Friday, August 28
6:00 PM-7:50 PM Women in Focus [Block 3]
Handy Ma’am (USA 4:23) Handy Ma’am is a warm, empowering documentary that follows a woman who transforms from a hesitant homeowner into a confident DIY craftswoman.
Maditations With Meli (USA 6:38) A short improvised mockumentary about a unique technique for anger management.
But I’m a Shoe (USA 12:03) A woman who wanted to fly comfortably uses “Objectified Travel,” but her experience isn’t quite what she imagined.
Eggnog (USA 9:55) He just wants to spend Christmas alone, but his son’s girlfriend is determined to make him some holiday spirit(s). What starts as a recipe for disaster becomes a sweet way for them to bond over a shared loss.
Sorry I Missed Your Call (USA 5:05) Through a series of real voicemails, this film explores the conflicting emotions of a young woman caring for her grandmother as her Alzheimer’s progresses, as well as her grandmother’s own anxieties and loneliness in the absence of proper support for either of them.
Daydream (USA 13:33) A coastal, small-town boy sets out to publish a novel based on his childhood best friend, but faces a moral dilemma when deciding whether to publish a comforting, fabricated version of their story or reveal the unsettling truth.
Detour (USA 18:55) A tense, emotional drama about a young woman trapped in the shadows of abuse while working at a high-pressure corporate job. She hides the truth behind polite smiles and late nights, but her friends begin to notice cracks in her carefully built façade. As her boss piles on pressure and hostility, the walls close in, leaving her to question whether she’ll ever find a way out—or if the road she’s on will end in ruin.
Look At Us Now (USA 4:42 – Music Video) “Look At Us Now” is the debut music video from 10-year-old Lulu Grey’s album, “Dreaming’ Grey.”
The Waiting (USA 4:59) An intimate, poetic portrait of a couple navigating the relentless hope, heartbreak, and uncertainty of fertility treatment. Told through the eyes and voice of She, the film follows her and Him as they move through sterile waiting rooms, invasive tests, hallway consultations, and the quiet spaces at home where the weight of unanswered questions hits hardest.
Finding Hope (USA, 9:27) The story illuminates Tommy’s Place, a nonprofit that grants families facing childhood cancer a restorative, week-long escape in a beautiful Cape Cod home—completely free of charge.
Dragon Mom (USA, 20:00) A short documentary that follows Laura, a mother learning to navigate the emotional, physical, and societal complexities of raising a child with a severe disability. Her amazing five-year-old son, Alden, was born with polymicrogyria, rendering him nonverbal and paraplegic. As he begins to explore new possibilities, such as learning to use a sit-ski, Laura’s journey unfolds in parallel.
8:00 PM-10:30 PM Thank God It’s Friday Showcase [Block 4]
New Service (Brazil 11:59) New Service was born from a very personal frustration: something as ordinary as ordering a coffee had become unnecessarily complex, mediated by layers of digital interfaces.
Incident in Rivertown (USA 19:52) Early one morning in sleepy Rivertown, Massachusetts, two men are found on a bridge. One dead, the other with amnesia. It is up to a local investigator, John Greene, to interrogate the survivor and uncover the truth surrounding the incident. To his chagrin, a second police officer muscles her way onto the case: his wife. Officer Geraldine Jensen-Green. This police couple hangs their dirty laundry across the interrogation table while their confused suspect, Guy Russo, gets an earful.
The Stick Up (USA 6:58) When an impulsive teen’s half-baked robbery goes spectacularly wrong, it sparks the most chaotic — and unexpectedly charming — meet-cute imaginable
A Genre Fluid Film (USA 17:47) This film seeks to normalize the experiences of transgender and nonbinary people for a general audience… but can’t quite decide on the best premise to do so, and instead cycles through multiple humorous scenes that examine trans issues from different angles.
Devil’s Dilemma (USA 8:21) A woman is haunted by two demons. But being evil isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Molting Season (USA 5:54) After a frustrating day at work and a hollow promotion, Mark buys a lobster for dinner but can’t bring himself to cook it. Seeing his own life mirrored in the creature’s fate, he impulsively spends the day giving it a final taste of freedom – a park, a swim, an arcade. What begins as absurdity turns quietly profound as Mark confronts his own fear of stagnation and the need to change course. Lobster Day is a darkly funny and unexpectedly moving story about connection, compassion, and the courage to let go.
Rain was NOT in the Forecast (USA 4:39) P.I. Cole Draft gets a visit from his old spy client and lover, Gail Storm. Does she plan to save the climate, or to catch her old flame in a weather trap?
The Film That Never Begins (USA 4:25) Waiting for the film to begin IS the film.
We Can Never Go Back (USA 18:00) Two old friends seek refuge from a terrifying mass-extinction event, one desperate to reunite with his family, the other pushing them both towards a utopian future.
Phoenix (USA 6:35) In this stylized psychological thriller, we follow Anton, who has recently uncovered a forgotten keepsake. What follows is the resurfacing of timeworn memories, leading Anton to brew a malicious idea.
The Hitman’s Laundromat (USA 14:33) Cassie Cosenza, a hitman and daughter of a notorious crime boss, faces a moral roadblock when she’s ordered to kill her uncle in his beloved laundromat.
Distant Memories (USA 10:22) An exploration of Anna, an aging woman, as she suffers from a mind-altering disease.
Sit With Me While I Die (USA 19:21) A priest must reconcile his lifelong dogmatic views on suffering with real-life pain, examining how we will die, the intersection of faith and death, and, specifically, how we may or may not be called to suffer at the inevitable end. Set against the backdrop of medical aid in dying and death with dignity.