Independent Shorts Awards

For revenge, a deranged mail carrier uses a screwdriver as the murder weapon to inflict punishment on specific customers. Not only are the police baffled by these brutal murders, but they also must stop a psychotic transvestite who poisons her/his victims for personal reasons. This is a chilling murder mystery with a showdown between these two serial killers in the end.
Directed by Micah Ellars (USA)

This dark comedic piece wrestles with the idea of love and gender-roles. Are men really only after one thing and do women really still believe in love? Who is corrupting whom at this point? Story: Tommy is a romantic at heart but his love life just doesn’t seem to take off. So he finally visits Stella, a once-renowned beautiful and empowering “love-doctor”, only to find a now alcoholic, disheveled and cynical woman, who is trying to convince him that love does not exist. The question remains just who is the Greater Fool in this brief but thought-provoking encounter?
Directed by Julia Strassmann (UK)

A woman dates an artist with the ability to change things with a simple swipe of his brush; little does she realize he wants to change her too.
Directed by Dominic Garcia (USA)

What happens when film noir gets woke?
(The Big Sleep meets Airplane! meets… the twenty-first century).
Directed by Ilyse Mimoun (USA)

When Alice follows the Hatter to his Wonderland she soon comes to realize that all may not be as it seems.
Directed by Gemma Paul (UK)

Selma is a trans woman who built her life away from the family. One day she gets a call to go to her elderly mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s and needs treatment. In this encounter, lost in confused memories, the two women remember forgotten pains and desires and revisit lost guilt and affection.
Directed by Loli Menezes (Brazil)

Inside the erotic skepticism and artistic ecstasy, a young man finds inspiration in his muse. A girl whose form overwhelms the boy’s daily routine in a variety of ways. The reproduction of her presence becomes uncontrollable by the obsession of the young man, who leads to a series of fatal “passions”.
Directed by Fivos Imellos (Greece)

“Ashes Two Dust” is a photo-to-video exploration of impending loss and the growth that one can find in the mindful examination of this ubiquitous experience. This project helped honor Maura Freeman’s experience of loss and grief as her parents aged along with the loss of her sister-in-law and one of her long-time mentors who both died shortly after this project was completed.
Directed by Maura Freeman (USA)

An engaged couple struggling with the financial pressures of the upcoming celebration, receive an unsolicited package. The package contains a peculiar item that has the potential to change their lives significantly.
Directed by Ali Matlock (USA)

A vacationing couple attempts to rekindle the affections of their relationship. Their plans are cut short when they encounter car troubles, and while trapped in an unfamiliar environment, secrets from the past are revealed.
Directed by Ali Matlock (USA)

A loving father brings his little girl a “new” brother for her to play with. But while he is away, playtime gets a little out of control.
Directed by Dixie Stamey and Bobby Pimentel (USA)

“Tino” tells the story of a lifelong cattleman whose dedication to ranching surpasses the modern-day forces challenging his way of life. As Northern California experiences severe drought, expanding vineyards, and the declining price of beef, Tino adapts to changing conditions and continues to nurture the cattle, ranch, and woman he loves.
Directed by Robin Hauser (USA)

August 2017, I embarked on an unexpected journey. I decided to spend time in “Mokpo”, a harbor city in Korea. It was neither my hometown nor that of my acquaintance. Rather, it was my first visit there. I found that the city looked like me somehow. This is a letter to my old friend or to my ex or to you.
Directed by HyunJoo Lee (South Korea)

“Bala” takes us into a journey of two siblings Chaitanya (13) and Iti (8) who are willing to go to any extent to save their goat Bala who they love very much. Bala is just not an animal but a companion, a family member to them. Due to a severe drought, everybody in his village is migrating to the cities. To live and survive in the city, one needs money and they have exhausted all their savings. Chaitanya’s greedy elder brother makes a very ruthless decision in order to protect his family. To protect or to survive? In order to protect, Chaitanya has to go against his brother and in order to survive, he has to let go of his companion Bala.
This film is about survival. It is about living one more day. It talks about a society where circumstances are such that you cannot justify one’s actions.
Directed by Jesal Shah (India)