After battling a life-threatening disease, a young man with down syndrome proves that challenges are meant to be overcome and that there’s no obstacle big enough to steal his joy. His determination is inspirational. His kindness is golden. His name is Joey Baar.
Screened as part of the Sarasota Filmmakers Documentary section.
When her girlfriend goes missing in a high-rise hotel, a lonely young woman desperately searches for her with the help of the night manager.
Screened as part of the Sarasota Filmmakers Narrative section.
Two unsuspected lovers join forces to tackle a local graffiti legend. What starts out as a manic pixie dream turns into a cold harsh reality they both have to face.
Screened as part of the Ringling section.
Audrey, a middle aged woman sleepwalking through her life, encounters an elderly eccentric stranger, Mr. Oscar, who challenges her way of thinking and daily routines. Their unexpected friendship becomes a catalyst for her to step out of her comfort zone and move forward in a new direction.
Screened as part of the Narrative Shorts section.
Inspired by a true story, in 1966 Chicago a sheltered Black eight-year-old is blindsided by cruel and casual racism while playgrounding with white children.
Narrative short film Color of Autumn
depicts a precocious eight-year-old Black girl who lives with her hardworking parents and her adoring, wise grandmother in a quaint house on the Southside of Chicago. Nestled within the safety of her neighborhood and focused on the comforts and stresses of her family’s hard-won middle class life, Dottie Grimsby has little awareness of racial tension or the isolation of segregation. But she is about to find out.
Screened as part of the Deeply Poignant section.
Karen Lips is researcher and lives for several years in a tiny little shack in Costa Rica to observe frogs. When she leaves the cloud forest for a short time and returns, the frogs are gone. All of them. Karen sets out to find them – and encounters a horrible truth.
Screened as part of the Foreign 2 section.
A successful woman attempts to work through childhood trauma through lucid dreaming. Can she face the truth?
Screened as part of the Hitchcockian section.
The vision for this film was to utilize the perspective of what so many woman go through in life. Showcasing how a subject that is rarely discussed, is something that happens to so many woman around the world everyday.
Screened as part of the Deeply Poignant section.
It’s 2005, Ellie and her ‘BFF 4lyf’, Zoe, listen to rap music and slam rhymes every day, dreaming of the big stage. But, at twelve, for Ellie, it’s easy to be a dreamer and less easy to ignore the harsh realities as the only Black kid at school.
Screened as part of the Foreign 2 section.
A woman’s attempt to catch a few hours of peace and solitude in the woods is interrupted in the night by a mysterious girl.
Screened as part of the Hitchcockian section.
TWENTY is the story of the girl behind the number.
Made in partnership with the charity SHELTER, the film follows Emily, a homeless ballet dancer undertaking a potentially life-changing audition. In the audition room, identified by the auditioners as the girl wearing the number twenty, Emily is graceful and poised. Still, in the real world, she struggles to find somewhere to sleep, let alone focus on her artistry.
Screened as part of the Foreign 2 section.
After mysteriously vanishing in space, a young astronaut suddenly reemerges twenty years later to find the world and his wife have moved on.
Screened as part of the Sarasota Filmmakers Narrative section.
An artist who is paralyzed from the neck down confronts several obstacles on his journey towards happiness and inner peace.
Screened as part of the Documentary Shorts 2 section.
Don Goldberg is one of the few master Leica repair technicians left in the world. He is overworked and his millennial clients don’t make it any easier, but his son is determined to follow in his footsteps.
Screened as part of the Documentary Shorts 1 section.
“The Perfect Shot” is an inventive and captivating documentary that profiles award-winning fine art photographer Artem Shestakov as he attempts to photograph the most remote locations on the planet affected by the climate crisis.
Screened as part of the Documentary Shorts 1 section.
Chris Nikic made history by becoming the first athlete with Down Syndrome to complete the IRONMAN, the world’s most grueling triathlon, totaling a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.22 mile marathon.
Unveiling the layers of his life with delicate humanity, this film goes beyond the athlete to explore Chris’s personal narrative. Amidst his astounding athletic accomplishments and intellectual disability, we uncover Chris’ greatest aspirations from homeownership to falling in love, drawing on points of relatability that resonate universally.
Chris is a source of inspiration, reminding us to pursue progress- no matter how incremental-and to relentlessly go after our dreams.
Screened as part of the Documentary Shorts 2 section.
The Ojai School of Canine Massage provides professional training in the art and science of dog massage therapy. With a mix of whimsy and tenderness, “The School of Canine Massage” offers a portrait of this singular school and its dog-loving participants — revealing how people heal dogs and dogs heal people.
Screened as part of the Documentary Shorts 2 section.
Olivia, a talented biracial actress, participates in an audition through a Zoom call. While the director likes her performance, he comments on her hair, wondering if she’s willing to change her hair for the role. After the call, she reflects on her audition nervously. Her agent calls with positive feedback but tells her she needs to go back on tape and act more “authentically black.” After many unsuccessful attempts to re-tape, she seeks help from her friend Mariah, who doesn’t offer the help she wants. Olivia steps outside to smoke a cigarette, relieving her stress and giving her an idea. Returning inside, Olivia defiantly tapes herself, expressing her exhaustion with being judged, and chooses to embrace who she is whether they like it or not. Olivia’s agent calls, scolding her for risking her career, but the call gets cut off by a call from the director, offering her the role.
Screened as part of the Feel Good section.
Elias and Laurent are the only two new counsellors at camp this summer. When their initiation goes sideways, Laurent tries to get out of it – and the entire group ridicules him. Elias is trapped: he either needs to reject his friend, or risks being rejected himself.
Screened as part of the Foreign 1 section.
With a crucial basketball tryout just days away, Felix, a 17-year-old transfer student, is determined to shine on the court. While striving to present his best and most professional self, Felix grapples with the challenge of revealing his color blindness to his new teammates, friends, and family as he adapts to his unfamiliar surroundings, stubbornly declining assistance from others. As the day of the tryout finally arrives, Felix reluctantly discovers that differentiating players becomes incredibly difficult due to the team’s shirt colors. Consequently, he makes several errors during the game, ultimately losing his chance.
Screened as part of the Sarasota Filmmakers Narrative section.
After her wealthy new husband dies unexpectedly, a young widow contacts a mystical Ossan to protect her from the teenaged step-sons hell bent on eliminating her to regain control of the estate.
Screened as part of the Hitchcockian section.
Straight male best friends Sean and Trevor deliberate the events of the preceding night, when Trevor sexually assaulted Sean, at the bar where it happened.
Screened as part of the Sarasota Filmmakers Narrative section.
The end of a relationship leaves a woman desperate to reassert her independence by overcoming her driving phobia. But when she finds herself in the driver’s seat, she turns into a compulsive oversharer who can’t start the car. Luckily, her new driving companion won’t let her off the hook so easy.
Screened as part of the Narrative Shorts section.
Superstitious tells a story about a clumsy and anxious fair named Ailbhe who owns a magic shop and does her best to avoid bad luck until one day an adorable black cat named Jinx stumbles into her store. Chaos ensues as Ailbhe gets progressively more stressed with every step Jinx takes. Will Ailbhe be able to overcome her fears to save them both before it’s too late?
Screened as part of the Sarasota Filmmakers Narrative section.
Desperate to see her brother again, a young woman visits the site of his death. Starring Quinn Jackson (It Cuts Deep) and Sean-Michael Wilkinson (American Horror Story), with Christine Nyland (An Unquiet Grave).
