Two commercial actors in L.A. navigate awkward social interactions and problematic behavior. Whit Conway directs “Mo & Bert,” a buddy comedy centered around ethnographic stereotypes. Mo, a middle-eastern American, and Bert, a Latino-American, arrive at a commercial audition. There, a receptionist...

A man desperately fights for his place in the world by defeating a child in a game of basketball. “Public Park,” directed by Alosha Robinson, features Brian Fiddyment as a meandering man caught in a series of peculiar exchanges. Dan begins his day purchasing unlabeled shampoos and creams from an ...

A stylish exploration of movement and attitude that reflects a spirited response to a chaotic world. “TriKE,” directed by Giselle Bonilla and performed by Brianna Mims, is an experimental portrait, wonderfully expressive and attuned to texture, color, and mood. A woman dances on a roof; she poses...

A Christmas movie about family, the Apocalypse and an immaculately pregnant man. Directed by and starring Jordan Michael Blake, “Clean Blood,” is one of the strangest holiday shorts you’ll ever see. It’s a blood-soaked affair with an outlandish premise, but just as defined by an ultra mundane fam...

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...

Things get turned upside down when a man wakes up believing he’s Joe Louis, the boxing legend. Theodore Collatos directs “Palookaville,” a New York dramedy that follows an unsettled man through a bizarre condition. JoJo begins his day at the deli and heads back to his sister’s Brooklyn apartment ...

On his way to Brad's animal-themed housewarming party, Richard stops at CVS and calls a close friend for advice about his costume. “The Woodpecker,” made by the directing team of Courtney Bush, Will Carington, and Jake Goicoechea, is a subtly funny slice-of-life sequence. In other hands, it might...

At 92 years of age, Ruth Young still maintains an active life aided and accompanied by her jolly 53 year old friend, David Matiz. Emma Baiada directs “Old Young,” a beautifully observed documentary portrait on life, death and companionship. Ruth goes about her days working in the yard, or reviewi...

When a young couple moves to an off-the-grid farm in Vermont, they are forced to confront the challenges of self-subsistence and living in isolation. Niall Cunningham directs “Annie,” a paced drama observing the growing tension and relationship dynamics between Annie and Simon and their idealisti...

Inspired by the photo book format, this short documentary focuses on the seasonal workers of a small island. Charlie Weber directs “Small Hours,” a collection of summer snippets captured with evocative visuals and an ambling spirit. Kids do backflips off a pier, walk along the beach, work jobs at...

A forgotten handheld camera disrupts the bedtime routine of a single mother and her young son. Pisie Hochheim and Tony Oswald direct “Handheld,” a tender drama on family bonds and frays carried by wonderfully real performances from Jordan Gosnell and Emery Oswald. One night while searching for a ...

A mother surprises her adult children with a trip to the cemetery where she wants to be buried. Lizi Latimer and Myriam Schroeter direct “Dead Serious,” a dramatic comedy reckoning with mortality and family ethnicity. The bickering millennial siblings Liv and Matt wait for their mom in the car. W...

The lives of three strangers — a pigeon keeper, a webcam model, and a man haunted by ghosts — are captured in this documentary short. Director, Editor: Ben Garchar.

On the evening of her birthday, a young woman hopes to unwind in solitude but is disrupted by her best friend’s good intentions. Caroline Falls writes and directs “SURPRISE!,” a dramatic comedy contending with complex friendships and projected expectations. Kayla, the birthday girl, returns home ...

A young woman drifts through a series of wintry adventures after leaving her backyard and heading into the woods. A lovely stop-motion animation by Evie Metz and Nick Daly, “Snow Angel” envisions a magical place where you can ride a reindeer, or ice skate on a pond encircled by giant sunflowers. ...

Two twenty-somethings, unrelated, struggle to maintain their personal relationships going about their day-to-day life in Vancouver. Brian Daniel Johnson directs “Side Walks,” a simple, yet cinematic, look at the lives of two young adults mainly told through their phone calls. Simon lives with his...

Hannah is an Australian model living a perfect life in L.A., except when she chooses to be “bad”. In this parody profile, directed by Blair Beeken, we get a light-hearted jab at the ultra beautiful, healthy, and self-absorbed. Mollie Merkel writes and stars as the Instagram model with a penchant ...

A landscaper finds something in the dirt that leads down a rabbit hole. Dave Paige directs “Cuxball,” an eerie comedy about an odd discovery and the mystery and paranoia it reveals. At an early morning landscaping job, Sam finds a cassette tape buried in the ground under some weeds. After Sam man...

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...