When a college student comes home for break, they find a ghost in their childhood bedroom. Skye Schoenhoef directs “The Curtains Glow at Night,” a moody observation of one’s reflection on their youth and past self. Wren returns home for the break, catches up with an old friend, and spends time wi...

A young man, on-edge, tries cycling as a way to make friends. Noah Kentis directs “Pedestrian,” an expressionistic character study of a highly volatile call center employee. Working at United Auto Loan Trust, Kehlani gets aggressive on phone calls with people short on cash. A coworker tells Kehla...

When a struggling artist returns to her stifling hometown, she must confront who she is now and what she left behind. “It Will Happen to Us Again,” directed by Sarah Bloom, is a wintery, coming-of-age drama about a bittersweet homecoming. It’s a few days ahead of Christmas and Fernanda returns to...

A cowboy is hired to bring in a thief but runs into complications. “Chinatown Cowboy,” directed by Jaafar Alnabi, is a Cantonese Neo-Noir Western shot on 16mm film that follows an allusive wrangler in the big city. The cowboy works bounties, and someone named The Wolf hires him to bring in a mone...

A young misfit in New York City runs around the city intensely colliding with friends, family and strangers. Cricket Brown directs “Mad,” an unnerving look at a woman caught in a vice-induced loop. On the subway, Mandy texts Mary, an older bartender she’s in love with but doesn’t get a response. ...

Grieving the death of her father, a young actress asks her ex-girlfriend to help with a self-tape audition. “Tradition,” directed by Akari, is a heavy drama that captures a tricky reunion and a flailing attempt to return to what once was. Max is in a state of emotional turmoil when Ryan swings by...

When a wealthy white man’s young black escort stops seeing him, he tries to find a replacement. “The Rentals,” directed by Nicholas Andre, is a darkly comedic snapshot of an aging man’s demand for desire and intimacy. The picture begins slightly unclear. Fred seems to be dozing off as James, his ...

A girl tells her crush that she loves him and then second guesses herself. “Sweet,” directed by Isabela de la Grana, warmly embraces the excitement and angst of young romance in the aftermath of such a confession. Judy sits across from Danny in her bedroom. He wears a cowboy hat and plays a tende...

A literary translator from Sao Paulo moves to New York to work on the novel of a dying author, but, adrift in an unfamiliar city, she struggles to stay grounded. Lucas Manuel-Scheibe directs “Terra Natal,” a dramatic observation of homesickness told through low-key magical realism. Upon her arriv...

A man's compulsion to know his partner's secrets leads into underworld contact with the non-human. Judd Myers directs "Destroyer,” a psychological horror piece where consequence lurks behind insecurity and skepticism. Joan has evening plans with a friend, but her boyfriend, Cary suspects otherwis...

Struggling to keep his own mental health stable, a disability support worker spends the day with the young man he assists. “Carer,” directed by Oliver Wicks, intimately observes two men, their friendship, and the modes at which they confront their lives. Waiting for Mitch, his caretaker, to arriv...

A biracial student and sex worker confronts the difference in her lifestyle between night and day. Crosbie Roper directs and stars in “Epinephrine,” a psychological-horror piece processing racial identity, trauma, and sex-work. During the day, “Lil Bit” goes to class to study architecture. In the...

Abandoned by the roommate she'd been expecting to live with, a young woman finds herself stuck in an apartment she can’t afford. Justin Senkbile’s 16mm slice-of-life film, “We Live Here Now,” follows a newly arrived Chicago transplant caught adrift in wintry solitude. Carolyn wheels her single lu...

Things get turned upside down when a man wakes up believing he’s Joe Louis, the boxing legend. Theodore Collatos directs “Palookaville,” a New York dramedy that follows an unsettled man through a bizarre condition. JoJo begins his day at the deli and heads back to his sister’s Brooklyn apartment ...

Seeking refuge from their anxieties and menial problems that haunt them at home, two girls from Miami take a last minute surfing trip to Nicaragua. In “Turn On The Bright Lights,” Juanita Umaña ruminates on the memory of a mid-20’s rendezvous. We get familiar with Missy and Layla through a young ...

Stuck on the waitlist for her dream university, a young woman lies to her situationship, hoping to solidify them as a couple before they leave for school. Becca Standt directs “FML,” a coming-of-age dramedy where young romance gets tested as the next chapter in life turns. After being waitlisted ...

A fast-talking man claiming to be a former tennis prodigy navigates a series of skeptical encounters. “Serve the Country,” directed by Fabian Velasco and Milos Mitrovic, delivers both dark comedy and double meaning to the sport of tennis and the concept of stolen valor. Frantically strolling down...

Stalked by a sinister presence, a winemaker grows suspicious that her vineyard is being poisoned. “Buried,” directed by Nat Gee, is a 16mm drama where paranoia leaks into a woman’s laborious day-to-day duties. Eva sets forth into her vineyard as she prepares for an upcoming tasting event for pote...

A queer woman’s sleepover with her girlfriend resurfaces buried sexual traumas, blurring the lines between fantasy and pain. Tiger Hornby directs “Night Milk,” an experiential drama realizing the hallucinogenic disassociation between mind and body during sex and its internal epicenter. It’s the e...

A young man tries to cheer up his roommate by getting beer but a run-in with an ex-girlfriend complicates the picture. Matthew Koebele’s “The Right to Remain Silent” contains the melancholy and suppressed drama of an unexpected encounter. Paul looks for his watch while his roommate, Carter, reads...

A queer musician returns to her hometown to encounter the strange masculinity of the music scene. “Opener,” directed by Véra Haddad, is an observant comedy on the clichès of an indie rock venue and the awkwardness of social reunion. After spending time in Chicago, Sam is back where she started. A...

A young man caught underneath the thumb of his crazed parents makes a break for freedom. Isabella Nemcik directs “Fever,” an absurd drama where a case of domestic imprisonment pushes a man to a skin-crawling breaking point. Ziggy’s parents, dolled with monstrous prosthetics, spoon-feed their son ...

Scrutinized for being single, a young woman living in Lagos finds a suitable admirer but a strange presence in her dreams makes things complicated. Wale Matuluko directs “True Affection,” a monochrome drama capturing the low-key gymnastics and social pressures of dating in the Nigerian city cente...

A heavy-hearted, hard-drinking New York City chef begins unraveling during a trip to Hong Kong. Stephen Gurewitz directs “Honky Kong,” an elliptical portrait of loneliness and dejection that captures a tall, bearded soul-searcher on a questionably productive work trip in a foreign land. Renowned ...