INDIE SHORT FEST

My Week with Maisy (Screenplay)

Mrs Foster, a middle-aged, retired Daily Mail reader, whose cup is half empty, is starting chemotherapy and is understandably anxious. The last thing she needs, is to have to share the treatment room with a ‘know it all child’ because of NHS budget cuts! Cue Maisy Jones, 7 days and an unexpected friendship that gives Mrs Foster much more than just a glimmer of hope.
Written by Mark Oxtoby (UK)

I Must Upgrade!

When the iPhone X came out, my phone looked like a blocky piece of crap. That feeling inspired this song. It’s about a prince who desperately wants to keep up with the latest technology.
Directed by Oliver Denyer (UK)

Profiling

“Profiling” is a short film about an English teacher held captive in a foreign military base for preaching the gospel, and the government interrogator who’s instincts that are challenged.
Directed by Anthony Hartley (USA)

Pineapple

A 10-episode coming-of-age web series about cultural identity in Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong, an overachieving student tries to gain the attention of her favorite celebrity by converting her school’s charity fashion show into a flashy display of Hong Kong culture, but gets accused of being too westernized. Fueled by pineapple buns and Cantonese soap operas, she devises a checklist for what it means to be “local” and embarks on a not-so-subtle quest to complete it before the show.
Directed by Jane Chow (USA)

Black Orchards: Azerbaijan and Armenia’s Wars

TRT World’s Oubai Shahbandar embeds with the Azerbaijan military and travels to the frontlines with Armenia. Tensions between the two rivals—which fought a war from 1988-1994—threaten to heat up again over Armenia’s occupation of the Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan wants back. We speak to Azerbaijani survivors of the 1992 Khojaly massacre, committed at the height of the war, as they seek justice… and explore whether two countries can ever truly find peace.
Directed by Atakan Kerkuklu (Turkey)

Beds

Beds tours the indignity of the life of a mattress, through the characters who abuse, overlook, neglect, and ultimately discard that central figure in our lives.
Directed by Matt Cascella (USA)

Twisted Gift

In this film short, Melissa Michaels dances through her healing journey from late stage ovarian cancer to no evidence of disease. Weaving together images from her surgery, chemotherapy, and unique creative process, her story of liberation is transparently shared. Vulnerable, raw, and inspiring, a picture of what is possible when movement becomes medicine and faith becomes the focus.
Directed by Melissa Michaels and Henna Taylor (USA)