Jury Award Winner

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Burning My Tongue

Sep 2019

2019 | Directed by Murphy McCann

Tania walks into a rural diner and finds herself navigating an encounter with a waitress, Alex, who may or may not be flirting with her.

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The Real Thing

Sep 2018

2017 | Directed by Brandon Kelley

The trip home for a Soldier is surreal. Things have changed. The people are older and don’t understand what he’s been through. The scenery is different and sometimes home doesn’t feel like home. For one soldier the ultimate change is in his child. While on his tour of duty, his son has transitioned to be his daughter. He has never met her in person, and today he is coming home to surprise her.

For his daughter, life is full of obstacles and challenges. The people are curious and don’t understand what she’s been through. Her parents’ attitudes are still adjusting, and sometimes home doesn’t feel like home. For Allie, a rough day at school ends with at surprise. Her father is home from the army, and he’s standing in her room.

Parental love is unconditional. It transcends a person’s memory of their child. The Real Thing is an infinitely stronger bond.

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Manos Abierta En Esta Tierra (Open Hands in this Land)

Sep 2018

2017 | Directed by Marylys Merida

The land between family and community.

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The Privates

Sep 2018

2017 | Directed by Dylan Allen

An unknown rock band struggles with a radioactive energy in their music that blows up amps, liquefies tapedecks, and starts electrical fires. On the eve of their first (and possibly last) show, they must decide whether to risk life, limb, and legacy for a 1AM slot on a Tuesday. It could change everything…or nothing at all.

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The Longest Year

Sep 2018

The Longest Year
2017 | Directed by Jessie Beers-Altman

The Longest Year represents a filmmaker’s attempt to understand and work through a personal, tragic, life-altering event through the memories of friends and loved ones who shared the experience.

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Earworm

Sep 2018

Earworm
2016 | Directed by Tara Price

Oh, the things that get stuck in our heads. When a reclusive man is repeatedly woken up over the course of a night by severe headaches, accompanied by musical repetition from an unknown source, his sanity begins to swiftly unravel. This creepy and unsettling short film will leave viewers squirming in their seats.

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The Field

Sep 2018

2017 | Directed by Daymian Mejia

Passion, strength, and dedication in every field.

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What the Doctor Ordered

Sep 2018

2015 | Directed by Yvonne LaBarge

Sandra uses food to express her emotions, for better or for worse. Will her husband become a victim to food, or will he drown in deliciousness?

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East of Hollywood

Sep 2017

East of Hollywood
2016 | Directed by Chris Caccioppoli

Ken Chang is ready for the American dream. The only trouble is that he’s just too American. So in order to land a role on a network TV Show, Ken undergoes Actor “Orientalification” to prove that he can be Asian enough to make it in Hollywood. Shot as a mocumentary, East of Hollywood follows Ken as he takes Mandarin lessons, learns martial arts, and even attempts to thicken his accent just so he can have a shot at playing a bodega owner in an offensive network television show called “Kung Fu Mom.”

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The Edge

Sep 2017

2016 | Directed by Carlos Toro

Sharks have fascinated Joe Romeiro since childhood. He learned to dive as a tool to experience the power and mystery of sharks first hand. Joe wants to use their experiences to help show others that many species of sharks are threatened, and some even face extinction. He portrays sharks the way they see them, as beautiful and awe inspiring creatures that are an important and critical element of our oceans eco-system.