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LGBTQ+ SHOWCASE 2025
EMERGING FILMMAKER
TUESDAY, MAY 20 3:30 - 6:00PM
DANCING IN TOMORROWLAND (2024)
15:40min. | USA, Documentary/LGBTQ+, UCLA
DIRECTOR: Jakob Roston
PRODUCERS: Nazanin Nemetollahi, Grace Vincent, Jakob Roston
CAST: Crusader
ABOUT: In this fantasia of a 1980’s gay rights theme park documentary an unsung teen activist fights to overturn Disneyland’s ban on same-sex dancing.
HANDWOVEN (2024)
9min. | USA, Documentary/Indigenous/LGBTQ+, Chapman University
DIRECTOR: Dasha Levin, Mason Cazalet, Mihika Das, Matthew Wisdom
PRODUCER: Dasha Levin
CAST: Nikyle Begay
ABOUT: A lyrical portrait of Nikyle Begay, a non-binary shepherd and weaver; working to preserve their way of life through the traditional art of weaving.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, MS. LUNA (2023)
17:33min. | Australia, Drama/Comedy/LGBTQ+
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Andy “Celeste” Diep
PRODUCERS: Michelle Ny, Vada Gock, Yingna Lu
CAST: Renee Lim, Victoria Ho, Monica Sayers, Gareth Yuen
ABOUT: Luna, a young transfeminine woman, attends her family’s annual Chinese New Year gathering for the first time since her transition.
INTERFERENCE (2025)
24:59min. | USA, Psychological Horror/LGBTQ+
DIRECTOR: Lila Woodbridge
WRITERS: Stephanie Saavedra, Lila Woodbridge, Al Bouchillon, Nic Wells
PRODUCER: Lila Woodbridge, Al Bouchillon
CAST: J.D. Robinson, Mike Pratt
ABOUT: “Interference” tells the story of one teenage boy’s struggle with paranoia and identity amidst the start of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s.
OLD GIRL IN A TUTU: SUSAN RENNIE DISRUPTS ART HISTORY (2025)
8:02min. | USA, Animation/Documentary/LGBTQ+
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Cheri Gaulke
WRITERS: Cheri Gaulke, Sue Maberry
ANIMATION: C. Lily Ericsson
CAST: Susan Rennie, Kirsten Grimstad
ABOUT: Feminist scholar, Susan Rennie, seizes her iPhone and sneaks her queer, octogenarian body into master works of art, disrupting the narrative of the male gaze.
PACE (2024)
15:10min. | USA, Drama/Sports/LGBTQ+
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Beck Williams
PRODUCERS: Shannon Elizabeth Clark, Aaron Krimetz, Kelly Lou Dennis, Sarah Evans, Beck Williams, Rainn Wilson, Bernadett York, Nas Albizuris, Autumn Ivy, David Florin, Bex Taylor-Klaus
CAST: Beck Williams, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Kelly Lou Dennis
ABOUT: Struggling with dysphoria, a boxer wrestles with the decision to transition at the potential cost of their marriage. When another boxer who shares their identity enters the gym, the two find solace in training together while navigating their own challenging journeys.
SAFETY STATE (2024)
15:37min. | USA, Dramedy/LGBTQ+
DIRECTOR: Jeanette L. Buck
WRITERS: Rani Deighe Crowe, Jeanette L. Buck
PRODUCER: Jeanette L. Buck
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Bonnie Rae Brickman, Rani Deighe Crowe
CAST: Caitlin Lopez, Jane Reagan, Alan Tyson, Stephen Woosley
ABOUT: In the dystopian near future, a gay and a lesbian couple form an unlikely friendship as they flee the Midwest for safety in New England.
SATURDAY RITUAL (2024)
12:24min. | USA, Comedy/LGBTQ+
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Sydne Horton
PRODUCERS: Rachel Carlson, Sydne Horton, Ansley Martinez, Sabrina Morgan
CAST: Ryan D. Madison, Susan Louise O’Connor, Haley Baird Riemer, Kiara Romero, Cora Lu Tran
ABOUT: Cammie’s relationship with her soccer mates is put to the test when a psychic reveals a hidden truth.
EMERGING FILMMAKER STUDENT SHOWCASE 2025
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21 3:00 - 5:30PM
ADA AND THE DOC (2023)
15:07min. | USA, Drama/Historical, Savannah College of Art & Design
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Matison LeBlanc
PRODUCERS: Matison LeBlanc, Chelsea Bryan, Halle Losordo, Bailey Selvidge, Jackson Bartholomew, Jacob Denton, Grace Pritchard
CAST: Chelsea Bryan, Matthew Martinez, Patrick Logan
ABOUT: In 1927 southern Louisiana, subversive housewife Ada LeBoeuf is put on trial alongside her alleged lover for the grisly murder of her husband in one of the most explosive sex-murder trials ever reported.
BEFORE THE WINTER (2024)
15:39min. | USA, Mystery/Drama, Chapman University
DIRECTOR: Juan Zuloaga Eslait
WRITER/PRODUCER: Flora Wengu Jiang
CAST: Venice Wong, Yin Yin Liow
ABOUT: Within the pages of her diary, a middle school girl recounts her harsh reality: the mother’s desperate attempt to protect their sick cat. Dark secrets are threatened when the diary falls into the hands of her concern but nosy professor.
CHASE JUPITER (2025)
4:41min. | USA, Comedy/Drama, University of Southern California
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Linjie Huang
PRODUCERS: Tarun Kanakamedala
CAST: Flora Jiwu Hwang
ABOUT: An odd young female who has devoted 120% of herself to astrophotography becomes aggressive when she finds out her shooting plan is sabotaged by her dog.
CHRISTMAS, EVERY DAY (2024)
13:49min. | USA, Documentary, Stanford University
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Faye Tsakas
PRODUCER: Enrique Pedraza Botero
ABOUT: Christmas, Every Day gives a slice-of-life glimpse of preteen influencers Peyton and Lyla Wesson, ages 11 and 12, as they perform for their online fans under their mother’s watchful guidance.
THE HICKS HAPPY HOUR (2024)
16:38min. | USA, Musical/Dramedy, American Film Institute
DIRECTOR: Kate McCarthy
WRITERS: Kate McCarthy, Michael Kefeyalew
PRODUCER: Cameron Wen
CAST: Phoebe Kuhlman, Ella Victoria, Charley Rowan McCain, Tristan Wilder Hallett
ABOUT: In 1972, the ever-smiling mother of a family band struggles to keep the family’s TV variety show and wholesome image going when her estranged husband doesn’t turn up to the season finale taping.
LIFE AND SOUL (2025)
7:37min. | USA, Drama, Oaks Christian School
PRODUCER/WRITER/DIRECTOR: Micah Max Polaha
ORIGINAL SONG: Caleb Polaha
CAST: Robin Thomas, Kristoffer Polaha, Brooke Moore, Micah Max Polaha
ABOUT: Lost in the decline of dementia, a rockstar has a moment of lucidity and reminds his son of the one thing that matters most.
LOVING DAY (2024)
16:15min. | USA, Drama, University of Southern California
DIRECTOR: Daeil Kim
WRITERS: Daeil Kim, Melanie Sudyn
PRODUCER: Melanie Sudyn
CAST: Sidney Flanigan, Ian Oh, Raphael Sbarge, Willie C. Carpenter, Catherine Hogan
ABOUT: An interracial couple’s wedding plans take an unexpected turn when the Loving v. Virginia case, which legalized interracial marriage, is overturned, leaving them to navigate the fate of their child.
PRIVATE i (2024)
16:13min. | USA, Drama, Florida State University
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Evan Patrick Adams
PRODUCER: Tyler Kirkpatrick
COMPOSER: Alex Strahle
CAST: Taylor Petracek, Avrielle Corti, Geoffrey Davin
ABOUT: A bellboy who uses his camera to spy on guests follows a mysterious woman with a dark secret, but he’ll need to investigate himself first.
WHEN BIG PEOPLE LIE (2024)
13:36min. | USA, Drama, AFI Conservatory
DIRECTOR: Gianfranco Fernández-Ruiz
WRITER: Gianfranco Fernández-Ruiz & Pablo Cervera Gutierrez
PRODUCER: Gus Murray, Kouxiao Amy Zhang
CAST: Kaden Quinn, Sasha Merci, Faruk Amireh, Diane Sargent
ABOUT: The riptide of adult choices drags young Elvis out to sea.
EMERGING FILMMAKER SHOWCASE 2025
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21 5:30 - 8:00PM
AGITER (2024)
19:01min. | USA/France, Drama
DIRECTOR: Amanda Moresco
WRITER: William Francis Hoffman
PRODUCERS: Hannia Guillen, Yudelka Heyer
CAST: Hannia Guillen, Frank Delay, Willy Liechty, Catherine Wadkins
ABOUT: Julie is already a great chef, but she’s moved to Paris to put herself against the best. Will seizing an opportunity to prove herself be her triumph, or has she reached beyond where her skills will allow her to go.
DEAR OWNER (2023)
8:57min. | USA, Comedy/Drama
DIRECTOR: Jonathan Coleman
WRITER: Marc Paykuss
PRODUCER: Karis Danish
CAST: Karis Danish, Juan Javier Cardenas, Marianna Houston
ABOUT: When a young married couple meet the owner of the home they hope to buy, they soon learn the meaning of the phrase “Buyer Beware.”
GET AWAY (2023)
15:25min. | USA, Thriller/Horror
DIRECTOR: Michael Gabriele
WRITERS: Michael Gabriele, Anthony Jefferson
PRODUCERS: Danny Rhodes, Mike McNamara
CAST: Lisa Starrett, Steph Martinez, Ericka Lane Enggren
ABOUT: While spending the weekend at a remote desert vacation rental, a group of friends play a mysterious VHS tape and discover a series of strange and terrifying coincidences.
LITTLE ORANGE FLAGS (2024)
17:26min. | USA, Thriller
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Julianna Gelinas Bonifacio
PRODUCERS: Matthew Bonifacio, Meghan Lennox, Julianna Gelinas Bonifacio
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: John Gelinas Jr., Carole Buddenhagen Gelinas
CAST: Lisa Emery, Bella Price, Bella Miah Estrada, Chris Henry Coffey, Alex Marie Wint
ABOUT: Twelve-year-old Iris is sent to live on a farm in rural Pennsylvania after an encounter with her mom’s boyfriend.
MIRIAM (2025)
16min. | USA, Drama/Comedy
DIRECTOR: Josie Andrews
WRITER: Levi Alexander
PRODUCERS: Brenda Goodman, Josie Andrews, Levi Alexander
CAST: Justin Kirk, Amy Davidson, Pearl Scarlett Gold, Laura Gardner, Alan Wasserman, Roman Adolfo, Henry Leith, Connor Esterson
ABOUT: In 1985, Miriam is chosen to be the first bat mitzvah of her Orthodox community - an honor complicated when she starts secretly skipping Hebrew lessons to pursue skateboarding under the wing of a homeless teen.
RAGAMUFFIN (2024)
14:27min. | USA, Drama/Coming-of-Age/Sports/ LGBTQ+
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Kaitlyn Mikayla
PRODUCERS: Hannah Alline, Christina Jundt, Sailor Larocque, Amber Neukum, Jason Reitman
CAST: Eden Harper, Robert Hadlock, Courtney Dietz, Bailey Sloan, Michael Milligan, Cyle Winters
ABOUT: A twelve-year-old motocross racer spends what seems like an average race weekend at the track with her father. But as the weekend unfolds, she’s faced with her identity, her deafness, and what it means to be a girl.
SALLY, GET THE POTATOES (2024)
16:36min. | USA, Drama/Coming-of-Age
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Danicah Waldo
PRODUCERS: Cade Waldo, Sarah Parr, Jess Dubois, Danicah Waldo, Patricia Chica
CAST: Kynlee Heiman, Clark Carmichael, Quinn Hemphill, Travis Doughty, Bohdana Madlova, Amanda Ferguson, Charlie Ferrara
ABOUT: A little girl’s innocence is shattered when she takes an unexpected ride in her wealthy family’s rolling laundry cart and learns their secrets.
SHE IS US: THE STORY OF JUDGE SONGHAI ARMSTEAD (2024)
14:13min. | USA, Animation/Documentary
DIRECTOR: Samara Hutman, C. Lily Ericsson
PRODUCERS: Samara Hutman, C. Lily Ericsson, Cheri Gaulke, Animate Possibility, a program of Second Nurture with Righteous Conversations Project
CAST: Songhai Armstead
ABOUT: This animated film chronicles the extraordinary story of social justice warrior Songhai Armstead who was system impacted, faced systemic obstacles, and found purpose in empowering others.