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Film Media Archives: Digital cinema

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A stressed woman wearing a blue jacket looks towards something beyond the camera

Arm and a Leg

  Sam Clayton, Age 22

  Chicago, Illinois, United States     11 minutes

Synopsis

Suffocated by the confines of suburban culture, April finds catharsis in wild, uninhibited physical movement. Her struggle for self-expression is empathetically depicted through claustrophobic visuals that reflect her oppression.

This film screens as part of the Best of CineYouth 2025 shorts program.

  

 English 

Film Credits

  •   Tristan Baumeister, Madie Giaconia
  •   Sam Clayton
  •   Eliza Bent, Dennis Grimes

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Two Korean guys fighting with one guy holding a steel plate upward and the other guy using a broom to hit the plate

Check Please

  Shane Chung, Age 22

  Evanston, Illinois, United States     10 minutes

Synopsis

In this action comedy, a Korean and a Korean-American fight over their pride, honor, and who gets to pick up the tab. With stellar fight choreography and sound effects, Check Please is an impressive and playful homage to martial arts films.

This film screens as part of the Best of CineYouth 2025 shorts program.

  

 Korean, English with subtitles

Film Credits

  •   Anna Castagnaro, Nick Leahy
  •   Shane Chung
  •   Madie Giaconia
  •   Tristan Baumeister
  •   Richard Yan, Sukwon Jeong
  •   Nathan Pruyne
  •   Lydia Hearst, Hyunyoung Lee

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A group of mourning women cluster around the body of a young girl.

Chiquita Piconera

  Mey Montero, Age 22

  Spain     12 minutes

Synopsis

A grieving mother uses vibrant Spanish dancing to cope with the loss of her youngest daughter, but the intensity of her grief threatens her relationship with her eldest child.

This film screens as part of the Best of CineYouth 2025 shorts program.

  

 Spanish with subtitles

Film Credits

  •   Clara Atero
  •   Mey Montero, Almudena García
  •   Víctor Merino
  •   Carlos Cuervo
  •   Lucía Fernández, Helena Martín, Jimena Toledo
  •   MArcos Carvajal
  •   TAI, Moira Pictures

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Paper cut-outs of various creatures crowd the frame, one holds a broken heart.

Paper Love

  Jeremi Rzadowski, Age 9

  Poland     6 minutes

Synopsis

When a princess decides to escape from a possessive ruler, she wonders if her desire for freedom will triumph over the king’s despotic visions. Paper Love is brought to life through animated paper cut-outs and an entrancing score that together showcase the young filmmaker’s inventive imagination.

This film screens as part of the Best of CineYouth 2025 shorts program.

  

 No Dialogue 

Film Credits

  •   Konrad Rzadowski
  •   Jeremi Rzadowski

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A Latino man and an Black man in a light blue prison uniform smile at each other while sitting at a desk.

Hey Hugo Annie Xia & Ysa Quiballo, Ages 21 & 22

  Annie Xia, Ysa Quiballo

  Chicago, Illinois, United States     15 minutes

Synopsis

Hugo, a well-loved family man, has spent nine years in prison for murder he insists he did not commit. As he waits for his case to be reopened and his conviction overturned, his family recounts fond memories with him.

This film screens as part of the Best of CineYouth 2025 shorts program.

  

 English 

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