These documentary shorts explore the joys, struggles, and complexities of growing up in the South. From small-town traditions to family dynamics and cultural rituals, the films capture the rich textures of Southern life—its humor, its heartbreak, and the unforgettable characters who shape it. Together, they paint a vivid portrait of what it means to come of age in this distinctive region.

A filmmaker journeys back to the significant places of his Kentucky upbringing to preserve the memories they still hold.

London, KY

A filmmaker journeys back to the significant places of his Kentucky upbringing to preserve the memories they still hold.

“In the Garden” is a three-generational reflection piece set in rural Georgia, where the director’s mother reflects on the life of her own aging mother. Blending documentary and narrative forms, the film tells the story of the grandmother’s life through a lyrical, long-form poem. What began as an effort to preserve the director's childhood memories—deeply tied to her grandmother and the Southern landscape—evolved into a meditation on aging and solitude. It’s an exploration of memory, family, and the inescapable pull of home.

In the Garden

In rural West Georgia, a woman reflects on her aging mother’s life in a hybrid doc-poem exploring identity, memory, and place. “In the Garden” is a lyrical meditation on family, aging, and the Southern landscape that shaped them.

A young trans woman travels back to places she visited as a child with her mother, reflecting on memory, loss, and grief.

Everywhere I Look

A young trans woman travels back to places she visited as a child with her mother, reflecting on memory, loss, and grief.

“Tiger” highlights an Indigenous award-winning, internationally acclaimed artist and elder, Dana Tiger, her family, and the resurgence of the iconic Tiger t-shirt company.

Tiger

“Tiger” highlights an Indigenous award-winning, internationally acclaimed artist and elder, Dana Tiger, her family, and the resurgence of the iconic Tiger t-shirt company.

This film blurs the lines between reality and fantasy as well as present and archival media. A reflective piece on youth and growing up, the film tells the story of a young woman returning to her family's farm home to pack up her childhood room.

I hope I'm somewhere laughing.

A young woman returns to her family's farm home to pack up her childhood room.

This film traces a family’s journey toward freedom, nurturing their bees and their young sons amid Georgia’s shifting seasons while they learn to care for the land that sustains them.

The boys and the bees

This film hums, buzzes and throbs as we follow the lives of a Georgia beekeeping family breaking stereotypes and breaking ground on their new farm.

North America

Doc Shorts: Southern Upbringing

Virtual Admission

We are so thankful for your gift and to consider you a part of the NOFS Family!&nbsp;Your generosity helps us continue our work for championing Southern storytelling and allowing us to bring our stories to the big screen for 40,000 moviegoers annually. You help us to nurture the careers of diverse Southern filmmakers, present the Oscar-qualifying New Orleans Film Festival, the annual French Film Festival, and produce film series and special events throughout the year. We are deeply grateful for your contribution. For tax purposes, this letter will serve as official acknowledgment of your tax-deductible contribution to the New Orleans Film Society (NOFS). NOFS Tax ID # / EIN: 72-1136068 For more information about your&nbsp;donation&nbsp;or about NOFS, please contact us at (504) 309-6633 or&nbsp;sarah<a href="mailto:megan@neworleansfilmsociety.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">@neworleansfilmsociety.org</a>. If you are not a member of NOFS yet, please click&nbsp;<a href="https://neworleansfilmsociety.org/become-a-member/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">here</a>&nbsp;to join today. Best regards,Sarah Escalante, Executive Director New Orleans Film Society1215 Prytania St. Suite 371New Orleans, LA 70130(504) 309-6633 Orleans Film Festival

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Welcome to the New Orleans Film Festival Virtual Cinema! NOFF is a renowned celebration of independent filmmaking that has been championing groundbreaking storytelling for over 36 years. We are an Academy Award®-qualifying festival in the Doc Short, Narrative Short, and Animated Shorts categories. 

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