INDIE SHORT FEST

With empathy, restraint, and a fractured sense of time, “Salem Not Salem” immerses us in the fragile inner world of a young man confronting faith, stigma, and psychological collapse.

This edition’s Awards of Excellence recognize “Paranoyya,” “Watching Walter,” and “Where The Shadows Wait” — three films distinguished by tonal control, narrative confidence, and a clear sense of cinematic purpose.

From late-life reckoning and generational wounds to intimate grief, psychological noir, and quiet fantasy, this edition’s Short Script Competition showcases a rich spectrum of human stories.