A 16-year-old makes an unusual request of his drug dealer classmate. Christian Meola directs “The Expanding Horizon,” a coming-of-age drama where a young man turns to peculiar measures in the hopes of making a connection. Sitting close to one another in their high school world history class, Jame...

Two young men based in Minneapolis spend the day foraging at a local park for mushrooms. “Mush Luv,” directed by N’namdi Andersen, is a short documentary offering a low-key glimpse into the world of mushrooming and the intimate experiences with nature that come with it. Tony and Ajani meander thr...

When a conspiracy theorist’s internet goes out, he calls the cable company to fix the problem. Ft Langley directs “Steakhouse,” a bizarre sci-fi-inspired comedy where one man’s delusions lead to some questionable reactions toward his sudden visitor. Our main character wakes up at his desk; it see...

A new father tries to find time to skateboard. Zach Weintraub directs and stars in “Rad Dad,” a portrait of early parenthood, skating, and balancing it all. Zach drives over to meet his friend Taylor at his backyard half-pipe. His toddler sits buckled up in the back as a children’s song plays. De...

Deep in the American south, a girl living in a trailer park feels suffocated by her surroundings when her best friend reveals that she is pregnant. “Georgia,” directed by Maci Parker, is an experimental slice-of-life film that explores coming of age in a rural area. As her younger brother experim...

A wanted cybercriminal lays low at the Jersey Shore. Patrick Boehmcke directs “Jessie the Ghost,” a docu-fictional portrait following a young individual on the run. We meet Jessie meandering through Jersey Shore environments — getting a tall slushee at the gas station, hitting the boardwalk arcad...

A group of scavengers navigate a surreal, acid-colored planet in the aftermath of an ecological reckoning. Emily Halaka’s “Organic Matter” is a post-apocalyptic animation made of obscure landscapes, secondary colors, and a whimsical score. The palm-tree-headed scavengers rise from a beach-front p...

A young woman mourns a tragic loss while her sister relentlessly tries to lighten her spirits. Brenna Power directs “Cold & Sara,” a dramatic character study on grief and sisterhood that pinpoints a period of raw emotion. In a state of shock after the death of a close friend, Emmy doesn’t feel mu...

A used condom lands on a sunflower and gives it sentience. Granville Davis directs “Plant Parenthood,” an endearingly bizarre comedy punctuated with “Sesame Street” like puppetry. We meet a struggling couple: Ronnie desperately wants children, but his wife, Margaret, seems to have moved on. An ex...

A group of soldiers are administered a mysterious psychoactive drug and put through rigorous physical and mental tests. Angus McMaster directs “Cold Runner,” a 30-minute drama where the psychological effects on four young men slowly unfolds into a subdued hysteria. At a discreet military facility...

Traveling the continental United States, two vagabond thieves rob from sick, twisted sexual deviants. Griffin Sauter directs “Mousetrap,” an experimental road film following two drifters as they traverse a crude American landscape. From warehouse to ghost town, the two partners front as a “critte...

An actor living on the edge of one of the most polluted zip codes in the United States prepares for a role. Kevin Steen directs “Daron, Daron Colbert,” an atmospheric portrait of a young man’s day-to-day life while he aspires to a career in acting. We’re introduced to Delray, a heavily polluted n...

A tech entrepreneur attends a silent yoga retreat. Charlie Sosnick directs “Silent Yoga,” a slapstick comedy where a cultish yoga event is attended by Zach, a wunderkind founder of a “decentralized finance unicorn.” Along with his unrelenting smart phone, which keeps buzzing due to possibly being...

A guy basically can’t even right now with this breakup, and she, his girlfriend, literally has no idea. Alex Bliss and Matt Barats present “Let the Lion Out,” a sketch film where an oblivious man deflects and defends during a break up by repeating a mantra over and over again. Kimberly (Eleanore ...

A man lives in a restaurant where he also works as a waiter. Ian Faria and Edy Modica direct “Waiter Movie: The Short,” a hilarious and oddly endearing portrait of a New York waiter who chops it up with patrons just as well as he waits tables. We meet our old soul Frankie, played by Modica hersel...

Two best friends wrestle with their masculinity as they attend what they thought was going to be a typical circuit party. Bill Benz’s “A Time for Men” is a social comedy that places two unsuspecting gay men in a hive of men's rights activism. With their QR Code flyers in hand, Todd and Nathan arr...

A sight-restoring surgery leaves surreal distortions to a man’s vision. Efosa Osaghae directs “Locusts Beyond a Phantasia,” a fantasy-realist film where a photographer must distinguish between reality and illusion through his Polaroid camera. As he removes the blindfolds with the help of his surg...

A van-dwelling comic stalks an industrial zone at night. Calvin Lee Reeder writes and directs “Harbor Island,” a character study where a comedian, played by Josh Fadem, experiences solitude as he paces through a spot of desolation in the Pacific Northwest. In 2020, the Census Bureau reported a to...

During the summer semester at a NYC arts school, boundaries begin to blur between an adjunct professor and the students in her filmmaking class. “Personal Documentary,” a long-form feature directed by Jinho Myung, is a real-time exploration of various modes of intimate filmmaking — both a discuss...

A landscaper finds something in the dirt that leads down a rabbit hole. Dave Paige directs “Cuxball,” an eerie comedy about an odd discovery and the mystery and paranoia it reveals. At an early morning landscaping job, Sam finds a cassette tape buried in the ground under some weeds. After Sam man...

After hearing a priest’s sermon, a man decides to focus all his energy on the first person he sees leaving church — a birder named Maude. Samuel Centore directs “Wise Words,” an eccentric comedy about a misguided effort to demonstrate compassion. After being convinced that he “must be there for a...

A filmmaker compares his love life to the German fable. Ethan Fuirst directs and stars in “Rumpelstiltskin,” a self-reflective, docu-fictional piece that comedically considers a man’s romantic, eventually turned platonic, relationships. Through 16mm grain and before a spot-lit backdrop, Ethan, su...

A young Jewish woman sleeps with a series of Catholic men and forgets the Mourner's Kaddish. Ava Burka writes, directs, and stars in “A-Men,” a fourth-wall-breaking dramatic comedy that explores the sexual escapism of its defiant character. We meet Esther as she explains her recent forays with Ja...

When the leader of a friend group abuses her power during a game, her friends turn against her. Mathilde Hauducoeur directs “Angel Wings and Open Wounds,” a dynamic coming-of-age film from France following an energetic 7th-grade friend group. In class, Maud nods off and doodles in a journal with ...