OPEKA

Documentary (90 mins) United States
Directed By: Cam Cowan
Written By:
Produced By: Cam Cowan, Tiffany Peckosh-Soffrin
Cast:

Synopsis: An iron-willed Argentine priest inspires hope for an entire nation by teaching people living in Madagascar’s largest landfill to build their own city on a hill, complete with schools, sports facilities and hospitals. Pedro Opeka declined an opportunity to play professional soccer in his native Buenos Aires and realize his childhood dream. He chose, instead, to become a missionary and live in one of the poorest countries in the world. After 30 years of construction, fighting increasing poverty and political instability, Opeka has created a highly functional city within this dysfunctional island nation. His mission is to prepare the children he saves to one day save their own country.

ILLEGAL

Documentary (86 mins) United States
Directed By: Nick Alexander
Written By: Lazaro Ayala, Nick Alexander
Produced By: Lazaro Ayala
Cast: Lazaro Ayala, Robert Vaca

Synopsis: This is the miraculous journey of Salvadoran immigrant Laz Ayala’s life or death path to U.S. citizenship, the challenges of present-day immigration, and his mission to humanize immigrants and reform immigration for the benefit of all. The film begins as Laz journeys back to his childhood home in El Salvador. He recounts his arduous path north on the Pan American Highway with his father and brother where at any moment they could have been discovered and turned back… or killed. Laz’s life is a story of struggle, determination, and hope for a brighter future for immigrants, the industries that rely upon them, and our entire country.

SWARM INTELLIGENCE

Documentary (97 mins) Germany
Directed By: Ralf Würth
Written By:
Produced By: Ralf Würth
Cast: Cyrill Gutsch, Paul Watson, Dr. Silvia Earle

Synopsis: When Cyrill Gutsch, a charismatic leader of New York’ s creative class collides with legendary ocean activist Paul Watson, he decides to turn his life upside-down, drumming up artists, publicists, celebrities and scientists to collaboratively fight against the nearing collapse of the worlds oceans.

Trailer

KIM

Short (4 mins) United States
Directed By: Chloe Caufield
Written By: Chloe Caufield
Produced By: Chloe Caufield
Cast:Alex Kennedy, Martha Wilson, Cole Manley

Synopsis: A frustrated runner must look to his past to recapture the joy he is lacking in his present.

Trailer

CAT

Comedy (6mins) United States
Directed By: Madeleine White
Written By: Madeleine White
Produced By: Ian Sheets
Cast: Gary Wolf, Mariah Martin

Synopsis: Returning late from a drunken night out, alcoholic father, Andrew, attempts to make things right with his daughter, Katie, after missing her birthday. Things begin to go awry when he accidentally runs over the cat.

Rewind

Drama (7mins) United States
Directed By: Dustin Kahia
Written By: Dustin Kahia
Produced By: Cameron Haddad
Cast: Lance Bonza, Dominic Boucher, Bashar Najar, Mariam Najar, Xavier Najar, Avila Najar

Synopsis: A single father, struggling to make ends meet, grapples with a life and death decision that could alter the course of his life forever.

A Heavy Burden

Comedy, Drama (10mins) United States
Directed By: Ginger Yifan Chen
Written By: Ginger Yifan Chen
Produced By: Georgia Franklin-Willis, Laura Mittleberg
Cast: Liao, Christine Cabana

Synopsis: After six years apart, estranged mother and daughter Su and Ivy Zhao are brought together through unconventional means – a dead man on Ivy’s living room floor. As their complicated history unfolds, they must find a way to heal their relationship and work together to dispose of the body.

HIVES

Short (10mins) United States
Directed By: Carolyn Knapp
Written By: Carolyn Knapp
Produced By: Katie Muschalik
Cast: Jessica Gallo, Sophia Papalia

Synopsis: Vivian, a high school senior, stresses over her college applications as she struggles with an evolving friendship, a tense family dynamic, and the seemingly crushing responsibility of taking charge of her own future.

101 KNOCKS

Drama (12mins) United States
Directed By: Alkiviadis Tzortzoglou
Written By: Alkiviadis Tzortzoglou
Produced By: Alkiviadis Tzortzoglou, Maria Georgiadou, Stratos Tzortzoglou, Robert Haufrecht
Cast: Nikola Balac, Cornelius Horgan, Eva Forte, Hannah Stephens, Florin Penișoară, Wesli Spencer

Synopsis: After his mother’s death, a distanced son and father are brought back together to rekindle their relationship.

PRACTICE FUNERAL

Short (14mins) United States
Directed By: Mattie Bayne
Written By: Don Ohmer
Produced By: Chandler Toffa, John Kauffman
Cast: Ben Hirschhorn , Rachel Christianson, Dylan Field

Synopsis:After being diagnosed with terminal testicular cancer, George, decides to throw a celebration of life party, despite his mother’s protests.

GRACE

Drama (15mins) United States
Directed By: R.J. Glass
Written By: R.J. Glass
Produced By: Amanda Freedman, Froso Tsipopoulou
Cast: Rory Gibson, Robb Derringer, Kyson Facer

Synopsis: Lucas Walker, a charismatic pastor’s teenage son, discovers that his father’s alternative religious movement has become a dangerous and seductive cult of personality. When his best friend nearly dies during a manipulative test of faith in which he’s complicit, Lucas must shatter the only world he’s ever known to escape his father’s shadow.

NEVER HAVE I EVER

Drama (15mins) United States
Directed By: Cimi Grace
Written By: Cimi Grace
Produced By: Laura Leal
Cast: Austin Goldsmith, Emile Trudeau

Synopsis: Two teens struggling with mental illness break out of a psych ward and spend a night of rebellion in an attempt to discover if life is worth living.

THE LIGHTNING MAN

Drama (20 mins) United States
Directed By: Jonathan Goetzman
Written By: Jonathan Goetzman
Produced By: Bella Wadhwani
Cast: Jack Jaco Pitchon, Jake Cherry, Carlos Barbouth, Skye Coyne, Janet Rodriguez

Synopsis:The Lightning Man explores the story of Rafi Cohen in 1973 Los Angeles, who struggles to come to terms with the closing of his barbershop. A barber-sonderkommando in the Treblinka death camp, Cohen deals with the guilt of being a survivor. The temple persistently reaches out to Rafi to join the Jewish community but his battle with God and his guilt keep him away. Through the temple’s efforts and the passion of one young boy, Rafi is able to see the importance in his voice for not only the survival of the Jewish people but to embrace his identity.

OF COURSE

Short (8 mins) United States
Directed By: Frank Di Bugnara
Written By: Joe Forster
Produced By:
Cast: Paul Johannson

Synopsis: He just wanted to ask a couple of questions.

SING, COWBOY, SING

Comedy, Drama (8 mins) United States
Directed By: Kyle Cooper
Written By: Kyle Cooper
Produced By: Kyle Cooper, Lawrence Thunell
Cast: Lawrence Thunell , Bowie

Synopsis: This is the story of a man, his dog, and the end of the world.

TWIN TURBO

Short (9 mins) United States
Directed By: Caity Lotz
Written By: Caity Lotz
Produced By: Caity Lotz, Dylan Hale Lewis, Mik Luxon, Tim Banks
Cast:Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Dominique Domingo

Synopsis: Two women hit the road to Vegas and go toe-to-toe with some wannabe gangsters.

THE IMMINENT EXPIRATION OF SETH DODSON

Comedy (12 mins) United States
Directed By: Alex Craig
Written By: Alex Craig
Produced By: Alex Craig
Cast: Fred Armisen, Dietrich Teschner

Synopsis: Seth Dodson, along with the rest of the world know the exact date of their ultimate demise. Just not how or at what time. We follow Seth on his death date as paranoia builds until something unlikely happens.

SIDEWINDER

Action, Drama (13 mins) United States
Directed By:TK Shom
Written By: Ryan Toyama
Produced By:TK Shom, Dylan Matlock
Cast: Sonya Balmores, Matt Corboy, Robert Miano, Katy O’Brian, Augie Duke

Synopsis: A deputy in a small town is obsessed with finding a missing child a botched mission brings her closer to the abductor.

WONDERWOOD

Short (13 mins) United States
Directed By: Tara Lynn Rye
Written By: Tara Lynn Rye
Produced By: Jane Stupp-O’neill, Magen Ashley Young, Zachary Wright
Cast: Tara Lynn Rye, Jeff Palmiotti , Jordan Santoro, Aaron Marcotte

Synopsis: Alice is a millennial artist living in Los Angeles. Her career isn’t going as well as she would like and she’s hit a bit of an artistic block. So how does she blow off steam? Tequila! We follow Alice down the “rabbit hole” after one such night as she experiences an utterly bizarre and brutal walk-of-shame, full of misogynistic micro-aggressions leading up to an inappropriate work meeting that nearly sends her over the edge. Refusing to let these encounters break her, Alice paints from the source of her artistic block: the place where anger and strength meet.

THE TEACHER

Action, Thriller (14 mins) United States
Directed By: Jeremy Weiss
Written By: Keith Kuramoto, David Carter, Chris J. Ford
Produced By: Eduardo Cardenas, Sarah Platt
Cast: Sarah Chang, Kevin Lee, Jaden He, Warwick Giles, Fan Zhihai

Synopsis: An unassuming school teacher is relentlessly pursued by hired assassins, but they are about to get much more than they bargained for.

ELLA

Comedy (15 mins) United States
Directed By: Chris Petrick
Written By: Chris Petrick, Alexandra Raley
Produced By: Erin Kelly
Cast: Omar Salazar, Gerardo de Pablos, Charles Hoyes, Skyler Caleb

Synopsis: Two brothers find themselves in a deadly predicament after a seemingly normal piece of technology becomes a killing machine.

THE FIXER

Drama (17 mins) United States
Directed By: Michael Schilf
Written By: Michael Schilf
Produced By: Michael Schilf, Chase Kuker, Ryan D. Wood
Cast: Trejo, Jesse C. Boyd, Veronica Diaz Carranza, Vincent van Hinte

Synopsis: An extorted Mafia enforcer must partner with the femme fatale hired gun who murdered his wife in order to save his daughter and liberate himself from a sadistic Los Angeles crime boss.

IT’S BIG

Comedy (3 mins) United States
Directed By: Cris Graves
Written By: Cris Graves, Bill Pruitt
Produced By: Cris Graves, Caroline Liem
Cast: Caroline Liem, Ayumi Iizuka

Synopsis: A touchy subject tests an old friendship.

THE STIFF

Comedy (3 mins) United States
Directed By: Raquel Deriane
Written By: Raquel Deriane
Produced By: Pantera Sarah
Cast: Raquel Deriane, Casey Deidrick, Cameron Bowen

Synopsis: : Every man’s worst nightmare. Casey Deidrick plays your everyday hunk, bundled up with his new hot girlfriend, Raquel Deriane. Tall, rugged, handsome, he’s never had to worry about his romantic life until she pulls out a giant, crooked dildo from her nightstand. She asks him to finish her off with it. Shocked, yet into the kink, he obliges. This is a tale of male envy.

Trailer

THE L.A. BREAK UP

Romantic Comedy (7 mins) United States
Directed By: Stephanie Iorio
Written By: Stephanie Iorio
Produced By: Jon Brewer
Cast: James Bane , Stephanie Iorio, Alexander Garland

Synopsis: A couple comes to a crossroad as they try to decide their fate in life. Mia (Stephanie Iorio) is ready to end things for good. She’s a fierce force to be reckoned with and her short fused temper gets her in trouble more times then not. The love of her life, Jon (James Bane) never seems to say the right thing nor have proper timing. In a desperate attempt to impress Mia, Jon has few tricks up his sleeve. This dynamic duo has now created havoc because neither is getting what they want, or are they?

WIGGLE

Comedy (7 mins) United States
Directed By: Mark Reeb
Written By: Jennifer Harlow
Produced By: Mark Reeb, Jenny Goddard
Cast: David Sullivan, Rhys Gunther, Jennifer Harlow

Synopsis: A film about a kid getting his tooth pulled

Trailer

TALENT DRIVERS

Short (8 mins) Canada
Directed By: Kire Papputs
Written By: Michael Patrick O’Hara, Jerome McCann
Produced By: Michael Patrick O’Hara, Jerome McCann, Jamie Brown
Cast: Michael Patrick O’Hara, Stephen R Hart, Nora McLellan, Jerome McCann, Suzanne Coy, Marcus O’Hara, Julian Richings, Nicholas Campbell, Gracie Robbin, Ellora Patniak, Trish Blair

Synopsis:Transport greenhorn, Tim, picks up his first actor, Vince ( Julian Richings ) and learns fast what is expected of a Talent Driver to the stars.

(UN)FEELING

Short (10 mins) United States
Directed By: James A. Heim
Written By:Richard Pierce, James A. Heim
Produced By: Victoria Rose, James A. Heim
Cast: Nick Huff, Courtney Kraemer, Roger Gerard Cole, Joan Mullaney, Jonas Woolverton, Anthony Zeeveld, Quintin Lewis, Narée Asherian, Kerry Fezza, Gus Langley, Noni Wheat, Kim Scott Faubel

Synopsis:After a devastating break-up, Josh suddenly loses his ability to feel anything. He ventures back into the world searching for something to re-spark his feelings and mend his broken heart, finding the cure when he least expects it.

ALTERNATIVE THERAPY

Short (10 mins) United States
Directed By: Roberto Raad
Written By: Roberto Raad
Produced By: Roberto Raad
Cast: Mabel Maultsby , Mackenzie Amar, Reagan Pfifer, Roberto Raad

Synopsis: A therapist’s bad habits start to affect his relationships with his clients.

LITTLE CON LILI

Comedy (10 mins) United States
Directed By: Gabriela Garcia Medina
Written By: Gabriela Garcia Medina
Produced By:Jason Michael Berman, Patrick Raymond, Braden Friedman, Paloma Martinez
Cast: Ava Davila, Cheryl Umana Bonilla, Megan Lewicki, Michael Nason

Synopsis: LILI is a 10 year old Cuban-American girl who should be doing her homework but, instead, she decides to enjoy a leisurely afternoon, home alone, eating all her favorite foods, and listening to her favorite band, Air Supply. All’s well until her mother (NORMA) is fired from work for stealing toilet paper and selling Pop Tarts to guests. When Norma comes home unexpectedly early from work, Lili must hustle to con her mother into believing she’d been doing her homework the entire time.

BEACHCOMBER

Comedy, Drama (11 mins) United States
Directed By: Mike Sheptock
Written By: Mike Sheptock, Steven Russell
Produced By:: Hannah Marks, Mike Sheptock, Steven Russell
Cast: David J Volino, Victoria Meade, Michael Aguilar, Kelsey Susino, John Gargan, Jake Freilich

Synopsis:A burnout meanders through a summer day at the Jersey Shore, with his friends, as he begins to question where his life is headed.

FAITHFULLY

Drama (11 mins) United States
Directed By: Chad Smathers, Kirstin Pfeiffer
Written By: Kirstin Pfeiffer, Chad Smathers
Produced By: Kirstin Pfeiffer, Chad Smathers, Flynn Hayward
Cast: Brent Anderson, Kirstin Pfeiffer, Zak Steiner, Gail Rastorfer

Synopsis: Inspired by a true story, the film follows the relationship between Mark, a single father, and his daughter, Emma. When Emma’s desire to have the perfect prom day is interrupted by hardships due to Mark’s disability, she must make an important decision and learn what it means to be truly seen. It is a heartwarming and poignant depiction of how a rare disease affects the lives of a father and daughter, while creating a beautiful bond between the two.

THE FRIGGIN BEST

Short (12mins) United States
Directed By: Mary Gulino
Written By: Mary Gulino
Produced By: Jack Forbes, producer, Andrew Gerson, co-producer, Natalie Britton, line producer, Kate Hamilton, line producer
Cast: Adam Lustick, Charlotte Pernicone, George K. Burns

Synopsis: a 13-year old girl crashes her step-brother’s bachelor party with the goal of becoming the Best Man.

SUNDAY DINNER

Short (14 mins)
Directed By: Kevin Mead
Written By: Don Fanelli
Produced By: Darren Miller, Nate Vaughan
Cast: Don Fanelli, Mary Holland, Jon Gabrus, Andrew Law, Michael Antonucci

Synopsis: 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 confession that threatens to unravel their beloved tradition.

Trailer

MADE IN CHINA: REFORMING CHINA’S SUPPLY CHAIN

Documentary (10 mins) United States
Directed By: Gabriel Diamond, Matthew Beighley
Written By:
Produced By:
Cast:

Synopsis: For years, China has valued aggressive growth at the cost of environmental protection. Ma Jun emerged as a bold and singular voice, willing to stand up to powerful political and economic interests. His groundbreaking use of data and transparency holds industry accountable and makes clear the costs of toxic pollution.

A HEAD SHORTER

Documentary (24 mins) United States
Directed By: Sasha Sivan Bortnik
Written By: Sasha Sivan Bortnik
Produced By:Sasha Sivan Bortnik
Cast: Naftali Deutsch

Synopsis: A 2D animated documentary short narrated by Naftali Deutsch. The film begins in the spring of 1944 when Naftali and his entire family are forced to leave their home in Kimyat, a village in the Carpatho-Ukraine region, and sent to Auschwitz. Naftali recounts his harrowing journey as a 12 year old boy during the WWII era and shows us how he found himself faced with the decision to kill a Nazi guard to save his own life.

Trailer

COMFORT FARMS

Documentary (77 mins) United States
Directed By: Carlisle Kellam
Written By:
Produced By: Carlisle Kellam , Noah Hanson , Catherine Kellam
Cast:Jon Jackson

Synopsis: Home after six tours overseas, losing several buddies along the way, combat veteran and Army Ranger Jon Jackson feels he’s lost his purpose to be a warrior. He realizes that although PTSD is a real thing, it’s only one of many things leading to the post-war death of so many of his brothers and sisters. Jon notices some parallels between combat and farming and, in Milled­geville, Georgia (known for being home to the famed late fiction writer Flannery O’Connor), after some trial and error, starts Comfort Farms, a Veteran therapy facility that uses what’s called agro-cognitive behavioral therapy to condition veterans back to the grey of the civilian world, much the same way they were conditioned to be warriors. Comfort Farms is not meant to be a place of comfort, but a place where people move out of their comfort zone and confront the reality of things like death, truth, love, and sacrifice.

SOMEONE’S ON THE OTHER LINE

Comedy, Drama (10 mins)
Directed By: William Macaulay
Written By: William Macaulay
Produced By: William Macaulay, Christopher Cordero
Cast: Alex Emanuel, Matthew Cohn, Revell Carpenter

Synopsis:An unlikely couple’s pillow talk takes an interesting turn when they receive call in the middle of the night.

Trailer

THE WRONG DAY

Comedy (10 mins) Romania
Directed By: DAN TUDOR
Written By: DAN TUDOR
Produced By: DAN TUDOR
Cast:TUDOREL FILIMON

Synopsis: After spending 10 years overseas, a Romanian girl is coming back home with her Italian-American boyfriend to visit relatives. Her brother and sister in low are trying hard to be hospitable–maybe too hospitable with someone that doesn’t understand the language and customs.

Trailer

UP THE 5

Comedy (85 mins)
Directed By: Gabriel Adams
Written By: Gabriel Adams
Produced By: Jesse Adams, Gabriel Adams
Cast: Derek Chariton , Grace Tamayo, Kristen Lorenz, Mike Kurtz

Synopsis: Luckless Phil has 24 hours to get from Los Angeles to San Francisco for his father’s funeral. It’s an easy drive up California’s least iconic Interstate until his car is stolen by the seductress, Grace, and her sinister sister, Elsa. In pursuit of his car, Phill catches a ride with the oddball PERCY. As the unlikely outsiders chase each other Up The 5, every exit and detour leads to an episode of the absurd, the violent, the romantic, and the unexpected. A nighttime climax in a desolate motel forces everyone to discover a little something about themselves, and it ain’t all good.