A guy minding his business strikes a daring deal with a mysterious man he meets in the park. Graham Mason’s “Traveling Man” is a modern-day fable where an everyday man, played by Eric Rahill, is enchanted, possibly to his own demise. Through black-and-white grain while a liturgical melody plays, ...

Mourning her grandmother, a young woman takes a job that requires her to lure a mysterious entity from a hole. Casey Friedman’s “Pentatarmex Rabitular” is a quiet piece of sci-fi observed through its character’s mundane life and the bizarre occurrences that come with a strange job. Accompanied by...

After getting on the "dance cam" at a professional sporting event, a man loses his mind and sense of reality. Jack Solomon’s “Jumbotron” is an absurd comedy about the unexpected havoc sparked by a simple moment of crowd participation. Drew watches a hockey game with his co-worker Michelle. He’s s...

A pair of long lost friends re-discover the power of friendship, the quaint traditions of a small town, and the importance of coffee. Graeme Achurch and Nathan Hare write and perform in “Coffee is Important,” an extreme satire on the tropes of a sitcom, specifically poking fun at an archetypical ...

Two tortured men spend the day taking care of one another. Michael Rees’ “Guzzle Buddies” features a charismatic Lewis Pullman and Kyle Chase in a darkly comedic examination of male friendship and deep-seated crisis. Lewis comes home to find his roommate, Kyle, in the middle of an existential pan...

Two old-timey fellas meet up by the pond to do some fishing and determine what’s normal. Alex Goldberg directs “A Joyful Process,” a Steinbeck-esque dark comedy encompassed by melodies of nature and absurd conversation. Bruce (Anthony Oberbeck) and Joe (Ikechukwu Ufomadu) cast their lines out to ...

In Corona, Queens, two Ecuadorian siblings are placed at odds when one reveals an urge to leave their home. Emilio Subia’s “Naños” drops us into the bumbling lives of two brothers and the high-stakes drama that allures them. Fleeing a petty heist, Diego sprints through the subway alongside his pa...

A couple endures an emotional rollercoaster ride navigating the challenges of love and being separated by miles. Chris Fanelli directs “Long Distance” (written by and starring Jay Weingarten), a brief comedy putting the language of long distance under an immensely awkward microscope. Both comedia...

A man traverses a series of pastoral landscapes to his childhood home where he finds his sister packing their parents' belongings. Brothers Dakota Mina Fox and Dylan Pailes-Friedman co-direct “Afternoon of Dying Trees,” a grainy meditation on delusional and dwindling memories. As Calvin moves thr...

On the precipice of a breakup, a couple briefly reunites to euthanize the cat they fostered together. “Cathy Doesn’t Know,” directed by Gregg Kearns, is a naturalistic drama where the hurt of saying goodbye to a pet meets with a fraught relationship. As another friend hovers in the kitchen for mo...

A girl living in a half-physical, half-digital world, starts to hear her new neighbor through the wall. Jan Grabowski’s “Half-Dream” begins as a monochrome observation of a young woman in isolation but quickly escalates to a surreal out of body encounter. The character referred to as ‘The Girl’ l...

A man finds out that his lover's ex-boyfriend resembles his personal hero. Free Man Agyapong’s “Malcom Ex” is a darkly humorous look at navigating insecurities in a new relationship. A group of friends kick it on the beach. Guy and Nairobi have been seeing each other recently. With the rest of th...

A young woman teeters on the brink of adulthood while trying to grapple with the heartbreak that comes from a drifting friendship. In “It’s All Happening,” Sammy Grand contends with the realities of adult friendship, observing shifts in emotions and perspective. Their current form of friendship i...

Two deranged young men gather a group of like-minded individuals to greet extraterrestrial visitors coming to the James River. Comedian Brian Fiddyment directs “Grey Day,” an energetic and eerie piece of sketch featuring a crazed Will Duncan and Pierce Campion. While on their way to an LSD pick-u...

A glimpse at the goings-on of a 21-year-old in Brooklyn interrupted by a sojourn to North Carolina. Liam Barton directs “Blatant Interest,” a 16mm hangout film comprising a series of brief vignettes and electronica interludes. Beer cans litter Lyle’s rooftop. Instead of beginning the day with a c...

A young woman runs away from home and acquires a dog. Marie Mottet’s “1-800-QUIET-LIFE” is a quiet exploration of ennui and decisions to drift. Unnamed, the young woman drives aimlessly in her car; we hear a voice message left by a man’s voice insisting she return to where she’s recently left. Sh...

Two Brooklyn filmmakers make a personal documentary about playing the lottery. Stephanie Ibarra and Anna Torzullo direct and star in “Fortuna,” a satirical portrait that follows the friends and co-directors as they reckon with the possibility of becoming millionaires. Each wielding Sony handycams...

A very dramatic, broken-hearted woman wanders the wilderness searching for her lost love. Mitra Jouhari’s “Wayfaring Stranger” is a poetic comedy with reflective anecdotes of a post-break-up self. Frame to frame, we see the wilderness while listening to Jouhari’s spoken word. Her ex’s “touch” and...

A young man drives across the vast exteriors of Kansas in anticipation of a lover's rendezvous. Darron Carswell’s “Villa Mink” is a contained, slow-burn look at a young man’s night in solitude. Rudy Ford rides the interstate, taking a rest at a road-side motel where there’s the possibility of mee...

A knight in an accursed and shattered world tempts fate with a mysterious song. Albert Birney’s “Gruenfeld” boards a medieval quest where fantasy is suddenly met by horror. Told from the deep voice of an anonymous narrator, we observe the weathered knight, Sir Garreth, as he desperately searches ...

A retired magician turned aquatic fish salesman is visited by an obsessed fan. Ben Gordon’s “Stigmata” is a bizarre, fever-dream drama witnessing a man’s persistent effort to learn a forbidden spell. Brad Christian closes up his fish and supplies store for the night, but there’s a knock at the do...

While making a documentary about a heavily polluted town, a filmmaker takes interest in a neighborhood teenager as a compelling subject. Max Drexler’s “Phillips” is a docu-fictional portrait of an American town and the grim anxieties cast over a particular resident. The filmmaker walks us through...

An immigrant couple caring for their grandchildren receive an unexpected visitor after hours, threatening to upend their lives. “In Freedom,” directed by Jorge Sistos Moreno, is a tense drama that pinpoints an ever-present paranoia regarding fears of deportation and harassment. Maria is rattled t...

At a night festival in India, two former school friends reunite after years of being apart. Tanmay and Tanvi Chowdhary direct “Madhu” (Honey), a heartfelt look at a reunion and the feelings that simmer deep into the evening. In the city of Kolkta during the Hindu festival 'Durga Pujo,' Satakshi a...