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. ...

Rachel seeks comfort in her partner while dealing with uncertainty and a death in the family.

A young Jewish woman meets her boyfriend's overbearing Italian family for the first time where she’s forced to endure an awkward meal. Max Cea directs “Fried Shrimp,” a holiday comedy about cultural differences and insensitivities that breaks down into commotion. As they make their way in the car...

Jeremy Hersh's impressive short fresh out of NYU is remarkably mature & whip smart. Coming off a strong '13, featuring festival appearances at SXSW, Frameline, and Outfest, etc, the film is off to a running start online, recently selected to Vimeo Staff Picks & featured on Short of the Week. The ...

A naked body moves a stranger to empathy in this experimental film by Frank Mosley, in one of two scenes investigating body, movement, and connection. “Parthenon” is carried by the transfixing presence of Lily Baldwin; the film around her is largely wordless, and divided into two loosely connecte...

A man, a river, and a raccoon face off in this silent film by Parker Davis. Notable for its simplicity and earnestness, “Pity River,” finds a young man on a menial chore to remove a dead raccoon from near a river. The task is complicated when he accidentally drops the animal into the water, and i...

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...

After a difficult break-up, Annie reckons with the imminent departure of another close friend who is moving away from their shared apartment and city. From a script she co-wrote with Hannah Rehak, Nina Slesinger directs “Downbeat,” an intelligent and emotionally astute portrait of friendship and ...

Reflecting on his lustful youth, a 30-year-old man gets answers from his mother about his early fascination with life-sized Barbie dolls and scantily clad models. “Horny Kid - A Film Essay,” directed by Josh Whiteman, is a priceless compilation of home videos shot in the 1990’s merged with curren...

Rachel just broke up with her boyfriend. She’s ready for an epic “glow up”.

A coffee shop employee and an art gallery assistant engage in a series of awkward exchanges. Hubert Adjei-Kontoh writes, directs and stars in “At Work,” a low-key comedy and character study on Ronald, a neurotic, socially uncomfortable over-thinker involved in a one-sided infatuation. After meeti...

A filmmaker making a documentary about fossil fuel extraction is consistently subverted by an AI agent that wants to tell a generic love story. Sarah Lasley directs “Climate Control,” an absurd comedy realizing the futile feeling of trying to call attention to a crisis. We’re dropped into a diora...

Two old-timey fellas meet up by the pond to do some fishing and determine what’s normal. Alex Goldberg directs “A Joyful Process,” a Steinbeck-esque dark comedy encompassed by melodies of nature and absurd conversation. Bruce (Anthony Oberbeck) and Joe (Ikechukwu Ufomadu) cast their lines out to ...

Chicago video journalist Will P.T. is ready for his big break but it’s slow coming and self-doubt is starting to creep in. “Prime Time,” directed by Gus Gavino, perfectly captures the feeling of striving for something you don’t have complete control over. It’s a subtly touching film about aspirat...

Dawn has troublesome sex with her lover and childhood friend. Charlie Stuip directs “Sweethart,” an experimental narrative piece following a couple in their 20s as they encounter disconnects in the bedroom. When Dawn’s boyfriend, Mike, struggles to satisfy her desires for a rougher kind of sex, D...

A narcissistic filmmaker struggles to finish his new project while aiming to reclaim his “clown magic.” Directed by Jordan Tetewsky, “Bolue Vience,” is a free-for-all satire about a tortured artist, a misogynistic, Anti-semitic wannabe auteur who’s only true bond is with his cinematographer. Usin...

A surreal, scattershot story of fatherhood, the cycle of life, consumerism, and giving people what they ask for. “Bobby Fish,” directed by Peter Wagner, is a one-of-a-kind oddity bouncing between perspectives— from a father, to a son, to a fish, to an evil toy company — all held together with a u...

Desperate for work, a struggling artist takes on a personal assistant gig from Craigslist. Tynan DeLong’s “Personal Assistant” confines us at close-range to a claustrophobic series of interactions between a young woman and her exasperating employer. Sadie lands a job that drops her into the apart...

A found footage compilation of a young drifter’s Mini-DV adventures. Michael Santos’s “trash moth” offers a series of vignettes discovered from a young man’s handycam that becomes progressively darker. Felix makes friends with a group of hooligans in hopes they will give him a beer. Next, he has ...

The employees of a cult-like biotech start-up test their product on themselves. “Aquaculture”, written and directed by Artemis Shaw, is a (slightly) sci-fi satire about the grandiose vision of a quietly eccentric entrepreneur; freely mixing absurdity and sincerity, it’s a strangely engrossing fil...