Fed up with her dating prospects, Jess invites a nice guy from work over for dinner, only to find out he is even more problematic than the others. A stylized dark comedy about a young woman enduring a thirsty man’s “sweetness.” Written & Produced by Allie Scully. Directed by Alley Leinweber. Star...

Who’s that knocking at the door? Universal Love makes his way into the apartment of "The Girl" and refuses to leave.

A biracial girl caught between worlds prepares for her Bat Mitzvah and adulthood. Radiating with warmth and lived-in specificity, “Broken Bird,” directed by Rachel Harrison Gordon, is a tender coming-of-age drama about a divided upbringing. Birdie has reached a vulnerable age of anxiety and self-...

Two brothers steal a car in Lisbon, Portugal and head for a lighthouse. Directed by George Daniell, “The Valley of the Cats,” is an inventive lo-fi comedy adventure, shot on 8mm tape, part road movie, part descent into madness. Dead Eye and Square Hands, as the brothers are known, make their way ...

In Greek mythology a psychopomp is a being--god, spirit, or animal--that ushers souls into the underworld. In Loni Paone & Cooper Vacheron’s short film, psychopompitry is a decidedly aboveground craft, a blend of New Age healing and homebrew gadgetry that resembles hydraulically-assisted reiki, o...

Jed's family isn't how he remembered it. “Bennifer” is an absurd comedy about a strange homecoming, directed by Ryan McGlade and starring Keith Poulson as a deadpan orphan. Arriving to his childhood home after a long absence (by canoe no less), Jed finds his family situation completely different ...

A man with a broken arm looks for the perfect Christmas gift. David Cardoza and Griffin Conner direct “The Christmas Kid,” a festive character-study of a Manhattan gent told through run-and-gun photos and an affable voice over. It’s the morning of Christmas Eve and Gordon arises from bed in his N...

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 young woman on an imaginary journey experiences a brief romantic encounter. “Queens,” a visual poem by Alyssa Trawkina, follows the charming Tara — sometimes she’s joined by others, as when she jumps in a trampoline park, or rides up an escalator in sync with two other women. Other times, she’s...

A queer sci-fi about 10 aliens in human host bodies learning how to be men. Joseph Sackett directs “Dominant Species,” a profound and strangely funny exploration of what it means to be a man, and a commentary on social conformity and masculinity as dictated by narrow cultural and biological stand...

After being fired as a school administrator, a man turns to modeling to spread the word of God. “Seth’s Prayer,” directed by Danny Scharar, is a ludicrous comedy about unblinking faith and Christian ambition. Canned from his job for trying to indoctrinate children with his religious beliefs, Seth...

A college student wakes up late and must stand trial as he heads to class. Joshua Gleiser directs “The Trial,” an absurdist snapshot coursing with lo-fi manic energy about a young man accused of being spoiled, undisciplined, egotistical and more. Upon waking up, he is reprimanded by an old-timey ...

Recalling a story from her youth, a grandmother reckons with a life-changing decision and tries to reconnect with a mystical source. Tatiana Tift directs “Penny for your Thoughts,” a magical realist hybrid fiction about memory and identity. What at first appears to be a straightforward portrait o...

As she tries to wrangle her two-year-old daughter and an old dog, a young, single mother collects recyclables. Jefferey Liu’s “Hustle Mode” is a textured, New York City story shot on 16mm rendered with flustered charisma. With a waddling Beagle by her side, Lexi takes a bag of cans and bottles to...

In 1968, a young flight attendant bought 900 lbs of marijuana in Jamaica and tried to smuggle it out. Directed by Matthew Salton.

With the world on coronavirus lockdown, a college professor and a troubled student struggle to connect over Zoom. | Writer/Director: Nelson Kim.

A hybrid documentary about two trans men, who used to date in middle school, reconnecting 10 years later to develop a narrative film about their past. Brit Fryer and Noah Schamus direct “Across, Beyond, and Over,” a film made with warmth and vulnerability about the creative process and revisiting...