In New York City, a man named Lenny looks after his mother who is experiencing memory loss and hallucinations. “I’ll Be Here For Awhile,” directed by Dylan and Dakota Pailes-Friedman, is an elliptical drama told with quietly evocative visuals about identity loss and the burdens shouldered by love...

On Valentine's Day in Toronto, a young couple's relationship is fragmented by performance. “V-DAY,” directed by Zachary Lacosse, is a slow-burn drama that’s highly observant of a long-distance couple and their awaited encounter to see each other on the February holiday. We meet a young man, in hi...

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...

In a future where women are dying rapidly, a female psychologist counsels orphaned children to find answers. A stunningly achieved dystopian tale directed by Blake Salzman, “Midwife” is notable for its melding of genre and art-house sensibilities, and a powerful lead performance by Jules Willcox ...

The first river returns to Earth on a holographic tour. Robert Sommerlad directs “River One,” the story of a post-natural future told through 2D animation and an ambient being’s narration. Announcing the grand return of a river, exhibited for the first time to a young generation, the film weaves ...

The humble beginnings of the photograph used as the default background of Windows XP, one of the most seen images of all time, becomes a playful rumination on culture, aesthetics, and impermanence. “Bliss,” directed by Zachary Loren Jones, tells the story of a man named Charles, the photographer ...

A group of young friends in Boston navigate their combustible youth, making moves towards romance, artistic expression, and outer space. A lo-fi jolt of cinematic playfulness, “Maya Forever” is constantly shifting, never tied down to believability or realism, always jump-cutting in and out and aw...

At a dystopian grade school, a determined 11-year-old girl struggles during her final exams. Wylie Anderson directs “How to Cry on Command,” a hilarious satire looking at the requirements and consequences of pursuing stardom. At “Celebrity Preparatory for Girls,” there are classes on how to speak...

A spurned lover seeks revenge.

Two Brooklyn filmmakers make a personal documentary about playing the lottery. Stephanie Ibarra and Anna Torzullo direct and star in “Fortuna,” a satirical portrait that follows the friends and co-directors as they reckon with the possibility of becoming millionaires. Each wielding Sony handycams...

A not-quite-pornographic vignette from 1991. Sexy attorneys come together to discuss a horrific bus accident. Directed by Laura Moss. Written by Brendan J. O’Brien and Laura Moss.

It's 2 AM and Vince just wants to know why his best friend hasn’t watched his short film yet. Hugo De Sousa and Frank Mosley direct “The Event,” a painfully awkward dark comedy about the deep speculation and confusion of not feeling supported in an artistic pursuit. Incisively written and perfect...

A struggling actor in L.A. goes in for an audition. It doesn’t go well. Presented as an eight minute single-take, “Everything Happens to Me” is a funny and painful glimpse into chasing your dreams well past the point of no return. When he arrives, he’s frazzled and unprepared, having just got off...

A young man becomes obsessed with a mysterious device that allows him to hear every bad thing anyone has ever said about him. Corey Sherman directs “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” an animated dark comedy where a man’s newfound access to surveil his so-called friends sabotages his sanity. When Neil returns ...

In the old American South, a misplaced black teen with a white adoptive family becomes curious about her roots after hearing birds for the first time. Shannon M. Sutherland directs “They Flew Like Blackbirds,” a magical-realist drama set in the deep south in the early 20th century. Found as a bab...

A first date is disrupted by car trouble and a mysterious hitchhiker. Boothe Carlson’s “Excursion” is a lo-fi voyage from the inside of a navy Prius where a trio of odd characters are locked in a series of awkward exchanges. May and Thomas have their first date at a mall in Queens. In the parking...

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...