At a bar in L.A., two toxic men flirt with the wrong women. Written, directed and starring Gabriel Bernini. Cast: Andrea Bambina, Chloe Cherry, Dillon Moore, Jaime Gerin, Will Duncan. Cinematography by Jeremiah Durian-Williams. Co-produced by Alexandra Jade. Music by Chico Hamilton.

A young woman runs away from home and acquires a dog. Marie Mottet’s “1-800-QUIET-LIFE” is a quiet exploration of ennui and decisions to drift. Unnamed, the young woman drives aimlessly in her car; we hear a voice message left by a man’s voice insisting she return to where she’s recently left. Sh...

An aging widower attempts to make good with his estranged daughter by selling the time he has left. Ariel Gardner directs “Time Realtor,” a lo-fi, dark comedy pondering the question, how much are our lives worth? Carl, an older gent, arrives home to find an advertisement wedged in his doorway. In...

When Sandy and Mitra get into trouble, they come to their friend Alyssa for help. “Alyssa Learns to Drive,” written by and starring Sandy Honig, Mitra Jouhari, and Alyssa Stonoha, is an ingeniously silly sketch that cycles through a smorgasbord of random accents, absurd phrasings, botched languag...

Melodia, a Venezuelan middle schooler struggles to fit into her new North Carolina home, she lives inside her novel that she is secretly writing in her phone on the way to school. Director/co-writer: Grant Conversano. Co-writer: Bridget Anderson. Lead Actor/ Co-writer: Isabela Rengifo.

After the tragic death of his father, all Terry wants to do is to have a low-key karaoke night with his friends; Natalie, however, has other plans in motion. Directed by Alex Swift. Cast: Veronika Slowikowska, Hanif Jetha, Ben Stager, Sam Hancock, Emma Simpson.

An office worker calls into a radio show to set the record straight about the nine to five work day. Sasha Lebedeva’s two-minute film, “Eight to Five,” observes an unsettled man during his lunch break airing a grievance about the Dolly Parton song/film, “9 to 5,” and the “real business world.” Co...

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 ...

In a dystopian future, it’s one man’s job to check faucets for leakage and wastage. Paolo Chianta directs and animates “Tap Runner,” an animated sci-fi short, hand-drawn with a ballpoint pen and characterized by a melancholic spirit. His job does not permit him to actually fix the taps — that’s t...

A young man travels to Colorado with fourteen cases of beer in hopes of turning a profit at a Phish concert. Micah Van Hove and Jacob King direct “Super Heady,” a cinema verite portrait of jamband culture that flows from road movie into a surprisingly elaborate depiction of the Phish lot scene. I...

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 Detroit minister rallies a community group to shut down a local drug house. “Community Patrol,” by director Andrew James, is both an observational portrait of a couple days in the life, and an inspiring case study of community action. Minister Malik Shabazz is sick of the drug abuse, violence, ...

During a rocky but enlightened childhood, a group of kids disappear and find themselves on a fantastical journey to break the curses of black boyhood. Justice Jamal Jones directs “How To Raise a Black Boy,” an imaginative, free-spirited fairytale about love, secrets, and breaking away. After the ...

Anne gathers herself for a job interview, a casual one at a coffee shop, but still a job interview. When her potential new employer arrives, a smooth, well-dressed man named Georg, giving off all the social cues of a first date, she’s caught off-guard and scrambles to react. Brilliantly observed ...

Amidst strange encounters in her life and work, a Brazilian filmmaker living in Chicago is struck by a compelling question. João Rubio Rubinato and Lua Borges direct “Where’s South?” a 16mm film that ruminates on being far from home despite having footing somewhere else. When Helena arrives late ...

In the rural backwoods, where living in squalor will keep you invisible, two desperate young men venture into the darkness to meet a mysterious but powerful man. The ominous Gentleman offers the nervous men an opportunity but they must go along with a cult-like initiation. An exercise in suspense...

After a painful dry spell a woman attempts to have a one night stand. Directed by Lizzy Sanford, “Rubber Heart” is an open and honest comedy examining issues of gender roles and expectations of appearance. The man doesn’t know how to react when faced with Anna’s pubic hair. Trying to compensate f...