2024 Film Selection

During a time of crisis for the LGBTQ+ community in Florida, the drag queens of iconic establishment Hamburger Mary's seek refuge through a woman some claim to be the world's most powerful psychic medium, who has won the lottery over 500 times, and holds seances with them connecting to the beyond.
??

As Easy As Closing Your Eyes was developed with the belief that a new fictional technology like Amesten would allow us to explore one of the oldest and most universal human questions from a fresh vantage point. It's a film that asks how far we would go to get more time with the ones we've lost, a film that explores the unanswerable riddle of loving what is mortal.

In this intense short film, we follow Alex, a college student who steps into the seemingly perfect world of smart living. Little does he know, his AI assistant, Aura, is more than just a helpful companion. As Alex explores his futuristic smart apartment the lines between convenience and control starts to blur. Brace yourself for a cinematic experience that explores the darker side of artificial intelligence.????

The current day assault on democracy did not begin with Trumpism. It did not begin with the Tea Party. It did not begin with the Moral Majority. It did not even begin in this century. The current day assault on democracy began with the WHITE SUPREMACY MOVEMENT in the 1960?s as part of a shrewd, calculated, and well executed plan that became cloaked as a religious movement. Today those white supremacists and their heirs are known as Christian Nationalists. And BAD FAITH is their story.

Mary and Stan were once madly in love. But, things took a turn for the worst after years of marriage and an unfortunate accident changes their lives forever.

A lonesome creature born without eyes must traverse the abstract world that surrounds him in order to seek out the source of a strange sound that may hold the key to restoring his sight.

Case File A.O.D. is a psychological drama about the interplay between duty, guilt, and redemption. The film explores the journey of its protagonist, Gabriella, as she confronts the weight of her responsibilities and the emotional turmoil that comes with them. We witness Gabriella's introspective struggle and ultimate acceptance of her role. The visuals are designed to portray a sense of claustrophobia and tension within Gabriella's bedroom. This space serves as both a physical and psychological prison, reflecting her inner turmoil.
Gabriella?s emotional journey intensifies as she comes to terms with her purpose. The arch of the film speeds up as she searches for her exit. The story explores the complexities of duty and the emotional sacrifices required to fulfill one's responsibilities.

A little boy accidentally spots a cat fishing in the sky, but his parents don't believe him, so he wants to prove that what he says is true and is willing to spend everything he has to search for it, including his whole life.

When 6 middle school band parents have a meeting to determine the rules of their first overnight band field trip, one small misstep sends the event awry!

After going cold turkey on her psych meds, a tormented painter from the city gets invited to an isolated artist retreat with a mystical reputation, where she seeks real magic and inspiration, a seemingly impossible quest thanks to a skeptical journalist vowing to debunk the rumors of fairy sightings.???

On a planet at the edge of the galaxy, drones attacked a peaceful colony and killed all of the humans - except for one of two sisters, whose memory was damaged as a result of her injuries. After being rescued by an artificial intelligence with unique skills, she trains to be a drone runner -- a specialist whose primary purpose is to destroy renegade drones. After completing her training, she returns to the colony to confront the drones. But is it justice or revenge that she seeks?
?

(Atrapa Fantasmas) Marina an ice skater lives with her grandfather. One day, while skating, she has a vision of her dead mother. She will become obsessed practicing, hoping to see her again, forgetting to look after his present life. She will have to go through the grieving process, to accept her pain and her present and thus enjoy life and move forward.?????????????????????????

Seth Franco and James Rogen, two friends entering their 30's who still have the same jobs at the mall they've had since high school, just got cursed by a gypsy the week of Friday the 13th.

A man hires a contract killer to help him commit suicide; however cold feet and a watchful drone may prove too much for the seasoned hitman.

Their marriage was a joke in more ways than one,

For this aspiring actor, what happens when life imitates art?

A Film by Steve Belanger

A mother uses trees to commemorate the lost during the war. As
time passes, her child follows the same path as her.

An experimental multi-media animated series, is based off the feature film SPORK. (#1 on Netflix, HBO Award, Tribeca Audience Award, + more.) Written / Directed / Created via left-of-center filmmaker & D.I.Y. visual artist JB Ghuman, Jr. After creating his own Art Therapy class (#ThaExpressionists show projects on Insta) for challenged high school youth in the heart of infamous South Central LA

?

Life is clumsy. We rarely feel grace throughout life?s ebbs and flows, peaks and valleys of its seasons. Sometimes it?s within rare moments of stillness and silence that do occasionally exist that we must lean on those around us.
In the piece of music and its companion poem, Clair De Lune, the French title meaning ?moonlight?, takes us through a journey of introspection of the soul and life during all of its phases. In my own interpretation, the journey is a clumsy dance of life, but it also must have a peaceful balance, and with the chaos, we also need those who stabilize us.
We are consistently putting on a mask and acting like everything is ok for those around us, especially when life becomes challenging. When can we release that mask? When can we let that go and be ourselves with those we trust - no matter the phase of our life? What grace accompanies your clumsy dance of life?

A young woman who?s lived in the woods with her mother for as long as she can remember, meets an ill stranger who convinces her that she's been kidnapped from her real family.

foA shadowy figure, upon breaking into an abandoned home, finds a strange device which allows him a glimpse into the home's past.

Screener file with hardcoded English subtitles available upon request

Open captions for the hearing impaired are available in English by selecting 'Other' in the subtitle settingsr as long as she can remember, meets an ill stranger who convinces her that she's been kidnapped from her real family.

When the inner workings of their relationship are tested, Avery, Laurie, and Cameron must tell the truth about who they love, and who they are.

Lee grew up under the strict control of his father, eventually becoming an introverted and outdated modern cowboy. His father kept him confined to their hometown, forbidding him from leaving and, especially, from going to Los Angeles, where his mother lived. As his father was being ravaged by cancer and nearing the end of his life, he finally decided to let go and allow Lee to pursue his own path. He handed Lee a letter that not only contained his long-hidden expectations and love but also revealed his true identity. The father hoped that Lee would go to Los Angeles to transfer his control over him to an old friend?a dangerous gangster who lived there. Lee, together with his mute girlfriend who grew up with him, decided to embark on a journey with the letter, exploring a new world while also trying to unravel the mysteries his father left behind and find his own spiritual redemption.

People from around the world gather on the Space Coast to witness the launch of Artemis-1, the 'World's most powerful rocket.' But Mark, a veteran of the Space Shuttle Program, doubts this 'moondoggle' will ever fly.

Amidst the hysteria of the Red Scare in 1953 Chicago, a nightclub staff becomes entangled in a political scandal when their star performer's iconic red-and-gold pocket square becomes the focal point of media chaos.

Poyyamozi trails Jayson, a runaway trying to find in a mysterious woods alongside Chachan. Initially given direction by Chachan, Jayson's journey takes a dark turn as Chachan unveils vengeful intents.
Ultimately, Jayson confronts a startling truth, culminating in a gunshot resounding through the woods!

Left-behind children are a special group of children residing in the mountains and rural areas of China. Their parents migrate to larger or more developed cities in search of higher income and job opportunities, leaving their children behind to be cared for by grandparents, relatives, or other adults. Although they may have become accustomed to the absence of their parents, their desire for familial affection and protection remains strong. This documentary explores the present circumstances of left-behind children. The protagonist, Xuanxuan, is a ten-year-old girl whose parents left her to seek employment in the city of Shanghai when she was four years old. She is the epitome of China's more than six million left-behind children. These children stay silent, enduring the burden of their existence, the gradual wearing away of their solitude, and the intense pain of longing, just like the mountain they live on. Additionally, they are currently facing the problem of insufficient educational resources. While their monetary circumstances may be getting better, their education, emotional well-being, and spiritual development demand greater care and affection.

In 'Home,' Eve, personified as a house, establishes a connection with a man. Through subtle visuals, their relationship evolves, but neglect takes its toll, leading to unforeseen consequences. The film offers a cautionary glimpse, underscoring the significance of knowing your identity and the repercussions of losing that understanding.??????

Home alone on Halloween night, a bored man eats a laced brownie and becomes paranoid of the house around him in this hand drawn rotoscoped horror short.

Rooted in Israel's Dimona Desert, located about 70 miles south of Jerusalem, the Village of Peace and its community members live, work, and thrive in a hand built village solely dedicated to God and God?s wish for peace. The people in the village operate their daily lives as directed through the Old Testimate. After migrating from American cities such as Chicago and Atlanta, the group of Black Hebrews erected a village in the early 70s to practice their ways of life freely and peacefully.

Caught between loyalty and betrayal, two best friends, Vinny and Frank, face impossible choices as Vinny is ordered by a ruthless mafia boss to eliminate Frank?s father, while grappling with the haunting trauma of losing their childhood friend, leading to a tragic climax.

Neezy, a single female nurse starting a new job promotion in Miami. She copes with everyday life annoyed with dating scene, Miami traffic and the commute that she struggles with daily.
She takes a wrong turn and ends up on a road untraveled.
Discovering a SUV along side of the road with a child in distress who appears to need help.
Her current life is about to change as she thought she knew it to be. As her life is now on the line

When did we become a society that works so much, and in a way that benefits the workforce so little?
The History of Work unravels our modern relationships to work and contextualizes our capitalist work systems by examining how the nation?s past has created a foundation for
the present. From early humans to the Industrial Revolution to the COVID-19 pandemic, we?ll see how workplace structures and norms evolved into what we experience at work today.
This documentary aims to shed light on how we got here, expose you to new perspectives and take you on a journey of discovery about our relationship to work?and how we can change it.

Jules - a down on his luck cartoonist and compulsive gambler - wins big at an underground, high stakes poker game. He sets off on a. journey to rebuild his life - pay his debts, buy his happiness and repay those he's wronged. Unfortunately, the people he won the money from can't take the loss. They pursue Jules, determined to cut his happy future short.

A music video from the film Provenance - Episode 1: Genesis

Lyrics by
Sophia Peterson?
performed by
Arden Price

Young Portland, Maine-based band LEAF plays their biggest show yet at the Portland House of Music. This short documentary follows them through the hours before, during, and after the show.

Terrance needs to convince his fianc�, family and friends he does not have a drinking problem. But can he convince himself?
?

Grace, a teenage girl dying of cancer, crashes a funeral home to find out what will happen to her after she dies, but ends up teaching awkward funeral director Bill how to celebrate life.

A sonic visual 8K 3D 360 VR collaborative experience aimed at putting focus on the more subtle energies of human co-existence otherwise deemed as meekness. Or as filmmaker / artist JB ghuman JR has dubbed them, the "paSSive poWers.?

My wife and I have been actively involved with the Kuna Yala people and are continuing our efforts to share my Parents Paul & Anne Hemmers Cinematography efforts over many years.
It gives me great pleasure to share with the world this fascinating and colorful tribe of the Kuna Indians of the San Blas called
"The Golden Ones"

Vincent and his fish have something unique in common. The day that the man has been waiting for a long time brings with it unexpected events.

A romantic comedy about Tuan, a Vietnamese who leaves Saigon to start a new life in the US. He meets Jolie in an unexpected situation and their relationship becomes increasingly interesting. The film explores the experiences of Vietnamese-Americans in the US, including their dominance in the nail industry and the lengths they go to stay in the country. As Tuan and Jolie navigate the ups and downs of their relationship, viewers will be taken on a journey of laughter, love, and the realities of life for Vietnamese-Americans in the US.

In a peculiar city, people of different sizes walk the same streets, their heights and living spaces determined by their social status. The protagonist,Jan, feels disgusted with everything in the city.
One day, while accompanying his parents to a temple,Jan accidentally falls into the dwelling of a deity. There, he discovers a mural that can change his destiny. He attempts to alter the mural to become a completely new person, but things are not as easy as he imagined. After a series of adventures,Jan ultimately realizes that the power to decide his own fate lies within his own hands.

In Vedic india, a baby is found in a tree trunk, in the deep forests lining the Malini river in the Himalayas. Sage Kanva finds the baby, being nurtured by ?Shakunta? birds and the animals of the forest, by intuitive Perception possessed by Sages such as him, he learns that the baby is the child of a celestial nymph Menaka and Sage Vishwamitra. He decides to take this abandoned child under his wing and nurture her as his own, he gives her the name ?Shakuntala?. Shakuntala grows up as the Foster child of Sage Kanva, in the beautiful hermitage set on the banks of river Malini where plants, animals and sages live in beautiful harmony, they coexist as equals in a delightful, enchanted atmosphere.

4 Scuba Diver friends Rajiv, Chinmayi, Parag and Maya start atrip from Mumbai to konkan next day during the scuba dive Chinmayi got lost and suddenly Maya found the floating body of Chinmayi. After asking chinmayi says she saw a ship wreckand a box on it and when she tried touch it, she got a shock. All
friends decide to go to the same location and bring out the box to waada and find a body inside the box. Next day onwards some strange things start happening with them. suddenly Sonia small girl was found dead and police start investigating the cause of Soni's death and asks all 4 friends not to leave waada
without police permission. All friends call a Swami to find a solution. Swami performs Pooja and tells them about the soul
and what she wants. later at the end while trying to get them free from soul.

Four eccentric, but earnest musicians drop out of university to try their luck in the Boston music scene. Each with their motivations and vices, the story focuses on the character’s relationships, the tension that comes with drastic change, and the repercussions of prescription drug abuse

Roast Pork Butt is the story of the worst date I ever had.

Five teens who own a bicycle delivery business are thrown into adventure when one of the crew is hit and run and they have to catch the culprit on their own.

USA
An old-fashioned private detective is hired to find a missing woman, and comes across a wild, strange collection of characters.

​

Reminiscing high school memories, a soon-to-be college freshman relives the past through the pages of her scrapbook and the lens of her digital camera.

A young man and his sister grieve over the disappearance of their mother. Only later do they discover what part their dad had in her demise.

In this adventurous and heartwarming tale, a group of young friends, led by the determined Captain Tommy, embark on a quest to find the legendary Lost Treasure of Pirate Island. Armed with a mysterious map given to them by the enigmatic Mrs. Jenkins, the crew must navigate through various challenges and outsmart their rivals to claim the treasure.

A young girl suddenly develops a terminal illness, leaving her friends and family shaken, but they rally for her sake. With the help of her very best friend and loving older sister, they fight to keep her spirits up. With the help of an amazing doctor and a little bit of magic, they try to make her last days so special they will never be forgotten.

USA

​Amid the initial COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, Leroy, a married man, engages in a passionate but clandestine affair with Kiara, a much younger woman, in a New York City hotel. The story starts with their rendezvous at a Holiday Inn, where they indulge in substances and intimacy, despite Leroy's marital commitment. However, their tryst takes an unexpected turn when they fall asleep for two days due to intoxication.


Upon waking, they realize the gravity of the situation—the world is in a state of emergency due to the rapidly spreading pandemic.

After 8-year-old swimmer Destiny Tailor made a towel with her new sewing machine, it embraced her as she built wonderful childhood memories. When teen Destiny hangs the towel on the wall as she chases her fashion dreams, all the life absorbed into the fabric helps transform her future.

USA
A super Christian 29 year old virgin LA guy gives the online dating world a shot and he is soon taken to hell. It takes a whole lot of holy water to clean up the mess

A series of brutal murders on catholic authority causes a string of conspiracies to unravel and a notorious underground crime syndicate to go on high alert.

USA

As a result of tensions between the United States and Cuba, Cuban Americans have experienced exceptional identity and relational challenges that have persisted throughout their lives. Cuban Americans have remained cut off from their homeland, yet they continue to keep it psychologically present. Based on Dr. Rose M. Perez’s research employing the ambiguous loss framework, the film educates viewers on the historical and political backdrop leading to the post-1959 exodus that continues to the present day through the personal stories of Cuban Americans depicting how they cope with the loss of homeland and family separation. Through the interviewees' voices, this documentary tells the adjustment stories and coping strategies Cuban emigres employ. This film will become an effective tool for caregivers, educators, and researchers to understand, on an emotive level, the depth and longevity of this traumatizing loss. By demonstrating the effect of Cuban Americans’ lifelong struggle with separation, the stories told in this film increase awareness about the “Ambiguous Loss of homeland” and suggest practical strategies for coping with this chronic, traumatic type of loss.

Afghanistan

Soraya is a female journalist who has been trying to spread news of the difficult situation of Afghan women to the world for years. This issue exposes her career. Taliban forces surprise Soraya and her friends once they arrest her at home on her birthday.

USA

What’s it like to leave everything you know? To flee war torn Myanmar and wake up in a refugee camp? And, finally, to be resettled in the US South?

Young Burmese refugees navigate these waters, building new lives in Georgia with their homeland top of mind. They face a reality where many parents work endlessly at chicken factory jobs to make a better lives for them. They overcome generational issues, learn English and try to fit in at school. They leave behind loved ones in peril in Myanmar,
balancing difficult everyday lives with resilience and compassion, looking for brighter futures.

Florida Premiere-USA

Coming of age film set in the early 1990's -
In a time of less connectivity but more adventure. Teenagers, Chad and Ryan, take another step toward their own perception of manhood and devise a plan to invite their girlfriends on a no-parents camping trip.
Things seem to be going perfectly when the kids stumble upon a duffle bag of money in the forest. The situation takes a turn for the worse when the suburban teens find themselves mixed up with a nefarious group of locals and their crime boss - the newly elected sheriff Baker.
Amongst all the chaos an evil presence lurks deep inside the forest. Two Vietnam vets and several townies are convinced the origins are extraterrestrial and not of this planet.
Set in South/Central Florida in the early nineties, Dark Hammock highlights the independent streak of the era and the importance of having your friends back. It’s a throwback to all the Latch-Key kids who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s.​​​

USA

Florida Premiere
USA
When perfectionist third-grader Juniper Santos loses the student council elections, she runs away from school and hides in a closet at home. Her childhood toy, Howard the sloth, comes to life and implores her to return to her dream planet, Pepperonia. A mysterious sickness has descended upon the lands and it will soon turn to ruin. As they journey through the lands, Juniper must face her inner darkness and express herself before her dream planet fades away forever.