It is Quiet Here.
Director - Olena Podolianko, Novruz Hikmet
13 min.
Ukraine

A young couple is torn from the world for one long night in a hotel room in a town near the border. That night they agreed not to talk about the war. Completely lost in each other' s small world, they don't realize when the morning comes and force them to go back to reality.

Luteal
Director - Hilary Williams
16 min.
Chicago

One year after a woman’s partner dies of leukemia, she decides to have their child on her own through insemination. But maybe she’s not as alone as she thinks.

The Flood
Director - Chris Randall, Anya Butler
4 min.
United Kingdom

The Flood is a cautionary tale about the reclusive Mr Blair who ignores a drip coming from his ceiling with disastrous consequences. A simple metaphor about ignoring problems until they can no longer be handled.

The Gift
Director - Elizabeth Love
11 min.
Chicago

The Gift is a documentary style short film sharing the perspectives of 10 young Chinese American women, who were adopted from China from 1998 to 2001 during China’s one-child policy, which was implemented in 1979 and discontinued in 2016. These women were adopted into families who traveled together initially in 1998 to adopt baby girls. Later, several of these families returned to China to adopt another girl, and in one instance, another girl and a boy. All of the adoptees in this group of families have a bond that has continued over the years. I composed the music for this film with traditional Chinese music elements in mind. The instrumentation includes piano, guitar, and hand bells. This work is dedicated to everyone in my China group family.

The Gift (Youth Entry)
Director - Weston M
2 min.
Illinois

A middle school trio discovers one of their good friends has a new special ability...

Molly and her Cat
Director - CABARET Annabelle, DAMIN Lucie, DUBOIS Emmanuel-Xuân, LAFFAIRE Chloé, MAN Yifang, MILCENT Clarisse
6 min.
France

Molly is enjoying her summer holidays, her grandmother decides to give her a kitten. The feline happens to be more intrusive than expected.

The Noddy House
Benjamin Allen Smith - Director
14 min.
Chicago

On Christmas Eve, a typical visit from Santa Claus is interrupted by a piercing scream from upstairs. Upon investigating, Santa finds himself eavesdropping on a private family conversation. They say Santa knows who's naughty and who's nice, but Saint Nick has never met a family quite like the Noddys. Twisted and Hilarious.

As de Trèfle
Director - Henri Kebabdjian
10 min
France

Nathan is joined by his daughter Camille by the racetracks. He hopes that by betting on the race, he will be able to afford the school of her dreams. But when Nathan discovers that Camille is admitted in an other school far away, the race takes a whole other turn.

Great Mistakes
Director - Jonah Saesan, Jeremy Stark
6 min.
Chicago

Navy reservists at Naval Base Great Lakes are hiding once again from their Platoon Commander and drill weekend responsibilities when a new platoon member shacks up their lackadaisical routine.

Trashman
Directed by Cam Lewis
6 min.
Michighan

An anachronistic sci-fi comedy about a hapless trash worker who must learn that reality doesn't always align with the romanticized world of his adventure novels when he attempts to escape his mundane existence and be the hero by helping a homeless man threatened by some punks.

INDELIBLE
Director - Shane Rock Nelson
9 min.
Minnesota

The spirits of a cranky 97-year-old man are lifted when he plays the piano for memory care patients. His music eases their angst and elicits indelible memories, momentarily freeing them from the trap of dementia.

URSA
Director - Ellie Hatzitolios
6 min.
Canada

A young hunter puts his courage to the test when a trip through the forest goes cosmically awry.

Rite of Passage
Director - Will Sonheim
10 min.
Chicago

Black Action Figures
7 min.
Directed by Dave Steck
New York

A short documentary about representation, connection and the power of seeing yourself reflected in popular culture.

It features Duro Wicks sharing some of his personal doll collection and talking about his motivation, process and passion to find and collect Black action figures.

Awkward Sexual Encounters
Director - Brian Broeckelman
3 min.
Chicago

Two young(ish) roommates navigating their way through dating in the big city, telling one nightmarish date story at a time.

Love
Director - Jane Ashmore
19 min.
United Kingdom

An unrequited love story, starring British autistic TV and film actor Jules Robertson. This bittersweet film tells the story of Oscar, a complex character with unique needs but the same hopes and desires as anyone. Rather than a film ‘about’ autism, LOVE invites its audience to consider the world from the viewpoint of an autistic person. We follow Oscar’s journey as he navigates the stresses and strains of daily life, taking the poetic lyrics of his favourite band The Streets, and using them a coping mechanism when faced with uncomfortable social conundrums.

Stairs
Directed by Jeph Porter
5 min.
Chicago

An older woman returns home to find life has taken a frightening twist.

Niagara Falls
Director - Victor Bellomo, Tara Sickmeier
5 min.
California

At the edge of her life, a woman must confront a cascade of hopes, desires and fallen dreams.

Torn
Directed by Joe McStravick
11 min.
United Kingdom

Maeve has had to grow up faster than others her age. She makes the choices she needs to for survival. The difference between right and wrong is often purely subjective.

this is not the morning i thought i was going to have
Directed by Margaret Kellas
15 min.
Chicago

Two estranged sisters are forced to reunite in a 2005 Honda Civic on a sweaty Chicago day. As the car comes to a boil so does their tolerance for one another.

Devil's in the Details
Director - Anna Owenson
4 min.
Iowa

A witch gets less than she bargains for when she tries to summon Satan on her ex-boyfriend. An occult comedy.

Fleeced
Directed by Wesley Alley
9 min.
California

Farmer Johnson, a man of few words, loves his life of solid routines. Every day is exactly the same, from his usual order of two eggs over easy, two strips of bacon, two pieces of toast, orange juice, and his coffee. Even his lottery ticket numbers are the same, played so often that Millie, his usual waitress, doesn’t even have to ask him what they are any longer. She simply punches them in every morning and gives him the ticket with his tab at the end of his meal.

Encounters
Director - MARLEY DIANGELO
12 min.
Illinois

Joe Clark, a ride share driver with a mission to please, unlocks a karmic powder keg when he leaves his mistress one morning. A series of encounters lead him on a journey of self discovery that will change his life forever.

Dinner
Director - Chenxin Yang
5 min.
China

An animated short describes the remembrance of a beloved one. The story is about a man desperately trying to recreate his late wife’s dish.

The Guitar Thief
Director - Miguel Lepe Jr
17 min.
Chicago

Two mariachi players cope with rent increases, a changing neighborhood and a stolen guitar.

Champagne For One
Director - Seth Iliff
3 min.
Tennessee

"Champagne for One" celebrates a woman who owns her solitude and isn't afraid to dine alone. The idea for the film is derived from my first book (of the same title) that launched in February 2022; and the film doubled as a book trailer. It was named "trailer of the month" by Shelf Awareness.

Iowa
Directed by Jaden Scott
7 min.
Chicago

Two unlikely runaways meet along a road looking for something unknown and realize they themselves are what they are looking for.

The Debater
Director - Maya Miller
4 min.

A high school debater has extreme anxiety over an upcoming tournament.

Mixed Signals
Director - Colin Dowda
14 min.
Chicago

A playful story about high school, relationships, and "education"

Milo Fell
Directed by Matthew Josef Weber
3 min.

Milo trips and falls down. He hopes no one notices.

THE THIRD DEFECTOR
Director - John Gray
17 min.
New York

What seems like a simple assignment for a spy to keep tabs on an Iranian defector becomes a more complicated game of cat and mouse in the streets of Paris.