A lo-fi parable about a young kid in Detroit who turns to scrapping to provide for his family. Portraying poverty and struggle without sensationalizing, it treats its characters as complicated individuals -- real people faced with real choices -- not as symbols of poor urban life. The oldest sibl...

A man's life spirals out of control when he embarrasses himself on a hidden camera reality TV show. “Pussybaby,” directed by Derek Milton, is a satirical comedy about a poor soul who becomes a meme and the chaotic media landscape that makes it possible. Shaliek is an aspiring creator in the proce...

A heartbroken man comes to New York City to sell the rings from his seven failed engagements. Matt Nelsen directs “Seven Rings,” a perfectly awkward romantic comedy about the sad life of a gregarious man. Looking to move on from a string of failed romances, Jerry Pound tries to convince himself h...

Sara experiences another woman's orgasm and gets a new view on life. “ARE YOU OK,” directed by Mattis Ohana Goksøyr, is a sex comedy from Norway built around a series of striking compositions and rendered with dry wit. Two young couples are vacationing together when an intimate sexual encounter s...

A young woman on an imaginary journey experiences a brief romantic encounter. “Queens,” a visual poem by Alyssa Trawkina, follows the charming Tara — sometimes she’s joined by others, as when she jumps in a trampoline park, or rides up an escalator in sync with two other women. Other times, she’s...

During a weekend getaway, Alex meets her boyfriend's friends and it doesn’t go well. Alex Forrest and Joe Gleason, known as Home Planet, are the writers of “Boyfriend’s Boyfriends,” a sketch comedy film that unfolds as a three day extravaganza of juvenile antics. From the jump, the boys are obliv...

Jeremiah tries to console Kevin after a bad day. “I am hungry,” directed by Jeremiah Durian-Williams and Kevin Fielding, is a break-up film that turns sharply into the realm of absurdist comedy. Over a montage of Kevin going about his normal morning, a voicemail delivers the news that his girlfri...

Extremophiles are organisms that exist when nothing else can survive. In this environmental documentary about pollution, director Leah Shore presents a slide show of lethal hot spots in Brooklyn as a duo in matching grey suits strike ominous poses. Beginning with the infamous Gowanus Canal, which...

A retired CIA agent fakes being abducted by aliens so that he can abandon his family. Taylor Cohan directs “Vibrations,” an absurdist sci-fi comedy stuffed with ludicrous plotting, off-key performances, and a child-like silliness. The ex-government worker, Vincent, lives with his wife and son, a ...

A young man cycles through a series of personas in a manic attempt to find himself. “Yamashiro LIVE!”, directed by Blake James Reid and Max Frumkin, is a fever dream odyssey carved from pure provocation, a melting-down outsider vision of an ineffectual shape-shifter. The man floods each of his un...

In this stylized personal essay, a renter says goodbye to their apartment. “What I Had to Leave Behind,” directed by Sean David Christensen, is a lovely ode to moving out, built around a self-deprecating voiceover and jazzy score. Memories spring to mind about every corner of the apartment — the ...

In this surreal odyssey, a young boy walks through a series of doors opening up visions of the past and future. “Mi,” made by Masayoshi Nakamura and Zak Engel, is beautifully animated, vibrating with color, shape and possibility. Emerging from abstract geometric landscapes, we lock in on a boy wi...

A passionate young photographer in Berlin fixates on a series of self-portraits as her boyfriend questions her approach. A mediation on artistic process and ambition, “Spiegel,” directed by Ewan Waddell, is a stylistically assured character study that gets deep into the head of a hip but vulnerab...

A date to see the fireworks on the Fourth of July turns into a weird night of discovery for a shy teenage girl. “Lightstreet,” directed by Billie Michael, is an understated coming-of-age drama that captures the awkwardness and uncertainties of youth in a quiet small town. The young couple wanders...

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...

A harrowing account of a leadership seminar gone rogue in 1970’s California. In “You've Never Been Completely Honest,” a hybrid-documentary directed by Joey Izzo, a mixture of animation and reenactment footage brings to life a brutal audio interview. In 1972, a man named Gene recounts his experie...

In Philadelphia, an aspiring rapper tries to carve out a space for himself but begins to lose hope. “Out of Focus,” directed by Alex Sulock, is a cinema verite snapshot about artistic pursuit that maneuvers in a flow of spontaneous energy. Over the course of a couple weeks, Ray roams around his h...

An inspired photographer tries to connect with the working man. “Fly on the Wall” is the third collaboration from Matt Barats and Doron Max Hagay about struggling artists with misaligned priorities. Each film pinpoints and incisively exaggerates tension between the self-serious artist and the wor...

The lives of a group of thirty-something artists weave together as they grapple with the idea of parenthood. Allegra Oxborough directs “A Blue Morning: Conversations Among Artists on Parenthood,” a slice-of-life documentary following two couples with kids, and a third contemplating a family. Capt...

A tale of sibling betrayal and revenge as told by a ranch horse. “Horse Brothers,” directed by Milos Mitrovic and Fabian Velasco, is a surreal fantasy tale and family melodrama built with inventive lo-fi visuals and a fever dream tone. After an absence, Frodo arrives back to the family farm in a ...

A man reconnects with an old friend from his days in the theater. “My Breakfast with Barf,” is an animated comedy directed by Peter Javidpour, a lighthearted send-up of the 1981 film, “My Dinner with Andre.” Leonard, a man of culture and intellect (whose head is shaped like an egg), meets up for ...

A twenty-something filmmaker and actor, Zoë, is making a movie based on her attraction to another woman. “Untitled Movie,” directed by Annie Brennen, is a layered meta comedy, an exploration of sexuality and the creative process. Currently in a relationship with a man, Zoë fantasizes about kissin...

An alien comes to Earth landing in an ordinary American backyard. Or so goes the game of imagination that a group of siblings think up and play out. Stephen Wardell directs “Uriah Plays the Alien,” a vastly original piece of avant-garde filmmaking observed in a dream-like haze of childhood creati...

*Click CC for English Subtitles* Nearing her 16th birthday, Maya tries to convince her friends to run away and party with her in a spot they call HQ. Kenz Benmosbah directs “I’m Leaving Tonight,” a coming-of-age snapshot that frames anxious teenage drama within a picturesque French countryside. A...