34th New Orleans Film Festival Announces First Wave of Titles

NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The New Orleans Film Society (NOFS) announced the first wave of titles for the 34th annual, Oscar®-qualifying New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF), which will showcase 130+ films in-person at The Broad Theater, Contemporary Art Center, and The Prytania Theatres, Nov. 2-7, and virtually Nov. 2-12 through the NOFF Virtual Cinema available globally. The festival’s films in competition lineup is now live, and passes are available at neworleansfilmsociety.org. More programming, including Spotlight Films and Filmmaker Conference programming will be announced in the coming weeks.

After receiving 3,900 submissions from 117 countries for the 34th anniversary of the festival, NOFF’s seasoned team of programmers selected a slate of 127 films in competition that represent a wealth of perspectives. These include 29 feature films (19 documentaries, 10 narrative features) and 98 short films, with 22 world premieres, 6 U.S. premieres, and 38 Southern premieres.

Overall, films from filmmakers based in the American South represent 60% of the lineup, and Louisiana-made films represent 22% of the lineup. The directors of selected films represent 35 different nationalities. Films directed by women and non-binary directors account for 60% of the lineup, films helmed by directors of color make up 60%, and films from directors identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community account for 41% of selected films.

“In selecting films for this year’s festival, our festival programmers were also selecting filmmakers whose artistic voices and practices we believe in and are excited to support,” said Clint Bowie, Artistic Director of the New Orleans Film Society. “Decisions were made through a collective process involving 20 members of our festival programming team, over the course of countless meetings and conversations. Our team focused our attention on aspects of originality, vision, and potential, as well as the film’s capacity for impacting audiences and shifting the larger film landscape.”

“This year’s lineup represents the vastness of independent voices expressing deeply personal stories through artfully nuanced lenses,” added Zuri Obi, Film and Conference Programmer for the New Orleans Film Society. “We’re particularly excited to showcase our lineup of Southern storytellers whose regional perspectives expand the canon of Southern cinema. As a growing regional leader in independent cinema, we are thrilled to offer a slate of inspiring, thought-provoking films, meaningful networking opportunities, in-depth panel discussions and festive celebrations to our local, regional, and international film loving community.”

IN COMPETITION: 29 FEATURE FILMS FROM 13 COUNTRIES

The 34th New Orleans Film Festival feature film competition brings together 10 narrative feature films and 19 documentary feature films from 13 countries. See the film guide at neworleansfilmsociety.org/film-guide/.

Recipients of the Jury Award for Narrative Shorts, Documentary Shorts, and Animated Shorts competitions will be eligible for consideration in the respective categories of the Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.

Scroll down to see the list of films and loglines in the feature competitions and an index for all short films in competition.

HOW TO ATTEND THE FESTIVAL?

Festival-goers can purchase an All Access Pass, good for all in-person and NOFF Virtual Cinema screenings, parties and events; or purchase individual tickets for each screening. Individual tickets go on sale to NOFS members on October 9 at 12 p.m. CST, and to the general public on October 16 at 12 p.m. CST at neworleansfilmsociety.org.

The in-person screening schedule will be announced on October 6 at 12 PM CST, and screenings will take place at The Broad Theater, Contemporary Art Center (CAC), and The Prytania Theatres, between Nov. 2-7.

This year’s festival includes the return of a Main Festival Headquarters at the CAC, which will be open to the public. This festival hub will include the main NOFF box office, a merchandise store, special events and activations, and more.

NOFF Virtual Cinema will run from November 2-12, offering 115+ films from the festival lineup! Film lovers can buy a Virtual Pass to watch all films in the lineup throughout the festival; a Six Film Pass to watch any six films virtually or in-person or buy individual tickets for each virtual screening. Students and teachers can purchase a discounted pass for access to all virtual and in-person screenings.

New Orleans Film Society members receive $50 off of All Access passes, $3 off of in-person screening tickets, and $2 off of NOFF Virtual Cinema tickets. Become a member today and save with these great benefits! Sign up for membership here.

All festival transactions will be contactless; cash or check payments will not be accepted–– acceptable forms of payment include credit and debit cards, and Apple and Google Pay. Click here for more details.

FEATURE FILMS IN COMPETITION AT THE NEW ORLEANS FILM FESTIVAL 2023

NARRATIVE FEATURES

Asog | dir. Seán Devlin| prod. Amanda Ernst | Philippines, Canada | 101 min.Jaya is a comedian on a road trip to a drag pageant in the Philippines. On their way, they meet a cast of characters enduring the impacts of climate change in different ways.

Before the World Set on Fire | dir. Jaclyn Bethany | prod. Rebecca Morandi | USA | 70 min.In the wake of a college lockdown due to a mysterious illness, a professor leads a group of undergraduates through a tenuous philosophy seminar and soon after becomes a suspect in the death of one of her students.

Chronicles of a Wandering Saint | dir. Tomás Gómez Bustillo | prod. Gewan Brown and Amanda Freedman | Argentina, USA | 85 min.In a tiny rural village, Rita Lopez, a pious yet insatiably competitive woman, decides that staging a miracle could be her ticket to sainthood.

Lost Soulz | dir. Katherine Propper | prod. Andres Figueredo Thomson, Juan Carlos FIgueredo Thomson | USA | 97 min.A young rapper leaves everything behind and embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery, music, and friendship in the heart of Texas.

Mountains | dir. Monica Sorelle | prod. Robert Colom | USA | 95 min.A Haitian demolition worker is faced with the realities of redevelopment as he is tasked with dismantling his rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.

Off Ramp | dir. Nathan Tape | prod. Fabiola Andrade, Laura Cassidy | USA | 91 min.A couple of lovable, degenerate Juggalos must sojourn through America’s hellish underbelly to The Gathering of the Juggalos.

Red Shoes | dir. Carlos Eichelemann Kaiser | prod. Gabriela Maldonado, Paolo Ansaldi | Mexico | 83 min The life of an old peasant living in the Mexican mountains passes slowly, until he receives news from the capital where he must face an unknown world in search of redemption.

Waiting for the Light to Change | dir. Linh Tran | prod. Sam Straley, Jewells Santos, Jake Rotger | USA | 89 min.Over the course of a week-long beachside getaway, Amy finds herself wrestling between loyalty to her best friend Kim and her attraction to Kim’s new boyfriend.

When Morning Comes | dir. Kelly Fyffe-Marshall | prod. Sasha Leigh Henry, Iva Golubovic, Tamar Bird | Canada, Jamaica | 87 min.A young Jamaican boy struggles with the idea of saying goodbye to his homeland and emigrating to the ever elusive “foreign land” of Canada.

You & I | dir. Summer Shelton | prod. Summer Shelton, Clayne Crawford, Todd Remis | USA | 83 min. An unexpected meeting brings former flames Sara and Joseph together where they have an opportunity to explore the “What if’s?”

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

ANIMA – My Father’s Dresses | dir. Uli Decker | prod. Katharina Bergfeld | Germany | 94 min.After her father’s death, Uli’s mother hands over his “secret” box to her as an inheritance. The content suddenly changes her view of the father, herself, her family, and the society in which she grew up.

Bad Press | dir. Rebecca Landsberry-Baker, Joe Peeler | prod. Conrad Beilharz, Garrett Baker, Tyler Graim | USA | 98 min.As the Muscogee Nation suddenly begins censoring their free press, a rogue reporter fights to expose her government’s corruption in a historic battle.

Black Barbie | dir. Lagueria Davis | prod. Aaliyah Williams | USA | 100 minThrough intimate access to a charismatic Mattel insider comes a cross section of merchandise and representation as Black women strive to elevate their own voices and stories.

Born to Fly | dir. Brennan Robideaux | prod. Bill Ramsey, Brennan Robideaux, Dylan Williams, Philipp Manderla | USA, Sweden | 96 min.An intimate story of Mondo Duplantis and his rise to fame from child prodigy to the greatest Pole Vaulter of all time.

Commuted | dir. Nailah Jefferson | prod. Darcy McKinnon | USA | 82 min.When Danielle Metz’s triple life sentence was commuted, she got a rare chance to regain the life and family that she’d been dreaming about in prison. But back home in New Orleans, she steps into a different reality.

DƏNE YI’INJETL – The Scattering of Man | dir. Luke Gleeson | prod. Tsay Keh Dene Nation, Mesilinka Films (Luke Gleeson, Tim Cote, Yves Grundler) | Canada | 76 min.The Tsay Keh Dene Nation and its membership recount their experiences related to the events that took place before and after the British Columbia flood.

Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project | dir. Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster | prod. Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster, and Tommy Oliver | USA | 102 minA look at the life of poet, Nikki Giovanni and the revolutionary historical periods through which she lived, from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter.

King Coal | dir. Elaine McMillion Sheldon | prod. Shane Boris, Diane Becker, Peggy Drexler, Elaine McMillion Sheldon | USA | 78 minA meditation on the complex history and future of the coal industry in Appalachia, the communities it has shaped, and the myths it has created.

La Bonga | dir. Sebastián Pinzón Silva, Canela Reyes | prod. Gabriella Garcia-Pardo | Colombia, USA | 77 min.Two decades after a death threat from right-wing paramilitaries caused the maroon community of La Bonga to flee, the townspeople embark on a symbolic journey through the jungles of the Colombian Caribbean to resurrect a home that exists only in their memories.

Mississippi River Styx | dir. Andy McMillan, Tim Grant | prod. Shannon E. Riggs, Clay Tweel | USA | 85 min.An enigmatic drifter with terminal cancer lives his dream of floating the Mississippi River on a ramshackle houseboat—until locals start to question his story.

Mom | dir. Xun Sero | prod. Daniela Contreras, Nicolas Défossé | Mexico | 80 min.A dialogue between mother and son exploring their contradictions, reflecting on naturalized violence and its reproduction.

Q | dir. Jude Chehab | prod. Jude Chehab, Fahd Ahmed | USA, Lebanon | 93 min.A depiction of an insidious influence of a secretive matriarchal religious order in Lebanon on three generations of women in the Chehab family.

Razing Liberty Square | dir. Katja Esson | prod. Katja Esson, Ann Bennett, Corinna Sager, Ronald Baez | USA | 86 min.When residents of the Liberty Square public-housing community in Miami learn about a revitalization project affecting their neighborhood, they must prepare to fight a new form of racial injustice—Climate Gentrification.

Richland | dir. Irene Lusztig | prod. Sara Archambault | USA | 93 min.A U.S. nuclear company town stakes its identity on its little-known atomic origin story in this timely examination of the habits of thought that normalize the extraordinary violence of the past.

Sexual Healing | dir. Elsbeth Fraanje | prod. Willem Baptist, Nienke Korthof | The Netherlands | 55 min. Evelien was born spastic and has never had a fulfilling sexual experience. At 53, she embarks on a personal quest for intimacy, opening herself up to the needs and desires she has been suppressing all her life.

The Only Doctor | dir. Matthew Hashiguchi | prod. Anjanette Levert, Matthew Hashiguchi | USA | 85 min. Dr. Karen Kinsell can no longer afford to volunteer full time as the only doctor in rural Clay County, Georgia. But ever committed to her community, she looks to forge a partnership with a medical university in order to keep her clinic open.

The Precipice | dir. Ben Johnson | prod. Linda Midgett, Ben Johnson | USA | 82 min.A Native American community located in Louisiana’s bayou country fights to preserve an eroding shoreline that threatens to wash away their culture and way of life.

The Taste of Mango | dir. Chloe Abrahams | prod. Chloe Abrahams, Elliott Whitton | UK, USA | 75 min. A daughter probes raw questions that her mother and grandmother have long brushed aside, tenderly untangling painful knots in her family’s unspoken past.

Unseen | dir. Set Hernandez | prod. Day Al-Mohamed, Félix Endara | USA | 88 min.As a blind and undocumented aspiring social worker, Pedro must confront political restrictions to get his college degree and support his family.

SHORT FILMS IN COMPETITION AT THE NEW ORLEANS FILM FESTIVAL 2023

Recipients of the Jury Award for Narrative Shorts, Documentary Shorts, and Animated Shorts competitions will be eligible for consideration in the respective categories of the Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.

NARRATIVE SHORTS

Angels | Samantha Aldana | Fabiola Andrade | USA | 8 min.A woman is caring for her sick mother when a meteor falls from the sky and lands in their field.

Benediction | Zandashé Brown | Jeremy Blum, Kelsey Scult | USA | 19 min.A broken woman’s search for solace lands her at a Black baptist church in Mississippi, where an eerie encounter leads her to unsettling truths.

Black Santa | Travis Wood | Gabriela Diaz-Arp, Kiah Clingman | USA | 10 min.A father-son duo grapple with change during their gig as mall Santa and helper elf.

Burnt Roux | Keisha Johnella Davis | Bridget Gales | USA | 10 min.Determined to finish a roux for her brother and father, an activist must finish her speech and get to her bus on time for her first protest.

Cherries (Uogos) | Vytautas Katkus | Marija Razgute | Lithuania | 15 min.A recently retired father invites his son to help him with the cherry picking in the garden.

Come Correct | Molly Coffee | Melissa Simpson | USA | 13 min.A recently divorced woman explores her newfound queerness by hiring a female sex worker to teach her how to eat fruit.

Delta | Jing Ai Ng | Sandra Tan | USA | 17 min.The summer before Phoebe Lee leaves the Mississippi Delta for college, she attempts to reconcile with her older brother.

Doris | Edem Dotse | Elisabeth Efua Sutherland | Ghana, USA | 18 min.A reticent young woman struggles to escape the control of mysterious beings while harboring a growing jealousy of a close friend.

Endless Sea | Sam Shainberg | Rachel Walden | USA | 20 min.Carol begins a normal day only to find out that her heart medication has doubled in price and sets out to find a solution.

ETTO | Zaire Love | Zaire Love | USA | 23 min.When looking for a better job, an unapologetically ghetto young Black woman has to choose between her “ghetto” peace and her “proper” paycheck.

Fck’n Nuts | Sam Fox | Desiree Staples, Joe Badon, Katie Weiss Porter, Vincent Stalba, Deirdre Mccarrick | USA | 12 min.Sandy is grievously forced to break it off with the boy of her dreams in order to avert him from meeting her unusual parents.

Freaks | Emily Potter, Grace Potter | Greer Stanley, Brit Bucklee | USA | 10 min.A young woman attends a Halloween party only to discover her ex-boyfriend is there with a girl who looks exactly like her.

Hair Care | Fatima Wardy | Mary-Elizabeth Esquibel | USA, France | 12 min.When her hair braider disappears on her, a young woman must traverse an animated Ivory Coast in order to track her down.

Heather | Sarah Forest | Nicolas Ayala, Darci Howell | USA | 14 min.A young woman living at home balances taking care of her ill, hyper-religious mom and hiding a “sinful” life from being known.

I Wanna Become The Sky | Jess X. Snow, traci kato-kiriyama | Grace Zhang, Yumeng Han | USA | 12 min.A Chinese American artist confronts the illegalized mystical force awakening inside of her.

In an Orderly Fashion | Adrian Cardenas | Adrian Cardenas; Ana A. Alpizar | USA | 14 min. A nurse refuses to comply with her husband’s unwavering wish to end it all.

IN TOW | Sharon Arteaga | Chelsea Hernandez, Sommer Garcia Saqr, Sharon Arteaga | USA | 21 min. A self-involved teen and her overworked single mom confront their differences as their mobile home is towed away with them inside of it.

Keeping Time | Darol Olu Kae | Sophia Rothbart, Raven Jensen, Sam Lee | USA | 33 min.An audiovisual homage to musicians who pass on the magic and the communities that nourish them.

The Kidnapping of the Bride | Sophia Mocorrea | Sarah Valerie Radu | Germany | 30 min.At their wedding, two lovers are increasingly confronted with their social roles and intercultural prejudices.

KONPA | Al’Ikens Plancher | Timothy Mark Davis | USA | 9 min.A young Haitian-American learns how to dance Konpa to impress his crush.

Late to the Party | Hannah Patterson | Ava Davis, Raihven Minter, TroyElan Richardson, Heidi Choi | USA | 16 min.During his 25th birthday party, a Trans man runs into his ex-best friend who ghosted him after he confessed his feelings for her.

The Launch | KK Apple | Julia Kennelly, Cameron Morton, Stephanie Roush | USA | 9 min.When a ruthless tech ubernerd is faced with pushback right before a big launch, he must find a way to hype up the team—and himself—before going onstage.

Leonetty | Logan Jackson | Eboni Robinson, Dante Sims | USA | 12 min.A young boy is sent to live with his bedridden grandmother and struggles in his new environment.

Mama Love | Mary McDade | Rashada Fortier | USA | 15 min.A journey through the disjointed memories of the matriarch of the Love family, and the women she left behind.

Mango City | Emma Cuba, Dana DePirri | Gina Fonseca, Claudia Campos, Grace Hill, Mariana Mondragon, Alessandra Fernandez | USA | 18 min.Lou, a curious 7-year-old girl, has three days left to say goodbye to the love of her life, Miami.

Mucho, Mucho Amor | Mariano Dongo | Eliza Soros, Sara Crow | USA | 9 min. Elizabeth, a kitchen worker, attends a staff party.

Nervous Breakdown In A Floral Dress | Caydon LiRocchi | Jahziel Chu, Liv Layhee, Kurt Kubicek | USA | 12 min.After moving in with a single dad and his toddler, a woman questions her relationship, and who she was before it.

Night Swim | Grace Potter, Emily Potter | Greer Stanley, C. Bailey Werner | USA | 6 min.A queer love story that showcases the beginnings of falling for someone that feel really important.

original skin | Mdhamiri á Nkemi | Sabina Smitham | UK | 13 min.In an alternate world where having sex means swapping bodies with the other person, a young woman struggles to be herself, defying her small conservative community where swapping is taboo.

OURIKA! | Xenia Matthews | Stephanie Malson | USA | 18 min.After being dead for over 200 years, Ourika’s soul is awoken inside of a barren purgatory, where she must see her true self to be set free.

Palm Sunday | Wes Andre Goodrich | Patrick Nichols, Cameron Carr, Andrew Harrell | USA | 15 min. A young Black Caribbean Immigrant attempts to assimilate into an all-white church in 1970s Raleigh, North Carolina.

Pendulum | Manuel Mathieu | Kimberley Ann Surin, Manuel Mathieu | Canada | 11 min.A woman knowledge keeper carries on her shoulders her most precious legacy: the liberation of her soul.

Rest Stop | Crystal Kayiza | Jalena Keane-Lee, Brit Fryer | USA | 12 min.On a bus ride from New York to Oklahoma, Meyi, a young Ugandan American girl, realizes her place in the world through her immigrant mother’s ambitious efforts to reunite their family.

Return to Youth ( ) | Mel Sangyi Zhao | Luyao Ma | China | 17 min.After being sold a vaginal rejuvenating surgery, Bing, a feisty former dancer in her 50s, begins to reflect on her age, desires, and ways to find joy.

A Roadside Banquet | Peiqi Peng | Ziqi Gao | USA, China | 16 min.Eleven-year-old Mai turns into a feather duster at her baby brother’s first birthday party, soon after learning her parents only ever wanted a boy.

Serious Play | Kate Mason, Lindsey Phillips | Liz Beeson | USA | 13 min.Life is a nonstop hustle for juggler and comedian Payel Gupta until a one night stand with a mime leads to an unexpected pregnancy.

Sèt Lam | Vincent Fontano | Martin Mauvoisin | France | 23 min.A grandmother tells her granddaughter the strange tale of Edwardo, the first one of his kin to have fought death.

She is Oh Oh | Lea Reguillot | Clement Lesaicherre / Léa Reguillot | France | 8 min.Through her hyper-prosaic daily life, Sophia tells us about those little things that make each of us extraordinary.

Sisters of the Rotation | Michel and Gaby Zarazir | Michel and Gaby Zarazir | Lebanon | 15 min.Living in an extremist community, a woman decides to revolt after discovering that everything the Mother Superior taught them in the convent was wrong.

A Summer Job (Un Trabajo de Verano) | Joie Estrella Horwitz, Sergi Castella | Gia Rigoli, Vernoica Kompalic, Esteban Zuluaga | USA | 15 min.Two Mexican-American teenagers embark on a journey to pick up migrants who have just crossed the border.

The Vacation | Jarreau Carrillo | Marttise Hill, Julius Pryor, Jarreau Carrillo | USA | 10 min.In Flatbush, Brooklyn, four friends are stuck in their car after it breaks down on the way to the beach on the last day of summer.

What They Found | Ryan Darbonne | Tamar Price | USA | 14 min.Two Black men on a fishing trip stumble across the body of a dead white man and debate what to do with it.

Wildmen of the Greater Toronto Area | Solmund MacPherson | Jesse Padveen, Giran Findlay | Canada | 12 min.Fed up with the cost of living, citizens of Toronto begin renouncing their personhood en masse to legally become animals.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Addresses (Direcciones) | María Luisa Santos and Carlo Nasisse | Natalia Quesada | Costa Rica | 14 min.A woman who has always felt a pressing anxiety by the lack of street addresses in Costa Rica tries to understand the origins of this phenomenon.

after angola | Milan Daemgen | Milan Daemgen, Alex Willson, Cassandra Rumping | USA | 18 min. Three men sit in a semi-circle sharing war stories about surviving Angola Prison and the toil it has taken on their lives.

And Then I Was Here | Alex Stergiou | Alex Stergiou | USA | 13 min.A genderqueer person in northern California navigates the challenges of first-time parenthood while confronting societal misunderstandings of their identity.

Big Arms | Zac Manuel | Lauren Cargo | USA | 6 min.Equipped with his own experiences from time served at Angola Louisiana State Penitentiary, Haki Sekou empowers individuals facing the same roadblocks.

Bone Black: Midwives vs. the South | Imani N. Dennison | Flor de oro Tejada | USA, Ghana | 21 min. A look into the history and erasure of Black midwives in the American South.

Boundless | Robie Flores and Alejandro J Flores | Lauren Cargo | USA | 6 min.A Chicana from the Laredo, Texas, border works to reshape the Texas Criminal Legal system.

Breaking Silence | Amy Bench, Annie Silverstein | Amy Bench, Monique Walton | USA | 18 min.A portrait of a Deaf activist and his formerly incarcerated daughter, who build new bonds through their experiences in the criminal justice system.

Chokehole: Drag Wrestlers do Deutchland | Yony Leyser | Dana Tucker | Germany, USA | 22 min. A drag queen wrestling group perform in Europe and play on the ideas of the spectacle and American absurdity.

Cowgirl | Chase Musslewhite | Chase Musslewhite | USA | 15 min.Krishaun Adair and her daughter, a barrel racing duo, prepare for an upcoming competition.

The Crawfish Trap | Nathan Willis | Nathan Willis, Brandon Batson and Alee Willis | USA | 6 min. An aging crawfish farmer considers retirement.

D.A. Time | Milan Daemgen | Milan Daemgen, Alex Willson, Cassandra Rumping | USA | 13 min. A mother waits day-by-day to discover if her daughter will be released from jail due to an exorbitant monetary bond.Ekbeh | Mariah Hernandez-Fitch m | | USA | 9 min.Personal stories of Indigenous history are shared over the making of gumbo.

End of the Road | Ivana Todorovic | Ivana Todorovic | Serbia | 19 min.Željko and Viki sacrifice all they have to ensure a gentle end of life for discarded horses on their small plot of land.

First, I Dream (Primero, Sueño) | Andrés Lira | Andrés Lira | USA | 17 min.An insight into the working lives of undocumented farmworkers in America and their experiences with migration, exploitation, and poverty.

For The Record | Heather Courtney | Heather Courtney, Paul Stekler | USA | 36 min.A mostly verite documentary following several years in the life of the small-town Texas newspaper The Canadian Record and its editor.

Friday Night Blind | Scott Krahn, Robb Fischer | Scott Krahn, Mary Pat Fischer | USA | 14 min. A warm, quirky, inspiring story of three visually impaired bowling friends and the way they roll.

Isle of Memories: Stories of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw | Emma Reid | Kevin McCaffrey, Emma Reid | USA | 11 min.A group of Native Americans move off an ancestral homeland on the Louisiana coast.

KNEAD | Kelsey Scult | Marion Forbes | USA | 6 min.Baker Julian Lopez explores death, grief, and physical trauma through his love of breadmaking.

A Mouthful of Petrol | Jess Kohl | Jess Kohl, Ben Cole | United Kingdom | 35 min.A young boy follows in the footsteps of his father in hopes of winning his first “banger” car race.

Muanapoto | Chriss Itoua | Nelson Ghrenassia | France | 30 min.A conversation unfolds between a mother and child as they share intimate secrets.

Oasis | Justine Martin | Louis-Emmanuel Gagné-Brochu (Déjà Vu) | Canada | 14 min.At the dawn of their teenage years, Raphaël and Rémi are twins who see their fusional attachment start to change.

Orange From Memory | Arcos | Yvonne Jennings | USA | 15 min. A documentary about a woman who paints Garfield for a living.

Parker | Sharon Liese, Catherine Hoffman | Sharon Liese, Funmi Ogunro, Samantha Hake | USA | 13 min.Three generations finally unify when they do something that countless African Americans before them could not do—choose their own last name.

Preserving Our Place: Knowledge is Power | Jeremey Lavoi, Abby Berendt Lavoi | Abby Berendt Lavoi, Elizabeth Marino, Chantel Comardelle, Dennis Davis | USA | 13 min.Two indigenous artists band together with a traveling photo exhibit to share the beauty of their communities which are under extreme threat from climate change.

Puffling | Jessica Bishopp | Alice Hughes, Gannesh Rajah, Ada Benjamínsdóttir, | United Kingdom, Iceland | 20 min.On a remote Icelandic island, teenagers Birta and Selma trade late night parties for nocturnal puffin rescue missions.

The River We Bleed | Julian Caballero | Julian Caballero | USA | 6 min.A look at a dwindling New Orleans community living outside the levees, on the front lines of the city’s deteriorating climate.

Savi the Cat | Netsanet Tjirongo, Bryan Tucker | Netsanet Tjirongo, Bryan Tucker | USA | 17 min.When Ken surprises Kaila with an adorable kitten, neither are prepared for the destruction it wields upon their life.

Seven Acres and a Church | Caroline Josey Karoki | Abbey Hoekzema | USA | 7 min.A septuagenarian and community matriarch fights to preserve her church, heritage, and history in Savannah, Georgia.

SLICE | Zaire Love | Caitlin Mae Burke | USA | 17 min.Rico and his homeboys find joy in submerging themselves in an original swimming art form of athleticism and creativity called slicing.

Tierra de Leche | Milton Guillén, Fiona Guy Hall | Connor Whitley | USA, Nicaragua | 12 min.Central American dairy workers in the American Northeast reminisce about their relationship to land, labor practices, and their home countries.

to heaven | Logan Lynette Burroughs | Logan Lynette Burroughs | USA | 10 min.A compilation of documented moments lived by Black folks in the South, providing a taste of being uninhibited, free, and liberated.

Translators | Rudy Valdez | Meghan Schale, Andrea Cordoba | USA | 21 min.Harye, Densel, and Virginia are three of the 11 million children who translate for their parents in everyday situations.

ANIMATED SHORTS

27 | Flóra Anna Buda | Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron, Gábor Osváth, Péter Benjámin Lukács | France, Hungary | 11 min.A young woman questions her courage to become an adult after a serious drunken bike accident.

Ages 6+ | Kenzie Sutton | Kenzie Sutton | USA | 5 min.A young girl struggles to be present in her life while navigating the arbitrary rules of society through the lens of childhood toys.

Aikane | Daniel Sousa, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson | Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Judith Light | USA | 13 min. A valiant island warrior, wounded in battle against foreign invaders, falls deep into a mysterious underwater world.

Boat People | Thao Lam, Kjell Boersma | Justine Pimlott, Jelena Popović | Canada | 10 min.An animated documentary that uses a striking metaphor to trace one family’s flight across the turbulent waters of history.

Christopher at Sea | Tom C. J. Brown | Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron, Amanda Miller, Hanna Stolarski, Nick Read, Emily-Jane Brown | France, USA, UK | 20 min.After embarking as a passenger onboard a cargo ship returning to Europe, Christopher begins to question his sanity and perception of time.

first disappearances | Milan Daemgen | Milan Daemgen, Alex Willson, Cassandra Rumping | USA | 13 min.The perilous journey, told from multiple perspectives, of the first 24 hours after arrest, as an individual is handcuffed, loaded into the back of a police cruiser, and brought to central lockup to be processed and wait for their first court appearance.

fur | Zhen Li | Zhen Li | USA | 7 min. A crush goes moldy.

The Miracle | Nienke Deutz | Annemie Degryse, Peter Lindhout, Koji Nelissen, Derk-Jan Warrink | Belgium, Netherlands, France | 15 min.40-year-old, single Irma has to find her own place in an all-inclusive resort, after she realizes the place is meant for young families.

New Water Music | Dan Rule | | USA | 4 min.A cast of strange plants and flowers play, help, and devour each other over an original music composition by Yotam Haber.

Skinned (Écorchée) | Joachim Hérissé | Joachim Hérissé, Augusto Zanovello, Stéphanie Launay | France | 15 min.In an old building, lost in the middle of the swamp, live two strange women, conjoined by one leg.

EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS

a time to tell | Michael Barth | Michael Barth | USA | 4 min.An autobiographical re-edit of a Boy Scout video about sexual abuse.

Beneath the Concrete, The Forest | Lev Omelchenko | Lev Omelchenko | USA | 12 min. An inside look at the future of Weelaunee, the biggest contiguous urban forest in the country.

Childhood (Thời Thơ Ấu) | Vi Tuong Bui | Vi Tuong Bui | USA | 7 min.An exploration of a woman’s parents and who they are as former refugees of the US War in Vietnam.

Fluid | Carleen Maur | Carleen Maur | USA | 7 min.A body loses another body through a winding pathway of forests where two cyclists chance upon one another.

Garden High | Jayme Kaye Gershen | Verena Faden | USA | 11 min.A meditative journey into the magically surreal world of a backyard community garden in Miami, Florida.

How to Carry Water | Sasha Wortzel | Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney, Anya Rous | USA | 15 min. A portrait of Shoog McDaniel —a fat, queer, and disabled photographer working around northern Florida’s vast network of freshwater springs.

How to Make Sourdough Bread | Michael Roberson | Michael Roberson, Danielle Adelman | USA | 10 min.A troubled woman demonstrates how to bake whole grain, stone-milled sourdough bread.

It Smells Like Springtime | Mackie Mallison | Mackie Mallison | USA | 16 min.Through glimpses into her childhood, a jeweler reckons with the roots of her work—confronting her belonging in America.

Mooncake | Rraine Hanson | Pangan Eggermann, Arianne Alizio | USA | 12 min.A meditation on gender queerness and the blurred lines between influence, desire and obsession.

The Posthuman Hospital | Junha Kim | Junha Kim (Same with Director) | USA, South Korea | 7 min.An uncertain look into the boundary between non-human and human relationships, between technological advancements and the human body.

Revolver | Crystal Z Campbell | Crystal Z Campbell | USA, Netherlands | 17 min. An archive of pareidolia narrated by a descendent of Exodusters.

The Sun is Missing (Ilanga Alikho) | Advik Beni | Advik Beni | South Africa | 8 min. The son of a professional mourner has now taken up the mantle of his father.

Surrounded by Colors We Could No Longer See | Abinadi Meza | Abinadi Meza | Mexico, USA | 5 min. A flowing dreamscape of fragments, images, and afterimages—a terrain of memory as corporeal as it is optical.

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