25th MdFF Program Book

MARYLAND FILM FESTIVAL

25TH ANNIVERSARY

MAY 2-5, 2024

GREETINGS, CINEMA LOVERS!

KJ MOHR

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR AND DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING

Thank you for joining us on this momentous occasion. In imagining what we wanted the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Maryland Film Festival to look like, we were thinking first and foremost about our community. This is Maryland’s film festival, and we live in the heart of Baltimore, a vibrant and multifaceted city that is home to boundless creativity, innovation and spirit. We set out to reflect that in our programming and in our event planning, to build a destination festival for movie lovers and filmmakers from all over the country and around the world - but first and foremost for our hometown crowd. We want you to see yourself reflected in the images on screen and in the parties, conversations and opportunities the Festival presents. Welcome to the show and welcome home!

WE ARE BACK!

SCOT T. SPENCER

BOARD CHAIR

On behalf of the board of the Maryland Film Festival, I am proud and pleased to join KJ and the Festival team in this celebration of Baltimore and 25 years of film excellence in the Station North neighborhood. Behind the scenes, the team has been hard at work to bring back film favorites from early festivals, and create opportunities to find new favorites from a curated mix of spectacular, original films. We invite you to join us as the SNF Parkway looks forward to its renewed future of film, arts, and community programming at the corner of North and Charles.

And now it’s time for popcorn, movie candy, and your beverage of choice. I encourage you to engage with talented filmmakers and fellow attendees over the next few days to talk about which films moved or invigorated you. Movies invite us to dream and consider possibilities, to reflect on the realities of our time, and to laugh and cry. Whatever your genre, however you show up, I hope that you leave personally enriched for having attended.

25TH MdFF TEAM

PROGRAMMING STAFF

KJ Mohr Festival Director and Director of Programming

James A. Burkhalter Programming Coordinator

Eric Cotten Programmer, Balti-Shorts

Jasmine Patrick Programming Associate

Samantha Mitchell Programmer

Q Ragsdale Curator, CineTech

Garrett Stralnic Programmer, Q+ Shorts

Nzingha Kendall Programming Advisor

Camille Blake Fall Programming Advisor

MARKETING STAFF

Q Ragsdale Director of Marketing

Bakari Jones Marketing Coordinator

Jaz Erenberg Key Art Designer

Garrett Stralnic Social Media Coordinator

Nicole Khoury-Atkinson Press Relations Coordinator

OPERATIONS STAFF

Eynar Pineda Festival Producer

Greg Golinski Parkway Theatre Manager

Sheila Goodwin Interim Director of Parkway Operations and Customer Service

Mike Reilly Volunteer Coordinator

Karol Martinez Venue Manager

Sam Heth Hospitality Coordinator

Katie Shinsato Assistant Operations & Volunteer Coordinator

Tori McReynolds Operations Assistant

Aurora Lagang Operations PA

Abby Milligan Communications and Sponsorship Assistant

TECHNICAL STAFF

Chris Bredenberg

Technical Director

Toby Leonard Print Traffic Coordinator & Projectionist

Margaret Rorison Projectionist

Tina Sorrow Projectionist

Terry Kilby CineTech Technologist

DEVELOPMENT STAFF

Jonna McKone Development Specialist

Adrienne Peres Development Advisor

SCREENING COMMITTEE

Adam Desaulniers

Adeline Brown

Alejandra Velazquez

Alex El Dahdah

Alexandra Ade

Amelia Evans

Angel Jackson

Bilgesu Sisman

Brandon Bazemore

Bree Crossland

Camila Franco Ribeiro

Gomide

Camille Blake Fall

Chung-Wei Huang

CJ Jones

Clara Riedlinger

Corey Frier

Debra Williams

Edmund Savage

Eric Cotten

Evan Bowen

Ezzaray Bohanon

Garrett Stralnic

Gleb Osatinski

Jade-Flower Foster

James A. Burkhalter

Jasmine Patrick

Jenna Cipolloni

Jim Almon

Joe Tropea

Kimberly Joseph KJ Mohr

Kristen Anchor

Dr. LaShay Harvey

Latasha Jones-Tayree

Lauren Scott

Londan Showell

Megan McShea

Merle C McCann, MD

Miceál O’Donnell

Q Ragsdale

Rob Lee

Samantha Mitchell

Scot Spencer

Shannon J Shird

Skizz Cyzyk

Steven Lyu

Tad Glenn

Theo Booker IV

Wendy K Callier

Zoey Howell-Brown

SCHEDULE

PARKWAY 1

Films | 5 W. North Ave

PARKWAY 3

Films | 5 W. North Ave

PARKWAY 2

Films | 5 W. North Ave

LAZARUS

Films |131 W. North Ave

Parkway Lobby & Lounge 1 Opening Party 5 W North Ave

Parkway Lounge 2 CineTech Immersive 5 W North Ave (2nd floor)

Parkway Lounge 3 CineTech AR/VR/Gaming 5 W North Ave (3rd floor)

Filmmaker Lounge Club Car

Hotel Indigo Filmmakers Hotel

W North Ave

W Franklin St

Hotel Indigo Filmmaker Conference 24 W Franklin St

Current Gallery Trans Shorts Program 421 N Howard St

The Garage One Night at the Dox & Closing Party 6 E Lafayette St.

The Crown Q+ Afterparty 1910 N. Charles

Box Office 5 W North Ave (1st floor lobby)

Volunteer HQ Impact Hub 10 E. North Ave

Fadensonnen Filmmaker Meet-up W. 23rd St.

9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm 12pm 1am

THURSDAY, MAY 2

PARKWAY OFF-SITE

LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH 7:30pm - 9:45pm

Parkway 1

LUTHER VANDROSS TRIBUTE WITH THE JONATHAN GILMORE PROJECT 9:45pm - 11:30pm

Parkway 1

FRIDAY, MAY 3

THE HYPNOSIS

12:30pm - 2:19pm

Parkway 1

SMOKING TIGERS

2:30pm - 4:20pm

Parkway 1

A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY

4:45pm - 6:20pm

Parkway 1

JOHN WATERS PRESENTS: BUTT BOY

7:00pm - 9:00pm

Parkway 1

MORE THAN HYPE

9:30pm - 11:20pm BOOGER

Parkway 1

W/ YOU’RE INVITED TO TUSCAN’S 5TH BIRTHDAY PARTY!

11:30pm - 1:20am

Parkway 1

PARKWAY 1 PARKWAY 2 9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm 12pm 1am

ANIMATED SHORTS

11:15am - 1:00pm

Parkway 2

RETRO MDFF TRAPPED

2:45pm - 4:35pm

Parkway 2

ANIMALIA W/ JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE 5:00pm - 6:45pm

Parkway 2

CORA BORA

W/ GOLDEN CHILD

7:15pm - 9:20pm

WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS

9:45pm -11:45pm

Parkway 2 Parkway 2

PARKWAY

ART WORK SHORTS

12:30pm - 2:00pm

Parkway 3

FRIDAY, MAY 3

3 MICA LAZARUS OFF-SITE

FAMILY DYNAMICS SHORTS

3:00pm - 5:00pm

Parkway 3

ALL AGES SHORTS: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

3:30pm - 5:30pm

DESIRE LINES

W/ HYPERCONNECT

5:15pm - 7:10pm

Parkway 3

CHARACTER STUDY SHORTS

7:45pm - 9:45pm

Parkway 3

CHAPERONE

10:00pm - 11:20pm

Parkway 3

SUGAR CANE

5:45pm - 8:20pm

LOCAL/VISITING FILMMAKER MEET-UP

Fadensonnen 3 W. 23rd St.

4:00pm - 7:00pm

ANIMATED SHORTS

8:00pm - 10:20pm

NIGHTMARE ON NORTH AVENUE

SHORTS

10:15pm - 12:30am

ONE NIGHT AT THE DOX MORE THAN HYPE AFTERPARTY

The Garage 6 E Lafayette St.

11:30pm - 2:00am

Lazarus

Lazarus

Lazarus

Lazarus

PARKWAY 1

SATURDAY, MAY 4

PARKWAY 2 9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm 12pm 1am

CINETECH PANEL & EXPERIENCE

9:30am - 10:45am

Parkway 1

BODY AND SOUL W/ LIVE SCORE

11:00am - 12:55pm

Parkway 1

BALTISHORTS

1:15pm - 3:20pm

Parkway 1

WHEN MORNING COMES

3:45pm - 5:40pm

Parkway 1

CHAPERONE

6:00pm - 8:05pm

Parkway 1

CORA BORA

W/ GOLDEN CHILD

8:30pm - 10:35pm

Parkway 1

SUJO 10:45pm - 1:00am

Parkway 1

ALL AGES SHORTS: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE 10:00am - 12:00pm

Parkway 2

ANIMALIA

W/ JUST BELOW THE SURFACE 12:15pm - 2:00pm

Parkway 2

A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY

2:15pm - 4:00pm

Parkway 2

ANY OTHER WAY: THE JACKIE SHANE STORY 4:15pm - 6:15pm

Parkway 2

DILLI DARK

6:30pm - 8:30pm

Parkway 2

RETRO MDFF VIVA

8:45pm - 10:50pm

Parkway 2

PROPERTY

11:00pm - 1:00am

Parkway 2

PARKWAY 3 MICA LAZARUS

RETRO MDFF

THE HIP-HOP FELLOW

PRESENTED BY ERROR 4444

11:00am - 12:45pm

Parkway 3

CHARACTER STUDY

SHORTS

1:00pm - 3:00pm

Parkway 3

SMOKING TIGERS

W/ DO YOU TRUST ME?

3:15pm - 5:10pm

Parkway 3

RETRO MDFF

DETENTION

5:30pm - 7:40pm

Parkway 3

THE HYPNOSIS

8:00pm - 10:00pm

Parkway 3

OFF-SITE

RETRO MDFF

THE CRAZY FAMILY

10:15pm - 12:30am

Parkway 3

SCREENWRITER’S COMPETITION

11:30am - 12:30pm

Lazarus

SECRET MALL APARTMENT

W/BOCA CHICA

12:45pm - 2:45pm

Q+ SHORTS

3:00pm - 4:45pm

BOOGER

W/ YOU’RE INVITED TO TUSCAN’S 5TH BIRTHDAY PARTY!

5:15pm - 7:30pm

Q+ MEET-UP

Current Space 421 N Howard St

5:00pm - 8:00pm

TRANS SHORTS

7:45pm - 9:30pm

Lazarus Lazarus Lazarus Lazarus

LATE NIGHT

SHORTS

9:45pm - 11:30pm

Lazarus

TRANS SHORTS UNDER THE STARS WITH MICKEY R. MAHONEY & LILLY WACHOWSKI

Current Space 421 N Howard St 8:15pm - 10:30pm

AFTERPARTY: GRLPWR

The Crown 1910 N Charles St 2nd floor

10:00pm - 1:00am

9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm 12pm 1am

PARKWAY 1

SUNDAY, MAY 5

RETRO MDFF SKIZZ CYZYK PRESENTS

DIVINE TRASH

10:30am - 12:30am

Parkway 1

SQUEEGEE + DOC ETHICS PANEL

12:45pm - 3:00pm

Parkway 1

DESIRE LINES W/ HYPERCONNECT

3:15pm - 5:05pm

Parkway 1

AIN’T NO BACK TO A MERRY GO ROUND

5:15pm - 7:05pm

Parkway 1

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS: CLOSING NIGHT SHORTS

PROGRAM

7:30pm - 9:30pm

Parkway 1

PARKWAY 2

SIROCCO

10:00am - 11:30pm

Parkway 2

WHEN MORNING COMES

11:30pm - 1:30pm

Parkway 2

ANY OTHER WAY: THE JACKIE SHANE STORY

1:45pm - 3:45pm

Parkway 2

FAMILY DYNAMICS SHORTS

4:00pm - 6:00pm

Parkway 2

DILLI DARK

6:15pm - 8:30pm

Parkway 2

SUNDAY, MAY 5

PARKWAY 3 MICA LAZARUS OFF-SITE

A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY

10:45am - 12:20pm

Parkway 3

SUJO

12:30pm - 2:30pm

Parkway 3

WELCOME SPACE

BROTHERS

10:15am - 12:15pm

SUGARCANE

2:45pm - 4:45pm

Parkway 3

SECRET MALL APARTMENT

3:00pm - 5:10pm

ART WORK SHORTS

5:00pm - 7:00pm

Parkway 3

PROPERTY

5:30pm - 7:30pm

REEL REFLECTIONS, FUTURE PROJECTIONS FOUNDERS

TALK WITH JED & KJ

Club Car | 12 W North Ave 3:00pm - 4:00pm

MdFF WRAP PARTY WITH DJ TY ALEXANDER

The Garage

The Garage 6 E Lafayette St.

9:30pm - 2:00am

Lazarus

Lazarus

Lazarus

STOP BY THE MERCH SHOP TO GET 25TH MdFF MERCH

FREE PROGRAMS

SUNDAY, MAY 5 | 10AM | PARKWAY 2

FREE Family Program!

SIROCCO AND THE KINGDOM OF THE WINDS

BENOÍT CHIEUX, 2023, FRANCE, ENGLISH DUB, 80 MIN.

What happens when you get lost inside your favorite book? Juliette and her sister Carmen find out the answer to this question while staying at their neighbor’s house. Join them on their adventures inside Juliette’s favorite fantasy book, Sirocco and The Kingdom of the Winds. In this colorful world the two sisters take the form of humanoid cats. On their quest to return home they encounter flying divas, technicolor dragons, and other mindmelting creations, including the mysterious blue-haired wizard Sirocco, who can control the winds. Immerse yourself in this spectacular world that draws inspiration from Miyazaki and the art of Mobeius. Don’t miss the chance to experience this singular fantasy vision years in the making from director Benoít Chieux. (Garrett Stralnic)

SATURDAY, MAY 4 | 10AM | PARKWAY 2

FREE Family Program!

ALL AGES SHORTS: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

FULL DESCRIPTIONS UNDER SHORTS (PG 36)

Note: Only this 5/4 screening is free. 5/3 in Lazarus is full price.

SEE MORE FREE PROGRAMS IN PANELS + TALKS ON PAGE 72!

GET TICKETS GET TICKETS

MAIN SLATE

MAIN SLATE IS THE CORE OF OUR PROGRAM, A SELECTION OF….

OPENING NIGHT LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH

JOHN WATERS PRESENTS BUTT BOY

SILENT FILM WITH LIVE MUSICAL SCORE

OSCAR MICHEAUX’S BODY AND SOUL

MORE THAN HYPE + ONE NIGHT AT THE DOX AFTERPARTY

TRANS SHORTS UNDER THE STARS PRESENTED BY MICKEY R MAHONEY AND LILLY WACHOWSKI

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS: CLOSING NIGHT SHORTS PROGRAM

Our Closing Night Shorts program recognizes the innovation and artistic vision of the emerging and established filmmakers alike who have long been the raison d’etre of the Maryland Film Festival. As we close out our 25th Anniversary Festival, we celebrate these voices and stories that carry us into the future of the moving image and of visual storytelling.

CIELA

JUDY’S GARDEN

DYNASTY AND DESTINY

THE STEAK ONE NOTE

AUSPICIOUS RETURN THE SHADOW WRANGLER

INCOMPREHENSIBLE DOKRA

LOOK BACK AT IT

OPENING NIGHT

LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH

Director Dawn Porter 2024, USA

Runtime 101 minutes

Luther Vandross always thought he would be a star. LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH, the long-awaited first feature documentary about the legendary singer, follows his fascinating journey from a young soul enthusiast to backup singer to worldwide fame. The film explores Vandross’s wide-ranging connections of inspiration and influence, on Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, David Bowie, Mariah Carey and even Sesame Street. LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH sets you in the front seat of spectacular live concerts crafted by a true showman and features extraordinary interviews with many of his beloved collaborators. This remarkable and uplifting film from celebrated MdFF alum Dawn Porter (Trapped, 2016) offers a glimpse of the sweet and ambitious man beyond the media’s sensational coverage of his weight fluctuation and personal struggles. LUTHER celebrates the generous reciprocal nature of inspiration that this timeless musician embodied throughout his life and career and celebrates a man who broke through the barriers that have long siloed Black artists. (Garrett Stralnic)

A special documentary screening about the most velvety voice to ever exist isn’t complete without a musical tribute. After the film we will celebrate the RnB icon with the Jonathan Gilmore Project as part of our Opening Night reception and party!

DIRECTOR DAWN PORTER

JOHN WATERS PRESENTS BUTT BOY

In what has become a highlight of every MdFF, Baltimore’s own John Waters presents our audiences with often mind-blowing , confounding, shocking, devastating or just plain f’d up films chosen especially for a Charm City audience. The Pope of Trash presents his pick of the year. Always a crowd favorite!

GET TICKETS

Screening Friday, May 3 7:00PM Parkway 1

Brilliantly played as a maybe-not-so-straight crime thriller / absurd villain origin story, Butt Boy delivers everything that MdFF audiences have come to expect from a John Waters selection: nudity, drugs, violence, vomit, gore, and of course, “the brown word.”

GET TICKETS

SILENT FILM OSCAR MICHEAUX’S BODY AND SOUL WITH LIVE MUSICAL SCORE

Have you ever seen an Oscar Micheaux film projected in a historic movie palace with a live score?

Screening Saturday, May 4 11:00AM Parkway 1

We haven’t either! Starring Paul Robeson (in his film debut), Mercedes Gilbert, Julia Theresa Russell and Lawrence Chenault, Oscar Micheaux’s Body and Soul is an incisive portrait of religion and unquestioning faith in a small community.

For this event, we will be projecting a rare 35mm film print, lovingly restored from surviving elements by the George Eastman Museum. To replicate the 1920’s movie going experience, jazz pianist Aaron Hill will be improvising a fresh score to accompany the film. Deidre Thompson, resident film librarian at MICA, will provide a brief introduction.

GET TICKETS

MORE THAN HYPE + ONE NIGHT AT THE DOX AFTERPARTY

Screening Friday, May 3 9:30PM Parkway 1

More Than Hype celebrates hip hop history - in particular Baltimore Club music - and the vibrant scene that was birthed in Charm City by the extraordinary musical artists highlighted in this doc. Director and Bmore creative entrepreneur Larry “Whaddup” Caudle interviews the movers and shakers behind the Baltimore hip hop scene from past to present. From Scottie B to Kevin Lyles’s, K Swift to Rod Lee, he weaves together a personal version of this important part of our city’s history that is often overlooked or forgotten, while finding a way to bridge the gap in a city with a solid but struggling music industry.

After the film, head over to the Baltimore Club dance party with performances from Big Ria, Rye Rye, DDM, DJ Class, Rod Lee, DJ Rod Braxton, DJ Say Wut and other artists from MORE THAN HYPE and hosted by Pork Chop and Buckshot.

MdFF PRIDE

FILM COLLECTION

Celebrate the vibrant spectrum of LGBTQ+ experiences with our Pride Film Collection. From a heartfelt evening of Trans Shorts Under the Stars to empowering narrative and documentary Queer shorts, and culminating in a dynamic afterparty, this series promises profound insights and joyful celebrations of queer identity and artistry.

TRANS SHORTS UNDER THE STARS PRESENTED BY MICKEY R MAHONEY AND LILLY WACHOWSKI

In cahoots with the Maryland Film Festival, Mickey R Mahoney and Lilly Wachowski present an evening of Trans Shorts Under the Stars! Here is a collection of works assured to fill up your heart with trans and queer joy, love, artistry, and excellence. Join us in celebrating this vital movement of trans and nonbinary filmmaking! FILM LIST ON PAGE 41.

Q+ MEET-UP

Before the screening from 5:00pm to 8:00pm

Screenings Saturday, May 4 7:45 pm

Lazarus (no Q&A)

Saturday, May 4 8:15 pm

Current Space

(Premium Event - Q&A with the filmmakers and curators)

Q+ SHORTS

A collection of narrative and documentary shorts that delve into LGBTQ+ love, struggles, and selfacceptance, capturing the essence and celebration of queer identities. FILM LIST ON PAGE 44

MdFF PRIDE AFTERPARTY

Screening Saturday, May 4 3:00PM

Lazarus

After a day of screenings, turn up at a mega queer dance party with special drag performances.

MORE INFO ON PAGE 76.

GET TICKETS

Location Saturday, May 4 10:00PM

The Crown

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS:

CLOSING NIGHT SHORTS PROGRAM

Our Closing Night Shorts program spotlights a few of our favorite things from this season’s crop of short films, recognizing the innovation and artistic vision of the emerging and established filmmakers alike who have long been the raison d’être of the Maryland Film Festival. As we close out our 25th Anniversary Festival, we celebrate these voices and stories that carry us into the future of the moving image and of visual storytelling.

CIELA

A young outcast with a vivid imagination, Ciela forms a secret friendship with an octopus in this impressionistic fable. As her fantasy world collides with reality, Ciela sets off a chain of events that disrupt her sleepy fishing village.

Director Mauricio Sierra 2022, Mexico

Runtime 15 minutes

JUDY’S GARDEN

In Judy’s Garden, a woman is confronted by death and taken on a journey through her past. The garden is shown as a cosmic arena of continuous death and renewal, one which all living things, including the gardener herself, are a part of.

Director Evie Metz 2023, USA

Runtime 7 minutes

DYNASTY AND DESTINY

Director Travis Lee Ratcliff 2023, USA

Runtime 7 minutes

A psychological portrait of the mother-daughter duo, Kanesha Jackson and Kortnee Solomon, bound together by their passion for the rodeo and the weight of their family’s legacy in the sport.

THE STEAK

A birthday ceremony preparation gets upside down as something horrible takes place.

GET TICKETS

Runtime 8 minutes

ONE NOTE

After spotting a mistake in her Harvard application at the last minute, a neurotic but driven 17-year-old Chinese-American violinist embarks on a midnight rampage through her magnet high school, blackmailing a socially-awkward teenage hacker to deliver the perfect audition for the elusive Dean of Admissions before the deadline.

Director Jamie Ting 2023, USA

Runtime 13 minutes

GET TICKETS

AUSPICIOUS RETURN

Sayeed, on vacation with his family, is perpetually wearing earphones and wandering off to nearby bodies of water. His connection to, and obsession with, open waters has been concerning and perplexing to his family, except for his Grandmother, who holds a secret only Sayeed can access.

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Director Mahsati Fidel Moorhead 2024, USA

Runtime 5 minutes

Director Kiarash Dadgar Mohebi 2023, Iran

THE SHADOW WRANGLER

An audiobook narrator is bombarded by disturbances as she tries to finish recording a western erotica novel in her closet. Featuring rising star Mitzi Akaha, whom you may recognize from the feature film Chaperone

Director Grace Rex 2023, USA

Runtime 13.5 minutes

INCOMPREHENSIBLE DOKRA

Incomprehensible Dokra (Dokra Keu Bojhey Na) is an animated documentary that explores the perils that the 4000 year old craft of Dokra faces in West Bengal, India. We converse with artisans and sellers to discuss the lack of patronage that may lead to the extinction of the craft and the possible ways to revive this artform.

GET TICKETS

Director Sneha Das Monjima Mullick 2023, India

Runtime 8 minutes

LOOK BACK AT IT

A forty-something single mother gets her groove back with a little assistance from her teenage daughter in this Baltimore set comedy short.

GET TICKETS

Director Felicia Pride 2024, USA

Runtime 12 minutes

FEATURES

An eclectic selection of narrative and documentary feature films from around the world and from the neighborhood.

AIN’T NO BACK TO A MERRY GO ROUND

ANIMALIA w/ Just Beneath the Surface

ANY OTHER WAY: THE JACKIE SHANE STORY

BOOGER w/ You’re Invited to Tuscan’s 5th Birthday Party

CHAPERONE

CORA BORA w/ Golden Child

DESIRE LINES w/ Hyperconnect

DILLI DARK

THE HYPNOSIS

A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY

PROPERTY

SECRET MALL APARTMENT w/ Boca Chica

SMOKING TIGERS w/ Do You Trust Me?

SQUEEGEE + Documentary Panel

SUGARCANE

SUJO

WHEN MORNING COMES

WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS

AIN'T NO BACK TO A MERRY GO ROUND

“On the bus we’re put in the back—/ But there ain’t no back/ To a merry-go-round! Where’s the horse/ For a kid that’s black?” - Langston Hughes, “Merry Go Round”

Director Ilana Trachtman 2023, USA

Screening Sunday, May 5 5:15 PM Parkway 1

In June of 1960, inspired by other sit-ins protesting segregation across the country, a group of nonviolent student activists from Howard University set their sights on Glen Echo Amusement Park in Bethesda, Maryland. These Black students were joined by white protesters from the neighboring progressive white families in what turned into weeks of collaboration and picketing. This documentary tells the little-known stories of Hank, Dion, Esther, Tina, Helene, and Nancy – real people whose actions that summer helped to affect major progress for civil rights. (Samantha Mitchell)

Runtime 90 minutes

WORLD PREMIERE

ANIMALIA

The animals are acting strangely. When a very pregnant Itto is separated from her husband and his family during a mysterious paranormal event, she must navigate the starkly gorgeous Moroccan countryside alone to reunite with them. Along the way, she witnesses a series of more and more bizarre behavior from the animals around her: birds, dogs, ants, and finally, humans. At once intimate and surreal, this enigmatic apocalyptic story taps into themes of religion, class, and our very humanity. (Samantha Mitchell)

In French, Arabic and Berber with English subtitles.

Preceded by Just Beneath the Surface Jimmy John Thaiday, 2023, Australia, 5 min.

Director Sofia Alaoui 2023, France/ Morocco

Screenings Friday, May 3 5:00PM Parkway 2

Saturday, May 4 12:30PM Parkway 2

Runtime 91 minutes

A man goes spearfishing off the coast of Australia and comes face to face with the extraordinary and frightening power of mother nature.

ANY OTHER WAY THE JACKIE SHANE STORY

A star is reborn. With an outsize stage presence that eclipsed even the greatest R&B artists, trans soul singer Jackie Shane shattered barriers with raw talent, courage and an unbreakable commitment to truth. Through never-before-heard phone conversations, dazzling animation and an incredible soundtrack, the full scope of her extraordinary life and career is finally revealed in this remarkable portrait. The full scope of her extraordinary life and career is an epic journey, marked by family secrets, loss and love. From standing down the mob to telling off Ed Sullivan, Jackie lived as her most authentic self through talent, courage and an unbreakable commitment to truth. But on the eve of her return to the stage, fate had other plans. In Any Other Way, Jackie finally gets her second act.

Or in her own words: “Oh, Honey! When it comes to Jackie, look out!”

GET TICKETS

Director Michael Mabbott, Lucah RosenbergLee 2024, Canada

Screenings Saturday, May 4 5:00PM Parkway 2

Sunday, May 5 1:45PM Parkway 2

Runtime 99 minutes

BOOGER

A deeply psychological tale, Booger marks the return to MdFF of alum Mary Dauterman (Bette, 2022) with her debut feature. After her dead friend’s cat runs away, Ana (brilliantly portrayed by fellow MdFF alum Grace Glowicki) grows desperate to find him, ignoring the fact that her own life and body are totally falling apart. Booger is a full on adventure in the realm of body horror comedy from this up and coming director. (Eric Cotten)

Preceded by:

You’re Invited to Tuscan’s 5th Birthday Party

Lee Eddy 2023, USA, 14 min.

GET TICKETS

Director Mary Dauterman 2023, USA

Screenings Friday, May 3 11:30PM Parkway 1

Saturday, May 4 5:15PM Lazarus

Runtime 75 minutes

In this comedic valentine to the chaos of parenthood, Tabitha wants the perfect day for her only son’s 5th birthday party. But things go awry, to put it mildly. While her husband and son search for her beloved dog that went missing in the mayhem, Tabitha is left alone to pick up the pieces.

Twenty-nine year old Misha (perfectly portrayed by up and coming actress Mitzi Akaha) doesn’t want a promotion. In fact, she’d like nothing more than to continue the carefree life she’s cultivated for herself living in her Hawaiian hometown, and she doesn’t understand why this bothers her family and friends so much. The only person who doesn’t seem bothered by her lack of ambition is 19-year-old Jake (Laird Akeo) – but this may be because he mistakes her for a fellow high school senior. As their relationship develops, Misha comes face to face with the reality she has long been running from. (Samantha Mitchell)

Director Zoe Eisenberg 2024, USA

Screenings Friday, May 3 10:00PM Parkway 3

Saturday, May 4 6:00PM Parkway 1

Runtime 102 minutes

CORA BORA CHAPERONE

MdFF alum Hannah Pearl Utt (Before You Know It, 2019) is back with another crowd pleaser. After a failed attempt at a solo music career, pretty and privileged Cora (Meg Stalter) puts her life of random hookups on hold and returns home to Portland to try and save what is left of her open relationship. Once there, she slowly realizes, her romantic relationship is not the only thing that needs saving. (Jasmine Patrick)

Preceded by:

Golden Child

Hannah Levin, 2023, USA, 10 min.

Director Hannah Pearl Utt 2023, USA

Screenings Friday, May 3 7:15PM Parkway 2

Saturday, May 4 8:30PM Lazarus

Runtime 92 minutes

A young woman is reunited with her childhood friend at a pool party and reckons with the fact that he used to pee on her when they were kids. When she is met with indifference, she takes revenge.

DESIRE LINES

Does perusing queer artifacts tantalize you in more ways than one? Desire Lines is a celebration of underrepresented trans masc stories transcending the barriers of time. Follow an Iranian American trans man as he time-travels through an LGBTQ+ archive on an erotic quest to unravel his own desires. The film spotlights trans men who share their thoughts on everything from the philosophy of Derrida to fellatio, while also exploring the limitations and social baggage of the trans masc label. Director Jules Rosskam queers traditional documentary filmmaking, injecting fantasy and heart. Desire Lines mirrors the way our present informs our understanding of the past and vice versa. (Garrett Stralnic)

Preceded by:

Director Jules Rosskam 2023, USA

Screenings Friday, May 3 5:15PM Parkway 3

Sunday, May 5 3:15PM Parkway 1

Runtime 77 minutes

Hyperconnect Jim Muntisov, 2023, Australia, 15 min. Young artist Remy texts and draws and emotes in this experimental montage love story mixed with animation and longing.

DILLI DARK

As a Nigerian earning his MBA in Marketing in New Delhi, Michael Okeke is in the extreme minority. And his teachers, classmates, and neighbors are quick to remind him of that at every turn. In an attempt to cheer him up, one of Michael’s friends tells him the story of the 13th century queen of Delhi, Razia Sultan, who fell in love with a dark-skinned African slave-turned-nobleman named Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut. Soon after, Michael develops a crush on an Indian woman and imagines the two of them living out a melodramatic Bollywood romance with a happy ending. But in reality, their interracial romance is extremely frowned upon, and the only hands-on Marketing experience Michael has attained— selling cocaine on the streets of New Delhi—cannot be listed on any job application. (James A. Burkhalter)

In English and Hindi with English subtitles.

Director Dibakar Das Roy 2023, India

Screenings Saturday, May 4 2:30PM Parkway 2

Sunday, May 5 6:15PM Parkway 2

Runtime 100 minutes

HYPNOSIS

In this clever satirical social commentary, young couple Vera and André attend a competition where they pitch their female health app. As the competition progresses it becomes clear that Vera’s hypnotherapy may have done more than help her quit smoking, while André’s behavior changes under the mounting pressure. All of this culminates in an unforgettable family dinner in the final scene. (Garrett Stralnic)

In Swedish with English subtitles.

A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY THE

Director Ernst De Geer 2023, Sweden

Screenings Friday, May 3 12:30PM Parkway 1

Saturday, May 4 8:00PM Parkway 3

Runtime 99 minutes

Director Rachel Seed’s mother, famed journalist and photographer Sheila Turner-Seed, passed away when the director was just 18 months old. Seed has spent over a decade re-examining her mom’s extensive archive of filmed interviews with some of the most acclaimed photographers of her time, as well as old photographs, and home movies.

The result is an amazing composite recollection of her mother’s dynamic life and analysis of the influences that has made on her own life choices. Seed’s elusive film is a haunting portrait—nimble in execution and startling in its poignancy—that introduces her mother to a new generation. (Eric Cotten)

Director Rachel Elizabeth Seed 2024, USA

Screenings Friday, May 3 4:45PM Parkway 1

Sunday, May 5 10:45AM Parkway 3

Runtime 87 minutes

PROPERTY

To protect herself from a revolt by the workers on her family’s farm, a reclusive woman locks herself in her own armored car. Separated by a layer of glass, two universes are about to collide. This claustrophobic and impossibly intense thriller deals with class and social hierarchy in a way that feels fresh and intoxicating, even as its palpable sense of dread permeates over every ounce of the viewing experience. The Brazilian film industry has long been producing stories that force you to face the harsh truths of economic prosperity and the lack thereof, but none so deftly and terrifying as Property. If you’re not still thinking about this one a month after you’ve seen it, we’re pretty sure you’re from another planet. Property (Propriedade) took home the top prize for Best Picture in the main competition at the 2023 Fantastic Fest.

Director Daniel Bandeira 2023, Brazil

Portuguese w/English Subtitles

Screenings

Saturday, May 4 10:30PM

Parkway 2

Sunday, May 5 5:30PM Lazarus

Runtime 101 minutes

SECRET MALL APARTMENT

In 2003, eight young Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment in a hidden space inside the Providence Place Mall and lived in it for four years, filming everything along the way. They snuck in furniture, tapped into the mall’s electricity, and even secretly constructed a brick wall with a locking door, smuggling in over 2 tons of cinderblock. Far more than just a wild prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all its inhabitants – a personal expression of defiance against local gentarification, a boundary-pushing work of public/private art, a clubhouse to coordinate their artistic charity, and finally, a 750 square foot space that sticks it to the man. This latest fascinating doc from Jeremy Workman (Lily Topples the World, 2021) is bound to be a new festival favorite.

Preceded by: Boca Chica

GET TICKETS

Director Jeremy Workman 2023, USA

Screenings Saturday, May 4 12:45PM Lazarus

Sunday, May 5 3:00PM Lazarus

Runtime 90 minutes

Ái Vuong & Samuel Díaz Fernández, 2023, USA, 13 min.

Unrestricted access to beaches is a public right in Texas. But for the little known, magical, and untamed stretch of beach called Boca Chica, that right is curtailed when SpaceX takes flight. Boca Chica uncovers the mesmerizing beauty of this fragile coastline and the fight for free access for its longtime visitors whose memories and spirituality are rooted deep among the sandy shorelines.

SMOKING TIGERS

Following her parents’ divorce, Korean American teenager Hayoung spends her time bouncing between two very different households. Terrified that her daughter will end up at a dreaded “state college,” Hayoung’s mother forces her to enroll in an expensive summer SAT boot camp. Meanwhile, her father, an easygoing door-to-door carpet salesman, lives in a storage unit and couldn’t care less about his daughter’s academic proficiency. Hayoung’s depressing summer takes a turn as she lets the popular girl in class copy her answers on a test. Suddenly, she is part of the cool crowd and is invited to their nightly house parties and desperate to keep up appearances. (James A. Burkhalter)

Preceded by: Do You Trust Me?

Ronald James, 2023, Baltimore, 6 min.

Director So Young

Shelly Yo 2023, USA

Korean/English

Screenings Friday, May 3 2:30PM Parkway 1

Saturday, May 4 3:15PM Parkway 3

Runtime 85 minutes

In a serendipitous encounter, Jane and Ron, virtual strangers, embark on a date. Unexpectedly, Jane’s simple yet profound act of kindness sparks a transformative journey for Ronald, setting the stage for a captivating tale of new beginnings.

SQUEEGEE

This unflinching multi-layered portrait of the harsh realities of growing up in Baltimore takes the viewer on a journey, as seen through the eyes of four young people in the worlds they inhabit. Leroy Brown, Ericka Sparks, Desmond Rogers, and “Peanut” Davis transition to adulthood and fight for their futures as they squeegee to make a living in a city that treats them as disposable. Working collaboratively with the young people, the film interweaves verité footage shot by the filmmakers, along with lyrical, diaristic footage shot by the participants, offering unparalleled, unfiltered access into their lives. (Eric Cotten)

GET TICKETS

Director Clarke Lyons

Gabe Dinsmoor 2023, USA

Screenings Sunday, May 5 12:45PM Parkway 3

Runtime 85 minutes

The film will be followed by a panel discussion on documentary filmmaking ethics with the filmmakers, participants, and Abby Sun of the International Documentary Association.

SUGARCANE

In this extraordinarily powerful film, a ground-breaking investigation of unmarked graves at an Indian residential school ignites a reckoning in the lives of survivors and their descendants, including the film’s co-director Julian Brave NoiseCat (Canim Lake Band Tsq’escen), whose father was born—and nearly buried—at the school. A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and ways of life - SUGARCANE, the debut feature documentary from NoiseCat and Emily Kassie - is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning.

The film empowers participants to break cycles of intergenerational trauma by bearing witness to painful, long-ignored truths – and the love that endures within their families despite the revelation of genocide.

Director Julian Brave Noisecat Emily Kassie 2024, USA

Screenings Friday, May 3 5:45PM Lazarus

Sunday, May 5 2:45PM Parkway 3

Runtime 107 minutes

SUJO

Sujo is only 4 years old when his father is murdered by a Michoacan cartel. But this gripping drama is not your typical action-thriller. The violence of the drug wars lurk off screen, as we watch Sujo grow from child to young man. Raised by his quirky recluse and rightly fearful aunt, tempted to follow in his father’s footsteps by his cousins, and encouraged towards a different path by a literature professor who takes him under her wing, Sujo must decide for himself what kind of life he wants to lead. (Samantha Mitchell)

Director Astrid Rondero Fernanda Valadez Mexico/France/ USA

Spanish with English subtitles.

Screenings Saturday, May 4 10:45PM Parkway 1

Sunday, May 5 12:30PM Lazarus

Runtime 126 minutes

WHEN MORNING COMES

In this quietly beautiful debut feature from director Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, nine-year-old Jamal is a wide-eyed and unassuming child living in rural Jamaica. He lives with his hard working single mother in a small shanty house. Jamal gets into trouble at school as his mother is making plans for him to go live with his grandmother in Canada to start “a better life.” Feeling this is a punishment, Jamal travels around his town saying goodbye to his friends, listening to their perspective of his move to the ever elusive, and admired foreign land.

Director Kelly FyffeMarshall 2022, Canada/ Jamaica

Screenings Saturday, May 4 3:45PM Parkway 1

Sunday, May 5 11:30AM Parkway 2

Runtime 87 minutes

WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS

The latest project from 2012 MdFF alum Jodi Wille (The Source Family, 2012) unveils the fascinating true story of The Unarius Academy of Science, a long-running extraterrestrial-channeling, self-healing spiritual school in El Cajon, California. Ruth E. Norman, aka “Archangel Uriel,” the director of Unarius, was an outlandish spiritual leader and visionary filmmaker with a wealth of charisma and extravagant gowns. In the late 1970s students of Unarius became a wildly prolific filmmaking and art collective with an otherworldly mid-century aesthetic. Welcome Space Brothers chronicles Uriel’s predictions of alien Earth visitations, the unique relationships between her and spiritual/creative partners jockeying for her attention, and the spectacular cinematic creations of Unarius filmed long before CGI. (Garrett Stralnic)

Director Jodi Wille 2023, USA

Screenings Friday, May 3 9:45PM Parkway 2

Sunday, May 5 10:15AM Lazarus

Runtime 100 minutes

SHORTS

BALTISHORTS

Q+SHORTS

A NIGHTMARE ON NORTH AVENUE SHORTS

ALL AGES SHORTS: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

FAMILY DYNAMIC SHORTS

LATE NIGHT SHORTS

ART WORK SHORTS

ANIMATED SHORTS

CHARACTER STUDY SHORTS

Established in 2019, BaltiShorts has become a staple in the MdFF program, highlighting movies made by DMV creators or films about the greater Baltimore community. This year’s BaltiShorts program features docs, narratives, experimental work and animation spotlighting quintessential Mid-Atlantic stories and sensibilities. (Eric Cotten)

Saturday, May 4 1:15pm Parkway 1 98 minutes

EL CAMINO DEL PAN A BALTIMORE

El camino del pan a Baltimore tells the story of José Vargas’s humble beginnings to uncovering the deep drive that led him and his family to owning and managing a 3-business bakery enterprise.

Director Andy Dahl 2023, USA

Runtime 21 minutes

BaltiShorts

STRUT

This film is the result of a Portuguese workshop focused on animation loops and the state symbol, a rooster.

Director Lynn Tomlinson 2023, USA/Portugal

Runtime 3 minutes

BaltiShorts

SQUEEGEE BOY

In a quest to find belonging and acceptance, a trans teenager yearns to become part of a tight-knit group of squeegee boys in Baltimore City.

Director Chung-Wei Huang 2023, USA

Runtime 15 minutes

BaltiShorts

MAKING OUR SPACES SACRED

A short documentary revealing how some exceptional Black Baltimoreans transform ordinary outdoor spaces into sites of extraordinary meaning.

Director Lenett Partlow-Myrick 2023, USA

Runtime 4 minutes

BaltiShorts

FAMILY DINNER

Already high and about to go out for the night, Vicky is instead forced to take her younger step-brother out to dinner. But she soon realizes that he may need this encounter more than she thought.

Director Ethan Romaine 2023, USA

Runtime 15 minutes

BaltiShorts

BUG BOX

A box full of bugs, snails, and the fleeting childhood memories of summer.

Director Kat Navarro 2023, USA

Runtime 4 minutes

BaltiShorts

BEHIND THE BRAND: BALTIMORE BLK ASS FLEA MKT

Rooted in high energy and positive sisterhood, the founders of the Black Ass Flea Market recount their journey.

Director Bre Lang 2023, USA

Runtime 7 minutes

BaltiShorts

730 DAYS

Dominic struggles to maintain his daily life as the two year anniversary of the loss of his partner approaches.

Director LaDawn Manuel 2024, USA

Runtime 9 minutes

BaltiShorts

FAIDLEYS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE

An energetic examination of the original 142 year old Faidley’s Market, the anchor of Lexington Market before moving into its new location, a transition full of strong feelings.

Director Charles Cohen Gaybrielle Paredes 2023, USA

Runtime 8 minutes

BaltiShorts

LANDMARKED PART FIVE: A TRIBUTE TO FANNIE LOU HAMER

In this short experimental art film, the directors reference Fannie Lou Hamer’s famous 1971 speech, which finds new meaning in today’s unprecedented political era.

2023, USA

Runtime 11 minutes

BaltiShorts

THE FLACALTA EFFECT

After a drug with anti-aging properties has apocalyptic consequences, two Black sisters fight for their lives—and looks—in this satirical take on toxic white beauty culture.

Director Rochée Jeffrey 2024, USA

Runtime 8 minutes

BaltiShorts

Director

Ada Pinkston Rachel Clift

In cahoots with the Maryland Film Festival, Mickey R Mahoney and Lilly Wachowski present an evening of Trans Shorts Under the Stars! Here is a collection of works assured to fill up your heart with trans and queer joy, love, artistry, and excellence. Join us in celebrating this vital movement of trans and nonbinary filmmaking!

Saturday, May 4 7:45 pm

Lazarus (no Q&A)

Saturday, May 4 8:15 pm

Current Space

(Premium Event - Q&A with the filmmakers and curators)

HERE WITH YOU

When Imani goes to her friend’s housewarming party, she meets a boy who piques her interest. She invites him over to hang out while she gets ready for another party, only to realize that they have more in common than she thought.

Director Here With You 2017, USA

Runtime 7 minutes

Trans Shorts

ARE YOU SURE?

Transgender woman Sarah struggles to jump the same transition hurdle, again and again.

Director Perette Barella 2023, USA

Runtime 10 minutes

Trans Shorts

ALL THE WORDS BUT THE ONE

World Premiere!

A dinner with her partner’s new boss becomes precarious when Maya realizes she’s also dining with someone from her past.

Director Nava Mau 2024, USA,

Runtime 19 minutes

Trans Shorts

BURTON BEFORE AND AFTER

Fifteen years after Burton began his gender-affirming transition, his longtime friend Courtney calls him up with news that she has uncovered a cache of home video footage from that time period. Courtney proposes that they go on-camera to revisit the old footage together. Burton Before and After is an intimate portrait of transition, memory, and friendship.

Director Courtney Hermann 2017, USA,

Runtime 15 minutes

Trans Shorts

DILATING FOR MAXIMUM RESULTS

A whacky, irrelevant comedy about a black trans woman who tries to dilate, after four years of not dilating, to hook-up IRL with her online boyfriend.

Director Nyala Moon 2023, USA

Runtime 14 minutes

Trans Shorts

SPOOKABLE

Spookable is the story of two trans best friends, Sean and Tahmina, who go to vacation in the woods only to end up a part of the supernatural world.

Director Jonathan Andre Culliton, 2023, USA

Runtime 15 minutes

Trans Shorts

I’M IN LOVE WITH EDGAR ALLEN POE

World Premiere!

Two goth teens face an ingredient supply issue as they prepare to resurrect the soul of Edgar Allan Poe.

Director Andrea Walter 2023, USA

Runtime 13 minutes

Trans Shorts

COMING OUT

A tender stop-motion animation about identity, love, and giant monsters. Endorsed officially by Toho, the studio responsible for the iconic creature, this short brings awareness and support for LGBTQ stories into the Godzilla canon.

Director Cressa Maeve Áine 2023, USA

Runtime 3 minutes

Trans Shorts

Narrative and documentary shorts about LGBTQ+ love and films about the struggles and importance of self acceptance.

Saturday, May 4

3:00pm Lazarus 97 minutes

GRACE

Sixteen-year-old Grace prepares for her baptism in the rural 1950’s South. When she learns she must repent before the ritual, Grace contemplates her romantic feelings toward her best friend Louise.

Director

2023, USA

Runtime 13 minutes

Q+ Shorts

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO PUSSY NOIR

DC native Pussy Noir is a performer who challenges the boundaries of theater, drag and the traditional art scene. Venture behind the scenes of her historic fellowship at the Kennedy Center and onto the catwalk of her fashion show that distinctively fuses queerness and couture.

Director Amy Ode 2023, USA

Runtime 23 minutes

Q+ Shorts

Natalie Jasmine Harris

SASPORUMPET

Tennis doubles partners participate in the Kansas State Championship and compete for each other’s attention. Their lively team has some interesting traditions, including a mascot that is a preserved shark in a jar named Saporumpet and who may not be a lucky charm after all.

Director Brydie O’Conner 2023, USA

Runtime 13 minutes

Q+ Shorts

UNNAMED

A talented trans volleyball player deals with his family’s disapproval when he tells them his plans for gender affirming surgery.

Director Iranmehr Salimi 2023, Iran

Runtime 13 minutes

Q+ Shorts

BLUE SQUARE HEART

A drag queen portrayed by Baltimore’s own Sextia N’eight is forced to reconsider his shockingly violent art when his estranged, conservative mother makes a surprise appearance at one of his performances, in an attempt to reconnect.

Director William Means 2023, USA

Runtime 30 minutes

Q+ Shorts

“For no mere mortal can resist the evil of the thriller.”

A collection of horror shorts featuring demons, zombies, and perhaps the most devious of all: human beings.

(James A. Burkhalter)

Friday, May 3 10:15pm Lazarus 87 minutes

THE LONELY PORTRAIT

While staying at a rental home, a man stumbles upon a painting with otherworldly appeal.

Director Marc Marashi 2023, USA

Runtime 17 minutes

A Nightmare on North Avenue Shorts

THE THAW

Lacking enough resources to survive the harsh winter, a young woman brews a sleeping potion for her parents but botches the recipe.

Director Sarah Wisner Sean Temple 2023, USA

Runtime 17 minutes

A Nightmare on North Avenue Shorts

INNER DEMONS

Caught in the throes of depression, a college student wrestles with her inner demons.

TW: Depictions of self-harm

Director Jasmine J. Johnson 2023, USA

Runtime 11 minutes

A Nightmare on North Avenue Shorts

THE BLOODY FAMILY

A welfare officer inspects a family’s home after hearing rumors about their reclusive daughter.

Director Amir Karami 2024, Iran

Runtime 15 minutes

A Nightmare on North Avenue Shorts

LONG FOR THE MISSING

On the eve of their wedding, Jang-yeol’s fiancée suddenly vanishes into thin air.

Director Jae-Hong Kim 2023, South Korea

Runtime 28 minutes

A Nightmare on North Avenue Shorts

Find inspiration in this collection of family-friendly documentaries, following subjects ranging from a youth women’s basketball league that continually churns out WNBA players to a singularly fabulous Chinese American drill team to a formerly homeless immigrant who becomes a world champion acrobatic pizza tosser. (Samantha Mitchell)

Friday, May 3 3:30pm Lazarus

Saturday, May 4 10:15am

Parkway 2

87 minutes

CAN'T RETIRE FROM THIS

“Every story at its core is a love story,” and this is a love story about women’s basketball. With animation, interviews, and archival footage, we follow women and girls in the DC metro area who find community and inspiration in their youth basketball league.

Director Melanie Page 2023, USA

Runtime 34 minutes

All Ages Shorts:

Anything is Possible

HAKKI RISING

Hakki Akdeniz, an immigrant from Turkey, faced homelessness when he first arrived in New York City. With incredible determination and empathy, this film follows Hakki from his first job as a dishwasher in a pizza kitchen to becoming a world champion in acrobatic pizza tossing.

Director David Larson 2023, USA

Runtime 30 minutes

All Ages Shorts:

Anything is Possible

SHE MARCHES IN CHINATOWN

For 70 years, the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team has delivered stunning performances that blend precision marching with elaborate classic Chinese costumes. Members of the group find belonging, sisterhood and community, despite living in a neighborhood targeted by waves of discrimination.

Director Della Chen 2023, USA

Runtime 33 minutes

All Ages Shorts: Anything is Possible

Every family has its quirks. From a deathbed rap battle with a grandparent, exploring generational differences regarding protests in Iran, or coaching your kids to lie on national television, these short films give us a potpourri of utterly unique family relationships.

(Samantha Mitchell)

GET TICKETS

Friday, May 3 3:00pm Parkway 3

Sunday, May 5 4:00pm Parkway 2 90 minutes

END OF SUMMER

After his grandmother passes away, a boy keeps seeing her ghost while helping his mother prepare for her funeral. He harbors a growing concern that his grandmother’s spirit will disappear after the ceremony.

Director Weiqi Cai 2023, USA

Runtime 15 minutes

Family Dynamic Shorts

BALLOON BOY

In 2009, America watched on live TV as a large balloon floated through the skies of Colorado, apparently with a 6 year old boy on board. The truth is far stranger.

Director Arlin Golden  Brian Gersten 2023, USA

Runtime 93 minutes

Family Dynamic Shorts

ECHOES OF POMEGRANATE

Furious after the tragic death of an Iranian woman who did not properly wear her hijab, Shirin takes to social media to show her support. While on a country road trip with her father, Shirin must confront her father’s fears about her protests as he remembers the bloodshed of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Director Alex Bijan Zandi 2024, USA

Runtime 15 minutes

Family Dynamic Shorts

GOT LEAD?

Myron was exposed to high levels of lead paint as a toddler in his family’s Baltimore home. A lawsuit filed by his mother led to a cash settlement – but the money disappeared within a year. Now, Myron seeks the medical and emotional support he needs on his own, with music as his guide.

Director Myron Higgins 2024, Baltimore

Runtime 19 minutes

Family Dynamic Shorts

BOB’S FUNERAL

The director sneaks a camera into his estranged grandfather’s funeral in this unexpectedly funny and touching exploration of grief and generational trauma.

Director Jack Dunphy 2024, USA

Runtime 18 minutes

Family Dynamic Shorts

TERMINALLY ILL

A rapper tries to keep his dying grandmother alive by giving his all to a madcap freestyle rap – just like she taught him.

Director Christopher J. Cole 2024, USA

Runtime 8 minutes

Family Dynamic Shorts

The later it gets, the more we crave curious stories that take surprising, sometimes supernatural turns and films that find humor in the bizarre… (James A. Burkhalter and Garrett Stralnic)

Saturday, May 4 9:45pm Lazarus 101 minutes

H*LE

Can you ever really know your partner holistically?

Is there anything they hide from you? A woman feels estranged from her boyfriend after realizing she’s never seen a certain part of him.

Director Nick Beardslee 2023, USA

Runtime 6 minutes

Late Night Shorts

TONIGHT, WE EAT FLOWERS

Jamilah works in a corporate office; Luis is a door-todoor “muzak” salesman. On one fateful day, their paths collide and sparks start flying.

Director Bettina Escauriza 2023, USA

Runtime 22 minutes

Late Night Shorts

CRISIS

Chip desperately needs 20 bucks. In a convenient twist of fate, he discovers that he’s related to an infamous family of billionaires.

Director James Benson 2023, USA

Runtime 13 minutes

Late Night Shorts

A FERMENTING WOMAN

On the brink of getting fired from her restaurant by new owners, visionary chef and master fermenter Marielle develops an incendiary new dish with a bewitching ingredient she’s convinced will save her career.

Director Pricilla Galvez 2023, USA

Runtime 24 minutes

Late Night Shorts

GREETINGS

Trish’s office is big on birthdays. Trish is unsure of what to write in her coworkers’ cards, but that changes after some strange coincidences start to occur.

Director Stephanie Bencin 2023, USA

Runtime 13 minutes

Late Night Shorts

HAIR CARE

After her hairdresser disappears mid-appointment, a frustrated Jamila chases the woman across space and time.

Director Fatima Wardy 2023, USA

Runtime 12 minutes

Late Night Shorts

A JOYFUL PROCESS

Everything in moderation, they say. There is a season for everything, they say. But how does one know when it is time to move on to the next task at hand? When two men go fishing they have the time to collectively ponder the limits of morality.

Director Alex Goldberg 2023, USA

Runtime 11 minutes

Late Night Shorts

It might stem from necessity to express oneself or desire to leave a legacy, but let’s face it, art-making is work. Each of these shorts profiles an artist who is completely devoted to their craft and puts in the time.

(Jasmine Patrick)

GET TICKETS

Friday, May 3 12:30pm Parkway 3

Sunday, May 5 5:00pm Parkway 3 86.5 minutes

NOTHING LEFT UNDONE

As Philadelphia artist G Kellum prepares for an upcoming gallery exhibition, he reflects on his artistic origins, life philosophy, and complicated relationship with success. We follow the flow of G’s thoughts, touching on everything from Serendipity to Binary Code.

Director Matthew Ober 2023, USA

Runtime 18.5 minutes

Art Work Shorts

DON’T TOUCH MY HAIR

Daisha lands the job she’s always wanted. When her first day doesn’t go as planned, she must decide between unleashing her full powers or playing along for the sake of her dream.

Director Matthew Law 2023, USA

Runtime 16 minutes

Art Work Shorts

MEMPHIS BLUES

Poet and painter seangarrison performs a moving piece, painting his feelings in the wake of another killing of a Black man.

Director Khalid Ali 2023, USA

Runtime 5 minutes

Art Work Shorts

BLACK MAGIC

A diversity hire in a writer’s room contends with the expectations of her boss at the cost of her identity.

Director Cristin Stephens 2023, USA

Runtime 14 minutes

Art Work Shorts

WOULDN’T MAKE IT ANY OTHER WAY

Having built a colorful queer life in an American prairie town, an aspiring costume designer visits their island homeland of Guam to make costumes for a children’s theater and reconnect with distanced parents.

Director Hao Zhou 2023, Guam

Runtime 20 minutes

Art Work Shorts

THE CALLBACK

Molly is an aspiring actress looking for her big break. Blending fiction, animation, humor, and poetry, as auditions come and go, she calls out an industry where women are underrepresented and underwritten.

Director Kara Herold 2024, USA

Runtime 13 minutes

Art Work Shorts

These animated films tackle a variety of themes including the apocalypse and identity. Among them are charming narrative shorts and thought-provoking experimental meditations. (Garrett Stralnic)

Friday, May 3 11:15am Parkway 2

Friday. May 3 8:00pm Lazarus 89 minutes

TENNIS, ORANGES

A robotic vacuum suffering from burnout quits its job at a hospital and sets out to find community and a greater purpose on a quiet street where two lonely rabbits are stuck in quotidian loops.

USA

Runtime 11 minutes

Animated Shorts

WHAT HUMANS DO

A mesmerizing meditation on the human body and what it produces, reproduces and uses.

USA

Runtime 6 minutes

Animated Shorts

Director Sean Pecknold 2024,

Director Miranda Javid 2023,

THE MINOTAUR’S STRIKE

The Minotaur longs to see the world outside the Labyrinth’s walls.

Director Raphaël Lozano 2023, France

Runtime 13 minutes

Animated Shorts

THIS IS A STORY WITHOUT A PLAN

Inspired by a dream, two otherworldly beings witness an explosion.

Director Cassie Shao 2023, USA

Runtime 8 minutes

Animated Shorts

THE TIN WOODS

While exploring an abandoned cabin, the Tin Woodman finds his original head. Based on the original Oz books by L. Frank Baum, this short stop-motion film explores the origins of the Tin Woodman and how he came to be made of tin.

Director Nick Boxwell 2023, USA

Runtime 10 minutes

Animated Shorts

MINUS PLUS MULTIPLY

Minus Plus Multiply utilizes 2D animation, stop motion, sound and pottery to tell a story of the fragmentation of identity.

Director Chu-Chieh Lee 2023, UK

Runtime 4 minutes

Animated Shorts

BRAINS: A POSTMODERN PROMETHEUS STORY

A team of insectoid scientists lose their heads over new AI technology.

Director Jim Doran 2023, USA

Runtime 10 minutes

Animated Shorts

VISION

A hypnotic exploration of the power of eyesight and perception.

Director Çağıl Harmandar 2023, Japan

Runtime 13 minutes

Animated Shorts

THE SPRAYER

In a world where growing plants is heavily regulated, a curious soldier finds a hidden seed.

Director Farnoosh Abedi 2023, Iran

Runtime 9 minutes

Animated Shorts

REPARATIONS

An exploration into the phenomenon of migration (forced and voluntary), through the fragmentation and modulation of an unlikely character: a chair.

Director Wilson Borja 2021, Colombia

Runtime 10 minutes

Animated Shorts

Beginning and ending, coming and going, difficult predicaments and ghosts of that past echo through these extraordinary narratives focused on strong characters and their challenges. (KJ Mohr)

Friday, May 3 7:45pm Parkway 3

Saturday, May 4 1:00pm Parkway 3

96 minutes

KISS

Haunted by her past kisses, Annie must confront the one kiss she refuses to acknowledge.

Director Katja Roberts 2023, UK

Runtime 15 minutes

Character Study

Shorts

RICKY

An ex-offender struggling with new freedom pursues redemption at all costs when given a job from his neighbor.

Director Rashad Frett 2023, USA

Runtime 20 minutes

Character Study

Shorts

THE RED SUITCASE

An Iranian girl decides to remove her hijab in a life changing situation.

Director Cyrus Neshvad 2022, Luxembourg

Runtime 15 minutes

Character Study

Shorts

ZOOMER

A runaway hitchhiker is picked up by a man trying to reconcile with a troubled past. When his plans to help the youth find his way backfire, the man’s old self begins to shine through.

Director Patrick Elmore 2023, Maryland

Runtime 14 minutes

Character Study

Shorts

JEDO’S DEAD

When a girl finds her grandfather dead, she is forced to grapple with the earthly rituals and spiritual looseends of loss.

Director Sara Nimeh 2023, USA

Runtime 12 minutes

Character Study

Shorts

BARELY BREATHING

After nearly dying in an embarrassing autoerotic asphyxiation accident (AEA), Sai is guilted into moving in with his father and stepmother. In order to get them off his back, Sai begins “hanging” with an AEA support group filled with loveable misfits in this dark comedy.

Director Derek Evans 2023, USA

Runtime 20 minutes

Character Study

Shorts

RETRO MdFF

An eclectic selection of narrative and documentary feature films from around the world and from the neighborhood.

BODY AND SOUL (1925) THE CRAZY FAMILY (1984) presented by ERROR 4444 DETENTION (1998) DIVINE TRASH (1999) presented by SKIZZ CYZYK

THE HIP-HOP FELLOW (2014) TRAPPED (2016) VIVA (2007)

BODY AND SOUL

The Rt. Reverend Isaiah T. Jenkins is a charismatic preacher who commands the respect and reverence of his congregation in Tatesville, a small Black town in Georgia. Martha Jane, one of his devout congregants, is determined to have her daughter Isabelle marry the Reverend. Meanwhile, Isabelle is in love with Sylvester, the reverend’s twin brother. Unbeknownst to Martha Jane and the rest of the town, the reverend is actually an imposter and a fugitive who has been drinking, gambling and stealing the church’s collection plate for himself. Starring Paul Robeson (in his film debut), Mercedes Gilbert, Julia Theresa Russell and Lawrence Chenault, Oscar Micheaux’s Body and Soul is an incisive portrait of religion and unquestioning faith in a small community. (Deidre A. Thompson)

Director Oscar Micheaux 1925, USA

Screening Saturday, May 4 11:00AM

Parkway 1

Presented with an introduction from Deidre A. Thompson, Collection Services Librarian at MICA. Baltimore musician Aaron Hill accompanies Michaeux’s film with an original live score in the theater. Screening on 35mm film!

THE CRAZY FAMILY PRESENTED BY ERROR 4444

All notions of what it means to be a normal family are dropped into a blender and warped to hell in Gakuryû Ishii’s deconstruction of the nuclear household: The Crazy Family (1984).

Katsuhiko Kobayashi thinks his family’s trajectory is declining due to their “civilization sickness,” which he believes is perhaps a consequence of city living. He decides to move them to a more suburban setting away from the city, so they can settle more into the roles he imagined for them. But his plans are gradually disturbed by his own eccentric actions and the rest of the family’s rapid descent into madness.

Director Gakuryû Ishii 1984, Japan

Screenings Saturday, May 4 10:15PM Parkway 3

Runtime 106 minutes

Gakuryû Ishii is one of Japan’s leading filmmaking Punk visionaries, who aided in the creation of his country’s own cyberpunk movement. His body of work includes the punk-rock cyberpunk showdown film Electric Dragon 80.000 V (2001) and the psycho-thriller Angel Dust (1994).

(Samuel Antezana, Video Editor & Co-Owner of ERROR 4444 Distribution Company)

DETENTION

Released the very year that MdFF was being created, shot on Super-16mm film and supported by MdFF’s Producer’s Club, Detention is the 1998 feature debut of Baltimore’s own Darryl Wharton-Rigby, an accomplished TV writer and professor at Temple University’s Japan campus. Based on Wharton-Rigby’s own recollections of the Baltimore public school system, the film follows five exceptional students and one dedicated teacher as they experience an afternoon of detention. That particular event turns out to be a pivotal life changing experience for everyone involved. (Eric Cotten)

Screening on 16mm film!

Preceded by:

Hearth

Cameron Clay, 2023, USA, 13 min.

GET TICKETS

Director Darryl Wharton-Rigby 1998, USA

Screening Saturday, May 4 5:30PM Parkway 3

Runtime 83 minutes

A family returns home to find a mysterious man, disheveled and unwelcome, at their suburban doorstep.

DIVINE TRASH PRESENTED BY SKIZZ CYZYK

John Waters’ Pink Flamingos is one of the most notorious cult films ever made. Filmmaker Steve Yeager was shooting behind-the-scenes footage of the production. Decades later, he combined that footage with other archival materials and newly shot interviews with the likes of Steve Buscemi, Hal Hartley, Jim Jarmusch, to create Divine Trash, a documentary that serves as not only a time capsule of Waters’ early Dreamland Productions days, but also the 1990s world of indie filmmaking. The film features the charming look of that decade’s low-budget 16mm filmmaking, just before the digital revolution changed the indie film landscape.

Director Steve Yeager 1998, USA

Screenings Sunday, May 5 10:30AM

Parkway 1

Runtime 97 minutes

Divine Trash premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, and brought home the prestigious Filmmakers Trophy for Best Documentary. The following year it screened at the inaugural Maryland Film Festival. (Skizz Cyzyk)

Screening on 16mm film!

THE HIP-HOP FELLOW

A decade ago, MdFF featured a beloved film about Grammy Award winning producer Patrick Douhit aka 9th Wonder’s tenure at Harvard University, and those who caught the doc have been raving about it ever since. As Harvard’s first Nasir Jones Hip Hop Fellow, Douhit indulges academics and hip hop heads old and new in the extensive history of hip hop, sampling, and crate digging via his class “The Standards of Hip Hop.” The film centers on the emerging significance of incorporating hip-hop studies into the academy and spotlights the scholars and musicians at the forefront of preserving 40 (and now 50!) years of hip-hop culture. (Jasmine Patrick)

Director Kenneth Price 2014, USA

Screenings Saturday, May 4 11:00AM

Parkway 3

Runtime 78 minutes

At least as relevant now as it was at our 2016 Festival, Trapped is Dawn Porter’s pointed investigation of U.S. abortion clinics fighting to survive. Since 2010, hundreds of laws regulating abortion clinics have been passed by conservative state legislatures, particularly in the South. These restrictions, known as TRAP laws, (or Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers,) spread across America. Faced with increased costs of compliance and the alarming fear of violence from protesters, the stakes for the women and men on the frontlines couldn’t be any higher. As the battle heads to the U.S. Supreme Court, Trapped follows the struggles of the clinic workers and lawyers fighting to keep abortion safe and legal for millions of American women, many of them poor and uninsured.

Director Dawn Porter 2016, USA

Screenings Friday, May 3 2:45PM Parkway 2

Runtime 80 minutes

A fan favorite from our 2007 MdFF, Anna Biller’s VIVA is a cult freak-out retro 1970’s spectacle, about a bored housewife who gets sucked into the sexual revolution. Abandoned by her perfect Ken-doll husband, Barbi is dragged into trouble by her girlfriend, who spouts women’s lib as she gets Barbi to discard her bra and go out on the town. Barbi becomes a Red Riding Hood in a sea of wolves, and quickly learns a lot more than she wanted to about the different kinds of scenes going on in the wild ‘70’s, including nudist camps, the hippie scene, orgies, bisexuality, sadism, drugs, and bohemia. VIVA is a highly stylized film that draws on classic exploitation cinema for its look and characters. Saturated to the hilt with vibrant color, and exquisitely detailed in its depiction of the period, VIVA looks like a lost film from the late ‘60s. Whether you’re looking for naked people dancing, alcoholic swingers, stylish sex scenes, a sea of polyester, Hammond organ jams, glitzy show numbers, white horses, blondes in the bathtub, gay hairdressers, or psychedelic animation, VIVA has it all!

Preceded by MVgicky

Mary Glen Fredrick, 2023, USA, 17 min.

Director Anna Biller 2007, USA

Screenings Saturday, May 4 8:45PM Parkway 2

Runtime 120 minutes

In this music video-infused mockumentary, two covens competing in the National Collegiate Witchcraft Competition are each desperate to destroy the other. Meanwhile, stressed out film student is just trying to make a documentary to garner some attention.

CINETECH

Step into the future of storytelling at the CineTech Showcase, an exciting new addition to our festival. The CineTech Showcase is a curated sidebar inviting audiences into immersive realms crafted by visionary artists. Experience a captivating array of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and interactive digital narratives that challenge the boundaries of film and digital art. CineTech is more than an exhibit; it’s a journey into the heart of innovation, where each interaction offers a glimpse into the future of cinematic experiences.

RECOMBINATION

THE BALTIMORE GALAXY PROJECT

THERE IS NO ONE WHAT WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU

FOREIGN NATURE

NOW IS THE TIME

MAPPING BLACKNESS GARDENING FERENJ

TRICYCLE BICYCLE CYCLE - “OUT OF CONTEXT” BELOW

ED N’ROBOT

RECOMBINATION

Dive into “Recombination” for an enveloping odyssey without words. Experience abstract journeys through fractal worlds, uniting music, space, and mathematics in a stunning visual symphony.

Director Julius Horsthuis 2023, Netherlands

THE BALTIMORE GALAXY PROJECT

Experience Baltimore like never before through animated scenes that offer a cosmic twist, merging the city’s urban landscapes with galactic imagery. This project aims to inspire by bringing the stars a little closer to home, encouraging viewers to dream big and reach for the stars.

Director Kyle Yearwood 2024, USA

Screenings ALL DAY 2ND FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

THERE IS NO ONE WHAT WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU

A multi-channel video installation delves into the impact of addiction on family and friendship. Storylines of a father, daughter, and friend intertwine within intimate settings—jail, rehab, and an art studio— weaving a narrative of tragedy and resilience.

Director Dina Fiasconaro 2023, USA

Screenings ALL DAY 2ND FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

FOREIGN NATURE

Delve into a fractal universe, where architectural beauty is rendered in panoramic detail for a deeply immersive experience. Geometric lines and forms come alive in a captivating visual dance, blending mathematics with digital artistry to reveal the intricate essence of our digital and geometric world.

Director Julius Horsthuis 2022, Netherlands

Screenings ALL DAY 2ND FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

Over sixty years after Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, its messages still resonate. Dive into a Virtual Reality experience, engaging with his vision through interactive gestures, connecting his historic struggle to today’s fight for justice and equality.

NOW IS THE TIME MAPPING BLACKNESS

Director Limbert Fabian 2023, USA

Screenings ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

An Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality archive chronicling the history of Black communities across the United States, combining micro-documentaries and immersive media. Join the celebration and bear witness to the preservation of a beautifully rich history and culture.

Director Carla Lyn Dale Bishop 2024, USA

Screenings ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

GARDENING

Step into a generative musical experience that lets you cultivate your own symphony through gardening. Immerse yourself in a lush landscape, choosing where flowers bloom to the tune of corresponding musical notes. Each bloom contributes to evolving harmonies, creating a unique and ever-changing composition crafted by your interactions.

Director Sarah Chen 2024, USA

Screenings ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

FERENJ

A VR memoir blending memory, reality, and the digital, offering a post-spatial journey through EthiopianAmerican identity within a crowdsourced dreamscape. This afrosurrealist world is an experimental form of emancipatory thought and resistance, redefining boundaries between fragmented artifacts of memory and the digital imaginary.

Director Ainslee Alem Robson 2020, Ethiopia/USA

Screenings ALL DAY 2ND+ 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

TRICYCLE BICYCLE CYCLE"OUT OF CONTEXT"

A fragmented, collaged 360° VR rock experience, bringing you closer to the indie vibes of a Pittsburgh band’s recording sessions like never before.

Director Ryan Murray 2023, USA

Screenings ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

Embark on a solitary journey through the eerie depths of a forbidden isle. This cinematic game merges survival, discovery, and visually rich narratives, appealing to both gamers and fans of stylized animation. BELOW

Director Kris Piotrowski Anthony Chan 2020, Canada

Screenings ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

ED N'ROBOT

North American Premiere!

Plunge into an Augmented Reality where ingenious paper robots humorously combat marine pollution. This experience merges entertainment with activism, using AR to spotlight and question the pressing issue of marine pollution.

Screenings ALL DAY 3RD FLOOR EXHIBIT SPACE

Director Thibault Joyeux Julien Kadouri 2023, France

PANELS + TALKS FILMMAKER MEET-UP

Calling all moving image creatives! Local and visiting filmmakers are invited to gather in the beer garden at one of our favorite neighborhood spots for casual drinks, bites and connection.

Time Friday, May 3 4:00PM-7:00PM

Place Fadensonnen

CINETECH PANEL

Join us for an engaging panel discussion moderated by the CineTech Programmer, featuring the visionaries behind the immersive and interactive experiences of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and immersive media at CineTech. Delve into the creative processes, inspirations, and technological innovations driving the future of cinema. This session is a must-attend for film buffs, tech enthusiasts, and the simply curious alike, offering a unique opportunity to interact with the creators shaping the narratives of tomorrow. Don’t miss this deep dive into the intersection of art, technology, and storytelling innovation.

Time Saturday, May 4 9:30AM-10:40AM

Place Parkway 1

THE BALTIMORE FILMMAKERS COLLECTIVE PITCH COMPETITION

Local visual storytellers give it their best shot trying to pitch their media concept to three judges and the chance to win $1000.00. Free. Come and enjoy. Go to the Baltimore Filmmakers Collective website event page to register.

Time Wednesday, May 1 7:00PM-9:00PM

Place Motor House

BALTIMORE SCREENWRITERS COMPETITION

The Baltimore Screenwriters Competition is a project of the Baltimore Film Office in conjunction with film programs at Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University. Submitted scripts receive coverage from students in the Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University screenwriting programs and by local screenwriters and producers. The final screenplays are judged by industry professionals in film and television, including producers and writers working on projects for HBO, Netflix, and others. You’re invited to meet the participants, the judges, and to get a sense of tomorrow’s greatest cinematic stories.

Time Saturday, May 4 11:00AM-12:00PM

Place Lazarus

REEL REFLECTIONS, FUTURE PROJECTIONS:

FOUNDER’S TALK WITH JED DIETZ AND KJ MOHR

Time Sunday, May 5 3:30PM-4:30PM

Place Club Car

Join Maryland Film Festival founder Jed Dietz in conversation with Festival Director and Director of Programming KJ Mohr to hear more about how it all began and where it’s going.

NIGHTLIFE

After watching films all day, it’s time to get out of a seat and turn up at one of our many nightlife events. Some Nightlife events require purchase of the accompanying film screening.

LUTHER VANDROSS TRIBUTE WITH THE JONATHAN GILMORE PROJ.

Date Thursday, May 2

Time Following the Opening Night Screening of Luther: Never too Much

A documentary about the most velvety voice to ever exist isn’t complete without a musical tribute. After the film we will celebrate the RnB icon with the Jonathan Gilmore Project!

Location Parkway Theatre

Admission:

• Included with ticket to Opening Night

• Not available for standalone purchase, must have ticket to screening

Featuring the Jonathan Gilmore Project performing Luther Vandross covers while we party the night away!

ONE NIGHT AT THE DOXMORE THAN HYPE AFTERPARTY

Baltimoreans know what the Dox is, but if you’re not familiar, the Paradox was an iconic house music nightclub that was a fixture in Baltimore City nightlife for decades. We are reviving the iconic atmosphere to dance the night away.

Admission:

• $30 Screening + Afterparty

• $20 Afterparty only (limited quantity)

Date Thursday, May 2

Time 11:30PM

Location The Garage

Performances from Big Ria, Rye Rye, DDM, DJ Class, Rod Lee, DJ Rod Braxton, DJ Say Wut and other artists from MORE THAN HYPE and hosted by Pork Chop and Buckshot

MdFF PRIDE AFTERPARTY

We are celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride with several festival events culminating in a mega queer dance party with DJ duo GRL PWR, and special drag performances by Pussy Noir and DJ AAVE.

Admission:

• Included with ticket to Q+ Shorts or Trans Shorts Under the Stars

• $10 without ticket

Date Saturday, May 4

Time 10:00PM

Location The Crown

Performers/Special Guests: GRLPWR, special drag performances by Pussy Noir and DJ AAVE

MdFF WRAP PARTY WITH DJ TY ALEXANDER

No film festival is complete without a wrap party. After screening over 120 films in four days, we need to leave it all on the dance floor! DJ Ty, take us away!

Admission:

• Included with ticket to Closing Night

GET TICKETS

Date Sunday, May 5

Time 9:30PM

Location The Garage

• Not available for standalone purchase, must have ticket to screening

All inclusive catered event

Performers/Special Guests: DJ Ty Alexander

Photograph by Sihan Xu.

2023

-24MdFF

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Scot Spencer Chair Camille Blake Fall Vice Chair

Dan Cronin

Secretary & Treasurer

Ashleigh ‘AJ’ Lynn

Executive Committee

Linda Nathan Executive Committee

Ronald J. Daniels

Adrienne Peres

Mathew Poovan Angel Preston

Andy Schuleman D. Watkins

Ex-Officio:

Jack Gerbes

Maryland Film Office

Debbie Donaldson Dorsey

Baltimore Film Office

Honorary:

Jed Dietz

Founding Director

SUPPORTERS

EXECUTIVE:

PRODUCING:

SIGNATURE:

BALTIMORE FILM OFFICE AT BOPA

FEATURED:

GWEN DAVIDSON

SCREENING:

Afro American

Newspapers

Andrew Schuleman

Angel Preston

COMMUNITY:

Ann and David Koch

Ashleigh ‘AJ’

Lynn Baltimore Spirits

Company Charm City

Meadworks Club Car

Current Space

Ed Crandall

Emile Bendit

ERROR 4444

Fadensonnen

Greedy Reads

Hecht Levi

ESTHER PEARLSTONE TAD

Foundation

Hotel Indigo

Jackie Noller

Lord Baltimore Hotel

Martin Lemelle

Mathew Poovan

Nepenthe Brewing SAGIndie

Samuel Hoi

Scot Spencer

Steve Ziger FAIA

Union Brewing WYPR

The Board wishes to extend our deepest appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to MdFF Founder and Board Emeritus member, Jed Dietz, for his unwavering dedication and exceptional service to our organization over the past decades.

Jed's creative vision and steadfast commitment to the cinematic art form laid the foundation for the Maryland Film Festival and the SNF Parkway Theatre. His tireless e orts have not only enriched the cultural landscape of our community but have also inspired countless individuals to embrace the transformative power of film.

Through his innovative programming, Jed brought a dynamic range of independent and international films to Baltimore, providing a platform for emerging talent and showcasing the diverse voices that shape our global cinema. The Maryland Film Festival nurtured a new generation of filmmakers, empowering them to pursue their dreams and share their unique perspectives with the world.

As we look to the future, we are grateful for Jed's vision, leadership, and boundless enthusiasm. His contributions to the Maryland Film Festival and the SNF Parkway Theatre will continue to resonate for generations to come, serving as a testament to his unwavering dedication to the art of filmmaking.