Emerging Filmmaker Showcase 2020 - 2022 Films

EMERGING FILMMAKER SHOWCASE 2020 - 2022 FILMS

MAY 17 - MAY 26, 2022

THE AMERICAN PAVILION

EMERGING FILMMAKER SHOWCASE

CANNES, FRANCE 2022

Since 1989, The American Pavilion has offered unparalleled experiences in Cannes to film students and emerging filmmakers from around the world. AmPav’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase provides an opportunity for filmmakers to have their works seen by Cannes Festival and Film Market attendees. Finalist Films from 2020 and 2021 will also be screened at The American Pavilion this year. Each of our four categories of exceptional and diverse 2022 films (Emerging Filmmaker Showcase, LGBTQ+ Showcase, Student showcase and High School Film Showcase) will be showcased to our American Pavilion audiences followed by a live filmmaker Q&A.

The American Pavilion would like to thank our sponsors

MEDIA PARTNERS

2022 EFS SCHEDULE TUESDAY, MAY 17

SUNDAY, MAY 22

TUESDAY, MAY 24

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

9:00 AM - 10:50 AM

2020/2021 STUDENT SHOWCASE

2020 EFS SHOWCASE

2020/2021 LGBTQ+ SHOWCASE

The Moon and The Night (20 min) Tree #3 (20 min) Welcome Back (20 min)

My Father’s House (16 min) Trudie’s Goose (5 min) Afro (11 min) Bring My Own Chair (14 min) The German King (20 min)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18

4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

2021 EFS SHOWCASE

2020 LGBTQ+ SHOWCASE Ladylike (20 min) After (18 min) Joy Boy (9 min) I Know Her (3 min) Reparations (11 min) Jack and Anna (15 min) Jack and Jo Don’t Want to Die (20 min)

US/MX (16 min) Undercut (14 min) Rock A Bye Baby (5 min) Maximus (16 min) A Work of Art (17 min) Girl with a Thermal Gun (12 min)

MONDAY, MAY 23

THURSDAY, MAY 19

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

The Attempt (25 min) A Moonlight’s Tale (6 min) A Colorful Red (12 min) Under Darkness (20 min)

2021 LGBTQ+ SHOWCASE & EFS FILM Dear Lily Love Patrick (16 min) Tribes (10min)

2020 STUDENT SHOWCASE

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 20 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

2020/2021 EFS SHOWCASE Stucco (17 min) Equality Tea (6 min) 1,2,3, All Eyes on Me (15 min) Nothing to see Here (7 min) Master Maggie (22 min) Pure (12 min)

2021 STUDENT SHOWCASE Broken Layers (25 min) A-Tien (20 min) A Beautiful Nightmare (9 min) Hamsa (5 min) Hurricane (20 min) Magnolia Bloom (15 min)

Royalty (8 min) Grown Boy (7 min) The Last Summer (8 min) Unconverting (8 min) Acuitzeramo (15 min) 2ḦOOM [zu:m] (10 min) The Tailor (17 min) The Great Artist (23 min) 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

2022 LGBTQ+ SHOWCASE CANS Can’t Stand (18 min) Imperfectly Complete (15 min) All the Young Dudes (8 min) Carino (4 min) Don’t Let Go (9 min) Noah’s Song (3 min) Dotting the “I” (11 min) Cupids (10 min) The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night (11 min) Second Team (10 min)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

2021/2022 STUDENT DOCUMENTARIES Dhivarah: A Way of Life (12 min) Becoming Wonder Woman (7 min) Between the Lines: Liz at Large (5 min) Spokespeople (23 min) Bad Hombrewood (23 min)

2022 EFS SCHEDULE 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

2022 STUDENT SHOWCASE

2021 EFS HIGH SCHOOL FILM SHOWCASE

Over My Dead Body (25 min) Message Sent (4 min) Mother in the Mist (21 min) The War Within (25 min) Wuhan Driver (14 min) 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

2022 EFS SHOWCASE Stoneheart: An Undying Gift (6 min) The Show Must Go On (17 min) My Gift (13 min) The Errand (11 min) Shutter the Doors (13 min) 7lbs 8oz (7 min) If My Voice Rang Louder Than My Skin (5 min) Charlie and The Hunt (14 min) Noisy (10 min)

THURSDAY, MAY 26 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

2020 HIGH SCHOOL FILM SHOWCASE Reece (10 min) David Isn’t Here Anymore (14 min) Andy’s Arrow (7 min) Inseparable: The Story of Elly and Lya (9 min) Never Alone (6 min) No Shame (9 min) Peter Daniels: A Child Survivor of Theresienstadt (8 min) Seeds of Partnership: The Sardari and Morady Story (6 min) Stitching A Life: The Story of Trudie Strobel (8 min) Diamond Game (10 min) The Shallow (3 min)

Feminism: The Fifth Wave (23 min) Four (5 min) Hitman (25 min) I am Traister: the Sarah Moskovitz Story (8 min) Left Behind (7 min) A Ship Called Lili: The Lillian Trilling Story (10 min) 091319.mov (5 min) 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

2022 EFS HIGH SCHOOL FILM SHOWCASE Hotline (13 min) A Prayer for My Mother: The Eva Brettler Story (10 min) Pho (12 min) Sydney 2078 (10 min) Think Like a Filmmaker (6 min) Greta (8 min) Devil Bean (10 min)

2020

EMERGING FILMMAKER SHOWCASE SHORT FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES

MY FATHER’S HOUSE

MASTER MAGGIE

2020 JURY AWARD WINNER – EMERGING DOCUMENTARY

2020 JURY AWARD WINNER – EMERGING SHORT FILM

2019, 17 min., USA, Documentary

2019, 22 min., USA, Drama

DIRECTOR:

Rob Shearer Rob Shearer, Amanda Blaurock

PRODUCER: CAST:

Marcel Narucki

A pastor comes to terms with faith and failure as he witnesses the transformation of his house of worship into a home for the downtrodden.

TRUDIE’S GOOSE 2020, 4:44 min., USA, Animation/Documentary, The Righteous Conversations Project DIRECTOR:

Gaulke, Samara Hutman, C. Lily Ericsson

Maya Savin Miller, Trudie Strobel

When a young girl preparing for her Bat Mitzvah, the Jewish coming-of-age ritual, befriends a Holocaust survivor elder both lives are changed forever as they journey from darkness to healing through the power of art. Based on the life and art of Holocaust survivor Trudie Strobel.

AFRO 2020, 12 min., USA, Coming-of-Age/Comedy/Drama WRITER/DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

WRITER:

PRODUCER: CAST:

Jenn Shaw

Jenn Shaw, YJ Meira

Briana Roy, Molly Jackson, Debra Wilson, Sharifa Oliver, Lee Bingham

After multiple encounters with a popular bully and a little academic inspiration, an African-American teen finally stands up for herself against classmates that question her cultural identity.

BRING MY OWN CHAIR (IO LA SEDIA ME LA PORTO DA CASA) 2019, 14 min., Italy, Romantic Comedy WRITER:

CAST:

Aurora Deiana

Aurora Deiana, Elena Briata

PRODUCER:

Aurora Deiana, Zone 6 Films, Open Fields Productions

Ornella Lorenzano, Gianni Alvino

A writer, Stefania, is a finalist in a literary contest. After the first celebrations it turns out that also Mrs Durante, her bitter rival, is among the favorites. Who will be ranked first?

A celebrity acting coach is interrupted by an unknown actor begging for her help for a TV audition. What follows is an unexpected journey for the both of them.

NOTHING TO SEE HERE 2019, 7 min., USA, Drama WRITER/DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

THE GERMAN KING 2019, 20 min., USA, Drama/History WRITER/DIRECTOR:

Adetokumboh M’Cormack

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

Pauley Perrette

Adetokumboh M’Cormack, Constance Ejuma, Hanna Sturwold, Chris Freeman

PRODUCER:

Adetokumboh M’Cormack, Scottie Thompson, Constance Ejuma, Raphael Corkhill, Markus Jorgensen

Set in 1914 at the start of World War I, The German King is the unbelievable true story of Rudolf Manga Bell; a German-raised African prince who becomes King after his father’s death. Upon returning home to Cameroon, he sees his people subjugated and enslaved under Kaiser Wilhelm’s II oppressive colonial rule. He realizes the only way to put an end to his people’s suffering, is to lead a rebellion against the man he once considered his brother.

Amy Barham

Jamielyn Lippman

Kate Burton, Nicole Bilderback, Eric Womack, Barbara Lee Bragg, Amber Hodgkiss, Elizabeth Laime, Alexis Jacknow

A retired housewife fills her days with chores and errands as she deals with a growing sense that she has become un-necessary to the world. One day she realizes that her ‘invisibility’ could be a power in itself. But as she uses this revelation to liberate herself from her unhappy life, she starts a chain of events with darker consequences than she could have imagined.

STUCCO 2019, 18 min., USA, Horror WRITER/DIRECTOR:

CAST:

Janina Gavankar, Russo Schelling

Janina Gavankar, Snehal Patel

Janina Gavankar, Debra Messing, Colton Haynes, Michael Ealy, Deborah Ann Woll, Rutina Wesley, Aisha Tyler, Emmy Raver Lampman, Amy Forsyth, Leslie Odom Jr., Rafael Casal, Roby Attal, Bel Powley

J is trying and failing to move forward as the scars of old relationships keep her trapped inside her new home. While hanging a piece of art, she knocks a hole in her wall that reveals what might be a hidden room. Her mind races to think what could be on the other side as she continues to unravel.

TRIBES 2020, 10 min., USA, Comedy/Drama/Satire DIRECTOR:

CAST:

Julianna Gelinas Bonifacio, Matthew Bonifacio

Lorraine Bracco, Neil Jain, Kenan Thompson, Chris Henry Coffey, Brian Dennehy

PRODUCER:

DIRECTOR:

Matthew Bonifacio

Julianna Gelinas Bonifacio, Matthew Bonifacio

C. Lily Ericsson, Cheri Gaulke, Samara Hutman, Liran Kapel

PRODUCER: Cheri CAST:

DIRECTOR:

WRITER:

Nino Aldi

Andy Marlett

PRODUCER: Jake

Hunter, Jeion Green, Adam Waheed, Patricia Chica, DeStorm Power

CAST:

Adam Waheed, Destorm Power, Jake Hunter

The themes of identity and discrimination unfold during a train ride between two stations as an African American, an Arab-American and a white man try to rob a train. However, no one wants to rob their own race.

2020

EMERGING FILMMAKER STUDENT SHORT FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES

THE ATTEMPT

UNDER DARKNESS

2020, 25 min., USA, Drama, Santa Monica College

2020 JURY AWARD WINNER – STUDENT SHORT FILM

WRITER/DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Daniel Despart

Michael Lazovsky, Olivia Shapiro

Ara Woland, Arya Desai, Anne Bedian, Paul Chepikian, Mariam Vardanyan

Set in 1921 post-World War I Berlin and based on a true story, “The Attempt” follows Soghomon Tehlirian, a young man who is given the mission to assassinate the chief orchestrator of the Armenian genocide. During the attempt, Soghomon realizes that killing another man is not easy and contemplates starting a new life with the woman he loves. Can Soghomon reconcile morality with preserving the historical memory of his people?

A COLORFUL RED 2019, 13 min., USA, Documentary, Florida State University DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Costa Karalis, Jack Owen Costa Karalis

Meagan Bourne, Jordan Hammond, Scott Johnson

Accepting a job for a high-profile client, an amateur photographer travels to Indonesia and becomes part of a plot affecting hundreds in the freelance industry.

THE MOON AND THE NIGHT 2018, 20 min., USA, Drama, Chapman University DIRECTOR: WRITER:

PRODUCER: CAST:

Erin Lau

Erin Lau, Justin Omori Olivia Gray

Bella Shepard & Jason Quinn

Set in rural Hawai’i, a Native Hawaiian teenage girl must confront her father after he enters her beloved pet in a dog fight. Through the journey the film explores undercurrents of personal, cultural, and socio-economic strife in Hawai’i, but at it’s heart, it is a coming-of-age tale of a young woman who must make the difficult realization that to save her family, she must stand on her own.

A MOONLIGHT’S TALE 2019, 7 min., USA, Animation, School of Visual Arts DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Ron Spivak, Andrew Noh, Elena Spina, Aarif Attarwala, Tony Gaeta Jimmy Calhoun

Bella Shepard & Jason Quinn

In a celestial ballroom where the stars gather every night to dance their way across the sky till morning comes, the dark, lightless Moon appears every night and is rejected every time by the stars around him. That is, until one night the Sun appears at the celestial ball, and now the Moon has to overcome his fear of rejection to earn the love he desires.

TREE #3 2019, 19:50 min., USA, Drama/Comedy/Family, American Film Institute DIRECTOR: WRITER:

PRODUCER: CAST:

Omer Ben-Shachar

Omer Ben-Shachar, Sydney Meadow Iris Yang

Lior Malka, Eva Du, Alex Gonzalez, Kelly Ryan, Rita Zohar

After he’s been cast (again!) as a background tree in his annual school play, an ambitious and imaginative immigrant boy leads a revolution on stage that his intolerant drama teacher will never forget.

2019, 20 min., USA, Drama, University of Southern California WRITER/DIRECTOR:

Caroline Friend

Merissa Jane Lee, Michael Orion Downing, Caroline Friend, Nick Benjamin

PRODUCER:

CAST:

Kally Khourshid, Edgar Erenhart, Daniel Dasent, Eugene Alper, Dimitry Rozental, Martin Harris, Henning Fischer, Gabriel Palma

Based on a true story in World War II Poland, a young Jewish woman struggles to survive after her family is murdered. Refusing to give up, she joins the Soviet resistance, and realizes that through photography she can remember the past while documenting for the future.

WELCOME BACK 2019, 20 min., Ecuador/USA, Drama, University of Southern California WRITER/DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Tiffany Kontoyiannis Guillen

Tiffany Kontoyiannis, Roy Arwas, Karly Perez-Arevalo

Joselyn Gallardo, Marina Lalama Noboa, Diana Aboujian

After being deported back to dangerous and communist Venezuela, Rosa and her daughter must find a way to escape to a nearby town in Colombia.

2020

EMERGING FILMMAKER LGBTQ+ SHOWCASE

ACUITZERAMO

LADYLIKE

2020 JURY AWARD WINNER – LGBTQ+ SHOWCASE

2019, 21 min., USA, Documentary/LGBTQ, Chapman University

2019, 15 min., USA/Mexico, Subtitles, Drama/LGBTQ

DIRECTOR:

PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: CAST:

Miguel Angel Caballero

Luis Aldana

Sal Lopez, Luis Aldana, Matias Ponce

Salvador, a gay Mexican elder who has lost his partner of 15 years, calls his partner’s estranged son, Anthony, to tell him of his father’s passing. Unaware of their relationship, Anthony travels from Chicago to a small rural town in Mexico to attend his father’s funeral. As family secrets are exposed, identities and perceptions are challenged.

2019, 19 min., USA, Drama/LGBTQ, Chapman University WRITER:

CAST:

Christian Walsh

Christian Walsh, Ryan Beene

PRODUCER:

Vokee Lee, Christian Walsh, Yifu Li

Adrian Anchondo, Dylan Wayne Lawrence

A gay couple’s once-perfect relationship is turned upside-down as they deal with the loss of their daughter in completely opposite ways.

2019, 8 min., USA, Drama/Comedy/Coming-of-Age/LGBTQ, Florida State University PRODUCER: CAST:

Tyler Knutt

Raymond Knudsen

Steven Scot Bono, Bryson JonSteele, Jonathan Yaskoff

Robert must open up to his young son about the truth behind his divorce, and the man he really is.

PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR:

2019, 8min., USA, Historical/Drama/LGBTQ, Florida State University PRODUCER: CAST:

Fawzia Mirza

JACK AND ANNA 2019, 15 min., USA, Drama/LGBTQ, Columbia College Chicago DIRECTOR: WRITER:

Ksenia Ivanova

Ksenia Ivanova, Savannah Oakes

PRODUCER:

Eva Herndon, Mika Santiaguel

Kate Smith, Brookelyn Hébert, Joe Chapleau

Jack and Anna is based on true events that happened in the early 1900s in Colorado. It tells a story about a young couple who live a happy life on their farm when suddenly a man from the past reveals Jack’s biggest secret – that he is, in fact a woman named Helen. After the revelation, Helen is put on trial for cross-dressing and same-sex marriage.

JOY BOY 2019, 10 min., Australia, Drama/LGBTQ DIRECTOR: WRITER:

Stef Smith

Stef Smith, Jonny Hawkins

PRODUCER:

William Stead

Tony Ashley

Weston Warren, David Benne

In Nazi Germany, the young, closeted Ben fears for his own safety as he learns that the world he lives in is about to become even more dangerous for him and his openly gay best friend.

REPARATIONS 2020, 12 min., USA, Drama/LGBTQ PRODUCER: CAST:

Gregory G. Allen

Gregory G. Allen, Laurie Chock

Ed Delia, Nefertiti Warren

An elderly Holocaust survivor is being interviewed by an African American grad student for her thesis on Reparations. As her questions unearth his secrets the bond between them deepens.

ROYALTY

PRODUCER: CAST:

Fawzia Mirza, Kausar Mohammed

In the afterglow of a seemingly fated hookup, two women realize that perhaps they have a little too much in common.

CAST:

THE LAST SUMMER

WRITER /DIRECTOR:

2019, 3 min., USA, Comedy/LGBTQ

CAST:

A young queer woman in the American south comes to terms with her sexuality, shattering her deep-rooted religious beliefs and cultural stereotypes within her conservative community, family and self.

2020, 9 min., USA, Comedy/Drama/LGBTQ, Young Actors’ Theatre Camp

I KNOW HER

CAST:

Rachel Bickert, Emily Tapanes, Lidieth Arevalo

Mallory Parish

WRITER /DIRECTOR:

GROWN BOY WRITER /DIRECTOR:

CAST:

Rachel Bickert, Emily Tapanes

WRITER /DIRECTOR:

AFTER DIRECTOR:

PRODUCER:

Belinda Dean, Morgan Benson-Taylor

Jonny Hawkins, George Holahan-Cantwell, Paul Capsis

Based on a true story, Joy Boy is a moving and fractured retelling of the defining moments in the life of a young gay man, Jonny, caught between his conservative family, an evangelical church and his emergent sexuality.

Sav Souza, Logan Thomason

Shawn Ryan, John Ainsworth, Valerie Dohrer

Leia Figueroa, Linnea Martinez, Jeremy Pitzer, Seth Weinfield, Kira Cullinan, Sydney Cook, Ava Frances, Tucker Masnik, Maddy Black, Zoe Green, Sophia Lemieux

Non-binary teenager Jax, exhausted by always having to take the high road, makes a bid for homecoming court in a race against their former best friend.

UNCONVERTING 2020 JURY AWARD WINNER – STUDENT DOCUMENTARY

2019, 9 min., USA, Documentary/LGBTQ, Florida State University PRODUCER /DIRECTOR: CAST:

Taylor Ross

Danny Cords, Deb Cuny

Through the personal stories of two LGBT individuals, they reveal the horrors of their experience in conversion therapy and trauma that comes with the aftermath.

2020

EMERGING FILMMAKER HIGH SCHOOL FILMS

ANDY’S ARROW 2020, 8 min., USA, Drama/LGBTQ, Young Actors’ Theatre Camp DIRECTOR: WRITER:

PRODUCER: CAST:

Nathan Adloff and David Barkley

David Barkley Shawn Ryan, John Ainsworth, Valerie Dohrer

Samuel Cousins, Ethan Politzer, Riley Brown, Lauren Socolow, Cooper Miller, Brynn Stuart, Cayden Feely, Reed Wiley-Chaney

A young man is bullied into taking an aggressive action during a routine camp activity. A choice that will change the rest of his life.

DAVID ISN’T HERE ANYMORE 2020, 14 min., USA, Horror/Comedy, Harrison School for the Arts WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Josh Ceranic

Riley Stamper, Gwyn Brarman

Andy Gion, Tracy Wiu, Jarron Webster, Jim Serrano, Nikole Rossitter, Dean Deck

Driven to sell a notoriously haunted home, a struggling realtor must confront the malevolent forces that prevent him from doing so.

DIAMOND GAME 2020 JURY AWARD WINNER – HIGH SCHOOL FILM

2020, 10 min., USA, Drama/Comedy, Orange County School of the Arts WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Nolan Hieu Trifunovic

Nolan Hieu Trifunovic, Maya Pacheco

Leila Perry, Joon Paul Kim, Brian Ray Thompson, Hope Lagos, Johnny Benson, Tove Jegeus, Riley Fluhrer

Three high school teens have gathered to write a script about a 70s cop show but the fictional characters they have created live in a digital world that requires them to act out the story. As the script takes an unexpected turn, one of the fictional characters begins to question his masters.

PETER DANIELS: A CHILD SURVIVOR OF THERESIENSTADT 2019, 9 min., USA, Animation/Documentary, Harvard-Westlake School/ Righteous Conversations Project Alexandra Ankai, Fiona Fortunato, Theo Heron, Keila McCabe, Idalis McZeal, Anahy Portillo

DIRECTOR:

PRODUCER:

Ruah Edelstein, Masha Vasilkovsky

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: CAST:

A survivor of the Holocaust shares personal testimony of being one of a hundred or so children to survive Theresienstadt, the concentration camp for children.

REECE 2019, 11 min., USA, Drama, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Dusan Brown

Joyce Kelly-Brown, Tracy Brown

Bentley Green, Dante Brown, Myles Brown, Dusan Brown

With increasing violence in his neighborhood, a young man, Reece, fights for his community regardless of the consequences.

SEEDS OF PARTNERSHIP: THE SARDARI AND MORADY STORY 2019, 6 min., USA, Documentary, Harvard-Westlake School/Righteous Conversations Project Vanessa Chermak, Sabah Damji, Serra Demirci, Ali Desai, Tamar Farahnik, Hanna Gootin, Talya Havivi, Sanam Ismail, Sam Knoll, Jonathan Nourafshan, Sarah Pretsky, Abdullah Rafique, Akiva Rubin, Yael Rubin, Chloe Saba, Inara Shamji, Amina Tariq, Layla Waller, Zeynep Yildirim

DIRECTOR:

PRODUCER:

C. Lily Ericsson

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

INSEPARABLE: THE STORY OF ELLY AND LYA 2019, 10 min., USA, Documentary, Harvard-Westlake School/Righteous Conversations Project Gabriela Barrett, Alexander McDaniel, Idalis McZeal, Noa Nelson, Grace Sandman, India Spencer

DIRECTOR:

PRODUCER:

Song E. Kim

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: CAST:

Cheri Gaulke, Samara Hutman

Lya Frank, Elly Rubin

Dutch sisters, born on the same day but years apart, are separated by the Holocaust and raised in hiding by two very different families. They couldn’t be more different but once reunited they form a bond that can’t be broken.

Cheri Gaulke, Samara Hutman

Peter Daniels

CAST:

Cheri Gaulke, Samara Hutman

Mostafa Hussein

Muslim and Jewish teens come together to animate the story of two men, Abdol Hossein Sardari and Ibrahim Morady, a Muslim and a Jew in Paris during the Holocaust. Their friendship and advocacy saved Jewish lives and the generations who would follow them.

THE SHALLOW 2019, 4 min., USA, Animation, Palisades Charter High School DIRECTOR: WRITER: CAST:

Sydney Geiger

Sydney Geiger, Annabelle Grandy, Sammy Sachs

Sammy Sachs, Annabelle Grandy

NEVER ALONE

A tragic story of a love that can’t be erased.

2020, 6 min., USA, Drama, Young Actors’ Theatre Camp

STITCHING A LIFE: THE STORY OF TRUDIE STROBEL

DIRECTOR: WRITER:

PRODUCER: CAST:

Karen Moore

Elizabeth Popov Shawn Ryan, John Ainsworth, Valerie Dohrer

Charli Woodfall, Dylan Arie, Marc Johnson, Josh Ehrlich, Ben Meltzer, Judge Cantrell, Zoe Arnold, Alyssa Triona, Chris Linney, Christian Eble

2019, 9 min., USA, Animation/Documentary, Harvard-Westlake School/ Righteous Conversations Project Spirit Avedon, Natasha Clement, Lila Dworsky-Hickey, Ian Kim, Miranda Lewis, Alexander McDaniel, Jaaziah McZeal, Hank Schoen, Coleman Weintraub, Jocelyn Vega, Fernanda Zaragoza

DIRECTOR:

A young girl pleads with the ghost of her dead brother to set her free.

PRODUCER:

C. Lily Ericsson

NO SHAME

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

2020, 9 min., USA, Drama, Young Actors’ Theatre Camp

CAST:

DIRECTOR: WRITER:

PRODUCER: CAST:

Suzan Jones

Kelton Jones Shawn Ryan, John Ainsworth, Valerie Dohrer, Kelton Jones

Emily Doran, Caitlin Driggett, Eva Colliou, Madison Goffney, Skylar Ellis, Theo Marvin, Monica Jeon, Kate Cornyn, Trudy Shelf, Kelton Jones, Brian Levin, Reed Wylie-Chaney, Karen Moore, Jordan Eichhorn

A high school student is prevented from giving her presentation on inspiring women due to a minor dress code violation, which leads her to take a stand against systematic oppression based on gender.

Cheri Gaulke, Samara Hutman

Trudie Strobel

A child survivor of the Holocaust receives a packet of beads in a Displaced Persons camp after the war. Her mother tears off a piece of her skirt and the child embroiders a goose. Thus begins her life-long journey with thread and needle not knowing that someday this simple act will save her life again.

Based on the life and art of Holocaust survivor Trudie Strobel.

2021

EMERGING FILMMAKER SHOWCASE

EQUALITY TEA

US MX

2020, 6:20 min., USA, Animation/Documentary

2019, 16 min., USA, Drama/Thriller/Sci-Fi

WRITER /DIRECTOR: ORIGINAL SCORE: CAST:

Jaime Sunwoo

Matt Chilton

Jaime Sunwoo

WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Joseph O. Hooten

Liliana Granados, Don Ohmer, Connor Hall, Chase Block

Atala Arce, Casey Lopez, Jay Phoenix

Based on a 1895 suffragist anthem by Augusta Gray Gunn. Commissioned by Park Avenue Armory and The Laundromat Project for 100 Years | 100 Women.

Throughout America, women organized tea parties for meetings and fundraisers to support the suffrage movement. The Woman’s Suffrage Party sold ceylon, young hyson, gunpowder, and oolong tea under their charitable brand “Equality Tea.” Yet the history of tea is steeped in inequality, driven by colonialism, war, and appropriation. In her short film, Equality Tea, Sunwoo brews tea while drawing parallels between the fraught histories of the tea trade and the suffrage movement.

In the not-too-distant future, Leah and her daughter Ariel race against the clock to immigrate across the U.S./Mexican border before sunrise. As officers close in, the direction they run becomes less and less clear.

1, 2, 3, ALL EYES ON ME

CAST:

2020, 15 min., USA, Drama

While her Uncle works on his greatest masterpiece, a young girl battles depression – both unaware their unlikely family of two is running out of time.

DIRECTOR: WRITER:

Emil Gallardo, Derek Ho

PRODUCER: CAST:

Emil Gallardo Emil Gallardo, My-Hahn Lac, Derek Ho

Farelle Walker, Blanca Ordaz, Armand Munoz

When a crisis suddenly engulfs an elementary school campus, Ms. Leena, a determined art teacher, tries everything she can to save her frightened class.

GIRL WITH A THERMAL GUN 2021 JURY AWARD WINNER – EMERGING SHORT FILM

2020, 11:44 min., (subtitles), China, Musical WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Rongfei Guo

Du Yating

Li Chao, Hu Jie

During the pandemic, a grocery delivery man is busier than ever. He receives orders, fills shopping carts, and delivers packages. Receive, fill, deliver; from dawn to dusk, day in and day out. He navigates strange streets and knocks on unfamiliar doors. As he grows tired, a feeling of loneliness washes over him and he begins to feel defeated—until he suddenly finds a thermal gun pressed to his forehead.

MAXIMUS 2020, 15:55 min., United Kingdom, Drama/Fantasy WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Richard Prendergast

Rachel Prendergast, Max Mason

Maisie Prendergast, Albert Clogston, Solly Mcleod, Lauren Harris, Cailean Galloway, Gaynor Fraser, Phil Reeve, Earl Ling

One young warrior’s fight for his life, told through the eyes of his little sister. Infused with imagination, tragedy and magic, Maximus is a journey seen through the lens of a child.

ROCK A BYE BABY 2020, 5:32 min., USA, Action/Dark Comedy WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Monique Sorgen

Monique Sorgen, Sean Akers, Jessica Oyelowo

Mo McRae, Scott Krinsky, Jessica Oyelowo

A drug deal goes wrong when instead of cocaine the dealers find out they have a live baby, and one of them refuses to give it back.

UNDERCUT 2020, 14 min., USA, Drama PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR: CAST:

Kelly Pike

Johnny Sequoyah, Jasmin Savoy Brown

High school female athletes become unlikely teammates in the wake of unspoken trauma.

A WORK OF ART 2021, 17:36 min., USA, Drama DIRECTOR: WRITER:

Kristoffer Polaha

Sylvie Maris, Kristoffer Polaha

PRODUCER:

Kristoffer Polaha, Barrie Wise, Stephan Pratt, Emily Skyle-Golden

Kristoffer Polaha, Sylvie Maris

2021

EMERGING FILMMAKER LGBTQ+ SHOWCASE

DEAR LILY, LOVE PATRICK

THE TAILOR

2021 JURY AWARD WINNER – EMERGING DOCUMENTARY

2021 JURY AWARD WINNER – LGBTQ+ SHOWCASE

2021, 16:34 min., USA, Documentary

2020, 16:24 min., Canada, Drama/Romance/LGBTQ

PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR: WRITER: CAST:

Jennifer Bartels

David Barkley

PRODUCER:

Lily Bartels

CAST:

A luminous bond forged on a 1960s college campus between two friends whose lives will soon radically diverge, while their friendship remains impervious to time and distance. Patrick heads to San Francisco, where the thriving queer community welcomes him, and where his prodigious and visionary musical talent will take him to the brink of stardom. Lily follows a more seemingly conventional path of marriage and children. Dear Lily, Love Patrick is a poignant look at the power of true connection, a young life ended by tragedy at the onset of the AIDS epidemic, and a love that still endures.

2ḦOOM [ZU:M] 2020, 10 min., (subtitles), Puerto Rico, Drama/LGBTQ PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR: CAST:

Ariel Orama López

Ariel Orama López, Jonathan Cardenales

Two brothers from the Caribbean discover the quintessence that unifies them, in the midst of the pandemic. In a [zu:m] conversation, anything can happen.

It Is an ethereal story that alludes to the metaphorical “shield” -or “armour”of Covid-19, even on an emotional level, as well as the stigma of HIV/AIDS. Today we are one voice, without races: a new universe of masked beings.

THE GREAT ARTIST 2020, 23 min., USA, Drama DIRECTOR: WRITER:

Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri

Matthew Postlethwaite, Sunny Vachher

PRODUCER: CAST:

Sunny Vachher, Matthew Postlethwaite

Matthew Postlethwaite, Marimar Vega, Rain Valdez, Benjamin Patterson

A gifted artist finds himself in a broken balance between creating world class art and the all too silent struggle of self care as his life begins to unravel because of his Dissociative Identity Disorder.

JACK AND JO DON’T WANT TO DIE 2020, 19:25 min., USA, Sci-Fi/Drama WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER:

Kantu Lentz

Roja Gashtili, Erica Fishman, Kate Bolger

Shannon Gibson, Amy Emmerich, Adrienne Becker, Christy Spitzer Thornton, Melina Lizette

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

CAST:

Justin Kirk, Olivia Edward, Moses Storm, Hemky Madera

Jack, a man disillusioned with life, works the night shift at a suspension facility where people choose to halt their lives. His life takes a turn on the night he chooses to suspend his own life when he meets Jo, a terminally ill girl being re-animated early due to lack of funds.

PURE 2020, 12:20 min., USA, Drama/Coming-of-age/LGBTQ, New York University Tisch School of the Arts WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER:

Natalie Jasmine Harris

Alexyss Robinson, Natalie Jasmine Harris

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CAST:

WRITER /DIRECTOR:

Khalea Ross Robinson

Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew, Josca Moore, Jacob Daniel Smith, Aaron Casey, Jamon Adams, Renée Harrison, Tianne K. Johnson, Jonathon Muñez, Yohance Barton, Kyle Price

On the eve of her cotillion ball, a young Black girl grapples with her queer identity and questions her purity.

Nathalie Therriault

Mike Johnston, Andy Alvarez

Megan Danso, Hiro Kanagawa

A gender non-conforming person struggling to assert their identity unexpectedly finds courage in an aging master tailor

2021

EMERGING FILMMAKER STUDENT SHOWCASE

BECOMING WONDER WOMAN

HAMSA

2021 JURY AWARD WINNER – STUDENT DOCUMENTARY

2021, 4:27 min., USA, Animation, School of Visual Arts

2019, 7:36 min., USA, Documentary, Florida State University

DIRECTOR:

PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR: CINEMATOGRAPHER: CAST:

Chase Davis

Taylor Ross

Heather Abbott

WRITER:

Daniela Dwek, Maya Mendonca, Chrisy Baek

Daniela Dwek

PRODUCER:

Jimmy Calhoun

A determined woman utilizes the symbol of Wonder Woman to rally herself, her family, and her community in her fight against stage four breast cancer.

A young Israeli girl is oblivious to the historical conflict she lives in. On a trip to the market, her mother reinforces her fear of “the other”. However, when chaos strikes she finds that the people she was once afraid of are not so bad.

BETWEEN THE LINES: LIZ AT LARGE

HURRICANE

2020, 4:32 min., USA, Documentary, The George Washington University

2020, 19:24 min., USA, Drama, University of Southern California

DIRECTOR /PRODUCER: WRITER:

Abi Cole

Abi Cole, Meghan Shea

DIRECTOR: WRITER:

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

Meghan Shea

PRODUCER:

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER:

Fiona Chong

CAST:

CINEMATOGRAPHER: EDITOR: CAST:

Abi Cole, Mike Rogers

Abi Cole, David Flood

Liz Montague

Liz Montague first emailed The New Yorker’s cartoon editor out of frustration that all of the illustrations featured white subjects. She began contributing to the magazine in 2019 and became the first Black, female cartoonist in The New Yorker’s near century run. Montague’s cartoons push the publication’s boundaries through focussing on the intersection of self and social awareness in an accessible style with clean lines and representative subjects. Montague sketches a world in which Black women are the main characters.

DHĪVARAH: A WAY OF LIFE 2020, 12:12 min., (subtitles), India, Environmental/Documentary, Full Sail University PRODUCER/DIRECTOR:

Giridhar Nayak K

‘dhīvarah’, is a short documentary based on the unpredictable livelihoods of fishing communities struck by climate change and overfishing in Karnataka, India.

A-TIEN KCET FINE CUT AWARD WINNER

2020, 20:38 min., Taiwan (Subtitles), Comedy/Drama, NY Film Academy WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Yueh-Tzu Sun

Yueh-Tzu Sun, Yia-Chu Tsai

Chi-Wei Cheng, Shao-hua Lung, Jaxton Lin

A freelance taxi driver can’t stand a big 5-Star taxi company snatching customers so he forms a protest.

A BEAUTIFUL NIGHTMARE 2020, 9:15 min., USA, Drama, University of Southern California WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER:

Kevin Lee Maxwell

Madison Holbrook

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: CAST:

Bishal Dutta

Antwone Barnes, Kelechi Okoro

Daniel, a highly accomplished dancer, comes home from college only to find himself entangled in a battle between himself and his concerned father.

BROKEN LAYERS 2021 JURY AWARD WINNER – STUDENT SHORT FILM

2021, 24:46 min., USA, Drama, Santa Monica College WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Niccolo Rolim

Olivia Phillips, Nicholas Uneputty

Rawan Hage, Esther Pidal, Nick Faltas, Scott Davies

A humanist portrayal of the Iraq war and its aftermath as experienced by Rosa, a half-Latina, half-Arab U.S. Marine.

JLee MacKenzie

Mitchell Graham Colley Mitchell Graham Colley, Shardé Miller

Lily Oliver, Leah Zhang

As a young girl grapples with her mother’s absence, a chance encounter with a woman coping with the loss of her son creates an unlikely friendship.

MAGNOLIA BLOOM 2020, 14:52 min., USA, Drama/Historical/Music, University of Southern California DIRECTOR: WRITER:

PRODUCER: CAST:

Tayo Amos

Joi Elaine, Matt Mitchell Julia Dillard, Matt Mitchell

Lex Scott Davis

In 1950s Las Vegas, a black singer is on the verge of her big break, but she risks it all when she learns her audience won’t be integrated.

2021

EMERGING FILMMAKER HIGH SCHOOL FILMS LEFT BEHIND

091319.MOV 2020, 5 min., USA, Drama, ʻIolani School PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR: CAST:

Kunwoo Kim

Kunwoo Kim, Min Kim

Told through the eyes of a high school teen, this film depicts the lonely reality of studying abroad layered with the spoken and unspoken nuances communicated between a mother and son. Set during the backdrop of the global pandemic, the film portrays the acute ripple effects of Covid-19 that impact lives, shatter families, and alter commonplace routines once taken for granted. The film takes place in idyllic Hawaii, yet nothing is ever as it seems.

FEMINISM: THE FIFTH WAVE 2020, 22:34 min., USA, Documentary, Montverde Academy PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR: CAST:

Molly E. Smith

Anna Bird, Martha Nolte, Patricia Haletz, Sandra Luckow, Sheryl Carbonell, Katherine Murphy, Lori Smith, Stephanie Wahnish, Lily Calary, Allie Derry, Ellen Sallin, Aleah Polite

A young filmmaker discovers the true meaning of feminism and its impact on Generation Z. Feminism is a dirty word. At least that is how some women see it. It has been weaponized, becoming closely associated with political ties and radical behavior. The media paints this picture of polarization between generations particularly regarding feminism, but these few loud opinions do not make up the whole. In this film, we take a closer look at the evolution of feminism through the generations, revealing a surprising similarity. Are we really different in our ideas of feminism, or is this just a perception? With Generation Z on track to being “most diverse, best-educated generation yet” according to the 2018 study by the Pew Research Center and having access to smart phones since their time of birth, there is no question that Generation Z will forever impact the feminist movement. This film is a culmination of a yearlong research study to determine the future of feminism. Welcome to the fifth wave.

FOUR 2021, 5:36 min., USA, Drama, High School WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Paxton Stadler

Emily Skyle-Golden

Jasmeet Baduwalia, Hunter Holt, Jacqueline Fisher, Gregory Klino

A young teen wrestles with his obsessive urges, while his family struggles to understand his compulsive behavior.

HITMAN 2021 JURY AWARD WINNER – HIGH SCHOOL FILM

2020, 25 min., USA, Sci-Fi/Drama/Crime, ‘Iolani School PRODUCER: CAST:

Devan Fujinaka, Alex Ching

Grey Buxton, Keenan Chung, Mor Ben Haim, R. Duval, Dylan Tamamoto, Michael Colon, Sheri Tamamoto

A 2045 bounty hunter frantically races against the clock to free his childhood best friend from jail, leading him to a decision that could destroy his conscience forever.

I AM A TRAISTER: THE SARAH MOSKOVITZ STORY 2020, 8:27 min., USA, Animation/Documentary, The Righteous Conversations Project, Harvard-Westlake School Alexa Biggs, Veronica Howard, Izadora Kashper, Ella Levkowitz, Asher Meron, Bella Rahi, Henry Ullendorff, Olivia Uzielli, Lincoln Weinstock

DIRECTOR:

PRODUCER:

Lynn Tomlinson

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: CAST:

Cheri Gaulke, Samara Hutman

Sarah Traister Moskovitz

I Am A Traister: The Sarah Moskovitz Story is an animated film that tells the story of an unsung hero now in her 90s. In 1980s Los Angeles, Flo Kinsley and Moskowitz founded the first Child Survivors of the Holocaust therapy and support group which went on to be a worldwide phenomenon. For the first time this generation of child survivors, in their 60s and 70s, could name their experience, find community and begin to heal.

2020, 7:25 min., China, Documentary, Orange County School of Arts PRODUCER /DIRECTOR: CAST:

Maggie Ding

Qiuxiu Wu, Zhengguo Liu

Left Behind is about a nine-year-old left-behind child from a rural village of China, who badly needs love from her divorced parents. The left-behind children in China are children who are left behind in rural areas by their parents who leave to work in urban areas. According to the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs, as of August 2018, there were 6.97 million left-behind children in rural China. Many of these children face developmental and emotional challenges because of the lack of parental care. The film explores the lives of the left-behind children through the eyes of a village girl from Guizhou Province of China.

A SHIP CALLED LILI: THE LILLIAN TRILLING STORY 2020, 9:34 min., USA, Animation/Documentary, The Righteous Conversations Project, Harvard-Westlake School Natasha Clement, Alexa Druyanoff, Ian Kim, Dovely King, Eve Levy, Idalis McZeal, Ella Moriarty, Gracie Sandman, Hank Schoen

WRITER /DIRECTOR:

PRODUCER: CAST:

C. Lily Ericsson, Cheri Gaulke, Samara Hutman

Lillian Trilling

A Ship Called Lili: The Lillian Trilling Story is an animated film about Holocaust survivor and activist Lillian Trilling which chronicles her life at age 12 of escaping the Warsaw Ghetto, surviving a #MeToo experience, working as a nanny in a German castle, and her eventual liberation and journey to America.

2022

EMERGING FILMMAKER DOCUMENTARIES

STONEHEART: AN UNDYING GIFT 2021, 6:20 min., USA, Documentary DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Nicholas Markart Stephen Hilfiker, Nicholas Markart

Stephen Hilfiker

Steve Hilfiker, a heart transplant survivor and father of four, describes his experience facing death, and how his perspective on life has forever changed following the fateful operation.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON 2021, 17:39 min., USA, Documentary PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR: CAST:

Paul Grant, Nathan Crane Cohen

Jeff Whiting, Robin McGee, Sarah Timberlake, Bruce Barish

At the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic and in the midst of a PPE crisis, Broadway’s resilient community comes together to create the infrastructure to supply frontline medical workers with desperately needed hospital gowns.

The American Pavilion would like to also thank our prize award sponsors

2022

EMERGING FILMMAKER SHORT FILMS

7 LBS 8 OZ 2021, 7:08 min., USA, Animation/Comedy/Drama WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Yoo Lee

Xin Li, Evelyn Angelica Martinez

Frank Thon, Michelle Sohn, Robin Daniels

When a young mother moves into 8th street, Jersey City, N J, she learns about the value of the community and how her own perception determines her own experiences.

CHARLIE AND THE HUNT 2022, 14:31 min., USA, Family/Drama/Coming-of-Age WRITER /DIRECTOR:

Jenn Shaw

Dannielle Dormer, Anita M Cal, YJ Meira, Tema L Staig, Allison Vanore

PRODUCER:

CAST:

Lauren Ridloff, Nifeoluwa Ramroop, Robert Artz

A young girl goes on a whimsical adventure and faces her fears while setting out to recover a sentimental family treasure.

THE ERRAND 2022, 11:23 min., USA, Drama DIRECTOR: WRITER:

PRODUCER: CAST:

Amanda Renee Knox

Mira Olsson Lara Aslanian, Amanda Renee Knox

Naya Johnson, Ezekiel Bridges, Toni Robison-May, Sean Gallagher

When a young girl hitchhiking is picked up by a stranger, who ends up taking whom for a ride?

MY GIFT 2021, 13:25 min., Australia, Drama WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Michael Raso

Michael Raso, JD Cohen

Luke Hoogendyk, Ridhi Prasad, Joshua Fisk, Catherine Ross, Jyotsna Sharma, Susan Ling Young

A young boy is admitted to a hospital for lifesaving treatment. He befriends a young Indian girl who hopes a cure is found to save him before it’s too late.

IF MY VOICE RANG LOUDER THAN MY SKIN 2021, 4:46 min., USA, Animation WRITER /DIRECTOR:

Kyra Peters

If My Voice Rang Louder Than My Skin brings to life the story of a teenage boy who craves a life where his skin no longer affects his daily life or how others perceive him. Using 2D animation, the film follows him through the streets of the Bronx, trying to unite his community’s voice through music to rally against the divisive hate against color.

NOISY 2020, 10:04 min., USA, Drama WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER:

Cedric Hill

Cedric Hill, Pandora Scooter, Daniel Philips

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: DP:

Dany Bouchedid

Valentina Caniglia

CAST:

Max Lamadrid, Gabi Faye

Sam gets on the subway to get home. He catches the eye of April. The two of them discover they have way more in common than where they’re heading. Sometimes you need a noisy place to have a quiet conversation.

SHUTTER THE DOORS 2021, 13:23 min., USA, Drama WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Sheri Sussman

Antonio Cortese, Adam Rex

Ian Buchanan, Billy Wirth

Shutter the Doors, starring Ian Buchanan and Billy Wirth, is a short film that captures a moment in time of a man struggling to deal with an unexpected loss in his life.

2022

EMERGING FILMMAKER LGBTQ+ SHOWCASE FILMS

CANS CAN’T STAND

NOAH’S SONG

2022, 18:42 min., USA, Documentary/Social Justice/LGBTQ+, Yale University

2021, 2:57 min., USA, Animation/Romance/LGBTQ+, Vassar College

DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Matt Nadel, Megan Plotka Matt Nadel, Wendi Cooper

Wendi Cooper, Milan Nicole Sherry, CANScan’tSTAND Activists

Since 1982, police have weaponized Louisiana’s Crime Against Nature by Solicitation (CANS) law to terrorize queer/trans Louisianians. CANS Can’t Stand follows a group of Black trans women in New Orleans who are fighting to repeal that law—and advance trans liberation statewide.

ALL THE YOUNG DUDES 2020, 8:39 min., USA, Drama/Historical/Music/LGBTQ+, Florida State University WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR:

SECOND TEAM 2020, 10:27 min., USA, Comedy/LGBTQ+ DIRECTOR: WRITER:

CAST:

William Stead

Blake Lafita, Richie Gambardella

A scorned stand-in actor for a hit TV show distorts the script to publicly undress her costar.

THE SYED FAMILY XMAS EVE GAME NIGHT 2021, 11 min., USA, Comedy/LGBTQ+ DIRECTOR:

2021, 3:46 min., USA, Animation/LGBTQ+, School of Visual Arts

WRITER:

Carlos Taborda, Roshel Amuruz, Ashley Williams

In the streets of Cartagena, a young boy embarks on an adventure to find a flower for his crush and win his affection.

CUPIDS 2021, 10 min., USA, Comedy/LGBTQ+ DIRECTOR: WRITER:

PRODUCER: CAST:

Zoey Martinson

Zoey Martinson, Julie Sharbutt Korey Jackson and Devin E. Haqq

Melanie Nicholls-King, Toryn Isabella Coote, Julius Sampson, Scarlett London Diviney

In this playful comedy, three kids worry that their beloved school bus driver will be lonely this summer without them. They set out to find her a partner and imagine the perfect matches.

DON’T LET GO 2021, 9:33 min., USA, Drama/LGBTQ+ WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Mel Orpen

Mehmet Gungoren

Tessa Hope Slovis, Joyce Lee, Lauren Lynn King, Susan Harmon

When Sam and Reggie get engaged, their future seems bright--until a terrible car accident leaves Reggie in a coma. And Sam must confront Reggie’s homophobic mother to fight for a place at her hospital bedside before it’s too late.

DOTTING THE “I” 2022, 11:14 min., USA, Romance/Drama/Comedy/LGBTQ+ WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Doug Tompos

Doug Tompos, Risa Bramon Garcia, Steve Braun

Jeff Lorch, Miguel Perez

In the shadows of an empty office, the poetry of an unlikely kiss helps two men discover a love lost and a love never found.

IMPERFECTLY COMPLETE 2021, 14:46 min., USA (Subtitles), Drama/Romance/LGBTQ+, University of Southern California WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Bruce Chiu

Victor Tsao, Chrissy Aung

Chrissy Aung, Zaw Myo Htet

Lucy has been taking care of Owen, a blind guitarist she has admired for years. When Owen is about to get his vision back, Lucy faces the struggle of whether to reveal her true identity to Owen.

Mayon Denton, Julia Armine, Robert E. Arnold, Anni Weisband

Francia Raisa, Danielle Savre, Gigi Zumbado, Greer Grammar, Phill Lewis, Chester Lockhart, Sally Brooks, Akil Jackson, Alexander True Snyder, Catfish Jean, Melissa Greenspan

CARINO WRITER /DIRECTOR:

Ria Pavia

Anni Weisband

PRODUCER:

Cameron Greco

Georgia, USA, 1973. Glam rocker Billy rebels against his conservative high school, inspiring admiration from an unlikely ally with a desire to walk on the wild side…

Damián Bonito Zapien

Noah’s Song is an animation about a transgender man coming out to his partner.

PRODUCER: CAST:

Fawzia Mirza

Kausar Mohammed Amalia Mesa-Gustin, Kausar Mohamed

Kausar Mohammed, Vico Ortiz, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Pia Shah, D’Lo Srijaerajah

All cards are on the table when a queer Pakistani Muslim woman brings her Puerto Rican partner home for the first time on the family’s annual game night.

2022

EMERGING FILMMAKER STUDENT DOCUMENTARIES

BAD HOMBREWOOD 2021, 23:45 min., USA, Documentary, University of Southern California DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Guillermo Casarin Marian Cook, Santos Herrera

Phil Lord, Lee Unkrich, Guillermo del Toro, Melissa Fumero, Ben Lopez, Dr. Laura Isabel Serna, Leslie Arcos, Osiris Pichardo, Jenniffer González Martinez, Anabel Iñigo, Santos Herrera, Guillermo Casarín

For decades, the film industry has confined minorities to stereotypical characters. Now, filmmakers fight to change the Latinx role in Hollywood.

SPOKESPEOPLE 2020, 23:30 min., USA, Documentary, University of Southern California DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Ryan Mekenian Daniel Sheahan, Stephen Tonti

Jeremy Sisto (Narration)

For Los Angeles natives living in the early 1900’s, bicycles and streetcars shared the road as our primary modes of transportation. But the arrival of the freeway effectively wiped them out. Today, a collective of cycling communities fight for protected bike lanes and road safety; determined to bring a new era of mobility justice to the city.

2022

EMERGING FILMMAKER STUDENT SHORT FILMS

MESSAGE SENT 2021, 4:13 min., USA, Animation/Comedy, Cal State University Northridge PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR: CAST:

Ryan C. Lopez

Ryan C. Lopez, Danielle Della Porta

When Steven struggles to make his feelings for Liza clear, his Cell Phone comes to life and encourages him to make the most important decision of his young adult life, to trust himself, and take a leap of faith.

MOTHER IN THE MIST 2021, 20:51 min., China, Drama, University of Southern California WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER:

Kay Niuyue Zhang

Robin Zhongyu Wang, Kay Niuyue Zhang

CO-PRODUCER:

Eris Zhao, Jiayun Li

CINEMATOGRAPHER: CAST:

Jiang Du

Shen Shiyu, Wang Xiwen

Following Wuhan’s Coronavirus lockdown, a rural single mother embarks on a dangerous journey in search of her preemie newborn baby stranded in Wuhan City Hospital. Against a harsh, grim winter night, she trudges through trials and tribulations, fighting a way around checkpoints. Joining her path is a mysterious eight-year-old girl, who shares the same determination to reunite with her mother in the city. When She finally almost gets to Wuhan, we realize things are not as it seems...

OVER MY DEAD BODY 2020, 25 min., USA (subtitles), Drama/Comedy/Family, New York Film Academy PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR: CAST:

Meital Cohen Navarro

Mary Apick, Nakta Pahlevan, Bahram Vatanparast, Afshin Katanchi, Mahsa Shamsa

When a young Jewish Persian-American woman tells her parents that her fiancé is Muslim, they make her choose between him and them.

THE WAR WITHIN 2021, 25 min., USA (subtitles), Drama, Santa Monica College WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Marta D’Ocon

Marina Coutinho, Catharine Dada

Sabrina Hartmann, Alan Corvaia, Laura Urgelles, Damián Delgado

Somewhere in Latin America, a young woman joins a guerrilla army when her entire family is massacred by government troops. She initially thrives, finding strength and independence as a deadly sniper. But her newfound sense of purpose and self-respect come with a high price.

WUHAN DRIVER 2021, 14:14 min., USA, Drama, New York University WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Tiger Ji

Alena Svyatova, Jonathan Sanger

Wayne Chang

At the beginning of the pandemic, a Chinese driver in New York struggles to make ends meet as he picks up passengers on a long and dreary night.

2022

EMERGING FILMMAKER HIGH SCHOOL FILMS

A PRAYER FOR MY MOTHER: THE EVA BRETTLER STORY 2022, 9:58 min., USA, Animation/Documentary, The Righteous Conversations Project Ruben Barrett, Raisa Effress, Sophia Evans, Lauren Fuchs, Katie Hadsock-Longarzo, Ian Kim, Eve Levy, Timothy Lim, Asher Meron, Marlon Ochoa, Bella Rahi, Hank Schoen, Olivia Uzielli

DIRECTOR:

PRODUCER:

C. Lily Ericsson, Carter Beardmore, Sophie Kim

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: CAST:

Cheri Gaulke, Samara Hutman

Eva Brettler

The extraordinary saga of Holocaust survivor Eva Brettler told through personal testimony and animation. Young Eva survives two concentration camps and the destruction of her family to emerge, with a tender heart and faith intact, crediting the goodness of caretakers she encountered along the way.

DEVIL BEAN 2021, 10:36 min., Australia, Comedy, St. Matthews Catholic School DIRECTOR: WRITER: CAST:

Jessica Nipperess

Sam Paine

Sam Paine, Stella Morgan, Reneé French, Charlie French

After gifting a coffee machine to their father on Christmas, this picture-perfect family is thrown into the jaws of a horror-come-anti-drug flick as their dad’s addiction tears the family apart.

GRETA 2021, 7:49 min., USA, Drama/Coming of Age, Glendale High School WRITER /DIRECTOR: CAST:

Sofie Verweyen

Lilah Hayes, Erinn Hayes, Victoria Atkin, Jack Hayes, Maggie Hayes, Eva Langsdorff

A personal, subjective journey into the mind of Greta Thunberg, before realizing her calling as a climate activist. While struggling with mental health issues and bullying because of her Aspergers, she also grapples with a sense of impending doom due to the climate crisis. These same struggles and fears drive her to make a change and become the person she is today.

PHO 2021, 11:51 min., USA, Drama, Orange County School of the Arts WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Ethan Chu

Ava Encinas

Khoi Le, Julie Tong, Antone Axten

After building a seemingly successful life, a man must come to terms with the melancholic truth that he has detached from his Vietnamese culture and subsequently his grandmother, both of which he once held a close relationship with. His grief pushes him through a journey of reflection which reveals to him the perfect recipe to restore the once lost connection.

HOTLINE 2021, 13:21 min., USA, Drama, Pacifica Christian High School WRITER /DIRECTOR: CAST:

Andreas Mickelopoulos, Garrett Seabold

Isai Palomares, Charlotte Shays, Robert Pitts, Nicolas Kolesnikow

Three high school boys’ night of prank calls quickly develops into a matter of life and death when an unsuspecting classmate answers the phone.

SYDNEY 2078 2021, 9:36 min., Australia, Sci-Fi/Drama, Balgowlah Boys Campus PRODUCER /WRITER /DIRECTOR: PRODUCER: CAST:

Brady O’Sullivan

Ava Encinas

Gordon Carroll

A teenage boy from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with a fascination for science fiction movies and novels has a vision during the night, leading him on an inter-dimensional endeavour into the future.

THINK LIKE A FILMMAKER 2021, 6:20 min, USA, Documentary, Saint Ann’s School PRODUCER /DIRECTOR: CAST:

Eli Berliner

Alan Berliner

Eli Berliner turns the camera on his father, Alan, a personal documentary filmmaker, whose new body of work approaches sculpture through the eyes of a filmmaker.

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