WINTER FILM AWARDS

Go Through The Dark

DOCUMENTARY CHINA/UNITED STATES MANDARIN 78 MINS

SATURDAY FEB 18 2:15 PM-4:10 PM

Guanglin is a blind boy in China who displays great skill at the ancient board game “Go”, in which two players place black and white pieces on a grid in an attempt to dominate their opponent. Raised by a single father with limited means, Guanglin faces deep societal prejudice against the blind.

Yunhong Pu is a bilingual film director and producer based in NYC and earned an MFA Degree in social documentary film from the School of Visual Arts. GO THROUGH THE DARK is her thesis film and her first feature film.

Directed by Yunhong Pu

Producted by Yunhong Pu

Grandma Perm

DOCUMENTARY UNITED STATES/KOREA KOREAN 17 MINS

SATURDAY FEB 18 9:00 PM-11:00 PM / WED FEB 22 2:45 PM-4:45 PM

A personal journey to find mother’s love through this unique and popular hairstyle called “Grandma Perm” in Korea.

Changhee Chun is a professor and filmmaker at The University of Texas at Arlington. He produced over fifty television commercials, music videos, fiction films, documentaries and also produced the Korean broadcasting of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. After extensive experience in the media industry and independent productions, Changhee is really interested in creating visually stimulating films that directly incorporate current and prevailing issues including social justice, discrimination, diversity, and environmental issues.

Directed by Changhee Chun

Producted by Changhee Chun

IN·SPI·RA·TION

DOCUMENTARY

SATURDAY FEB 18 9:00 PM-11:00 PM / WED FEB 22 2:45 PM-4:45 PM

IN·SPI·RA·TION is a short documentary following three Isle of Man artists as they complete a piece of work, discussing their sources of inspiration and identity as artists. The film aims to demystify the artistic process, and demonstrate how everyone works differently, and there is no ‘right’ way to do art; it’s a personal journey.

Dark Avenue Film consists of Patrick Crellin and Bethany White, and is a production company based on the Isle of Man. The business has been operating since 2018, and since then, has produced two award-winning fiction short films and three short documentaries.

Directed by Patrick Crellin, Bethany White

Producted by Patrick Crellin, Bethany White

Inside The Beauty Bubble

DOCUMENTARY UNITED STATES ENGLISH 31 MINS

SATURDAY FEB 18 12:00 PM-2:00 PM / WED FEB 22 2:45 PM-4:45 PM

Inside the Beauty Bubble is a short documentary film about a renowned collector of hair artifacts fighting to keep his desert dreams alive. The Beauty Bubble Salon & Museum in Joshua Tree is the magical and kitsch-filled brainchild of Jeff Hafler. The film covers a year in the life of Jeff and his roadside attraction as they face lockdowns, protests and massive societal change. It is a film about family, fabulousness and folk art, a film that reminds us it’s sometimes the strong people on the margins that hold a community together.

Cheryl Bookout co-directed the doc film INSIDE THE BEAUTY BUBBLE; she is currently producing the feature documentary ACTING LIKE WOMEN and a short film JUST A FRIEND and is the founder of The Chimaera Project, a nonprofit that champions women filmmakers.

Cheri Gaulke is a pioneer in the feminist art movement; directed the award-winning documentaries GLORIA’S CALL and MISS ALMA THOMAS: A LIFE IN COLOR; co-director of INSIDE THE BEAUTY BUBBLE and is currently in production on her feature documentary ACTING LIKE WOMEN.

Directed by Cheryl Bookout, Cheri Gaulke

Producted by Cheryl Bookout, Cheri Gaulke

Instincts

Sam, a corporate employee who dresses as a man, makes her journey back home at night after work. Her friend Alice gives her a list of possible riddles she might be asked by the predatory animal-headed men who rule this world. A corporate lion, a drunk pig, a gangster wolf and owl, and a fox roommate that does not understand boundaries, stop her path and won’t let her pass until she answers the riddles correctly.

Israa Al-Kamali is an LA-based Iraqi filmmaker who has worked on various projects in both regions. Al-Kamali’s work tackles matters such as social justice, immigration, and culture. She founded the Iraqi Film Festival to celebrate films from Iraq. Al-Kamali holds a BSc in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an MFA in Filmmaking from New York Film Academy. Her debut feature film, THE ANXIOUS PLACE, is the first feature film by a woman in Qatar and is currently in the financing phase.

Directed by Israa Al-Kamali

Producted by Emerson Geter

KEEP/DELETE

SHORT UNITED STATES ENGLISH 19 MINS TUESDAY FEB 21 5:00 PM-6:45 PM

In a future where memories are stored like files, broken couples are offered the ability to wipe every trace of a relationship from their minds.

Kryzz Gautier is a Queer, Afro-Latina, formerly undocumented writer/director from the Dominican Republic. Kryzz was on The Black List 2021, has written on an HBO series and on 2K Games’ BioShock 4. She’s sold shows and features to studios, some of which have her attached as director. Kryzz has been a fellow in prestigious programs like NBC’s “Female Forward”, Ryan Murphy’s “Half Initiative”, Joey Soloway’s “Disruptors”, the Sundance Institute, and The Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship, among others.

Directed by Kryzz Gautier

Producted by Maya Butler, Corsica Wilson

Keeping Olivia

DOCUMENTARY USA/ITALY/GERMANY ENGLISH/GERMAN 85 MINS

SATURDAY FEB 18 4:25 PM-6:30 PM

A determined mother’s unusual exploration of healing, untangling trauma on the road with Olivia’s 50 Barbies.

Daphne Yeager Ostendorf is an independent Documentary Filmmaker based in New York. She holds degrees in Anthropology, Political/Social Science and Documentary Filmmaking. Daphne was a Peace Corps development worker in a small fishing village in Sierra Leone, West Africa; after surviving this she lived and worked in Germany, Italy and New York. Daphne has been a producer, cinematographer and editor for both short and feature documentaries and fiction films.

Directed by Daphne Yeager Ostendorf

Producted by Daphne Yeager Ostendorf

Little Hurts

ANIMATED UNITED STATES ENGLISH 10 MINS

TUESDAY FEB 21 8:30 PM-10:45 PM / MONDAY FEB 20 3:00 PM-4:45 PM

A routine errand at the dry cleaners unleashes a free-for-all of fat-shaming, body image demons and family dieting obsessions.

Debra Solomon has been animating since 1995. Her films have won awards including a Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale, Best Soundtrack in Annecy, and a Special Jury Award at the World Animation Festival. Her film EVERYBODY’S PREGNANT is in MOMA’s film and video collection. In 2001, Debra helped create the Disney Channel’s hit show LIZZIE MCGUIRE, acting as animation director for the series and movie. Her film GETTING OVER HIM IN 8 SONGS OR LESS, was featured on HBO.

Directed by Debra Solomon

Producted by Debra Solomon

Obyra

HORROR GERMANY ENGLISH 5 MINS

SUNDAY FEB 19 6:45 PM-8:45 PM / THURSDAY FEB 23 2:45 PM-4:45 PM

ŁOBYRA is a chapter of an ongoing gloomy tale about the rise of the grouse king. It tells of strange looming figures, who emerged under unknown circumstances, not revealing if their intensions are good or evil. Seemingly attracted by an invisible calling, they are steering towards the summit of a mountain and summon something, which was put to sleep for a long time.

Natalie Plaskura has a diploma in photodesign studies, directing and cinematography (MA). Her short films INTRUSION (2012), FAINT (2014), MINOTAUR/BLACK VULPINE (2019) and SKRZYKOT (2020) went to several film festivals around the globe.

Directed by Natalie Plaskura

Producted by Natalie Plaskura

LOST & FOUND

ANIMATED GREECE ENGLISH 9 MINS

FRIDAY FEB 17 9:00 PM-11:40 PM / MONDAY FEB 20 3:00 PM-4:45 PM

A naughty suitcase that wants to be free, creates a mess at the airport.

Vivian Papageorgiou holds a doctorate in Cinema Studies, has a Master’s Degree in Audiovisual & Cinema and studied TV & Cinema Directing, English Literature and Interior Design. She created 6 short films and is a Sarajevo Film Festival talent alumni (2016). Her script HANSEL was at the Pack & Pitch of the same festival. She is working at the University of Athens and is in development of her first feature documentary.

Directed by Vivian Papageorgiou

Producted by Ioanna Bolomyti

Lost Cos

Haunted by her tortured childhood and the violent loss of the great love of her life, troubled dental assistant Eni finds escape in Los Cos, a mysterious underground club where cosplay and burlesque intertwine and heroes and villains blur the line between fantasy and reality. But when a cosplayer dressed as “Merman” shows up dead on a New Jersey beach and a mysterious stalker gets up in her DMs, Eni must confront the traumas that have shaped her life and transform herself into an altogether more formidable force.

Robin de Levita has produced 3 features and lineproduced more than 100 TV shows and motion picture films, but is best known for producing more than 80 first class theater productions in 7 countries, including 17 Broadway and 4 West End productions, winning numerous international awards including Tony Awards for Titanic, 42nd Street and Into the Woods, plus a Laurence Olivier Award for The Who’s Tommy.

Directed by Robin De Levita

Producted by Catriona Rubenis-Stevens, Evgeniya Radilova

Love You Forever

HORROR UNITED STATES/MEXICO ENGLISH 21 MINS

SUNDAY FEB 19 4:30 PM-6:30 PM / THURSDAY FEB 23 2:45 PM-4:45 PM

Trapped in a time-warped house, two sisters try to survive the immensity of each others’ love.

Sepi Mashiahof is a second generation IranianAmerican immigrant and trans-femme filmmaker, screenwriter, and musician. Since 2012, she has lived in Oakland, CA where she cultivated relationships with the queer underground arts community through her work as Executive Director at Bay Area Girls Rock Camp, host of the cult Scream Queens Radio program, and member of industrial no wave band SBSM. She has directed a plethora of music videos before making her short film debut with LOVE YOU FOREVER.

Directed by Sepand Mashiahof

Producted by Sepand Mashiahof, Hana Harada

Meantime Creuse

HORROR FRANCE FRENCH

13 MINS

SUNDAY FEB 19 4:30 PM-6:30 PM / THURSDAY FEB 23 2:45 PM-4:45 PM

Marc, a young city dweller, goes into the countryside where he stays on his own in a lonely house. He is expecting his girlfriend Louise who is supposed to come and join him soon, but she is late showing up. Marc is keen on keeping fit and becomes obsessed with the healthy daily routine he has set up for himself, but the silence grows heavier and heavier, and Louise hasn’t arrived yet. In the anxious surrounding calm, Marc gradually falls prey to the assault of all kinds of sounds that are usually ignored and sounds that are not usually heard.

Guillaume Scaillet graduated from the screenwriting department of La Fémis and now works on projects as a writer and director. He’s currently writing the script of his first feature JEANNE DARK produced by Caïmans Productions. He also works as a scriptwriter and consultant on diverse movies and series projects.

Directed by Guillaume

Producted

by Jérôme

Scaillet

Barthélémy, Daniel Sauvage

Mine

WEB SERIES UNITED STATES ENGLISH

WEDNESDAY FEB 22 5:00 PM-6:45 PM

Miss Viborg

MONDAY FEB 20 8:30 PM-10:45 PM

Former beauty queen and senior citizen Solvej lives alone with her dog in a social housing area on the outskirts of Danish provincial town Viborg. Each day, she performs the same old routines roaming around on her scooter dealing her prescription drugs, dreaming of a world outside Viborg and reminiscing over old love letters from her past. When unforeseen circumstances bring her neighbour’s daughter, rebellious 17-year-old Kate into her life, an unlikely friendship forms and new hope for the future emerges.

Marianne Blicher is a graduate from the Danish film school Super16. Her debut as a writing director was the short film MALLORCA, followed by BELINDA BEAUTIFUL, which won the main prize at Krakow Film Festival and has an extensive festival track. Her latest short ODD JOB MAN competed at 50+ festivals. In 2022, Marianne premiered her first feature MISS VIBORG.

Directed by Marianne Blicher

Producted by Eva Jakobsen

Mother Of Color

FEATURE UNITED STATES ENGLISH/SPANISH 86 MINS

14 MINS

MINE is an animated web-series that poignantly explores the timely theme of community versus individual survival, through the eyes of a teenager. Set in the near-future, this powerful five-part series transports us to Beau Voda, a hard-fought utopian world where every aspect of life is powered by a miraculous healing water source. In the pilot episode, a teenager reluctantly steps into the esteemed role of Water Bearer with the help of their precocious sister. But when the magical water is tampered with, they discover that their idealistic community may not be as magnanimous as they think.

Co-director Randall Dottin is a writer/director who works both in documentary and narrative fiction. He is currently chair of the Screenwriting Department at New York Film Academy. Brasilian-American filmmaker Luisa Dantas (Co-director) works at the intersection of storytelling, social justice, and cities. She produced and directed the multiplatform documentary LAND OF OPPORTUNITY, and co-produced the documentary WAL-MART: THE HIGH COST OF LOST PRICE.

MINE is part of a suite of five projects created by the Rise-Home Stories Project, a groundbreaking collaboration between multimedia storytellers and social justice advocates seeking to change our relationship to land, home, and race, by transforming the stories we tell about them. More info at www.risehomestories.com

Directed by Luisa Dantas, Randall Dottin

Producted by Angela Tucker, Paige Wood

WEDNESDAY FEB 22 8:30 PM-10:55 PM

In a tumultuous world, Noelia, is a whip-smart community organizer and single mother of two who constantly has to make hard choices between her kids and her career. When she’s offered the chance to interview for a position that could change everything, she begins receiving mysterious messages from her ancestors. Noelia senses that something bigger is at play as she works through a series of obstacles to get to the interview and follow her dreams. MOTHER OF COLOR is an eerie social drama that tracks the realities of single motherhood while also exploring one woman’s reckoning with ancestral trauma.

Dawn Jones Redstone is a Mexican-American writer/director whose short films have screened around the globe including the acclaimed SISTA IN THE BROTHERHOOD. Her work often features women of color and explores themes of resistance, feminism and the internal machinations that help us transform into the people we want to become. She believes in using her hiring decisions to help create an inclusive filmmaking community that reflects and brings needed perspective to the world we live in.

Directed by Dawn Jones Redstone

Producted by Tara Johnson-Medinger, Ashley Song

My Left Arm

HORROR UNITED STATES ENGLISH 16 MINS

SUNDAY FEB 19 4:30 PM-6:30 PM /

THURSDAY FEB 23 2:45 PM-4:45 PM

After a debilitating stroke, Malorie, on the brink of a career breakthrough, finds herself at war with her own body and is forced to watch as her life slowly unravels. As her condition continues to worsen, she begins to detach from herself and those she loves, eventually placing her young daughter in mortal danger.

Melissa Vitello is an award-winning producer and director who has over 15 years of experience in the film industry and, more namely, the horror genre. In the last ten years, Melissa has produced 4 feature films and over 50 short films, commercials, and music videos. Christopher Sheffield has always strived to push the limits of independent cinema, writing, directing, and DP’ing his own feature films, from ambitious action thrillers to the smaller drama projects with deeply personal stories.

Directed by Melissa Vitello, Christopher Sheffield

Producted by Stacy Snyder, Melissa Vitello

NEITHER HERE / NOR THERE NI AQUÍ / NI ALLÁ

DOCUMENTARY US/DR/COSTA RICA SPANISH 15 MINS

S ATURDAY FEB 18 4:25 PM-6:30 PM / WED FEB 22 2:45 PM-4:45 PM

NI AQUÍ/NI ALLÁ is a personal documentary that centers on a conversation between filmmaker Ley Comas and their mother about their gender identity. As the middle child of Christian pastors, Ley never imagined that transitioning was possible. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Ley only witnessed trans people portrayed as evil characters, punchlines in movies and TV shows, or outcasts and victims. At home, anything that went against God´s word was an abomination. This documentary follows Ley´s physical and psychological journey to become themself, while struggling to find a middle ground with their family.

Ley is Afro-Caribbean, born in Costa Rica and raised in the Dominican Republic. Ley is a production sound mixer by trade, their work in sound has been included in several film festivals and major streaming platforms. As an educator, Ley serves as an Adjunct Professor at Temple University. Their work as a filmmaker of trans experience is grounded in collaborating in the creation of films that highlight and empower the narratives of historically erased identities.

Directed by Ley Comas

Producted by Ley Comas

Panah

SHORT IRAN/UNITED STATES PERSIAN 15 MINS

MONDAY FEB 20 5:00 PM-6:45 PM

Panah, a middle-aged transgender mother, is trying to leave Iran in order to have gender affirmation surgery but her visa and medical documents have been rejected. Her only hope and motivation is to once more see her son, and to be accepted by him as her authentic true self.

Fatemeh Ghadirinezhadian is an Iraninan director, writer and producer. She has a Ph.D. in psychology and has worked as a consultant on the sets of feature films and T.V series in Iran. Filmography: PANAH (2022, Short, Drama), WHERE IS THE HEAVEN (2013, Short, Drama).

Sana Norouzbaki is a costume, production, and art designer from Iran. She was born in 1988 in Tehran and also has a master’s degree in architecture and urban designing.

Directed by Fatemeh Ghadirinezhadian, Sana Norouzbaki

Producted by Amirhossein Norouzbaki

Peacock Pou

HORROR SOUTH AFRICA AFRIKAANS 90 MINS

SUNDAY FEB 19 9:00 PM-11:00 PM

PEACOCK is a South African gothic horror following the journey of a young woman into the dark recesses of the Afrikaner psyche and its compromised past. Anna is stuck in a puritanical institution known simply as The Foundation. When Anna transgresses The Foundation’s strict moral standards, she is sent away to care for Sarel, one of its founding members. An Apartheid-era theologian living out his last days in demented paranoia on his isolated farm, Sarel is suffering from visions and hallucinations as he is haunted by ghosts from the past. Suffering her own guilt, Anna gets sucked into Sarel’s dark world and she starts seeing his visions. Anna will have to act from her deepest convictions to save herself.

Jaco Minnaar grew up in the industrial wastelands of South Africa. He studied literature at University and learned directing at film school. He’s taught film theory and worked in the television industry. He’s exhibited photographic projects and experimental video works, and has made music videos and short films. He has a strong working relationship with David Cornwell and together they wrote and produced their first feature film, POU (PEACOCK). He lives in Cape Town with his wife and their cat.

Directed by Jaco Minnaar

Producted by Dumi Gumbi, David Cornwell

Petunia

HORROR UNITED STATES ENGLISH 6 MINS SUNDAY FEB 19 6:45 PM-8:45 PM / THURSDAY FEB 23 2:45 PM-4:45 PM

A young couple taking a tour of their first home can’t wait to find a place of their own. They tour a lovely place with a realtor named Francine, but little do they know she has other things in store.

Miriam Olken was born in Maine, grew up in New Hampshire and now lives in Boston. Miriam is a production assistant in film, TV and commercials. When she is not doing PA work she does assistant director work on music videos, pilots and features. She also continues to write, direct, and produce her own shorts. Films she has produced and/ or directed have shown at: Shawna Shea, Boston Underground, Dances with Films, Wicked Queer, NH Film Festival, Other Worlds Austin, and Culver City.

Directed by Miriam Olken

Producted by Miriam Olken

Pops

SHORT UNITED KINGDOM/FRANCE ENGLISH 20 MINS MONDAY FEB 20 5:00 PM-6:45 PM

How would you react if your father’s last wish was to send his ashes to a - very - eccentric place? For siblings Roz and Elli, there is no consensus on the answer.

Lewis Rose is a London-based writer and director. Usually working in comedy, many of his films explore issues of cultural and religious identity, aiming to uncover humor and heart that lies beneath. Alongside his fiction work, Lewis has also directed numerous commercial projects for companies such as Adidas, Barclays and Kia, as well as making music videos for a host of major label artists. His music video for Beardyman won UKMVA in 2016 and several other awards. When he’s not directing he performs improvisational comedy with The Free Association.

Directed by Lewis Rose

Producted by Chris Hees