Author: Independent Shorts Awards

On a single day in London, a jaded saxophone player and a frustrated photographer make a seemingly random (or is it?) connection as they bond over their common artistic and personal struggles.
Directed by Jeff Lucky (USA)

Simon Salas, an outcast high school student who believes he’s schizophrenic because he can hear the voice of his own shadow. He’s bullied at school because he’s different. He’s in denial regarding his shadow and takes medicine to get rid of the voices. One day when he’s getting beaten up in the school’s bathroom by his classmates he will finally accept his power and let them save him from the bullies.
Directed by Katherin Hussein (USA)

An old man living in a dystopian world is presented with the option to look back on his life.
Directed by Jacque Rabie (USA)

Sometimes extreme measures must be taken to babysit an unruly child.
Directed by Jacque Rabie (USA)

A frenetic adventure of two lovers who kills people.
Directed by Cassandre Émanuel (Canada)

“Blue Toes” is a story that fights to break the rules of gender normative behavior between kids. It follows a young boy named Mickey, who is teased for liking things boys usually don’t like. In the beginning, we establish that Mickey does not have many friends, and is often alone. The one place where he feels accepted is after school with his swim team. He is one of the best swimmers on the team and feels a part of the group. Mickey also has an older sister that helps him express himself whether it be through trying different kinds of makeup or throwing on an old dress of hers. The point of the story is to show that kids should be accepted, no matter what their interests are, regardless of their gender.
Directed by Isobella Antelis (USA)

A dark comedy, that follows two women, one alive, one dead, across space, time, and the suburbs, as they struggle to find themselves and right past wrongs following a suicide.
Directed by Lindsay MacKay (Canada)

Perhaps one of the most extreme examples of the awe-inspiring beauty that can be found on this earth. Though seemingly invincible and stronger than the millennia that have shaped it, this towering example of stern serenity is under threat.
Directed by Paulo Ferreira (Portugal)

Set in the old west, this story revolves around a bounty hunter with a troubled past who has his own humanity restored through an unlikely encounter with a bandit and his daughter.
Directed by Shashank Varma (India)

A girl wakes up in the middle of nowhere to see in a mirror her reflection ten seconds ahead of her time. When she wakes up again the nightmare has just started over.
Directed by Victor Perez (UK)

Vanilla Boy, Suko and Knoxx find each other at the wondrous mansion in the winter. Whilst enjoying the last bit of their lives after death, they begin reminiscing about their long lost memories — until the time comes for them to be reborn.
Directed by Sasawat Loesrit (USA)

In 1974, at a Portuguese Catholic seminary, a boy learns to speak up against what he feels is unjust in a society based on censorship.
Directed by Ana Pio (Portugal)

Directed by Ali Eskandarzadeh (Netherlands)

After catching a Wish Gremlin, a small town must put aside their differences and vote on one collective wish.
Directed by Elvira Ibragimova (USA)