Annual Awards 2026 | Program 3 — Women in Motion: Drama, Dance & Stories of Strength

2:35 PM – 4:10 PM · Cinema 8 · 🟡 13+

PROGRAM 2: COMIC TURNS | PROGRAM 4: BAD DECISIONS

Wide Awake

Roman Daniel Rütten · USA

A woman moves through shifting versions of herself, using fashion as a form of transformation while escaping a toxic relationship and searching for the voice she lost along the way. The journey blurs liberation, memory, and identity, leaving open the question of which version of herself is real.

02:34

Rebel Flowers

Roberta Pia De Angelis · Italy

A nun is forced to confront her own past and make a decision destined to change the course of her life forever.

18:01

Birth

Jumana Radi · United Arab Emirates

An experimental, movement-driven film that poetically celebrates the miracle of womanhood and the many forms of creation, tracing a journey from pain to love.

01:58

For God’s Sake, Smile!

Lena Heintze · Germany
World Premiere

Sophie has trouble fitting in. Her colleagues find her strange because she doesn’t talk and never seems to smile. After trying several strategies to appear ‘normal’, Sophie decides on a radical and questionable change.

14:54

A Complete Mess

Ying Hu · China
North America Premiere

An experimental screendance short in which movement becomes the language of emotion. Through dancer Ni Liu’s physical response to disorder and instability, the film explores the tension between control and release, blending choreography, cinema, and visual art.

03:31

Second Shift

Jackie Moore · USA

The night before returning to work, a young doctor and new mother unravels under the pressures of motherhood. A vivid nightmare blurs fear and reality, forcing her to confront her deepest anxieties and the cost of failure.

12:04

Rooms

Levi Elizaga · USA
Los Angeles Premiere

A curious young woman exploring an abandoned mansion encounters artifacts—and people—from the past. Guided through its hidden rooms by an ethereal guardian, she discovers a darker truth connecting generations, forcing her to confront whether she can escape what the mansion has revealed.

20:47

You Don’t Say

Juliet Colyer · USA
California Premiere

When four estranged sisters reunite at their aging mother’s house, personal grievances and political differences are challenged as they confront their mother’s devastating news.

18:39

Total runtime: 1:32:28

PROGRAM 2: COMIC TURNS | PROGRAM 4: BAD DECISIONS

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