ARO’S WORLD
USA 12 MIN
DIRECTOR Vibha Kulkarni
SCREENWRITER Vibha Kulkarni, Austin Williams
PRODUCER Austin Williams, Yuqin Hong
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Maryn McGaw
EDITOR Praboo Arivananthan
PRODUCTION DESIGNER Suneha Balasubramanya
After losing his father, Adi, a grief-stricken preteen boy, befriends sock-puppet ARO who mysteriously operates from his hand while his older brother Marcus becomes his caretaker.
CHERRY KOMPOT
USA 13 MIN
DIRECTOR Teddy Schaffer
SCREENWRITER Camille Tsalik
PRODUCER Lara Marks
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Santiago Serrano
EDITOR Jonathan Villegas
PRODUCTION DESIGNER Alex Santo Spirito
CHERRY KOMPOT is a family dramedy that follows Lev, a stubborn Jewish-Ukrainian senior, who refuses to sit shiva in the wake of his wife Sonia’s death. When his growing hysteria drives all the guests away, he is confronted with his truest fear: to find himself alone.
BACKBONE
USA 14 MIN
DIRECTOR Lucas Hames
SCREENWRITER Lucas Hames, Deaniera Wibisono
PRODUCER Adrien Hoppenot
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Natalie Jones
EDITOR Jazmin Jamias
PRODUCTION DESIGNER Taylor Liyucan Chen
Cole, a teenager with a broken back, lives with Len, his domineering alcoholic mother who cannot retire because of his condition. Cole will have to deal with the consequences of her actions at the expense of his own health.
THE GARDEN OF EDETTE
USA 19 MIN
DIRECTOR Guinevere Thomas
SCREENWRITER Guinevere Thomas, Chiara Campelli, Melisande McLaughlin
PRODUCER Lauren Milan Rausaw
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Matt Kleppner
EDITOR Sam Vallone
PRODUCTION DESIGNER Jolien Louis
An elderly Creole woman’s life is bound to her flesh-eating garden. When Edette unexpectedly befriends a young girl before her next sacrifice, she must choose between killing her new friend or dying alongside her beloved garden.
LUCKY MARKET
USA 12 MIN
DIRECTOR Eric Wang Schwager
SCREENWRITER Rebecca Leo, Eric Wang Schwager
PRODUCER Zixin Cindy Zhang
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Rayana Rasamee
EDITOR Spencer Shiffman
PRODUCTION DESIGNER Sandra Rodriguez
After years working at a small Asian grocery store, Min has agreed to move in with her son’s family several hours away. On her supposed last day of work, she takes stock of the home and family she has built and realizes that she is unable to leave.
MIS-ALIGNMENT
USA 19 MIN
DIRECTOR Pablo Riesgo Almonacid
SCREENWRITER Pablo Riesgo Almonacid, Lucy Mastrullo
PRODUCER Santi Naidoo
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Audrey Biche
EDITOR Joseph Murphy
PRODUCTION DESIGNER Armaan Pujani
Roberta Statero is a burnt-out engineer in charge of the humane destruction of misaligned androids. When she encounters Ved-A, an android with a severe case of misalignment that includes self-harming, Roberta’s routine is disrupted.
