An unexpected visit from her super sends an anxious woman scrambling to hide evidence of her cat. “No Pets,” directed by and starring Billie Michael, takes a simple conceit and finds plenty of tension, awkwardness, and humor. Arriving to her apartment, the woman discovers that her building’s supe...

A girl, her big sister, and God go to extreme measures to win a beauty pageant. Max Tullio directs “All Beauty Queens Have Broken Bones,” a coming-of-age drama set in the Midwest where a pair of siblings try to decipher signs from God. Marlo has a vision of competing in the Miss Teen Indiana Page...

In this unsparing portrait of a contentious relationship between father and child, a young filmmaker explores family history through impromptu interviews and old photographs. A reflexive essay documentary, “Father, Can’t You See I’m Burning?”, directed by Grant Conversano, offers a penetrating st...

Surrounded by an empty beach town, Danny is taken in by four reckless boys set on causing havoc. “Fuck Marry Kill,” directed by Domenic Lombardi, is a stylishly shot drama about an outsider who falls in with the wrong crowd. Danny wakes up in a hammock at an off-season campground where he’s appro...

A faithfully recreated 1970s cigarettes advertisement unspools into a surreal satire on melodramatic marketing. “Ralph Styles Ultra,” by director Nic fforde, is an exquisitely-realized mockup complete with period-perfect performances, music, art design, costuming, and hair and make up. A debonair...

A box-office clerk is forced to deal with a hot-tempered patron. David Cardoza’s “Life in the Cage” is a comedic vignette capturing a confrontation outside of a movie theater. Behind the glass, a box-office attendant reads a comic as a frantic movie-goer rushes to the window. The man, increasingl...

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 spurned lover seeks revenge.

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...

Emma Pillsbury is a filmmaker based in New York City who graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Cinema Arts & Sciences - concentrating in directing and experimental film. From the Metro - Detroit area, she grew up figure skating for Team USA.

In this slice of life docu-fiction, transmasculine sex worker and poet Jacky Indigo navigates their online job in the midst of mysterious recurring dreams. Directed by Anahita Amirshahi. Starring Jacky Indigo.

A woman practices a speech for her sister's wedding. Chester Vincent Toye directs “Francesca,” a slice-of-life vignette where a young woman’s efforts to workshop a speech snowballs into a self-reflective consideration of her own life. Late at night, Francesca walks around the moon-lit city in a d...

wormgirl learns to skateboard.

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 ...

After an agoraphobic scientist accidentally creates a baby-like plant creature, their connection threatens to upend his reclusive way of life. In “Sprout,” Leah Dubuc explores fear and friendship through illustrative animation. From retrieving his mail to shooing away girl scouts, the reclusive m...

A young woman kills the vibe when she confronts her ex-boyfriend at a party. Michael Calciano directs “But He’s Gay,” a biting comedy about an unraveling social kerfuffle. Maeve arrives to a party eager to make the rounds but everyone is uncomfortable with her presence; eyebrows raise, heads turn...

An aspiring pop star travels to Hollywood to meet a music producer she met over Instagram. Samantha Carroll directs and stars in “Love Liz,” a dryly comedic take on an evergreen tale — dreamer seeks fame. From Delaware, Liz has just flown into L.A. with the hopes of making it big. After a pit sto...