The 30th Slamdance Film Festival, the artist-led “by filmmakers for filmmakers” organization, has announced its full film lineup for 2024. Celebrating 30 years of discovering industry-changing talent, the festival will come full circle, returning to the Yarrow Hotel in Park City, where it all started.
Kicking off with a screening of Oscar-winning filmmaker Carol Dysinger’s documentary, “One Bullet,” this year’s festival will showcase a lineup of 32 features, of which 17 are world premieres, 75 shorts, and five episodics.
On-site screenings and events will be held in Park City and Salt Lake City from Jan. 19-25, and online screenings will be available on the Slamdance Channel from Jan. 22-28.
“Our 2024 Slamdance lineup is a testament to filmmakers who dare to push their stories to the very edge of filmmaking, making it deeply personal yet globally resonant,” said Festival Director Taylor Miller. “Their raw passion and risk-taking echo our commitment to exploring uncharted territories of cinematic expression. This year, we proudly host the most inclusive and accessible festival we’ve ever had, staying true to the core objectives I aimed to cultivate with our programmers when I took this job.”
The 2024 programming was selected from more than 9,000 submissions, 1,729 of which were features. As in previous years, all films selected in the Narrative Features and Documentary Features competition categories are directorial debuts without U.S. distribution on budgets of less than $1 million.
Closing the festival on Jan. 25 will be Vanessa Hope’s “Invisible Nation,” a seven-year odyssey into the heart of Taiwan’s political arena.
Slamdance’s commitment to elevating diverse voices in the film industry is reflected in its festival lineup and its ongoing dedication to accessibility, representatives said. Over 40% of this year’s films are by BIPOC creators and 43% are by female or non-binary filmmakers, making 2024 the most diverse lineup in Slamdance history.
Slamdance also announced the lineup for its fourth annual Unstoppable program, a showcase of new films by creators with visible and non-visible disabilities. Unstoppable will be headquartered at the University of Utah in the Student Union Theater from Jan. 22-24 with subsequent screenings at the Yarrow. All Unstoppable screenings at the university will be free.
In-person passes for the festival range from $125 to $250 and are available for purchase at Slamdance.com. Virtual Festival passes are now available on the Slamdance Channel for $50 and include an annual program subscription.
In-person passes and Slamdance Channel subscriptions can be purchased athttps://slamdance.com/passes. Individual tickets go on sale Dec. 14 athttps://slamdance.com
Additional information on this year’s lineup can be found at the Slamdance website:https://www.slamdance.com.
Slamdance’s 2024 Festival Line-up:
Narrative Features:
AFRICAN GIANTS (USA) World Premiere
Director: Omar S. Kamara
Producers: Leo Blumberg-Woll, Omar S. Kamara, Jordan Tyner
Over a weekend visit in Los Angeles, two first-generation Sierra Leonean American brothers navigate the changing dynamics of brotherhood after a surprise announcement.
Cast: Dillon Daniel Mutyaba, Omete Anassi, Tanyell Waivers, Josh Lopez, Kathleen Kenny, Scott Bender
All I’ve Got & Then Some (USA) World Premiere
Directors: Tehben Dean, Rasheed Stephens
Producers: Tehben Dean, Rasheed Stephens, Amaka Onwuta, Lissa Mazzotta, Josh Mitchell
Based on a true story, All I’ve Got & Then Some follows a day in the life of Rasheed, a homeless stand-up comedian living out of his car in Los Angeles, giving everything he’s got to make his dreams come true.
Cast: Rasheed Stephens, Avis Parsons, Naiya Armour, Boo Kapone, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Charles Constant, Armie Hicks Jr.
BRANDO WITH THE GLASS EYE (Greece, Australia) World Premiere
Director: Antonis Tsonis
Producers: Tia Spanos Tsonis, Blake Northfield
A talented method actor commits a heist that goes wrong; he befriends the critically injured victim and tries to reconcile his guilt before his one-shot scholarship audition in New York.
Cast: Yiannis Niarros, Kostas Nikoulis, Xenia Dania, Alexandros Chrysanthopoulos, Maria Kallimani, Yiannis Tsortekis, Chara Mata Giannatou
Darla In Space (USA)
Directors: Susie Moon, Eric Laplante
Producers: Erik Mygrant, Hunter Schlesinger
Darla Peterson teams up with a sentient orgasm-granting kombucha scoby named Mother to pay off a huge tax debt.
Cast: Alex E. Harris, Constance Shulman, Rasheda Crockett, Thomas Jay Ryan, Jenn Lyon, Woody Fu, J.S. Oliver
HELL OF SE (Japan) World Premiere
Director: Sawa Kawakami
Producer: Ikuya Onodera
School girl “Momo Amano” falls in love with her classmate boy “Hayasaka”, but he loves someone else. Amano’s best friend, “Yoshiyuki”, is opposed to her love. “Hayasaka” is a menstruophile, and one day he took all the used napkins in the school and ran away. From that day on, he never returned to class.
Cast: Yura Tsuduri, Watashinoyouna Tenki, Himari Hitomi, Miu Kainuma, Rukapi, Itsuka Hashimura, Tengo Saito
Sam’s World (USA) World Premiere
Director: Lily Lady
Producer: Dan Lalor
Sam–a non-binary mid 20s sex worker–navigates romantic, sociality and an impending pregnancy-related decision over the course of a weekend in New York City.
Cast: Annie Conolly, Ajé Brown, Riley Mac, Quinn, Coco Gordon Moore, Maddie Vasquez, Aurora O’Greenfield
The Accident (Italy) North American Premiere
Director: Giuseppe Garau
Producer: Cristina Trio
After being fired, Marcella, a gentle-hearted mother going through separation, buys a tow truck; she gets trapped deeper and deeper in a cynical and aggressive world until a terrible opportunity shines in front of her.
Cast: Giulia Mazzarino, Anna Coppola, Alice Dente, Nathalie Bernardi, Elena Savio, Toni Pandolfo, Elisa Denti
The Bitcoin Car (Norway) North American Premiere
Director: Trygve Luktvasslimo
Producers: Trygve Luktvasslimo, Anze Persin
After pimping out her old Toyota with money she got when a crypto investor started bitcoin mining on her parents grave, a morally challenged goat farmer fears that activity at the mine is endangering everyone.
Cast: Sunniva Birkeland Johansen, Henrik Paus, Zoe Winther-Hansen, Johannes Winther Farstad, England Brooks, Espen Beranek Holm, Marianne Jakobsen, Irene Sundsfjord
The Complex Forms (Italy) US Premiere
Director: Fabio D’Orta
Producers: Fabio D’Orta, Mariangela Bombardieri, Maria Cristina Bombardieri
The anxious wait, in an elegant villa, of a group of desperate people who have sold their bodies to unknown creatures.
Cast: David Richard White, Michele Venni, Cesare Bonomelli, Enzo Solazzi
The Washer (Germany) World Premiere
Director: Nils A. Witt
Producer: Nils A. Witt
While doing the laundry, the young lawyer Jan discovers that the washing machine creates phenomena. The effect can be reproduced and he massively expands his experiments. The machines run 24/7. Is he the only one who knows about it?
Cast: Sebastian Bös, Loredana Linglauf, Stephanie Jost, Henry Meyer, Elikem Anyigba, Can Arduc
Documentary Features:
Citizen Weiner (USA) World Premiere
Director: Daniel Robbins
Producers: Elliot Allen, Michael Gelfand, Daniel Goldschmidt, Joey Lyons, Daniel Robbins
Zack Weiner is an actor residing on New York’s Upper West Side. When the film industry shut down due to COVID-19, Zack and his friend Joe embarked on a unique project: to make a film about running for city council, while actually running for New York’s city council.
Cast: Zack Weiner, Joe Gallagher, Sarah Coffey, James Watson, Aaron Dalla Villa, Cherie Vogelstein, Dan Bright
Demon Mineral (USA)
Director: Hadley Austin
Producers: Nevo Shinaar, Emma Robbins
An account of life in the wake of uranium mining on sacred lands. Shot over 4 years with Diné (Navajo) community oversight and guidance, the film examines the legacy of uranium extraction from the perspectives of both the landscape and its inhabitants.
Cast: Emma Robbins, Lisa Robbins, Jesse Holiday, Deb Haaland, Tommy Rock
I’m “George Lucas”: A Connor Ratliff Story (USA) World Premiere
Director: Ryan Jacobi
Producer: Annamaria Sofillas
Five years into performing as renowned filmmaker George Lucas in the NY cult comedy show “The George Lucas Talk Show”, comedian Connor Ratliff questions the need for its continuation and his own drive for success and fulfillment in show business.
Cast: Connor Ratliff, Griffin Newman, Patrick Cotnoir
On The Way Home (Georgia, USA) World Premiere
Director: Giorgi Kvelidze
Producers: Nino Shengelaia, David Michael, Giorgi Kvelidze, Charlotte Savage
A documentary feature that follows two Georgian families, displaced by war, squatting in an abandoned former Soviet sanatorium as they await government housing.
Cast: Nikusha Berulava, Iamze Giorgadze
Petro (Spain, Colombia, USA) US Premiere
Director: Sean Mattison
Producers: Trevor Martin, Sean Mattison, Jeremy Gardner, Fernando Monzon, Jessica Millstone
A charismatic former guerrilla’s historic bid for president divides Colombia, a nation weary of conflict and yearning for change.
PUNISHMENT (Norway) North American Premiere
Director: Øystein Mamen
Producer: Ingvil Giske
Four inmates on maximum security have chosen to enter a three-week Jesuit silent retreat in prison. They are guided by two priests. The film slowly observes this paradoxical situation, while looking beyond the question of religious belief: How do ethical exercises, rituals, and communal silence affect us? The setting evolves into a prism for gauging a portrait of the existential landscape of the convicted.
Roll Bus Roll: A Jeffrey Lewis Documentary (USA) World Premiere
Director: Ilya Popenko
Producer: Ilya Popenko
Musician Jeffrey Lewis, one of the chief figures of NYC’s anti-folk scene, grapples with crippling anxieties and questions his sanity while embarking on a quest for love. Along the way, he explores the intersection of art and human existence.
Cast: Jeffrey Lewis, Adam Green, Jim Testa
The Death Tour (Canada) World Premiere
Directors: Stephan Peterson, Sonya Ballantyne
Producers: Chris Jericho, Stacey Tenenbaum, Sergeo Kirby
The Death Tour follows wrestling hopefuls across remote indigenous communities in Canada’s far North on ‘the most grueling tour in pro wrestling’. This test of strength and grit will show how far some are willing to go to live their dreams.
Cast: Tony Condello, Sage Morin, Sean Dunster, Dez Loreen, Sara McNicholl
Breakouts:
Anna’s Feelings (Russia) US Premiere
Director: Anna Melikyan
Producers: Anna Melikyan, Ekaterina Ryzhaya, Natella Krapivina, Ekaterina Kononenko, Dmitry Litvinov
The story of a simple worker in a provincial factory in Russia, who begins to hear the voices of extraterrestrial civilizations. Now she has to transmit the most important information for humanity.
Cast: Anna Mikhalkova, Timofei Tribuntsev, Oleg Yagodin
Bike Vessel (USA)
Director: Eric D. Seals
Producers: Donnie Seals Jr., Resita H. Cox
Bike Vessel follows a father and son, 35 and 70, as they cycle from St. Louis to Chicago. Film director Eric Seals’ father almost died after three open-heart surgeries. However, he makes a miraculous health recovery after discovering his love for cycling, bringing his son Eric along with him.
Cast: Eric D. Seals, Donnie Seals Sr., Sharon Seals, Donnie Seals Jr. Curtis Cotton.
CHAPERONE (USA) World Premiere
Director: Zoe Eisenberg
Producers: Alison Week, Devin Murphy
Alienated by friends and family for her lack of ambition, 29-year-old Misha finds a dangerous acceptance in a bright 19-year-old athlete who mistakes her for a fellow student.
Cast: Mitzi Akaha, Laird Akeo, Kanoa Goo, Jessica Jade Andres, Krista Alvarez, Ioane Goodhue
Love And Work (USA) World Premiere
Director: Pete Ohs
Producer: Pete Ohs
Diane and Fox love to work. Unfortunately, they live in a polarized world where having a job is illegal.
Cast: Stephanie Hunt, Will Madden, Frank Mosley, Alexi Pappas, John S. Davies
One Bullet (Afghanistan)
Director: Carol Dysinger
Producers: Ashim Bhalla, Su Kim, Carol Dysinger
This story of female friendship forged amidst America’s longest war is told by a filmmaker who spent 18 years in-and-out of Afghanistan. In this war movie, the battlefield lies behind the curtains of an Afghan home as Bibi Hajji struggles to survive the loss of her youngest child, and the impact of a brother’s death on her remaining sons. A haunting image of that boy surviving a bullet wound prompted director Carol Dysinger to investigate, what happened to him, who fired the shot?
Slide (USA)
Director: Bill Plympton
Producers: Rachel Braga Jones, Wendy Cong Zhao, Sean Davis, Natasha Villegas-Cordero, Owen Andrejco
What if Clint Eastwood and Mel Brooks became cartoonists and united to create the wackiest, most surreal musical western ever? That’s “Slide.”
Cast: Maureen McElheron, Jim Lujan, Tom Racine, Daniel Kaufman, Sasha Odesa, Ana Sophia Colon, Ken Mora, Simone McAlonen
Spotlight Features:
Bliss (USA) World Premiere
Director: Joe Maggio
Producers: Paula Killen; Matthew Myers; Larry Fessenden
An opioid addicted fugitive living off the grid in the desert canyons north of LA plays a twisted game of cat and mouse with a sexually repressed holy-roller in search of her missing sister.
Cast: Clint Jordan; Faryl Amadeus; Juan Fernandez
Invisible Nation (USA, Taiwan)
Director: Vanessa Hope
Producers: Sylvia Feng, Cassandra Jabola, Ted Hope, Vanessa Hope
With unprecedented access to Taiwan’s first female president Tsai Ing-wen, director Vanessa Hope crafts a fascinating portrait of Taiwan and the country’s struggle to preserve its hard-won democracy. Invisible Nation is a living account of Tsai’s tightrope walk as she balances the hopes and dreams of her nation between the colossal geopolitical forces of the U.S. and China.
Cast: President Tsai Ing-wen, Human Rights Commissioner Chen Chu, Taiwan’s Representative to the U.S. Bi-khim Hsiao, Legislator and Heavy Metal Rock Star, Freddy Lim, Taipei City Councilor Wu Pei-yi
The Herricanes (USA)
Director: Olivia Kuan
Producers: James Lee Hernandez, Brian Lazarte, Lisa France, James Short, Justin Baldoni, Andrew Calof
The Houston Herricanes, a women’s professional full-tackle football team, find camaraderie and strength as they controversially open a new door in the world of sports.
Unstoppable Features:
DARUMA (USA)
Director: Alexander Yellen
Producers: Kelli McNeil-Yellen, Alexander Yellen, Jodi Binstock
Patrick (bitter wheelchair user) must enlist the help of his cantankerous neighbor Robert (double amputee) to transport the four-year-old daughter he never knew he had to live with her maternal grandparents on the other side of the country.
Cast: Tobias Forrest, John W. Lawson, Abigail Hawk, Barry Bostwick, Victoria Scott, Joy Nash, Sandi McCree, Austin Basis
Good, Bad Things (USA) World Premiere
Director: Shane D. Stanger
Producers: Steve Way, Shane D. Stanger, Danny Kurtzman, Sean Crampton, Manuel Gonzalez, Mel McGinnis
Danny, a young man with muscular dystrophy who is disillusioned by failed relationships, steps out of his comfort zone and into the world of online dating.
Cast: Danny Kurtzman, Brett Dier, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Timothy Granaderos, Samantha Robinson
Leilani’s Fortune (Canada)
Director/Producer: Loveleen Kaur
Producer: Loveleen Kaur
After a decade of struggling as an independent artist, “Leilani’s Fortune” follows the blossoming career of queer, Ethiopian-Eritrean artist, Witch Prophet while finally gets the validation and support she needs to create the album of her prophecies.
Cast: Witch Prophet, Sun Sun
Look At Me (Location) World Premiere
Director: Taylor Olson
Producer: Taylor Olson
A fictional autobiography about an insecure, awkward, and lonely actor who goes on an unwitting journey of self-love in the midst of an eating disorder relapse.
Cast: Taylor Olson, Koumbie, Stephanie MacDonald, Sam Vigneault
NINA is an ATHLETE (Israel, USA) World Premiere
Directors: Ravit Markus, Livi Kessel
Producers: Ravit Markus, Livi Kessel, Janine McGoldrick
On the cusp of turning 40, wheelchair badminton champion Nina Gorodetsky aspires to conquer greater competitive heights by representing Israel in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. However, she also wants to conceive, which puts her at a critical career crossroad negotiating a ticking biological clock both as a mother and as an athlete.
Cast: Nina Gorodetsky, Dor Kessel, Leon Pugach, Boris Gorodetsky, Tamara Gorodetsky, Reuven Moses, Amir Levy, Ron Bolotin
Episodes:
Dog Spelled Backwards (USA)
Director: Richie Soto
Producer: Tim Almeida
A Professional Dog Trainer gives viewers an inside look at the American animal shelter system as never seen before.
Cast: Tim Almeida, Tipsy, Alger
Eindis Ends It All (USA, Taiwan)
Director: Tamara Rosenfeld
Producers: Tamara Rosenfeld, Anita Tung
After finding herself inexplicably alone in a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman working through some anger issues must learn to survive the most terrifying thing of all: herself.
Cast: Weslie Lechner, Yen Tsao, Stephanie Tang
Lucy & Sara (Chapter 1: Suicide) (UK) World Premiere
Director: Susan Park
Producers: Susan Park, Ryan Gage
A darkly comedic exploration of two unlikely sisters as they learn to navigate through the vulnerabilities and challenges of life after the passing of their beloved father.
Cast: Susan Park, Nicolette Morrison, Jeremy Joyce
Night Drives – Season 2 Collection (Canada)
Director: Jono Hunter
Producer: Jono Hunter
An animated sketch comedy series about the joy and futility of life.
Cast: Alex Stypula, Chris Sandiford, Ajahnis Charley, Miguel Rivas, Rodrigo Fernandez Stoll, Lory Mpiana, Jono Hunter, Madeline Leon
Restorage (USA)
Director: E’an Verdugo
Producers: Caleb Davis, Alana Rood
In the light of his estranged father’s passing, Chase inherits an old storage unit that has the ability to fix anything that’s been broken… except for him and his dysfunctional family.
Cast: Connor Boyd, Olivia Clari Nice, Jacob Daniels, Joan Deschamps, Stephen Miller, Francis Juarez
Narrative Shorts:
AFFENTANZ — HUNTER (Germany)
Director: Cyprian Hercka
Producers: Cyprian Hercka, Martin Hillebrand
The story of a hunter who suddenly finds himself in a world of reversed roles when the weaker ones and nature strike back as a parable with a socio-critical commentary with provocative images that leave a lasting impression.
Cast: Fritz Fenne, Thomas Brandlmeier, Paweł Procek, Georg Weber, Maximilian Schneider, Moritz Zielke, Martin Hillebrand
Blockbuster (Brazil) World Premiere
Director: Rafael Toledo
Producers: Felipe Enio, Vitor Acácio
Obsessed with the practical effects of classic cinema, an amateur director decides to orchestrate a real building explosion for his next film.
Cast: Luiz Gomide, Rute Vianna, Enedson Gomes
Burnt Milk (Jamaica, USA, UK)
Director: Joseph Douglas Elmhirst
Producer: Ruby Elmhirst
As an isolated maternity nurse living in 1985 suburban London, takes a moment of solace to make her traditional condensed milk pudding, burnt milk, she is flooded with spiritual imagery that takes her back to Jamaica.
Cast: Tamara Lawrance, Clover Webb, Xavier Alexander Keating
Complications (Norway) North American Premiere
Director: Ivar Aase
Producer: Ivar Aase
An intimate cam session unexpectedly turns into a suspenseful, life-and-death situation for Lotte – a webcam dominatrix.
Cast: Anna Ladegaard. Sven Henriksen.
Deserter (Canada) US Premiere
Director: Aidan Lesser
Producers: Robert Burns, Samatha Stermer
A desperate woman who can no longer support her elderly mother with dementia takes her for one last drive.
Cast: Joan Gregson, Suzanne Pratley
Dissolution (USA) World Premiere
Director: Anthony Saxe
Producers: Sebastian Jurd, Thomas Lopez, Anthony Saxe
A woman is forced to confront her elderly husband’s physical deterioration when they meet to sign their divorce papers.
Cast: Eddie Saxe, Linda DiVirgilio
European Man…American Beach (USA)
Director: Rex Shannon
Producer: Henry Bock
A nude European brawls with an offended American on the beach.
Cast: Bogdan Szumilas, Henry Bock
Fettyland (USA) World Premiere
Director: Vincent Dale
Producer: Eric Cook
After being kicked out of their flophouse, four addicts struggle to come up with rent money in an infamous area of Southwest Florida known as “Fettyland.”
Cast: Brian Lee, Two Dorz, Pablo Maldonado, Rhonda Ditonno, Lenny Herhey, Jeane Jaeschke
fishing (UK) World Premiere
Director: Josie Charles
Producers: Esme Allen, Josie Charles
Sixteen-year-old Lola has been stuck in her room for three days; she confesses to a camcorder the secret keeping her locked inside.
Cast: Esme Allen, Lucy Reynolds, Olivia Klein, Odhrán McNulty
Invasive Species (USA)
Director: Annie Ning
Producers: Ruby Rose Collins, Aisha Amin, Shuyuan Liu
Young sound artist Maggie attempts to enter the off-kilter world of an artist’s residency, where her own repressed nature and frustrations begin to boil up to the surface in strange and intrusive ways.
Cast: Emily May Jampel, Pascal Yen-Pfister, Katya Golvin, Stuart Green, JJ Paul, Eve Austin
Je Ne Suis Pas Une Star de Cinéma (USA) North American Premiere
Director: Hugo De Sousa
Producer: Hugo De Sousa
An actor is asked to play an unsettling game of improv during an audition for an undisclosed film project.
Cast: Anna Seregina, Hugo De Sousa, Hugo Armstrong, Emily Green, Manny Spero and Scott Monahan
Kayla Baby (USA) World Premiere
Director: Clark Comstock
Producer: Claire Foley
When a teenage girl and her older sister are forced to relocate to an abandoned housing development, they befriend a teenage boy and an old man.
Cast: Kenny Rayborn, Nora Kovasckitz, Cyrus Fontenot, Ayla Cole, George Alexander
Lan’s Garden (USA)
Director: Jennifer Ru Zhou
Producer: Jennifer Ru Zhou
A matriarch has become old so now her children come to help her, but she does not accept this reversal of care.
Cast: Lan Miao, Kathy Wu, Ning Jiang, Ryan Jiang
My Son Went Quiet (Canada) World Premiere
Director: Ian Bawa
Producers: Ian Bawa, Markus Henkel
After the death of his wife, a South Asian father and his son begin seeing a shadow around the walls of their home, who the son believes to be his mother.
Cast: Harkaran Jhinger, Jay Vaidyanathan
Shadow (USA) US Premiere
Director: Kamell Allaway
Producers: Kamell Allaway, Adam Tyree, Ashley Rosenberg, Tim Smith
A young mother’s shadow takes on a life of its own, terrorizing her and her daughter over the course of one night.
Cast: Katy Wright-Mead, Valentina Gordon, Christy St. John
tape. (Singapore) World Premiere
Director: Alistair Quak
Producer: Alistair Quak
Thrown into a violent and surreal situation, a Lady is forced to deal with the inevitable mortality of her Girl.
Cast: Kelly Lim, Annalisa Pickles
The Steak (Iran, Canada)
Director: Kiarash Dadgar
Producer: Kiarash Dadgar
A birthday ceremony preparation gets upside down as something horrible takes place.
Cast: Faranak Khamis, Amin Simiar, Panisa Peyvakht, Mehran Naabi, Ali Narimani
The Year of Staring at Noses (Canada, USA) World Premiere
Directors: Karen Knox, Matt Eastman
Producers: Karen Knox, Matt Eastman
A hybrid narrative/doc about a woman who undergoes plastic surgery (for real) in an attempt to become a contestant on a beloved reality television show.
Cast: Karen Knox, Taylor Hanson Whittaker, Gwenlyn Cumyn
Tokyo Animals (Japan) North American Premiere
Director: Toshiki Yashiro
Producers: Nick A Jones, Eucari
Peculiar people in a peculiar city.
Cast: Sho Mineo, Naoyuki Fernandes, Naoyuki Miyahara, Emi Nata, Koshi Uehara
Virus (USA)
Director: Will Duncan
Producer: Will Duncan
A complete dumbass accidentally downloads a deadly virus directly into his computer.
Cast: Will Duncan, Ian Abramson
We are all dogs (Iran) World Premiere
Director: Aminreza Alimohammadi
Producer: Amin Rafiei
It’s about a small family a Grandma Grandson and a dog trying to get a house but because of their pet nobody accept
Cast: Afshin Hasanloo
*666 (Canada)
Director: Abby Elizabeth Flavo
Producers: Abby Elizabeth Falvo, Lar Violet
Two women perform a dark ritual and discover that some calls are better left unanswered.
Cast: Angie St. Mars, Karlee Liljegren, Lar Violet
Documentary Shorts:
A Home on Every Floor (Norway)
Director: Signe Rosenlund-Hauglid
Producer: Signe Rosenlund-Hauglid
A poet uses her voice to excavate the lost home of her childhood.
Cast: Hanna Asefaw
A Short Film About a Chair (Palestine) World Premiere
Director: Ibrahim Handal
Producers: Ibrahim Handal, Wissam Aljafari
A lonely chair on an abandoned balcony, a photographer watching it for days and nights, a strange thing happens that will change the life of the chair forever.
Cast: Michele Contani, Wanda handal, Karam Alsalaymeh, Bisho elMesmes
Ask The Plantain (Canada, Greece) World Premiere
Director: Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos
Producer: Shelby Manton
Alternating between myth and reality, Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos unravels the intricate tapestry of grief and the liminal space that exists between not belonging to the lands one was born on nor the lands one’s ancestors once came from.
Cast: Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos, Milva Spina, Georgia Glymenakis
Dicks That I Like (Germany)
Director: Johanna Gustin
Producer: Johanna Gustin
Visual artist Daniela Torres creates colorful ceramic dick sculptures inspired by the men who have been dicks to her.
Cast: Daniela Torres
Dumpster Archeology (USA)
Director: Dustie Carter
Producers: Stolen Sun, Bruton Stroube, Kiley Enno
Self-proclaimed “Dumpster Archeologist” Lew Blink embarks on dumpster diving excursions to uncover the last true stories within the refuge left in the alleyways.
Cast: Lew Blink
Fortune (USA) North American Premiere
Director: Shirley Yumeng He
Producer: Shirley Yumeng He
An embodied camera searches for the “truth” hidden behind the facade of the oldest alleyway in San Francisco Chinatown, finding its way between past and present, imagination and reality, and the seen and seer.
Friends on the Outside (Scotland, UK) North American Premiere
Director: Annabel Moodie
Producer: Lea Luiz de Oliveira
The story of an incarcerated man called Jamie who finds joy and comfort inside by foraging for weeds and caring for birds.
Lady with Lipstick (Switzerland / Italy) World Premiere
Director: Francesca Coppola
Producers: Andrea Lavagnini, Francesca Coppola
Made with archival footage of the director’s family, Lady with Lipstick is a powerful essay on womanhood in a southern Italian town plagued by the steel industry.
Madeline (Canada)
Director: Raquel Sancinetti
Producer: Raquel Sancinetti
Every week, two friends born 67 years apart share their life stories in a senior home’s living room. The younger friend convinces the 107-year-old lady to join her in an adventure: a road trip to the sea.
Cast: Raquel Sancinetti, Madeleine
Porta d’Europa (Italy, Germany) North American Premiere
Director: Samuel Mueller
Producer: Samuel Mueller
Stranded for 30 hours off Lampedusa, a migrant boat’s calls for help go unanswered. The Sea-Watch Crew, an NGO, launches an urgent search. In “Porta d’Europa,” audiences confront Europe’s dire human rights failures in the Mediterranean crisis.
Cast: Meret, Samira, Lollo
REMEMBER, BROKEN CRAYONS COLOUR TOO (Switzerland) US Premiere
Directors: Urša Kastelic, Shannet Clemmings
Producer: The Zurich University of the Arts
Shannet, a Black Transgender woman from Jamaica, shares her journey of healing as she wanders the empty streets of a European city.
Cast: Shannet Clemmings, Romincio Cayol, Eric Dormoy, Ahmad Kron, Jelena Pavlović, Lateena, Moritz Sauer, Kathrin Schweizer
Say Something (USA) World Premiere
Director: Agustina Aranda
Producer: Gustavo René Sanabria
A young filmmaker explores her fraught relationship with her father—a Paraguayan immigrant, workaholic, and amateur videographer— using his VHS tapes spanning over forty years of his life.
Cast: Agustina Aranda, Panfilo Aranda
The Cactus of Klaus (USA)
Directors: Tony Blahd, Lydia Fine
Producers: Jeremy Summer, Double Solitaire, Little Moving Pictures
Pioneering conceptual artist Klaus Rinke’s collection of ‘living sculptures’—an otherworldly Los Angeles cactus garden—inspires philosophical musings on his life in art, obsession with time, and his surprising, yet deeply felt connections with the cacti soul.
Cast: Klaus Rinke
Vision of Paradise (Brazil, UK, USA)
Director: Leonardo Pirondi
Producer: Leonardo Pirondi
A journey in search of the island of Hy-Brasil, turns into a meditation on contemporary ideas of virtual reality and their ambition to expand the frontiers of the physical world into a ‘New World.’
Cast: David OReilly, Douglas Goodwin, Jackson Fletcher, George Tramell, Dan Dixon
You Were Never Really Here (USA) World Premiere
Director: Florencia Portieri
Producers: Eddy Moon, Olivia Timmons
Years after a harrowing sexual assault, a young filmmaker aesthetically reconstructs the complexities and contradictions of her trauma in this rhythmic non-fiction short detailing a search for healing.
Cast: Victoria Baldwin, Jake Melamed
Animated Shorts:
Acid Green (USA, Singapore)
Director: EXYL
Producer: EXYL
A person brushes the teeth of a dog and turns into a bus.
Butterfly (USA) World Premiere
Director: Soo Park (Yeonsu Park)
Producer: Soo Park (Yeonsu Park)
Have you ever deep-fried butterflies? Well, you’re going to find out what happens.
Chutes (USA)
Director: Kenzie Sutton
Producer: Kenzie Sutton
A young girl navigates a capitalist world through the lens of childhood toys.
Demons in the Closet (Germany)
Director: James Smith
Producer: James Smith
A resident is challenged by demons from another realm in his closet.
Cast: James Smith
edith and the tall child (USA) North American Premiere
Director: Kohana Wilson
Producer: Kohana Wilson
An anxious recluse fends off stir-craziness, gender reckoning, and visions of a massive prehistoric ground sloth.
Flutz (USA)
Director: Ryan McCown
Producer: Ryan McCown
Two rival figure skaters under the same coach compete for the top spot.
Hills for the Head (USA)
Director: Hyun Kim
Producer: Hyun Kim
A guy is forced by his therapist to run, facing the physical and mental hurdles of a marathon.
Cast: Hyun Kim, David Sanchez, Jeff McCready, Christy Karacas
I Would’ve Been Happy (USA) World Premiere
Director: Jordan Wong
Producer: Jordan Wong
This film is about my dad but it’s really about my mom.
lil sherbet (China/USA) World Premiere
Director: Xinhe Zhao
Producer: Xinhe Zhao
My body is mine, but not all mine.
NOHOMO (USA)
Director: J.Santos
Producer: J.Santos
A young man is tormented by a phallic creature, sending him off the rails.
The Expectation of the Observed (USA)
Director: Stephanie J. Williams
Producer: Stephanie J. Williams
This experiment stop motion considers unrecognized labor featuring puppets of disembodied meaty legs, flayed of skin, dance in repetition even as they start to disintegrate.
This Is a Story Without a Plan (USA)
Director: Cassio Shao
Producer: Cassie Shao
Two people, and an explosion.
Tony’s Dilemma (USA) North Premiere
Director: Nathan Sonenfeld
Producer: Nathan Sonenfeld
Cyberhacking psychos are wreaking havoc on their old teammate Tony’s hometown and Tony must decide between the life he loves and the life he used to live.
Cast: Alec Van Staveren, Brin Gordon, Cameron McManus, Jonah Primiano, Se’Belle Bronson
VACATION (USA)
Directors: Yifan Jiang, James J.A. Mercer
Producers: Yifan Jiang, James J.A. Mercer
Barely surviving a volcanic eruption, a road tripping college student steps into an absurd fable on the nature of nature.
Cast: James J.A. Mercer, Henry Anker, Hayley Dawn Muir, Eve Essex, Tonee Harbert
Experimental:
Entrance Wounds (USA)
Director: Calum Walter
Producer: Calum Walter
Entrance Wounds is a meditation on the image and the bullet.
Goddess of Speed (Canada, USA)
Director: Frédéric Moffet
Producer: Frédéric Moffet
A rehearsal for a reenactment of a missing film by Andy Warhol starring Fred Herko.
Cast: Stevie Cisneros Hanley
Light of Light (Greece) North American Premiere
Director: Neritan Zinxhiria
Producer: Efijeni Kokedhima
Before his death in 1932, a monk created his own camera in one of the most isolated places in the world. 90 years later, a filmmaker discovers and reconstructs the found footage.
Lotus-Eyed Girl (Sri Lanka, USA)
Director: Rajee SamarasingheProducer: Rajee Samarasinghe
A hauntingly evocative, experimental rumination on the effects of colonialism on human desire.
Monolith (Mexico)
Director: Teresita (Teri) Carson
Producers: Teri Carson, Mark Holt
An encounter with a volcano culminates with the theft of a stone and a reckoning with disgruntled gods.
Nobody Wants to Fix Things Anymore (USA)
Director: Joseph WilcoxProducer: Joseph Wilcox
Nobody Wants to Fix Things Anymore is a short film about a lost man who finds a special rock.
Nowhere Stream (USA)
Director: Luis Grane
Producer: Tomas Basile
A man gets trapped in the labyrinth of his own mind while seeking meaning in the virtual world.
Welcome to the Enclave (USA)
Director: Sarah LasleyProducer: Sarah Lasley
Two Texas sisters fight to save their digital utopia from demise amidst an onslaught of Reddit trolls.
Cast: Brenna Palughi
Spotlight Shorts:
In C, Too (USA) World Premiere
Directors: Dean Winkler, John SanbornProducers: Dean Winkler, John Sanborn
“In C, Too” illuminates how close our dreams are to a common reality.
Cast: KJ Dahlaw, Erin Yen, Jamielyn Duggan, Caitlin Hicks
Unstoppable Shorts:
A Perfect Morning Situation (UK)
Director: Alex Gwyn Davies
Producer: Alex Gwyn Davies
A goat battles his decision paralysis, anxiety, and internal critics in an attempt to make the most of the one hour he has to get ready in the morning.
Cast: Alex Gwyn Davies
Baby (Australia) World Premiere
Director: James Di Martino
Producers: James Di Martino, Llewellyn Michael Bates, Daniel Facciolo
A young woman with Down syndrome sets out on a quest to get pregnant and have a baby.
Cast: Erin Kearns, Michael Buxton, Yiana Pandelis, Daniel Facciolo, Sarah Dute, Albert Goikhman, Daniel Reader
Baggage (USA) World Premiere
Director: Tim Hendrix
Producer: Zoe Rosenberg
In a world where everyone brings their Baggage to the table in the form of actual suitcases, a blind date goes awry.
Cast: Horace Gold, Michelle Ortiz, Allen Marsh, Skarlett Redd, James Tang
DOSH (USA)
Director: Radha Mehta
Producer: Gabriel Gutierrez
When her son’s life is put at risk at their family’s pre-wedding ritual, a hard-of-hearing mother must decide how to seek help for her husband in order to keep her family safe.
Cast: Renu Razdan, Nikhil Prakash, Tyler Anton, Mona Sishodia, Asit Vyas, Neel Agrawal, Nadine Naidoo, Shristi Birla, Dev Patel
Hair or No Hair (Canada)
Directors: Janessa St. Pierre, Courtenay Mayes
Producers: Geoff Manton
A young Black woman has been hiding behind wigs for years until her Alopecia is exposed publicly; She uses this experience as a catalyst to break free of the shame she feels towards her baldness.
Cast: Janessa St. Pierre, Shaun Morse, Samantha Clarke, Quincy Thomas
Legend of El Cucuy (USA)
Director: Cynthia Garcia Williams
Producer: Landi Madro
A visit from El Cucuy and she pays the ultimate price for her indifference.
Cast: Diana Sanchez, David Jofre, Obriella Witron, Effie Cacarnakis, Isabella Fell, Hannah Zamora, Vanessa Arcia
Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World (USA) World Premiere
Director: Julio Cesar Palacio
Producers: Julio Palacio, Sam Hanson
In the heartwarming short documentary, “Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World”, we are introduced to a remarkable young girl whose spirit and determination defy all expectations. Makayla, a black teenage girl, has spent her life grappling with a rare form of autism that rendered her essentially nonverbal. However, her parents, filled with unwavering belief in their daughter’s potential, embarked on a transformative journey to discover the true depth of Makayla’s inner world.
Cast: Makayla Cain, Khari Cain, Manana Cain, Roxanna Sewell
PU EKAW TNOD (UK) North American Premiere
Director: Rebecca Culverhouse
Producers: Pamela Pifferi, Sergio Falchi
A couple watching a horror film try to stop events from repeating as they are sucked into a waking nightmare.
Cast: Dorothea Jones, Harold Addo
Saving Art (UK) U.S. Premiere
Director: Remi R.M. Moses
Producers: Victor Nauwynck, Jing Zhao, Dami Adeyeye
A father tells his terminally-ill son that the chemotherapy will give him a superpower.
Cast: Michael Salami, Pierre-Laurent Vawah, Alex Walton, Niamh Lewis, Oxa Hazel
Smash or Pass (USA)
Director: Cory Reeder
Producers: Cory Reeder, Val Harvey
Dating pool or cesspool? They both stink!
Cast: Joci Scott, Drew Timberlake Hill, Diana Elizabeth Jordan, Andrew Simmons, Atif Hashwi
This Body Is A Shell (USA) World Premiere
Director: Ashley Eakin
Producers: Ashley Eakin, Matt Sakatani Roe
Wandering through a desolate internal world, disabled women wrestle with self-image and fight to uncover meaning beyond what is skin deep.
Cast:Kelsey Johnson, Celia Flores, Nathalia Freitas, Cherie Louise, Hanneke Talbot
Young People, Old People & Nothing in Between (Thailand)
Director: Parida TantiwasadakranProducer: Parida Tantiwasadakran
7-year-old Juice has one mission this year: to help Grandma Lovely retain as many memories as possible in order to halt the onset of her early dementia.
Cast: Suwinya Kungsada, Deedee Piamwiriyaku
Revolution Short Film Program, Curated by Gabriel Misla:
Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black) (Australia)
Directors: Matthew Thorne, Derik Lynch
Producers: Matthew Thorne, Patrick Graham
An Anangu Yankunytjatjara man escapes the city life to return to the country for spiritual healing.
Cast: Derik Lynch
Nos Persiguen (Puerto Rico)
Director: Paulis Cofresi
Producer: Camila Reus
SynopsisIn the 1950s, 16-year-old Celia is forced to face the fatal reality of Puerto Rico’s colonialist oppression after an unexpected visit from a classmate.
Cast: Veronika Perez, Ilan Guerrero, Magali Carrasquillo, Israel Lugo, Kisha Burgos, Yan Christian, Elivan Martinez, Paola Vazquez
Our Grandmother The Inlet (Canada)
Directors: Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos, Kayah George
Producers: Shelby Manton, Angelica Stirpe
A poignant documentary featuring Kayah George and her grandmother Ta7a, illustrating the hardship of industry dominance on the mental health of Indigenous youth and their enduring spirit of gentle reclamation as they strive to reconnect with their culture, water, and land.
Cast: Kayah George, Amy George
Urpi: Her Last Wish (US, Peru)
Director: Sisa Quispe
Producers: Sisa Quispe, Suni Sonqo Vizcarra Wood
Urpi travels to the sacred valley of the Incas to fulfill a promise to her grandmother. She meets Sayri, an indigenous Quechua young man, who offers his motorcycle for a journey that will challenge her understanding of identity.
Cast: Sisa Quispe, Juan Abel Ojeda Llanos
DIG – Digital Interactive and Gaming (Online Only):
AI History 1890-2090
Artist: FutureZoetrope
This is an experimental animation in which AI tells the history from before the advent of AI to the as-yet-undiscovered future as if it existed.
Fukushima – The Home That Once Was
Artist: Timo Wright
Meet the former residents of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accidents Exclusion Zone, who share their experiences of the loss of home and community, and the fragility of memories.
Lucky Yu
Artist: Mike Ren Yi
Lucky Yu is a meditative fishing game that transports players to a world filled with stunning hand-painted Chinese black ink art.
Migrant Sea
Artist: Stephane Grasso
“Migrant Sea”, is a multimedia documentary focusing on the voices of Sub-Saharan migrants who survived the harrowing journeys from their home countries to reach Europe.
Mother, Player
Artist: Angela Washko
“Mother, Player”, is an experimental narrative video game featuring pregnancy and early parenthood stories from artists during the global pandemic.
My Own Private Apocalypse
Artist: Visu_AI_Poetry
“My Own Private Apocalypse”, delves into the concept of individual existential desolation.
Synchronization Station
Artist: Allen Riley
Synchronization Station is a participatory performance about mediated intimacy that uses analog video mixing as a counterpoint to everyday communications technologies.
Tethered
Artist: Julianna Johnston
“Tethered”, is an immersive projection and sound installation that is controlled by the gameplay of a tetherball match.
