WINNERS
Best Drama
"Ghost Girl"
Best Animation
"MILA"
Best Horror
"Imaginary"
Best Documentary
"View Finder"
Best Comedy
"SWIPE"
Best International
"Day X"
Best Oklahoma Film
"DOG"
Best Native American Film
"My First Native American Boyfriend"
Best Student Film
"Post Possession"
Best of Fest
"SWIPE"
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Listed Alphabetically
A Bitter Fruit
Director: Ryan Weatrowski
Running Time: 15 mins
Block 4
State/Country: California
Description: Sisters WREN & EILEEN are orphans, still living in the secluded vacation home where their parents killed each other.
Bloom
Director: Paul De Cinque
Running Time: 8 mins 40 secs
Block 6
State/Country: Australia
Description: Bloom tells the lighthearted comedic tale of Betty, an elderly woman whose rich inner life belies her seemingly conventional appearance. The impromptu discovery of her 60's hit single and beloved, colourful scarf catapults Betty into a dancing reverie. When her daughter Greta sends a tactless gift, Betty's rebellious nature comes to the fore in an hilarious act of defiance.
Chalk Houses
Director: Ashley Ballinger, Luke Garrison
Running Time: 3 mins 23 secs
Block 3
State/Country: Oklahoma
Description: Looking back on yesteryear, Five Year Gap takes a trip down memory lane. Set in their hometown of Tonkawa, OK, Brody and Ciara show what growing up in smalltown USA looked like for them. Reminiscing on her childhood, Ciara reflects on those friendships that are sadly no more. Nostalgia can be bittersweet.
Day X
Director: Katharina Rivilis
Running Time: 20 mins
Block 5
State/Country: Germany
Description: June 17th 1953, Frida’s 8th birthday, was to be a celebration, but instead tanks are rolling through the streets of East-Berlin. Frida and her mother are waiting for the birthday guests, but they won't come today. Nor does her father return from the demonstration, and Frida’s mother slowly begins to lose control. Outside, protests turn into a political revolt and the revolt is brutally crushed.
DOG
Director: Devin Montgomery
Running Time: 7 mins 48 secs
Block 2
State/Country: Oklahoma
Description: Out for revenge, Lucas finally comes face to face with the man he's been tracking for years. He will be faced with the question of if people can really change, or not.
Dollar Generals
Director: Claire Downs, Brenden Gallagher
Running Time: 13 mins 17 secs
Block 4
State/Country: California
Description: A young ex-convict and her boyfriend get jobs at a dollar store in hopes of pulling a cash-skimming scam that quickly goes awry.
Earl's Town
Director: Matt Cerwen
Running Time: 15 mins
Block 1
State/Country: Australia
Description: Earl Thompson forgets things, even his own son. But he can still raise hell.
Finding Tyler
Director: Chris Brannan, Diana Reichenbach
Running Time: 20 mins
Block 4
State/Country: Georgia
Description: In August of 2003, Tyler Johnson was a prized scholar in theoretical physics. Months later he was homeless on the island of Corsica, a fugitive wanted by the FBI. For six years Tyler sent letters to his family, each containing cryptic clues about his condition. Then the letters stopped arriving...
Forty Years From Now
Director: John Manna
Running Time: 19 mins 25 secs
Block 6
State/Country: New York
Description: Forty years after graduation, three High School friends reunite to fulfill a pact to dig up a coffee can they buried containing predictions and secrets written by their younger selves. The contents spark revelations about their past, while potentially changing the course of their futures.
Ghost Girl
Director: Paavo Hanninen
Running Time: 12 mins
Block 3
State/Country: Louisiana
Description: On the night before she is set to leave New Orleans to audition for a high-budget television pilot in Los Angeles, Ashley must overcome her best friend and closest collaborator's attempts to thwart her ambitions as this sudden opportunity reveals the long-festering differences between the two of them.
Her Look
Director: Jason Vandygriff
Running Time: 10 mins 13 secs
Block 5
State/Country: Texas
Description: The story of a young widower who encounters a college acquaintance at her coffee shop and they reminisce about the woman they loved.
Hunter's Cabin
Director: N'cee van Heerden
Running Time: 14 mins 58 secs
Block 5
State/Country: Canada
Description: A young father withdraws to a remote cabin to face his curse alone, but he's not the only one with a dark past in the woods tonight.
Imaginary
Director: Humberto Guzman
Running Time: 6 mins 32 secs
Block 4
State/Country: New Jersey
Description: A babysitter gets more than she bargains for when the child she cares for forms an unlikely friendship.
Justin and the Werloobee
Director: Ken Yoffe & Ellen Weisberg, John Vo
Running Time: 10 mins 56 secs
Block 3
State/Country: Massachusetts
Description: We meet Justin, a sensitive, introspective boy whose physical features and personality make him a convenient target for many of his cruel peers. One night, he wakes to find himself on a mysterious island, which is inhabited by a horde of bizarre creatures.
Mila
Director: Cinzia Angelini
Running Time: 14 mins 4 secs
Block 2
State/Country: California
Description: A war story that takes on a child's perspective. Inspired by World War II stories from the director's mother, the character of Mila represents the best of humanity. Although she has lost everything - her family, her house, her peace - she still clings to hope.
Milk
Director: Celia Jaspers
Running Time: 5 mins
Block 6
State/Country: New Zealand
Description: When she sees an old man unable to pay for his milk, a young girl has a change of heart.
More Juice
Director: Gabriel Thibodeau
Running Time: 12 mins 32 secs
Block 3
State/Country: California
Description: Tess avoids her breast cancer diagnosis while housesitting her childhood home. When her estranged cousin arrives unannounced to “comfort” her, it's clear he has unresolved issues of his own.
My First Native American Boyfriend
Director: Joey Clift
Running Time: 4 mins 45 secs
Block 5
State/Country: California
Description: Johnny is Emily’s first Native American boyfriend, and now that they’ve been dating for a few months, she’s going to take this golden opportunity to apologize for every microaggression she has ever made against Native Americans.
On / Off
Director: Nicolas P. Villarreal
Running Time: 7 mins
Block 6
State/Country: Argentina
Description: Endless distractions threaten to destroy creativity.
Page Turner
Director: Christian Grüner
Running Time: 2 mins 11 secs
Block 2
State/Country: Germany
Description: Angelo Volpini turns music score pages for pianists. His job is not to attract attention. When the applause sounds after the concert, he disappears behind the stage without anyone noticing. His name does not appear in any program booklet.
Post Possession
Director: Noah Jorgensen
Running Time: 13 mins 23 secs
Block 1
State/Country: California
Description: Following her mother’s exorcism, college-bound Sam struggles to restore family order while balancing her sickly sister Joni, her distant mother, and her own ambitions in a drastically changed household.
Ruth & Nick: A Confectionary Tale
Director: Carter Rostron
Running Time: 6 mins 21 secs
Block 4
State/Country: Missouri
Description: This stop-motion animated short tells the bittersweet story of Nick, a piece of candy who falls in love with a girl who seems out of reach. This film was made by 15-year-old Carter Rostron of Kansas City, using cardboard, construction paper, and a bunch of candy.
Solo
Director: Jon Cortegoso
Running Time: 8 mins 34 secs
Block 2
State/Country: Spain
Description: A new day begins in Miguel's lonely life. One more day, in which his only company is his old and habitual radio in the living room, the one that never fails him. But today is different. Today, more than ever, a nostalgic and homesick feeling takes hold of our main character. Miguel really misses his family, his children and grandchildren... They don't see each other as much as they used to.
Streamer Stalker
Director: Gaelan Draper
Running Time: 13 mins 10 secs
Block 2
State/Country: New York
Description: "Streamer Stalker" is a 13 minute, horror/comedy film about a successful video game streamer (Connor Del Rio) who finds himself haunted by his new fame and by one of his fans in particular.
Swipe
Director: Anthony Sneed
Running Time: 5 mins 21 secs
Block 6
State/Country: New York
Description: A delinquent teenage boy learns a valuable lesson about growing up.
Take Me To The End of World
Director: Wei Geng
Running Time: 10 mins 48 secs
Block 1
State/Country: China
Description: In A.D. 2629, replicants replaced human beings to become the masters of the earth, and their society was in order. Each replicant had a clear division of labor in the society. Adam-0105, as the "executor", received the instruction from the "system" to wrecked another replicant. However, this will become the only failed task in his career.
Tea With The Reaper
Director: Ryan Simons
Running Time: 12 mins 17 secs
Block 2
State/Country: United Kingdom
Description: An amateur ghost hunter opens the door to the other side to welcome his daughter back, but when the dead wreak havoc in the village... the Reaper comes knocking.
Director: Kiana Klysch
Running Time: 12 mins
Block 3
State/Country: Germany
Description: On a dark and stormy night, in an isolated hotel, two strangers' lives intersect as they try to figure out whether or not the guest next door died under suspicious circumstances.
There is exactly enough time
Director: Oskar Salomonowitz
Running Time: 2 mins 12 secs
Block 1
State/Country: Austria
Description: Oskar Salomonowitz, the 12-year-old son of filmmakers Anja Salomonowitz and Virgil Widrich, had drawn 206 frames of a flip book when he died in an accident. Using the remaining blank sheets, his father continued drawing the film.
There's Something in the Silence
Director: Mike Castro
Running Time: 7 mins 45 secs
Block 6
State/Country: New York
Description: Erin's new hearing aids have been picking up voices and sounds she's unable to explain. In an attempt to quiet the voices, she confronts them head on-- only to find there may be something more sinister lurking in the depths of silence.
Timmy's Monster
Director: Agnes Ho
Running Time: 5 mins 25 secs
Block 5
State/Country: Georgia
Description: The film follows the journey of a boy named Timmy who is born the strongest and tallest out of his siblings. Immediately recognizing his own strength above the rest, Timmy expects his monster companion to share his same qualities: tallest and mightiest. To his disbelief, he ends up with the tiniest monster possible. With this test against his ego, Timmy must learn to embrace this weakness.
View Finder
Director: Dylan Lloyd
Running Time: 15 mins 43 secs
Block 1
State/Country: California
Description: A 25 year old photographer begins living in his van right when the lockdown/ quarantine occurs in LA. He struggles with loneliness, continuing to create his art with photography, and finding a community in a world that views his van as "creepy" rather than the "#VanLife" style people glorify.
Wolf In His Belly
Director: Oluwaseyi Thomas
Running Time: 8 mins 22 secs
Block 3
State/Country: Florida
Description: A two-time cancer survivor reflects how the art of Aikido serves as a lifeline in processing mental and physical recovery.
You Already Know
Director: Reagan Elkins
Running Time: 4 mins 51 secs
Block 5
State/Country: Oklahoma
Description: The Imaginaries enjoy everyday life together as a married couple in this 1960's/1970's inspired music video that gives a nod to classic American sitcoms.