Category: Films in Competition

A cruising adventure gets to its climax at the restroom of an opera house.
Directed by João Dall’Stella (USA)

Neglected by his widowed father, a young boy encounters a hooker. This brief encounter brings to light his own struggles with his identity and sexuality.
Directed by Amalie Gassmann (USA)

Johnny and Esper seek solace from the weight of the world, but when they find they’re not alone their worlds collide.
Directed by Claire Bronson (USA)

In this dark comedy short, two people having a text message conversation are having very, very different days.
Directed by Philip Huffeldt (USA)

“Womxn” is a powerful visual poem about sexual assault. 28 women of all different backgrounds gathered to perform the same text. Not only does this piece bring awareness to the staggering frequency of sexual assault against women, it explores why so many of us remain silent. Womxn illustrates how together we can begin to heal one another with our voices.
Directed by Tara Lynn Rye and Magen Ashley Young (USA)

“Wonderwood” is a theatrical dark comedy that uses surrealism to highlight the daily absurdities of the female experience. 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.
Directed by Tara Lynn Rye (USA)

He saw her and love was never the same again. She wonders how anyone can love anyone else so much. Two people who unconditionally love each other reminisce their love story. But wait, there’s a heartwarming twist.
Directed by Surya Vasishta (India)

Ling, an immigrant Peking Opera performer and her American born son, David, a rap-loving teenager, have slowly grown apart. Their rift is put in the spotlight when they visit Ling’s aging opera master at senior home. While there, something unexpected happens that creates a newfound link between mother and son.
Directed by Grace Chang (USA)

Four strong women, two bumbling goons and one pair of red sunglasses make for a night to remember.
Directed by Catherine Dyer (USA)

A disgruntled Daniel must visit his eccentric brother Shane at a mental hospital.
Directed by Luiza Oliveira (Brazil)