Synopsis

The works in this program muck around the dark corners of human experience, bringing forth the darkly comedic, can’t-help-but-laugh moments that arise in difficult times. Featuring works by Daniel Sinclair, Malia Ann, Azadeh Navai, Lou Marino, Peter Collins Campbell, and Éric K. Boulianne.

A surprise interruption during a fruitless therapy session brings a married couple closer than they thought possible in the hilarious The Breakthrough (U.S.). A lonely man is perplexed when his mother passes away and leaves him with her heart in a jar in the beautifully tender The Heart (U.S.). The endlessly charming Rizoo (Iran, U.S.) follows a rebellious 8-year-old who recently moved back to Tehran from the United States as she navigates familial and societal expectations. An intimate and endearing work of docu-fiction, Geranios (Chile) follows best friends whose effortless charisma and fierce dedication carries them through tough times. In the delightfully idiosyncratic Variations on a Theme (U.S.), a couple starts literally splitting into multiple versions of themselves. The ups and downs of a couple’s journey trying to get pregnant are humorously and compassionately explored in Making Babies (Canada).

Synopsis

These powerful shorts reflect on life’s twists and turns, exploring what we do in moments of profound impact. Featuring works by Valeria Hofmann, Kasım Ördek, Anya Chirkova, Meran Ismailsoy, Jorge Cadena, and Morad Mostafa.

A gamer reveals the sexist harassment and threats she receives from online trolls and finds they infiltrate more than just her computer in the tense thriller AliEN0089 (Chile, Argentina). A young couple is brought to a breaking point when their lifestyle of stealing cars goes too far in Together, Alone (Turkey, France). An Iranian immigrant enlists his son’s help to negotiate with his landlord with both disastrous and humorous results in Baba (Canada). In Flores del otro Patio (Colombia, Switzerland), a group of queer activists in the north of Colombia uses fearless performance art and direct action to protest the region’s largest coal mine. In the aftermath of a violent incident, a 17-year-old must do all he can to protect his family before it’s too late in the stunning and impactful I Promise You Paradise (Egypt, France, Qatar).

Synopsis

These tense and terrifying shorts reflect how everyday life can turn into horror. Featuring works by Joséphine Darcy Hopkins, Olivia Loccisano, Stephanie Izsak, Kristine Gerolaga, Daphne Gardner, and Michael Gabriele.

Sweet Tooth (France) follows a game among children that grows increasingly out of control. After having her first period, a young girl goes through an unexpected transformation in First Blood (Canada). A teen girl discovers a new way to keep up with toxic beauty standards, but things don’t go as planned in Consumer (Canada). In Mosquito Lady (U.S.), a pregnant teen girl tries to get an abortion despite the objections of her conservative parents, forcing her into an unconventional and horrific experience. In the Flesh (U.S.) finds Tracey pleasuring herself in the shower when the pipes explode and she starts to leak black goo. In Get Away (U.S.), a group of friends rents a remote house in the desert. There, they find an old TV, a VHS player, and a tape containing terrifying coincidences.

Synopsis

Discover the next generation of great filmmakers with CineYouth’s 2023 award winners! From animated gems to impactful documentaries, experimental genre-benders to heartfelt dramas, this eclectic and impressive group of films are all made by directors 22-years-old or younger! Featuring works by Caleb Jacobson, Ian Kim, Andee Williams, Aniya Carey, Antoinette Green, Iyanna Jordan, Aria Gazor, Bjorgvin Arnarson, Irène-Kimberley Valin-Awashish, Julian Barahona, Janay Kelley, and Daisy Friedman.

A couple is a bright spot in their community, running a publishing business for Black creatives and growing a family through foster adoption, in the inspiring portrait and Documentary Award-winner Believe in Wonder (U.S.).

The largely animated documentary (and Animation Award-winner) My Sisters in the Stars (U.S./South Korea) provides vital historical perspective through the story of Lee Yong-soo, one of 11 living survivors of human trafficking in Japanese-colonized Korea.

Chicago Award-winner Taste of 75th (U.S.) is a celebration of famous eats on Chicago’s South Side featuring Brown Sugar Bakery, Original Soul Vegetarian, and Mabe’s Deli.

After an unfair evaluation of a classmate’s film, two students decide to get even with the principal in the absurdist Comedy Award-winner Judgment (Iran).

Experimental Award-winner TOWERFALL (U.S.) is a work of horror-tinged docufiction that presents footage and audio from the 1968 Yanaguana Tower of Americas tragedy to tell an alternate history of San Antonio.

Courageous and hopeful, the documentary essay and International Award-winner Lullaby (Canada) explores coming of age and the power of the unconscious.

Faced with financial challenges, a single mother takes her young son to the moon using the magic of storytelling in Audience Award-winner A Trip to the Moon (U.S.).

The River (U.S.) is an impassioned, poetic expression of a community’s response to the loss of a young girl that addresses sexual violence, grief, and trauma.

In Drama Award-winner As You Are (US), an interabled couple’s first night together leads them to confront complex relationships with desire, bodily autonomy, and what it means to truly love another person.

Synopsis

Apostles of Cinema explores Tanzania’s unique film culture, examining the art of pirating, local cinema houses, and distribution networks while raising the question of whether the means by which we access films truly matters. The remarkable short film captures how cinema creates community, inspires creativity, and emphasizes the need for preservation.

This film screens as part of the Shorts 7: Black Perspectives – Resonance program.