An experimental dance film merging melancholy with silliness, “Fragile,” by director Kearston Hawkins-Johnson, follows a ballerina through unlikely spaces, reacting unpredictably. Masked with a paper bag, allowing anonymity and protection, the woman dances alone in an abandoned building, and then...

In the mountains of North Carolina, a young boy lives with his troubled mother. “August” directed by Cameron Morton, is a slice-of-life portrait of rural living that merges into a heavy family drama of lost innocence. Spending his days zipping around on this bike or feeding his dog cereal, the ki...

wormgirl bakes blondies.

wormgirl was inspired by the time-bending isolation that came out of lockdown. with nothing to do and no one to see, the scope of the day shrank from a full life of work commitments and relationships to a lonely, worm-like crawl. wormgirl shows the highs and lows of wor...

When two friends accept an invitation to see the new couch of an up-and-coming comedian/actor, it turns into an evening of heavy drinking and idiosyncratic self-expression. Kailee McGee directs “The Idea of a You,” a self-referential portrait of the lives and romantic inclinations of three L.A. a...

Thirteen year old Dani, and their mother, Anne, embark on an all-day odyssey to flip a stolen laptop. Kerry O'Neill directs “Walk Out Nice and Smooth,” a coming-of-age comedy-drama observing the dynamics and tensions between a swindling mother and her stressed-out child in Los Angeles. Anne, play...

This intimate glimpse at two teenage girls in a Moscow locker room is a simple but rich exploration of burgeoning sexuality and a search for expression. Alice can’t help but steal some glances at her teammate while she changes, catching flashes of skin, reflected in searching close-ups. The teamm...

Two lovers spend their days getting high off nitrous oxide and robbing from suburban houses until one of them starts to question their purpose. “Nangs,” directed by Sam Rogers, contours an age-old tale of reckless youth, following two young Australian women, Kathleen and Ola, through a haze of dr...

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 ...

Wandering the dappled grounds of an old farmhouse, Henry plays schoolmaster at an open-air painting retreat, where his instructional duties seem to involve holding forth at candlelit dinners in the garden and sucking down endless cans of Budweiser on the lawn while the work of painting and posing...

Davey needs to win the high school QuizJam to help pay for his girlfriend Lex’s abortion. Habitually oblivious but generally well meaning, he's only a few answers away from the $125 they need. “Más Bowls,” directed by Max Tullio, is a well-drawn coming-of-age drama carried by its subtly affecting...

In this surreal and lighthearted mini-musical, we follow a young couple through an unusual wedding ceremony. A song by Dekunle forms “HUNNYBUNS: A Short Musical Film,” directed by John Connor Hammond, a free-flowing oddity that begins with a Honey Bun snack cake floating in a tub of milk, and rem...

In this lighthearted PSA, a narrator walks us through the process of shaking off daily doses of small-scale trauma. “Wiggle Your Worries Away,” directed by Tamar Levine, takes the format of a dated educational film and injects it with stylish production design and verve. All mammals, informs the ...

A fragmented portrait of an insecure young woman, enthralling and vibrant. Directed by Donal Foreman.

Claywoman visits earth & thinks about not existing. Michael Cavadias writes and stars in “Clay,” a quiet existential portrait that’s softly funny and profound. Director Anthony Caronna keeps it simple in following the prehistoric Claywoman as she shuffles through her apartment aided by a cane rum...

A struggling stand-up comedian decides to make a comedy sex tape in hopes of getting famous. This rapid-fire mockumentary — created by and starring Mary Beth Barone, Tea Hacic, and Megan Patsel — follows along as Mary Beth pitches her idea and sets out to produce the tape, trying to maintain its ...

Walid (17) has fled from Syria to the Arctic Circle. As his family is stuck in the Balkans, on the border of the EU, Walid has to help them cross it, over the phone, from the streets of a northern Norwegian fishing village. Directed by Truls Krane Meby. Cast: Jawad Alkadhmani.

On the anniversary of his father’s death, Tariq dedicates a dance to him, triggering childhood memories. “Muscle Memory,” directed by Saladin White II, is a poignant tone poem about fatherhood presented in vignettes of the present day and flashbacks. We follow Tariq, himself a father to a young b...