In the old American South, a misplaced black teen with a white adoptive family becomes curious about her roots after hearing birds for the first time. Shannon M. Sutherland directs “They Flew Like Blackbirds,” a magical-realist drama set in the deep south in the early 20th century. Found as a bab...

A troubled teen has one last night out with friends before her life is changed forever. Maddy Rose Figueredo’s “Swan Song” follows college student Aubrey as she navigates the social gymnastics and vices of a hard-partying friend group. Feeling sick after drinking too much, Aubrey goes to the bath...

A father in rural Pakistan comes to a realization during the morning routine with his family. Maazin Kamal directs “Morning Without Light,” a black and white observational narrative of a small family living in isolation from the modern world. The father starts his day early by rinsing off at a cr...

Struggling to fit in at a sleepaway camp with a group of white girls, 11-year-old Aaliyah Khan tries to befriend a new arrival. Samina Saifee’s “AmeriGirl,” nuances the coming-of-age realities of assimilation and conformity to American beauty standards. After being unembraced by two fellow camper...

A group of high school seniors try to make it to the beach on one of their final days as teenagers. Michael .T directs “June 22nd,” a day in the life snapshot of a youthful summer afternoon. When Kevin, Mira, Hope, and Dev decide to escape the heat of their east coast town for a day at the beach,...

A C-list talent agent moves through the world all but invisible, until he enters a pay-to-play audition room where desperate actors see him as a beacon of hope. Emily Frances Kaplan directs “The Agent,” a dark character study about an aging and forlorn man in a position of perceived power. It’s a...

After a failed suicide attempt that happens to coincide with the January 6th Capitol riots, a young black woman faces an atmosphere of white liberal hysteria. Nadira Amaris directs “January 6th,” which captures a dichotomy of moods within Gen Z circles through a lens of racial and personal issues...

Over the course of several months, a Colombian immigrant working as a cleaner in New York converses with her grandmother in a series of phone calls and voice messages. Natalia Luque directs the tender portrait, “The Virgin, The Old Lady, The Journey,” a richly drawn study on familial bonds and lo...

A day in the life of a modern Midwestern community as a farmhand hunts for the cow he scared away. Brian White directs “Flyover,” a tender tale painting the lives of, and around, a farm in Missouri. During what seems to be just another one of their day-to-day duties, three farmhands blissfully co...

After coming to America to visit her daughter, a Chinese woman is unable to return home as the Covid-19 pandemic begins. “Ten Months,” directed by Amie Song, is an understated drama crafted with simplicity and emotion, a period piece that accurately captures the mood and trajectory of the coronav...

A group of 20-something creatives attempt to survive the UK advertising industry as their artistic aspirations slip further and further away. Michael Demetriou directs “Hellspawn,” an edgy satire on the inner workings of a hip production company. After making a short film, Hannah is interviewed b...

With his girlfriend recently incarcerated, a young father looks for a new job while taking care of his 6-year-old daughter. Barry K. Gibbs directs “B.S,” a raw portrait of fatherhood and work-life that's demoralizing but also touching. A cluster of obstacles are stacking up for Marquise — he’s cl...

A troubled teen girl spends her time trolling men online and bowling with her grandfather while becoming increasingly medicated. “Bowling 4 Eva,” directed by Aelfie Oudghiri, is a bracingly original portrait of depression and pharmaceuticals rendered with satirical bite and punctuated by animated...

A father takes his son to the woods for a rite of passage. “Sylvain’s Hunt,” directed by Theo Cohn, is an unsettling portrait of father-son bonding built with inventive mixed-media images (see: miniature sets) and a Lynchian tone. Early one morning, a son is awoken by his dad and they drive to so...

A mentally unstable young man takes care of his grandfather while alienating everyone else in his life. “Pricks of Sensation,” directed by Alex Sulock, is a disturbing portrait of a downward spiral, a pitch black fever dream tracking a man on the verge of snapping. Tending to his ailing grandfath...

A lonely woman with boundary issues steals a dog. India Donaldson directs “If Found,” a minimalist drama set at an off-season beach town that’s built with striking wintry visuals and a tone swaying between lightly comedic and disturbing. She lives on a boat with a friend who seems alarmed by her ...

When her father doesn’t show up for a weekend visit in a beach town, a young woman has a fling with an older surfer. “San Clemente Syndrome,” directed by Claire Offenberger, is a portrait of disappointment and longing carried by tender performances and a reflective mood. She’s a college student e...

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 ...

In America for the first time, a German teenager heading to a party with a group of boys becomes entangled with the police. “Interstate 8,” directed by Anne Thieme, is an understated drama, an immersive minute-by-minute procedural that explores cop culture, immigration, and lines of unspoken comm...

Two souls meet on the New York City subway and communicate with each other through telepathy. Gabriel Guzman directs “Speak in My Language,” a poetic portrait of a cosmic romance that seems fated to last forever. After meeting on the train and discovering they share the same ability to read each ...

A passionate young photographer in Berlin fixates on a series of self-portraits as her boyfriend questions her approach. A mediation on artistic process and ambition, “Spiegel,” directed by Ewan Waddell, is a stylistically assured character study that gets deep into the head of a hip but vulnerab...

A date to see the fireworks on the Fourth of July turns into a weird night of discovery for a shy teenage girl. “Lightstreet,” directed by Billie Michael, is an understated coming-of-age drama that captures the awkwardness and uncertainties of youth in a quiet small town. The young couple wanders...

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...

In Philadelphia, an aspiring rapper tries to carve out a space for himself but begins to lose hope. “Out of Focus,” directed by Alex Sulock, is a cinema verite snapshot about artistic pursuit that maneuvers in a flow of spontaneous energy. Over the course of a couple weeks, Ray roams around his h...