Finely-crafted narrative and documentary student shorts that exemplify daring and distinctive storytelling.

About the Film: An Island Drifts follows a teacher, Glen, who witnesses a young primary six student, Andrew, involved in a troubling and much discussed incident that happened in school. Without a full grasp on the truth, Glen deals with Andrew objectively but Andrew is unable to comprehend the situation and this leads to devastating consequences, causing Glen to lose his job and question if he is to blame. He ultimately has to meditate on his actions if they align with his principles, as he heads into the future where he either will or will not forgive himself. About the Filmmaker: Originally from Singapore, Vivian Ip is an award-winning filmmaker and recovering lawyer, based in Los Angeles. She is a MFA graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and a member of the BAFTA Newcomers Program. An Island Drifts is her directorial debut, in her journey to explore the human condition by capturing intimate moments and universal truths with a cinematic edge. <a href="https://vivian-ip.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://vivian-ip.com</a>

An Island Drifts

Set in Singapore, a young teacher presses for the truth from a maladjusted student, as the act leads to devastating results and they suffer the ignominy of losing everything that matters to them.

About the Film: Nine-year-old tomboy Xiaoyu always wants to hang out with a group of boys in her neighborhood, but when her chance to join the “boys squad” would be at the cost of a girl that she just made friends with, Xiaoyu has a hard decision to make. About the Filmmaker: Rubing Zhang is a filmmaker from Beijing, China. A 2022 Sundance Ignite Fellow and a graduate of Swarthmore College with high honors, Rubing is an incoming film MFA candidate at NYU Tisch. Her films have screened at various film festivals including Outfest, the Woodstock FF, the Brooklyn FF, and the Athens International Film + Video Festival.

Wuss

Nine-year-old tomboy Xiaoyu always wants to hang out with a group of boys in her neighborhood, but when her chance to join the “boys squad” would be at the cost of a girl that she just made friends with, Xiaoyu has a hard decision to make.

About the Film: Nelly lives alone with her elderly father. The only way she makes ends meet is by working as a street vendor from dawn to dusk. She has learned not to trust anyone until one day she is forced to take a leap of faith or be resigned in her position forever. About the Filmmaker: Zahida Pirani is a writer/director based in LA and NYC. Her short film, EL CARRITO, was an official selection of SXSW, AFI FEST, and won awards at Seattle International Film Festival, Palm Springs International ShortFest, Brooklyn Film Festival and Indy Shorts International Film Festival. Zahida previously directed and produced the award-winning documentary JUDITH: PORTRAIT OF A STREET VENDOR which premiered at the Queens Museum. She is the recipient of the 2021 Princess Grace Award in Film. Before becoming a filmmaker, Zahida worked as a community organizer and was the director of a grassroots nonprofit organization in New York. <a href="http://www.elcarritofilm.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.elcarritofilm.com</a>

El Carrito

After a harrowing event, an untrusting and isolated street vendor discovers the embrace of community.

About the Film: Newly released from prison, Andre is anxious, scared, and hopeful. Upon arrival, he’s bombarded by a surprise party with half of the family looking at him like nothing more than a prisoner. However, there’s something more pressing to Andre. He isn't happy. Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, he goes deeper into the town to see old friends still in the same places and doing the same things. He then sees Melanie and the past trauma comes back to him, but he knows what he must do.Later that night, Andre goes up to Melanie’s house and apologizes for accidentally killing her son, Moe, and the pain that he’s caused her. But before he can finish, Melanie slams the door in his face. Andre walks away visibly distraught from the encounter, but as he remembers his relationship with Moe, he finds the strength to forgive himself. About the Filmmaker: Christian Jones is a writer/director based in New York City. He studied Communications and African American Studies at the University of Maryland and recently graduated from Columbia University with an MFA in Screenwriting. In addition to writing and directing numerous short films, he has interned for Proximity Media and works as a freelance writer and director for virtual reality developer Moth + Flame, where he has realized projects for clients that include the US Air Force and National Urban League. Christian’s work explores human connectivity through the prism of the Black American experience, a subject he is very passionate about.

I Was Always Coming Back

Andre, on his first day home from prison, is unsure of how he will be received as he returns to his small town wanting to re-write his wrongs.

About the Film: Valentine is a short, animated documentary that explores an OnlyFans creator's first year on the platform, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. About the Filmmaker: Sinead Keirans is a New York-based filmmaker whose work focuses on where the social and political meet the intensely personal. <a href="https://www.sineadkeirans.com/valentine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.sineadkeirans.com/valentine</a>

Valentine

Valentine is a short, animated documentary that explores an OnlyFans creator's first year on the platform, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A single journey of adoption during the One Child Rule in China. This experimental documentary follows the narratives of the adopters and the adoptee.

These Memories Are Not My Own

An experimental documentary exploring adoption from China during the One Child Rule.

About the Film: Two days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lesya Verba, a Brooklyn-based artist, gets through to her older sister in Odessa, Ukraine via FaceTime. Through the frame of this first conversation since the day everything changed, 'Call Me Anytime, I’m Not Leaving the House' is a film about love, memory, and the (im)permanence of home, as the sisters cling to a call that could be their last. About the Filmmaker: Sanjna Selva is a multilingual documentary filmmaker with a knack for shaping complex narratives about social issues into compelling stories. Sanjna directed, produced, shot, and edited her debut short film Call Me Anytime, I’m Not Leaving the House, which was acquired by POV. She also served as associate producer on the Sundance-supported documentary Silent Beauty, which had its world premiere at the 2022 Hot Docs Film Festival and its U.S. premiere at the 2022 BlackStar Film Festival. Her work has also been featured in CBS New York, EST Media, Defense News, and the International Center of Photography (ICP).

Call Me Anytime, I'm Not Leaving the House

Two days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lesya Verba, a Brooklyn-based artist, gets through to her older sister in Odessa, Ukraine via FaceTime. Through the frame of this first conversation since the day everything changed, 'Call Anytime, I’m Not Leaving the House' is a film about love, memory, and the (im)permanence of home, as the sisters cling to a call that could be their last.

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