A desperate teenager snatches a rich woman's handbag but in a bizarre twist of fate discovers her life is not as rosy as it seems and that they have more in common than he realizes.

The scenery seen from the window from the running bus makes you escape from your daily life for a while. The moment the scenery looks different, we travel to a new world.

Although he never really got to know him as his father served during the Iran Iraq war and died when Amir Ali was a newborn, the 12 year old Amir Ali still seems to suffer from the loss of his father.
In the meantime, there has been a truce between the two fighting countries since 1989. The only thing reminding him of his father is a wrestling medal which he clings to until this day. Amir - Ali's father – won it in a tournament before the war.
To support his mother (Shirin), Amir Ali works at a carpet cleaning company with his best friend Said. He feels like he must be the man in the house. And so he violently defends his mother against immoral approaches by strange men.
After Shirin feels overwhelmed by Amir Ali's upbringing, she signs Amir Ali up for boxing lessons. Amir Ali finds his true calling in this sport. And at the same time, he finds a new father figure in his trainer. Amir Ali becomes a passionate boxer, aiming to become a champion. And of course, winning a medal just like his late father.
Years pass by and despite graduation and military services, the lives of the two friends Amir Ali and Said seem very hopeless. Amir works as a day laborer and lives in a shared apartment in Tehran. The only thing Amir Ali clings to, is his passion for boxing. Unfortunately, this sport is neither supported nor promoted in Iran as it is an American sport.
When Amir Ali is persuaded by Said to accompany him to a "forbidden party" to meet the girl of his childhood dreams again, Amir Ali makes a mistake. This costs him his boxing license.
Although he finds his true love and they have a common child, this doesn’t make life easier for him. He desperately takes every opportunity to support his family. He seems to have come to terms with his life situation.
But when a chance arises to regain his boxing license and to take part in a tournament. He must decide. The winner is given the opportunity to be signed by a German boxing association. Amir’s big chance comes to life.
Determined and full of strength, he faces the challenge. It seems as if the tides are finally turning. But then a stroke of fate throws Amir Ali off track again…
The only question that remains for him is: how will things continue and how far is he willing to go for a change? And above all: can he live with the consequences?

After her abduction, Amelia Chen fights to stay alive against an insatiable captor with a fetish. Created for the Asian American Film Lab 2021 72 Hour Shootout under the theme: Be a Hero.

Two life-long friends sit together to have a much-needed conversation. Their friendly dialogue takes a turn when they address head-on the one thing they’ve never talked: one of them is a puppet.

While an eternal student will do anything to become famous on socials, his witty sister seems to think that her celebrity wannabe of a brother might be a topic better suited for her own documentary.

In this Covid-era Italian thriller, Roxanne, a gruff middle aged pipe organ restorer struggles to control her obsessive attraction to her new 20 years old mute assistant.

Two childhood friends freely explore their suburban town until a bizarre and unsettling encounter fractures the duo, leaving them alone to cope in dissonant ways.

A passionate astronomy student disengages from her college curriculum upon the discovery of an illusive artifact.

Shot and produced on location in Columbus, Ohio
TRT: 36 min | Color | Digital | 2.35:1 | 23.98 fps | English
Format: ARRI Alexa Classic
 | 5.1
Genre: Live Action Short, Narrative Drama, Science-Fiction 


Five next-door neighbors eavesdrop on pedestrians passing outside of their apartments. One morning, they overhear something that disrupts their daily routine.

While a man is in the midst of an existential crisis, a mysterious young girl appears and leads him into a future he can’t imagine for himself, forever altering the course of his life.

YONLU is a fiction film based on the real story of a 16 year-old boy who, aided by the internet, won over the world with his talent for music and art. Fluent in five languages, YONLU had a network of virtual friends on all continents. However, no one suspected he was also taking part in a forum for potential suicides.

Far beneath the beautiful sea, a unique whale sings a song that is all his own. Inspired by the incredible true story of the 52 Hz whale, “52 A Tale of Loneliness,” invites viewers on an underwater journey that is certain to be as unique as 52 himself.

A useless, damaged, forgotten block of marble after years of neglect, emerges as one of the greatest and most beautiful works of art.

Samira and Bahar, teenage Ghanaian siblings, have worked in the illegal human smuggling business in Agadez, Niger, for several months. The day before their passage across the Sahara, the siblings must weigh their ambitions for a better life against the dangerous journey ahead.

A fierce teenage girl joins the boy's wrestling team in an effort to regain strength and control after facing sexual trauma. Out of place and alone in her journey, Alex leans on the image of who she wants to become as she faces insults and criticism from a toxic bully on the team. At home, the truth about both her trauma and her latest struggles have been kept a secret.

Twelve-year-old Beans is on the edge: torn between innocent childhood and delinquent adolescence; forced to grow up fast to become the tough Mohawk warrior she needs to be during the Indigenous uprising known as The Oka Crisis, which tore Quebec and Canada apart for 78 tense days in the summer of 1990.

A teenage girl reckons with love and loss as her mother battles a dangerous disease. A story about the enduring bond between mothers and daughters, Beautiful explores the transformative power of resilience.

An Afro-Surrealist story about a giant woman and a tiny man who through the power of touch, experience an unexpected transformation.

There is a drama for every childbirth. An omnibus of animated documentaries that visualize experiences about childbirth.
The 1st chapter, titled "Birth on the Other Side of the Mountain," is the story of a female who grew up together with nature in an island village and aims to be a midwife, as she ponders childbirth, life, and being alive.
The 2nd chapter, titled "There, There, My Baby," is the story of a childbirth in which the mother spoke with the baby during its entire stay in her womb. An elderly woman recounts events that were pleasant and happy.
The 3rd chapter, titled "My Own Way to Become A Mother," is the story of a young girl who grew up without knowing of the existence of her mother, as she gathers the pieces of her mother and becomes a mother herself.

A mother of two goes on an underwater journey to make a profound decision that will reshape her family.

Navit drives together with her dad to sell their cow Cindy to an Arab meat dealer. While Navit is convinced that her dad thinks she is a pro dairy farmer, she realizes he uses her in a different way.

The short man makes artificial limbs for himself, gets tall, coming out of his house, We see that everyone is short.

Yusuf takes on the job of transporting refugees in his refrigerated meat truck, believing this is the only way he can find money to save his daughter's life. When the refugees are brought to him, he realizes that some are children who may not survive the cold of the truck, but he still keeps on with the job, gambling with their lives.

Michael is a recent graduate whose post college plan is derailed when his girlfriend leaves him for a job in New York City. When the bus service hires a security guard to watch over the night shift, Michael comes face to tattooed face with Pineapple, a 300-lb punk rock Samoan who challenges him with a kick in the ass to break from the loop and start living.

The old man wants to run away from the nursing home

A maladjusted dad (TIM KINSELLA) is trying to heal in an experimental therapy group called Infinite Beginnings. Meanwhile, his nonbinary kid (ALLEX JORDING) is getting close with an older man (CALEB CABRERA). Their relationship feels both dreamy and concerning—depending on whose watching.

"Haiku | 俳句" is a symphonic audiovisual project for two Japanese performers, alternating percussion groups, soundscapes and rhythmicized video sequences. The film is an experimental approach to pay tribute to the extraordinary art of Japanese haiku poetry.

Ten year old Jo spends her days along the Shenandoah River with her best friend Selma, fishing, scrapping for metal—surviving. But when her abusive junkie stepdad dies, Jo decides, Selma in tow, to dump the body, steal the car, and set off across the country in search of her real dad, a legendary folk singer in Los Angeles.

"an enchanting, empathetic and enticing story, which combines childhood naivety and innocence with neglect, brutality and generational damage... a brilliant take on the dark side of Americana... It is a touching and sentimental exploration of childhood innocence. The central performances from the two child actors are endearing and thoughtful..."

-Programmer's Review, Edinburgh International Film Festival

Private KIM, a man who loves drawing, is badly burned from an accident in the military and survives a year of painful treatment. Finally, the day has come to unwrap the bandages…

Synopsis

Four Couples in South Korea finds their "late coming of ages" in between 20s and 30s. One wonders about family, one wonders impossible dream, one wonders about opportunity in sports career, and one wonders about stability and his endeavor. All of them face huge conflict with life opportunity, and turning point. Would they get over these conflicts at the end?

JULIET tells the story of a transgender teenager, Serena. Extremely shy and always in the background, she has a dream of playing the female lead in her high school’s production of Romeo and Juliet. Serena signs up to audition, which unleashes a torrent of teasing, bullying and sabotage. Still, she musters the strength to push forward with the secret support of the most popular boy in school, who will play Romeo. However, when Romeo shames her in front of his friends to protect his reputation, Serena must find the courage to stand on her own in the spotlight and accept herself just as she is.

In an abandoned attic, dictaphone robot REC desperately tries to connect to тхе bird that stops on its window. Using his play button to say something, he finds himself shocked by the content and scares the bird away. He rushes to make her come back, to record over his "own voice" before his battery leaks.

Corey, a small-town veterinarian with suicidal urges, keeps her depression secret from her family and friends. As her mind cracks, her cat Clyde becomes the unlikely foil in her attempts at her own life.

Winner: Best Live Action Short Film at the 35th Warsaw Film Festival (European Premiere); Performance Award at the 50th USA Film Festival

Can you dance if you are not perfect? Rona lost her balance and her voice in a car accident, and she discovers in 360° that the tingling answer- freedom is in your head!

In L.A. Chinatown, a young woman Nan dreams of becoming a chef at her father MEI’s Chinese restaurant. But when her father excludes her from the family business, it's time to decide where she belongs.

'The parrot lady' is inspired by a true story. The film works as an artistic interpretation of a woman's life who chose to live on the streets with her parrots, afraid of dying alone in her home.

Risk Factor uncovers the impact of racism in healthcare in the United States, a country with Black infant and maternal mortality rates comparable to those of developing countries. Risk Factor chronicles the experiences of three Black women who’ve suffered an infant loss in Cleveland – a city that has experienced Black infant death at six times the rate of white infants.

1943 January, Cat Island, MS, United States. The FBI is expected at the government's secret military base to see how Japanese-American soldiers serve as 'dog baits'. Based on true events, The Shepherds of Cat Island is a story of systemic racism that takes a single, and continuous look into our prejudice and conscience.

“Song Sparrow" is about immigration. People of different color and race and culture, old and young, embark on journeys, eager to find some place they can call home, or just some place they can live in. Many brave perils more formidable than the ones they ran for in the first place. It is not always weathering storms till and onto shores of calm and prosperity; many a time storms keep them company on and off shores. They dream of better lives while in reality having little choice.
It is about a real event which happened in Austria in August 2015, where flesh and bone of human and animal become intermingled.
This short movie may inspire the viewer to ask: "is it better to go or stay", or more accurately: "is it worse to stay than to go? Is a large chunk of humanity entrapped by events befallen their lands many centuries before they were even born?
" Song Sparrow" uses dolls to pose these questions. It is no less disturbing even though dolls have no life in them. But an attempt is made to show the situation faced by those that have no choice but to put their lives in peril to escape perils of staying, and to trade staying within chaos for a chaotic escape.

Hero Velu a bee keeper lives in a hill range village of Nilgiri forest in Kurunjikudi. Heroine Poongodi from neighbouring village meets Velu to fetch Kusuvan honey (medicine honey) to treat her sick father. Along the way she falls in love with Velu and gets married to him, even the Gods of Nature disapproves their marriage.

Velu and Poongodi leading a happy marriage life are blessed with a baby girl, Malar. On a bloomy day when Poongodi is out on her day work faints and falls down, when Velu heard the news he immediately rushes and takes her to the hospital, doctor at government hospital confirms she is suffering from life threatening disease. Velu, Poongodi and Malar life turns upside down fighting the life threatening disease.

The hard journey of the family to overcome the system and society is a love story which explores the darkness as it traverses through the unexplored human emotions and challenges the harshness of humanity.

Those Who Spring of Me is an independent film about a young non-verbal man with autism, Will, and his girlfriend, Tatum, who also has autism. The couple met on the job, and Will communicates through supported typing on a voice output device. They announce to his parents that they want to have a child together and they ask for permission and assistance when the child is born.

A woman walks outdoors for inspiration ... and sees the future.
Through her eyes we see humans as they move through nature now and decades later: noisier, busier, the landscape cluttered with housing and trash. Six individuals are revealed to us in the past, bound by gender and class, then re-visited as their future counterparts. Life goes on as the land changes.

Under the Dark Clouds is a 2D mixed-media fantasy animation about visiting a dream world. It uses digitally hand-drawn character animation with watercolor stop-motion and crayon drawings as a background. The Main character, Stra, tends to sleep when she wants to escape from reality. One of the main characters, Beddy, lets Stra enter a dream world, where Stra faces herself and accepts her depression. This film addresses the idea of self-acceptance, and how dreams reflect our unconsciousness.

In 1960s San Francisco, a once-promising catholic school girl, Celina Guerrera, sets out to rise above the oppression of poverty and invest in a future for herself that sets new precedents for the time.