September 24, 2026
SUMMER 2000: THE X-CETRA STORY
DescriptionBiosContactDescription Screening to be followed by a conversation with director, writer and producer Ayden Mayeri, writer, producer and cinematographer Barry Rothbart, producer Rachael Fung and subjects Janet Kariuki, Mary Washburn, Jessica Hall and Robin O'Brien, moderated by executive producer Molly Shannon. At first glance, the story behind SUMMER 2000: THE X-CETRA STORY seems like the...
September 24, 2026
SUMO: SPIRIT WEIGHS NOTHING (SUMO: 魂を鍛え抜く)
DescriptionBiosContactDescription Screening to be followed by a conversation with director, producer and cinematographer Erik Shirai and producer Carolyn Hepburn. Returning eleven years after his feature directorial debut THE BIRTH OF SAKE, Erik Shirai delivers another insightful look into a rich and storied tradition of Japanese culture with SUMO: SPIRIT WEIGHS NOTHING. Following four professional rikishi...
September 24, 2026
STILL STANDING
DescriptionBiosContactDescription Screens as part of SHORTS PROGRAM: DOCUMENTARY 1 A documentary on the transformation of homes left standing from the fires in Altadena, California, from intimate spaces into alien and hazardous landscapes. Bios Victor Tadashi Suárez is a cinematographer and filmmaker in Los Angeles. His accolades include two Emmys® and the Edward R. Murrow Award...
September 24, 2026
STEALING MAGIC
DescriptionBiosDescription AFI Alumnus, director and executive producer Matthew Testa, AFI Alumna and producer Diane Becker, producers Melanie Miller and Randy Pitchford, AFI Alumna and co-producer Gabriela Gonzalez and subject Andi Gladwin. What begins as a baffling case of stolen magic tricks quickly transforms into an international adventure with all the twists of a thriller in...
September 24, 2026
THE STATION (AL MAHATTAH)
DescriptionBiosTrailerDescription North American Premiere In war-torn Yemen, Layal runs an unlikely sanctuary: a women-only petrol station that doubles as a café and social club where the rules are clear — no men, no weapons, no politics. Behind its walls, women trade goods, share news, primp and find a semblance of normalcy while conflict rages beyond...
September 24, 2026
STALLION Y LA BOLA DE CRISTAL (STALLION AND A CRYSTAL BALL)
DescriptionBiosContactTrailerDescription U.S. Premiere Screens as part of SHORTS PROGRAM: LIVE ACTION 2 In his dark, silent room, a secluded teenager sick with a burning desire casts a spell. As violent visions warp his reality, a bubble threatens to burst; something must break. Bios Christian Avilés is a director, writer and composer who took part in...
September 24, 2026
SOUND OF FIRE
DescriptionTrailerDescription Screens as part of CONSERVATORY SHOWCASE 2 Ten years after a wildfire killed her father, Mila sees lightning strike his favorite tree. As a melody rises from the flames, Mila starts seeing life growing back in the burned land, while her mother, Nadia, seeing only a curse. Trailer
September 24, 2026
STALIN BOYS
DescriptionBiosContactDescription Screens as part of SHORTS PROGRAM: DOCUMENTARY 1 Four middle-school boys in a Texas border town have developed an unusual obsession: writing a play about Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin to perform at the Texas State History Fair. Bios Ora DeKornfeld is an Emmy Award®-winning documentary filmmaker, cinematographer and editor. She directed, produced, filmed and...
September 24, 2026
A SHOT AT ART
DescriptionBiosContactTrailerDescription Screens as part of SHORTS PROGRAM: LIVE ACTION 2 When two seasoned volunteers at an international art festival participate in a highly controversial installation piece, the situation spirals completely out of control…but who was actually crossing the line here? Bios Ilke Paddenburg is a writer, director and award-winning actress. Her first short film A...
September 24, 2026
SOUL PATROL
DescriptionBiosContactTrailerDescription Screening to be followed by a conversation with director, screenwriter and producer J.M. Harper and subject, executive producer and author Ed Emanuel. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army deployed its first all-Black special operations team: Team 2/6 of Company F, 51st Infantry, an elite Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol that would conduct dangerous missions deep...
