After decades of collecting dust, a restored visual manifesto captures a revolutionary’s jazz-smacked, Afro-apocalyptic address to a burning world. Joel Watson’s “A Jet Black Future” is a frenetic piece of docu-fiction spawning an impassioned poet on a bright day in Brooklyn. An opening card thro...

When a young line cook hears the voices of his favorite podcasters beckoning him like sirens, the mundane becomes macabre. Ahmad Bakrin directs “Happy Ending,” an account of a young man quietly reckoning with his loneliness, precise in its dark tone and heavy atmosphere. Pete doesn’t feel too goo...

A lonely girl falls in love with a woman who is secretly trying to turn her into a CRT television. Jay Villalobos directs “Brain Rot,” a mostly silent experimental film built with lo-fi textures and fragmented storytelling. At an arcade, Jessie meets a woman and they start going out. It’s not lon...

An extremely antisocial young man reluctantly accompanies his mourning friend to the beach. “Jeffrey, Bad Day,” directed by Theo Matza, is a dark comedy shot on 16mm film featuring a tottering trio of offbeat men. Jeffrey starts his day on edge. His mother asks about his plans, already pressing t...

Fiction, reality, the private and the performed all overlap at a medical center on a routine day. Lori Felker directs “Patient,” a docu-fictional account of a training exercise for medical students. Each student is paired with an actor, also known as a "standardized patient,” who is assigned with...

A sound artist at a residency in the woods becomes increasingly paranoid after an eerie discovery and bizarre run-in with conspiracy theorists. Linda Mai Green directs “Mondegreen,” a mysterious portrait about an artist’s spiraling state of mind. Maggie attends a residency in isolation, lodged in...

A young woman recounts her most recent relationship, coming to grips with the highs, lows, and what she may have missed. Ella Gibney directs “Move with Me,” a breakup story told through seasonal vignettes and Mini DV playback. Peal records Sarah, her girlfriend, while she makes spaghetti. Sarah s...

When two best friends attempt an astrophysical internet trend, one of them must face the consequences of her new reality alone. “A Sweetness of Lapse,” directed by Bashir Aden, is an understated sci-fi drama, detouring into a ‘what if’ universe. Mina and Ava chill at the park. They listen to hous...

A security guard walks his old beat in an abandoned strip mall, contemplating his purpose in guarding the vacant property. “Portrait 001: Security Guard,” directed by Tanner D. Masseth, is an existential portrait rendering a 3D-animated subject in a dismal suburban landscape. With a distinctive a...

The morning after a kidnapping, a detective's investigation tests the bonds of a marriage. Daniel Collins and Matt McDonald direct “Trauma Bonds,” a comedic crime case where the foundation of a relationship is called into question. Vanessa was recently kidnapped. She gives the police her statemen...

Alone at home, a young woman is forced to deal with an unwelcome intrusion. An experimental horror film directed by Isabela Tanashian, “Immortal She” constructs a fever dream in black and white tapping into a deep sense of unease. Smoking cigarettes and reading a book called “Unmasking the Face,”...

Ira prepares to confront an unrequited crush by practicing with miniature figurines. Mika Lungulov-Klotz and Alanna Murray direct “I Would Never Fuck You,” a poignant account of tricky romantic pursuits, which stars an ensemble of older gentleman cast as young women. Ira tinkers with handmade fig...

A girl, her big sister, and God go to extreme measures to win a beauty pageant. Max Tullio directs “All Beauty Queens Have Broken Bones,” a coming-of-age drama set in the Midwest where a pair of siblings try to decipher signs from God. Marlo has a vision of competing in the Miss Teen Indiana Page...

When a young French woman decides to leave New York City and return to France, her best friend, an American, confronts the reality of life without her. Gino Fortebuono directs “Loleh,” a slice-of-life ruminating on friendship, co-dependence, and evaded pasts. Loleh visits her family in France and...

A young man living a downtrodden life in Los Angeles attempts to have a pleasant, productive day. “Blue Skies,” directed by Jack Krupp, is a mumblecore comedy tracking a man’s mundane but also paralyzing current situation. Sewage water backs up in Jack’s shower drain. His landlord has Covid and c...

A brother and sister struggle to run their late mother's massage parlor. Legyaan Thapa directs "Building Happiness,” a slice-of-life look at early adult responsibilities and a failing family business. Hugo gives massages and washes dirty laundry at the “Building Happiness” spa. However, business ...

A dejected man living in Los Angeles limps through a prolonged break-up and the distractions in the aftermath. Brian Follmer directs “Dys-Sympathetic,” a satirical featurette poking at casual sex, casual romance, and the emotional deterioration of it all. Tyler waits for his ex-girlfriend, Zoe, a...

An acting class and its bold leader rumble and rise within the walls of a New York City building. Solange Sai directs “Acting Class,” a vivid, black-and-white snapshot documenting an ensemble of studying actors and their emotional exhaustion. The filmmaker rides the R train to Midtown. She enters...

After an agoraphobic scientist accidentally creates a baby-like plant creature, their connection threatens to upend his reclusive way of life. In “Sprout,” Leah Dubuc explores fear and friendship through illustrative animation. From retrieving his mail to shooing away girl scouts, the reclusive m...

A filmmaker returns to the formative places of his Kentucky upbringing to preserve the memories they still hold. “London, KY,” directed by Cody Duncum, is a quiet portrait of home and its evolving role in one’s memory over time. We observe landmarks through wide frames, observing them in their en...

A two-man band called Maurice makes a pilgrimage to Queens to discover a street that shares their name. Travis Wood directs “Another Miracle,” a hybrid music video combining on-the-street performance and lighthearted interviews with local residents. Between lyrics, New Yorkers share anecdotes on ...

A tour through a labyrinth of mysteriously linked Los Angeles mansions provides a dreamlike glimpse into the lives of five women. “My Imaginary Life for Someone,” directed by Molly Wurwand and Ryan McGlade, is a docu-fictional feature film featuring an ensemble of former it-girls now in the later...

A rapper goes missing after a music video shoot and the director tries to track him down. “The Trick,” directed by Neal Wynne, is a comedic, lo-fi quest where a young man must wade through his dissociative state in order to find his missing friend. Steve, played by Jake Squire, tries his best to ...

Two women meet in a strange room that defies space and time. Jonas Bishop Hayes directs “The Waiting Room,” a surreal melodrama that’s shrouded in mystery and crafted with unsettling dream logic. Emma sits straight in a plaid, yellow blazer. She’s been waiting for a while, but then there’s a sudd...