A woman finds a way out of an abusive relationship. “Blue Light,” directed by Lucia Martinez Garcia, is an experimental portrait of a woman’s escape told through sci-fi elements. In the darkness, we overhear a fuming fall-out between a couple on their last leg. With an abrupt, and possibly violen...

In America for the first time, a German teenager heading to a party with a group of boys becomes entangled with the police. “Interstate 8,” directed by Anne Thieme, is an understated drama, an immersive minute-by-minute procedural that explores cop culture, immigration, and lines of unspoken comm...

After witnessing a violent beating on the boardwalk, a 12-year-old boy starts to feel his sleepy coastal town closing in around him. “Sparrow,” directed by Boris Krichevsky and Nikita Zarkh, is a quietly arresting character study rendered with striking images of desolate seaside locales. The boy,...

When Sherri gets arrested for shoplifting from work, she needs to find money for legal fees. Amandine Thomas writes, directs and stars in “Cherry Cola,” a dramatic portrait delivered with sharp-edged dialogue and vivid characterizations about a young woman on the verge of a breakdown. Living with...

On his 25th birthday, Cary brings his friends to the desert and requests one gift: for them to list everything they hate about him. “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know,” directed by Neal Suresh Mulani, is a sharp-tongued comedy about insecure friendships and going to extreme lengths to uncover true f...

In this experimental fashion film, a young woman enjoys a peaceful, secluded picnic before venturing into the bustling city. “Australian Sweetheart”, by Jane Inyang, is composed of a series of elegant images portraying a feeling and a style. We’re paying close attention to the clothes and the com...

The relationship between a young man and woman slowly deteriorates as they struggle to come to grips with a past decision. Directed by Christian Nolan Jones. Cast: Patrick Cage, Zoë Soul, Curtiss Cook Jr., Corey Champagne & ReGina Niccole.

Adam Bernet's last wish was for his funeral guests to watch a special video he made, reenacting his final, gruesome, moments on Earth. “My Great Funeral Movie” is a morbid comedy that cycles through several scenarios of possible death. From a small TV wheeled out in front of a congregation, a tap...

A man films a woman describing patterns. “Usually I’m Very Supportive of Delusion,” directed by Nic Murphy and written by Jessica Garrison (winner of the NoBudge Audience Award in January for her recent directorial effort, “DIME”), is a hard-to-describe experimental film which uses a simple struc...

A Brooklyn couple navigates their unsteady relationship while hosting an Airbnb guest and a despondent friend. “Space,” by director Jesse Thurston, finds its characters in precarious zones, struggling to verbalizing inner thoughts, deferring conversations, balancing love and transparency. It’s a ...

A peculiar relationship develops between a Mukbang YouTuber and her editor. “Amuse Bouche,” directed by Jacob Klemmer, highlights a bizarre online video genre where on-screen personalities eat food and interact with users. Here the show is called Natalie Eats, an ASMR type presentation where Nata...

A group of friends in Los Angeles get together for a soup competition. Aelfie Oudgiri presents “2nd Annual 2007 Soup Off: the Documentary,” a fun-loving profile of a tongue-in-cheek event built around an ensemble of soup makers/eaters/judges. Slowly but surely the competitors arrive with their so...

A young woman with a rare disorder is confined to a dark house. Directed by Zach Fleming.

A woman struggles to make sense of her daughter’s disappearance. “Lolo,” directed by Owynn Kaye, is a moody experimental thriller with a constantly shifting point of view. The woman, an aspiring musician, sneaks out with her boyfriend (played by NB veteran, Jordan Raf). After her sudden disappear...

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 ...

An anxious musician finds himself unable to leave his hotel room. Dan Arnés writes and stars in “Please Enjoy Your Stay,” a surreal comedy that employs an ever-shifting dream logic to explore issues of identity and artistic process. Surrounded by slips of paper with scattered notes, a man attempt...

A lonely weed dealer spirals when she tries to make conversation with an uninterested client. “Sativa,” directed by Kelly Cooper and Johnny Frohman, is an absurd sketch film built around a loopy performance from Cooper and a pointless query. Tynan DeLong plays a musician working on a dog food com...

A disoriented man tries to feed a fish in the desert. “Blue Berries,” directed by and starring Sam Millstein, is an allegory on addiction, a vividly shot dramatization of losing track of one’s basic responsibilities. His task seems simple — walk 30 yards to feed a fish swimming in a fish tank. Th...

An adventure film starring Skillman as a great masculine hero who defeats a one-eyed nemesis, finds the glowing red orb he's been searching for his whole life & rescues his leading lady. A couple minutes in, after a grand kiss, it's over, the end. The music swells and we cut to the Epilogue. Havi...

Five bored high school senior girls are planning a party for their friend Colby, who doesn't seem too excited about it. The credits give these girls names, but the film doesn't. Instead, they are identifiable as the bitchy alpha blonde, the sad sack with an eating disorder, the airhead in pigtail...

Sean is an artist who works in music & film. His work has been featured at the Hammer Museum, SXSW, San Francisco International Film Festival, and Pictoplasma Berlin. His art has been presented online with Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, SPIN, Vogue, and his experimental documentary The Duel, based on ...

A young woman recalls her lover and children. Written and Directed by Ryan Henry Knight. Creative Direction by Ryan Henry Knight and Luigi Thomas. Cast: Gelilla Mekonnen, Amira Nailah, Scott Moon, Ben Spencer, Paris Howard, Luigi Thomas.