Genuine and heart-wrenching shorts for when we learn all the important truths of being human.

ABOUT THE FILM:In a village near the southern Chinese city of Chaozhou, a boy has spent the summer with his grandfather. As the last day of the holidays approaches, he gathers together his hard-earned savings to fullfil a dream: he has long yearned for a city hairstyle. But the gap between expectation and reality is large. This story of a boy who bids farewell to his childhood and embarks on a journey towards self-discovery transcends the boundaries of a small village and resonates with universal themes such as growing up and the unpredictable nature of life. ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:Lam Can-zhao, a Chinese filmmaker born in 1994, made his directorial debut at the age of 20 with The Dog, a low-budget feature film that brought him into the spotlight. In 2023, he produced, wrote, and edited the short film A Bright Sunny Day, which was selected for LA CINEF at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. In 2024, his short film A Summer's End Poem – for which he served as writer, director, producer, and editor – won Best Short Film at the 74th Berlinale Generation Kplus competition.

A Summer's End Poem

A story about bidding farewell to childhood and the poetic end of a summer.

ABOUT THE FILM:A seven-year-old girl sets out to justify the mysterious world of her dementia-suffering grandmother. ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:Alessia Mandanici is a European filmmaker holding an MFA in writing &amp; directing from NYU Tisch School’s Graduate Film program. She discovered her passion for film during her BA in Communication Design before deepening her visual skills as a cinematographer, editor, and designer in Berlin, Germany. Her cinematic work is strongly influenced by her enthusiasm for intra-family and inter-generational structures and dynamics. She describes herself as a multi-disciplinarian whose aesthetic approach to filmmaking has been profoundly shaped by being a designer and a musician since an early age.

Schwarzmoll

A seven-year-old girl sets out to justify the mysterious world of her dementia-suffering grandmother.

ABOUT THE FILM:Rosie, a 13-year-old Chinese-American girl, embarks on a skateboarding escapade through the streets of New York with her crush and his best friend – at the cost of abandoning her little sister and never delivering a forgotten lunchbox. ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:Holly M. Kaplan is a Chinese-American filmmaker born and raised in New York City. Inspired by her mixed Cantonese heritage, Holly is invested in creating narratives about diversity and the Asian diaspora. In 2022, Holly was chosen for NALIP &amp; Netflix's "Latino Lens: Narrative Short Film Incubator for Women of Color" to write, direct, and produce Sunflower Girl. Holly has served as an apprentice to the late Independent Director/Producer Ben Barenholtz and assisted Co-Executive Producer/Director Lisa Soper and Director Alex Pillai on PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: Original Sin (HBO/Max).

Sunflower Girl

ABOUT THE FILM: British-Somali teen Muna is desperate to go on the school trip. But her parents aren't so sure. Tragedy strikes when her grandfather dies back in Somalia, and Muna must navigate a confusing mourning period for someone she never really knew – all while still desperately hoping to persuade her mother to change her mind about the trip. ABOUT THE FILMMAKER: Warda Mohamed is a British-Somali filmmaker. Her debut narrative short Muna was backed by BBC Film and made its International Premiere at 74th Berlinale Film Festival. The film has made Official Selection at over thirty film festivals globally scooping nominations at BIFA, London Critics Circle and the HBO Short Film Award. Warda is currently developing her debut feature screenplay Moon with BBC Film and Working Title, and her debut TV pilot on the prestigious Channel 4 Screenwriting course.

Muna

A film about teenage dreams, dislocated grief and unexpected connection, following a British-Somali teen navigating a confusing mourning period

ABOUT THE FILM:In the heartwarming short documentary, Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World, we are introduced to a remarkable young girl whose spirit and determination defy all expectations. Makayla, a teenage girl, has spent her life grappling with a rare form of autism that rendered her essentially nonverbal. However, her parents, filled with unwavering belief in their daughter's potential, embarked on a transformative journey to discover the true depth of Makayla's inner world. ABOUT THE FILMMAKER: Julio Palacio is an award-winning director renowned for his ability to evoke deep emotions through compelling storytelling. Proud of his Colombian roots, he infuses every project with vibrant energy and cultural diversity. Julio's recent work has earned accolades at prestigious festivals such as Tribeca, Cleveland, Slamdance, and Atlanta, among many others. His portfolio includes directing films for global brands like Google, 3M, Daimler Mercedes, MasterCard, and more. A true advocate of indie cinema with a commercial sensibility, Julio excels in crafting narratives that engage audiences while maintaining artistic integrity.

Makayla's Voice: A Letter to the World

Unveiling the silent strength of a nonverbal teen, where love reveals her hidden world

ABOUT THE FILM:The Poem We Sang is a color and black and white experimental documentary that meditates on love and longing, the love of one's family and the longing for one's home, contemplated through overcoming the trauma of loss of family home and of forced migration, transforming lifelong regrets into a healing journey of creative catharsis and bearing witness.Years later when my grandmother finally did return to the family home with my uncle just after the 1967 Six-Day-War, her home was occupied by settlers. Visually richly layered with abstract visuals, family photos and archival footage of Palestine, the audio tracks are equally richly layered with my uncle's voice-recording, and childhood anecdotes of my time in Bethlehem with him. The Poem We Sang is at once deeply personal and fiercely nostalgic, a tribute to my uncle Elias and my family, and an ode to our lost family home in Palestine. ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:A Palestinian-Jordanian-Canadian, Annie Sakkab is an independent filmmaker and photojournalist. She seeks long-form narrative with a focus on women's issues, identity, and social justice. Her first short documentary âHollie's Dressâ had its World Premiere at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2020 and was created in collaboration with The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Her second short experimental documentary, 'The Poem We Sang' examines Intergenerational trauma and post-memory in the context of Palestine.

The Poem We Sang

A creative catharsis of post-memory mediated with layers of love, loss, longing, and forced migration.

Coming of Age

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2024 Woodstock Film Festival Passes Available Now

Here's what's coming up soon. Can't make it? No sweat. Many live streams will be available for on-demand viewing as well.