A young photographer explores his sexuality after a surprising romantic advance. “Self Portrait,” directed by by Gus Aronson, is a sensual experimental film which spotlights and inverts the concept of the photographer’s gaze. During a portrait session, a photographer and model experience a lustfu...

A dejected man living in Los Angeles limps through a prolonged break-up and the distractions in the aftermath. Brian Follmer directs “Dys-Sympathetic,” a satirical featurette poking at casual sex, casual romance, and the emotional deterioration of it all. Tyler waits for his ex-girlfriend, Zoe, a...

A young girl connects deeply with nature while fearful of her brutish father. “Ciervo,” directed by Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma, is a coming-of-age animated film — a sensory exploration of girlhood, family life and country living, particularly on the themes of freedom vs. captivity, and hunter vs...

Shelly is a peculiar young woman making a movie about a seahorse named Imogen. She picks up footage at the local aquarium and in her Brooklyn apartment while pursuing a deep sea diving certificate, so she can record the seahorses in their natural environment. We don’t quite trust the intentions o...

In a non-traditional approach to live performance, MAURICE performs three songs in a production teetering on the brink of collapse. “3 Songs,” directed and performed by Devan Joseph and Jason Gaines, is a dynamic music video that frames potent performances with kinetic editing. Breaking down the ...

A burly stranger looking for a place to lay his head arrives at the home of a newly single mother renting out her guest house. “Rebound,” written by Wes Haney and directed by NoBudge Hall-of-Famer Doron Max Hagay, is pure comedy gold, built with priceless performances from Katy Fullan and George ...

A man in New York becomes obsessed with a girl he keeps seeing. “Nadja,” directed by Abe Dassa Kaye, is a moment-to-moment look at a young man’s brief episode of infatuation. Chatting over some drinks during the day, the young man tells his two friends about a recent romantic interest: there’s a ...

A woman is having a mental breakdown in her bathroom when her past and future selves appear in the mirror. Ella May Sahlman and Kyle Kallman direct “Crimson Mirror,” experimental horror crafted with gothic flourish built around an intensely despairing lead performance from Flora Wildes. The young...

An inventory specialist at a weed shop gets asked to try a newly engineered product before it goes on sale to the public. Duncan Dickerson directs “Wet Mouth,” a stoner comedy (run time: 4:20) sketched in with the essentials, i.e. oddball characters, zany line deliveries, and surreal breakdowns. ...

A film crew and a nervous young director craft an expressive dance scene. A quietly observant exploration of a film set, “Proscenium,” directed by Georgia Evenson, portrays the filmmaking process with a shifting POV. The crew settles into place and “Action!” is called. We linger on behind-the-sce...

In the aftermath of a near-death experience, a young woman finds herself stuck in limbo between two worlds. Izzy Aghahowa directs “Fires of Katherine,” a story-book-like animation featuring fantastic landscapes and pulsing streaks of color. The rules of the world are outlined—there are three live...

A young woman reflects on her youth in Queens during the early 90s. Swetha Regunathan directs “Wire & Cloth,” a second gen, coming-of-age account with the feeling of re-enacted memories aided by a meditative narration. Anika, the child of Indian immigrants, spends the day with her mother. The you...

A glance at the day-to-day happenings and peculiar inhabitants of a park in Russia. Zhenia Kazankina directs “Continuity of Parks,” a 16mm experimental piece shaping Greek mythological figures into everyday park-goers. Hecate looks for Cerberus after leaving it off-leash; the Moirae gossip while ...

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 ...

Grieving the death of her father, a young actress asks her ex-girlfriend to help with a self-tape audition. “Tradition,” directed by Akari, is a heavy drama that captures a tricky reunion and a flailing attempt to return to what once was. Max is in a state of emotional turmoil when Ryan swings by...

A feminine being reflects on a dispiriting sexual experience. Alexandra Neuman directs “Semen Retention For A Better Tomorrow,” a claymation musical that displays a colorful landscape of flora and fauna while reckoning with the patriarchy and the climate crisis. After making love, the woman refle...

Twentysomething J. and two of his close friends are in the process of realizing their utopian dream: turning an abandoned cathedral into a grant-powered, environmentally sustainable art space. A film that moves in small steps. Viewers are given little in terms of plot but are rewarded with though...

Wearing five GoPro cameras, a man attempts to visit every one of Trip Advisor’s “Top 315 Attractions in Miami'. Don’t say “I miss you.” Say “the content would have been better if you’d been in it.” That’s how Dylan (played by writer/director/camera platform Dylan Redford) begins trying to patch t...