In a future where women are dying rapidly, a female psychologist counsels orphaned children to find answers. A stunningly achieved dystopian tale directed by Blake Salzman, “Midwife” is notable for its melding of genre and art-house sensibilities, and a powerful lead performance by Jules Willcox ...

Three creatures travel great distances on a lonely pilgrimage. “Remission,” directed by John Charter, is a mixed-media experimental film loaded with stunning visuals and potent abstract imagery. According to the film's logline, the figures are manifestations of an unknown solider’s war trauma — w...

The relationship of two young friends is put to the test as their differing views on entitlement and independence are exposed. From the comfort of their luxurious couch (which they never leave), they endlessly bicker about what it means to contribute to society, or not. The darkly comedic drama f...

A screenwriter tries to pitch his project but must endure an egotistical producer and his elusive schedule. “Big Money Flicks” is an absurdist satire on the pains of trying to make a movie, the desperation, power plays, et al. It’s delivered with madcap energy and intentionally disorienting editi...

Identical twin sisters, Ani and Ale, are addicted to the popular teen-soap, ‘Runyon’, in particular, the dreamy star of the show, Johnny. But when they’re not binging, they’re drifting apart. “Binge,” created by Kevin Rios, is a short comedy about obsession, celebrity worship, and decaying sister...

A young woman begins to have doubts while waiting to meet the adoptive parents of her unborn child. This expressive short directed by Anamari Mesa and Kevin Rios creates an instant atmosphere and lingers on well after the credits roll. The pregnant woman (played by Mesa) is on a train to meet the...

Lovers on the run are forced to take solace in each other when home is not an option. “Lola and Dallas” is a mini-tale of doomed love set in a dingy motel room filled with cigarette smoke and fantasies about a dangerous, glamorous life. Directed by Alessandra Mesa and Daniel Sorochkin, the film w...

This film explores the metaphorical significance of the tampon: a phallic item inserted into the vagina that is introduced to pubescent women as sort of a rite-of-passage into taking control over their bodies. A film by Alexandra Neuman, “Tampon” presents strikingly simple drawings beautifully an...

While waiting for his water to boil to make tea, a young man enters a state of distorted reality. This surreal experimental short by director Nick Shultz gets a lot of mileage out of a trippy soundscape and enigmatic framework. After an incident involving a door frame pull-up bar, a mundane eveni...

When the night fish arrive, their job is to feed on your sanity. Presented in second-person point of view and comprised primarily of crudely animated fish floating across a cosmic starry black landscape, “The Night Fish” directed by Albert Birney is a poetic rumination about the fears that keep u...

After the 2016 presidential election, a young woman moves to Washington D.C. to start what she hopes will be the next American revolution. “The Apocalypse Will Blossom” directed by Courtney Jines is a spirited response to a mixed-up world, notable for its concoction of youthful enthusiasm balance...

A young man attempts to get to the bottom of his childhood memories of plywood in this amusingly mundane documentary short by Christian Kozlowski. From as far back as he can remember, Christian’s dad had always used plywood to build houses, and he assumes that he still does. This assumption goes ...

After the sudden loss of their mother, three suburban siblings struggle to move forward as witnessed by their dog, Leadbelly. This mumblecore drama from Chicago beautifully captures sibling relationships and grief while never resorting to exaggeration or over-simplification. Directors Anna Nilles...

As the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts prepares for their annual parade, unsettling occurrences begin to threaten the event. Harrison Fishman directs “The Big Parade,” a lo-fi comic oddity that goes where it wants to go — it’s a gathering of small-town oddballs, mysterious butterflies, and musica...

In the early ‘90s, a 14-year-old girl and boy mysteriously switch bodies and spend the rest of their lives haunted by the event. “emotion 93,” directed by Oz Davidson, is a singular experimental film about identity, memory, and transience. A mixed-format collection of paraphernalia from 1993 — dr...

Crushed by the tedium of her daily routine, a business woman takes a leap of faith. Directed by Candice Vallantin, this experimental dance film from Madrid, Spain is notable for its use of sound and rhythm to highlight the monotonous patterns of modern life. Her name is Clara. She gives a fake sm...

A young woman experiences strange hallucinations while going about her daily life in Los Angeles. Directed by and starring Shereen Lani Younes, “Fall” is an unsettling psychological drama about dealing with a reality that appears to be crumbling. Words are jumbled on menus, the ceiling warps as i...

After getting rejected from space camp, Dan is forced to hang out with his “dark energy” cousin and discovers something far stranger than he ever would at camp. A silly but somewhat earnest comedy reminiscent of bad 80’s movies, "Serf’s Up" is a welcome antidote to “smart” movies everywhere. Litt...

An automatic hammer threatens to destroy a man’s construction company and his relationship with his son. Another absurd goof from director Will Kempner, who previously gave us “Serf’s Up”, a time-traveling backyard odyssey, “The Good Boy” is an intentionally awkward comedy arriving from straight-...

The story of a drug-fueled weekend in a Brooklyn apartment propelled by grief and loyalty. Lee, reeling from the death of his mother, visits the home of his old friend, Monty. Given his present state of mind (and body), it’s not a pleasant visit, at least from the perspective of Monty’s well put ...

A young man decides to take control of his life by turning to cigarettes. This experimental film shot in the San Fernando Valley using an old mini-DV camera is an avant-garde curiosity directed by Justin Zuckerman. Christian smokes the titular ‘first cigarette’ but doesn’t stop there. In fact, he...

High school senior Nancy Fisher finds herself at the center of a baseless rumor as she struggles with expectations of the future. Directed by Justin Zuckerman, "A Future of Success," is a teen comedy about young adult pressures and having different priorities than parents and peers. While Nancy i...

Setting out to “make a movie” on the streets of NYC, a man recruits strangers to act alongside him in “movie scenes”. Using a hidden camera prank show format, “Cinema Brut” is notable for capturing the strange ways people respond when asked to perform, and for the highly committed performance by ...

A sixteen year old boy with an intense desire for recognition seeks out a vicious criminal to prove his boundless grit. “The Hunger,” out of Oslo, Norway, is a suburban gothic tale of teenage vanity and misguided determination. Directed by Kenneth Karlstad, the film cultivates sensory overload at...