OFFICIAL SELECTION
2024
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 27
OPENING NIGHT FESTIVAL KICK-OFF SCREENING
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 27
8:15pm -10:15pm
A kaleidoscope of international short films, handpicked gems that showcase unique perspectives from all walks of life. May contain mature themes. Several filmmakers will be in attendance.
CHAUNCEY
USA / Comedy / 12 mins.
A grown woman, is afraid to introduce her new boyfriend to her old stuffed animal, Chauncey
EVERY SUNRISE
Italy/ Music Video / 2 mins.
A condemned man confuses dreams and memories, and he lets himself be carried away.
TSUTSUE
Ghana/ Drama / 16 mins.
Set in a small Ghanaian town at the edge of a large landfill site that spills into the ocean, the sons of a fisherman, Sowah and Okai, struggle to cope with the loss of their eldest brother who drowned during a fishing expedition. Haunted by his demise, Okai believes their brother is still out there…
WAITER FOR LIFE
USA / Documentary / 10 mins.
An intimate look at a group of long-time waiters at San Francisco’s Scoma’s Restaurant. Waiter For Life pays homage to the American dream: immigrant stories, connections between people, and, of course, food.
A STUDY OF EMPATHY
Germany / Drama / 15 mins.
Dana wants to show empathy. Penelope wants to explore empathy in a bold, artistic experiment.
CHANGE SHAPES
USA / Music Video / 3 mins.
A music video starring Lauren Mayberry (lead singer of of Chvrches) and directed by Gabriella Kashi
CARMA
USA / Student / 1 min.
From Santa Rosa, CA – There’s a dude. There’s a car. There’s Carma. Starring veteran actor Al Liner.
THE DIAMOND
Sweden / Comedy / 14 min.
Stephan is lonely with a blinding ambition to make friends.
One day he stumbles upon a diamond in the woods. Unable to reach it, the solution presents itself in the form of an even smaller man.
MOVING DAY
USA / Animation / 12 min.
While a couple is moving out, a smiley drawing on one of their boxes comes to life, falls in love with another drawing across the room, and sets out on a box-hopping adventure in the hopes of reaching their beloved.
THE ART OF GROWING UP
USA / Documentary / 10 min.
Tweens & teens discuss their hopes, dreams, fears & their lives at present. This was the 2024 first film in the official selection lineup.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28
PROGRAM B – YOUTH PERSPECTIVES & BEYOND – MIXED GENRE
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28
1pm – 3pm
SUGGESTED AGES 10+
Discover fresh voices and bold visions in this showcase of young perspectives, either in front of or behind the camera. These films offer a unique window into the world the modern youth. The set is equally entertaining for adults too. (Recommended for age 10+) Some films include subtitles
CIRCLE
Korea / Animation / 7 min.
A girl’s play activity of drawing on the ground has an inadvertent effect on her fellow townsfolk.
PROGRESS REPORT
USA / Student / 3 min.
A boldly stylized feminist essay that strikes a chord from the first frame..
SCAPEGOAT
Reunion (France) / Drama / 20 min.
A young Muslim boy grapples with his faith and identity as the only child of his religion in his neighborhood. Bullied about his culture and struggling to understand his religion’s practice of animal sacrifices, he faces pressure to conform. Yet, despite the challenges, he ultimately finds the strength to remain true to himself.]
MOM(s)
USA / Drama / 8 min.
A poignant coming-of-age story of a teenager navigating the complexities of having two moms in a world steeped in father-daughter traditions.
IN THIS TOGETHER
USA / Student / :48 seconds
A scientist makes a mind-bending discovery! Don’t blink, it’s a 48-second film.
THE ONLY SON
USA / Drama / 15 mins.
Jack, a Polish Immigrant living in Los Angeles, will have to decide if he’ll sacrifice his morals to save his son’s future.
S's STORY
USA / Student / 7 min.
The story of an Afghan teenage girl who escaped the Taliban regime and became a student activist here in America. S is trying to raise money to empower other Afghan girls to follow her path out from under the Taliban: by learning English..
ANNA McGEE'S WILD RIDE
USA / Student / 2 min.
A teenager on the cusp of adulthood flies through her entire future while stuck in a traffic jam.
MAITIGHAR
Nepal / Drama / 15 min.
After a festive evening with her friends in Pokhara, Nepal, a young high-school student returns home, surprised that she is being forced by her mother into an arranged marriage.
THE ART OF GROWING UP
USA / Documentary / 10 min.
Tweens & teens discuss their hopes, dreams, fears & their lives at present. This was the 2024 first film in the official selection lineup. This film is a repeat from Friday night.
PROGRAM C – MIXED GENRE
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28
4pm – 6pm
A kaleidoscope of international short films, handpicked gems that showcase unique perspectives from all walks of life. May contain mature themes.
BACK OF THE NET
UK/ Drama / 15 mins.
A pertinent, heartfelt, bitingly human story of care, female aspiration, and the barriers women face when accessing the male-dominated world of football.
JIMMY
USA / Student / 6 min.
After returning to Hollywood from serving in WWII, Jimmy Stewart auditions for John Ford’s next picture, struggling to restart his acting career. Inspired by true events
DIRT TO GLASS
USA / Documentary / 11 min.
From Sonoma: An inside look into California’s oldest family-owned winery run by the Bundschu family and their shift to regenerative organic farming.
CATHERINE & MICHAEL
USA / Dramedy / 15 min.
Molly Ringwald plays half of an unhappily married couple who visit their seemingly perfect friends for what’s supposed to be a fun weekend upstate. However, when their fragile relationship crumbles, they discover an unusual method to reignite their spark.
THE NATURE GIRL
USA / Drama / 15 min.
Amidst urban chaos, a courageous girl living on the streets finds purpose in rescuing injured animals. Risking everything to protect vulnerable creatures, she experiences a profound connection to the sacredness of nature and its fragile animal life.
CHANGING ROOMS
France / Drama / 18 min.
A powerful drama about a brother and sister coping in the aftermath of her sexual assault.
INHUMANE
The Netherlands / Drama / 15 min.
A trip to the vet with a sick bet ends revealing a new truth.
MARIE
South Africa / Romance / 8 min.
Tom lives a small, insular, digital life. Then, something cracks his shell.
PROGRAM D – MIXED GENRE
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28
7pm – 9pm
A kaleidoscope of international short films, handpicked gems that showcase unique perspectives from all walks of life. May contain mature themes.
48 HOURS
Iran / Drama / 20 min.
Based on a true story from the director’s own life: After three years in prison, Nader is given a furlough to go home for a visit. He has 48 hours to become a father to his four-year-old daughter.
WHEN WAR IS OVER
Italy / Animation / 5 min.
A world without war is another utopia that we cannot wait for any longer.
CALIFORNIA PIE
USA / Animation / 13 min.
Three tales of self-discovery unfold across California’s suburbs, city, and coast. A teenager reconciles with his father after a disastrous party; a young woman struggles to maintain appearances; and a writer contemplates love, loss, and dinosaurs.
PUPPY LOVE
USA / Comedy / 11 min.
When Emily has an immediate, deep connection with a dog, she decides to date the dog’s owner Austin, despite how strange he is.
ALL THE WAYS
USA / Music Video / 4 min.
The Secret Sisters (featuring Ray LaMontagne)
ONCE MORE, LIKE RAIN MAN
USA / Comedy / 15 min.
A glimpse of the life of an autistic actress running the gambit of stereotypes she has to deal with.
JEROME
USA / Drama / 14 min.
Basketball connects Jerome to his long-absent father, though not in the ways he wishes. As he struggles to accept his family’s shortcomings, Jerome questions who he and who he’ll become
FAVOURITES
Australia / Dramedy / 5 mins.
Two parents face an impossible choice when their family camping trip turns deadly.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 29
PROGRAM DOC – ALL DOCUMENTARIES
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 29
1pm – 3pm
Take a global journey through thought-provoking and emotionally charged documentaries. This program showcases diverse styles, from traditional approaches to poetic visions—each offering unique perspectives on our world.
PIÑATAS OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS
USA / Documentary / 13 mins.
A self-described “queer, half-breed South Texan artist,” Roberto Benavidez insists on calling his artistic creations piñatas – and not paper sculptures – one sign of devotion to the Mexican craft he loves. Beautiful, funny, and political, they are stunning, unlike any piñata you’ve ever seen, meticulous, colorful works of art.
THE SHAVE
United Arab Emirates / Documentary / 10 mins.
A coming-of-age story where the inability to age due to a medical condition puts Mohammed in an ongoing struggle to prove his manhood in the face of masculine stereotypes.
WHEN THE DEVIL SMOKED IN PARADISE
USA / Student / 10 mins.
In America’s ‘safest’ city, an asphalt plant spews toxic fumes, sparking an unlikely band of citizens to wage a five-year battle against corporate giants and corrupt politicians.
SHAPE OF RITUAL
Finland / Student / 14 mins.
An exploration of the significance of repetition in our lives. Four individuals pause to reflect on their daily routines, examining the fine line between mundane habits and sacred rituals. Through a day-long meditation, they uncover surprising commonalities in their experiences, revealing the hidden depths of everyday actions.
EVER SINCE, I'VE BEEN FLYING
Turkey - Switzerland / Documentary / 19 mins.
Vakıf, a 60-year-old Kurdish man who grew up in a nomadic tribe in the mountains of southeast Turkey, recalls moments from his youth that have shaped his life. He takes us back to his idyllic childhood with his mother, his first love found in a cotton field and lost in the woods, and the mistreatment suffered at the hands of the police, in a cold and dark place.
FOUR CHAMBERS TO THE HEART
Belgium / Documentary / 9 mins.
Palermo 1624. While in quarantine due to the plague, 94-year-old master painter Sofonisba Anguissola, a worldwide renowned artist at the time but later consigned to obscurity, writes her final letters to her pupil and Flemish master-in-the-making Anton Van Dyck.
FROM PEN TO PAPER
USA / Documentary / 20 mins.
Behind bars, ink flows and barriers crumble as lifers and students unite in a transformative writing experiment.
THE BIG WAIT
Australia / Documentary / 14 mins.
In a remote desert town in Australia, population two, a couple manages an emergency airport and keeps vacant cottages in pristine condition, waiting for visitors who never seem to arrive.
PROGRAM “FRENCH” – MIXED GENRE SHORT FILMS
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 29
4pm – 6pm
Calling all Francophones! It’s a full set of mixed-genre short films in the French language from France, Quebec, and French territories. Experience the Francophonic culture with the nuance of the French language. All films have English subtitles too!
Appel à tous les francophones ! Voici un ensemble complet de courts métrages de genres variés en langue française, provenant de France, du Québec et des territoires français. Découvrez la culture francophone à travers les nuances de la langue française. Tous les films sont également sous-titrés en anglais!
ONE LAST SUMMER
France / Comedy / 13 mins.
As the summer comes to an end, three nerdy friends play one last game of Warhammmer, but their friendship gets rocky when they encounter two vibrant young women who are fellow campers.
THE FALL OF PHAETON
Reunion (France) / Family / 12 mins.
A teenage boy from a blue-collar neighborhood chases after his mother’s runaway dog, inadvertently having to face a reality he wasn’t seeking.
MARIE LOUISE
France / Romance / 20 mins.
In the sweltering heat of a Marseille summer, Mehdi faces two daunting challenges at the beach: a towering diving board that taunts his courage, and the mesmerizing gaze of a beautiful stranger. Can Mehdi find his place among his peers and prove himself in this impromptu arena of youth and desire?
ROOSTER'S CROW
Canada / Drama / 17 mins.
Drowned in a family reunion chaos filled with testosterone and pig roast, REYNALD will try to prove to his nephew, his family but mostly himself that’s he’s still king.
FAREWELL, FRIENDS
Reunion (France) / Drama / 12 mins.
On the tiny French Island of Reunion, four best friends prepare to leave for mainland France to seek a new life. As departure time draws near, they wander their childhood neighborhood and deal with their feelings of the coming change.
DEATH TO THE BIKINI
Canada / Dramedy / 17 mins.
From France, “Death To The Bikini” is an official selection: 10-year-old Lili rebels when her parents force her to wear a bikini top, even though she has always swum topless.
PROGRAM FINALE SCREENING with AWARD PRESENTATION – MIXED GENRE
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 29
7pm – 9pm
A kaleidoscope of international short films, handpicked gems that showcase unique perspectives from all walks of life. May contain mature themes. Awards will be presented after the screening.
WHEN THE EARTH WAS ROUND
USA / Music Video / 4 mins.
Brian Ray, (Paul McCartney’s guitarist) rocks his newest song that takes a look at the lack of critcal thinking in society.
IGNORANCE IS A LIFESTYLE
Jamaica / Drama / 6 mins.
Two young men philosophize about life and society… until life and society meet them head-on.
INVOLUNTARY
USA / Drama / 13 mins.
Actor Jack McGee, previously on our film jury, returns this year in a haunting performance as an actor in this official selection: “Involuntary.”
Carlton (Jack McGee), a man in his 70s suffering from Dementia, is moved from a nursing home in the middle of the night.
WAY OF SHEPHERD
USA / Documentary / 9 mins.
A Peruvian shepherd and his loyal Border Collies tend a massive goat herd in California’s hills, using ancient methods to prevent wildfires while grappling with years-long separation from family.
GO FLY A KITE
USA / Romance / 20 mins. (Not in competition)
A special screening of the festival co-director’s LGBTQ film (featuring local acting tour de force, Al Liner).
Riley wakes up on her 18th birthday and finds out that … nobody cares, not even her best friend.
BEEN THERE
Switzerland / Documentary / 10 mins.
In a world where the urge to travel has never been stronger and tourist hotspots are bursting at the seams, what are we truly gaining beyond the snapshots that prove we were there?
TALK BLACK
USA / Comedy / 13 min.
A timid engineer develops a wild and expressive split personality to help her speak up to the boy’s club at work.
I COULD DOM
USA / Comedy / 15 min.
A sex comedy for people-pleasers. The director, Madison Hatfield, remarked: “As a People Pleaser In Recovery, it requires constant vigilance to not put myself and my needs last in ANY situation, sexual or otherwise. Throughout my life I’ve found myself wishing so badly to please certain people and keep them around that I was willing to do whatever they wanted. Sometimes it’s made me feel awful, and sometimes it taught me something new about myself that I really liked. That’s nuance, baby. But in every interaction, I’ve learned a little more about myself, for better or worse.”