Annual Awards 2025-2026 | Full Schedule

Cinema #8

Program 1 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | Realities & Visions: Documentary and Experimental Stories | 🟢 All Ages

Where the Rain Stops — Dojin Kim (South Korea)

Carbono — Alberto Arvizu and Yael Gonzalez (Mexico)

City of Smoke — Nadia Akbar and Alicia Chiang (USA) – California Premiere

First Light — Kristopher Roller and Alex Broadstock (USA) – California Premiere

Chuño y Mote — Isabella Mancioli (Italy) – North America Premiere

Lamento — Diego Contreras and Ernesto Abrego (USA) 

Filmmaker Q&A | 12:30 PM – 12:55 PM

Program 2 | 1:00 – 2:45 PM | Women’s Voices: Stories of Life, Memory and Identity| 🟡 13+

The Most Beautiful Among Mothers — Mahmoud Abu Jazi (Palestine) – North America Premiere

Whispers of Home — Sahar Ghorishi (USA) – California Premiere

Hysteria — Miriam Carlsen (Denmark)

Nan — Lily Ellora Newton (USA)

Azul — Santos Arrué (USA)

Outrage! — Ivette Ivanova (Bulgaria) – North America Premiere

Program 3 | 2:50 – 4:10 PM | Shadows & Secrets: Horror and Mystery | 🔴 18+

Dans — Maria Garcia (Mexico) – USA Premiere

The Sequence — Joe Bandelli (USA)

Where The Shadows Wait — Riley Robbins (USA) – California Premiere

Come and Find Me — Carmine Carpenito (Switzerland)

The Pearl Comb — Ali Cook (UK)

Program 4 | 4:15 – 6:00 PM | Edge of Danger: Thrillers and Crime Stories | 🟠 16+

The Father, The Daughter, and the Hostage — Itamar Kasirer (Israel) – World Premiere

Mesmera — Brendyn Gilbert (USA) – World Premiere

Union Avenue — Gino Cazzali (USA)

Public — Sam Knight (USA) – World Premiere

Thank You for the Ride, Aileen — JP Pullings (USA) – Los Angeles Premiere

Clocking Out — Joshua Mueller (Germany) – USA Premiere

Cinema #9

Program 5 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | Laughing on the Edge: Dark Comedy Showcase | 🟡 13+

Thanks For Eating Me — Louis English (UK) – World Premiere

Poolboy — Haoran Ma (USA) – World Premiere

Hustlevania — Clayton Nepveux iii (USA)

Dizzy — Zac La Roc (USA)

Paranoyya — Mike Glover (UK) – North America Premiere

Saeed’s Day — Mohammed Al Zawari (Saudi Arabia) – North America Premiere

Program 6 | 12:35 – 2:05 PM | Love in the Air: Stories of Romance and Connection | 🟢 All Ages

Single for Life – Ava Della Pietra — Luke Orlando (USA)

Strolling Down Brighton — Pier Kenny McCracken (UK)

20:15 México DF — Alejandro Di Meglio (Argentina) – California Premiere

Coconut + Pistol — Gregory Caruso (USA)

Goldilocks — Susie Kim (USA) – Los Angeles Premiere

Bartogay Lake — Katya Mokolo (France) – Los Angeles Premiere

Cottonmouth — Ama Anane (USA)

Stimulants & Empathogens — Mateusz Pacewicz (Poland)

Program 7 | 2:10 – 3:50 PM | Beyond Reality: Sci-Fi and Other Fantasies | 🟡 13+

At The Mercy Of Faith — Andrew Arguello (USA) – California Premiere

Thickly Settled — Brian D Jones and Jordan Brooks (USA) – California Premiere

Nothing But the End — Tanguy Pichon (Switzerland) – North America Premiere

Echoes — Sean Nam (France) – California Premiere

Focal Point — Raphael Buisson (USA)

Filmmaker Q&A | 3:50 – 4:15 PM

Program 8 | 4:20 – 6:00 PM | Women’s Voices II: Stories of Resistance | 🟡 13+

Past Perfect — Maria Besedova (Russia) – World Premiere

(+33) — Sean Nam (France) – California Premiere

We’ve Been Trying to Reach You — Katharine Broyles (USA) – Los Angeles Premiere

Hecuba — Mason Leaver (USA) – North America Premiere

Mustang — Dylan Hayes (USA)

Land of Forgotten Echoes — Layne Marie Williams (USA)

Cinema #10

Program 9 | 11:00 AM – 12:35 PM | Growing Up: Stories of Childhood and Youth | 🟢 All Ages

Blu’s — Rajesh PK (India) – California Premiere

Once Upon A Time In My Village — Charlie S Tang (China) – California Premiere

I Love You More Than Dinosaurs — Tyler Coon (USA)

Satomi — Rayner Wang (Hong Kong/Japan/USA)

Hard Boiled Eggs — Yi Meng (USA)

Once More, Like Rain Man — Sue Ann Pien (USA)

Unruly — David Ernesto Herrera (UK)

Patakha — Rohit Relan (USA)

Program 10 | 12:40 – 2:25 PM | Human Stories: Drama Across Time | 🟡 13+

A King’s Curtain — Grant M Johnson (USA)

The People, United — Ellen Gavin (USA)

Ker — Sajad Soleymani (Iran)

Glodok ’98 — Nicholas Tjen (USA)

Watching Walter — Mitch Yapko (USA)

A Thousand Years — Bryce Ferendo (USA) – Los Angeles Premiere

Filmmaker Q&A | 2:25 – 2:50 PM

Program 11 | 2:55 – 4:50 PM | Indie Spotlight: Bold Independent Voices | 🟠 16+

Silim — Alexander Cruz De Ocampo (USA)

All the Men’s Hangers — Sabrina Lassegue (USA)

Last Encounters — Rosie Day (UK) – USA Premiere

Dolldays — Morten Hansen (Norway) – Los Angeles Premiere

Salem Not Salem — Omar Farooq (Bahrain) – North America Premiere

Industry Panel | 5:00 – 6:00 PM