We’re excited to unveil our 2025 lineup for our 31st festival! Celebrating more than three decades of discovering and championing industry-changing talent, Slamdance will be held in Los Angeles, the heart of the entertainment industry.
Presenting sponsors include Los Angeles Times Studios, Panasonic LUMIX, and Quixote West Hollywood by Sunset Studios, with Easterseals Disability Services serving as the official Disability Inclusion Partner of 2025. Community partners include AGBO, ARRAY Education, Compton Unified School District, Directors Guild of America, Film Independent, Netflix, and more.
December 19, 2024 (Los Angeles, CA) – The 31st Slamdance Film Festival, the artist-led organization “by filmmakers, for filmmakers,” has unveiled its 2025 lineup. Celebrating more than three decades of discovering and championing industry-changing talent, Slamdance takes center stage in Los Angeles, the heart of the entertainment industry, with presenting sponsors Los Angeles Times Studios, Panasonic LUMIX, and Quixote by Sunset Studios.
Screenings and events will run February 20-26, 2025 at the Director’s Guild of America (DGA) and Quixote – West Hollywood, kicking off with opening night at The Egyptian Theatre on February 20. Online screenings will be available on the Slamdance Channel from February 24 to March 7, 2025. The festival’s move to Los Angeles, following 30 successful years in Park City, will allow for the continued growth of Slamdance’s year-round mission to provide an accessible and dynamic community for truly independent, visionary filmmakers and creators.
Slamdance also announces Easterseals Disability Services as its Disability Inclusion Partner for 2025. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, ensuring the festival celebrates diverse independent storytelling in a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.
“At this pivotal moment for independent film, Slamdance’s new era in Los Angeles is the perfect home for a 2025 lineup that defies convention, champions bold new voices, and reflects the fearless, independent spirit at our core: by filmmakers, for everyone,” said Festival Director Taylor Miller.
“As a leading provider of sound stages and production services in Los Angeles, Quixote is pleased to support emerging filmmakers through this partnership with Slamdance,” said Sean Griffin, Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development for Quixote. “We are thrilled to welcome the festival to the entertainment capital of the world at this critical time for production in the city.”
A celebration of emerging filmmaking talent from around the world, this year’s lineup consists of 146 films – 21 of which are World Premiere features – hailing from over 20 countries including Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Greece, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Uganda, and the UK (United Kingdom) among others. The 2025 programming was selected from nearly 10,000 submissions, 1,795 of which were features. As in previous years, all films selected in the Narrative Features and Documentary Features competition categories are directorial debuts without U.S. distribution, with budgets of less than $1 million.
Slamdance’s commitment to elevating diverse voices in the film industry is reflected in its festival lineup and its ongoing dedication to accessibility. The festival is proud to announce that 38% of this year’s films are by BIPOC creators and 55% are by female filmmakers.
This year’s lineup includes Narrative and Documentary Features in competition as well as Spotlight Features showcasing premieres from established directors. Also unveiled are episodes, shorts across multiple categories—narrative, documentary, Unstoppable, animated, Spotlight, and experimental—as well as the innovative DIG (Digital, Interactive, Gaming) program.
Slamdance’s Unstoppable program, spotlighting features and shorts by creators with visible and non-visible disabilities, enters its fifth year in 2025. Despite 25% of U.S. residents—over 70 million people—having a disability (CDC), representation in media remains starkly low. A 2022 USC Annenberg study revealed just 1.9% of speaking characters in major films had a disability, while GLAAD reported only 2.8% of primetime TV series regulars portrayed disabled characters. Additionally, the proRuderman Family Foundation found that 95% of these roles are played by able-bodied actors.
New programs announced include 6xty, a series of one-minute short films made on any format, and Slamdance Utah, a selection of films made by Utah-based filmmakers to commemorate Slamdance’s roots in Park City. Returning in 2025 is the inclusion of the Revolution Short Film Program which features curated films that use the medium to speak on the decolonization of Indigenous and underrepresented people.
Slamdance is supporting Film Independent’s Project Involve to showcase select short films from its 2024 program. Since 1993, Project Involve has mentored filmmakers from historically underrepresented communities, spotlighting their unique perspectives and bold storytelling. Project Involve will be included in Slamdance’s new Made In L.A. program, lineup to be announced.
Slamdance is excited to announce community partnerships with local educational institutions and entertainment organizations including AGBO, ARRAY Education, Compton Unified School District, Directors Guild of America, Harvard Westlake School, Netflix, Occidental College, and the University of Southern California to provide Slamdance locations opportunities to the next generation of filmmakers through its Polytechnic endeavor, offering free education throughout the festival with workshops for young and veteran filmmakers.
In partnership with Slamdance, Uhaul Gallery presents “Drive-In,” its first exhibition outside of New York City. Showcasing local artists, the exhibition reimagines Slamdance’s connection to automotive spaces in a city famously defined by them. “Drive-In” opens February 20, 2025, at the Santa Monica Airport and features artists Eben Benson, Olive Diamond, Matt Reiner, Nick Rose, Julian Pace, and Greg Vrostos, with an opening reception on February 22, 6-9 PM PST.
“We’re excited to showcase this fantastic festival program and together with community partners, alumni, and sponsors discover new artists, launch new careers, and serve the greater good of the Los Angeles film industry,” said Slamdance President & Co-Founder, Peter Baxter.
Festival passes are now on sale and priced with accessibility in mind. In-person and virtual Festival passes are $50 each or $75 as a package and are available for purchase at https://slamdance.com/. Virtual Festival passes are now available on the Slamdance Channel for $50 and include an annual program subscription.
In-person passes, industry bulk passes, and Slamdance Channel subscriptions can be purchased now at https://slamdance.com/passes.
Slamdance’s 2025 Festival Line-up:
Narrative Features:
Alice-Heart (USA) World Premiere
Director: Mike Macera
Producers: Lissa Carandang-Sweeney, Zach Rineer, Alfred Giancarli, Adam McAlonie, Matt Connelly, Tony McCall
Set in black and white Philadelphia, an aimless college senior navigates shallow artists, genuine friendships, and homework.
Cast: Lissa Carandang-Sweeney, Tony McCall, Adam McAlonie, Kelsey O’Keefe, Gabriel W. Elmore, Lauren Serafica, Will Bricca
Banr (Canada, China) World Premiere
Director: Erica Xia-Hou
Producer: Erica Xia-Hou
After 40 years of devotion, an elderly couple faces a heartbreaking farewell—he succumbs to a heart attack, while she battles Alzheimer’s, trapped in a cycle of fragmented memories and a desperate search for her family, as love fades into unrecognition.
Cast: Erica Xia-Hou, Sui Li, Baoqing Li
Confessions Chin-Chin (Spain) North American Premiere
Director: Carolina Perelman
Producers: Samuel Rotter, Carolina Perelman
Amid the chaos of Madrid’s enigmatic Cazador bar, two queer actors and a cast of misfits navigate love, art, and survival, unveiling raw secrets in a night of passion, struggle, and self-discovery.
Cast: Fernando Bodega, Enrique Gimeno, Ángela Aguilar, Nacho Scorza, Sara Batuecas, Ksenia Guinea, Fran Velez
Fanboy (USA) World Premiere
Director: Bean Mckee
Producers: Stephen Mlinarcik , Zulfa Rizqiya , Adnan Siddique
During a tumultuous college football season, a socially awkward young man seeks to embrace a perceived legacy and must decide whether to settle into his new surroundings at his father’s alma mater, or take bold, sometimes reckless steps to carve out a place for himself.
Cast: Jon Washington, Kevin Hacher, Amanda Loch, Cody Schmid, Patrick Matanl, Mike Jacobs, Stephen Riddle, Trent Rowland
FOUL EVIL DEEDS (UK) North American Premiere
Director: Richard Hunter
Producers: Federica Schiavello, Richard Hunter, Jerome Danvers
A dark comedy showcasing the wide variety of bad behaviour human beings are capable of.
Cast: Tracy Bargate, James Benson, Alex Perkins, Song-Hung Chang, Neil Summerville, Richard Kiess
Gamma Rays (Canada)
Director: Henry Bernadet
Producers: Vuk Stojanovic, Henry Bernadet, Jean-Martin Gagnon
Straddling the line between fiction and documentary, Les rayons gamma is a dramedy filmed with young, non-professional actors from immigrant communities.
Cast: Chaimaa Zinedine, Chris Kanyembuga, Yassine Jabrane, Hani Laroum, Océane Garçon-Gravel
Lockjaw (USA) World Premiere
Director: Sabrina Greco
Producer: Abbie Jones
6 weeks after a drunk driving accident that left her jaw wired shut, Rayna tries to have a fun first night back out with her friends. While everyone else tries to have a good time, Rayna strains her existing relationships and makes new enemies.
Cast: Blu Hunt, Colin Burgess, Nick Corirossi, Kevin Grossman, Ally Davis, Sally Sum, Lena Redford
Portal to Hell (USA) World Premiere
Director: Woody Bess
Producers: Trey Holland, Lucas Ford
After a debt-collector finds a portal to hell in a washing machine at his local laundromat, he’s propositioned into feeding it sinners to save his neighbor’s soul, maybe even at the expense of his own.
Cast: Trey Holland, Keith David, Richard Kind, Michael McDonald, Romina D’Ugo, Casey Deidrick, Ray Porter
Under The Burning Sun (USA) World Premiere
Director: Yun Xie
Producers: Aaron Linjun Yu, Jera Wang
In a barren, desolate land where abortion is outlawed, Mowanza struggles with her unwanted pregnancy. When she hears of a distant land with a lenient abortion policy, Mowanza, armed with only a half-empty water bottle and a battered car, embarks on a journey across the desert towards the lush land of Iropus.
Cast: Stephanie Pardi, Stevie Kincheloe, Martyna Frankow, Madeline Ma Sharrett, Abel Lysenko, Amy Copsey, Stefan Lysenko
Universe 25 (UK, Romania) World Premiere
Director: Richard Melkonian
Producer: Richard Melkonian
A young postman is tasked with sorting out lost post. Upon reading an opened letter, written by an author who claims to be an angel from the future, the postman embarks upon a fantastical journey and attempts to get the letter to its intended destination.
Cast: Giacomo Gex, Ana Guran, Tania Khan, Dan Sociu, Alex Bogdan, Jacob Meadows
Documentary Features:
American Theater (USA) World Premiere
Directors: Nicholas Clark, Dylan Frederick
Producer: Laura Hilliard
A “canceled” theater director summons a troupe of conservatives to an abandoned cabin in rural Georgia to plot revenge on the Atlanta theater community with a musical retelling of the 1692 Salem witch trials.
CORONER TO THE STARS (USA, Portugal) World Premiere
Directors: Ben Hethcoat, Keita Ideno
Producers: Billy Ray Brewton, Ben Hethcoat, Tommy Andres, John Henry Hinkel
Dr. Thomas Noguchi’s high-profile autopsies of icons like Marilyn Monroe, Robert Kennedy, and Natalie Wood thrust him into the spotlight, earning him the nickname ‘Coroner to the Stars’—while sparking backlash from Hollywood elites and political adversaries in a city obsessed with fame and celebrity.
Cast: Dr. Thomas Noguchi, George Takei, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Dr. Cyril Wecht
My Omaha (USA) World Premiere
Director: Nick Beaulieu
Producers: Nick Beaulieu, Doug Block
Follows filmmaker Nick Beaulieu as he returns home to document Omaha’s surging activism movement while seeking to reconnect with his father Randy – a staunch pro-Trump supporter – following Randy’s sudden diagnosis of stage-4 cancer.
Cast: Leo Louis II, Randy Beaulieu, Robert Wagner, Cynthia Ramirez Lindenmeyer, A’Jamal Byndon, Bill Jersey, Ghost RunningThunder
Stolen Kingdom (USA) World Premiere
Director: Joshua Bailey
Producers: Jake Williams, Slater Wayne, Brandon Pickering
A look into the underground community of rule-breakers at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and how their actions led to the disappearance of an Audio-Animatronic named Buzzy.
Cast: Patrick Spikes, Dave Ensign, Matt Sonswa, Leonard Kinsey, Dan Bell
The Big Johnson (USA) World Premiere
Director: Lola Rocknrolla
Producers: Lola Rocknrolla, Beth Johnson, Mitch del Monico
The wild life and mysterious death of drag legend Dean Johnson.
Cast: Jackie Beat, Sherry Vine, Lady Bunny, Taylor Mac, Mario Diaz, Kevin Aviance, Heather Litteer, Beth Johnson
The Hole Story (USA)
Director: Elijah Sullivan
Producer: Elijah Sullivan
The discovery of a sixty-foot hole on a California mountain implicates a small town’s unusual local industry in a bizarre unsolved crime.
Cast: Carmen Kinch, Brett Grimes, Stephen Sindoni, Arthur Aday, Dustin Naef, William Miesse
TWIN FENCES (Russia, Ukraine) North American Premiere
Director: Yana Osman
Producer: Yana Osman
Ukrainian-born, Russian-bred, Afghan-raised, filmmaker once started to catalog all his fences, and then more and more new fences appeared.
Cast: Yana Osman
40 Watts from Nowhere (USA) World Premiere
Director: Sue Carpenter
Producers: Sue Carpenter, Brandon Jay
Frustrated by commercial radio in the ’90s, a music-loving legal secretary builds one from scratch and runs it out of her LA apartment.
Cast: Sue Carpenter, Keith Morris, Mike Watt, Don Bolles, Bob Forrest, Tom Morello, Camille Rose Garcia
Breakout Features:
DeBarge (USA) World Premiere
Director: Matthew Siretta
Producers: Matthew Siretta, Nicholas Paronyan, Sean McWilliams
A portrait of the DeBarge family’s rise to fame, focusing on youngest sibling James—Janet Jackson’s first husband.
Cast: James DeBarge, Randy DeBarge, El DeBarge, Tommy DeBarge, Bunny DeBarge, Etterlene DeBarge
In The Mouth (USA) World Premiere
Director: Cory Santilli
Producers: Jesse Muro, Tatiana Bears
A perpetual worrywart finds himself unable to leave his house after discovering a giant version of himself protruding from his front lawn.
Cast: Colin Burgess, Paul Michael
Know Me (USA) World Premiere
Director: Edson Jean
Producers: Ronald Baez, Kevin Ondarza
Grief-stricken and unraveling, Kenson Joseph must overturn a barrage of false narratives propagated by the national news media and local Haitian church leaders to preserve his late brother’s memory and clear him of the public’s monstrous moniker: The Miami Zombie.
Cast: Edson Jean, Shein Mompremier, Donald Paul, Carole Arty, Richardson Chery
LARRY (they/them) (Canada)
Director: Catherine Legault
Producers: Isabelle Phaneuf-Cyr, Rémy Huberdeau, Catherine Legault
A luminous and engaging portrait of young non-binary trans photographer Laurence Philomène, one of the most original and inspiring voices of their generation and an LGBTQ+ community icon.
Cast: Laurence Philomène, Nina Drew, Lucky Dikstra-Santos
Silent Trees (Poland)
Director: Agnieszka Zwiefka
Producers: Agnieszka Zwiefka, Zofia Kujawska
After her mom’s tragic death on the Polish-Belarusian border a 16-year-old Kurdish girl Runa has to become a mother for her 4 younger brothers. A partially animated coming-of-age story in the times of a global refugee crisis.
The Secret Lives Of Bill Bartell (USA) World Premiere
Director: David Markey
Producers: Brian Kehew, Steve Doughton, Janine Sheehan, Nicole Panter, David Markey
What he did was secret.
Cast: Allison Anders, Tony Brandenburg, Dez Cadena, Sergio Dias, Jeff McDonald, Thurston Moore, Buzz Osbourne, Jennifer Schwartz
Spotlight Features:
Fist Bump (USA) North American Premiere
Director: Madeleine Farley
Producers: Claire Best, Madeleine Farley
Marcus Knight had dreams of working on Broadway until he was accused of sexual misconduct for a fist bump and selfies.
Cast: Marcus Knight, Aurora Knight, Lee Burdette Williams
Harley Flanagan: Wired for Chaos (USA)
Director: Rex Miller
Producers: Laura Lee Flanagan, Elisabeth Haviland James, Rex Miller
Warhol “Factory” it girl spawns Lower East Side feral punk musical prodigy, born into the sub-cultural limelight, who plunges himself into the depths of rock n roll depravity and claws his way out, transcending it all with the most unfathomable twists of fate.
Cast: Harley Flanagan, Flea, Michael Imperioli, Brooke Smith, Henry Rollins, Jocko Willink, Darryl Jenifer, Renzo Gracie
Memories of Love Returned (Uganda, USA)
Director: Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine
Producers: Steven Soderbergh, Jenifer Westphal, Joe Plummer, Ssenjiri Bashir
He who moves slowly reaches far.
Cast: Kibaate Aloysius Ssalongo, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Mama Nanyonjo Justine
Out of Plain Sight (USA)
Directors: Daniel Straub, Rosanna Xia
Producers: Austin Straub, Daniel Straub, Rosanna Xia
A haunting tip prompts a Los Angeles Times reporter to unravel a toxic mystery lurking just off the coast of Southern California.
Unstoppable Features:
Complicated (USA) World Premiere
Director: Andrew Abrahams
Producer: Andrew Abrahams
Tells the poignant story of kids with complicated illness suffering at the margins of mainstream medicine—and their parents who risk losing them if they go too far to help: A shocking look at a hidden epidemic in pediatric care when complex disease, lack of knowledge, and the limits of child protection collide.
Disposable Humanity (Austria, Germany) World Premiere
Director: Cameron S. Mitchell
Producers: Cameron S. Mitchell, David T. Mitchell, Steve Way, Nic Novicki
A family investigates the Nazi Aktion T4 which targeted disabled people and catalyzed the Holocaust.
Cast: Cameron S. Mitchell, David T. Mitchell, Sharon L. Snyder, Emma Jane Mitchell, Susanne Knittel, Jörg Waßmer, Andy Hechler, Andreas Knitz
My Own Normal (USA)
Director: Alexander Freeman
Producers: Brandon Golden, Alexander Freeman
When disabled filmmaker Alexander Freeman tells his parents his girlfriend is pregnant, their reaction is not what he expected.
Cast: Alexander Freeman, Orina Umansky Freeman, Maya Freeman, John Freeman, Linda Freeman
Racewalkers (Canada) World Premiere
Directors: Phil Moniz, Kevin Claydon
Producers: Jeff Chan, Chris Paré, Robbie Amell, Alex Paquin, Evan Landry, Amanda Pileggi
A struggling racewalking coach and a washed-up pro baseball player with a surprisingly natural stride team up to take on the best walker in the sport.
Cast: Kevin Claydon, Phil Moniz, Robbie Amell, Greg Bryk, Jess Salgueiro, Italia Ricci, Rebekah Francoz, Ryan Blakely
Episodes:
Chasers – Pilot (USA)
Director: Erin Brown Thomas
Producers: Elle Shaw, Olivia Haller, Erin Brown Thomas, Beth Napoli, Hayden Greiwe, Tara Hotchkis, Jake Thomas, Ciarra Krohne
At a Los Angeles house party, an aspiring musician pursues her crush through a crowd of hopeful dreamers chasing empty promises.
Cast: Ciarra Krohne, Louie Chapman, Keana Marie, Brooke Maroon, Shannon Gisela, Xan Churchwell, Dexter Farren Haag, Amber Khieralla
I Need Your Love (USA) World Premiere
Director: Walker Kalan
Producers: Camille Trust, Isabel Haro, Susie Talbot, Christina Campagnola, Jayne Sullivan, Thomas Glinkowski, Megaera Stephens, Nadine Bedrossian, Miranda Kahn
A super hot, talented singer fights for pop stardom, despite being… slightly over age 30. No, she won’t suck your dick for a gig. But she will bang your mom.
Cast: Camille Trust, Ben Becher, Athan Chekas
Mombomb, Part 1 (USA)
Director: Patricia Beckmann Wells
Producer: Patricia Beckmann Wells
Girl Scout Pez’s life is a modern fairy tale, but it was written by old Germans … and when the killer troll from under the bridge comes to harvest young girls, a girl scout must use her cookies to kill.
Cast: Patricia Beckmann Wells
Serjan Bratan (Kazakhstan)
Director: Alisher Utev
Producers: Kuat Sadykov, Alisher Utev, Adi Magzhanov
After waking up from a 23-year-long coma, a notorious racketeer from the lawless ‘90s discovers that the world has completely changed – but he hasn’t.
Cast: Dulyga Akmolda, Rustem Zhanyamanov, Beynur Baymukhambetov, Madiyar Uldahan, Gulmira Zhakilina, Aizhan Djumabekova, Zhanel Sergazina, Yerbol Almukhanov
Victorian Ladies: Season 1 (USA)
Directors: Becca Schall, Jessica Taylor
Producers: Becca Schall, Jessica Taylor
Four paper dolls — Abigail, Beatrice, Caroline, and Daphne — navigate friendship, courtship and fashion in Victorian-era New York City.
Cast: Becca Schall, Jessica Taylor
Narrative Shorts:
A Brighter Summer Day For The Lady Avengers (Taiwan, USA)
Director: Birdy Wei-Ting Hung
Producers: Charlie Chen, Jay Lee
Taiwan, 1980s. A hot summer day, watermelon juice, and a teenage girl’s sexual awakening with her celluloid fantasies. Shot on 16mm.
Cast: Wei Huang, Yi-Chun Cheng
A Dying Tree (Canda) World Premiere
Director: Vincent René-Lortie
Producer: Samuel Caron
As the day ends for a worn-out office worker, he encounters the mysterious gaze of a chimpanzee, sparking a silent exchange that prompts him to make an irreversible decision.
Cast: Charles-Alexis Desgagnés
Bita Joon (USA)
Director: Sara Boutorabi
Producers: Sara Boutorabi, Kali Kahn
In Bita Joon, the director’s terminally ill mother, Bita, moves through the simple connections of an ordinary day, as family members — and an accordion — strain to give shape to life’s quiet cruelties.
Cast: Bita Tabatabai, Kourosh Boutorabi, Rana Ghiassi
Bloqué (USA)
Director: Miguel Ortiz
Producer: Elizabeth Alvarez
A struggling drummer trapped by his creative block embarks on an isolated journey through his memories, confronting the turmoil that stands between him and his rhythm.
Cast: Malick Koly, Kofi Opare, Gabrielle Scott, Johanna Stitt, Aubrey Johnson
Chickenboy (USA)
Director: Matthew Rush
Producers: Matthew Rush, Justin Robert Vinall
When a farmer accidentally makes a chicken-human hybrid; he must decide it’s fate, and ultimately his own.
Cast: Matthew Rush
Clementine (USA)
Director: Sally Tran
Producers: Anne Leigh Cooper, Yên Sen, Sally Tran, Ditte Ravild, Maria Palacio
A late-blooming trans woman grapples with a life-altering, assigned-male-at-birth Trans specific dilemma and, with the help of her besties, navigates the complexities of decolonizing her womanhood and finding her true path on her own terms.
Cast: Yên Sen, Joey Rose, Niala, Zach Herman, Lizzie Nguyen
Contours (USA) World Premiere
Director: Aisha Amin
Producer: Vivy Yupanqui
Upon using a modern art museum as the setting for a role play game that goes hopelessly awry, a deaf couple desperate to rekindle their spark finds the reconnection they seek in their shared experience over an abstract sculpture.
Cast: Lauren Ridloff, John Autry II
Deuce (USA) World Premiere
Director: Margot Budzyna
Producers: Olivia Battles-Reap, Margot Budzyna, Chase McNaughton, Christian Tasiopoulos
A friendship is threatened by an unexpected culprit: baseball practice.
Cast: Arabella Olivia Clark, Lynden Miles Ley
FISHMONGER (USA)
Director: Neil Ferron
Producers: Valerie Steinberg, Jordan Willcox, Neil Ferron
In this supernatural dark comedy, a pathetic Irish fishmonger must survive a sex pact with an ancient fish creature in order to save his mother’s soul from burning in hell.
Cast: Dominic Burgess, Donnla Hughes, Penny O’Brien, Mark Bramhall, Ron Bottitta, Will Dixon, Mari Weiss
God’s Anus (Switzerland) US Premiere
Director: Jan-David Bolt
Producer: Filippo Bonacci
A dry, gaping hole. Those unlucky enough to see it, will find happiness.
Cast: Fabian Vogt, Luna Schmid, Julian Laybourne, Simon Brusis, Bradley Joseph Graham, Maria Rebecca Sautter, Manolo Zacate Lizárraga
Gurgling (Taiwan) World Premiere
Director: Christine Margaret Wu
Producer: Tzu Ting Tseng
A young housewife’s mundane life is stirred when she suspects someone of gazing at her through her shower window.
Cast: Dingju Wang, Hsu Wei Huang, Neng Hua Lo, Chih ju lin, You Ying Hou
Holy Water (USA)
Director: Claire Barnett
Producers: Claire Barnett, Natalie Remplakowski, Amalia Eddings
After her sister’s tragic death, a teenage girl searches for closure in the shadows of her insular, religious community.
Cast: Abby Miner, Katherine Humes, Avery Honea, Jewels Dabdub
how i see me (USA)
Director: Alec Scholzen
Producer: Alec Scholzen
A walk on the beach descends into an unforeseeable nightmare; trying not to die naked.
Cast: Allec Scholzen, Karel Ebergen, Molly Kiernan, Meg Joh, Julie Hoang
Joey Earns Rewards Using the McDonald’s Mobile App & Megh and Clev Discuss Their Future Together (USA)
Director: Brad Roelandt
Producer: Brad Roelandt
Captured in a single aerial take, Clev’s impulsive marriage proposal at a McDonald’s drive-thru is interrupted by a relentlessly upbeat customer.
Cast: Joey Gallimore, Meghan Sullivan, Cleveen Dominguez
Lumbago (Norway) North American Premiere
Director: Bendik Kaltenborn
Producers: Lars Thomas Skare, Bendik Kaltenborn
An older businessman terrorizes two colleagues with a never-ending anecdote, as his whole family gradually descends into some kind of mad fever dream.
Cast: Nils Vogt, Raymond Teigen Hauger, Thea Lambrechts Vaulen, Harald Thaulow, Arnt Egil Andreassen, Grete Kvåli, Bjørn Müller
One Day This Kid (Canada)
Director: Alexander Farah
Producer: Joaquin Cardoner
One day this kid will reach a point where he senses a division that isn’t mathematical.
Cast: Elyas Rahimi, Mahan Mohammadinasab, Massey Ahmar
Stellacast Transmission: PT. 1 Subconscious Eyes (USA)
Director: Uel Renteria
Producers: Michael Oberst, Uel Renteria
Ian has suffered from psychosis for a few years, but now with a substance called Seven that gives him subconscious vision to see actual reality, He can see the faces of those voices in a hidden world within his own. He quickly becomes addicted in his pursuit to get to the bottom of what’s really going on.
Cast: William Stallings, Adam Long, Krylon Frye, Keith Rajala, Eric Press, Wes Chick, Jillian Gnarling
The Great Cherokee Grandmother (USA)
Director: Anthony Sneed
Producers: Loren Waters, Ross 0’Shea, Anthony Sneed, Peshawn Bread
A pleasant date between a man of Cherokee heritage and a Caucasian woman goes downhill when the woman flagrantly fixates on the very bane of Cherokee peoples’ existence: the Cherokee Grandmother syndrome.
Cast: Wes Studi, John Henry Gloyne, Phoebe Tyers, Drew Freed, Tom Delgado
The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste (Australia)
Director: Pernell Marsden
Producer: Sophie Booth
Two best friends embark on a high-stakes game of imagination, which takes a somewhat deranged turn and threatens to jeopardise their relationship forever.
Cast: Libby Segal, Frankie Gillespie McKay
The Metal Band’s Guide to the Black Hole (South Korea) World Premiere
Director: Jeon Ah-hyun
Producer: Ryu Seung-hee
Will they be able to show off a headbanging performance that will end with the head of the virgin ghost during their difficult journey?
Cast: Yo-hoon Jang, Jun-su Seol, Sung-ha Lee
The Sea Inside Her (New Zealand) North American Premiere
Director: Alyx Duncan
Producers: Lani-rain Feltham, Michele Powles, Alyx Duncan
Fear takes full shape when a grandmother tries to keep her young grandchild safe from her most unimaginable fears.
Cast: Kilda Northcott, Mateo Cruz
The Sphinx (Canda, USA) World Premiere
Director: Jesse Padveen
Producers: Jesse Padveen, Josh Willick, Paul Aguilera, Solmund MacPherson
A locksmith’s date night becomes a waking nightmare.
Cast: Solly Mac, Vanessa Egan, Tom Lute, Patricia Harris, Harold Tausch
The Sweater (Canada) US Premiere
Director: Maziyar Khatam
Producers: Anya Chirkova, Tyler Mason
Pressured into giving away his clothes, an emasculated young man obsessively attempts to reclaim his cherished sweater before it vanishes into the donation abyss.
Cast: Maziyar Khatam, Dylan Ray Hatton, Jake Shannon, Anya Chirkova
Two of Hearts (Canada)
Director: Mashie Alam
Producer: Candice Napoleone
Faced with an uncomfortable dilemma, a brother and sister engage in a battle of wits.
Cast: Basia Wyszynski, Anaiah Lebreton
400 Cassettes (Greece) US Premiere
Director: Thelyia Petraki
Producer: Kostas Tagalakis
After a lesson about cosmic archaeologists and a water-fight in the schoolyard, Elly steals Faye’s soul and Faye gives Elly a rare birthday present.
Cast: Panayiota Yiagli, Ellie Galousi, Arhyris Pavlidis, Thanos Koniaris, Froso Gaza
Documentary Shorts:
Adidas Owns the Reality (Cambodia, USA)
Directors: Keil Orion Troisi, Igor Vamos
Producers: Keil Orion Troisi, Igor Vamos
Prankster activists put on a shocking and satirical fashion show pressuring Adidas to face garment worker realities.
Cast: Len Leng, Isabell Schnalle, Paula Keilholz, Igor Vamos
Apt Mgr (USA)
Director: Ian MacInnes
Producers: Ian MacInnes, Billy Bjork
A filmmaker is stalked by his 85 year old landlord.
Cast: Robert Hubbard
Christmas, Every Day (USA)
Director: Faye Tsakas
Producers: Faye Tsakas, Enrique Pedraza Botero, Lauren Howell, Rowan Ings
From their rural Alabama home, two preteen girls market fashion and beauty products to thousands of online fans.
Cast: Peyton, Lyla, William, Laura
Coywolf (USA)
Director: Lucy Adams
Producer: Lucy Adams
Coywolf is a meditation on the urban landscape of New York City and the coyotes that inhabit it.
Hooked (UK) World Premiere
Director: Glen Fulthorpe
Producer: Glen Fulthorpe
A filmmaker’s journey into his family’s past with alcohol and opioid addiction, confronting generational trauma and the complexities of fatherhood while seeking redemption and understanding.
I am grass (India, USA) World Premiere
Director: Abhi Indrekar
Producer: Michaela Henry
I am grass is a meditation on migration from my most marginalized community in India to the ‘first world’ country.
Cast: Abhi Indrekar, Dakxin Chhara, Ashley Rose
Metamorphosis’ Chantings Or That Time When I Incarnated As Porpoise (Brazil, Portugal)
Director: Ainá Xisto
Producers: Ainá Xisto, Brás Moreau Antunes, Catholic University of Portugal
An abyssal record guided by more than human relations through internal landscapes and authentic conversations to reestablish the flow of Metamorphosis: leaping from being to being like new ways of saying I.
Cast: Ainá Xisto, Evani Moreira Maia, Hinho Moreno, Pajé Natto Tupinambá
Only if the Baby Cries… (India) North American Premiere
Director: Shadab Farooq
Producer: Rajiv Mehrotra
In the world’s only deaf-mute village where silence reigns, tension mounts as Misra Khatoon approaches childbirth. The villagers surround her home and beat drums seeking a response from the newborn.
Cast: Misra Khatoon, Mohammad Iqbal
Project Dad (Estonia, Norway)
Director: Camilla Jämting
Producer: Camilla Jämting
Camilla’s unique dad is a pickup artist and self-help enthusiast, while she’s an artist and feminist. How can they maintain a strong bond?
Cast: Camilla Jämting, Stefan Leo
The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing (UK)
Director: Theo Pangopoulos
Producer: Marissa Keating
A filmmaker of Palestinian descent reimagines a Scottish archive of Palestinian flowers.
The Wash (USA) World Premiere
Director: Mike Feswick
Producer: Mike Feswick
In the scorching isolation of the desert, ‘The Wash’ uncovers a mirage where death and desire converge.
Untitled (Concussion) (USA) World Premiere
Director: Jane Claxton
Producer: Jane Claxton
A first-person exploration of memory and childhood told entirely through the visual archives of others.
Your Harvest May Be Delayed (Jordan, USA) North American Premiere
Director: Ahmad Al-Zu’bi
Producer: Zayd Lahham
An uncovered archive recounts my childhood through sketches, scribbles, and a forgotten love poem.
Cast: Bashar Al-Zu’bi, Noredeen Al-Zu’bi, Leen Al-Zu’bi, Ghada Alkhatib
Animated Shorts:
A Night at the Rest Area (Japan)
Director: Saki Muramoto
Producer: Sayaka Omodaka
At a midnight highway rest area, the weary travelers each quietly relax their minds. A brief moment spent with complete strangers is lonely yet somehow comforting.
Anansi The Spider (Jamaica, USA)
Director: Jared Hall
Producer: Jared Hall
Anansi the Spider must outsmart the biggest, most dangerous animals in the jungle… Or be eaten himself!
Cast: Daniel Jennings, Elijah Gallimore-Repole, Jared Hall
And a Little for Me (USA)
Director: Kathryn Roake
Producer: Kathryn Roake
A beach day of sand and surf ends with dinner, theft of waitress’ tips and a riot.
Birth Controlled (USA)
Director: Isabela Fraga-Abaza
Producer: Isabela Fraga-Abaza
You know when you’re taking a poop and you feel your NuvaRing start to slip out and all of a sudden remember you’ve been gaslit your whole life by a system that treats your vagina solely as a vessel for reproduction instead of an organ vital to your ecosystem?
Breadvideo (USA) World Premiere
Director: Banana Sonjira
Producer: Banana Sonjira
3 bread-shaped bakers bake bread in a small square bakery in the middle of a country-sized parking lot.
Cast: Jace Robertson, Freddy, Roody, Danielle Vishlitzky, Maya Halko, Josh Brainin, dd o0 bentl
Deluge (USA) North American Premiere
Director: Meejin Hong
Producer: Meejin Hong
“Deluge” is the slow stampede of a vulnerable mind.
Cast: Daniel Eaton, Odeya Nini
Fish (USA, China)
Director: Yingdan Lai
Producer: California Institute of the Arts
A girl and her pet fish share a love-hate relationship. After a conflict caused by a misunderstanding, the girl impulsively throws the fish into a river. Filled with regret and longing, she eventually returns to the river.
Gemini (USA)
Director: Jamie Griffiths
Producer: Leighton Pierce
A woman begins to see something unsettling hiding in the eyes of her two pet cats.
Les Bêtes (USA)
Director: Michael Granberry
Producer: Michael Granberry
A mysterious rabbit with a set of magic keys summons a host of strange creatures to entertain a wicked king and his decadent court in this dark stop-motion animated fantasy inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich.
MIMT (USA)
Director: Ted Wiggin
Producer: Ted Wiggin
A snake, a cat and a butterfly play in space
mnemonic (USA) North American Premiere
Director: Raffaele Gans-Pfister
Producer: California Institute of the Arts
Building thinks thought, has realization. landscape in translation.
Mousse Crust (Canada) US Premiere
Director: Badminton Plus
Producer: Badminton Plus
Weird movie. Hard to describe. Flashes of random TV stuff, sewn together by sound, and re-drawn stupidly.
Never Fall in Love. (China, Macao) World Premiere
Directors: Lucy Sao Wa Iao, Angela En-Yu Lao
Producer: Lucy Sao Wa Iao
Doggy Dong and Gold fell in love. Gold’s dad kept warning him not to fall in love. He never wanted to listen. Life has beaten him hard because the words from his dad were coming true…
Cast: Lucy Sao Wa Iao, Angela En-Yu Lao, Johan Karlberg, Anson Chi On Leong, Andrew Lau, Cloud Lee
Tunnel Wandering (Japan) North American Premiere
Director: LI Zehao
Producer: Fuyama Taruto
A woman stands before the door at the end of the tunnel I wandered through. She only gives vague answers to my questions. Am I awake, or still dreaming? Faucets, birds, insects, and various images emerge and vanish on the fabric. I reach out to touch the wind, but can only grasp my own shadow.
Cast: Li Zehao, Shi Zhixuan, Yoshida Hana
Spotlight Short:
When The Smoke Clears (Mexico, USA)
Directors: Misha Kapany Schwarz, Maarya Zafar
Producers: Misha Kapany Schwarz, Maarya Zafar
After a lack of success with traditional psychotherapy and pharmaceuticals for PTSD and depression, two first responders journey to Mexico to undergo psychedelic treatment guided by traditional healers.
Experimental Shorts:
Asset. Everything used. All as it used to be. (Denmark, South Korea) US Premiere
Director: Sophia Ioannou Gjerding
Producer: Sophia Ioannou Gjerding
In a mixture between documentary and fiction, the film examines the diverse dimensions of collecting, exploring collections contained in private households and those in museums. In doing so, it highlights the intertwined relationship between people and things.
Cast: Liz Fodor, Hanne Ioannou, Jadranka Rota
Death Drive (Canada) US Premiere
Director: Eli-Bella Wood
Producer: Eli-Bella Wood
Death is a stalker– a man who idles in a sinister black car across the street, forever. A psychological car chase, a moment of near violence, and finally, a face.
Cast: Eli-Bella Wood, John Scott, Barb, Bette Wood, Bill Robinson, Brenna Loch, Harry Willis
Lacuna (USA)
Directors: Carlo Nasisse, Shirley Yumeng He
Producers: Carlo Nasisse, Shirley Yumeng He
An ancient lake disappears, leaving a fertile valley. In this void, machines, animals, and humans probe the contours of its absence in search of water.
Cast: Stephanie Gumber, Kalihann Willhite, Kyle Lee Willhite, Jeff Costa, Derick Grabow, Sergio Santiago
One Rehearses, the Other Doesn’t (USA) World Premiere
Director: Jessica Hankey
Producers: Gaby Hoffmann, Keren Hantman
In her twenties, Marjorie Annapav gained access to wealth and power but walked away from both. Decades later, she crafts her story into a play, recounting love, murder, and her marriage to artist William Copley, who paid her $600,000 to wed.
Cast: Marjorie Annapav, Ann Randolph
Stroad Movie (USA) World Premiere
Director: Pablo Garcia
Producer: Pablo Garcia
A multimodal portrait about the crumbling integrity of a landscape designed to be everything.
Cast: Avery Kaplan, Stacey Garcia, Ellie Morais, Kylie Rutzen, Reilly Byrnes
Track_ing (Kazakhstan, South Korea)
Directors: Chanyeol Lee, Hanna Cho, Samgar Rakym, Ali Tynybekov
Producers: Chanyeol Lee, Hanna Cho, Samgar Rakym
Among the images of a train between Korea and Kazakhstan, 500*500 pixel squares perform a process of tracking.
Your Mailbox is Full (USA)
Director: Allie Viti
Producer: John Connor Hammond
After clearing a scattered archive of voicemails, their receiver reconnects with a frequent caller.
Cast: Bernard R Block, Allie Viti
Unstoppable Shorts:
Audio Description (USA)
Director: Luke J. Salewski
Producer: Lee Pugsley
A birthday wish gone wrong causes a blind man begins to begin hearing the audio description for the film
Cast: Lee Pugsley, Jonathan Regier, Adrean Barrios, Micaela Moss
BAD SURVIVOR (USA)
Directors: Alex Dvorak, Katie North
Producers: Alex Dvorak, Katie North
After being “broken up with” by her oncologists, a sarcastic young cancer patient — or should say survivor — struggles to adjust to life at home with her multicultural family during her first day in remission.
Cast: Alex Dvorak, Aizzah Fatima, Tony Wolf, Katie North, Marian Licha, Jan Dvorak, Marian Dvorak
Disabled AF (USA) World Premiere
Directors: Cashmere Jasmine, RJ Dawson
Producers: Kiah Amara, Ariel Baska, Cashmere Jasmine
Jess is moving out, and her friends Marsha and Imani are down to help, until they realize they have a traitor in their midst.
Cast: Marsha Elle, Jessica Mikayla, Cashmere Jasmine
Forward Thinking (USA) World Premiere
Directors: Antonio Harper, Abby Burton
Producers: Jeremy Hsing, Patrick Zhang, Charles Worth, Bernie Golias, Abby Burton, Antonio Harper, Victoria Wang
A Black man seeks trademark assistance from the Triple K Law Office to prepare for his inevitable encounter with the police.
Cast: Rance Nix, Tommy Mitchell, Tatiana Turan, Bentley Lewis, Landon Freeman, Zach Laws, Max Flora, Nate Nagvajara
Ignore Your True Feelings at Your Own Peril (Germany) North American Premiere
Director: Miranda Siegel
Producer: Miranda Siegel
Director Miranda Siegel struggles to keep up with her busy life during a bipolar episode, only to find that repressed emotions will always find a way out—through the esophagus if necessary.
Cast: Miranda Siegel, Charles Heyward Meyer
IRON LUNG (USA)
Director: Andrew Reid
Producers: Marie Alyse Rodriguez, Carmen Quiros
When a storm knocks out the power to her iron lung, a polio survivor and her caretaker sister find themselves in a race against time to find a new way for her to breathe.
Cast: Tania Mejia, Veronica Falcón
Mo<3Kyra (UK)
Director: Debbie Hannan
Producer: Justin Edgar
Comedy set during a high school prom about a girl’s last chance to let the girl of her dreams know how she feels about her.
Cast: Saida Ahmed, Haleema Hussain, Shreya M Patel, Mia Juul
No Leg Power (USA) US Premiere
Director: Tristan Anthony Ortiz
Producer: Reign Burton
After surviving a terrible accident that leaves him paralyzed from the waist down, basketball player CJ Bellamy loses his bright future to the NBA. He discovers the world of cross fit and a journey to finding a new life’s purpose.
Cast: CJ Bellamy
Noggin (Italy, USA)
Director: Case Jernigan
Producer: Case Jernigan
A man builds a memory palace out of paper and glass to fight brain damage from multiple sclerosis.
Cast: Case Jernigan
Out of Reach (USA)
Director: Cosmo Rudd
Producers: Sawsan Zakaria, Hannah Burcaw, Shane Burcaw
When two best friends who both have disabilities are left alone, they discover a major difference in their personalities.
Cast: James Ian, Sawsan Zakaria
POSSUM (USA)
Director: Daisy Rosato
Producers: Jackie Monoson, Sophie Sagan-Gutherz, Daisy Rosato
When the leader of an artist residency kills the possum that’s been eating their cauliflower, the residents come to a shocking consensus.
Cast: Misha Brooks, Michelle Davis, Hannah Shealy, Gilbert Diego Sanchez, Sophie Sagan-Gutherz
Promise to Stronger Days (USA) World Premiere
Director: Jessica Senquiz
Producers: Jessica Senquiz, Rafeeat Bishi, Kelly Peña, Maddie Hilliard
Tells the empowering story of Adira, a young woman desiring to live her 20s to the fullest while combatting the crippling reality of her PTSD from childhood sexual assault…with a wrathful twist.
Cast: Colin McCalla, Ashanti Harris, River Blossom, King Judah, Victoria Williams, Ian Sawan, Casey Barnett, Nieashia Brown
Skate (UK) US Premiere
Director: Kasey-Anais Blondell
Producer: R.M. Moses
When a lonely teenage girl meets a group of skater girls at a house party, she is empowered to deal with her social anxiety through skateboarding.
Cast: Hermela Michael, Aisha Jalloh, Elani Baldry, Taylor Lewendon
Super High: A Period Piece (USA)
Director: Bianca D. Lambert
Producer: Kiah Clingman
Amanda battles excruciating period pain caused by fibroids. Desperate for relief, she experiments with a celebrity cannabis brand’s edibles. A dosage mishap catapults her into a surreal, anxiety-filled journey until she awakens.
Cast: Bianca D. Lambert, Shannon J. Sharpe, Kiah Alexandria Clingman, Samm Severin
TALK (USA) World Premiere
Director: Jessica Perlman
Producer: Jessica Perlman
A Deaf man needs the help of a translator to get his air conditioning fixed, but things prove complicated when intentions are lost in translation.
Cast: Jacob Schlotthauer, Katrina Reta, Todd Carroll
The Hemingway (USA) World Premiere
Directors: Evan Mathis, Patrick Sean O’Brien
Producers: Patrick Sean O’Brien, Evan Mathis, Doug Pray, Michele Dupree
This is a film about Life, Death, and Shit.
Cast: Patrick Sean O’Brien, J.R. Reed, Scott Murphy
Witness (USA) North American Premiere
Director: Radha Mehta, Saif Jaan
Producers: Radha Mehta, Omar Al-Dakheel, Sheheryar Ahsan
A revered small-town imam faces a crisis of faith when he must choose between upholding the values of his mosque or protecting the safety and spiritual belonging of a male congregant.
Cast: Faran Tahir, Shaan Dasani, Nemma Adeni, Michael MacLeod, Aydin Khowaja
Wrong Guy (USA)
Director: Brett Maline
Producer: Brett Maline
When a disabled dude keeps getting mistaken for other disabled dudes, him and his best friend decide to lean in when he’s mistaken again for a disabled celebrity.
Cast: Brett Maline, Johnno Wilson, Kaitlyn Tanimoto, Monica Loomba, Ruha Taslimi, Andrew Lindh, July Diaz
6xty:
A Jog In The Park (USA)
Director: Melissa Vitello
Producers: Bryan Ricke, Melissa Vitello
A lonely man meets his ex-girlfriend in the park to help him pick out new shoes.
Cast: Veronica Wylie, Bryan Ricke, Michael Minnis
Blocked-Together (UK) World Premiere
Director: Noah Boyce
Producer: Finley Golec
A young boy is alone in his grief, forced to come face to face with a recent and tragic loss. Will he ever be able to find connection again in his now fractured and isolated world?
Cast: Simas Barzdaitis, Tom Hare
Cleanse (USA)
Director: Dominic López
Producers: Kelsey Gunn, Dominic López, Nicholas Anthony Reid
A paranoid germaphobe escalates his desperate attempts to rid himself of a virus—until his fear leads him to a tragic decision.
Cast: Nicholas Anthony Reid
Just White Noise (USA) World Premiere
Director: Anya Berlowa
Producers: Anya Berlowa
Fully hand drawn frame by frame, JUST WHITE NOISE offers a glance into human psychology and behavior amid global problems.
Muted (USA) World Premiere
Director: Jenna Reilly
Producers: Erin Brown Thomas, Tara Hotchkis
A disconnected couple is thrust into a strange new world when the magical force of their TV remote interrupts their lives.
Cast: Kelsey Gunn, Jon Snow
Once Upon a Slice in the West (Canada)
Directors: Kyle Dunbar, Christian Tribuzio
Producers: Kyle Dunbar, Christian Tribuzio, Rebecca Callender, Mark Rival
In an old warehouse, a celebration among a gang of oddball criminals turns into a deadly standoff.
Cast: Alexandre Stoupenkov, Mark Rival, Rebecca Callender, Christian Tribuzio
Red Light Green Light (USA)
Director: Corey Grispo
Producer: Luke Baker
A mysterious man is pressing green and red buttons. What are they for?
Cast: James Sylvester, Franco Trelles
SAFE (USA) World Premiere
Director: Alex Kaplan
Producers: Alex Kaplan, Michael Gabriele
As adulthood’s pressures threaten to drown him, Hugh turns to an unexpected companion from his past, hoping to find that unconditional love really does exist.
Cast: Caleb Zlomke
Tacocunr (USA) World Premiere
Director: Erin Brown Thomas
Producer: Elle Shaw
One woman’s valiant attempt to log into her email.
Cast: Shannon Gisela, Adam Cleland
Vermin Beings (USA)
Director: Kat Messing
Producer: Kat Messing
Two humans reflect the feral side of humanity as they compete for resources and discover an enticing new contraption in the convenience store.
Cast: Kal-El Bogdanove, Kat Messing
Revolution Short Film Program:
El Gobierno Te Odia (The Government Hates You) (Puerto Rico)
Directors: Juanchi González, Janice Mejías
Producer: Lonely Park
Drawing on once-classified documents, “El Gobierno Te Odia” (The Government Hates You) uncovers the FBI and local police’s decades-long, covert campaign of illegal surveillance against Puerto Rican independence activists.
Cast: Christopher Gregory-Rivera, Manuel De J
Dreams of Water (Mexico) World Premiere
Directors: Emilia Voudouris, Jonathan Glendon
Producers: Emilia Voudouris, Jonathan Glendon
Guided by the voice of her ancestors, Mariposa searches for water in the Mexican desert.
Cast: Mariposa, Yali, Mar
Honey Kaha (New Zealand)
Director: TeWaiarangi Ratana
Producers: Ben Bamford, Mike Minogue
When dinner with her son is ruined by seafood poachers, Honey Kaha must hunt down the colonisers who are responsible and bring them to justice.
Cast: Kura Turuwhenua, Bailey Poching, TeWaiarangi Ratana, Joey Sheppard
Kusi Smiles (Peru, USA) World Premiere
Director: Sisa Quispe
Producer: Apolo Bautista
A Quechua teenager can’t sing since her mother passed away until she is confronted by her grief in the Peruvian Andes.
Cast: Renata Flores, Danitza Vidalon Ticllacondor, Cirilo Cuello Quispe
Nipi Utaiamun (Canada)
Director: Uapukun Mestokosho McKenzie
Producer: Wapikoni mobile
Healing and poetic essay on our intergenerational relationship with water.
Cast: Uapukun Mestokosho McKenzie, Rita Mestokosho, Zélya Mestokosho
Wouldn’t Make It Any Other Way (USA)
Director: Hao Zhou
Producer: Tyler Hill
Having built a colorful queer life in Iowa, an aspiring costume designer visits their island homeland of Guam to make costumes for a children’s theatre while reconnecting with distant parents.
Cast: Marc Marcos
YANGA (Mexico) US Premiere
Directors: Amaury Barrera, Audrey Del Piccolo
Producers: Omar Uscanga, Manola Verdes, Ines Verdes, Pelayo Couturier
“Yanga” is a celebration of heritage and an homage to those who fought for justice, to the afromexican communities around the country.
Cast: Sami Ayona, Sylvie Henry
DIG – Digital Interactive and Gaming :
Artificial Adventure (USA)
Director: James Cox
Producers: Laura Cochran, Ben Sironko, Flan Falacci
Artificial Adventure invites Twitch players to vote on every twist and turn, shaping wild and unexpected stories together—your vote decides the fate of the adventure!
Diatribes (USA)
Director: Veronica Graham
Producer: Most Ancient
“Diatribes” is a poetic VR experience that explores the internal conflicts that arise when we’re confronted with the reality of climate change.
Cast: Megan Clement
East Beijing Road (Canada) US Premiere
Director: Haoran Chang
Producer: Haoran Chang
East Beijing Road is an asymmetric VR installation that reimag- ines the stories of a building with a history spanning over 100 years in Shanghai, China.
Cast: Haoran Chang, Wang Yuqi
kino lau: many bodies (USA)
Directors: Rachel Nakawatase, Melissa Ferrari, Ryan Betschart
Producers: Rachel Nakawatase, Melissa Ferrari, Ryan Betschart
Traditionally told through dance (hula) and chant (oli), kino lau: many bodies is a visual retelling of native Hawaiian lore through ambient drone music and magic lantern slides.
Cast: Rachel Nakawatase, Melissa Ferrari, Ryan Betschart
Meditate Like a Dolphin (USA)
Director: Michel Pascal
Producers: Jacqueline Cooper, Juliana Klinkert, Joshua Lang
Dive into the depths of your soul with “Meditate Like a Dolphin,” a transformative VR experience that instantly calms the mind and transports you into an unparalleled state of peace.
Cast: Michel Pascal
Palimpsest (USA) US Premiere
Director: Robert A. Emmons Jr.
Producer: Robert A. Emmons Jr.
A messy history of childhood fear and anxiety in America.
Phantom Pain (USA)
Director: Xiner Lan
Producer: Xiner Lan
Ever since the failure of the magic trick ‘sawing a woman in half,’ the magician’s assistant has been rehearsing in two parts: a talking top and a restless bottom.
Cast: Xiner Lan, Yiwei Chen
Pre-game (USA)
Directors: Yvette Granata, Alina Nazmeeva
Producers: Yvette Granata, Alina Nazmeeva
A poetic mixed-reality deconstruction of the production of virtual bodies in animation and game engines, set against the backdrop of American football culture.
Cast: Yvette Granata
The Soil of the Namib: VR (Germany) US Premiere
Director: Christian Zipfel
Producer: Alina Schäfers
A 360° series about illegal mining in Namibia. The three episodes narrate the lives and working conditions of small-scale miners in the context of colonialism.
SOMEWHERE UNKNOWN IN INDOCHINA (Belgium, Taiwan) US Premiere
Directors: Asio Chihsiung Liu, Feng-Ting Tsou
Producers: Asio Chihsiung Liu, Feng-Ting Tsou
Two sisters fled from the wars to a refugee camp. Years later, the elder sister is told that the camp will be demolished soon by her deceased sister.
Cast: Chang Chang-Mien, Genn Lau
The Tent (UK, USA)
Director: Rory Mitchell
Producers: Sébastien Hameline, Lou Doye, Martha Marion
When a woman discovers a mysterious tent has appeared in her front yard, she’s not sure what to do about it, but she’s definitely NOT going to call the cops.
Cast: Maddy Wager, Jet Eveleth, Greg Mosse
Wildlife Management (USA)
Director: Dan Hale
Producer: Dan Hale
Wildlife Management is an interactive, long-form praxinoscope encased inside a UFO shell displaying a 10 second looping animation.
Slamdance Utah:
Through Thin Ice (USA)
Directors: Gabrielle Kardon, Arthur Veenema
Producers: Arthur Veenema, Gabrielle Kardon
On the shores of the Great Salt Lake, a scientist’s twilight run is upended when her dog plunges through rare lake ice, catalyzing a desperate series of choices.
Cast: Gabrielle Kardon, Dom Clarke
Standout: The Ben Kjar Story (USA) World Premiere
Director: Tanner Christensen
Producers: T.C. Christensen, Tanner Christensen, Ben Kjar
He had no chance at an ordinary life, so instead, he lived an extraordinary one.
Cast: Ben Kjar, LaCol Grant, Anthony Robles, Colton Fielding
Shorts curated by Film Independent’s Project Involve to showcase at Slamdance 2025:
A Violent Noise
Director: Michael Yuchen Lei
Producer: Phillip Yuzhong Ge
A troubled musician mourning the loss of his brother tries to finish one of their songs.
Deep Dish Dimples
Director: Manuel Villarreal
Producer: Josh Olaoluwa
When a black trans man goes to bury a body, he’s confronted with his past identity.
Dormilón
Director: Olivia Marie Valdez
Producer: Katherine Martinez DeLeónIn a quest to become the performer of his dreams, Dormilón, a starry-eyed and middle-aged janitor living in an abandoned theater, must confront his nightmares face-to-face.
Just Wait
Director: Blaine Morris
Producers: Fabiola Andrade, Brian Grisby
A young wife fights to be heard by her husband as a hurricane rages outside their house and danger lurks inside.
Mosh
Director: Portlynn Tagavi
Producer: Lauren Lukow
A desperate father struggles to bond with his son while taking him to a concert for this birthday.
#1 Bad Dad
Director: Natalie Camou
Producer: Bofan Zhang
A jaded ex-supervillain is visited by his long-lost daughter and learns what being a father is all about.
Press accreditation for the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival is now open. Members of the press can apply for Media Accreditation here.