U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Between The Temples
United States | English | 111 min
A cantor in a crisis of faith finds his world turned upside down when his grade school music teacher reenters his life as his new adult bat mitzvah student.
Director: Nathan Silver
Screenwriters: Nathan Silver, C. Mason Wells
Producers: Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, Nate Kamiya, Adam Kersh, Taylor Hess
Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Carol Kane, Dolly de Leon, Caroline Aaron, Robert Smigel, Madeline Weinstein
Dìdi (弟弟)
United States | English, Mandarin with English subtitles | 91 min
In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year- old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.
Director/Screenwriter: Sean Wang
Producers: Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters, Valerie Bush, Sean Wang
Cast: Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, Chang Li Hua
Exhibiting Forgiveness
United States | English | 117 min
Utilizing his paintings to find freedom from his past, a Black artist on the path to success is derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father, a recovering addict desperate to reconcile. Together, they learn that forgetting might be a greater challenge than forgiving.
Director/Screenwriter: Titus Kaphar
Producers: Stephanie Allain, Derek Cianfrance, Jamie Patricof, Sean Cotton, Titus Kaphar
Cast: André Holland, John Earl Jelks, Andra Day, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
Good One
United States | English | 90 min
On a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills, 17-year-old Sam contends with the competing egos of her father and his oldest friend.
Director/Screenwriter: India Donaldson
Producers: Diana Irvine, Graham Mason, Wilson Cameron, India Donaldson
Cast: Lily Collias, James Le Gros, Danny McCarthy
In The Summers
United States | English | 95 min
On a journey that spans the formative years of their lives, two sisters navigate their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Director/Screenwriter: Alessandra Lacorazza
Producers: Alexander Dinelaris, Rob Quadrino, Fernando Rodriguez-Vila, Lynette Coll, Sergio Lira, Cristóbal Güell
Cast: René Pérez Joglar, Sasha Calle, Lío Mehiel, Leslie Grace, Emma Ramos, Sharlene Cruz
Love Me
United States | English | 92 min
Long after humanity’s extinction, a buoy and a satellite meet online and fall in love.
Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize.
Directors/Screenwriters: Sam Zuchero, Andy Zuchero
Producers: Kevin Rowe, Luca Borghese, Ben Howe, Shivani Rawat, Julie Goldstein
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Steven Yeun
Ponyboi
United States | English | 103 min
Unfolding over the course of Valentine’s Day in New Jersey, a young intersex sex worker must run from the mob after a drug deal goes sideways, forcing him to confront his past.
Director: Esteban Arango
Screenwriter: River Gallo
Producers: Mark Ankner, River Gallo, Adel “Future” Nur, Trevor Wall
Cast: River Gallo, Dylan O’Brien, Victoria Pedretti, Murray Bartlett, Indya Moore
A Real Pain
United States/Poland | English | 89 min
Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
Director/Screenwriter: Jesse Eisenberg
Producers: Dave McCary, Ali Herting, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Jennifer Semler, Ewa Puszczyńska
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan
Stress Positions
United States | English | 95 min
Terry Goon is keeping strict quarantine in his ex- husband’s Brooklyn brownstone while caring for his nephew — a 19-year-old model from Morocco named Bahlul — bedridden in a full leg cast after an electric scooter accident. Unfortunately for Terry, everyone in his life wants to meet the model.
Director/Screenwriter: Theda Hammel
Producers: Brad Becker-Parton, John Early, Stephanie Roush, Allie Jane Compton, Greg Nobile
Cast: John Early, Qaher Harhash, Theda Hammel, Amy Zimmer, Faheem Ali, John Roberts
Suncoast
United States | English | 109 min
A teenager who, while caring for her brother along with her audacious mother, strikes up an unlikely friendship with an eccentric activist who is protesting one of the most landmark medical cases of all time. Inspired by a semi- autobiographical story.
Director/Screenwriter: Laura Chinn
Producers: Jeremy Plager, Francesca Silvestri, Kevin Chinoy, Oly Obst
Cast: Laura Linney, Woody Harrelson, Nico Parker
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
As We Speak
United States | English | 96 min
Bronx rap artist Kemba explores the growing weaponization of rap lyrics in the United States criminal justice system and abroad — revealing how law enforcement has quietly used artistic creation as evidence in criminal cases for decades.
Director: J.M. Harper
Producers: Sam Widdoes, Peter Cambor, Sam Bisbee, J.M. Harper
Daughters
United States | English | 102 min
Four young girls prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C., jail.
Directors: Angela Patton, Natalie Rae
Producers: Natalie Rae, Lisa Mazzotta, Justin Benoliel, Mindy Goldberg, Sam Bisbee, Kathryn Everett, Laura Choi Raycroft
EVERY LITTLE THING
Australia | English | 93 min
Amid the glamour of Hollywood, Los Angeles, a woman finds herself on a transformative journey as she nurtures wounded hummingbirds, unraveling a visually captivating and magical tale of love, fragility, healing, and the delicate beauty in tiny acts of greatness.
Director/Screenwriter: Sally Aitken
Producers: Bettina Dalton, Oli Harbottle, Anna Godas
FRIDA
United States/Mexico | Spanish with English subtitles | 88 min
An intimately raw and magical journey through the life, mind, and heart of iconic artist Frida Kahlo. Told through her own words for the very first time — drawn from her diary, revealing letters, essays, and print interviews — and brought vividly to life by lyrical animation inspired by her unforgettable artwork.
Director: Carla Gutiérrez
Producers: Katia Maguire, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Loren Hammonds, Alexandra Johnes
Gaucho Gaucho
United States/Argentina | Spanish with English subtitles | 84 min
A celebration of a community of Argentine cowboys and cowgirls, known as Gauchos, living beyond the boundaries of the modern world.
Directors: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, Cameron O’Reilly, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Matthew Perniciaro
Love Machina
United States | English | 96 min
Futurists Martine and Bina Rothblatt commission an advanced humanoid AI named Bina48 to transfer Bina’s consciousness from a human to a robot in an attempt to continue their once-in-a-galaxy love affair for the rest of time.
Director: Peter Sillen
Producers: Brendan Doyle, Peter Sillen
Porcelain War
United States/Ukraine | Ukrainian, Russian with English subtitles | 90 min
Under roaring fighter jets and missile strikes, Ukrainian artists Slava, Anya, and Andrey choose to stay behind and fight, contending with the soldiers they have become. Defiantly finding beauty amid destruction, they show that although it’s easy to make people afraid, it’s hard to destroy their passion for living.
Directors: Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev
Screenwriters: Aniela Sidorska, Brendan Bellomo, Paula DuPré Pesmen
Producers: Aniela Sidorska, Paula DuPré Pesmen, Camilla Mazzaferro, Olivia Ahnemann
Skywalkers: A Love Story
United States/Poland | English, Russian with English subtitles | 100 min
To save their career and relationship, a daredevil couple journey across the globe to climb the world’s last super skyscraper and perform a bold acrobatic stunt on the spire.
Director/Screenwriter: Jeff Zimbalist
Producers: Jeff Zimbalist, Maria Bukhonina, Tamir Ardon, Chris Smith, Nick Spicer
Sugarcane
United States | United States/Canada | English, Secwepemctsín with English subtitles | 111 min
An investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
Directors: Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie
Producers: Emily Kassie, Kellen Quinn
Union
United States | English | 102 min
The Amazon Labor Union (ALU) — a group of current and former Amazon workers in New York City’s Staten Island — takes on one of the world’s largest and most powerful companies in the fight to unionize.
Directors: Stephen Maing, Brett Story
Producers: Samantha Curley, Mars Verrone
WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Brief History of a Family
China/France/Denmark/Qatar | Mandarin with English subtitles | 99 min
A middle-class family’s fate becomes intertwined with their only son’s enigmatic new friend in post one-child policy China, putting unspoken secrets, unmet expectations, and untended emotions under the microscope.
Director/Screenwriter: Jianjie Lin
Producers: Ying Lou, Yue Zheng, Yiwen Wang
Cast: Feng Zu, Keyu Guo, Xilun Sun, Muran Lin
Girls Will Be Girls
India/France/Norway | English, Hindi with English subtitles | 118 min
In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance. But her sexual, rebellious awakening is disrupted by her mother who never got to come of age herself.
Director/Screenwriter: Shuchi Talati
Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne, Shuchi Talati
Cast: Preeti Panigrahi, Kani Kusruti, Kesav Binoy Kiron
Handling the Undead
Norway | Norwegian with English subtitles | 99 min
On a hot summer day in Oslo, the newly dead awaken. Three families faced with loss try to figure out what this resurrection means and if their loved ones really are back. Based on the book by John Ajvide Lindqvist.
Director: Thea Hvistendahl
Screenwriters: John Ajvide Lindqvist, Thea Hvistendahl
Producers: Kristin Emblem, Guri Neby Cast: Renate Reinsve, Bjørn Sundquist, Bente Børsum, Anders Danielsen Lie, Bahar Pars, Inesa Dauksta
In the Land of Brothers
Iran (Islamic Republic of)/France/Netherlands | Farsi, Dari, Hazaragi with English subtitles | 95 min
Three members of an extended Afghan family start their lives over in Iran as refugees, unaware they face a decades-long struggle ahead to be “at home.”
Directors/Screenwriters: Raha Amirfazli, Alireza Ghasemi
Producers: Adrien Barrouillet, Alireza Ghasemi, Raha Amirfazli, Frank Hoeve, Charles Meresse, Emma Binet, Arya Ghamavian
Cast: Hamideh Jafari, Bashir Nikzad, Mohammad Hosseini
Layla
United Kingdom | English, Arabic with English subtitles | 100 min
When Layla, a struggling Arab drag queen, falls in love for the first time, they lose and find themself in a transformative relationship that tests who they really are.
Director/Screenwriter: Amrou Al-Kadhi
Producer: Savannah James-Bayly
Cast: Bilal Hasna, Louis Greatorex, Safiyya Ingar, Darkwah, Terique Jarrett, Sarah Agha
Malu
Brazil | Portuguese with English subtitles | 100 min
Malu — a mercurial, unemployed actress living with her conservative mother in a precarious house in a Rio de Janeiro slum — tries to deal with her strained relationship with her own adult daughter while surviving on memories of her glorious artistic past.
Director/Screenwriter: Pedro Freire
Producers: Tatiana Leite, Sabrina Garcia, Leo Ribeiro, Roberto Berliner
Cast: Yara de Novaes, Carol Duarte, Juliana Carneiro da Cunha, Átila Bee
Reinas
Switzerland/Peru/Spain | Spanish with English subtitles | 104 min
Surrounded by social and political chaos in Lima during the summer of 1992, Lucia, Aurora, and their mother, Elena, plan to leave and seek opportunities in the United States. Their farewell involves reconnecting with their estranged father, Carlos, adding turbulence to the regrets, hopes, and fears of their emotional departure.
Director: Klaudia Reynicke
Screenwriters: Klaudia Reynicke, Diego Vega
Producers: Britta Rindelaub, Thomas Reichlin, Daniel Vega, Diego Vega, Valérie Delpierre Cast: Abril Gjurinovic, Luana Vega, Jimena Lindo, Gonzalo Molina, Susi Sánchez
Sebastian
United Kingdom/Finland/Belgium | English (with French) | 110 min
Max, a 25-year-old aspiring writer living in London, begins a double life as a sex worker in order to research his debut novel.
Director/Screenwriter: Mikko Mäkelä
Producer: James Watson
Cast: Ruaridh Mollica, Hiftu Quasem, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Jonathan Hyde, Leanne Best, Lara Rossi
Sujo
Mexico/United States/France | Spanish with English subtitles | 126 min
When a cartel gunman is killed, he leaves behind Sujo, his beloved 4-year-old son. The shadow of violence surrounds Sujo during each stage of his life in the isolated Mexican countryside. As he grows into a man, Sujo finds that fulfilling his father’s destiny may be inescapable.
Directors/Screenwriters: Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
Producers: Fernanda Valadez, Astrid Rondero, Diana Arcega, Jewerl Keats Ross, Virginie Devesa, Jean-Baptiste Bailly-Maitre
Cast: Juan Jesús Varela, Yadira Pérez, Alexis Varela, Sandra Lorenzano, Jairo Hernández, Kevin Aguilar
Veni Vidi Vici
Austria | German with English subtitles | 86 min
The Maynards and their children lead an almost perfect billionaire family life. Amon is a passionate hunter, but doesn’t shoot animals, as the family’s wealth allows them to live totally free from consequences.
Director/Screenwriter: Daniel Hoesl
Producer: Ulrich Seidl
Cast: Laurence Rupp, Ursina Lardi, Olivia Goschler, Kyra Kraus, Tamaki Uchida, Dominik Warta
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Agent of Happiness
Bhutan/Hungary | Nepali, Dzongkha, English with English subtitles | 94 min
Amber is one of the many agents working for the Bhutanese government to measure people’s happiness levels among the remote Himalayan mountains. But will he find his own along the way?
Directors: Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó
Producers: Noémi Veronika Szakonyi, Máté Artur Vincze, Arun Bhattarai
The Battle for Laikipia
Kenya/United States | Swahili, English, Samburu with English subtitles | 90 min
Unresolved historical injustices and climate change raise the stakes in a generations-old conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya, a wildlife conservation haven.
Directors: Daphne Matziaraki, Peter Murimi
Producers: Toni Kamau, Daphne Matziaraki
Black Box Diaries
Japan/United States/United Kingdom | Japanese with English subtitles | 99 min
Journalist Shiori Ito embarks on a courageous investigation of her own sexual assault in an improbable attempt to prosecute her high-profile offender. Her quest becomes a landmark case in Japan, exposing the country’s outdated judicial and societal systems.
Director: Shiori Ito
Producers: Eric Nyari, Hanna Aqvilin, Shiori Ito
Eternal You
Germany/United States | English, Korean with English subtitles | 87 min
Startups are using AI to create avatars that allow relatives to talk with their loved ones after they have died. An exploration of a profound human desire and the consequences of turning the dream of immortality into a product.
Directors/Screenwriters: Hans Block, Moritz Riesewieck
Producers: Christian Beetz, Georg Tschurtschenthaler
Ibelin
Norway | Norwegian with English subtitles | 104 min
Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer, died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life, when they started receiving messages from online friends around the world.
Director: Benjamin Ree
Producers: Ingvil Giske
IGUALADA
Colombia/United States/Mexico | Spanish with English subtitles | 80 min
In one of Latin America’s most unequal countries, Francia Márquez, a Black Colombian rural activist, challenges the status quo with a presidential campaign that reappropriates the derogatory term “Igualada” — someone who acts as if they deserve rights that supposedly don’t correspond to them — and inspires a nation to dream.
Director: Juan Mejía Botero
Producers: Juan E. Yepes, Daniela Alatorre, Sonia Serna
Never Look Away
New Zealand | English, French with English subtitles | 85 min
New Zealand–born groundbreaking CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth risks it all to show the reality of war from inside the conflict, staring down danger and confronting those who perpetuate it.
Director: Lucy Lawless
Screenwriters/Producers: Matthew Metcalfe, Tom Blackwell, Lucy Lawless
A New Kind of Wilderness
Norway | English, Norwegian with English subtitles | 84 min
In a forest in Norway, a family lives an isolated lifestyle in an attempt to be wild and free, but a tragic event changes everything, and they are forced to adjust to modern society.
Director: Silje Evensmo Jacobsen
Producer: Mari Bakke Riise
Nocturnes
India | Hindi, English, Bugun with English subtitles | 83 min
In the dense forests of the Eastern Himalayas, moths are whispering something to us. In the dark of night, two curious observers shine a light on this secret universe.
Directors: Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan
Producer: Anirban Dutta
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Belgium/France/Netherlands | English, French, Dutch, Russian with English subtitles | 150 min
In 1960, United Nations: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe denouncing America’s color bar, while the U.S. dispatches jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to the Congo to deflect attention from its first African post- colonial coup.
Director/Screenwriter: Johan Grimonprez
Producers: Daan Milius, Rémi Grellety
NEXT
Desire Lines
United States | NONFICTION | 81 min
Past and present collide when an Iranian American trans man time-travels through an LGBTQ+ archive on a dizzying and erotic quest to unravel his own sexual desires.
Director: Jules Rosskam
Screenwriters: Nate Gualtieri, Jules Rosskam
Producers: André Pérez, Amy E. Powell, Brittani Ward, Jules Rosskam
Cast: Theo Germaine, Aden Hakimi
Kneecap
Ireland/United Kingdom | FICTION | 105 min
There are 80,000 native Irish speakers in Ireland. 6,000 live in the North of Ireland. Three of them became a rap group called Kneecap. This anarchic Belfast trio becomes the unlikely figurehead of a civil rights movement to save the mother tongue.
Director/Screenwriter: Rich Peppiatt
Producers: Jack Tarling, Trevor Birney
Cast: Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh, Michael Fassbender, Josie Walker, Simone Kirby
Little Death
United States | FICTION | 110 min
A middle-aged filmmaker on the verge of a breakthrough. Two kids in search of a lost backpack. A small dog a long way from home.
Director: Jack Begert
Screenwriters: Jack Begert, Dani Goffstein
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Andy S. Cohen, Dylan Golden, Brendan Naylor, Sam Canter, Noor Alfallah
Cast: David Schwimmer, Gaby Hoffmann, Dominic Fike, Talia Ryder, Jena Malone, Sante Bentivoglio
Realm Of Satan
United States | English, Spanish, German, Swedish with English subtitles | NONFICTION | 87 min
An experiential portrait depicting Satanists in both the everyday and in the extraordinary as they fight to preserve their lifestyle: magic, mystery, and misanthropy.
Director/Screenwriter: Scott Cummings
Producers: Caitlin Mae Burke, Pacho Velez, Molly Gandour
Cast: Peter Gilmore, Peggy Nadramia, Blanche Barton
Seeking Mavis Beacon
United States | NONFICTION | 102 min
Launched in the late ’80s, educational software Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing taught millions globally, but the program’s Haitian-born cover model vanished decades ago. Two DIY investigators search for the unsung cultural icon, while questioning notions of digital security, AI, and Black representation in the digital realm.
Director/Screenwriter: Jazmin Renée Jones
Producer: Guetty Felin
Cast: Jazmin Renée Jones, Olivia McKayla Ross
Tendaberry
United States | FICTION | 80 min
When her boyfriend goes back to Ukraine to be with his ailing father, 23-year-old Dakota anxiously navigates her precarious new reality, surviving on her own in New York City.
Director/Screenwriter: Haley Elizabeth Anderson
Producers: Carlos Zozaya, Matthew Petock, Zachary Shedd, Hannah Dweck, Theodore Schaefer, Daniel Patrick Carbone, Haley Elizabeth Anderson
Cast: Kota Johan, Yuri Pleskun
MIDNIGHT
I Saw The TV Glow
United States | FICTION | 100 min
Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.
Director/Screenwriter: Jane Schoenbrun
Producers: Emma Stone, Dave McCary, Ali Herting, Sam Intili, Sarah Winshall
Cast: Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler
In A Violent Nature
Canada | FICTION | 94 min
The enigmatic resurrection, rampage, and retribution of an undead monster in a remote wilderness.
Director/Screenwriter: Chris Nash
Producers: Peter Kuplowsky, Shannon Hanmer
Cast: Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Lauren Taylor
It’s What’s Inside
United States | FICTION | 103 min
A pre-wedding party descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend shows up with a mysterious suitcase.
Director/Screenwriter: Greg Jardin
Producers: William Rosenfeld, Kate Andrews, Jason Baum, Raúl Domingo
Cast: Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Gavin Leatherwood, Reina Hardesty, Nina Bloomgarden, David Thompson, Devon Terrell
Kidnapping Inc.
Haiti/France/Canada | Creole, French with English subtitles | FICTION | 105 min
Tasked with what appears to be a simple abduction for hire, two hapless kidnappers find out that it’s anything but and end up in the middle of a political conspiracy.
Director: Bruno Mourral
Screenwriters: Jasmuel Andri, Bruno Mourral, Gilbert Jr. Mirambeau
Producers: Samuel Chauvin, Bruno Mourral, Yanick Letourneau, Gilbert Jr. Mirambeau, Gaëthan Chancy
Cast: Jasmuel Andri, Rolaphton Mercure, Anabel Lopez, Ashley Laraque, Gessica Geneus, Patrick Joseph, Manfred Marcelin, Marcus Boereau
Krazy House
Netherlands | FICTION | 86 min
When Russian workers in Bernie’s house turn out to be wanted criminals, Bernie has to man up and save his ’90s sitcom family.
Directors/Screenwriters: Steffen Haars, Flip van der Kuil
Producer: Maarten Swart
Cast: Nick Frost, Alicia Silverstone, Jan Bijvoet, Gaite Jansen, Walt Klink, Kevin Connolly
Love Lies Bleeding
United States/United Kingdom | FICTION | 104 min
Reclusive gym manager Lou falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Las Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family.
Director/Screenwriter: Rose Glass
Producers: Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov
The Moogai
Australia | FICTION | 86 min
Launched in the late ’80s, educational software Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing taught millions globally, but the program’s Haitian-born cover model vanished decades ago. Two DIY investigators search for the unsung cultural icon, while questioning notions of digital security, AI, and Black representation in the digital realm.
Director/Screenwriter: Jazmin Renée Jones
Producer: Guetty Felin
Cast: Jazmin Renée Jones, Olivia McKayla Ross
Your Monster
United States | FICTION | 98 min
After her life falls apart, soft-spoken actress Laura Franco finds her voice again when she meets a terrifying, yet weirdly charming, monster living in her closet.
Director/Screenwriter: Caroline Lindy
Producers: Kayla Foster, Shannon Reilly, Melanie Donkers, Kira Carstensen, Caroline Lindy
Cast: Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Meghann Fahy, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster
PREMIERES
The American Society of Magical Negroes United States
United States | FICTION | 104 min
A young man, Aren, is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people’s lives easier.
Director/Screenwriter: Kobi Libii
Producers: Julia Lebedev, Eddie Vaisman, Angel Lopez, Kobi Libii
Cast: Justice Smith, David Alan Grier, An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver, Rupert Friend, Nicole Byer
And So It Begins
United States/Philippines | English, Filipino, other dialects with English subtitles | NONFICTION | 115 min
Amidst the traditional pomp and circumstance of Filipino elections, a quirky people’s movement rises to defend the nation against deepening threats to truth and democracy. In a collective act of joy as a form of resistance, hope flickers against the backdrop of increasing autocracy.
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Ramona S. Diaz
DEVO
United Kingdom/United States | NONFICTION | 95 min
Born in response to the Kent State massacre, new wave band Devo took their concept of “de-evolution” from cult following to near-rock star status with groundbreaking 1980 hit “Whip It” while preaching an urgent social commentary.
Director: Chris Smith
Producers: Chris Holmes, Anita Greenspan, Danny Gabai
A Different Man
United States | FICTION | 112 min
Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare, as he loses out on the role he was born to play and becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost.
Director/Screenwriter: Aaron Schimberg
Producers: Christine Vachon, Vanessa McDonnell, Gabriel Mayers
Cast: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, Adam Pearson
Freaky Tales
United States | FICTION | 107 min
In 1987 Oakland, a mysterious force guides The Town’s underdogs in four interconnected tales: Teen punks defend their turf against Nazi skinheads, a rap duo battles for hip-hop immortality, a weary henchman gets a shot at redemption, and an NBA All-Star settles the score. Basically another day in the Bay.
Directors/Screenwriters: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden
Producers: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden, Poppy Hanks, Jelani Johnson
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Normani Kordei Hamilton, Dominique Thorne, Ben Mendelsohn, Ji-Young Yoo
Ghostlight
United States | FICTION | 115 min
When a construction worker unexpectedly joins a local theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet, the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life.
Directors: Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson
Screenwriter: Kelly O’Sullivan
Producers: Alex Thompson, Pierce Cravens, Chelsea Krant, Ian Keiser, Eddie Linker, Alex Wilson
Cast: Keith Kupferer, Dolly de Leon, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Tara Mallen
Girls State
United States | NONFICTION | 96 min
Teenage girls from wildly different backgrounds across Missouri navigate a week-long immersive experiment in American democracy, build a government from the ground up, and reimagine what it means to govern.
Directors/Producers: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss
Look Into My Eyes
United States | NONFICTION | 108 min
A group of New York City psychics conduct deeply intimate readings for their clients, revealing a kaleidoscope of loneliness, connection, and healing.
Director: Lana Wilson
Producers: Kyle Martin, Lana Wilson
Luther: Never Too Much
United States | NONFICTION | 101 min
Luther Vandross started his career supporting David Bowie, Roberta Flack, Bette Midler, and more. His undeniable talent earned platinum records and accolades, but he struggled to break out beyond the R&B charts. Intensely driven, he overcame personal and professional challenges to secure his place amongst the greatest vocalists in history.
Director: Dawn Porter
Producers: Trish D Chetty, Ged Doherty, Jamie Foxx, Datari Turner, Leah Smith
My Old Ass
United States | FICTION | 89 min
The summer before college, bright-yet-irreverent Elliott comes face-to-face with her older self during a mushroom trip. The encounter spurs a funny and heartfelt journey of self-discovery and first love as Elliott prepares to leave her childhood home.
Director/Screenwriter: Megan Park
Producers: Tom Ackerley, Margot Robbie, Josey McNamara, Steven Rales
Cast: Maisy Stella, Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks, Aubrey Plaza
The Outrun
United Kingdom/Germany | FICTION | 118 min
After living life on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. She returns to the wild beauty of Scotland’s Orkney Islands — where she grew up — hoping to heal. Adapted from the bestselling memoir by Amy Liptrot.
Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Screenwriters: Nora Fingscheidt, Amy Liptrot
Producers: Sarah Brocklehurst, Dominic Norris, Jack Lowden, Saoirse Ronan
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Paapa Essiedu, Stephen Dillane, Saskia Reeves
Power
United States | NONFICTION | 85 min
Driven to maintain social order, policing in the United States has exploded in scope and scale over hundreds of years. Now, American policing embodies one word: power.
Director: Yance Ford
Producers: Sweta Vohra, Jess Devaney, Yance Ford, Netsanet Negussie
Presence
United States | FICTION | 85 min
A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone.
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Screenwriter: David Koepp
Producers: Julie M. Anderson, Ken Meyer
Cast: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Julia Fox, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland
Rob Peace
United States | FICTION | 119 min
Robert Peace grew up in an impoverished section of Newark and later graduated from Yale with degrees in molecular biophysics and biochemistry while on scholarship. Peace led a dual life in academia and research while also earning six figures selling marijuana. Based on Jeff Hobbs’ bestselling biography.
Director/Screenwriter: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Producers: Andrea Calderwood, Antoine Fuqua, Kat Samick, Rebecca Hobbs, Jeffrey Soros, Simon Horsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet
Cast: Jay Will, Mary J. Blige, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Camila Cabello, Michael Kelly, Mare Winningham
Sasquatch Sunset
United States | FICTION | 90 min
A year in the life of a singular family.
Directors: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner
Screenwriter: David Zellner
Producers: Lars Knudsen, Tyler Campellone, Nathan Zellner, David Zellner, George Rush, Jesse Eisenberg, David Harari
Cast: Riley Keough, Jesse Eisenberg, Christophe Zajac-Denek, Nathan Zellner
Sue Bird: In The Clutch
United States | NONFICTION | 98 min
In her 21-year professional career, WNBA basketball legend Sue Bird has won five Olympic gold medals and become the most successful point guard to ever play the game. Alongside her fiancée, U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe, Sue confronts her next challenge: retiring from the only life she’s ever known.
Director: Sarah Dowland
Producers: Sarah Dowland, Emily Singer Chapman, Svetlana Zill
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
United Kingdom/United States | NONFICTION | 106 min
Never-before-seen home movies and extraordinary personal archives reveal how Christopher Reeve went from unknown actor to iconic movie star as the ultimate screen superhero. He learned the true meaning of heroism as an activist after suffering a tragic accident that left him quadriplegic and dependent on a ventilator to breathe.
Directors: Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui
Screenwriter: Peter Ettedgui
Producers: Lizzie Gillett, Robert Ford, Ian Bonhôte
Thelma
United States | FICTION | 97 min
When 93-year-old Thelma Post gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her.
Director/Screenwriter: Josh Margolin
Producers: Zoë Worth, Chris Kaye, Nicholas Weinstock, Benjamin Simpson, Karl Spoerri, Viviana Vezzani
Cast: June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg, Malcolm McDowell
Will & Harper
United States | NONFICTION | 114 min
When Will Ferrell finds out his close friend of 30 years is coming out as a trans woman, the two decide to embark on a cross-country road trip to process this new stage of their relationship in an intimate portrait of friendship, transition, and America.
Director: Josh Greenbaum
Producers: Rafael Marmor, Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum, Josh Greenbaum, Christopher Leggett
Winner
United States/Canada | FICTION | 103 min
Reality Winner is a brilliant young misfit from a Texas border town who finds her morals challenged while serving as an NSA contractor. A sarcastic, gun-lovin, vegan, yogi, and CrossFit fanatic, Reality is an unconventional whistleblower who ends up being prosecuted for exposing Russia’s hacking of the 2016 election.
Director: Susanna Fogel
Screenwriters: Kerry Howley, Susanna Fogel
Producers: Amanda Phillips, Susanna Fogel, Shivani Rawat, Julie Goldstein, Scott Budnick, Ameet Shukla
Cast: Emilia Jones, Connie Britton, Zach Galifianakis, Kathryn Newton, Danny Ramirez
NEW FRONTIER
Being (the Digital Griot)
United States | NONFICTION | 94 min
In this innovative participatory experience, Being, an artificial intelligence digital griot, asks the audience to engage in unifying and challenging discussions. It features a soundscape and movement informed by a dataset from Black communities, theorists, poets, and activists, including bell hooks, Paulo Freire, Dazié Grego- Sykes, and Cornel West.
Lead Artist: Rashaad Newsome
Eno
United States/United Kingdom | NONFICTION | 100 min
Visionary musician and artist Brian Eno — known for producing David Bowie, U2, Talking Heads, among many others; pioneering the genre of ambient music; and releasing over 40 solo and collaboration albums — reveals his creative processes in this groundbreaking generative documentary: a film that’s different every time it’s shown.
Director: Gary Hustwit
Producers: Gary Hustwit, Jessica Edwards
SPOTLIGHT
àma Gloria
France | French, Cape Verdean Creole with English subtitles | FICTION | 84 min
Six-year-old Cléo loves her nanny, Gloria, more than anything. When Gloria must return to Cape Verde to care for her own children, the two must make the most of their last summer together.
Director/Screenwriter: Marie Amachoukeli
Producer: Bénédicte Couvreur
Cast: Louise Mauroy-Panzani, Ilça Moreno Zego, Abnara Gomes Varela, Fredy Gomes Tavares, Arnaud Rebotini, Domingos Borges Almeida
Hit Man
United States | FICTION | 115 min
A strait-laced professor discovers his hidden talent as a fake hit man. He meets his match in a client who steals his heart and ignites a powder keg of deception, delight, and mixed-up identities. Inspired by an unbelievable true story.
Director: Richard Linklater
Screenwriters: Richard Linklater, Glen Powell
Producers: Mike Blizzard, Richard Linklater, Glen Powell, Jason Bateman, Michael Costigan
Cast: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta, Sanjay Rao
How To Have Sex
United Kingdom | FICTION | 90 min
Three British teenage girls go on a rite-of-passage holiday, drinking, clubbing, and hooking up in what should be the best summer of their lives. As they dance their way across the sun-drenched streets of Malia, they find themselves navigating the complexities of sex, consent, and self-discovery.
Director/Screenwriter: Molly Manning Walker
Producers: Ivana MacKinnon, Emily Leo, Konstantinos Kontovrakis
Cast: Mia McKenna-Bruce, Samuel Bottomley, Shaun Thomas, Lara Peake, Enva Lewis, Laura Ambler
The Mother Of All Lies
Morocco/Egypt/Saudi Arabia/Qatar | Arabic with English subtitles | NONFICTION | 96 min
On a handmade set re-creating her Casablanca neighborhood, a young Moroccan filmmaker enlists family and friends to help unearth the troubling lies built into her childhood.
Director/Producer: Asmae El Moudir
KIDS
10 Lives
United Kingdom | FICTION | 88 min
A pampered cat takes for granted the lucky hand he has been dealt after he is rescued and loved by Rose, a kind-hearted and passionate student. When he loses his ninth life, fate steps in to set him on a transformative journey.
Director: Christopher Jenkins
Screenwriters: Christopher Jenkins, Karen Wengrod, Ken Cinnamon
Producers: Guy Collins, Sean Feeney, Yann Zenou, Adrian Politowski, Martin Metz
Cast: Mo Gilligan, Simone Ashley, Sophie Okonedo, Dylan Llewellyn, Zayn Malik, Jeremy Swift, Bill Nighy
Out Of My Mind
United States | FICTION | 102 min
Melody Brooks is navigating sixth grade as a nonverbal wheelchair user who has cerebral palsy. With the help of some assistive technology and her devoted, exuberant allies, Melody shows that what she has to say is more important than how she says it.
Director: Amber Sealey Screenwriter: Daniel Stiepleman
Producers: Peter Saraf, Robert Kessel, Dan Angel, Michael B. Clark
Cast: Phoebe-Rae Taylor, Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Kirby, Michael Chernus, Courtney Taylor, Judith Light
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
War Game
United States | NONFICTION | 94 min
A bipartisan group of U.S. defense, intelligence, and elected policymakers spanning five presidential administrations participate in an unscripted role-play exercise in which they confront a political coup backed by rogue members of the U.S. military, in the wake of a contested presidential election.
Directors: Jesse Moss, Tony Gerber
Producers: Todd Lubin, Jesse Moss, Jack Turner, Mark DiCristofaro, Jessica Grimshaw, Nick Shumaker
INDIE EPISODIC PROGRAM
Better Angels: The Gospel According to Tammy Faye
United States | NONFICTION | 101 min
As told by her family, friends, and enemies, the meteoric rise, scandalous fall, and unlikely resurrection of Tammy Faye, the “First Lady of the Electric Church,” poses an increasingly relevant question: How did we get the story so wrong? Four-part limited series, screening parts one and two.
Director: Dana Adam Shapiro
Executive Producers: Elton John, David Furnish, Danny Gabai, Alexander Moore, Vanessa Case, Hellen Rollins, Peter Rollins, Dana Adam Shapiro, Jesse Angelo, Subrata De
Producer: Guillermo Garcia
Conbody Vs Everybody
United States | NONFICTION | 130 min
Taking place over eight years, Coss Marte builds ConBody, a gym inspired by workouts he developed while in prison. Committed to employing trainers who were formerly incarcerated, Coss creates a community fighting to break the cycle of recidivism while navigating society’s many obstacles to reentry. Six-part limited series, screening two episodes.
Director: Debra Granik
Executive Producers: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Victoria Stewart, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Joslyn Barnes, Jonathan Scheuer
God Save Texas: Hometown Prison
United States | English, Spanish with English subtitles | NONFICTION | 87 min
A three-part non-sequential anthology series. Huntsville, Texas, known as “Prison City,” sits at the heart of an expansive prison industrial complex. Yet, for many residents, these prisons exist in another realm, disconnected from their lives. Richard Linklater revisits his hometown to explore its diverse inhabitants, painting a vibrant portrait that encapsulates the essence of Texas.
Director: Richard Linklater
Executive Producers: Richard Linklater, Lawrence Wright, Alex Gibney, Peter Berg, Michael Lombardo, Elizabeth Rogers, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller
Producer: Nell Constantinople
God Save Texas: The Price of Oil
United States | FICTION | 109 min
A three-part non-sequential anthology series. As the world’s energy capital, Houston is a city that manufactures both its prominence and demise. Alex Stapleton explores the industry’s impact on her family, who arrived as enslaved people in the 1830s, built thriving communities, and now must cope with the human costs of Texas’ biggest money-maker.
Director: Alex Stapleton
Executive Producers: Lawrence Wright, Alex Gibney, Richard Linklater, Peter Berg, Michael Lombardo, Elizabeth Rogers, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller
Producer: Meghan O’Hara
God Save Texas: La Frontera
United States | English, Spanish with English subtitles | NONFICTION | 109 min
A three-part non-sequential anthology series. Iliana Sosa examines how “nepantla,” an embrace of in-betweenness, characterizes relations to both her Mexican heritage and her hometown of El Paso, Texas. An exploration revealing how the city’s humanity and unique hybridity catalyzed unity, nurturing healing in the aftermath of a devastating mass shooting in 2019.
Director: Iliana Sosa
Executive Producers: Lawrence Wright, Alex Gibney, Richard Linklater, Peter Berg, Michael Lombardo, Richard Perello, Stacey Offman, Elizabeth Rogers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller
Producer: Danielle Mynard
La Mesías
Spain | Spanish, Catalan with English subtitles | FICTION | 124 min
Siblings Enric and Irene have a dark childhood, unbearable memories, and a toxic relationship with their mother. They live outside their family sect and are now far from the reach of their mother, yet not completely free.
Directors/Screenwriters: Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi
Executive Producers: Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi, Domingo Corral, Susana Herreras, Fran Araújo
Cast: Roger Casamajor, Macarena García, Lofla Dueñas, Carmen Machi, Ana Rujas, Abert Pla, Amaia, Biel Rossell, Cecilia Roth
Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza
United States | NONFICTION | 89 min
In the summer of ’91, the Lollapalooza music festival was born. What started as a farewell tour for the band Jane’s Addiction rose from the underground to launch a cultural movement and change music forever. Three-part limited series, screening parts one and two.
Director: Michael John Warren
Producers: Michael John Warren, James Lee Hernandez, Brian Lazarte, Brian Levy, Mat Whittington, Daniel Gibbs, Bruce Gillmer, Amanda Culkowski, Perry Farrell, Charlie Walker, Charles Attal, Berkeley Reinhold
Me/We
United States | FICTION | 124 min
Amaria “Yaya” Jones, an argumentative teenager with a passion for dance, must plead her case to her overprotective brother in hopes of winning his blessing to walk to school with her first crush. Yaya’s story is a celebration of life.
Director: Nzingha Stewart
Screenwriters: Keyonna Taylor, Rob McElhenney
Executive Producers: Rob McElhenney, Keyonna Taylor, Nzingha Stewart, Jackie Cohn, Nick Frenkel, Jermaine Johnson
Cast: Camryn Jones, Victor Musoni, Anji White, Travis Wolfe Jr., Nadirah Bost, Mike Sampson
Penelope
United States | FICTION | 124 min
Feeling out of place in modern society, a 16-year-old is drawn into the unknown wilderness, where she begins forming a new life for herself.
Director: Mel Eslyn
Screenwriters: Mel Eslyn, Mark Duplass
Executive Producers: Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Mel Eslyn, Shuli Harel Producer: Meghan Mowery
Cast: Megan Stott, Austin Abrams
The Synanon Fix
United States | NONFICTION | 117 min
Exploring the rise and fall of the Synanon organization — through the eyes of the members who lived it — from its early days as a groundbreaking drug rehabilitation program to its later descent into what many consider a cult.
Director: Rory Kennedy
Screenwriters: Mark Bailey, Jeff Swimmer
Producers: Rory Kennedy, Mark Bailey, Alexandra Korba, Keven McAlester
SHORT FILMS
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Animated Short Film Program
27
France/Hungary | Hungarian with English subtitles | FICTION | 11 min
Alice is 27 years old today. Even though she is suffocating a bit, she still lives with her parents and tends to live in her dreams to escape her dreary everyday life.
Director/Screenwriter: Flóra Anna Buda
Producers: Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron, Gábor Osváth, Péter Benjámin Lukács
Baigal Nuur – Lake Baikal
Canada/Germany | Mongolian (Buryat dialect) with English subtitles | NONFICTION | 9 min
The formation of Lake Baikal in Siberia is reimagined, featuring the voice of a Buryat woman who can still recall some words in her endangered Buryat language (a Mongolian dialect).
Director/Screenwriter: Alisi Telengut
Producer: Alisi Telengut
Bug Diner
United States | FICTION | 7 min
A dissatisfied marriage, a secret crush, and workplace fantasies come to a head in a diner run by a mole with a hot ass.
Director/Screenwriter: Phoebe Jane Hart
Cast: Jacob Levy, Phoebe Hart
Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba Vita
Brazil | Portuguese with English subtitles | FICTION | 20 min
Kimpa Vita fulfills the prophetic mission of leading her people in a racist and unequal society. Set in contemporary Brazil and inspired by the true story of Kimpa Vita, a 17th-century Congolese religious leader.
Director/Screenwriter: Catapreta
Producer: Miriam Rolim
Drago
United States | FICTION | 15 min
A young boy’s dream of becoming a doctor is challenged when war forces him and his mother to flee their village and start a new life in New York City.
Director/Screenwriter: Daniel Zvereff
Producer: Daniel Zvereff
Larry
United States | FICTION | 4 min
A dog loses grasp of its shape and time while balling like Shaq.
Directors: Takeshi Murata, Christopher Rutledge
Screenwriter: Takeshi Murata
Cast: Larry Dog
Martyr’s Guidebook
Poland | Polish with English subtitles | FICTION | 9 min
Tony is the ultimate good guy, sometimes to a fault. From nabbing the smallest slice of cake in grade school to guiding lost strangers in the city, his kindness knows no bounds. He also lives with an angel.
Director/Screenwriter: Maks Rzontkowski
Producer: Maks Rzontkowski
Cast: Maks Rzontkowski
Matta and Matto
Switzerland | FICTION | 117 min
In a time when all interpersonal closeness is forbidden, the hourly hotel Vaip offers wondrous rooms where guests snuggle up to devices built
with great skill and let themselves fall into the perfect illusion of human touch.
Directors/Screenwriters: Bianca Caderas, Kerstin Zemp
Producer: Joder von Rotz
Cast: Bianca Caderas, Kerstin Zemp, Etienne Mory, Amélie Cochet, Danay Gijzen, Martine Ulmer
SHORT FILMS
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Documentary Short Film Program
14 Paintings
China | Chinese with English subtitles | 24 min
A field study of 14 paintings from China’s Dafen village, as the government rebrands the copy- painting district as a hub for original art.
Director: Dongnan Chen
Producers: Dongnan Chen, Jisong Li,
Heying Chen, Jiaqing Lin, Chongjun Li
Bob’s Funeral
United States | 19 min
Searching for the root of generational trauma, the director takes a camera into his estranged grandfather’s funeral.
Director/Screenwriter: Jack Dunphy
Producer: Jack Dunphy
Music: Seth Kaplan, Chris Bailoni
Cast: Jack Dunphy, Laurie Dunphy, Kelly Dunphy, Ruby Dunphy, Judith Fisk, Peg Yokum
Object 817
Belgium | Russian with English subtitles | 22 min
A poetic journey to the heart of the Ural, where the discovery of an alien creature uncovers a haunting secret.
Director/Screenwriter: Olga Lucovnicova
Producers: Frederik Nicolai, Annabel Verbeke
The Smallest Power
Iran | English; Farsi with English subtitles | 6 min
During the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in Iran, in the aftermath of the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini, a medical resident finds her voice when the chaos in the streets comes to her hospital floor.
Director: Andy Sarjahani
Producers: Andy Sarjahani, Daniel Lombroso, Elyse Kelly
To Be Invisible
United States | 21 min
Every week for the past three years, Alexis and Kellie have stood outside Durham County’s child welfare agency, demanding the return of their children. Together, they embark on a journey to bring their children home.
Director/Screenwriter: Myah Oversreet
Producer: Myah Overstreet
Editors: Myah Overstreet, Noah McMillan
Principal Cast: Alexis Wynn, Kellie Smith, Amanda Wallace
Winding Path
United States | 10 min
Eastern Shoshone medical student Jenna Murray spent summers on the Wind River Indian Reservation helping her grandpa in any way she could. When he suddenly dies, she must find a way to heal before realizing her dream of a life in medicine.
Directors: Ross Kauffman, Alexandra Lazarowich
Producer: Robin Honan
Composer: Samantha Crain
Cinematographer: Ed David
SHORT FILMS
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Midnight Short Film Program
The Bleacher
United States | FICTION | 8 min
The disappearance of her sock at a local laundromat sends a fragile Rita over the edge. Hellbent on finding it, she searches deep and gets sucked into a washing machine, entering an otherworldly cycle from which she may never escape.
Directors: Nicole Daddona, Adam Wilder
Screenwriters: Adam Wilder, Nicole Daddona
Producer: Zeus Kontoyannis
Cast: Kate Micucci, Ben Sinclair, Sky Elobar
Bold Eagle
Philippines | Filipino with English subtitles | FICTION | 16 min
Trapped at home with hallucinogenic drugs and his talking cat, an “alter” anonymously performs lascivious acts on the Internet, seeking refuge in the strong arms of strange men, hoping to masturbate his way to true happiness.
Director/Screenwriter: Whammy Alcazaren
Producer: Alemberg Ang
Cast: @luckymaybe 1923, @pusang monty, Gio Gahol, Ricky Davao
Dream Creep
United States | FICTION | 13 min
A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.
Director/Screenwriter: Carlos A.F. Lopez
Producers: Megan Leonard, Bobby McHugh, Jonathan Caso, Zeus Kontoyannis
Cast: Ian Edlund, Sidney Jayne Hunt
The Looming
United States | FICTION | 15 min
When a virtual home assistant speaker, Luna, picks up the strange noise Chester has heard in his house, he realizes that it may not be a symptom of dementia.
Director/Screenwriter: Masha Ko
Producers: Masha Ko, Caroline Gluck, Andrey Nikolaev, Kolten Horner
Cast: Joseph Lopez, Kolten Horner, Brianne Buishas, Alyssa Nicole
The Rainbow Bridge
United States | FICTION | 13 min
Tina and her elderly dog MeeMoo discover a clinic promising human-to-pet communication. However, two sinister doctors uncover a bond between them so strong, it transcends time and space. They might be the key to something greater, but at what cost?
Director/Screenwriter: Dimitri Simakis
Producers: Suki-Rose, Michael Scott
Cast: Thu Tran, Heather Lawless, James Urbaniak, David Brown, Fat Tony
SHÉ (SNAKE)
United States/United Kingdom | English, Mandarin with English subtitles | FICTION | 15 min
Fei is the top violinist in her elite youth orchestra. When another Chinese violinist arrives to challenge her place, Fei’s internal demons take external form. They whisper to her, urging her to be the best, no matter the cost.
Director/Screenwriter: Renee Zhan
Producer: Jesse Romain
Cast: Xiaonan Wang, Alina Lew, Simon Paisley Day, Elizabeth Chan, Leslie Ching, Grace Fan
SHORT FILMS
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Short Film Program 1
ALOK
United States | NONFICTION | 19 min
A compelling portrait of ALOK, acclaimed nonbinary author, poet, comedian, and public speaker. Executive-produced by Jodie Foster.
Director: Alex Hedison
Producers: Natalie Shirinian, Elizabeth Baudouin, Meggan Lennon, Alex Hedison
Essex Girls
United Kingdom | FICTION | 15 min
After an incident at her high school pulls her into the orbit of the only other Black girl in her year, “Essex Girl” Bisola is plunged into a journey to discover a whole new side of herself.
Director: Yero Timi-Biu
Screenwriter: Busayo Ige
Producers: Angela Moneke, Simon Hatton
Cast: Busayo Ige, Corinna Brown, Maisie Smith, Adrianna Bertola, Krysstina Frempong, Rebecca Dike
The Heart
United States | FICTION | 18 min
A lonely man grieves the death of his mother after an argument about groceries and an odd request in her will.
Director: Malia Ann
Screenwriter: Malia Ann
Producer: Ayesha Nadarajah
Cast: Tunde Adebimpe, LaTonya Borsay
Miisufy
Estonia | FICTION | 10 min
Digital pet cat Miisu gets tired of her owner and starts to revolt. Inspired by Tamagotchi — observing the world through the eyes of digital pets.
Director: Liisi Grünberg
Screenwriter: Aurelia Aasa
Producer: Aurelia Aasa
Cast: Maria Ehrenberg
Pathological
United States | FICTION | 16 min
A woman who’s a pathological liar wakes up one day to discover her lies have become true.
Director/Screenwriter: Alison Rich
Producers: Bridgett Greenberg, Ingrid Haas, Avtar Khalsa, Peter Principato, Todd Ruhnau
Cast: Alison Rich, Meaghan Rath, Luke Cook, Adam Lustick, Heather Pasternak, George Kareman
Pisko the Crab Child is in Love
Japan | FICTION | 18 min
Pisko’s father is a crab while her mother is human. Pisko falls in love with her teacher but is heartbroken when he leaves her because she is half-crab. Pisko finally finds love and companionship with her friend Kubokayo.
Director/Screenwriter: Makoto Nagahisa
Producer: Yasuo Suzuki
Cast: Aiko Kano, Saya, Maki Fukuda, Kanta Sato
SHORT FILMS
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Short Film Program 2
Lea Tupu’anga / Mother Tongue
New Zealand | English, Tongan with English subtitles | FICTION | 17 min
A young speech therapist disconnected from her Tongan heritage lies about her Tongan language skills to get a job. Out of her depth, she must find a way to communicate or risk her patient’s life.
Director: Vea Mafile’o
Screenwriter: Luciane Buchanan
Producers: Alex Lovell, Eldon Booth
Cast: Luciane Buchanan, Albert Rounds, Mikey Falesiu, Michael Koloi, Elizabeth Thomson
The Lost Season
United States | FICTION | 6 min
Winter is over. Continue watching.
Director/Screenwriter: Kelly Sears
Producer: Kelly Sears
Cast: Skinner Myers
The Masterpiece
Spain | Spanish, Mandinka, English, French with English subtitles | FICTION | 20 min
Leo and Diana, a wealthy couple, meet Salif and Yousef, two scrap dealers, at a recycle center. Offering them more junk, Diana invites them to their mansion, but the immigrants actually might be the ones with something she wants.
Director: Alex Lora Cercos
Screenwriters: Lluis Quilez, Alfonso Amador
Producers: Lluis Quilez, Sandra Travé, Alex Lora Cercos, Josemari Martínez, Néstor López
Cast: Daniel Grao, Babou Cham, Melina Matthews, Adam Nourou, Guido Grao
Merman
United States | NONFICTION | 11 min
A 58-year-old Black Queer man speaks the truth about his life as an emergency nurse, a leather enthusiast, husband, and civil rights advocate.
Director/Screenwriter: Masha Ko
Producers: Masha Ko, Caroline Gluck, Andrey Nikolaev, Kolten Horner
Cast: Joseph Lopez, Kolten Horner, Brianne Buishas, Alyssa Nicole
Pasture Prime
United States | FICTION | 10 min
A widow falls for a younger man she meets at the Cowboy Church.
Director: Diffan Sina Norman
Screenwriter: Carolyn Purnell
Producers: Carolyn Purnell, Diffan Sina Norman
Cast: Gail Cronauer, Patrick Kirton, Chris Alan Evans, Susan Kirton, Joshua Ogden-Davis
The Stag
Taiwan | Taiwanese, Chinese with English subtitles | FICTION | 15 min
At a deer farm in Changhua County, a middle-aged man is asked to cut off a stag’s antlers in front of his two kids.
Director/Screenwriter: An Chu
Producers: Tzu-Yuan Wang, An Chu
Cast: Yung-He Chen, Wei-Jen Chen, Si-Kai Chen
Thirstygirl
United States | FICTION | 10 min
On a road trip with her younger sister, Charlie struggles to hide a secret sex addiction.
Director/Screenwriter: Alexandra Qin
Producers: Brooke Goldman, C.S.A., Alexandra Qin
Cast: Samantha Ahn, Claire Dunn
SHORT FILMS
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Short Film Program 3
BUST
United States | FICTION | 11 min
A trans cop with the New York City Police Department goes undercover to make a drug bust.
Director: Angalis Field
Screenwriters: Angalis Field, Eliza Barry Callahan
Producer: Drake Burnette
Cast: Lux Pascal, Nicky DeMarie
Bye Bye, Bowser
Austria | German with English subtitles | FICTION | 20 min
Punk singer Luna rebels against the indifference of her artsy friends by writing a song about Laugo, the construction worker from across the street. The collision of the worlds of affluent neglect and everyday work leads to a dramatic downfall.
Director: Jasmin Baumgartner
Screenwriter: Lorenz Uhl
Producer: Dominic Spitaler
Cast: Luna Jordan, Laurence Hadschieff
Dreams like paper boats
Haiti | Haitian Creole with English subtitles | FICTION | 19 min
Edouard and his daughter live with a cassette received from his wife in the United States, a long time ago. After years of absence, what can we expect from a distant love?
Director/Screenwriter: Samuel Suffren
Producers: Samuel Suffren, Phalonne Pierre Louis
Cast: Kenny Laguerre, Zaraina Ruth- Amma Suffren, Clorette Jacinthe
Flail
United States | FICTION | 14 min
It’s her boss’s birthday, and Allie is trying as hard as she can.
Director: Ben Gauthier
Screenwriters: Ben Gauthier, Allie Levitan
Producers: Jack Forbes, Maddie Thomas
Cast: Allie Levitan, David Brown, Natalie Rotter-Laitman, Isabella Gerasole, Krista Levitan
guts
United States | FICTION | 10 min
Desperate for help, a woman in recovery asks an unlikely stranger on a dinner date.
Director: Margaux Susi
Screenwriter: Jan Rosenberg
Producers: Grayson Propst, Margaux Susi, Angela Giarratana
Cast: Kate Burton, Angela Giarratana
Salone Love
United States/United Kingdom/Sierra Leone | NONFICTION | 5 min
A scrapbook of opinions and advice about love in Sierra Leone.
Director: Tajana Tokyo
Producers: Tabs Breese, India Wadsworth
Viaje de Negocios
Mexico | Spanish with English subtitles | FICTION | 13 min
Daniel arrives at school wearing brand-new sneakers from America, gifted to him by his father. When he sees another boy wearing the same sneakers, he begins to suspect that their shoes are the key to a terrible secret.
Director/Screenwriter: Gerardo Coello Escalante
Producer: Amandine Thomas
Cast: Rodrigo Mota, Pablo Torres, Gerardo Saldaña, Lila Urbina
SHORT FILMS
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Short Film Program 4
Boi de Conchas (The Shell Covered Ox)
Brazil/United States | Portuguese with English subtitles | FICTION | 15 min
While mourning her missing sister, Rayane balances helping her fisherman father and practicing for the school’s music festival — provided she doesn’t become an ox first, a misfortune assailing several teenagers in the area.
Director/Screenwriter: Daniel Barosa
Producers: Nikolas Maciel, Bruno Alfano, Daniel Barosa
Cast: Bebé Salvego
Border Hopper
United States, English, Spanish with English subtitles | FICTION | 14 min
When a Latinx filmmaker is offered a dream job abroad, she discovers a supernatural way to navigate the U.S. immigration system and get the coveted travel permit she needs. But what seems like a magic solution soon shows unexpected consequences.
Director: Nico Casavecchia
Screenwriters: Mercedes Arturo, Nico Casavecchia
Producers: Blaine Morris, Robin Spears, Gabriela Ortega, Nico Casavecchia
Cast: Gabriela Ortega, Santiago Reyes Mcallister
Didn’t Think I’d See You Here
United States | FICTION | 14 min
Rory thinks there’s a ghost haunting his shower and decides to investigate its origin. But when he goes to a party and meets a romantic interest, his spectral mystery begins to unravel.
Director/Screenwriter: Dylan Guerra
Producers: Dylan Guerra, Yaron Lotan, Laura Dupper
Cast: Yaron Lotan, Holly Settoon, Marquis Rodriguez, Jose Useche
Phoebe
Greece/Cyprus | Greek with English subtitles | FICTION | 15 min
Having been recently discharged from rehab, 26-year-old Phoebe takes her young son on a road trip that will determine their future.
Director/Screenwriter: Vaggelio Soumeli
Producers: Janine Teerling, Marios Piperides, Romana Lobach, Paul Typaldos
Cast: Athina Pavlou Benazi, Nikolas Drosopoulos, Orestis Raissis
Say Hi After You Die
United States | FICTION | 17 min
A grieving woman believes her deceased best friend has come back to visit her… as a porta-potty.
Director: Kate Jean Hollowell
Producer: Miranda Kahn
Production Designer: Jenna Tooley
Cast: Kate Jean Hollowell, Ruby Caster, George Basil
Terra Mater
Rwanda | English, French with English subtitles | FICTION | 10 min
Technology and waste in our lands, our systems, our bones. Wandering our spaces, she cannot help but wonder, where is the space for healing?
Director/Screenwriter: Kantarama Gahigiri
Producer: Kantarama Gahigiri
Cast: Cheryl Isheja
SHORT FILMS
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Short Film Program 5
Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy
Indonesia | Makassarese, Indonesian with English subtitles | FICTION | 15 min
A married couple who own an Odong-Odong spend their days entertaining other people’s children. Between relatives, self-doubt, and an explosive confrontation, they uncover why they have not been blessed with a child.
Director/Screenwriter: Khozy Rizal
Producers: John Badalu, Sue Turley
Cast: Arham Rizky Saputra, Rezky Chik, Hj. Sugiati,
Bay of Herons
United States | FICTION | 7 min
Calling on the strength of his ancestors, a young Mi’kmaq man reflects on the pain of bearing witness to the destruction of his homelands.
Director/Screenwriter: Jared James Lank
Ekbeh
United States | English, Louisiana French, ‘Uma with English subtitles | NONFICTION | 9 min
While learning to make gumbo, the creator shares personal stories about their grandparents as a way to honor and preserve their Indigenous history and life.
Director: Mariah Eli Hernandez-Fitch
Grace
United States | FICTION | 13 min
Sixteen-year-old Grace prepares for her baptism in the rural 1950s South. When she learns she must repent before the ritual, she begins to question the budding romantic feelings she has toward her best friend, Louise.
Director/Screenwriter: Natalie Jasmine Harris
Producers: Natalie Jasmine Harris, Samiyah Wardlaw, Julia Kennelly, Latavia Young, Morgan B. Powell
Cast: Jordan Rayanna Wells, Alexis Cofield, Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew, C L Simpson, JeVon Blackwell
The Looming Cloud
United States | FICTION | 17 min
Three siblings return home after their mother’s death and face their most daunting task: figuring out how to post about it on social media.
Director/Screenwriter: Matthew Tyler
Producers: Matthew Tyler, Connie Shi
Cast: Mitzi Akaha, Jason Amerling, Connie Shi
Shalal
Iran | Persian with English subtitles | FICTION | 15 min
Mehran and his mother, Ziba, don’t have shadows, so they use a black fur to catch the shadows of people and drink them. One day, Mehran decides to catch someone’s shadow alone.
Director/Screenwriter: Amir Ali Sisipour
Producers: Amir Ali Sisipour, Rostam Sisipour
Co-Producer: Mohammad Ali Vadikheil
Cast: Amir Ali Sisipour, Rostam Sisipour, Masomeh Emamai, Amir Reza Sisipour, Pooyan Sholevar, Hamed Ezzatkhah
Voice Ever
France | French with English subtitles | FICTION | 13 min
Over the course of an evening, Romane, Sarah, Emmanuel, and Boris connect on Voice Ever, a new dating app where you choose your date based on their voice. Their weaknesses and vulnerabilities will surface in their desire to meet.
Directors/Screenwriters: Céline Perreard, Pauline Archange
Producer: Anne Luthaud
Cast: Alexandra Desloires, Kelly Bellacci, Vincent Pasdermadjian, Xavier Lacaille, Maya Raad, Edith Baldy
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