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 ...

In his first semester at an out-of-state university, Ison navigates new friendships and a romantic interest. Jinho Myung directs “Into Particles,” an unassuming yet captivating small-scale character study, endearing in its naivety and tenderness. After an overview of Ison’s upbringing in Californ...

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...

*Click CC for English Subtitles* Nearing her 16th birthday, Maya tries to convince her friends to run away and party with her in a spot they call HQ. Kenz Benmosbah directs “I’m Leaving Tonight,” a coming-of-age snapshot that frames anxious teenage drama within a picturesque French countryside. A...

*Note: Click CC for English Captions* While her fish struggles to survive in a jar, a troubled young girl fixates on becoming famous on social media. “Tina,” directed by Antonio Vasaturo, is gritty realism from Italy rendered with sensory detail and richly saturated visuals. Though her dream seem...

Living in a car with his fugitive mom, a young boy yearns for a normal family life. “Beneath the Grass,” directed by Sam Friedman and William Bermudez, is an artful drama carried by a terrifically natural lead performance from Joshua Garcia. With his frantic mother clawing to keep it together, Le...

A young couple retreats to a glass house for two weeks of digital detox where they are disturbed by a lost hiker. “Earth Over Earth,” directed by Owen Campbell, is an enigmatic sci-fi drama that establishes itself as a convincing relationship study before wandering into an unclassifiable realm. L...

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 ...

Facing banishment, a town pariah repents in order to win back the pastor’s daughter but finds himself cursed. “Death to the Tinman,” directed by Ray Tintori, is a classic from 2007, a kinetic, remarkably stylized extravaganza shot on 16mm black and white film. An origin story of the Tinman from “...

An aspiring pop star travels to Hollywood to meet a music producer she met over Instagram. Samantha Carroll directs and stars in “Love Liz,” a dryly comedic take on an evergreen tale — dreamer seeks fame. From Delaware, Liz has just flown into L.A. with the hopes of making it big. After a pit sto...

The morning after a new love affair, a woman reflects on her past relationships. “Four Chairs,” directed by Ester Song Kim and Nika Burnett, is a poetic portrait that unfolds with sensory detail and surreal shifts. Waking up for the first time with a new man, a woman prepares coffee and tries to ...

On a duck hunting trip, two friends head to the lake. Auden Lincoln-Vogel directs “Bill and Joe Go Duck Hunting,” a quietly assured, gently funny, portrait of man and nature. An old, faded friendship centers the character study: Joe is the chatty one to Bill’s stoic reserve; Joe shows up in stree...