Independent Shorts Awards

The Day That

On the day of the father’s death, five of his family members find themselves in the minutia of everyday life that take on heightened, disarming power in his absence.
Directed by Dorian Tocker (USA)

When A Flame Stands Still

While anti-Semitism is on the rise in Nazi Germany, a young Jewish couple takes on a cultural practice that prohibits them from touching one another. . . and as they yearn to be closer, they express their love in ways they never could have imagined.
Directed by Michael Mike Canon (USA)

Remember

A college student reflects on his life in this social commentary on texting and driving.
Directed by Niko Baumbach, Christian Sheehan and Beshoy Eskarous (USA)

Warpath: The Road to States

In one of the most physical and demanding sports, a high school wrestling team finds their biggest hardship is not on the mat. An insiders look at the nature of the sport of wrestling as told through the eyes of one team and their season-long quest to make it to the state tournament. Wrestlers are lost to injury, competition, and attrition. But their toughest loss is the death of a teammate.
Directed by Clark Vandergrift (USA)

Blood Means Nothing

Schoolteacher Amy Parker’s world is turned upside down, when she finds herself embroiled in a high-profile child trafficking ring, after an old university friend asks her on a date.
Written by Mark Oxtoby and Dawn Buckland (UK)