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Difficult Woman
In a flashback, a woman is accused of over-narrativizing her life and makes that accusation into a narrative. Summer Benotwitz’s “Difficult Woman” is a two-minute snapshot of a couple amidst a peevish argument. In a Los Angeles bar, the couple (played by Lily Lady and Cameron Cowperthwait) meet f...
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Living Reality
An exploration of the emotional divide between fiction and reality in the American sitcom. Philip Thompson’s “Living Reality” puts the peculiar form of sitcom into perspective when a character shows strange symptoms and signs of longing. The spoof TV-show, also called “Living Reality,” starts and...
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Oizys
During an unplanned night out in Berlin, Esra is haunted by memories of a former best friend. Rari Matei’s “Oizys” offers an experiential evening and morning after through the psyche of a troubled individual surrounded by sound. Esra dances to a high BPM in the club. Between stepping off and back...
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Ender
Documented through the lens of his best friend’s DV camera, a skater grapples with life and mental health in the interior and exterior. Rhordi Beynon’s “Ender” is a lo-fi snapshot taking place in the UK depicting the highs and lows of two friends in their lingering youth. After some skating, the ...
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A Kidnapping In Echo Park
A young woman goes on a ride, witnesses a kidnapping, and runs into an old friend. “A Kidnapping in Echo Park,” directed by Elijah Guess, is a Los Angeles day-in-the-life through the eyes of an idling individual. Laid out on a yoga mat, Claire scrolls on her phone. She takes a scooter ride to Ech...
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Excursion
A first date is disrupted by car trouble and a mysterious hitchhiker. Boothe Carlson’s “Excursion” is a lo-fi voyage from the inside of a navy Prius where a trio of odd characters are locked in a series of awkward exchanges. May and Thomas have their first date at a mall in Queens. In the parking...
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On God
A near death experience grants a man the ability to see angels. Andrew Theodore Balasia directs “On God,” an edgy comedy starring Al Warren, Edy Modica and Bambina. Kream (played by Warren) had plans to put his homie, Big Mike, in check for killing his brother’s dog, but it backfired and sent Kre...
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Oops! I've Been Driven Mundane
A hermitic stop-motion animator is tasked with caring for a collection of strange plants and a bullfrog. Nick Schoenbrodt directs ”Oops! I’ve Been Driven Mundane,” an eerie dramedy driven by its frantic lead and bold visual storytelling. Morkie rises in the morning, stretching her arms and lettin...
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Test Shoot 2
A group of friends and collaborators theorize about their recent test shoot. Filmmaking collective, Babbling Brook, presents “TEST SHOOT 2,” a satirical mumblecore snapshot on half-baked creative endeavors and meandering procrastination. Over a FaceTime call, two filmmakers discuss the film we’re...
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Over Easy
After getting badly sunburned, a young woman’s misfortune leads her on a strange and unexpected journey through Palm Springs. Maria Belafonte’s “Over Easy” savvily and playfully accounts the adventures of a mysterious young woman in a southern California landscape. Her back is scorched. She walks...
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Termite
After a man receives notice he’s slated to be executed for no discernible reason, he looks for a ride to the injection site. Ian White’s “Termite” is a dark comedy bleakly reflecting on a seemingly arbitrary bureaucratic decision, and the universal dilemma of finding a ride. Hank receives the att...
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We Are Always Hiding
A young man and his girlfriend seek a resolution amid a life filled with confusion and ennui. With an unorthodox portrayal of its two leads, Marcus Soltzberg’s “We Are Always Hiding” delicately looks at a romantic relationship as it occurs in time and space. Trevor and Skye try to get back into t...
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Almost Fantasy
After four months of traveling, a young woman returns to her hometown of Los Angeles and catches up on her mail. “Almost Fantasy,” directed by Nancy Chidi, is a 16mm slice-of-life portrait on friendship and passing time. The young woman named Lake reads postcards from different friends as she asc...
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Your Mailbox is Full
After clearing a scattered archive of voicemails, a woman reconnects with a frequent caller. Allie Viti’s “Your Mailbox is Full” is a candid 16mm snapshot of Brooklyn, narrated by a colorful spectrum of voices. There are spam messages from Publisher’s Clearing House and auto insurance companies, ...
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Lolo
A woman struggles to make sense of her daughter’s disappearance. “Lolo,” directed by Owynn Kaye, is a moody experimental thriller with a constantly shifting point of view. The woman, an aspiring musician, sneaks out with her boyfriend (played by NB veteran, Jordan Raf). After her sudden disappear...
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True Love
A group of teenagers from the UK fall desperately in love with the same person. “True Love,” by Jess Dadds and Sam Giles, is a Super-8 snapshot of early entanglements with infatuation, a love letter to a collective feeling. Shown as a step-printed sequence of images, we see the friends lounging a...
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MANPOWER 4 HIRE
A woman finds a strange rock on the beach, a landscaper is down on his luck, and a man licks his girlfriend. Ella Sinskey’s multi-format “MANPOWER 4 HIRE” is an experimental portrait fluctuating between the everyday and the unusual. On an American seaside, the young woman searches for a stone. Up...
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I Swear to God I'm not Crazy
A girl sends a sexually explicit DM to her celebrity crush. In Jessica Ryan’s “I Swear to God I’m not Crazy,” a young woman from Worcester, Massachusetts attempts to craft a raunchy video through a series of peculiar role-played performances and an amusing narration. Piper Conley stands in front ...
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Pentatarmex Rabitular
Mourning her grandmother, a young woman takes a job that requires her to lure a mysterious entity from a hole. Casey Friedman’s “Pentatarmex Rabitular” is a quiet piece of sci-fi observed through its character’s mundane life and the bizarre occurrences that come with a strange job. Accompanied by...
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Afternoon of Dying Trees
A man traverses a series of pastoral landscapes to his childhood home where he finds his sister packing their parents' belongings. Brothers Dakota Mina Fox and Dylan Pailes-Friedman co-direct “Afternoon of Dying Trees,” a grainy meditation on delusional and dwindling memories. As Calvin moves thr...
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Half-Dream
A girl living in a half-physical, half-digital world, starts to hear her new neighbor through the wall. Jan Grabowski’s “Half-Dream” begins as a monochrome observation of a young woman in isolation but quickly escalates to a surreal out of body encounter. The character referred to as ‘The Girl’ l...
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Malcolm Ex
A man finds out that his lover's ex-boyfriend resembles his personal hero. Free Man Agyapong’s “Malcom Ex” is a darkly humorous look at navigating insecurities in a new relationship. A group of friends kick it on the beach. Guy and Nairobi have been seeing each other recently. With the rest of th...
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Villa Mink
A young man drives across the vast exteriors of Kansas in anticipation of a lover's rendezvous. Darron Carswell’s “Villa Mink” is a contained, slow-burn look at a young man’s night in solitude. Rudy Ford rides the interstate, taking a rest at a road-side motel where there’s the possibility of mee...
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Gruenfeld
A knight in an accursed and shattered world tempts fate with a mysterious song. Albert Birney’s “Gruenfeld” boards a medieval quest where fantasy is suddenly met by horror. Told from the deep voice of an anonymous narrator, we observe the weathered knight, Sir Garreth, as he desperately searches ...