NFFTY 2023 Festival Guide

In person april 27 — april 30 SEATTLE, WA Online april 27 — may 7 WATCH.NFFTY.ORG 16TH NATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR TALENTED YOUTH

In-Person Seattle Schedule

THURS

UPTOWN 1

UPTOWN 2

OTHER LOCATIONS

Opening Night Showcase | 6:30 PM – 8:45 PM @ SIFF UPTOWN 11 AM 12 PM

Reel Impact 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

1 PM 2 PM 3 PM

FRIDAY

4 PM 5 PM 6 PM 7 PM 8 PM

Growth Spurts 1:15 PM – 2:45 PM Musical Medley 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

11 PM

The Distribution Down Low 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM

Speed Networking @ The Vera Project

10:00 AM - 11:15 AM

Coping for the Best 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Happy Hour Shorts BEER TASTING

6:00 PM – 6:45 PM

Happy Hour Shorts 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

9 PM 10 PM

Episodic Showcase 11:45 AM – 1:15 PM

Friday Night Shorts 9:15 PM – 10:45 PM

Dire Straits 6:15 PM – 7:45 PM Experimental Visions 8:30 PM – 10:00 PM

10 AM 11 PM 12 PM 1 PM

SATURDAY

2 PM

Palpable Performances 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Express Yourself 12:45 PM – 2:15 PM

3 PM 4 PM

Immense Immersions 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

5 PM 6 PM 7 PM 8 PM 9 PM

Keynote: Kris Mercado

5:30 PM – 6:45 PM Centerpiece 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM

10 PM 10 AM 11 PM 12 PM 1 PM

SUNDAY

2 PM

Evergreen Screen 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Fresh Eyes 12:45 PM – 2:15 PM

3 PM 4 PM

Uneasy Street 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Closing Night Showcase 6:00 PM – 7:45 PM Award Ceremony 8:00 PM – 8:45 PM

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Brunch & Learn

@ The Vera Project

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Bringing Characters to Life 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM Family Ties 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM Out of Sync 6:15 PM – 7:45 PM Thrills & Chills 8:30 PM – 10:00 PM 48 - Hour Film Off 10:00 AM – 11:15 PM Lively Locales 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Masterclass w/ Thomas Engell 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM 4:15 PM – 5:45 PM

6 PM

8 PM

Breaking the Mold 12:15 PM – 1:45 PM

Daily Grind

5 PM

7 PM

Bring the Kids!

10:00 AM – 11:30 PM

Script Session

@ The Film Center

12:15 PM - 1:45 PM

Hop in and Buckle Up!

For our sweet 16, we are taking you all on a global road trip unlike any other. Cruise with us through 32 different states and 28 countries, with over 200 films to see along the way! From the plains of Kansas to the coast of Malta, our filmmakers are pushing the boundaries of cinema with wondrous sights and an ever evolving storytelling landscape.

When traveling along the road, it helps to have multiple drivers behind the wheel! Each member of the NFFTY team has felt deeply honored to bring our own perspectives, experiences, and enthusiasm to this year’s edition.

One thing has not changed: NFFTY remains the premier destination for young artists to showcase their work, connect with their peers, and lead the community towards a more equitable film industry. The work never stops, and nobody remains as committed and focused as the next generation of filmmakers.

As we embark on this exciting journey, we want to express our gratitude to you for your continued support.

We wouldn't have made it this far without the passion and dedication of our community, and we are honored to have you along for the ride.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

NFFTY Staff

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Sponsors 2023 PLATINUM SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS

FESTIVAL PARTNERS

FUNDERS

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How to NFFTY / Virtual FAQ HOW DO I ATTEND THE FESTIVAL? There’s more than one way to attend NFFTY this year!

*An All-Access Pass gives you the option to access the entire festival, in Seattle and online.

The in-person festival weekend runs Thursday, April 27 - April 30, 2023.

Our global virtual festival runs Thursday, April 27 - May 7, 2023.

*An All-Access Virtual Pass is good for all online content for the duration of the festival.

Our virtual festival takes place on the Eventive platform, and you can find the full lineup at watch.nffty.org.

All screening blocks will become available in our virtual catalog at the time that they premiere live in Seattle. (Please see schedule for details)

*A Day Pass is good only for in-person content in Seattle on that specific day of the festival! It does not grant access to any online content.

VIRTUAL VIEWING To access any of our on-demand virtual screenings starting April 27th, simply “unlock” the screening of your choice with your All-Access Pass, or purchase a ticket for that specific screening. Passes are good for one unlock per screening. Once a screening is unlocked, you will have five days

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to begin watching, and 48 hours to complete watching once you have pressed play.

All virtual content will be available online until Sunday, May 7th at 11:45pm PT.

VOTING FOR AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS There will be one Audience Award selected from each screening in the festival. In order to be eligible for an audience award, films must screen both in-person and virtually.

Some films are not in competition for this award, and you will not see them listed on the ballot.

If you are viewing online, simply vote for your favorite directly on the virtual screening page! The cut-off for voting on all virtual screenings is 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET on Sunday, April 30.

Note: If you purchased a Festival Pass, you will need to make sure to “reserve” tickets to the screenings and events that you plan on attending in person, so Eventive knows which events to add to your “My Tickets” page!

For those purchasing individual tickets for screenings in Seattle, or if you do not have an Eventive account, there will be an iPad available in the theater at every screening for you to cast your vote.

If you are attending a screening in person, you can vote for this award by going to your “My Tickets” page in your Eventive account and selecting the appropriate screening. You will also receive an email or text with a direct link to vote exactly one hour before the screening is scheduled to end.

(Voting for Closing Night ends at 6:30 PM PT.)

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NFFTY Merch Support NFFTY with our limited-edition NFFTY 2023 merchandise!

With our hybrid festival, there are now two ways to grab your new NFFTY threads — online at our Bonfire store www.bonfire.com/store/nffty or live in Seattle at our festival hub. We’ll have limited edition designs available at each, collect em all!

11x17 POSTER $5

16TH NATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR TALENTED YOUTH

TOTE BAG $20

In person april 27 — april 30 SEATTLE, WA Online april 27 — may 7 WATCH.NFFTY.ORG

COMBO DEAL

one shirt + tote + poster + all stickers / enamel pins

STICKERS $3

T-SHIRTS $30

*Select shirt colors exclusively online

ENAMEL PIN $12

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Jury Members NARRATIVE

Jessica Mendell

Kasi Gaarenstroom

Kylie Murphy (NFFTY ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘22)

NARRATIVE (Student)

Jennifer Reeder

James Choi

Tayana Brumaire (NFFTY ‘19)

DOCUMENTARY

Emilie K Beck

Amy Lapides

(NFFTY ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17)

Julián David Loaiza Pineda

DOCUMENTARY (Student)

César Martínez Barba

Emma Warner

(NFFTY ‘20, ‘22)

Charles Frank (NFFTY ‘13, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17)

ANIMATION

Lachlan Pendragon

Tom Carey

Vinod Krishnan

Jeremy Schaefer

Clarisse Chua

Allyssa A Lewis

(NFFTY ‘20)

(NFFTY ‘20)

(NFFTY ‘17)

ANIMATION (Student)

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EXPERIMENTAL

Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan (NFFTY ‘19, ‘20)

Cyril Aris

Trent Farrington

Ewurakua DawsonAmoah (NFFTY ‘20)

Bryan Wendorf

Celeste Wong-Truffaut

Luis G. Santos

Mario Cabral

EXPERIMENTAL (Student)

MUSIC VIDEO

Morgan Gruer (NFFTY ‘17, ‘18, ‘19)

MUSIC VIDEO (Student)

Joseph Carr

Luke Gibson

Kody Kurth

(NFFTY ‘18, ‘19)

(NFFTY ‘17, ‘18, ‘22)

Luke Salin

Sari Arambulo

EPISODIC

Bri Castellini

(NFFTY ‘22)

STORY STARTS HERE

Summer Pervez

Nifemi Madarikan

Aviv Rubenstein

Mike Wells

(NFFTY ‘20)

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Jury Nominated Screenplays + Films BEST NARRATIVE As You Are

Daisy Friedman - 19 USA

Death and Ramen Tiger Ji - 21 USA

Half-Light

Lauren Jevnikar - 24 USA

I Probably Shouldn’t Be Telling You This Emma Weinswig - 24 USA

Ñaños

Emilio Subía - 24 USA

Neon Phantom

Leonardo Martinelli - 22 Brazil

Puck

Rebecca Ozer - 24 UK

To The Lights Emily Kim - 22 USA

BEST NARRATIVE (Student) All Night She Hears the Water Sobbing

Nicole Hanzi Zhou - 21 New York University & FAMU Czech Republic

Chicken

Josh Leong - 21 New York University USA

In Your Sheets

Connie O'Connor - 22 Florida State University USA

Paloma

Brittany Young - 22 Florida State University USA

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Student)

The Oubliette

Sammy, Without Strings

Ambrosia

Kris Theorin - 24 USA

Ralph Parker III - 22 University of North Carolina School of the Arts USA

The External-Internal Monologue of an Interdependent Insomniac Julian Felix Aaronson - 17 Holland Hall USA

Our Highest Priority

Emma Macklin - 23 & Daniel Karan - 24 Toronto Metropolitan University Canada

Where No One Lives Li Anne Liew - 22 Chapman University USA

BEST DOCUMENTARY A Slice of Paradise

Beyond the Void

Rafaël Beauchamp - 24 UQAM Canada

En Sus Manos

Elle Rinaldi - 22 New York University Cuba

Fruits of Labour

Ophelia Spinosa - 23 Concordia University Canada

Justice for Vanessa

Audrey Shuppert - 19, Katharine Johnson - 21 & Daniel McGreevy - 20 Chapman University USA

One Never Kills for Love

Liam Tangum - 23 USA

Manon Testud - 23 EMCV Canada

And Still, We Thrive

BEST ANIMATION

Joy Xing - 17 Canada

For Black Muslim Girls Niya Abdullahi - 22 Canada

KOOK STREET

Jeremy Kemp - 21 USA

Obtusion

Nathan Cowles - 19 USA

Run With Her

Lia Campbell - 23 Northern Ireland

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Isabella Miller - 21 & Gabe Braden - 23 Chapman University USA

Max Hendrickson - 17 Ireland

Unlucky Charms

BEST ANIMATION (Student) 2166

Anna Nguyen - 23, Lilian Cao - 23 & Winston Liu - 22 University of Technology, Australia

Float

Jaden Heller - 21 Chapman USA

Frog In My Throat

Sofia Spinelli - 18 South Carolina Governors School for the Arts & Humanities USA

In Sight

Wendy Lu - 22, Natalie Tran 22 & Cindy Zhi - 23 University of Technology Australia

Mileage

Colony

Pilar GarciaFernandezsesma - 23 USA

Jennifer Wu - 21, Ruyee Lu - 21, Joy Zhou - 21, Ruby Saysanasy - 23, Saul Benavides - 22, Nicole Taylor Topacio - 21, Miranda Li - 22 & Christopher Hsueh - 22 Sheridan College Canada

Life of a Mayfly

Sonata

David Du - 17 USA

Reaper

Eva Ulreich - 14 USA

Sunflower Field

Polina Buchak - 24 Ukraine & USA

Madison Crisp - 22, Abby Davenport - 23, Fern Singleton - 22 & Vic Sosa - 22 University of North Carolina School of the Arts USA

BEST EXPERIMENTAL

Slay The Beast From A State of Peace

Chuu Chuu

Mackie Mallison - 22 USA

Miro Alleyne McCarthy - 17 London Screen Academy UK

Dreams of Home

Contagion

Justin Kaminuma - 22 USA

In Search of Mount Analogue Leonardo Pirondi - 22 USA

Snow

Anastasia Arsentyeva - 24 UK

The River

Janay Kelley - 19 USA

Wings of My Youth

Belle Palmano - 21 & Esrom Solomon - 23 UK

BEST EXPERIMENTAL (Student) Furo

Julia Roliz - 23 Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro Brazil

Honeydew, Darling

Callahan Bracken - 20 CalArts USA

I Hope You Remember This Moment Arya Misra - 24 Carleton College India & USA

I Remember It From Up Close Jaclyn Goldstein - 20 New York University USA

Jaerlene C Quinto - 15 Cleveland STEM High School USA

BEST MUSIC VIDEO Hold Me When I Think I’m Going Crazy - Ollie Nathan Ginter - 22 USA

Hunger

Vivian Wolfson - 18 USA

Rodney Chrome The Money

While We’re Young

Alex Duque - 17, Isabella Chiappini - 18 & Marcy Rodriguez - 18 Cypress Bay High School USA

I’m Not Her

Shaman Magic Aponte - 17 New York University USA

BEST EPISODIC Carly Dolls

Maudie Schmidt - 22 & Jaxson Power-Thornton - 22 USA

Humanized

Dir. Colin Sevely-Ortiz - 22 USA

Off the Menu

Zac Dov Wiesel - 22 USA

Daniele Sestito - 21 USA

Tinashe - HMU for a Good Time

BEST PILOT SCRIPT

Jonah Haber - 24 USA

The Stack

Isabelle Hahn - 24 USA

Treetops - Alé Araya Tiffany Lin - 23 USA

BEST MUSIC VIDEO (Student) Death of a Hero

Gyopo

Stevie Yun, 23 USA

Honey Boba

Saro Acharya, 24 USA

The SVA Chronicles Jaden Bakerr, 16 USA

BEST SHORT SCREENPLAY

RJ Solomon - 19 School of Visual Arts USA

Carlito

Forsythia - Pretty Lungs

Mareas a la deriva

Eli Williams - 15 LACHSA USA

Runaway

Tara Sekana Zulfikar - 20 New York University USA

Emilio Miguel Torres, 22 USA Camila S. Rodriguez-Lopez, 21 Puerto Rico

Open Casket

Claire Gostin, 24 USA

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Recorded Event Schedule Select workshops and talks will be available via NFFTY’s virtual festival platform Eventive. Some select events may include the opportunity to chat with fellow attendees and submit questions to presenters. Please see the NFFTY website for the most up-to-date information and for event links, or visit the virtual festival catalog at watch.nffty.org.

Select screening Q&As, panels, as well as our Opening and Closing Night ceremonies, will be available for viewing on our YouTube. Please keep an eye on our social media for more information. All times local to Seattle (PST).

IN-PERSON EVENTS Thu 4/27 6:30 pm | Opening Night Ceremony Fri 4/28 2:30 pm - 3:15 pm | Seed&Spark: The Distribution Down Low with Bri Castellini Sat 4/29 10:00 am - 11:00 am | Brunch & Learn with Echobend + My First Job in Film 2:30 pm - 3:15 pm | Bringing Characters to Life 5:30 pm - 6:45 pm | Keynote: From Shorts to Features with Kris Mercado Sun 4/30 12:15 pm - 1:45 pm | The Universal Model of Storytelling with Aviv Rubinstein 2:15 pm - 3:15 pm | Editing Masterclass with Thomas Engell 8:00 pm | Awards Ceremony

VIRTUAL EVENTS Tues 5/2 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm | Seed&Spark - Stretch That Buck: Film Budgeting 101 with Bri Castellini

SCREENINGS WITH RECORDED Q&A Thu 4/27 Opening Night | Screening starts at 6:30 pm

Weds 5/3 12:00 pm - 1 pm | The Art of Sustainable Filmmaking: Lars Ostenfeld on Climate Conscious Cinema

Fri 4/28 Friday Night Shorts | Screening starts at 9:15 pm

Thurs 5/4 12:00 pm - 1 pm | Panavision: New Filmmaker Grant Program information session

Sat 4/29 Centerpiece | Screening starts at 7:30 pm Sun 4/30 Closing Night | Screening starts at 6:00 pm

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Workshops, Panels, + Keynotes IN-PERSON Friday, April 28th EVENT

SPEED NETWORKING 10am @ The Vera Project

Connect with like-minded individuals, gain valuable industry insights and build meaningful professional relationships at this exciting opportunity for young filmmakers and industry professionals. Start your filmmaking career off right and join us for a fun and engaging event!

WORKSHOP

SEED&SPARK: THE DISTRIBUTION DOWN LOW WITH BRI CASTELLINI 2:30pm @ SIFF Uptown 2

Hosted by industry expert Bri Castellini, S&S demystifies the complex world of distribution for independent creators. Learn about the current landscape, different avenues to take, and economics for every window from theatrical through VOD and beyond. Elevate your indie project with these valuable insights!

EVENT

HAPPY HOUR SHORTS Raise a glass for these quirky and bubbly comedies, a flight of films guaranteed to warm your soul! A bit of childhood nostalgia, a dash of fresh ink, and a heaping plateful of musical mayhem make for a well earned happy hour.

Must be 21+ to drink

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IN-PERSON Saturday, April 29th EVENT

BRUNCH & LEARN: WITH ECHOBEND & MY FIRST JOB IN FILM 10am @ The Vera Project

Echobend and My First Job in Film present a delicious brunch and insightful panel discussion on transitioning from PA positions to more substantial roles on set. Ryan and Noah will provide valuable tips and tricks for finding paid work, advancing your career, and best practices for networking with other industry professionals. As a bonus for attending, you’ll receive one month of free membership to My First Job in Film's platform and a one-on-one mentoring session!

Panelists: Ryan Turner (Chief Creative Officer), Noah Wagner (EP|Post Production).

PANEL

BRINGING CHARACTERS TO LIFE 2:30pm @ SIFF Uptown 2

Discover what it takes to build characters we can’t forget and the diverse techniques used to develop authentic personalities. From conceptualization to final product, directors, actors, and animators will delve into the challenges and joys of their roles and the importance of seamless collaboration.

Whether you're a fan of animation, film, or video games, this event promises to be an inspiring journey into the world of character creation.

KEYNOTE

FROM SHORTS TO FEATURES WITH KRIS MERCADO 5:30pm @ SIFF Uptown 1

Kris Mercado is a rising filmmaker who shares his journey from creating short films to making his feature debut If You Were the Last at SXSW with a star-studded cast. Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at his creative process and gain valuable insights from his experience as a filmmaker.

This event is a must-attend for aspiring filmmakers, film enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the creative process going from directing short films to features.

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Workshops, Panels, + Keynotes IN-PERSON Sunday, April 30th SCREENING WORKSHOP

THE UNIVERSAL MODEL OF STORYTELLING WITH AVIV RUBINSTEIN 12:15pm @ The Film Center Classroom

Screenwriter Aviv Rubinstein provides a dynamic and thought-provoking workshop on the Universe Model of Storytelling, designed to help your screenwriting resonate with contemporary audiences. Explore the relevance of the Hero's Journey in modern-day screenwriting and learn how to craft stories that captivate and engage audiences on a deeper level through interactive exercises and engaging discussions.

MATERCLASS

EDITING MASTERCLASS WITH THOMAS ENGELL 2:15pm @ SIFF Uptown 2

Thomas Engell, editor of the Oscar nominated short film On My Mind, leads a masterclass on the multiple dimensions of film editing. Learn how classical storytelling techniques and emerging software editing technologies can be used to refine character acting and create emotional attachments with the audience. Suitable for anyone interested in improving their editing skills (regardless of software platform), this class combines thought provoking theory with real world, practical examples.

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VIRTUAL May 2nd - 4th WORKSHOP

SEED&SPARK - STRETCH THAT BUCK: FILM BUDGETING 101 WITH BRI CASTELLINI Tuesday, May 2nd 12 pm (PST)

How much should you crowdfund for? As much as you need to move your project forward! In this workshop, we’ll teach you how to build a budget, utilize loans to make up your budget (conceptually as well as literally), navigate the task, break down your script, and get creative with ways to cut costs without sacrificing your vision.

MASTERCLASS

THE ART OF SUSTAINABLE FILMMAKING: A MASTERCLASS WITH LARS OSTENFELD ON CLIMATE CONSCIOUS CINEMA Wednesday, May 3 at 12:00 pm (PST)

Acclaimed filmmaker Lars Ostenfeld leads an enlightening discussion on the intersection of film and climate change. From exploring sustainable filmmaking practices to the vital role of storytelling in raising awareness about environmental issues, Lars shares his unique perspective on the power of film to effect change. We invite you to learn from one of the most innovative and socially conscious filmmakers of our time.

WORKSHOP

PANAVISION: NEW FILMMAKER GRANT PROGRAM INFORMATION SESSION WITH AARON SAFFA Thursday, May 4th 12:00 pm (PST)

Hear from the experts at Panavision and learn their insider tips on how to create powerful and visually stunning imagery for your films. Through their "New Filmmaker Grant Program," they'll also guide you through the process of funding your project and turning your vision into a reality.Learn from the best in the industry and take your filmmaking skills to the next level!

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But First, Coffee Grab’n’Go Breakfast

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PROUD SUPPORTER OF

NFFTY 2023

48 Hour Film Off Challenge

High school teams competed to make the best possible film, from conception to post-production, in just 48 hours.

These films will screen during the NFFTY festival, and winners are awarded based on a combination of audience voting and jury deliberation. The winning school gets a cash prize to help support their film program!

Watch the films in-person on: Sunday, April 30th, 2023 10:00 am SIFF Uptown 2 Cinema 511 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 All submitted films will screen in our virtual festival from April 30th - May 7th, 2023

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS Bremen High School / bdtv228 Garfield HS Mount Si High School Black Hills High School Chaminade College Preparatory Ballard HS Filmmaking Academy St. Margaret's Episcopal School Kingston High School Video Production International Community School Anacortes High School Burnaby North Secondary School Ballard High School Digital Film Episcopal High School / ETV

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Filmmaker Exclusive Events

Note to filmmakers: exact times/locations will be communicated via your Filmmaker Logistics Guides.

SPEED NETWORKING The return of a beloved NFFTY tradition! Kick off your weekend and join us at the for Speed Networking at 10am PT on Friday April 28th to meet industry guests and the NFFTY 2023 filmmaker cohort.

BRUNCH & LEARN Join us for coffee and light breakfast at 10am PT on Saturday April 29th! We’ll have panel conversations with Echobend production’s Noah Wagner and Ryan Turner.

Hear from these industry pros on how to move into more substantial roles on set. Attendees will receive a free trial membership and resume review from My First Job in Film. See p.17 for more information.

FILMMAKER MIXER NFFTY 2023 wouldn’t be complete without a party meant just for our filmmakers. Celebrate with us after Centerpiece – mixer will start Saturday April 29th at 9:30 pm PT and is co-presented by our friends at House Studios!

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OPENING NIGHT thursday, april 27th 6:30 pm − uptown 1

I AM HOME

Kymon Greyhorse - 21, NEW MEXICO, USA

In Sight

Wendy Lu - 22, Natalie Tran - 22, Cindy Zhi - 23, AUSTRALIA

A poetic memoir, a love letter that speaks of introspection and what it means to rediscover who you are and cherish where you come from.

A young troublemaker and her dog set out on a journey up a mountain to shoot down the brightest star in the sky.

To The Lights

Chicken

Emily Kim - 22, Lindsay Wolf - 22, Kendall Huff - 22, CALIFORNIA, USA When a young girl is faced with a chance to escape North Korea, she must confront her loving father devoted to his nation.

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Now that NFFTY is old enough to drive, let’s hit the road together and celebrate! Our Opening Night collection features stories of daring determination, inimitable intimacy, and a truly iconic wiener dog – proving once again the tireless creativity of the next generation of filmmakers.

Josh Leong - 21, Evie Rose - 21, Catherine Nguyen - 20, Nadera Herbert-Bey - 20, NEW YORK, USA In a Bronx juvenile prison, a 16-year old boy faced with losing custody of his child must discover what it takes to be a father through the raising of a chicken.

Inspired by true stories.

And Still, We Thrive Joy Xing - 17, CANADA

A Chinese immigrant looks back on the triumphs and struggles of his twenty-three year long journey in Canada.

Noodles Forever

McKinley Carlin - 23, Connor Williams - 23, Evan O'Brien - 24, CALIFORNIA, USA En route to his daughter's birthday party, a hapless father annihilates a wiener dog with his car.

Presented By

As You Are

Daisy Friedman - 19, Eve Robitshek - 21, Aspen Nelson - 22, NEW YORK, USA When an interabled queer couple spends the night together for the first time, they must confront their complex relationships with desire, sexuality, bodily autonomy, and what it means truly to love another person.

REEL IMPACT

friday, april 28th 11:00 am − uptown 1

Draft up your petitions and prepare to be motivated!

Covering such ground as immigration, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and trans rights, these films exploring the personal and political will inspire you to keep fighting for change.

Presented By

Ambrosia

One Never Kills for Love

An activist drag queen in rural Alabama is forced to keep her identity secret as she fights for human rights in a race against the systematic erasure of her own history.

They meet in the dark of the night.

Women, sisters, friends: a feminist group gathering to leave writings on the walls of Montreal. Their challenge: raise awareness to end systemic violences endured by women and minorities.

The story of Vanessa Niko, an indigenous woman murdered by her partner, told by the family members who picked up the pieces of a broken community and sought justice for her untimely death.

CANS Can’t Stand Matt Nadel - 22, Megan Plotka - 24, LOUISIANA, USA

El Soñador Duncan Heger - 21, Ashley Dash Lee - 21, WASHINGTON, USA

"CANS Can't Stand" follows a group of Black trans women in New Orleans who are fighting to repeal Louisiana's unjust Crime Against Nature by Solicitation (CANS) law, which police and prosecutors have used to criminalize LGBTQ+ Louisianians for 40 years.

A family of undocumented immigrants must overcome prejudice and systemic obstacles in order to survive in America.

Isabella Miller - 21, Emu Haynes 23, Gabe Braden - 23, ALABAMA, USA

Manon Testud - 23, QUÉBEC,CANADA

Justice For Vanessa Audrey Shuppert - 19, Katharine Johnson - 21, Daniel McGreevy - 20, CALIFORNIA, USA

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EPISODIC SHOWCASE friday, april 28th 11:45 am − uptown 2

*this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

Off the Menu

Carly Dolls

Humanized

Chef is a perfectionist, Italian cook who works for an unlikely institution and takes pride in the satisfaction of his clients. When a new client rejects his europeanized version of a native dish she ordered, he hurries to make her an authentic Taiwanese meal before it’s too late.

When Carly, a homeschooled fourteen-year-old, is forced to face public high school, she turns to her beloved dolls, Lily and Mermia. Sprung from Carly's own vivid imagination and taking the form of lifesize "friends," they guide Carly through the ups and downs of growing up, fitting in, and figuring herself (and her sexuality) out.

Posing as a typical teenager, a humanoid robot must navigate the uncertainty of adolescence in order to conceal a haunting secret.

Daniele Sestito - 21, Cooper Yeager - 20, Eric Dyer - 21, Mackenzie Zambo - 20, MASSACHUSETTS + NEW JERSEY, USA

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Experience the beginnings of your next favorite series with these three enticing pilots! You’ll find stories featuring chefs with grand designs, humanoid robots born from grief, and childhood dolls mysteriously coming to life. Plus, you’ll have the bragging rights of saying you saw them here first.

Lindsay Newland - 22, Maudie Schmidt - 22, Jaxson PowerThornton - 22, Isabella Hermelin - 21, CALIFORNIA, USA

Gabriel Guimaraes - 22, Colin Sevely-Ortiz - 22, Radley Docekal - 22, Benjy Berkowitz - 22, NEW YORK, USA

GROWTH SPURTS friday, april 28th 1:15 pm − uptown 1

Bodies in motion Elia Biondi - 20, Mille Gran - 20, NORWAY

We follow a group of boys throughout one evening as they explore boundaries, love, and their own identities. As the night unfolds, they face challenges and make choices that will shape their future.

Cordelia!

Melissa Jones - 24, DC Dzoja - 21, CANADA Cordelia, an unloved girl on the cusp of womanhood, finds playing with fire to be an effective coping mechanism. With the ember of hope this new fascination brings, she decides to go one step further-and use that fire to protect herself.

The creative landscape of youth filmmaking is so fertile, you don’t even need a watering can! In the midst of our own teenage years, we at NFFTY are always trying not to grow up too fast; join us as we find ourselves amongst this burgeoning bunch. *this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

Girlhood

Jaelyn Ellis - 21, Perry Cox - 22, Emily Walowski 21, Connie O'Connor - 21, FLORIDA, USA After her first high school party, freshman Mia questions whether she has the same desires as her boy-crazy best friend.

Babyface

Anna Virginia Nielsen - 18, Marius Morkholm Schmedes - 18, Molly Vedso, - 16, Sofia Elisabeth Sundorph - 17, DENMARK Saga is going to her first rave, but a rejection of her fake ID leads to Saga standing all alone outside.

Luckily mysterious drugdealer Ozzy, wraps his arms around her and gets her in.

Run With Her

Lia Campbell - 23, NORTHERN IRELAND Endurance running creates a secure world for Emmy, where everything can be quantified and controlled.

As influences from the outside world start to permeate, we follow the change it might bring to her relationships with the other girls on the team and within herself.

The External-Internal Monologue of an Independent Insomniac

Julian Felix Aaronson - 17, Ella Janes - 15, Meg Fall - 16, OKLAHOMA, USA A sleep-deprived filmmaker faces his insecurities by explaining his outlook on various smells. His slew of topics includes sexuality, self acceptance, and gender.

Soft Launch

Sebastian Zufelt - 19, Lex Mettler - 19, Alaine Farin - 19, Nikki Page - 20, NEW YORK, USA Soph confronts Chris, the boy she’s seeing, at a party after he announces their relationship to the internet without her permission.

Imran and Alykhan Shakil Jessa - 20, Kora Vanderlip - 24, CANADA

Two boys fall in love at a Muslim youth retreat but must keep their relationship a secret from those around them.

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MUSICAL MEDLEY friday, april 28th 3:30 pm − uptown 1

Cypress

Lux Frisina - 21, CALIFORNIA, USA In the "Cypress" music video, the protagonist explores her haunting future and past selves in hopes of finding Cypress and ultimately being saved... or being the one who saves.

Prettiest To Me

Tanaseth (Pong) Tulyathan - 22, Trung (Jacob) Ho - 22, Chak (Rex) Wong - 22, Justin White - 22, GEORGIA, USA A girl revisits her old memories.

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It’s about time your playlist gets a remix!

Featuring songs from all genres and videos of all styles, our latest tracklist will keep your musical rotation fresh and the vibes immaculate. Come warble into the weekend with earworms galore!

WISH U WERE HERE

Luis Villanueva - 21, Dario Rizzuto - 21, Nour Massoud - 21, NEW YORK , USA Projection mapping and holograms take the viewer on an ethereal journey through five different countries, complementing the vocalists' ruminations about an unattainable lover from the past.

Runaway

Tara Sekana Zulfikar - 20, Kailynne Lee Chiu - 21, Ethan Wen - 20, Nicola Rios - 20, NEW YORK, USA Entranced, a boy seeks for a lover's attention.

Tinashe - HMU for a Good Time Jonah Haber - 24, Carlos Lopes - 24, Galileo Mondol - 24, CALIFORNIA, USA

The club is a beautiful purgatory where time doesn’t seem to exist and nothing matters except the now. In a perceived oner, Tinashe takes us on this journey.

Meet Me @ The Altar Say It (To My Face) Jack Campise - 24, Taylor Tomlinson - 24, CALIFORNIA, USA

Edith, Téa and Ada have had enough of the online trolling and take action to track down the culprit.

Don’t Deserve This’ Yasmina

Reece Daniels - 20, Jivensley Alexis - 21, Aashish Joshi - 21, NEW YORK, USA Yasmina, feeling often unheard in her relationship, starts her own one woman show.

Broke Mine Too

Zayd Ezzeldine - 20, Eliot Lee - 24, CALIFORNIA, USA After going through the motions of her past relationship, Devon Again must decide what to do with the corpse of her ex-girlfriend.

Sally! I Met A Boy

Caro Knapp - 22, Giovanna Trujillo - 22, Izzy Rael - 22, Mike Nelli - 22, CALIFORNIA, USA A colorful music video following Maddy calling her sister Sally and telling her about the new boy in her life.

Ho! For the West, “Shakers” Kaylinn Clotfelter - 21, MISSOURI, USA

Through mix of narrative, performance, and animation we view the life of a young girl in pioneer times.

Forsythia Pretty Lungs

Kaylinn Clotfelter - 21, CALIFORNIA, USA Surrealism meets suburbia.

A girl dreams of an encounter with the sun.

Death of a Hero

Hunger

Higher Way

A coming of age parable, this video follows a young boy's realization that the father he grew up idolizing is a very flawed mortal.

An experimental music video featuring indie artist A.O Gerber.

The difficult choice young people often face between love and their passions and the journey of finding out if we can have both.

Dust

Heavenly Bodies

RJ Solomon - 19, NEW YORK, USA

WHITE TEE BY ROZIE RAMATI

Sophia Liv Macguire - 21, Diane Lac - 24, Vanesa Moreno - 22, CALIFORNIA, USA Directors found inspiration in handwriting, abstract ink artistry, and the cyanotype process for Rozie's newest single with her melancholic delivery of a farewell love letter.

Vivian Wolfson - 18, Romy Murro - 18, Zenzelé Joi Moore-Ysaguirre - 20, CALIFORNIA, USA

Evan Siegal - 24, CALIFORNIA, USA Musician Jeida Woods wanders an ethereal, urban landscape searching for answers about a past relationship.

Miguel Hernandez - 18, Tessa Osborne - 24, MICHIGAN, USA

Caro Knapp - 22, MARIS, Giovanna Trujillo - 22, Kelly Chen - 22, Graham Byers 23, CALIFORNIA, USA As part two of MARIS’ full visual EP, Heavenly Bodies continues to explore the surreal memories of Maris’ toxic relationship in a dream world spanning Los Angeles’ diverse settings.

Treetops - Alé Araya Sophia Liv Macguire - 21, Diane Lac - 24, Vanesa Moreno - 22, CALIFORNIA, USA

Through movement and music, Alé searches for new meaning in the treetops.

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COPING FOR THE BEST friday, april 28th 4:00 pm − uptown 2

Snow

Anastasia Arsentyeva - 24, UK A woman longs for snowfall to finally see her lover's promise.

Snow' is an experimental, nostalgic micro-short, shot on 16mm film, based on Cherubina de Gabriak's poem 'When the Snow Falls' (written in 1907). A story of heartbreak, it ponders the nostalgic notion of hoping one's life will eventually get better.

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Life can be hard, but we persevere and keep soldiering forward. Whether they’re up against systemic injustice, health concerns, or even spiritual malaise, the subjects in these shorts make sure they never lose sight of themselves in the face of adversity. *this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

Our Highest Priority Daniel Karan - 23, Emma Macklin - 24, Sebastian Marin - 22, CANADA

Bailey, a mentally ill undergrad student is struggling through life.

In a last ditch effort to try and salvage her academic career and turn her life around she goes to her school's mental health clinic looking for help.

Senseless Seth Dacio - 22, Lydia Wills - 19, Juliet Lucas - 22, USA

Still Here Mariah Barrera - 19, MICHIGAN, USA

A 19-year-old young man's lung spontaneously collapses. We see him physically and mentally struggle throughout his physical healing process and his mental perspective of the situation during a global pandemic.

STILL HERE, a profoundly personal film about a Latino family in the Midwest, tells the story of three brothers whose coming of age was stained by violence, poverty, and prison.

Pam

Luke Harris - 22,Spencer Todd - 22, Alessia Cruci - 23, LOUISIANA, USA An overweight girl goes to the gym and falls prey to a toxic trainer.

Beyond the Void Rafaël Beauchamp - 24, CANADA November 2001: Charles follows his Martin, another victim from the AIDS epidemic of the 90’s, to the end. Twenty years later, we dive back in.

DIRE STRAITS

friday, april 28th 6:15 pm − uptown 2

SACRIFICOS

Larissa Salazar - 21, Jessica Stossel - 21, CALIFORNIA, USA Salvadoran immigrant, Carla Rudas, struggles to navigate her rocky relationship wivth Texas gubernatorial candidate Blake Phillips.

Suga Brown

Clarke Phillips - 23, Shane Gaber - 23, Blaine McIndoe - 23, Cherise Honoré - 22, NORTH CAROLINA, USA In a world where free health care requires genetic alterations, a pregnant woman, Eden, must go to extreme lengths to ensure her child is born free of mandated modification.

These narratives challenge your fight or flight instincts to kick into high gear! Whether you’re escaping a voyeuristic narrator, trapped in a relationship with a pernicious politician, or cornered by a surreptitious sniper, consider these shorts as a survival guide. *this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

LUCY

Jordana Bleiwas - 22, Michael Loccisano Jr. - 22, Massimo Marchese - 23, USA Lucy, a frightened and conflicted pregnant teenager has a monumental decision to make while simultaneously struggling to maintain her relationship with her religious father.

How to Survive Your First Date

Reese Robers - 18, Otto Tyler - 18, James Lee - 17, VIRGINIA, USA In this dark parody of 1950's instructional films, Dotty and her date Darryl try to survive against the voyeuristic narrator manipulating them.

Idle Speed

Yoni Azulay - 21, Zach Rineer - 22, Alex Gehrlein , 21, Evan Miller - 21, PENNSYLVANIA, USA Duncan struggles to follow his instincts after his best friend is shot by a mysterious sniper in the New Mexico desert.

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HAPPY HOUR SHORTS friday, april 28th 7:00 pm − uptown 1

Earth's Second Moon

Please Hold

In this modern fairytale, a young mother and father discover that their newborn baby is more than they can handle.

A behind the scenes look at one of America's most beloved institutions, following the downfall of "hold" musics' greatest jazz band.

Sonata

Just Swallow

Benji Tucker - 19, Tatyana Richaud -18, Luke Preute - 21, Clare Martin - 20, NEW YORK, USA

Madison Crisp - 22, Abby Davenport - 23, Fern Singleton - 22, Vic Sosa - 22, NORTH CAROLINA, USA When a blackout derails a young man’s plans for the perfect first date, he must navigate if he has any hope of connecting with the girl of his dreams.

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Ryan Robinson -19, Zach Shenouda - 19, Teddy Nissen - 20, CALIFORNIA, USA

Alex Smithline - 24, Olivia Gormley - 24, Jake Shiptenko - 24, USA A girlfriend makes a deal with her picky-eater boyfriend that if he eats a salad, she’ll suck his dick.

Raise a glass for these quirky and bubbly comedies, a flight of films guaranteed to warm your soul! A bit of childhood nostalgia, a dash of fresh ink, and a heaping plateful of musical mayhem make for a well earned happy hour. *this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

Gumball Machine

Annexed

When a Gumball Machine is thrown out of the arcade he used to call home, he must search for a new place to live or face a lonely fate.

An oddball girl marches onto the local park grounds and stakes a claim of land for herself; setting in motion a conflict with the county police.

Waiting Room

Poultry Panic

A story of a young man who overcomes his unpleasant experience with the help of dance.

A man has promised his girlfriend a duck for dinner, but has to change plans when his co-worker steals it right in front of him.

Eli Staub - 20, Harlow Brooks - 21, CALIFORNIA, USA

Andrea Kawuloková -19, CZECH REPUBLIC

Paul Cosby - 20, Kiara Lin - 20,John Landry - 21, CALIFORNIA, USA

Matias Nygaard Christensen - 20, DENMARK

Impermanence

Vejune Sidaugaite - 21, ILLINOIS, USA Having grown up in Soviet-occupied Lithuania, Audrone spent her childhood understanding that tattoos were reserved for Soviet soldiers and criminals. But after her youngest daughter, the filmmaker, gets a tattoo in Audrone’s honor, Audrone takes the leap of getting her own first tattoo at the age of 53.

Zarbalatrax

Grump in the Night

Two high school kids, at the beginning of their journey into proper adulthood, seek answers about their future and hope to tie up loose ends from the past. They find exactly what they’re looking for: at a price.

One stormy night, a man is awoken by strange noises downstairs and soon finds himself facing off with a TV-loving poltergeist.

Ethan Hawthorne-Dallas - 21, Cole Terra - 21, GEORGIA, USA

Kris Theorin - 24, Nik Theorin - 24, PENNSYLVANIA, USA

Arrive at 6pm for free beer, stay for the screening starting at 7pm. Tasting included with Ticket and valid ID. Beer provided by Georgetown Brewing Co.

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EXPERIMENTAL VISIONS friday, april 28th 8:30 pm − uptown 2

In Search of Mount Analogue Leonardo Pirondi - 22, CALIFRONIA, USA

Using 16mm film to capture computer-generated images, the filmmaker brings to life the imagined, metaphorical, and mysterious island from the 1952 surrealist novel Mount Analogue.

Mackie Mallison - 22, Anahita Amirshahi - 22, Dan Chang - 23, Kelley Grade - 22, NEW YORK, USA Taking its title from the Japanese onomatopoeia for bird sound, this is a lyrical, dream-like portrait of the filmmaker's grandmother and her deep connection with avian beings.

Slay The Beast from A State of Peace

Dreams of Home

A boy finds love amongst the chaos of the city. As an older man, he makes peace with the beast, letting go of the chaos and anger.

A boy skateboards through abstract landscapes and memories in search of a place he encountered in a dream.

Miro Alleyne McCarthy - 17, UK

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Chuu Chuu

Justin Kaminuma - 22, Jess Faber - 21, MASSACHUSETTS, USA

Venture into new territory with these formally daring and expressive pieces. The conventions of the traditional short film format are challenged and made elastic in these explorations of family, identity, art, culture, and more!

I Remember it From Up Close

Jaclyn Goldstein - 20, Ariella Hyman-Fessler - 20, Ethan Langenau - 20, Hannah Weis - 20, NEW YORK, USA A recollection of the moments between a phone call and a plane ticket as a girl packs her suitcase for a funeral.

Are Dandelions Really So Bad? Zach Robinson, MONTANA, USA

A brief ode to the humble dandelion, shot on 16mm, hand processed, using developer made from the titular dandelions.

Lullaby

Irène-Kimberley Valin-Awashish - 21, CANADA Lullaby is a documentary essay about coming of age and the power of the unconscious. In the continuity of "Sweatlodge song", this short film is a message of courage and hope.

Voyeuristic Tendencies

Vanessa Petrusic - 19, AUSTRIA A woman is feeling watched in the familarity of her own. Her paranoid thoughts cause the line between reality and delusion to blur.

I Hope You Remember This Moment

Arya Misra - 24, MINNESOTA, USA + INDIA This film explores the temporal links between one's past, present, and future and a quest to learn how to live with yourself when every moment that has led to the present, is getting morphed and reconstructed in your mind.

The River

Janay Kelley - 19, Tya Arnold - 19, Alana Hayes - 19, TENNESSE, USA After discovering the drowning of a little girl, an unnamed narrator describes her community's response while battling the memories of her own fight with The River in this experimental take on sexual violence, grief, and trauma.

Beast

Aileen Ye - 24, NETHERLANDS A martial arts inspired dance-fight between a lion dancer and queer performer reflecting the tension between traditional and modern identities in a dreamscape nightmare.

Honeydew, Darling Callahan Bracken - 20, CALIFORNIA, USA

Through ceramics, animation, printmaking and 16mm film, Honeydew, Darling articulates the delicate, interwoven cycles of queer grief, sex and euphoria.

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FRIDAY NIGHT SHORTS friday, april 28th 9:15 pm − uptown 1

It’s Friday night and the mood is right for some top tier shorts! This primetime program is abound with affecting films that will elicit a full spectrum of emotions, from tense frogs in your throat (literally) to the warmth from a shared bowl of ramen with death (also literally).

Presented By

*this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

Hold Me When I Think I'm Going Crazy by Ollie Chanin

Nathan Ginter - 21, Aidan Flynn - 20, MICHIGAN, USA

Tell Me Something I Don't Know

Neal Suresh Mulani - 24, Kathryn Winn - 24, CALIFORNIA, USA

Frog in My Throat

Sofia Spinelli - 18, SOUTH CAROLINA, USA A young girl with an anxiety disorder struggles to manage the 'frogs' that make her life difficult until she reaches out for help.

A trip into the subconscious of Ollie Chanin.

On his 25th birthday, Cary brings his friends to the desert and requests one gift: for them to list everything they hate about him.

Kook Street

In Your Sheets

Naños

When Cass’s expectations about her first time aren’t met, she must confront the boy who took her virginity.

In the heart of Corona, Queens, two Ecuadorian siblings are placed at odds with each other when one reveals a sudden urge to leave their home.

Jeremy Kemp - 21, Jack Lattin - 21, CALIFORNIA, USA A metal sculptor with a frenzied past spends his nights drilling the word 'KOOK' into the side of telephone poles.

Connie O'Connor - 22, Aidan Whitman Baker - 21, Emily Walowski - 21, Jaelyn Ellis - 21, Cooper Shapiro - 22, FLORIDA, USA

Emilio Subía - 24, Adrian Kader - 24, NEW YORK, USA + ECUADOR

Death and Ramen

Tiger Ji - 21, Peter Gold - 22, CALIFORNIA, USA On his final night alive, a ramen chef befriends the Grim Reaper.

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BRING THE KIDS! saturday, april 29th 10:00 am − uptown 2

Slam Song

Sophie Harasha - 17, Yezy Suh - 16, Kyra Reilley - 17, CALIFORNIA, USA

Handpicked for tastemakers of all ages, this collection of short films displays the visual variety in the next generation of family-friendly storytelling.

From astronomical adventures to saving the bees, you don’t want to miss these sensational stories!

Quests Are for the Broke

Jewel Racasa - 22, Sarina Holstein - 23, HAWAII, USA

San Diego high school band, The Swell, debuts their first EP with a music video for their song, Slam Song.

Penniless Palabok, desperate to buy a brand new cloak, embarks on a quest to battle the Puto Monster and make some quick cash.

Bee the Solution

Clocked Out!

Leading experts explain the causes for declining bee populations around the world and offer approachable solutions individuals can take to support their local pollinators.

An alarm clock that runs on a strict schedule tries their best to regain motivation, but their tight schedule gets in their way every time, only restoring motivation after accidentally knocking over a paint can.

Charlotte Quintanar -17, CALIFORNIA, USA

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Katherine Wright - 16, FLORIDA, USA

Bye, My Captain

Li Luo - 23，XiaYun Liu - 22， CHINA The father, once a captain, had to give up his job when his wife died and his daughter became seriously ill. After the death of his daughter, the father painted a boat with his daughter's brush out of longing, and the mutual longing made the two meet again...

Homeseek

Thi M Chu - 20, Kien C Bui - 20,Thao P Nguyen - 20, Son N Dang - 19, VIETNAM On a sleepless night, a grandmother finds her way back to her childhood home to finish a game of Hide & Seek.

Presented By

While We’re Young

Alex Duque - 17, Isabella Chiappini - 18, Marcy Rodriguez - 18, FLORIDA, USA A group of friends go out for a night of fun, while one person is tired of living the teen dream.

Undaunted

Ella Arlene - 16, Nash McFarlane - 17, Chaos Gortner - 17, Joshua Domrese - 17, WASHINGTON, USA When a young girl, Ruthie, is left home alone for the first time, she will have to learn to overcome her fears and face the darkness hiding in the shadows.

Reaching Our Star

Life of a Mayfly

Acorn

A Trip to the Moon

A children's book comes to life in color and sound, as the ambitious frog Stottie and the lazy tired dog Plato cross path in their journey to reach the star.

A mayfly tries to pluck a berry, but has to do it in its 24 hours lifespan.

An elderly man ponders life and death as he admires an oak tree, a seedling, and an acorn. He marvels at the beauty of age as he observes the close his own cycle.

A boy escapes the realities of poverty by traveling to the moon with the help of his mother (and the power of storytelling).

Jihwan Lee - 16, SOUTH KOREA

David Du - 17, Matthew Blam - 17, CALIFORNIA, USA

Emilia Diaz Delgado -13, CALIFORNIA,USA

Julian Barahona - 17, CALIFORNIA, USA

BRING THE KIDS

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PALPABLE PERFORMANCES

saturday, april 29th 10:30 am − uptown 1

Presented By

*this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

In Situ

Toy Phone

Why Did the Sunset?

After discovering an oil spill polluting her land, a lonely woman seeks to avenge the death of her closest companion and punish the guilty through an extreme act of defiance.

When her young son starts "speaking" to his recently deceased father on a toy phone, a mother is forced to confront the loss she never quite dealt with.

A village of the distant Tswana people of South Africa find themselves in a 2-year long drought. The time has come for the newly initiated princesses to perform the rain ceremony to their gods.

Where No One Lives

Jungle Rhythms

Walker Burris Cody - 23, Alexa Tabert - 22, Nate Rinehart - 22, West Givens - 24, KENTUCKY, USA

Li Anne Liew - 22, Cynthia Wang - 22, Cooper Lichacz - 22, Annie Harumi Harris - 22, CALIFORNIA,USA On one night, three lonely next-door neighbors find themselves in search of connection, forgiveness, and company in an old apartment building.

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They say folks from all around the world yearn to attend the NFFTY School of Performance, so come get a glimpse into the best our (imaginary) conservatory has to offer. With remarkable rain ceremonies to valiant vengeance, prepare to be enthralled by the power of performance.

Gabe Braden - 22, Emu Haynes 23, Elizabeth Murphy - 20, Edward Pinkava - 21, CALIFORNIA, USA

Adrian Kader - 23, Emilio Subía - 24,Renee Nabinger - 24, NEW YORK, USA A mysterious virus transmitted through pollen flares up, threatening to deafen whoever gets contaminated. A new couple is forced to quarantine together in a small New York apartment.

Linda Zuko Malote - 21, Aphiwe Mabuza - 22,Regopotswe Matshelo - 22, SOUTH AFRICA

BREAKING THE MOLD saturday, april 29th 12:15 pm − uptown 2

Nothing, except everything.

Wesley Wang - 18, David Mazouz - 21, Lily Chee -18, NEW YORK, USA A graduating high schooler navigates a world of seemingly inevitable chaos by finding order in the number 7.

Kamayan

Minerva Navasca - 19, Jay Parikh - 20, CANADA A documentary showcasing the traditional Filipino way of eating, through a foreign, outdated lens.

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I’m Not Her

Shaman Magic Aponte - 17, Zenzelé YsaguirreMoore - 19, Shaman Magic Aponte - 17, CALIFORNIA, USA This Music Video captures the essence of the true meaning behind this song: trying to be someone you’re not.

Holding Hands with the Moon Soah - 18, Zohar - 18, Jack Cosgriff -18, COLORADO, USA

Terra is not only learning to life with her anxiety, but also appreciating the little things and her unwavering (and borderline obsessive) love for the moon.

Whenever we think we know the possibilities of the medium, some shorts come along that challenge our idea of filmmaking entirely!

Watch media get mixed, matched, and made marvelous through mind-bending editing and formal designs.

I Had A Strange Dream Last Night Mira H Steuer - 19, NEW YORK, USA

An experimental short exploring childhood chronic illness through dreams.

CONTAGION

Olivia Lee - 17, Jaerlene C Quinto - 15, WASHINGTON, USA An experimental short film showcasing a downward spiral.

My House is Mine

Kaiya Jordan - 16, Yezy Suh - 16, CALIFORNIA, USA A young girl reflects on her past while looking into a dollhouse. Pairing childhood nostalgia with the fear of growing up, this film is an encapsulation of family dynamics and their impact on the young mind.

Transcendence

Lemo Sekiguchi - 16, CALIFRONIA, USA An individual encounters a transition to a ‘Transcendence’ experience where people’s minds begin to open up and gather information that may not reflect and reinforce as their own.

Light

Nic Chang -17, Riley Prior - 17, Matteo Russo - 17, NEW JERSEY, USA

Proof of Residency Spencer Sabath - 17, ILLINOIS, USA

Aspects of My Gender

Before It Melts

Aspects of my gender is an experimental short film about my personal relationship with femininity and my gender expression as a queer person.

A girl becomes increasingly entranced by the figures inside her television set.

Olivia Martinez - 19, TEXAS, USA

Ella Cox - 17, Gram Van Buren - 17, Steven Choi - 17, CALIFORNIA, USA

Trapped in the dark cell of his mind, The Boy desires an escape to light.

Memories of fonder times are recounted through the examination of ten items salvaged from a house fire.

Ghost Grudge

Lover’s Human Tears

Room

The Flesh of Another

Two boxers settle their rivalry with one final match in this tribute to 1920's silent films.

Following the suicide of her partner, Thea must go through several stages of grief in hopes to see her love again. Using dance to cope with the pain, Thea escapes to a world of color revealing each stage of her grieving process.

A teenager struggles with depression and social anxiety, expressing it through locking himself in his imaginary room where his life plays out. The film is shown from the boy’s perspective in his “room” showing how real life events affect him in it.

Two forever intertwined lovers, Edwin and Rosko, recollect on their long spanning relationship. They explore their sexuality together, but everything changes once they begin to taste the flesh of another...

Max Davies - 19, Henry Devine - 19, UK

Liya Zech - 16, CALIFORNIA, USA

Ian Dani Kim - 15, NEW JERSEY, USA

Jack Cosgriff - 18, Soah - 18, Porter Hunt - 18, COLORADO, USA

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EXPRESS YOURSELF saturday, april 29th 12:45 pm − uptown 1

Strike a pose! These films feature visually-appealing passions, aural artistry, and meticulous movement from performers of all kinds. Whether taking their talent to the streets, the stage, or the circus tent, you’re bound to be blown away by the technique on display.

Presented By

*this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

BODY LANGUAGE

Leo Pfeifer - 23, CALIFORNIA, USA A gravity-defying display of dance with crutches.

En Sus Manos

Elle Rinaldi - 22,Daviana Angelo - 22, Kyra Isabella Chen - 22, Payton McCarty-Simas - 22, NEW YORK, USA + CUBA Three generations of women and girls prepare to perform at the Cuban circus in Havana, Cuba, each for different acts, on different occasions, but all under the same enchanting red and white striped tent, an otherworldly space which pulses with reflections on age, femininity, and dreams.

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Dreamers @ Work

Justin Kaminuma - 22, Jess Faber - 21, NEW YORK, USA Art doesn't just shape the youth, art brings humanity together.

Dreamers @Work highlights the importance of allowing children to flourish through art.

Unknown Artists

Alexander Brinitzer - 24, Alexandra Leombruno - 23, Samuel Friedman - 23, César Lebourg - 23, NEW YORK, USA + FRANCE Two Parisian street artists encounter opposing perspectives towards their art.

Adam’s Song

Nathan Xia - 23, CALIFORNIA, USA A dangerously ambitious artist descends a self-destructive spiral as he prepares for the release of his next album.

Neon Phantom

Leonardo Martinelli - 22, BRAZIL A delivery man dreams of having a motorcycle. He was told that everything would be like a musical film.

IMMENSE IMMERSIONS saturday, april 29th 3:00 pm − uptown 1

Intergalactic shipwrecks, nefarious algorithms, and the potential extinction of the human race, oh my! Retreat from this realm, step into these stylish alternate worlds and enjoy awe-inspiring feats of filmmaking fabrication.

Presented By

*this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

Float

Jaden Heller - 21, CALIFORNIA, USA A penguin drifting through the polluted waters of a flooded Earth must see if he has what it takes to survive the new ways of the world.

Algorithm

Octavia Anderson - 20, Maya Braslaw - 19, Jade Gamez - 19, Guine Alcaraz - 17, CALIFORNIA, USA High School student Connie grapples with a new crush and learns about his “type” which she doesn’t fit the standard of, prompting self image issues, as she experiments with psychedelics, and finds herself trapped in a mirror world controlled by the Algorithm Man.

Sammy, Without Strings

Ralph Parker, III - 22, Jenna Cusack - 21, Ariano Treviño Angelone - 22, Grayson Fisher - 23, NORTH CAROLINA, USA When a Black puppet named Sammy, falls in love with a Woman in his audience, he sets his sights on freedom from his strings to live a life of dignity and humanity with her.

The Rise

Alesja Suzdaltseva - 23, Pilleriin Raudam - 24, Annika Väljataga - 25, ESTONIA In a shipwreck, a little girl Lilit, finds herself on a cold planet, where she must quickly repair her ship.

Furo

Julia Roliz - 23, BRAZIL Furo emerges through a crack, a fissure in space-time that happens by navigating through the intersections of thoughts, through the corners of memories, between the paths of childhood. A window opens here into a magical universe, where fantastic beings dance, driven by the rhythms of desire.

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FAMILY TIES

saturday, april 29th 4:00 pm − uptown 2

A ver ponte ahí

Flor Marmolejo - 24, CALIFORNIA, USA Revisiting a family album and an opportune trip leads to a revelation.

This is closest to how the last weeks of March felt like.

Zeena Kubeisy - 20, Kunga Choephel - 20, NEW YORK, USA

A personal account of the Covid-19 pandemic in America and its effects on an immigrant family as seen through the eyes of a student quarantined at his barren university.

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Whether growing up or growing old, familial relationships are ever-evolving – especially intergenerationally!

Packed with the complicated impacts of parenting, this program pulls focus on the observations of offspring as they explore the effects of these beloved bonds.

All Night She Hears The Water Sobbing

Nicole Hanzi Zhou - 21, Sirui Ray Qian - 20, Clair Peck - 22, NEW YORK, USA After the sudden death of the father, the mother and daughter live their lives in a parallel fashion, but their lives started to get tangled up again as their current relationships fail.

desiderium.

Emma Albrecht - 21, NORTH CAROLINA, USA On a long-awaited trip to their mother's childhood home in North Dakota, the filmmaker and their mom explore feelings of loss, guilt, and joy on returning home.

Oink

Milky Tran - 24, Em Shafer - 22, CALIFORNIA, USA A young Vietnamese girl idolizes her mother and follows her daily beauty routine, until her mother unexpectedly gets a surgery.

Parental Orbit

Dara Carneol - 17, WISCONSIN, USA An experimental documentary featuring found footage from a super 8mm film my great-uncle made from 1960-1971.

Bawang Merah Bawang Putih

Dún Laoghaire

As two polar opposite sisters reunite for their grandparents' wedding anniversary, the skeletons lingering in the closet join the family at the dinner table. The sisters grapple for the affection of their grandmother, and their mother does her best to diffuse the volatile situation.

A dance of death between a mother and daughter ignites when the daughter attempts to install a new stove in her mother’s house in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland.

Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto - 22, Karina Jesson - 22, CANADA + INDONESIA

William Lancaster - 22, Shane Bagwell - 22, Will Noyce - 20, Izzy Cassadra-Newsam - 22, CALIFORNIA, USA + IRELAND

OUT OF SYNC

saturday, april 29th 6:15 pm − uptown 2

Missed Connections

Yuqi Guan - 20, Abigail Ryne - 22, Brendan Hickey - 22, Alexa Karger - 20, NEW YORK, USA How does one outdated website manage to bring together strangers and foster connection?

This film reveals the humorous and loving true stories of New Yorkers who reconnected with one another -or not- via Craigslist.

Merry Go Round

Ella Fields - 18, Manni Burach - 19, Legyaan Thapa - 19, Marine Savoure - 18, MASSACHUSETTS, USA June and Pepper meet and have a special connection, but a limited amount of time to spend together. "Merry Go Round" explores how love exists through distance, memory, and a non-linear perception of time.

Intimate entanglements can be tricky to navigate! This passionate program explores tales of missed connections, botched breakups and crossed wires in communication.

Made for your inner romantic, come prepared to swoon (and wince) your way through the screening!

The Receipt

Moving

An anxious man attempts to end a relationship over the phone.

An adult content creator runs into her subscriber at an apartment viewing with her parents and finds herself in an identity clash at the least expected time.

The Derivative Outlook on Love From the Perspective of Two Sixteen-Year-Olds

A Reason To

Harrison Oswald - 20, NORTH CAROLINA, USA

Ella Janes - 16, Julian Felix Aaronson - 18, Ragan Stark - 15, OKLAHOMA, uSA

Ameel and Estella love like adults, healthily and hard, but Estella craves the carefreeness and innocence of being sixteen.

Seyma Dag - 20, Roz McCormick - 20, SCOTLAND

Sari Arambulo -- 24, Cole Bacani - 22, Brendan Bennett - 22, Porschia Adler - 22, CALIFORNIA, USA When Anna reunites with an old friend, a hazy intimate memory resurfaces — fueling her fears that their relationship has forever changed.

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CENTERPIECE

sunday, april 29th 7:30 pm − uptown 1

Rodney Chrome To The Money

Zac Dov Wiesel - 22, Shane Bagwell - 22, Henry Wolf - 21,Katie Balun - 22, NEW YORK, USA The story of a Ghetto Popstar; After finding a bag of unlimited money in the forest, Chrome’s destiny becomes set in stone.

Fruits of Labour

Ophelia Spinosa - 23, CANADA Interplaying the metaphor of grapes, this father-daughter documentary is characterized by the labour of love it is to make wine, but also the labour of love that is love itself.

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Centerpiece, more like Center-pièce de résistance!

Featuring exceptional filmmaking flair, this stunning showcase is teeming with interpersonal inharmony, thoughtful explorations of self, and radiating desires to better understand the world around us. *this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

I Probably Shouldn't Be Telling You This

Colony

Paloma

Minna, a self-flagellating influencer, is concealing her crush and fandom for Frank while invited to be a guest on his famous podcast. Frank eventually strips off her flirtatious facade and they discover they’re both more attracted to the honest truth.

A woman scientist’s entomological work creeps into her psyche as her pregnancy progresses and she becomes more hostile towards her partner.

As she becomes obsessed with the ant queen of her research colony, the lines between the ant and human experience blur.

Paloma is a drama that follows the conversation between a teenage girl, who's recently been sexually assaulted, and the skeptical principal she's confiding in to build up the courage to file a report.

Birdsong

Puck

Amidst moving homes, a superstitious IndianAmerican girl struggles to bury her pet bird in fear of it haunting her.

When the rules of an open relationship allow only casual sex, two new lovers must navigate through their immediate chemical connection over a magical afternoon of root beer floats and living room kisses.

Emma Weinswig - 24, CALIFORNIA, USA

Hrishi Bardhan - 22, Olivia De Camps - 22, Cece Chan - 23, NEW YORK, USA

Pilar GarciaFernandezsesma - 23, NEW YORK, USA

Rebecca Ozer - 24, UK

Brittany Young - 22, Maya Brown - 24, Gege He - 23, FLORIDA, USA

THRILLS + CHILLS saturday, april 29th 8:30 pm − uptown 2

Parents are asleep, and we at the National Film Festival For Talented Ghouls are staying up past our bedtime! Why not join us for a frightening evening of spine tingling delights full of devious doppelgängers, diabetic vampires, and lethal leprechauns?

Presented By

*this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

Ring

L'abattu Des Vents

An unresponsive boyfriend, a locked apartment, and a lone phone booth. Is Annie just paranoid or is danger around the corner?

Alone on a secluded island, a lightkeeper is prisoner of his own madness.

Photocopy

Reaper

There's Something About Ryan

A lonely Brooklyn photographer begins to loose his grip on reality when he spots a mysterious doppelgänger roaming the streets.

A young girl attempting to escape her own death, only to find herself facing a new danger.

Mileage

Things Could Be Better

A story of a taxi that transfers the youth of the passengers to the driver.

A waitress works her last night-shift at a diner in the middle of nowhere. After accidentally killing the diner’s manager, she tries to escape the situation unscathed.

Jackson Stofka - 20, John Landry - 20, CALIFORNIA, USA

Mike Klubeck - 24, NEW YORK, USA

Jennifer Wu - 21, Ruyee Lu - 21, Joy Zhou - 21, Ruby Saysanasy 23,Saul Benavides - 22, Nicole Taylor Topacio - 21, Miranda Li - 22, Christopher Hsueh - 22, CANADA

Eva Ulreich, VIRGINIA, USA

Carter Kratkiewicz - 22, Camila Grimaldi - 21, Kylie Murphy - 24, NEW YORK, USA

Félix-Antoine GarneauChouinard - 24, CANADA

Jesse Padveen - 22, Josh Willick - 22, Tobias Harrison - 21, CANADA

A family falls apart after their diabetic son becomes a vampire.

Unlucky Charms

Kris Theorin - 24, Nik Theorin - 24, NEW YORK, USA Late one night, a bored cashier collects all three toys from a box of Magic Munchos and unwittingly unleashes the ancient evil that lies within…

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EVERGREEN SCREEN

sunday, april 30th 10:30 am − uptown 1

A Place Like Nowhere Else - Pilot Seat Quang Nguyen - 19, Suzanne McAuley - 23, Giao Nguyen - 22, WASHINGTON, USA

Henry Shriber - 18, William Shriber - 20, Logan Sarzalejo 19, Beckett Hobbs - 17, WASHINGTON, USA

Three friends attend class, daydream, and jam--coming together to complete their homework of forming a band.

A gruff father follows his lifelong dream of tracking down Bigfoot, only to realize that the biggest prize has been by his side all along.

Where I Stand

Oceans Away

Dani León - 20, WASHINGTON, USA A short auto-biographical film about love across two borders, growing up, and learning to accept, and live for yourself.

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The Big One: The Day Bigfoot Shot Dad

Matthew Wilbur - 16, Remy Hirschfield-Rudy - 16, Siena Gorohoff - 18, Imogen Steele - 16, WASHINGTON, USA Two teenagers meet and are quickly drawn to each other, forming a relationship. They experience young love until one cheats on the other, causing a rippling of emotions.

Set to the song “Oceans Away,” by indie band Dark Dazey.

Even on a cloudy day, these Northwest filmmakers shine bright like the summer sun. Trek with us through these local delights, breathe in the fresh pine air, marvel at the old growth forest, and… ah, watch out you just stepped in some Bigfoot droppings!

Clairvoyant

Elijah Anthony F. - 18, MaKenzie Slechta - 16, WASHINGTON, USA

Somewhen, Again and Again

Tristan C. Pina - 23, Aries Ceta - 23, CANADA

A teenage girl with a supernatural sensitivity moves to an old house with a traumatic history.

A man with no memories finds a mysterious object that gives him memories belonging to a woman from the present.

What A Waste Virginia

Baby Teeth

What A Waste Virginia is based on a dream I had during my first semester of College: My friend and I sit outside of our abandoned elementary school, as two vampires hiding in the bushes observe us from afar.

Two childhood friends grow apart and come back together again in the search for their baby teeth.

Ruby Parrish - 20, Caleb Ross - 23, WASHINGTON, USA

Alexandra Ansbacher - 21, Luke Skinner - 22, Nathan Silva - 21, Ha'aheo Auwae - 22, WASHINGTON, USA

Forgotten Childhood Ka'miya Clark - 16, WASHINGTON, USA

An experimental film about Nostalgia to spark thinking in what you may have forgotten during childhood

The Pointe

Morgan Dukes - 23, Corei Flowers - 24, WASHINGTON, USA When a young, ambitious ballerina gets rejected from a top-tier ballet program, she must decide if dedicating her entire life to dance is truly worth the blood, sweat, and tears.

Grief is Quiet

Hailey McGill - 23, WASHINGTON, USA A letter to an old friend.

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LIVELY LOCALES sunday, april 30th 12:00 pm − uptown 2

Hop in and come sightseeing with us! Traversing international lands, these shorts offer pit stops along the way to soak up Malta’s salty sea air, enjoy Carnival in the UK, fit in a few sand green golf holes in Kansas, and scope some places not strictly speaking on the map at all.

Presented By

*this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

Wings of My Youth

2166

Three friends on the cusp of adolescence travel to the heart of west London.

A film that documents snippets of daily lives and memories within the suburbs of Cabramatta and Canley Vale.

The Last Color of This City

Mango City

Belle Palmano - 21, Esrom Solomon - 23, Ellis Josebury - 21, UK

Mobin Dehvari - 18, Fateme Azimi - 18, Benyamin Khodabandeh - 17, IRAN The film is a conceptual narrative without dialogue, about the author's feelings towards urban life in his city (Saravan).

Anna Nguyen - 23, Lilian Cao - 23, Winston Liu - 22, AUSTRALIA

Dana DePirri - 23, Emma Cuba - 23, FLORIDA + NEW YORK, USA Lou, a curious 7-year old girl, has three days left to say goodbye to the love of her life, Miami. In this love letter to the city that raised her, Lou reveals Miami’s magic through her strange but familiar encounters with Miami locals and the unforgettable landscape.

Lost Kid Wanderer

Chelsea Muscat, NEW YORK, USA + MALTA A lone wanderer reconciles with the idea of love while deciding her future faith as life is coming to an end.

The Oubliette

Max Hendrickson - 22, IRELAND After moving into a small apartment in a big city, a man notices strange and mysterious occurrences.

A Slice of Paradise Liam Tangum - 23, Michael Nicholas - 23, Jake Coury - 23, CALIFORNIA, USA

Three small towns in Kansas work to keep both their communities and some of the last standing sand green golf courses alive in America.

The Cabbage Statue Megan Lim En - 22, Jessica Goh - 22, Wai Ziying - 22, SINGAPORE

Posters of the famous Cabbage Statue of Ranau, Malaysia, are seen everywhere in Singapore. Swayed by the ads, Kelly convinces her less-than-enthusiastic best friend, Ruth, to take a trip across the Causeway to find it.

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FRESH EYES

sunday, april 30th 12:45 pm − uptown 1

Lonely Birthday

Kaylinn Clotfelter - 21, MISSOURI, USA A young girl visits her friends and delivers them each a piece of cake for her birthday.

Blue Honey

Valeriya Khan - 22, Anastasia Itkina - 24, Peter CS Lee - 21, CANADA Bon gets ready for her school photoshoot when she gets her first period.

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Ever find yourself daydreaming and wishing you could reclaim the beauty and wonder of childhood divergent thinking?

These shorts help shake up your perspective by offering the opportunity to see the world anew through the eyes of youth as they experience what the rollercoaster of life has to offer. *this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

梅Mei

Yizhi "Izzy" Yi - 20, Grace Lee - 20, Zhengyang "Corey" Tian - 21, Zhen "Freddy" Wang - 21, MASSACHUSETTS, USA At a dinner with both her parents, little Mei sees the crack in the family as it explodes.

Sunflower Field

Camila Grimaldi - 24, Mulan Fu - 24, Julia Wang - 21, Polina Buchak - 24, NEW YORK, USA A young girl in Ukraine awaits a call from her father. As she waits, the day turns into night and she sinks into various dreamscapes from which she must find her way home.

Pink Flamingos Everywhere

Jordan Vescio - 21, Jessica Lueck - 20, Ned Cooper - 20, Maygan Thompson - 21, GEORGIA, USA Caught in the crossfire of a parental war zone, 7-year-old Charlie seeks comfort in the plastic flamingos flocking her yard.

Other Homes

Joseph Youngjune Lee - 23, CALIFORNIA, USA + SOUTH KOREA In the winter of the Korean War, a North Korean family escapes to the sea, where they must quietly sneak across the water on a fisherman’s boat to reach freedom.

Julia

Together, Alone.

A young girl faces a test of friendship at an orphanage in 1970 South Korea.

Based on a true story.

An 8 year old daughter who witnesses her fathers first symptoms of Parkinsons.

His hand begins to shake and they both notice quietly. The film addresses the complicated dynamics of a father’s reckoning with his illness while raising a young child.

Emma Duvall - 22, Skyler Verity - 21, Jessica Barr - 24, OREGON, USA

Lucy Tamarkin - 23, Gus Aronson - 23, Henry Berger - 23, NEW YORK, USA

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UNEASY STREET

sunday, april 30th 3:00 pm − uptown 1

The Businessman

Nathan Ginter - 22, Shane Bagwell - 22, Vincent DiFrancesco - 21, Aidan Flynn - 21, MICHIGAN, USA On the way home from school, a young girl runs into a mysterious salesman who looks to instill the fear of financial insecurity and coerce her into selling fashion magazines for him.

Latchkey

Quinn McHugh Fluet - 23, Jack Caron - 23, GEORGIA, USA A skeptical older brother must protect his sibling when he receives a horrifying phone call from him: "something's downstairs."

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Yeah we got a front row seat. Right here on (un)easy street!

For reasons why we teach our children lessons like “don’t talk to strangers” and “look both ways before crossing the street” — look no further! These films will fuel you with ample anxiety and send you to the edge of your seat. *this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

Those Who Run

Nick Milczarczyk - 16, ARIZONA, US + CANADA When a track star is caught using performance enhancers by her rival, she takes desperate measures.

Cabbage

Destinee McCaster - 21, Gabby Fiszman - 21, Maria Paula Quesada - 21, CALIFORNIA, USA On a desolate farm, a couple’s prayers are answered after a visitor offers them a sinister deal.

Blinded by their joy, they struggle to realize that what they once desired may lead to their own unravelling.

TAMING A SEAHORSE

Nurture

A tired cap driver’s spirit is tested early into his night shift when he picks up an unusual customer.

An emotionally stunted man and his ailing, narcissistic mother live together in complete desolation.

An unexpected visitor triggers the deep-rooted resentment he harbors for his mother, threatening to destroy their marginal co-existence for good.

Raza Tariq - 19, UK

Sasha Argirov - 21, CANADA

DAILY GRIND

thursday, april 30th 4:15 pm − uptown 2

The Last Page

Kota Nakamura - 22, JAPAN Due to the recession the pandemic brought on, Kyosuke and Chiseko have decided to close down their vintage bookshop in Tokyo suburbs after 35 years in business. In the week before the closing day, the shop saw an unexpected surge in customers.

Today’s Leaders, Tomorrow’s Heroes.

Dan Lesser - 24, Jake Coury - 24, Gabriel Gaurano - 23, CALIFORNIA, USA

Helping save the planet becomes a lot easier when you do it for your kids.

Meet Stu.

Consider your union dues paid as the NFFTY Local 16 supports your quest to find that work-life balance you’ve always been seeking! Join us in celebrating the workers of the world as they discover passion in their labor and do all they can to thrive in the face of unrelenting capitalism. *this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

Vacationland

Joseph Coleman - 19, Milan Tangirala - 18, Emma Forthofer - 20, Griffin Camens -18, MAINE, USA A young lobsterman battles an opioid addiction on the Maine coast.

Masterpieces

Bridget Johnson - 22, Ronan Morrissey - 23, ILLINOIS, USA A dedicated team of roofers fight to keep the historic, yet rare, art of slate roofing alive while also navigating the challenges of the trade through intense labor, safety, and sexism.

Projectionist

Deniz Akyurek - 19, Noah Matalon - 20, MASSACHUSETTS, USA A portrait of Tom Welch, lead projectionist at the Coolidge Corner theater in Brookline, MA.

For My Son

Mathilde Jouaud - 23, Loula Renaudeau - 23, Pablo Garrido Carreras - 24, Aurore Bourguet - 21, FRANCE In our world where buying and owning is synonymous with happiness, a mother struggles to buy a video game console for her son’s Christmas.

Animal Behavior

Adrian Delcan - 21, Rahul Alexander - 22, Raviteja Anumukonda - 21, Jen Ledbury - 21, CALIFORNIA, USA A skilled wildlife foley artist has his methods challenged by a newcomer with an innate understanding of animal behavior.

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CLOSING NIGHT

sunday, april 30th 6:00 pm − uptown 1

To say “that’s a wrap!” on NFFTY 2023, we’re closing out the festival with a collection of films that will stick with you long after you leave the theater. From tender tales of treasured memories to a robust bond between compassionate siblings, come prepared to celebrate the trove of talent on display in this screening – and at the Awards Ceremony immediately following! *this screening may not be suitable for all audiences

Dhruv - Grateful Christina Xing - 23, ALABAMA, USA

A singular, vivid film about Dhruv Sharma's childhood.

From dressing up as a princess and waltzing his way around his grandmother’s house, to being completely uninhibited, twirling in his grandma's garden.

For Black Muslim Girls

Niya Abdullahi - 22, CANADA For Black Muslim Girls explores the social nuances behind identity expression and what it takes to fall back in love with yourself.

Onán

Obtusion

Tamara, a young nun, finds herself tempted to betray everything she's ever believed in when a vibrator magically appears at her doorstep.

A documentary following an older brother as he interviews his sister, 4 months after she was diagnosed with anorexia, body dysmorphia and an eating disorder.

Diego Toussaint - 24 , Mauricio Díaz - 24, Lorena Villegas - 24, NEW YORK, USA + MEXICO

Nathan Cowles - 19, Natalie Cowles - 16, ARIZONA, USA

The Mess We're In

Half-Light

Wilfrid

The Stack

Still living in the hoarder’s house she grew up in, young adult Dara contemplates moving forward in life.

A couple debates having unprotected car sex late at night.

When a 4 year old boy discovers that his 85 year old friend has memory loss, he learns what a memory is and how he can return them to her.

“The Stack" recalls the gut wrenching feeling of losing who you once thought to be your forever, and the process of detangling yourself from that.

Jamie Lam - 24, Nadine Widjaja - 21, Rachel Chen - 21, CANADA

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Lauren Jevnikar - 24, Elias Ginsberg - 24, CALIFORNIA, USA

Samuel G. Davey - 21, Max Mezo - 20, Lori Si - 21, Sean Patrick Dolan - 22, CANADA

Isabelle Hahn - 24, Steven Xie - 20, HAWAII, USA

NFFTY 2023 by the Numbers 203 Official Selections 32 States Alabama Arizona California Colorado Florida Georgia Hawaii Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Missouri Montana New Jersey New Mexico

New York North Carolina Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Washington Wisconsin 28 Countries Australia Austria Brazil Canada China Cuba Czech Republic

Denmark England Estonia France India Iran Ireland Japan Malta Mexico Netherlands Norway Oman Philippines South Korea South Africa Singapore Scotland United Kingdom United States Vietnam

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Special Thanks NFFTY is grateful to the following persons who have contributed since our past festival edition, without whom we would not be able to produce NFFTY 2023: Monique Courcy Anita Cal Dan Lesser Sarah Read William Butler Camilo Diaz Caro Ashraf Hasham Brian Alter Lori Seago Romain Vakilitabar Ben Kadie Alex Emerson Griffith Gustafson Sue Wiedenfeld Tiffany Lin Jennifer Barker Linda Baumgardner Chris Newell Dennis Kim Frank HARRIS Lindsey Ann Hoffman Caelin Homola Caroline Rensel Steven Crespo Laura Lumpkin

Alfredo Jimenez Cheri Gaulke Carl Kadie Naomi West Alexander Johnston Rachel James Sarah Rankin Alexander Carrigan Ogugua Agu So Yeon Kim Leo Pfeifer Maja Gans Amit Awaghade Kate Becker Sharon Friedland Anne Bobroff Boie Karen Bystrom Wistar Kay Beth Barrett Theresa Robinson Nanci Vaeth John Alexander MacLeod Peter Barnes Liv Faris Byron Harris

Additionally, we would like to thank the following funders and agencies who have given support: Washington State Department of Commerce Scan Design Foundation City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture 4Culture Washington State Arts Commission National Endowment for the Arts SITY Foundation Morgan Family Foundation Harley Soltes Charitable Fund ArtsFund City of Seattle Office of Economic Development The Norcliffe Foundation James D. Scheinfeld Family Foundation Lastly, we are grateful to the contributions of the following individuals and organizations who are making this year’s edition possible: All of our industry presenters and screening hosts All of our NFFTY 2023 jurors

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Stephanie Fonda Maureen Gans Mark Albert Scott Waller Pranay Patwardhan Daniel Hudson Frances Rubio Sydney Jarol Donna Brown Helen Valkavitch Iona Brindle Daniel Taplitz Petyr Xyst Ariel Glassman Adam Hersko-RonaTas Joe Dockery Melissa Jurcan Erin Katz Gaelle Bara Stefanie Malone Bryan Roth Vicky Lee Robert Bojorquez Karen Bennett Lorrie Harrison Jacob Alberts

Phillippa Gustafson Ronald Klein Deborah Rustin John Platt Xi Tian & Jonathan Shakes Arielle Friedman Laurie Frankel Mark Kilcollin Iona Brindle Dawson Taylor Caelin Moore Philip Alvy Jocelyn Chang Emilio Torres Lesley Pfeifer Mark & Jane Eisner Kim Schwarzkopf Al Hillel Kinnon Williams Frank Clark Alex Beresniewicz Susan Thomas Barbara Trenary Catherine McCord Bonnie Trueman

All of our NFFTY 2023 volunteers All of our interns from the past year, including WLG Participants Gabriella Smith, Andres Muñoz, Eugenia Donkor, Shamoun Osumanu Our NFFTY Industry Advisory Board, including programming partners Vanishing Angle + Seed&Spark Our NFFTY Alumni Advisory Board Our Community Partners, including host venues VERA and SIFF The Youth Cinema Network, including our friends at FiSH and YAAAS! Scan Design Foundation and Station Next Tulalip Tribes Charitable Contributions Ariel Glassman & Caroline Rensel @ Common Great Amy Wheeler @ Valtas Consulting Joseph Krebs @ Scandiuzzi Krebs Ashraf Hasham & Alex Rose @ Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture Chris Swenson @ Seattle Office of Economic Development

FAQ How do I attend the festival?

NFFTY is happening in-person in Seattle AND online. We recommend you purchase an all access pass to get the most out of your NFFTY experience.

What if I am not available to attend in person?

Attend virtually! This portion of the festival is designed so anyone from anywhere can watch films and connect with us. Virtual attendees even get the added bonus of watching films even after the in-person weekend is over.

What should I wear on the red carpet?

Dress however your heart desires! NFFTY’s red carpet is known for its vast range in style. Whether you want to show up in a ball gown or jeans, you will still fit into the NFFTY vibe.

Can I have copies of my red carpet photos?

NFFTY posts all of our professional photos taken throughout the weekend. Our festival archive will house our program guide, professional photos, and more for you to reminisce on. Visit https://www.nffty.org/festival-archive after the festival to see more.

Where do I find the ratings or content warnings?

NFFTY features independent short films from all over the world, as such they do not undergo a rating system like a traditional movie. While our films are made by young filmmakers, they sometimes contain content that is not suitable for younger viewers. At the top of a screening you may find a warning labeled: “not suitable for all ages” to help determine where viewer discretion is advised. We suggest parents and guardians review the film synopses in these screenings to determine if it is suitable for their families. If you have additional questions or concerns about a screening or the subject of a film please find a staff member in person or online via info@nffty.org.

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Screening Committee + NFFTY Team NFFTY Screening + Screenplay Committee NFFTY is a program of The Talented Youth, a 501c3 non-profit PROGRAMMING TEAM

SCREENING COMMITTEE

Amy Williams Ryan Saunders Kevin Conner Krupa Kanaiya Leomary Rodriguez Nabil Aouad Theresa Robinson Han-’Naeh Belser Robyn Bacon Chloe Rankin Andy Dieguez

Laura Kulik Keen Murphy Vitória Vasconcellos Minna Lee Graeme Jokic Tanaseth (Pong) Tulyathan Prem Prasad Adhikary Eamon Hughes Amir Sedghi Nir Claire Gostin Elijah Anthony Feigner Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto Sahar al-Sawaf Alessa Maiuri

Matthew Herst Olga Maufoy Daria Litvichenko Zach Robinson Angela Kwak Sophie Somerville Seán Treacy Sahar Nourbagheri Thomas Esposito Gabriella Smith Andres Munoz Eugenia Donkor Sebastian Varriano

NFFTY STAFF (2023)

ADD’L. NFFTY PRODUCTION TEAM

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Ryan Saunders

Krupa Kanaiya

Leomary Rodriguez

Managing Director

Marketing Director

Program Director

Amy Williams

Robyn Bacon

Han-'Naeh Belser

Noelle Hardman

Festival Director

Programming Intern

Programming Intern

Festival Marketing Intern

Podcast Producer – Robert Bojorquez Venue Manager/Senior Programmer – Kevin Conner Program Coordinator – Theresa Robinson Festival Design – Duo Design + Media Trailer Editor – Amy Williams

Public Relations – Smarthouse Creative Event Management – TokitaBethune Videography Production Support – Ground Zero Radio

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Robert Bojorquez (President) - Media Producer Frances Rubio (Vice President) - Film Producer + Data-Driven Marketer Alex Johnston (Secretary) - Filmmaker, Scholar & Media Educator, Seattle University Griffith Gustafson (Treasurer) Development Finance @ Amazon Studios Frank Clark - Creative Director @ Square Tomato Ogugua Agu - Corporate Finance + Strategy Kim Schwarzkopf - Filmmaker, Producer Alan Nay - Founder of World Famous, a creative agency Stefanie Malone - Director, Producer

BOARD EMERITUS

Jesse Harris - Founder Jocelyn R.C. - Co-Founder Kyle Seago - Co-Founder

ALUMNI ADVISORY BOARD

Noah Wagner – Vice-President, Director & Filmmaker Dennis Kim – Filmmaker Christina Xing – Director & Creative Director Morgana McKenzie – Director & Filmmaker Tiffany Lin – Filmmaker Alexander Zorn – Filmmaker Adam Hersko-RonaTas – Filmmaker Leo Pfeifer – Director Barb Hoffman – Filmmaker Lindsay Sunada – Director/Designer Jessica Stossel – Creative Producer

INDUSTRY ADVISORY BOARD

Philip Alvy – Executive Director | Arts Integrated Anna Proulx – Visual & Performing Arts Program Director | Syracuse University Los Angeles Semester (SULA)

Bri Castellini – Film Community Manager | Seed&Spark MarBelle – Co-Founder/Editor-in-Chief | Directors Notes Noel Goodwin – Venue Education Manager | BFI Benjamin Wiessner – Producer / VP of Sales & Distribution | Vanishing Angle Kendra Ann Sherrill – Festival Director of Children’s Film Festival Seattle | Northwest Film Forum Sean Wiener – Director of Programs, Media Arts Lab | Jacob Burns Film Center Alex Rose – Creative Economy Advocate | City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture & Office of Economic Development Toby Brooks – Senior Manager, Ignite | Sundance Institute Azul Quetzalli – Academy Manager & Mentor | BAYCAT Matt Cici – Founder | A Creative Megan Garbayo-López – Education Manager | SIFF

STORY OF NFFTY 2007

Jesse Harris realizes the need for an organization to support young filmmakers and joins with Jocelyn R.C. and Kyle Seago to launch NFFTY as a one-night festival with 14 films, and to form a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, The Talented Youth.

2008-2009

NFFTY expands to a three-day event, screening 113 films with over 4,000 in attendance, and launches year-round programming, NFFTY 365. In 2009, NFFTY begins accepting international films.

2010

NFFTY expands again to become a four-day festival, featuring 190 films from 33 states and 16 countries and additional networking opportunities for filmmakers. A 48-Hour Film Contest is added to the festival weekend.

2011

Now the world’s largest film festival for emerging filmmakers, NFFTY 2011 screens 225 films, adds even more programming and opportunities, and is attended by over 200 filmmakers and an audience of 8,500.

2012

NFFTY adds the Future of Film Expo trade show to the festival and features eight panels, 14 workshops, and over 30 exhibitors. Festival attendance exceeds 10,000.

2013

NFFTY features 215 films from around over 30 countries and launches NFFTY Creative, connecting brands with NFFTY alumni to work on original projects. NFFTY alumni are now working for prestigious companies such as Pixar and HBO.

2014

NFFTY launches a Young Women in Film initiative, a year-round effort to support young female filmmakers. Of the 214 films that screen, over 40% are

directed by women. NFFTY alumni produce both an original documentary and a national televised commercial for NFFTY Creative partners, garnering both ADDY and Telly Awards.

2015

NFFTY features a record 248 films from 30 states and 25 countries, with over 12,000 in attendance and 48% female-directed films. The festival adds its Works-In-Progress event and launches the NFFTY Alumni Advisory Board.

2016

The 10th anniversary festival includes 227 films from 24 countries, as well as an inaugural screenwriting competition: Story Starts Here. NFFTY takes its first steps into VR/360° with a panel and product demos.

Starting to be recognized as one of the leaders in the film festival world, NFFTY is named “One of the 50 Best Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” by MovieMaker Magazine, TeenTix Best Film Organization, and one of FilmFreeway’s Top 100 Rated Festivals.

2017

NFFTY forges into its second decade with the largest festival yet, featuring 257 films from around the world.

NFFTYX launches with a full VR/360° event featuring a boot camp and screening gallery. The Story Starts Here Screenplay Competition and Works In Progress round out a wildly successful year!

2018

The four-day festival moves to October, and after receiving over 1,300 submissions, NFFTY screens 266 films from 24 countries and 24 U.S. States. In partnership with Oculus, NFFTYX creates an entire VR/360° gallery with NFFTY Official Selections from filmmakers and creators 24 and under. Over 50% of NFFTY 2018’s Official Selections are directed by female or non-binary identifying filmmakers!

2019

NFFTY more than doubles the number of professional development events offered at the festival, and

co-produces the 2nd Annual Film Career Day with the City of Seattle, including a keynote from Oscar-winning NFFTY alumna Rayka Zehtabchi.

Producing partners of the 13th festival include Seed&Spark, NowThis, Sundance Institute, and Vimeo. Now 13 years strong, NFFTY has developed robust juries across eight competitions, with 31 jurors from film studios, festivals, and other positions of influence in the industry.

2020-2021

NFFTY 2020 was considered by the majority of attendees as the best virtual festival experience of 2020. The 14th NFFTY expanded to a 10-day festival, to include all of the livestreamed and on-demand programming, as well as an inaugural virtual Filmmaker Summit with two full days of professional development programming. For the third year running, 50%+ of officially selected films were by female/non-binary filmmakers, and over 40% of films were by non-white filmmakers. Our juried competitions expanded from 9 to 11 categories, with 40 top industry professional jurors, and $7,500 in cash was distributed to NFFTY 2020 award winners. 2021 saw the launch of a number of new programs and initiatives, including a five-week inaugural National Youth Filmmaker Summit, and a reimagined 3rd edition of Film Career Day as our first hybrid event.

2022

The 15th National Film Festival for Talented Youth returned to in-person events in Seattle, screening over 250 short films from around the world. Thirteen professional development sessions were held for youth and young adults, highlighting such topics as accessibility in film exhibition, effective pitching, and budget strategy. The full, hybrid festival lasted for 11 days. All workshops and masterclasses were simulcast virtually, granting access for those unable to attend events in-person. In the fall, NFFTY launched our first ever Pop-Up in LA. The 4 day event showcased standout work from both the 2022 and 2020 edition of the festival, including some films that never had a chance to play on the big screen.

NOTES

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INDEX A A Place Like Nowhere Else - Pilot Seat...50 A Reason To...47 A Slice of Paradise...53 A TRIP TO THE MOON...39 A ver ponte ahí...46 ACORN...39 Adam's Song...43 Algorithm...45 All Night She Hears The Water Sobbing...46 Ambrosia...25 And Still, WeThrive...24 Animal Behavior...57 Annexed...32 are dandelions really so bad?...34 As You Are...24 Aspects of my Gender...43 B Baby Teeth...50 Babyface...27 Bawang Merah Bawang Putih...46 beast...35 Bee The Solution...38 Before It Melts...43 Beyond the Void...30 Birdsong...48 Blue Honey...54 Bodies in motion...27 BODY LANGUAGE...43 Broke Mine Too...28 BYE, MY CAPTAIN...38 C Cabbage...56 CANS Can't Stand...25

Carly Dolls...26 Chicken...24 Chuu Chuu...34 Clairvoyant...50 Clocked OUT!...38 Colony...48 CONTAGION...42 Cordelia!

Cypress...28 D Death and Ramen...37 Death of a Hero...29 desiderium....46 Dhruv - Grateful...58 Don't Deserve This Yasmina...28 Dreamers @Work...43 Dreams of Home...34 Dún Laoghaire...46 Dust...29 E Earth's Second Moon...32 El Soñador...25 En Sus Manos...43 F FLOAT...45 For Black Muslim Girls...58 For my son...57 Forgotten Childhood...51 Forsythia - Pretty Lungs...29 Frog In My Throat...37 Fruits of Labour...48 Furo...45 G Ghost Grudge...43 Girlhood...27 Grief is Quiet...51

Grump in the Night...33 Gumball Machine...32 H Half-Light...58 Heavenly Bodies...29 Higher Way...29 Ho! For the West "Shakers" Music Video...29 Hold Me When I Think I'm Going Crazy by Ollie Chanin...37 holding hands with the moon...42 Homeseek...38 Honeydew, Darling...35 How to Survive Your First Date...31 Humanized...26 Hunger...29 I I AM HOME...24 I Had A Strange Dream Last Night...42 I Hope You Remember This Moment...35 I Probably Shouldn't Be Telling You This...48 I remember it from up close...34 I’m Not Her...42 Idle Speed...31 Impermanence...33 Imran and Alykhan...27 In Search of Mount Analogue...34 In Sight...24 In Situ...40 In Your Sheets...37

J Julia...54 Jungle Rhythms...40 Just Swallow...32 Justice For Vanessa...25 K Kamayan...42 KOOK STREET...37 L L'abattu Des Vents...49 Latchkey...56 Life Of A Mayfly...39 Light...43 Lonely Birthday...54 Lost Kid Wanderer...53 Lover's Human Tears...43 Lucy...31 Lullaby...34 M Mango City...53 Masterpieces...57 Meet Me @ The Altar Say It (To My Face) Merry Go Round...47 Mileage...49 missed connections...47 Moving...47 My House is Mine...42 N Naños...37 Neon Phantom...43 Noodles Forever...24 nothing, except everything....42 Nurture...56

O Obtusion...58 Oceans Away...50 Off The Menu...26 Oink...46 Onán...58 One Never Kills For Love...25 Other Homes..54 Our Highest Priority...30 P Paloma...48 Pam...30 Parental Orbit...46 Photocopy...49 Pink Flamingos Everywhere...54 Please Hold...32 Poultry Panic...32 Prettiest To Me...28 Projectionist...57 Proof of Residency...43 Puck...48 Q Quests Are for the Broke...38 R Reaching Our Star...39 Reaper...49 Ring...49 Rodney Chrome - To The Money...48 ROOM...43 Run With Her...27 Runaway...28 S Sacrificios...31 Sally! I Met A Boy by Maddy Davis...29

Sammy, Without Strings...45 Senseless...30 Slam Song...38 Slay The Beast from A State of Peace...34 Snow...30 Soft Launch...27 Somewhen, Again and Again...50 Sonata...32 Still Here...30 Suga Brown...31 Sunflower Field...54 T TAMING A SEAHORSE...56 Tell Me Something I Don't Know...37 The Big One: The Day Bigfoot Shot Dad...50 The Businessman...56 The Cabbage Statue...53 The Derivative Outlook on Love From the Perspective of Two Sixteen-Year-Olds...47 The External-Internal Monologue of an Interdependent Insomniac...27 The Flesh of Another...43 The last color of this city...53 The Last Page...57 The Mess We're In...58 The Oubliette...53 The Pointe...51 The Receipt...47

The Rise...45 The River...35 The Stack...58 There's Something About Ryan...49 Things Could Be Better...49 This is closest to how the last weeks of March felt like...46 Those Who Run...56 Tinashe - HMU for a Good Time...28 To The Lights...24 Today's Leaders, Tomorrow's Heroes...57 Together, Alone....54 Toy Phone...40 Transcendence...42 Treetops...29 U Undaunted...38 UNKNOWN ARTISTS...43 Unlucky Charms...49 V Vacationland...57 Voyeuristic Tendencies...35 W Waiting Room...32 What A Waste Virginia...50 Where I Stand...50 Where No One Lives...40 While We're Young...38 WHITE TEE - ROZIE RAMATI...29

Why Did The Sunset?

(Goreng Letsatsi Le Phirimile?)...40 Wilfrid...58 Wings of My Youth...53 WISH U WERE HERE...28 Z Zarbalatrax...33 # 2166...53 梅Mei...54

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