A Palestinian surgeon drives home after a long night shift, but little does she know that a commute through a desolate West Bank road will change her forever. <a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/003/131/560/original/7374429b50-headshot.jpg?1755081659" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/003/131/560/thumb/7374429b50-headshot.jpg?1755081659" width="185" style="border: medium; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-language-override: inherit; font-size: 12.95px; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative; float: left;"></a>Director BiographySaid Zagha is a UK-based Palestinian-British screenwriter and director whose work fuses genre storytelling with a political edge. His 2025 short film COYOTES premiered in the Orizzonti section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and went on to win the Best Short Film Award at the BFI London Film Festival, where it became BAFTA-qualified (2027). It also won awards at the Red Sea International Film Festival, Calgary International Film Festival, Carthage Film Festival, and received special mentions at AFI Fest and Foyle Film Festival.Zagha is in advanced development on his debut feature, BLACK HARVEST, a Palestine-set revenge thriller supported by all major public film funds across the Arab world and selected for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab (2026).Previously, he directed the first two episodes of CRASHING EID (2023), a Netflix Original miniseries set in Saudi Arabia that reached Netflix's global Top 10 across more than 30 territories. His earlier shorts, LOVESICK IN THE WEST BANK (2021) and FIVE BOYS AND A WHEEL (2016), screened widely on the international festival circuit, including at Academy-qualifying events such as Tampere, Urbanworld, Portland, and Dubai.Born in Jerusalem and raised in Ramallah, Zagha holds a BA in English from Kenyon College and an MA in Screenwriting from the London Film School. He is also a Berlinale Talents alumnus. Director StatementCOYOTES was born out of true stories and an urgent question: what happens when one’s humanity is pushed into a proverbial iron cage, an impossible corner? I grew up in Palestine, under a brutal Israeli occupation designed to weaponize our vulnerabilities and erode our will — through violence, surveillance, coercion, and fear. As I struggle to cope with an unremitting campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide directed at my people and my homeland, I felt compelled to create a cinematic response to a system built on layers of injustice and double standards. Set over one night, COYOTES is a neo-noir thriller that explores the inevitable outcome of impunity and domination.

English

COYOTES

When a troubled boy visits a doctor to relieve his anxieties, he discovers a darker secret lurks beneath. <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/1de2d74f8fe92128288b3217855b7415.jpg" width="185" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;">Director BiographyBluebelle Saraceno is a filmmaker and actress who has been working in the industry since the age of 5. Her credits include voicing the series regular role of Jonica with the late Ed Asner in The Laundronauts, the Lifetime TV film Honeymoon from Hell, voicing two Siberian Tiger cubs in Disney’s The Lion Guard, co star role in Hollywood Darlings, The National Music Film w/ Alicia Vikander directed by Mike Mills, and the web series Gal Pals for which she was nominated for a Young Entertainer Award, as well as multiple national commercials. Bluebelle is a student at LACHSA in the Cinematic Arts program. As a writer, director, producer, and cinematographer, she has completed two films: The List and Peace of Mind. Director Statement"Peace of Mind" is a unique perspective on the cycle of the persuasion of the masses as it pertains to our modern society.

Peace of Mind

Generation Well follows Stevie, a troubled woman who becomes obsessed with a police officer resembling her late father. After her arrest and her husband Gale leaving her, Stevie spirals—flushing her meds and tracking down the officer, Thomas Hernandez.Haunted and unraveling, Stevie stalks Thomas , who bares a striking resemblance to her late father. <a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/003/144/744/original/3106e557f2-headshot.jpg?1754257073" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/003/144/744/thumb/3106e557f2-headshot.jpg?1754257073" width="236" style="border: medium; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-language-override: inherit; font-size: 12.95px; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative; float: left;"></a>Director BiographyJack Serra (b. 1999, Birmingham, Alabama) is an award-winning writer-director known for his bold vision and strong sense of direction. He began making films in his early teens, developing a distinctive style through narrative shorts, music videos, and commercial work. Known for his clarity of vision and collaborative approach, he continues to build a body of work that is both personal and resonant—establishing himself as a rising voice in independent cinema. Director StatementAfter losing my father early last year, I became interested in the concept of finality and what someone might do to be in the presence of a deceased loved one again. With this film, I aim to explore the gray area between love and longing, while focusing on the concept of generational trauma through the lens of addiction. <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/q15oq3vtgzdbh0muk444o/Press-Kit_-GENERATION-WELL.pdf?rlkey=hjkoumccbc5ghlx1mug3ohtjl&amp;st=224m4wxi&amp;dl=0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Link to full press kit.</a>

Generation Well

After a serious run in with the law, a young woman becomes obsessed with an officer who looks identical to her deceased father.

"Stranger" tells the story of two people crossing paths unexpectedly, whose fleeting glance digs up bittersweet memories.&nbsp;<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/1abae2b2690a5dae2b03caf51f2ff503.jpg" width="170" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;"> Director BiographyEliana D'Astici is an emerging Chicago-based director who got her start in film as a cinematographer. She studied production at Ohio University located in Athens, Ohio. Her background in visual storytelling is reflected in her first directorial short, "Stranger." She works in narrative and documentary filmmaking as a cinematographer, director, and editor.

Stranger

Attractive, cunning, and unapologetic, Samantha Cole thrives as a woman often overlooked but never unnoticed. A lifelong grifter, Sam lives in anonymity. Sam’s obscure life is thrown into chaos when an inquisitive stranger shows up at her local watering hole. <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/82886149dc919284519413001da060d9.jpg" width="185" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Director BiographyBryant is the creative force steering Nowhere Good. A professional actor and seasoned filmmaker, his recent film credits include Lost &amp; Found in Cleveland (with Martin Sheen), Nutcrackers (with Ben Stiller), and A Man Called Otto (with Tom Hanks). His work can be seen on Showtime, HBO, Hulu, Disney, AppleTV, Amazon, Netflix, NBC, ABC, and CBS. He's the real deal—and we're so lucky he's telling this story. Director StatementI'd like to explore the human experience of an aging woman who has been grifting for her entire life and the moral compass of how she moves through life. What happens when her past shows up to confront her. How it feels to face someone she hurt so long ago and how she will either destroy that person or find a way to reconcile.

Nowhere Good

An aging grifter on the run. A younger man hell-bent on revenge. A cruel and twisted story that leads NOWHERE GOOD.

Dream Defenders is an animated comedy-action short celebrating the power of plushies and getting over your fears. A trio of scrappy yet lovable plushies, known as the Dream Defenders, must fight off nightmares and save their frightened kid, Sammy. They must figure out a way to rescue him from the fearsome being causing these terrors. Tonight, their kid dreams of a terrifying circus. <a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/003/457/729/original/9518136e2c-headshot.jpg?1752532224" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/003/457/729/thumb/9518136e2c-headshot.jpg?1752532224" width="185" style="border: medium; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-language-override: inherit; font-size: 12.95px; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative; float: right;"></a>Director Biography Nicole Nowel is a first generation Polish-American animator based and born in Chicago. She attended DePaul University, graduating in 2025 with a BFA in Animation and created Dream Defenders at age 22. Nicole mainly creates bold and playful 2D animated work heavily inspired by the style of early 2000s cartoons, but she also enjoys creating mixed media work, such as paper stop motion. She was a storyboarding mentee under a highly selective storyboarding training program led by Nickelodeon directors and has done storyboarding freelance work for an unannounced project. Nicole aims to continue to work on animated projects on a larger scale and plans to create more stories centered around her characters. See more work by her under the handle @squidblush on most social media platforms, such as Instagram and Youtube. Director StatementDream Defenders was inspired by my childhood plushies and how they have brought me comfort throughout the scarier times in my life. Plushies were always a positive influence for me even to this day, and I’m sure many can say the same. As a kid, I had frequent paranoia and terrible nightmares, so having a plush to hug when I would wake up gave me a sense of safety. I actually based Pup, one of the Dream Defenders, off of this little brown puppy plushie I was so emotionally attached to as a kid that I would not sleep or go anywhere without it. I wanted to dive in deeper with this idea that plushies can offer us a sense of protection from the potentially alarming thoughts our minds can go through at night, and maybe make these fears seem less scary.

Dream Defenders

SynopsisPaulina (35 years old) is out on parole after serving a prison sentence for the murder of her husband Andrzej. She returns to her hometown to meet her 11-year-old son Nikodem. Jadwiga (55 years old), Paulina's mother-in-law who takes care of Nikodem, does not want this meeting to take place. She is still grieving the loss of her son, Andrzej, and is unable to forgive Paulina for what she did.The film deals with domestic violence and its consequences. <a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/954/045/original/fba7242fbc-headshot.jpg?1734777043" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/954/045/thumb/fba7242fbc-headshot.jpg?1734777043" width="235" style="border: medium; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-size: 12.95px; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative; float: left;"></a>Director Biography Sebastian Kwidziński (born April 27, 1979) is an Polish filmmaker, director and screenwriter.Education: Wajda School, Warsaw Film SchoolFilmography:- "Matka" (english title: "Mother"), the diploma film "Warsaw Film School"- "Fabryka"(english title: "Factory"), short animation(clay stop motion)- "Winda" (english title: "Elevator"), short movie Director Statement"Mother" is about domestic violence. This movie is very important for me.

Mother

Hope comes to a South Memphis neighborhood that has struggled with basic resources. It takes the unlikely form of a climbing gym, where Jarmond Johnson and others experience different outcomes on the wall. Director Biography<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/956/914/original/bea71bc532-headshot.jpg?1736557940" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/956/914/thumb/bea71bc532-headshot.jpg?1736557940" width="231" style="border: medium; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-width: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-size: 12.95px; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative; float: right;"></a>Glen has spent his professional career running a creative agency, emotion studios. Every now and again, they turn him loose to pursue his passion as a filmmaker. This has found him dreaming up or directing countless marketing and advertising campaigns for the household names in Silicon Valley. While the work has taken him around the world and into many different cultures, at the heart of it, he’s always in pursuit of finding the uniquely human story that moves us all. Director StatementI’ve been a climber for many years and came across Memphis Rox and knew that I needed to experience it in person. When the opportunity arose to craft a story with them, I jumped at it. This project was such an honor. Memphis Rox embraced our small team and treated us like family. I feel graced to have gotten to work with the amazing people there and to now be part of the Rox family.&nbsp;2025 brought a devastating occurrence that has changed the trajectory of our film. and of the entire Rox community. Jarmond Johnson the film's main subject and a deeply loved figure in the Memphis Rox community was shot and killed on June 29th while doing the work he loved, serving the people he loved. The whole community has been rocked by it, but has responded with resilience and positive action. Our greatest hope for Your Last Best is that it will inspire people to visit and become ongoing supporters of Rox and all that it brings to the community of South Memphis. It is truly an extraordinary place filled with extraordinary people!

Your Last Best: A Memphis Rox Story

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