Independent Shorts Awards

Someone in a quiet area asks help from the people who he sees till someone enters the house and suddenly…
Directed by Javad Daraei (Iran)

Many Syrian refugee children around the world don’t have access to a basic education, and this becomes a barrier to them growing up to be literate, self-sufficient, contributing members of their society.
Some refugees are living illegally in neighboring countries, while others have been resettled permanently halfway across the world in Canada. This film examines the lives of the Syrian refugees on both sides of the globe, as they slowly improve their situation through the efforts of two individuals who have dedicated their lives to making education and inclusivity a right for all Syrian children.
Directed by Mira Hamour (USA)

Quirky art student Benji struggles to impress his girlfriend’s parents upon their first meeting.
Directed by Brandon Koen (USA)

“Chicago HR” follows the day-to-day life of Langston and Woods, the world’s two most excitable and exciting HR reps at a Chicago accounting firm. Langston and Woods take their jobs very seriously- a little too seriously for their boss Terrance “Chief” Kofi. But since Langston and Woods came in, office shenanigans have declined sharply. They will do whatever it takes to keep the people of Fey and Farley accounting safe- even if it means taking the law into their own hands.
Directed by Kara Haller, Adam Smestad, Gavin O’Herlihy, Daniel T. Moore, Alea Rodriguez, Matt Stell, Amy Jackson and Shane Dedmond (USA)

Identical twin sisters examine their shared past experience and how they may affect the future.
Directed by Bridget McKenna (USA)

“Bambi” is a story about the rise and fall of what seems to have quickly turned into a toxic relationship. Bambi struggles with loss, mulling over the past as she travels to what used to be her shared home in the desert to collect her belongings.
Directed by Aly Honore (USA)

As they exit youth and apprehend adulthood, two girls in wanders find themselves trying to resonate an inexcusable act they’re about to commit.
Directed by Felix Gouin (Canada)

This is a short documentary that explores the controversial NFL anthem policy. A policy that was created in response to one player’s decision to kneel during the playing of the US National anthem. This documentary is a project based on unity, solidarity, heartache, and respect for the constitution.
Directed by Robert J Gilman (USA)

“Faagun” is a musical psycho thriller, on the background of Holy, the festival of colors festival, one of the national festivals of India.
Directed by Partha Ganguly (India)

A mini-doc of “Miracle Matt” Manazari, a local Clermont, FL boy. Do you ever wonder, “What do bad things happen to good people?” Perhaps Miracle Matt’s story will help us all see deeper into feeling with pain and suffering. Loved by all his peers, respected as one of the top athletes in his sport, and a man who undoubtedly has a story worth hearing. At the peak of Matt’s career as a professional wakeskater, he suffered a near-death accident competing at what is the equivalent of The World Series in baseball, or the NFL Super Bowl. Against all odds, he survived total reconstructed skull and face surgeries and was thought to return back to his sport in full force. Six months later, Matt had a second accident, when he was tragically electrocuted with 15,000 volts of electricity while trimming trees at his church. This was it. Life was over for Matt. Doctors told his pregnant wife and family to say their goodbyes. At best he was going to be a vegetable. Miracle Matt truly is one of the most inspiring stories and an inspiration to have faith through a sometimes uncertain question, “What do bad things happen to good people?”
Directed by Kevin Durham and David Newton (USA)

While in hospice care, the mother of a man in a coma tells his wife that they will be pulling the plug on him. In a state of panic, his wife attempts to guide her sick husband back to the real world as he struggles to fight off a sickly being that terrorizes his dream state.
Directed by Alonso Aliaguilla (USA)

Love ~ no bed of roses.
A woman wakes up in a hotel room with a younger man at her side. She insists he leaves, he resists, and the struggle begins. Is it the power of love, or the love of power that brings them together, repeating the same, bizarre ritual, over and over again? The answer can only be found in Room 116.
Directed by Julia Campanelli (USA)

Three corrupt cops, one righteous thief, and a meth party which gone horribly wrong. Inspired by Indonesian children game of tag, “Polisi Maling” translates into “Cops and Robbers,” where the roles of cops and crooks are ever-changing.
Directed by Randolph Zaini (USA)

There are 1 Billion people with a disability in the world. Yet with so many people with disabilities, one would imagine they are accepted as part of society, have equal opportunities to education and work – however, in this short documentary film, we learn that people with disabilities are less than second class citizens.
The Statistics globally and in Ireland, show that people with disabilities are still struggling to be recognized as equals, with many demonstrating their ‘ability’ to make a significant contribution to the broader community, just like everyone else.
Directed by Dave Thomas (Ireland)