A raw and desperate romantic spirit fills every frame. Wildly compelling. Directed by by Christian Palmer.

A Detroit minister rallies a community group to shut down a local drug house. “Community Patrol,” by director Andrew James, is both an observational portrait of a couple days in the life, and an inspiring case study of community action. Minister Malik Shabazz is sick of the drug abuse, violence, ...

An Indian-American teenager is caught between a crush and an anthrax prank in the weeks following 9/11. “Hasim October,” by director Swetha Regunathan, is a portrait of youthful frustration at a chaotic moment in American history. On the day before her 15th birthday, Brinda and her friend are wa...

On the edge of adolescence, a little brother visits his sister in the big city for the first time. This documentary snapshot directed by Dominique van Olm (who also stars) is a beautifully intimate account of their weekend in Toronto. The low-key course of events makes an effective case for the p...

A skinny blond gets picked up in an old white van by a young man and his German Shepherd and they drive around listening to Waylon Jennings. And that's already enough for me, but it gets really good when the blond reveals she's obsessed with Steve Buscemi and has a grand plan to marry him. It sta...

Simple story about two Belarus teenagers in love. It doesn't scream for your attention but it doesn't have to - it's got sincerity on its side. Mumblecore must have reached eastern Europe, or they've invented their own version, because that's a good starting point here. A low-key, naturalistic sc...

A beautifully-made character study of two ex-lovers in a luxurious hotel room reliving their past. The line between reality and role-play is thin and it’s an engrossing edge. Two wonderful performances lead the way: the man, an ex-college athlete, desperate to re-enact his days skipping practice ...

Two sisters dig up their mothers grave in the Australian Outback. “Min Min,” directed by Stephanie Ellis, establishes itself as an atmospheric relationship drama before veering into the supernatural. It’s beautifully shot and cut, and features the compelling performances of Ellis and Anna Cordell...

A young woman flees to Paris and relinquishes her blackness in pursuit of personal freedom. “White Girl in Paris,” directed by Tajayona, is a poetic exploration of race, a powerful set of visuals that stake claim to a black woman’s opportunity to be young and carefree. She puts on a costume, pran...

While looking for a job online, filmmaker Travis Wood notices a trend on many company’s Meet The Team pages. With “Affurmative Action,” he delivers the unfortunate observation as a series of video screen captures highlighting racial inequities but plenty of canine representation. This is the four...

A silent experimental film about a space man’s first day in Brooklyn. Directed by Travis Wood and shot on Super 8mm black and white film, “Just getting by is okay” communicates with a gentle playfulness and warmth. The ‘space man’ hits the streets to get acquainted with his new environment, attra...

As an eight-year-old kid, director Travis Wood had two bikes stolen in the course of a month. In “One Peg Boss,” he narrates the tale over a charmingly simple animation, ruminating on his memories and coming to terms with the incidents. The first bike was stolen immediately after receiving as a b...

A portrait of a roommate named Kayla, a teacher who watches French movies and drinks three cups of tea at a time. Directed by Travis Wood, “Kayla in 1A” is a film about two strangers living together and establishing no connection. “We’ve lived together for six months. I don’t know anything about ...

A man finds a family of strangers in his house and has an extremely difficult time asking them to leave. A film about avoiding conflict, or something more elaborate perhaps, a metaphor for shifting times? The house you thought was yours is no longer. Either way, it dishes out the cringe-y laughs ...

Cheyenne is a teen punk fan trying to convince her friend, Maggie, to come with her to their first show. “This is Not a Love Song,” by director Ursula Ellis, is a MFA student short from Columbia University which captures the raw enthusiasm of teenage rebellion, led by a charismatic lead performan...

In this experimental dance film, a pair of twin sisters aim to reconcile a sacred bond. “TWINS: You must be related!”, directed by Varya Rootwood and performed by India Gonzalez and Ananda Gonzalez, captures a mesmerizing and poignant dance routine that takes place on a median under a NYC bridge....

Amber Lynn Weatherbee knows that the right man is out there and she’s determined to find him by getting cast on “The Bachelor.” Told entirely through audition tapes sent into the popular TV show, “Ready for Love,” is a profound character study of our times, funny but also surprisingly heartbreaki...

A 5 minute single take of a Beetlejuice impersonator making a VHS-taped love confession to a woman he briefly met after his show at Universal Studios. The nervous monologue is simultaneously tentative and crazed, "Beetlejuice, listen up, this is do or die. If you can't have her, you can't have an...

An obsessed man admits to stalking but doesn't think it's that a big deal, "There was several people I was keeping my eye on." Despite downplaying the problem, he classifies himself as reformed & starts his own support group. It's only got one member and the first step is wrestle therapy, where t...

Director/performer Rachel Garber Cole pulls a Eddie Murphy (via Nutty Professor) and plays a whole family, except she's not dealing in farts & fat jokes, but rather body + gender + family dynamics. The titular predicament is introduced in the first scene by the only character not played by Cole, ...

An adventure film starring Skillman as a great masculine hero who defeats a one-eyed nemesis, finds the glowing red orb he's been searching for his whole life & rescues his leading lady. A couple minutes in, after a grand kiss, it's over, the end. The music swells and we cut to the Epilogue. Havi...

An absurdist melodrama in three acts following the evolution of a family's dynamic through altercations, deaths, and the increasing influence of a singing realtor. “Dinnertime,” directed by Gerardo Coello Escalante, is a comedic portrait of dysfunction, richly layered and remarkably paced. John i...

During a bachelorette weekend at a cabin in the woods, Wendy is forced to confront the one-sided relationship with her best friend Kristin. Zoe Jarman writes, directs and stars in “Coda,” an exceedingly cringe-worthy comedy about feeling unimportant to those you thought were close friends. Though...

"Joy Kevin" contains another remarkable performance from Tallie Medel (who burst on the indie scene in 2012 with "The Unspeakable Act"); here she is aided to great effect by the fact she plays a dancer. Her physicality is amazing and she’s given free reign to use it, not only in the numerous danc...