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The Expanding Horizon
Movie + 3 extras
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...
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Mason
Movie + 2 extras
A young boy in rural America moves through a typical day trying to keep himself entertained and out of trouble. The observational documentary, “Mason,” directed by Oliver Shahery, follows the titular subject as he shoots at squirrels, plays with toy cars, and drinks Coke. Shahery refrains from ex...
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Knowing Desmond
Movie + 2 extras
A shy college student turns invisible through a surreal metamorphosis and decides to follow around her crush from her philosophy class. In Natalie Horberg’s “Knowing Desmond,” animation collides with reality to form a youthful, experimental romance. In their university philosophy class, Desmond m...
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Georgia
Movie + 1 extra
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...
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Daughter Of Wands
Movie + 2 extras
On an afternoon at a skatepark, a 17-year-old girl makes an effort to fit in with her edgier friends while also tending to her shaky relationship with her younger sister. Emma Hall-Martin directs “Daughter of Wands,” a coming-of-age story set in the suburbs about teen pressures and the complexiti...
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Foot Trouble
Movie + 1 extra
A walk through a 16-yr-old’s uncomfortable shoes: gym class, an awkward encounter with a crush, and a meeting with her mom’s new boyfriend. Vanessa Meyer directs “Foot Trouble,” a coming-of-age set in 1999 that captures some darkly funny corners of a teenage girl’s day-to-day life. Sitting in her...
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Angel Wings and Open Wounds
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 ...
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Buzzkill
A young girl desperately tries to fit in with a group of South Florida teenagers. Kathy Mitrani directs “Buzzkill,” an evocative coming-of-age drama that unfolds in vivid waves of longing, curiosity, and recklessness. Adrian looks for an opportunity to join the roving band of teens as they frolic...
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Side Walks
Two twenty-somethings, unrelated, struggle to maintain their personal relationships going about their day-to-day life in Vancouver. Brian Daniel Johnson directs “Side Walks,” a simple, yet cinematic, look at the lives of two young adults mainly told through their phone calls. Simon lives with his...
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Lay Me by the Shore
A high school senior in his final days of school must come to terms with the death of a friend. “Lay Me by the Shore,” directed by David Findlay, is a gorgeously photographed, impeccably crafted tone poem about bottled confusion, regret and shame. As graduation looms for Noah, he spends his days ...
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The Death of Art Slob
Movie + 1 extra
A documentary about the end of a young man’s musical project told through the anecdotes and recollections of everyone who helped along the way. “The Death of Art Slob,” directed by musician Amar Ahmad, is a poignant ode to suburban scenes, house shows, college towns, and the American enclaves whe...
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Trinidad
A lo-fi parable about a young kid in Detroit who turns to scrapping to provide for his family. Portraying poverty and struggle without sensationalizing, it treats its characters as complicated individuals -- real people faced with real choices -- not as symbols of poor urban life. The oldest sibl...
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In Our Secret Penthouse
After spending the day hanging out and playing video games, unexpected tension bubbles up between two young friends as they flip through an issue of Penthouse magazine. Max Tullio directs “In Our Secret Penthouse,” a coming-of-age vignette about childhood innocence, teen masculinity and sexual aw...
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Tenderless
An awkward New York teenager accompanies her more experienced friend to a boy’s home. Amanda Samimi directs “Tenderless,” a 16mm coming-of-age film that considers youthful city-living and meandering intimacies. Observing skaters on the blacktop and the overly-acquainted squirrels of Tompkins Squa...
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Broken Bird
A biracial girl caught between worlds prepares for her Bat Mitzvah and adulthood. Radiating with warmth and lived-in specificity, “Broken Bird,” directed by Rachel Harrison Gordon, is a tender coming-of-age drama about a divided upbringing. Birdie has reached a vulnerable age of anxiety and self-...
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Bye Bye Body
When Nina fails to meet her goal in the final week of weight loss camp, she considers drastic alternatives. “Bye Bye Body,” directed by Charlotte Benbeniste, is a tender snapshot about body image and self-esteem delivered with wonderfully natural performances and lovely 35mm images. At a weigh-in...
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Ten & Two
A harmless driving lesson quickly turns into a survival lesson on police encounters. “Ten & Two,” directed by Travis Wood, is a vignette about a mother and teenage son in the suburbs preparing for the inevitability of racial profiling. On a test drive, the son misses a stop sign and rattles the ...
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Bellybutton
A Y2K teenager struggles to connect fantasy and reality when she gets a piercing on her birthday. Hilary Eden directs “Bellybutton,” a coming-of-age glance at the factors shaping a teenage girl’s self-understanding of beauty and identity. Parents out of sight, Lissy observes her older brother and...
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How to Cry on Command
Movie + 1 extra
At a dystopian grade school, a determined 11-year-old girl struggles during her final exams. Wylie Anderson directs “How to Cry on Command,” a hilarious satire looking at the requirements and consequences of pursuing stardom. At “Celebrity Preparatory for Girls,” there are classes on how to speak...
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August
In the mountains of North Carolina, a young boy lives with his troubled mother. “August” directed by Cameron Morton, is a slice-of-life portrait of rural living that merges into a heavy family drama of lost innocence. Spending his days zipping around on this bike or feeding his dog cereal, the ki...
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Half Sisters
Movie + 1 extra
Half sisters who have never met discover something they share. “Half Sisters,” directed by S. Cagney Gentry, delicately shows the first-time encounter between two siblings, one still in elementary school and the other in 6th grade. Callie and her mom head over in the minivan; she amicably awaits ...
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Pacurí
At the cusp of her Quinceañera, Pacurí must decide where her loyalties lie: with her devoted family or her wealthy friends. “Pacurí,” directed by Gustavo René, is a coming-of-age drama about a Paraguayan-American teenager expressing independence while her family fixates on a culturally important ...