INDIE SHORT FEST

Danila (Danny, a Russian immigrant, 47) hijacks a taxi cab on a Saturday night and rushes through Manhattan. Danny is furious – his young beautiful wife hasn’t come home yet again, Danny is convinced she is cheating. Unable to contain his fury and frustration anymore he drives the stolen taxicab prowling the notable spots of the city, including tourist magnets, in search for his chippy wife. All the while Danny is on the cell phone, engaged in a conversation with a friend – (Erik, an immigration lawyer, 40). The latter handled Danny’s case to obtain a green card and both men became friends. Erik acts as a personal psychoanalyst, a shoulder to cry on, as a friend, who listens to the emotional flood erupting from the cell phone and tries to calm Danny down. Erik seems to be aware of the problem and it is obvious the situation has been discussed between the two on a number of occasions in the past. This time everything seemingly played out following the old scenario and was moving towards a peaceful resolution. Erik nearly managed to calm down Danny and convince him to go home and wait for his wife there when, unexpectedly, Danny turns up, in the middle of a night, driving a stolen taxi, right at Erik’s doorstep.
Directed by Michael Vaynberg (USA)

What is the influence of war in the family?
Directed by Kayvan Sarvari (Iran)

Three longtime friends go camping in the woods, but the fun and games end when one of them takes a “fossil” from a nearby abandoned nuclear power plant.
Directed by E.K. Scarfone (USA)

A group of elderly ladies usually go on trips together. Their sisterhood and solidarity are stunning. In the film, we see them heading towards the fishermen’s village at Elmax in Alexandria to spend the day and eat fish; the poor fishermen have nested their houses along the water channel which runs from the river Nile to the Mediterranean sea and have managed to earn their livelihood from fishing. There are plans to demolish the area. The film documents all the hubbub of life there, through the eyes of the elderly ladies, before it is gone forever. The elderly ladies sprinkle the place with love, joy, and laughter, hence making it more beautiful and radiant. No wonder, for despite its marginalized status and its seeming poverty, the place is known as “Venice” to those who find it beautiful, and whose hearts throb with love for life.
Directed by Dina Abd Elsalam (Egypt)

“Beyond Darkness” is a psychopath thriller about an emotionally disengaged widower and his struggles with his own demon within, about an old man pain that turns him to a psycho killer, but what if his evil whispers call his own daughter name?
Directed by Mishaal AlManaa (Kuwait)

“The Letting Go” is about allowing yourself to be free. It is about not caring what anyone else thinks and allowing yourself to love and be loved.
Directed by Tyler McElrath (USA)

Once, when Shiva went home, she found a weird envelope of her sister which contain the sentence: “Do not follow my way” and after a moment she will find her sister while she hanged herself.  Shiva, who is naive, innocent and conservative, is shocked of her sister’s suicide and when she will find her family in the verge of smash up she is looking for the secret of her sister’s suicide and tries to follow the different clues to find out the reason.
Directed by Mahdi Ghorbani (Iran)

What happens when a seemingly ordinary priest is confronted by a seemingly ordinary man? While reading the Bible on a particularly windy day, Father Harris is confronted by a tall stranger, one who makes him question his beliefs and motivations. And all in a quest for the truth, however horrifying. Not even a helpful woman can save this priest, who must make a choice. For not all sins can be forgiven.
Directed by Russ Emanuel (USA)

People sometimes subconsciously associate their perception of disagreeable physical attributes with dislikable personality traits.
Directed by Saleh Kashefi (Iran)

A coming of age story about Kaylee (Tarah Paige), an apprentice assassin, and her relationship with Pete (Robert Picardo), her trainer, and Miranda (Marina Sirtis), their handler. Kaylee, like a rebellious teenager, simultaneously wants approval and independence from Pete and Miranda. When assigned her first solo hit, Kaylee immediately disobeys orders and goes off course, chasing a Freerunner drone, often with hilarious results. In the end, Kaylee accomplishes her mission but realizes that she is not yet ready to go it alone.
Directed by Russ Emanuel (USA)