2021 Media Film Festival
The 2021 Media Film Festival occurred April 9th through 18th, 2021 with a line up over 90 great films! After being forced to postpone last year’s edition in the early days of the pandemic, the 14th installment was a combination of both 2020 and 2021 selections shown at 2 drive-in events and on a virtual platform.
Our 2021 festival featured 10 days of films in on-demand, socially distanced, and even live virtual watch party formats!
Schedule
2020 Films
2020 Fright Fest
2021 Films
2021 Fright Fest
Schedule
Friday April 9th, 2021
On-demand virtual screenings opened for all films.
7:00pm—Virtual Media Watch Party
Saturday April 10, 2021
8:00pm—Drive-In At Arasapha Farms
Disconnected (2:54, USA) Media Youth Film Initiative
Mr. Y Not (8:08, USA) Documentary
Bounty Huntin’ (12:31, USA) Comedy
Commercial Skies (3:30, USA) Documentary
Braceball (9:33, Iran) Drama
Royal Flush (3:59, USA) Comedy
blackhole. (18:08, USA) Drama
The Girl and the Wolf (4:00, USA) Animation
Hold Up (6:54, USA) Comedy
Incurable (8:42, USA) Drama
THE HANDS (1:40, Iran) Animation
The Tides that Bind (22:01, USA) Documentary
Barney Kills the Sun (3:00, USA) Comedy
Eat the Rainbow (19:31, USA) Musical
Saturday April 17, 2021
8:00pm—Drive-In At Arasapha Farms
Quaroutine (USA) Media Youth Film Initiative
beat (3:00, USA) Animation
The Ruins (6:30, USA) Documentary
Imaginary Friend (5:29, Australia) Comedy
The Rotation (7:00, Islamic Republic of Iran) Animation
Baby Grief (3:52, USA) Drama
NEUL未知ND (3:00, USA) Drama
Finding Hope – In the Face of Relapse (11:21, USA) Documentary
Fantasy Master (9:47, USA) Drama
Commandment 613 (22:36, USA) Documentary
Free Diver (4:13, South Africa) Documentary
Under the Influence (18:40, USA) Dramedy
Cocoon (8:19, Islamic Republic of Iran) Experimental
My Dinner with Werner (17:49, USA) Comedy
2020 Film Details
ALEITA (12:52, USA) Drama
A young Latina woman pursues her dream of becoming a professional dancer in NYC while her mother, Lucia, deals with a severe illness back in Mexico City.
Director/Writer: Seungwon Gio Park
Writer: Natasha Soto-Albors
Producer: Jana DeHart
Cast: Nataly Santiago, NaNa Ponceleon, Maria del Mar Fernandez Gonzalez, Deshawn da Prince
Americano (20:00, USA) Drama
On the eve of deportation, a refugee hacker questions his role as he fights for a chance at citizenship with a politician using him to sway public opinion.
Director/Writer: Tim Viola
Producer: Kris Mendoza
Cast: Adam Budron, Melody Vargas, Rich Schnieder, Esin Varan
Barney Kills the Sun (3:00, USA) Comedy
Barney would do anything to make his wife happy. Anything. ANYTHING.
Director/Writer: Benjamin T. Wilson
Cast: Peter J.S. Regan, Jess Paul, Connor McNelis
Big Wok Chef (17:00, HONG KONG) Comedy
Chef Aaron’s claypot rice is excellent but is never popular on social media. A celebrity chef invites him onto a popular cooking show which leads to a new revelation for Chef Aaron.
Director/Writer: Hoi Wong
Writer: Norris Wong
Producers: Mani Man Pui Hing, Nick Yeung Chun Pong, Choy Kwan Hang
Cast: Aaron Chow, Creamy Yick, Mak Chi Lok, Kav Lai
blackhole. (18:08, USA) Drama
Four storylines, set in the hours before a black hole swallows earth, play out with varying congruence.
Director: Holly Pilcavage
Writer: Alex Manganella
Executive Producer: Chic Marra
Cast: David O’Connell, Ellen O’Brien Sherry, Gene Connelly, Abraham O’Connell, Samuel J. O’Connell, Tyler Floryan, Brennan Sheehan, Karl Kleist, Holly K. Pilcavage, Michael Wawrzynek, Calista Uher
Bounty Huntin’ (12:31, USA) Comedy
A lonely bounty hunter finds himself in a tricky situation when his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere with the bounty still tied up in the trunk.
Director/Writer: Jeff Sweeney
Producer: Sam Batjes
Cast: Gary Soumar, Michael Wisler
Braceball (9:33, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN) Drama
A disabled boy, who loves soccer, tries to make his dreams come true. In his imagination he brings himself closer to the sports champion.
Director/Writer: Rayhaneh Mortezeenia
Producer: Amir Seddigh
Burnt Toast (12:00, USA) Comedy or Dramedy
During a rendezvous to purchase a used toaster, Todd encounters a painting that uncovers profound truths about his past while Pascal gets a second chance at being a father figure.
Directors/Writers: Navid Saedi, Aleksandar Popovic
Producer: Navid Saedi
Cast: Navid Saedi, Aleksandar Popovic
Carrying Tomorrow (22:00, USA, ETHIOPIA) Documentary
Carrying Tomorrow follows the stories of two women who defy the odds through an incredible culmination of medical professionals, governments and communities rising together to challenge the unacceptable, and in doing so ignite the consciousness of the coming generation.
Directors/Writers: Sarah Davis, Caleb Lucky
Executive Producer: Hezekiah Lewis
Producers: Madiah Gant, Lila Samuelson
Commercial Skies (3:30, USA) Documentary
A day in the life of beach banner pilots.
Director: Rob Waters
Producer: The Cape Gazette
Disconnected (2:54, USA) MyFi
Nick struggles with family issues and has to rely on a close friend for support and guidance.
Director: Ariana Pereira, Ben Rehrman
Assistant Director: Sam Briggs
Writers: Hope Hickson, Sage Glover
Executive Producers: Hezekiah Lewis, Darryl Ridgeway
Producer: Sloan Glover
Cast: Archer Castle, Kayla Strine, David Scheivert
Cinematographer: Jordan Williams
Assistant Cinematographer: Hope Hickson
Editors: Ben Rerman, Sloan Glover
Sound: Sage Glover, Sloan Glover
Gaffer: Sam Briggs
Doffice (20:00, BELGIUM) Comedy
A man’s world is turned upside down when a new, younger co-worker arrives.
Director: Leclercq David
Writers: Othmane Moumen, David Leclercq
Producer: Vincent Tavier
Cast: Michel Carcan, Othmane Moumen
Eat the Rainbow Musical (19:31, USA) Comedy
A musical fable about an odd, yet kind man named Bayani who moves into a conservative suburban neighborhood and disrupts the otherwise comfortable homogeny. Cousin Wonderlette befriends Bayani and together they take on the opposition.
Director/Writer: Brian Benson
Writer: H. P Mendoza
Producers: Brian Benson, Michael Oberst
Cast: Cousin Wonderlette, H.P. Mendoza, Lady Bear, April Kidwell, Dolores Huerta, Jason Brock, Robert Caruso
Eworth (16:11, USA, BELIZE) Documentary
Fly fishing and tour guiding is a way of life for most Belizeans. Somehow, Eworth Garbutt has figured out how to be the best at it. This film shows why.
Director: Christopher Romano
Producer: Tera Ragan
High Flying Jade (21:34, Viet Nam) Documentary
Walking the line between mindfulness and adrenaline rush, an American bipolar aerialist tries to reconcile her suicidal inclinations, her past life as an air traffic controller and the pressures of training for opening night at the Vietnamese circus.
Director: Katherine Sweetman
Producer: Jayjit Dasgupta
Cast: Jade White
High Street (22:45, USA) Drama
Jake, an early twenty-something who still lives at home, walks around town contemplating his life after a fight with his dysfunctional parents.
Director/Writer/Producer: Charlie Hudson
Cast: Jonathon Garrity, Lindsay Andreanszky, Paul Stober, Pamela Ehn, Kevin McDaniel, Julio A. Sanchez, Jay Osho, Leslie Lynn Meeker
Hold Up (6:54, USA) Comedy
Her day can’t get any worse. Then she meets Him in a dark alley. That’s when things get interesting.
Director/Writer/Producer: Alex Kaplan
Writer/Producers: Amy V Morse, Brian Gallagher
Cast: Brian Gallagher, Amy V Morse, Brian Anthony Wilson
Icons (5:10, USA) Animation
Five hundred years of world art in five minutes.
Director/Writer/Producer: Ronnie Cramer
Incurable (8:42, USA) Drama
Trina wants to tell the man she lives with about the invisible illness she hides, but when her imagination gets the best of her, it leads her on a rollercoaster ride of rejection and the worst possible outcomes. Will she give in to her fears or will she face them and at what cost? A story of love, rejection, and an overactive imagination.
Director: Michelle Bossy
Writer/Producer: Josephine Cashman
Producers: Nancy Nagrant, Brenden Hubbard
Cast: Carson Lee, Josephine Cashman, Heidi Armbruster, Marinda Anderson
Islander (12:00, USA) Drama
The storm took everything and everyone. But now, the pieces have begun to wash ashore.
Director/Writer: Derek Pastuszek
Cinematographer: Nick Bupp
Cast: Jeff Swisher
It’s Me (3:18, USA) Comedy
A young man struggles to break up with his girlfriend on her terms.
Director: Vance Malone
Writer: Kim Viscio
Cast: Kadyr Gutierrez, Abigail Jones
Las Vegas Bender (21:55, USA) Documentary
Las Vegas Bender is a short-form documentary that follows Las Vegas native and neon artist Leticia ‘Tiza’ Maldonado on her journey from a young girl enamored by the glitzy neon lights of Las Vegas Blvd to her inspired work as a neon bender.
Director: Danny Corey
Producer: David Sadofsky
Listen (7:17, USA) Drama
The deterioration of a relationship due to the horror and heartbreak of domestic violence.
Director/Producer: Jessica Graham
Writer/Producer: Clark D. Schaefer
Cast: Amy Walker, Christina Moses, Trey McCurley
Maiden (1:00, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN) Drama
The story of an arranged child marriage.
Director/Writer/ Producer: Saeed Aghakhani
Writer: Fatemeh Saeedi
Mom (5:28, USA) Comedy
A son with an honesty problem confronts his explosive mother after accidentally telling her he got married.
Director/Writer/Producer: Barrett Amato
Cast: Carol Kaufman, Andrea Ridgeway, Barrett Amato
Monkey (6:17, USA) MyFi
A high school student has to deal with negative social issues that have been in her school district for years.
Directors: Sage Glover, Nicole Oronzio
Assistant Director: Danielle Ridgeway
Writers: Alana Mackay, Ben Rehrman
Executive Producers: Hezekiah Lewis, Darryl Ridgeway
Producer: Sloan Glover
Cast: Jasmine Bryant, Gabriella Miko, Kyle Wiesenberg, Samantha Angelina
Cinematographers: Julia Roth, Danielle Ridgeway
Production Manager: Winston Bickhardt
Editor: Ben Rehrman
Sound: Alana Mackay, Sloan Glover
Grip: Ben Rehrman
Mr. Y Not (8:08, USA) Documentary
A documentary about drummer Tony Royster (Mr. Y Not) and his giving back to the community by teaching drumming to the children of Philadelphia.
Director/Producer: Tim Harris
Cinematographer: Austin Smock
Cast: Tony “Tone” Royster
Music is My Life (25:45, USA, SERBIA) Documentary
A story of the Roma people in Vladincin Han (Southeastern Serbia) and the role music has played in shaping their community over the centuries.
Director/ Cinematographer/Producer: Alex Djordjevic
Producer: Silva Djordjevic
My Daughter Yoshiko (15:00, France, USA) Drama
With her daughter Yoshiko diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and her husband overseas serving in the military, Saki Omura is finding it harder and harder to cope. Too ashamed to burden others and too proud to ask for help, Saki faces the now-daunting task of giving her daughter the best life possible.
Director/Writer: Brian Blum
Writer: Kent Morita
Producers: David E. M. Maire, Bryan Benitez, Ryan Beharry
Cast: Saori Goda, Mei-Lin Hosang, Yoshi Amao, Rika Akanishi, Amy Hoerler
Pappy Hour (10:40, USA) Comedy
A woman must bring together her dysfunctional family to fulfill her father’s last wish.
Director/Producer: Nell Teare
Writer/Producer: Andrea Millard
Cast: Samantha Sloyan, Christopher Amitrano, April Lang, Jan Haley-Soule, Myles Cranford
Repetition Rhapsody (6:09, USA) Musical
A young actress, despite her talent, is not having much career success. Frustrated, Jaime dreams of what her life could be and finds the inspiration she needs to take control of her own destiny.
Director/Writer/Producer: Madalyn St. John
Cast: Khaila Monet
Royal Flush (3:59, USA) Comedy
One moment changes Mark’s luck but it’s not what the would-be killer had in mind.
Directors: Tony Cruz, Jon Barden
Writer/Producer: Brigette ReDavid
Producers: Danny Belinkie, Jon Barden
Cast: David Shane McDermott, Bob Stineman
Rumspringawakening (23:30, USA) Musical
With the help of a failed Broadway actress, a wide-eyed Amish teen sings his way to adulthood on his Rumspringa through New York City.
Director/Writer: Adam Taylor
Producer: Obadiah Baker
Cast: Jon Lee Keenan, Janet Szepei Todd
Sankofa (27:53, USA, GHANA) Documentary
This documentary is about the loss of identity and its systemic impact on black males. By exploring the complexities of mental slavery, Sankofa calls its audience to free themselves from the system in which they were born.
Director: Princess Garrett
Writers: Sarah Harris, Cliff Porter
Executive Producer: Hezekiah Lewis
Cast: Godsway Anderson, Marcquis Graham, Chiji Akoma, Amari Johnson, Eric Owusu Ansah, Wanluv the Kubolor
Sidepiece (9:58, USA) Comedy
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: It’s complicated. Like, really, REALLY complicated.
Director/Writer/Producer: Teddy Tenenbaum
Writer: Minsun Park
Cast: Michael Muhney, Jenness Rouse, Minsun Park
Slaughter (13:03, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN) Drama
Ghasem is forced to sell and butcher the family’s cow to get through the winter but, before he can Fayad, his son, who loves the cow, flees with it.
Director/Writer/Producers: Saman Hosseinpuor, Ako Zandkarimi
Cast: Fereidoun Hamedi, Shabbo Soleimani, Ghafar Khaledi
The Girl and The Wolf (4:00, USA) Animation
A young girl, grieving the death of her grandmother, finds strength and solace in the form of a dream wolf.
Director: William Mai
Producer: Aubry Mintz
Composer: Liam Priestnall
The Good Voices (7:31, USA) Drama
Eric is visited by two friends on his birthday. They say they want to help him, but who are they really?
Director/Writer/Producer: Brian Gallagher
Producer: Alex Kaplan
Cast: Eric Cover, Tatiana St. Phard, Johnathan Davis
The Hands (1:40, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN) Animation
A seemingly simple task of collecting one’s things turns into a hilarious and dark challenge. Economic, sharp, and endearing, this is an irreverent reimagination of the mundane.
Director/Writer: Shayan Naghibi
Producer: Parya Latifi
The Heavy Burden (17:00, TURKEY) Drama
Hosted by his uncle in Turkey, a young Kurd from Syria decides to return to his country to bring back his young donkey to replace his uncle’s old donkey recently “retired” by the municipality of the city.
Director/Writer/Producer: Yilmaz Özdil
Cast: Adil Abdurrahman, Saman Mustafa, Mehmet Ali Arpa, Nazmi Kirik
The Other Side of Night (14:43, USA) Drama
A night of violence in the city of Reading, Pennsylvania.
Director/Writer: Jaclyn Noel
Producers: Andrea Goocher, Nicholas K. Young
Cast: Ann Mahoney, Uly Schlesinger, Adrienne Lovette, Anthony Gaskins
The Sound of Silence (5:00, USA) Drama
A man returns to his beach house along the Currituck Sound after losing his better half and wonders if the other half will ever be whole again.
Director/Writer/Producer: Donald Wilson
Writer: Zsane Fleming
Producer: Ariel Smith
Cast: Donald Wilson, Zsane Fleming
The Tides That Bind (22:01, USA) Documentary
People have been sending messages in bottles for hundreds of years, in search of everything from romance to scientific data. Once found, a message in a bottle can capture the imagination and ignite a feeling of adventure. This film is a glimpse into what happens after that message in a bottle is found.
Director/Director of Photography/Producer: Nick Natalicchio
Director of Photography: Alex Djordjevic, Devon Voelkel
Times Up (4:53, USA) MyFi
Sooner or later, your sins will catch up to you.
Director/Writer: Nicole Oronzio
Assistant Director: Aliya Ridgeway
Executive Producers: Hezekiah Lewis, Darryl Ridgeway
Producer/Cinematographer: Winston Bickhardt
Cast: Kevin Whiteman, Trent Zulkiewicz, Tyler Beasly
Editors: Nicole Oronzio, Eli Komarnicki
Sound: Eli Komarnicki, Danielle Ridgeway
Creative Consultant: Julia Roth
Watermark (23:43, USA) Drama
When Meg moves in with her longtime boyfriend, she is suddenly terrorized by memories of a past trauma. Desperate to move forward, she constructs an imagined space to confront her ghosts and battle their grasp on her reality.
Director/Writer: Rebecca Maddalo
Writer: Sarah Swingley
Producer: Daniel Leighton
Cast: Katie Peabody, Kevin David Lin, Constantin Cascante
2020 Fright Fest
The Wrong Door (3:28, USA) Horror
Pure hearted Joshua is just trying to spread the good word when Daniel invites him in. What he finds inside is anything but holy.
Director/Writer/Producer: Zach Rineer, Mike Macera
Cast: Kieran Garrity, J. Michael Baran, Annyka Savin
Night Fill (8:45, Australia) Horror
Phil must face his biggest fear after being left alone in a grocery store during his night shift.
Director/Producer: Joel Stephen Fleming
Writer/Producer: Cameron Hurry
Cast: Cameron Hurry
Makeout Massacre (3:30, Canada) Horror
A young couple gets romantic in an isolated area, only to realize they might not be the only ones there.
Director/Writer: Jared Marino
Producer: Sabrina Soto
Cast: Jenna Schaefer, Christopher Sterling, Jacob Detheridge
The Tale of Bunnyman Bridge (2:12, USA) Horror
An animated short telling the story of Bunnyman Bridge in Fairfax, Virginia.
Director/Writer/Producer: Eric Lochstampfor
Cast: Brandnon Hopkins
Swipe (5:48, NETHERLANDS, USA) Horror
A girl finds out that she has a match on a dating app with a stranger, despite swiping him to the left moments ago. She starts to fear that the man is dangerously close to her.
Director/Writer: Niels Bourgonje
Writer: Paul Bontenbal
Producer: Steffie van Rhee
Cast: Ebony Obsidian, Jefferson White
Atomic Ed (18:30, FRANCE) Horror
Ed, an introverted and passionate DIY man is a favorite victim of Mark, the neighborhood motorcycle gang leader. His only friend, Gus, tries in vain to push him to rebel and conquer the heart of the beautiful Julia. When a gang member’s body is found horribly mutilated the gang lashes out at Ed, who has no choice but to take responsibility, and an improvised weapon to become the one he has always dreamed of being.
Director: Nicolas Hugon
Writer: Cyril Delouche
Producer: Oscar Lesage
Cast: Oscar Lesage, Audran Cattin, Daniela Oro, Pierre Derenne, Yoann Audoin
Nocturne (12:10, USA) Horror
After her date night goes bust, Erin must contend with an unexpected visitor at the door.
Director/Writer: Michael Trainotti
Producers: Maureen Trainotti, Brian Palatucci, Rick Jones
Cast: Sabrina Howells, Brian Palatucci, Megan Rach
Shadow at The Door (3:43, USA) Horror
A troubled young woman searches for an intruder in her home unaware that what she’s really looking for may be something she refuses to see.
Director/Writer: Roshni Bhatia
Producer: Andrew Mayne
Cast: Anastasiia Polishchuk
Malakout (10:00, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN, OMAN) Horror
Music was his passion… Love was his masterpiece.
Director/Writer: Farnoosh Abedi
Producer: Ali Gholami
Mommy’s Pickles (13:11, BELARUS) Horror
A familiar domestic scenario wherein a boyfriend meets his in-law to an alarming end.
Director/Writer/Producer: Vadim Dozmorov
Producer: Valery Dmitrichenko
Cast: Niklas Leifert, Yuliana Mikhnevich, Karina Samtsova
The Girl at The Door (7:30, CANADA) Horror
Glenda and Hal settle in for a quiet night of comfort, away from the dangers of the outside world. Little do they know that those left outside will not be denied those comforts as well.
Director: Jean-Pierre Marchant
Writer: Mike E. Sparkles
Cast: Brian Quinn, Sheila Matson
There’s Nothing in the Shed (1:52, USA) Horror
You had your chance to be you.
Director/Writer: David Axe
Producer: Matthew Gault
Cast: Morgan Jones, Catherine Hunsinger
Burn (15:00, UNITED KINGDOM) Horror
In the midst of national hysteria and incomprehensible personal tragedy, a child is born bearing the scars of other people’s sins.
Director/Writer/Producer: Judson Vaughan
Writer/Producer: Chris Barnes
Producers: Steve Harper, Joaquim Barreto
Cast: Max Cavenham, Emma Kelly, Matti Kolirin
Abhorrent (15:00, Canada) Horror
A woman learns her husband’s sinister secret and must take action to save her sons.
Director/Writer: David Scott
Producer: Jennifer Millington, Vivian Lin
Cast: Stacey Iseman
2021 Film Details
Amanzi Olwandle (Ocean Water) (3:00, South Africa) Drama
Based on a true story about a Surfer (Avo) that lost his brother (Zama) to a tragic shark attack when they were young boys at their home break in Port St John’s. The ocean is the link that bonds the two in spirit.
Director/Writer/Producer: Timothy Hay
Cast: Avuyile Ndamase, Antiono Mthethwa, Mphathi Ndlovu
“APOCALYPSE NOTES” (Music is in danger!) (8:07, France) Drama
What would happen if, like polar bears, music was about to disappear? If all the melodies in the world are already composed? If no new song could be invented? How would mankind react?
Director: Pierre Gaffie
Producer: Marilia Deloison
Cast: Stanislas Roquette, Marilyne Fontaine
Baby Grief (3:52, USA) Drama
A couple are facing the loss of a baby and are forced to reconcile with each other as they find different ways of coping with their grief.
Director/Writer: Tatyana Yassukovich
Producer: Frauke Levin
Cast: Cerris Morgan Moyer, Suli Holum
Barrier (8:56, Netherlands) Drama
September 1944. Two Canadian soldiers find a boy washed up on the Dutch beach. Where did he come from and can he be trusted?
Director: Niels Bourgonje
Writer: Paul Bontenbal
Producer: Joris Vorselaars
Cast: Walt Klink, Bill Barberis, Craig Stott
beat (3:00, USA) Animation
Two stray shopping carts meet for a beatbox battle.
Director: Rusty Eveland
Assistant Animator: Haley Monson
Belarus. Media and the Revolution (6:42, Poland) Documentary
Despite numerous arrests, detentions and brutality of the police forces, Belarusian journalists continue to report on protests and actions by the authorities, which are aimed at the society calling for a new presidential election.
Writers: Julia Alekseeva, Joanna Turek
Executive Producers: Jakub Górnicki, Rishad Patel, Trevor Snapp, Alan Soon, Shuwei Fang
Producers: Natalia de la Cuesta, Logan Combest-Friedman, Colby Gottert, Trevor Snapp
Cast: Nadia Buzhan, Volha Shukailo, Violetta Savchits, Iryna Arekhouskaya, Аliaksei Sudnikau
Calf Rope (28:46, USA) Drama
During the summer of ’66, a former rodeo champion and cattle auctioneer from Oklahoma bonds tightly with his young grandson from suburban Pennsylvania while teaching him a few tricks from his previous trades.
Director/Writer: Bradley Hawkins
Writer: Jake Stetler
Producer: Sarah Hawkins
Cast: Gorman Ruggiero, Lukas Barnett, Avery Kellington, Jackie Walker
Cocoon (8:19, Islamic Republic of Iran) Experimental
The short man makes artificial limbs for himself, gets tall and comes out of his house. We see that everyone is short.
Director/Writer: Yavar Darehzami
Producer: Samaneh Esmaeili
Cast: Mohammad Abbaszadeh
Commandment 613 (22:36, USA) Documentary
Media is home to two Torah scrolls saved in Czechoslovakia during the Shoah. Rabbi Kevin Hale visits the communities that care for them, as he joyfully practices the sacred craft of Torah restoration.
Director/Producer: Miriam Lewin
Editor/Camera: Randi Cecchine
Fantasy Master (9:47, USA) Drama
Lisa’s fondest childhood memory with her late mom is playing a popular role-playing table-top game. Now depressed, and distant from everyone in her life, she realizes the key to reconnecting may lie in that very game.
Director/Writer: Dalton Snider-Smith
Producer: Brittany Zwier
Cast: Leah Dececco. Joe Stretch, Patrick Farley. Janine Miscia-Barboza, Ella Barboza
Finding Hope – In the Face of Relapse (11:21, USA) Documentary
An investigative journalist reporting on a youth treatment program in rural Pennsylvania, discovers not everything in this quiet suburb of Philadelphia is as expected.
Director/Producer: Cassidy Friedman
Producer: Kerra Bolton
Free Diver (4:13, South Africa) Documentary
South African record holder Natalie Rudman takes us on a journey into her life of free diving.
Director/Producer/Writer: Timothy Hay
Cast: Natalie Rudman
HOME FREE (5:00, USA) Drama
A pandemic challenges a young woman on the path to legal immigration while sheltering in her new American home. Created for the 72 Hour Shootout by the Asian American Film Lab under the theme, Going Viral, with technical element: toilet paper.
Director/Producer/Writer: Eddie Shieh
Cast: Lan Zhong
Imaginary Friend (5:29, Australia) Comedy
Two childhood friends argue about which of them is imaginary.
Director/Writer: Wade Copson
Writer: Joel Phillips
Cast: Todd Baillie, Valek Meyers
Inhale (19:30, Islamic Republic of Iran) Drama
Ebrahim’s chronic insomnia has caused tension between him and his wife, Marziyeh.
Director/Writer/Producer: Nasser Zamiri
Writer: Neda Asadi
Producer: Afsaneh Arzamani
Cast: Mehrdad Bakhshi, Neda Asadi, Ali Yazarloo
I’ve Been Afraid (6:35, USA) Experimental Music
“I’ve Been Afraid” is about the fear of aggression, and those paralyzing forces that allow the body to accept violence.
Director/Writer: Cecelia Condit
Music: Isaac Sherman
Just What Leaks (29:59, USA) Documentary
A Philadelphia Writer/Firefighter describes the influence the city has on his novels and short stories.
Director: Ted Knighton
Producer: Joe Samuel Starnes
Cast: Tony Knighton
LOUIE (22:51, USA) Drama
The prairie 1910: a wild night of boyish pranks turns deadly and haunts a man 48 years later.
Director/Writer: Robert Biggs
Producer: Deborah Sims
Cast: Finn Wittrock
My Dinner with Werner (17:49, USA) Comedy
Based on real events, real people, and real things they said, MY DINNER WITH WERNER is a wildly bizarre and wacky farce about a 1987 dinner date with a murder plot as the main dish.
Director/Writer: Maverick Moore
Writers/Producer: Ryan McNamara
Producers: Marla Moore, Brian Elliott, Steven Trebus, Alayna Hudson, Jake Moore
Cast: Chynna Walker, Matthew Sanders, Andrew Perez, Grant Virtue
NEUL未知ND (The Unknown) (3:00, USA) Drama
A conflicted American-Born-Chinese waitress meets a mysterious man and is drawn into an unimaginable circumstance.
Director/Writer/Producer: Eddie Shieh
Producers: Christiane Seidel, Stanley Yang
Cast: Josephine Huang, James Chen, Lan Zhong, Shannon Ko
New York Stories from the 1930s (29:10, USA) Documentary
Collection of short films about New York during the depression.
Director/Writer/Producer: George H. Rothacker
Narrator: Ian Alexander
Original Laughter (20:00, Canada) Documentary
A short documentary exploring Indigenous humor and laughter and how it supports healing and resiliency.
Director/Writer: Jarret Twoyoungmen
Writer/Producer: LeeAnne Ireland
Producer: Jessica, Soloman Chiniquay
Cast: Don Burnstick, Andrew Bird, Jackson Wesley, Jacob Billy, Jared Tailfeathers, Dr. Lindsey Crowshoe, Nelson Mayer, Patrick Willie, Raquel Quinones, Sherry McKay, Tony Delaney, Trevor Prairie Chicken
Roomservice (00:53, Germany) Micro Movie
The MICRO MOVIES are the world’s shortest feature films. A whole storyline compressed into a couple of seconds with a disturbing twist in the very end.
Director/Writer: Florian Meimberg
Producer: Sabine Lippert
Cast: Karo Matheis
Synthesis (15:00, Islamic Republic of Iran) Drama
A poor family has a child with a disability. Due to his inability to pay for medical expenses, the father and his brother decide to kill the child.
Director: Mohammad Towrivarian
The Grand Gesture (10:11, USA) Drama
A hopeless romantic, Lawrence will go to great lengths to win over the girl he loves at tonight’s New Year’s Eve party.
Director/Writer: Jack Brame
Cast: David Gow, Ulysses Montoya, Michelle Magallon
The Little Beach (13:00, Argentina) Drama
On the shores of Paraná, in the shadow under General Belgrano Bridge, thousands of families compete for space for their umbrella and chaise lounge. A young child, no one pays any attention to, is getting further away from her family and closer to adventure.
Director: Sonia Bertotti
Writer/Producer: Alejandro Schonfeld
Producer: Micaela Freir
Cast: Sofía Sanchez
The Master (14:58, China) Drama
A knowledgeable homeless man suddenly become an internet influencer because of a speech video, however, he gradually loses himself.
Director/Writer: Yinghao Li
Writer: Leyao Gao
Producer: Haibo Liu
Cast: Ma Jin
The Other (25:00, Islamic Republic of Iran) Drama
After his wife’s death, a religious and traditional man suspects and thinks his wife had a relationship with another man.
Director/Writer/Producers: Saman Hosseinpuor, Ako Zandkarimi
Producers: Ravinder Dhaka, Diman Zandi
Cast: Majid Potki, Shenia Mozafarian, Mohammad Kermanshahi, Asiyeh Moradizar
The Rotation (7:00, Islamic Republic of Iran) Animation
There is a war between two tribes on claiming the sun in the sky. As a result of that war, the sun annihilates itself and a volcano erupts. Those two tribes now are dead and a new sun is made by the lava. Several centuries pass and the humans are still at war to claim the sun in the sky.
Director/Writer/Producer: Hazhir As’adi
The Ruins (6:30, USA) Documentary
In suburban Philadelphia there is an area known as Crum Woods. The construction of modern highways left many hidden ruins dating back to William Penn in its wake. I explore one of these magnificent ruins.
Director/Writer/Producer: Mark Pappas
The Suspect (1:04, Germany) Micro Movie
The MICRO MOVIES are the world’s shortest feature films. A whole storyline compressed into a couple of seconds with a disturbing twist in the very end.
Director/Writer: Florian Meimberg
Executive Producer: Sabine Lippert
Producer: Jeffry Boestami
The Test (0:48, Germany) Micro Movie
The MICRO MOVIES are the world’s shortest feature films. A whole storyline compressed into a couple of seconds with a disturbing twist in the very end.
Director/Writer: Florian Meimberg
Executive Producer: Sabine Lippert
Producer: Jeffry Boestami
The Visitor (0:36, Germany) Micro Movie
The MICRO MOVIES are the world’s shortest feature films. A whole storyline compressed into a couple of seconds with a disturbing twist in the very end.
Director/Writer: Florian Meimberg
Executive Producer: Sabine Lippert
Producer: Jeffry Boestami
Under the Influence (18:40, USA) Dramedy
A quirky, quick-witted dramedy that tells the story of six connected New York millennials on the day social media collapses. The pilot is anchored by Chloe Kendrick, who has just quit her full-time job to become a social media influencer.
Director: Hailei Call
Writer: Tara Llewellyn
Producers: Emm O’Connor, Jim Mauro, Tara Llewellyn
Cast: Tara Llewellyn, Aurie Ceylon, Christina Colgan, Ellyn Marsh. Benjamin Shapiro, Sharrod Williams, Gerard Uciuoli, Javier Bautista, Quinten Lamar, Chloe Singer, @HannahSays
Vegan Apples (1:47 USA) Experimental
A simple short look at the possible dangers of maintaining a Vegan diet.
2021 Fright Fest
Little Wolf: The Night Trail (9:20, USA) Horror
Can a young boy survive the supernatural creatures of the wild with nothing but a bow and his wits?
Writer/Producer/Director: Jesse Cowan
Cast: Maya Tuttle, Michael M Grant
Crockpot (8:24, USA) Horror
Terror awaits a young couple as they fight over going to his parent’s house for Thanksgiving.
Director/Writer: Ty Jones
Producer: Patrick Rea
Evenfall (14:04, Australia) Horror
A widower with supernatural abilities helps a local detective save her daughter from dark forces.
Director/Writer: Dean Butler
Producer: Robert Faulkner
Cast: Gemma Cavoli, Dean Butler, Mariah O’Dea, James Broadhurst, Zack Inlglis
The bef (9:03, USA) Horror
While being pursued by the police, a young boy struggles with his decisions for the baby in his care and how to help his sick mother.
Director/Writer: Eric Burleson
Producer: Eric Burleson, Matt Noll, Ben Spitler
Cast: Jacob Shapiro, Michael Harrington, Roy James, Allison Granite
Pick Up Artist (3:00, Germany) Horror
A guy goes for a night jog while listening to a “how to pick up girls” tape when he suddenly sees a jogging girl but, wait, why is she running?
Director: Mario Alexander Schuster
Home (15:00, UK) Horror
A young burglar encounters more than he bargained for from a deeply troubled supposed victim.
Director: Robert Pugh
Writer: Anthony Bunko
Producer: Sion Tudor Owen, Geraldine Geraghty
Cast: Sion Tudor Owen, Garyn Williams
Argon (14:58, Iran) Horror
In the city where the attack took place, several people hiding in the junkyard realize they’re not alone.
Director/Writer/Producer: Shoresh Vakili
Cast: Mobin Ghaderi, Milad Moradi, Vian Kheir Abadi, Jahangir Nili
The Rage (12:50, Canada) Horror
A young girl decides to make a family visit and discovers something horrifying.
Director/Writer/Producer: Stephen DeRock
Cast: Sandra Kolpakow, Jacqueline Stienstra
Long Pig (8:30, Italy) Horror
A city struggles in the wake of a string of kidnappings. Could the abductor, and something worse, be hiding in plain sight?
Director/Writer: Riccardo Suriano
Producer: Riccardo Suriano, Miranda Angeli, Piero Perilli
Cast: Fernando Ferrari, Evelina Meghnagi
Friday Night (6:06, USA) Horror
Stuck in quarantine, a young woman spends her Friday night watching a movie. But, is she alone…?
Director/Writer/Producer: Kayla Bowman
Cast: Kayla Bowman, Michael Bowman
Blood Moon (8:50, USA) Horror
Four kids fight to survive a night that’s supposed to be about candy and fun when they run into a deadly mysterious stranger.
Director/Writer/Producer: Raheem Roher
Cast: Jahki Walker, Jasir Walker, Jihaad Thompson, Brandon Bledsoe, Hollywood Kane, Wanda Marie, Lamar Bates
Deals & Devils (1:47, USA) Horror
Deep in the woods a man finds the devil.
Director/Writer/ Producer: Screw Loose
Cast: Jonathan Dziuk
The Tell Tale Heart(22:00, USA) Horror
The classic tale: Re-envisioned in a gruesome, mind-bending, descent into madness.
Director: McClain Lindquist
Writer: Edgar Allen Poe (adaptation)
Producer: Herb Bangcock, McClain Lindquist, John Lindquist-Social Construct, Suzanne Lindquist
Cast: Sonny Grimsley, James Christian Morris, Mikah Olsen, Teren Turner