After a year of isolation, a young woman reluctantly ventures out from her small studio apartment to host a funeral for her friend's pet. “Recluse,” directed by Alexis Sundman, is a tender look at confronting and reconnecting with the real world. Speaking directly to the audience, Leona informs u...

On the evening of her birthday, a young woman hopes to unwind in solitude but is disrupted by her best friend’s good intentions. Caroline Falls writes and directs “SURPRISE!,” a dramatic comedy contending with complex friendships and projected expectations. Kayla, the birthday girl, returns home ...

After a decade away, a stripper returns to her conservative hometown to interrogate her past. “A Forgotten Place,” directed by Alice Leigh Barrós, is a sci-fi drama considering one’s relationship to home and the traumas that linger. Upon news of her mother’s illness, Kat returns to the rural outs...

Over the course of a tense Halloween week, a black man navigates his fraught friendships with white people. Cory Nixon directs and stars in “Blind,” a prickly satire on the sociopolitical climate of 2020 with its newly unlocked conversations on race, white fragility, and colonizer mindset. After ...

An actress contends with the struggle of a run-of-the-mill callback experience. Elizabeth Cappuccino directs “one take,” a flowing drama that’s reflective of the struggling actor’s day-to-day life and the sterility and awkwardness that comes from the audition process. Never breaking from a single...

Growing disconnected from the world around her, a young artist slips from reality. Ahmad Bakrin directs “moulded,” a subdued thriller with a unique consideration of dissociation as a result of modern social realities and fabricated persona. In a post-breakup reality, a young woman struggles to re...

A perpetually stoned pothead floats past life’s responsibilities on a cloud of smoke until accidentally smoking an ounce of K2 and descending into an existential rabbit-hole of increasing perplexity. Spencer Witmer directs “GINGER BOY and The Purpose of Life on Earth,” a rich, experimental charac...

After a ten year hiatus, two friends reunite to break a mysterious curse. Steph Twyford-Rigley’s “Teeth Tacs” is a playful lo-fi comedy that explores a female friendship stuck in a supernatural cycle. At a quaint beach-side home, Angela and Steph meet on the shore. Over their uniquely large bowls...

Through an unexpected phone call, a young man asks his ex-girlfriend if she would be willing to reflect on a road trip three years ago. Elijah Smith presents “The Road Trip,” a lo-fi personal documentary that recollects memories from a relationship and re-lives heartbreak. Elijah calls his ex on ...

Two commercial actors in L.A. navigate awkward social interactions and problematic behavior. Whit Conway directs “Mo & Bert,” a buddy comedy centered around ethnographic stereotypes. Mo, a middle-eastern American, and Bert, a Latino-American, arrive at a commercial audition. There, a receptionist...

Captured in a single aerial shot, a young man’s proposal to his girlfriend at a McDonald's drive-thru is interrupted by an eager customer offering help with their order. Brad Roelandt directs “Joey Earns Rewards Using the McDonald's Mobile App & Megh and Clev Discuss Their Future Together,” a fil...

A middle-aged man wants to become a world-renowned rapper under the stage name "Wum Dum Dilly Willy X2396YY" but his girlfriend strongly disapproves. Max DeFalco directs “The Consequences of Taking Without Asking,” a close look at the outcomes of a man’s delusional dreams and impulsive choices. I...

A young woman seeks verification. Pervers3cowgirls presents “LACY_audition.tape_cocktailvilla.mp4,” a sketch-style mockumentary set in England following a multi-talented scenester in her effort to reach new heights. Lacy submits an audition tape for Cocktail Villa—a supposed influencer reality TV...

On the sprawling grounds of one of France’s largest leisure villages, vacationers spend their days floating in a pool or congregating under the sun. Joanny Causse’s “Cigales” is an observational documentary on the summer season, an artful exploration of relaxation. In a series of photo-like compo...

A comedian's break-up leads her to a surprising journey with a community of LARPers. “Sad LARP,” directed by Marissa Goldman, is a personal documentary where a down-bad individual turns to “live action role play” as a means of overcoming sadness. Reserving some details, Marissa lets us know she’s...

Crashing on the couch of a family friend, a young man acclimates to life in New York City. Brendan Kirk directs “Henry Gets a Shot,” a low-key comedy about a kid from the suburbs and his reluctant battle to take some adult action. Henry lays passed out on the sofa. Danny, an older family friend, ...

In the suburbs of Miami, a Cuban family’s lives are upended when a father is dealt news of a terminal illness on the first day of his retirement. Adrian Cardenas Rubio directs “In an Orderly Fashion,” a layered hybrid film that combines real-life home videos with fictional elements. As the narrat...

A fictionalized research group explores the mystery behind why many skateboarders chose the streets over the skate park. “Spots,” directed by Daniel Paese, is a warm, curious study of skate subculture, spot-hunting, and the spirit behind it all. We’re introduced to the world of street-skating by ...

A walk through a 16-yr-old’s uncomfortable shoes: gym class, an awkward encounter with a crush, and a meeting with her mom’s new boyfriend. Vanessa Meyer directs “Foot Trouble,” a coming-of-age set in 1999 that captures some darkly funny corners of a teenage girl’s day-to-day life. Sitting in her...

An elderly woman turns to unconventional methods to create closeness with her caregiver. Spencer Gibson’s “Movie Star” is an intimate drama recognizing intergenerational companionship. Ruth and her younger caregiver, Jo, spend most of their day in the household. Despite their physical closeness, ...

A young man achieves success on the internet. Alex Sovoda of Enzo the Magazine directs “Compounding Negativity,” a character comedy where a young man, played by Will Duncan, drops a drill freestyle that opens some new doors. After walking his date home, Will is approached by two young men who are...

A lonely chatterbox, fed up with the anti-social nature of the world, seeks to find himself a friend at all costs. Set in sunny Los Angeles, “People Person,” directed by Taylor Thompson, is an upbeat character study looking at social connections and interpersonal expectations. Immensely desperate...

An Iranian mother living in Queens sends a letter to her far-away daughter. Armon Mahdavi directs “Untitled, Jackson Heights,” an experimental personal documentary presenting the place and anecdotes of a transplant in America. Through static frames of the city, we overhear a mother’s recorded mes...

On an afternoon at a skatepark, a 17-year-old girl makes an effort to fit in with her edgier friends while also tending to her shaky relationship with her younger sister. Emma Hall-Martin directs “Daughter of Wands,” a coming-of-age story set in the suburbs about teen pressures and the complexiti...