her anxiety, Mariam at last walks the journey of voicing her avoided emotions regarding her non Emirati…
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My Brother Luca

When an imaginative little girl discovers that her older brother might have superpowers, she sets out on a quest to make sure everyone else sees…
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Narrative Shorts 1

Films in this program of short narrative works include: I’m No Holiday Nighty Night Nowhere to Nun Quiet Carriage Sales Ready Star or Pound Sunday…
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Narrative Shorts 2

Films in this program of short narrative works include: Automatic Frederick Douglass Boulevard aka Food & Drink Boulevard aka F.D.B. Room 264 ShoeGazer Suze Tattoo…
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Narrative Shorts 3

Films in this program of short narrative works include: Between a Rock and a Hard Place Guard Dog Pura Vida Terminal Tree #3
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NC Shorts 1

Films in this program of short documentary works include: All the Possibilities… April Eighty-Nine Blue & Gold Marching Machine Bulls and Saints Hebo The Ice…
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NC Shorts 2

Films in this program of short works include: Alley Rats Camilla, Keep Your Word Corporate Clueless The Deep End Godspeed Inoculation Interstate 8 Long Drive…
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Nighty Night

A nervous man (comedian Chris Gethard) struggles to fall asleep during an in-office sleep study and enlists the overnight technician to help. This short screens…
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Nowhere to Nun

Two nuns go on the run when they discover they are about to be sent to a retirement home. This short screens as part of…
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One Wing in the Fire

Hiking the nearly 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail is a mammoth undertaking. Those up to the task could use a little help from this benevolent, chain-smoking Trail…
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Original Body of Pain

Original Body of Pain captures the intense and often generational nature of addiction through portraits of two women trying to escape its clutches. But as these…
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Pace

A man tries to keep pace in front of the hand of a clock, turning ever faster, until he’s overtaken by time itself in this…
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Petty Thing

The summer afternoon was nothing special, until the kids in the village, playing war games, found a replica pistol. As the trigger was pulled, the…
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Pressure

Pressure follows a boy as he faces a slew of obstacles throughout the school day. He’s dealing with what feels like the weight of the…
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Pura Vida

Two adolescent brothers rebel against their father, a factory foreman, who becomes a scapegoat for the financially frustrated community. This short screens as part of…
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Quiet Carriage

A man must decide whether to intervene and stop a casual commuting rule breaker, or live with a lifetime of regret. This short screens as…
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Quilt Journeys

Journeys can be transformative. And while most begin as a single step towards a known destination, for a community of African-American women anchored in the…
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Room 264

A woman arrives in an unfamiliar environment and reflects on how she got to be there. As the room comes to life she reaches for…
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Rope-a-Dope

A janitor is forced to defend his honor against a high school bully. This short screens as part of the Late Night Shorts block of…
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Runaway Radish

One day, a small Daikon radish comes to life in a suburban farmer’s market. A rambunctious terrier is determined to catch it, and chases it…
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Saguaro

The loneliest Saguaro cactus in the world spends his time collecting garbage that blows across the desert and sticks to his body. Then in the…
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Sales Ready

Lost in a multilevel marketing scheme and misguided by his self-involved father, Alister must find a way to end the manipulative cycle he has perpetuated.…
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Saturday Morning Cartoons

Each year RiverRun presents our own version of Saturday Morning Cartoons to our young audiences. We search high and low for the best new animated…
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ShoeGazer

26 year-old Sydney musters up the courage to ask her ex what went wrong, and the answer isn’t one she was quite prepared for. This…
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Sixteen Thousand Dollars

A struggling black college grad wakes up to find that reparations have finally been paid to descendants of slaves in America–but will the $16,000 checks…
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Smiles

This short animated film is an amusing look into the world of sharks, with interviews from the majestic creatures themselves. They have been portrayed as…
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Sound and Sole

Arthur Grimes was born and raised in the Appalachian mountains and is the only professionally working, African-American buck dancer in Boone, North Carolina. Here, Arthur…
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Sous la Glace

On a lake, a heron is fishing while winter arrives. This short screens as part of the Animated Shorts 2 block of films
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Star or Pound

As coworkers Megan and Eric sit in a conference room waiting for a conference call to start, they discuss the status of their romantic relationship.…
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Still Plays with Trains

Still Plays with Trains captures one man’s passion to share the joy of childhood. By recreating his 10th birthday with a 3,000 square foot replica…
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Sunday Dinner

After the recent death of their parents, a passionate Italian-American family reunites to enjoy their customary Sunday dinner. But one of them has a major…
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Suze

After their passionate night, Suze will find out she is allergic to her new friend. This short screens as part of the Narrative Shorts 2…
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Tattoo

A young Iranian woman runs into complications when she attempts to renew her driver’s license. This short screens as part of the Narrative Shorts 2…
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Terminal

An eighty year-old woman spends her time at a bus station. She’s waiting for the right moment to leave this place forever. This short screens…
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Tom Sax in a Clone Pit

A man goes completely !!*$@%^ whilst trying to write an e-mail. This short screens as part of the Late Night Shorts block of films
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Too Much Rain

Winston-Salem’s own Out of Our Minds Studios created this animated short to take a look at overwhelming circumstances through the eyes of a little girl.…
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Tree #3

Cast for the second time as a background tree in the school play, an ambitious and imaginative immigrant boy leads a revolution on stage that…
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Unfinished Business

A male stripper has an unusual experience on the job. This short screens as part of the Late Night Shorts block of films
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Ups & Downs

Public space and architecture surrounds us, influencing our everyday life in subtle ways. Stairs in particular tend to be primarily transitional spaces; we don’t tend…
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Wander

An energetic kid loves nature but does not know how to interact with it respectfully, which becomes a problem when she encounters a family of…
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Washed

A couple enlists the aid of a mysterious figure to help them with their seemingly insurmountable laundry problem. This short screens as part of the…
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When the Light Comes

Time streams away and influences numerous relationships in this animated short about life’s continuous journey. This short screens as part of the Animated Shorts 1…
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Wonder

An eleven year-old kid growing up in the inner city secretly dreams of trick-or-treating as Wonder Woman for Halloween. This short screens as part of…
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