Category: Films in Competition

Most of us don’t think much about recycling. We rinse our yogurt containers, crush our milk cartons, and break down our boxes. But once our trash hits the curb in a blue or a brown or a green bin, we forget about it.

Welcome to Minh Khai, Vietnam – where plastic from all over the world finds new life.

This film documents the experiences of Minh Khai’s residents as they wrestle with the blessings and curses of an empire built on our trash.
Directed by Yutao Chen (Vietnam)

A young prostitute Kelly has to pay off the debt and trying to get rid of her boss for freedom. For a secret reason, she is on a path to choose between self-destruction and salvation.
Directed by Jiayi Li (USA)

Rewiring ourselves to be vulnerable, while consumerism and mass media leads us to a less “human” society. Robotic tendencies frame our personal identities and execute the truth of how we language ourselves in this hostile world.
Directed by Katarina Poljak (USA)

Not all is peaceful in the beautiful scenery.
Directed by Max Iacovelli and Evan Bowen (USA)

Three friends have a lovely dinner with a fourth guest, a man named Futurenose.
Directed by Max Lacovelli (USA)

A man is sent out into the stars to find a lost treasure that will finally vanquish the sting of death.
Directed by Robby Dewey (USA)

An elderly couple’s last five minutes of being married. Honesty ensues.
Directed by Jeremy J Reagan (New Zealand)

During the devastating Thomas Wildfire, inmate firefighters relish the opportunity to emerge from their restraints, finding serenity and a sense of purpose through the work that they devote their lives to.
Directed by Alex Astrella (USA)

With “The Web Opera”, composer Michael Roth has assembled a team of progressive artists to create something completely new – an episodic through-sung web series based on true events, a groundbreaking and unique experiment in music, film, and new opera. “The Web Opera” tells of a group of college freshmen and the invasion of privacy that forever changes a young man’s life. “The Web Opera” also encourages and supports via its website suicide prevention and the fight against cyber abuse.
Directed by Kate Jopson (USA)

Logline: “Tiana” is a dystopian love story about the cutthroat world of future gamers.

“Tiana” is a cellphone-focused futuristic music video/love story shot 9×16 exclusively for mobile to be released in one-minute segments for a seven-segment arc. Set in a world dominated by primarily female AI celebrities created by a closed male-only club of creators who will go to any length to stay in the limelight. These are the gamers of the future.
Directed by Rachel Tucker (USA)