SHORTS OF ALL SORTS
SHORTS OF ALL SORTS:
A Brief History
Part of the annual #DirectedbyWomen Global Celebration
We set our screening celebration on pause for the 2020 cycle and we look forward to returning as soon as in-person celebrations are once again feasible đ I had to laugh when I re-read the intro for our fifth annual event referring to the personal challenges of 2019. The challenges of 2020 are global. We are so impressed with those who have been able to go forward with celebrating and we have been enjoying taking part in their #DirectedbyWomen celebrations, now in its sixth year!
Intro from our 2019 Celebration
Every year for the past five years (2014-19) I have felt inspired selecting and screening the works directed by women in the month of September but I guess there is something to be said for anniversaries because in 2019 I felt particularly exhilarated. Granted, co-curator and co-host Eric Rice and I each had a particularly challenging year personally so perhaps that had something to do with my appreciation for the “fifth annual” event – but, at the same time, each year we have managed to get a little more organized and make it all happen. So when it came to the night of our 2019 event I was able to enjoy the evening and engage more with the filmmakers and the audience.
We are very grateful to Barbara Ann O’Leary who initiated the Directed by Women global celebration and invited us all to do this, to all who attended, to the venues we used over the years â Ryan’s Daughter, Videology and, most recently, Crystal Lake – for helping us make everything go smoothly and, of course, to the filmmakers for creating the work!
â Jennifer Dean, Co-creator, Co-curator
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EXCERPT from “An Inside Look at the Shorts of All Sorts Film Festival” by Irene Richard (Agnes Films):
âI was impressed with the overall quality of the work that was screened as well as by the sense of a âzeitgeistâ that emerged from watching both programs â that women have so many important things to share with us in the medium of cinema when they have the opportunity to do so. It was an evening filled with compelling, moving, witty, and persuasive cinematic statements about aging, sexual abuse, sexism, violence, and climate peril, as well as community, family, and cultural heritageâŠ
Itâs not always easy to watch one short film after another â you sometimes find yourself lost or overwhelmed in the visual equivalent of a buffet spread. Jennifer and Eric artfully overcame that issue with a selection of films that were each compelling in their own way as well as representative of an extensive array of genres and cinematic styles â including animation, dance on camera, dramatic narrative, essay, experimental and romcom â that the filmmakers mixed together in unusual and intriguing combinations.â
PROGRAMS FROM EACH YEAR:
2015 Program
2016 Program
2017 Program
2018 Program
2019 Program
TRAILERS:
2017 Trailer 2018 Trailer 2019 Trailer
RELATED #DirectedbyWomen “CONVERSATIONS” BLOG POSTS:
To help film lovers discover and appreciate these filmmakersâ work, Barbara Ann O’Leary invited them to contribute to the Conversation series by responding to this question:
“Could you please tell us about a moment during the making of your film when you could feel your vision coming together or when you overcame a challenge in a satisfying way?”
2019:
#DbW2019: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Block #1
Filmmakers: Laurel Cummings, Reena Dutt, Tara Gadomski, Sarah Grant, Dia Jenet, Tùnia Prates and Juanita Umaña.
#DbW2019: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Block #2
Filmmakers: Tash Ann, Stephanie Cheng, Cecelia Condit, Deb Ethier, Jess Irish, Leslie D. Lanier, Ariel Loewenthal, Nicola Macindoe, Erica Orofino, Stephanie Patrick, and Claire Tankersley.
2018:
#DbW2018: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Part 1
Filmmakers: Agathe Bernard, Jungmin Cha, Jessica Hudak, Jess Irish, Filiz Kuka, Stephanie Maxwell and Jennie Meadows.
#DbW2018: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Part 2
Filmmakers: Georgina Bates, Georgia Cook, Sarah Harper & Lexee McEntee, Christina Raia, Anais Taracena and Paula Weiss
#DbW2018: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Part 3
Filmmakers: Hristina Belousova, Shanny Chen and Eileen OâMeara.
DIRECTORS & THEIR FILMS:
YEBIN AHN, BYEORI KIM & HAE DEUN WOO
SWIFT A teenage kid who wants to be a superhero finds out about her superpower one dayâŠ
2018. United States. 4 min, 58 sec. (screened 2018)
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ALLISTER ANN
STOP DESIRE (TEGAN & SARA) Inspired by sexuality, Tegan and Sara begin to notice how sexual everything can become in the simple tasks of life.
2016. United States. 3 min, 25 sec. (screened 2017)
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TASH ANN
THE ESCAPE A romantic-comedy about Lori, a young woman who sleeps with her over-protective brotherâs roommate and must sneak out of their apartment before he discovers the secret affair. Itâs a story about pre walk-of-shame escape tactics, but it is really about love, and the boundaries that love pushes between friends and family.
2019. United States. 9 min, 3 sec. (screened 2019)
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RACHEL ARA
MANSPREADING In 2015 the word “Manspreading” was officially entered into the English Dictionary. This is a lighthearted animated take on the word from the London Underground.
2016. United Kingdom. 1 min. (screened 2016)
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JEAN BALEST
LA BUENA MUERTA (THE GOOD DEATH) This film explores how Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican tradition of families and friends gathering to remember their departed loved ones, is celebrated in Los Angeles. Set amid the Dia de los Muertos Festival at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, this film tells the story of a mother-daughter team whose Ofrenda (altar) asked all of us to contemplate the question: What is a bad death, a good death and a great death?
2017. United States. 5 min, 6 sec. (screened 2018)
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ARDEN BARLOW
ANXEYETY Six individuals from various cultural backgrounds, gender identities, ages, professions, and levels of social anxiety/disorders are interviewed about their relationships with eye contact.
2015. United States. 5 min, 2 sec. (screened 2015)
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GEORGINA BATES
More information: http://gypsyplum.wixsite.com/brickbybrickdance.
UNSTOPPABLE A choreographic exploration of redefining femininity, a diverse group of strong women break barriers of expectations in a world that asks us to be a “lady.”
2018. United States. 4 min, 36 sec. (screened 2018)
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HRISTINA BELOUSOVA
SEA If you think of the sea long enough, then the sea comes to you!
2017. Uzbekistan. 1 min. (screened 2018)
THE PERFECT WORLD A person seeks to make the world around them better. But, about what world do we speak? Where are the borders of that world?
2016. Uzbekistan. 1 min. (screened 2016)
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AGATHE BERNARD
CARVING LANDSCAPES To celebrate Canadaâs history and Mary Vauxâs inspiring legacy we will venture onto the Illecillewaet Glacier, reenacting her research and her mountain travel in the restriction of Victorian dresses. We will trace Maryâs footsteps and search for the rock that the Vaux family used to mark the retreat of the glacier, paying homage to a rebellious female pioneer and the important contributions of her early glacial research…
2018. Canada. 5 min, 35 sec. (screened 2018)
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LAURA BIREK
SINCERELY, US Jen was already having a tough time. But when burglars break into her apartment and steal her dog, she’ll do anything to get her best friend back – even if it means messing with the space-time continuum.
2015. United States. 6 min, 13 sec. (screened 2015)
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SARA CALDWELL
SCISSOR MAN Two young girls are left alone in a motel room and conjure up their worst fear â the notorious Scissor Man who cuts off the fingers of naughty children. But is he real, or just a figment of their imagination?
2015. United States. 7 min, 48 sec. (screened 2015)
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NATASHA CĂNEPA
READY TO FIGHT When the kingdom is threatened by the monster of darkness, the princess desperately calls for her hero to save the day. If only he was completely ready to defeat the enemyâŠ
2017. United States. 1 min, 22 sec. (screened 2017)
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JENNY CARTWRIGHT
GOLDEN TUNA – MONTREAL SESSIONS After leaving Berlin, French multidisciplinary artist Golden Tuna surfs Montreal’s cold and dark wave to find inspiration.
2016. Canada. 9 min, 39 sec. (screened 2016)
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JUNGMIN CHA
WHERE I WAS BORN Through short, humorous vignettes, one presents a critique of the diverse social issues permeating throughout South Korean culture.
2018. United States. 4 min, 26 sec. (screened 2018)
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NAOMI CHAINEY
GASLIT A young disabled woman fights to hold on to her identity in the face of the worldâs assumptions, and strives for independence from her parents, who doubt her ability to become a mother.
2018. Australia. 9 min, 33 sec. (screened 2019)
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SHANNY CHEN
SARAH A heartwarming story about a little girl collecting bottles.
2018. United States. 2 min, 35 sec. (screened 2018)
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STEPHANIE CHENG
LEOTARD A young ballet dancer experiences a sexual awakening for the first time and must deal with this newfound feeling in the middle of her rigorous ballet class.
2018. United States. 6 min, 19 sec. (screened 2019)
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CONNIE CHUNG
TIGER Utilizing projections, Tiger is an experimental short film that explores the battles and life stages of a young Chinese girl after witnessing her mother’s suicide. As she grows up, we journey with her through depression, immigration to America, and love – or lack thereof.
2015. United States. 8 min, 52 sec. (screened 2015)
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CECELIA CONDIT
WE WERE HARDLY MORE THAN CHILDREN tells an epic tale of an illegal abortion as lived by two friends on a frightful journey through a world that has little concern for their survival.
2019. United States. 8 min, 45 sec. (screened 2019)
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GEORGIA COOK
BACKSEAT On a dark night, a young girl struggles to convince her mother that there is a monster in the backseat of the car.
2017. United Kingdom. 3 min, 28 sec. (screened 2018)
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LAUREL CUMMINGS
GOOD EGG Lily is living her best unburdened life when her ex drops in for a visit. Shocked to learn that she has a four-year-old daughter, Lily attempts to bond with her child even though she finds motherhood doesnât come naturally to all.
2019. United States. 5 min, 56 sec. (screened 2019)
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TRISH DALTON
More information: http://www.trishdaltonfilms.com.
AMBIENCE is a dark comedy centered around Anna, a single, over-worked teacher living in New York.
2015. United States. 7 min. (screened 2015)
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MIN DING
FOX SPIRIT The story follows a shop owner, a fox who transforms into a woman and collects beautiful male customers to turn them into mannequins. Through the lens of intersectional feminism I revisit and recontextualize a traditional Chinese mythological story using animation. Story based on the Chinese novel Liaozhai Zhiyi.
2019. China. 5 min, 23 sec. (screened 2019)
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KIMBERLY DIPERSIA
COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS A comedic series of vignettes in a coffee shop, capturing moments in the lives of patrons and employees.
2015. United States. 1 min, 57 sec. (screened 2015)
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MARIJA ÄOKOVIÄ
WEâRE ALL GONNA BE FAMOUS A story about a fictional society in which people willingly lose their privacy in order to gain attention and become popular.
2016. Serbia. 7 min, 40 sec. (screened 2016)
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CYPRIA DONATO
PUTAIN A voyage through the complex sensations experienced by six female characters in their daily life as prostitutes, and the ways their bodies are involved and exposed.
2015. Belgium. 5 min, 15 sec. (screened 2017)
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VALERIE DOZIER
BICYCLE A young cyclist’s world turns upside down when his beloved bicycle goes missing.
2015. United States. 3 min, 19 sec. (screened 2015)
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REENA DUTT
TOO MANY BODIES is a music video addressing Americaâs need for gun reform through dance, music and passion, culminating in a website of resources for advocacy and survivor support.
2018. United States. 5 min, 42 sec. (screened 2019)
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DEB ETHIER
THE SEAMLESS CUP SOCIETY Using the wonders of Math and Science, an anonymous group of older women change the course of Menopausology in this humorous animated mockumentary.
2019. Canada. 6 min, 54 sec. (screened 2019)
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JACINTHE FOLON
MELANCHOLY (TA TRISTESSE) It looks like the weather is getting badâŠ
2016. Belgium. 4 min, 9 sec. (screened 2017)
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TARA GADOMSKI
SIGNS OF AGING A skin-cream salesperson sells her anti-aging potions to women by shaming them for having wrinkles. But one enigmatic young woman challenges her tactics, and finds a way for the others to understand that their changing faces are beautiful. The film challenges the term “anti-aging” while celebrating diverse women over forty. The film was funded in part by a grant from the Greater Pike County Community Foundation in Pennsylvania.
2019. United States. 10 min. (screened 2019)
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HANNAH GAUTREY
BRAINWASH A group of people head to work, it’s just their average 9-5 working day.
2016. United Kingdom. 8 min, 13 sec. (screened 2016)
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SHANNON R. GIEDIEVIELLS
UNREST A young woman suffers from terrifying reoccurring nightmares of a man she feels is after her.
2015. United States. 4 min, 26 sec. (screened 2015)
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SARAH GRANT
SCARE Caught out after a one night stand, a womanâs mind races with all the possibilities, opportunities, difficulties and issues surrounding pregnancy during the excruciating 3-minute period the test takes to develop. The scariest three minutes of a womanâs life, and itâs all our fault.
2019. United Kingdom. 5 min, 18 sec. (screened 2019)
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ASHLEY HARGROVE
BROKE After her many failed attempts at making money without spending money, Veronica must decide how far sheâs willing to go for the green.
2017. United States. 5 min, 53 sec. (screened 2017)
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SARAH HARPER & LEXEE MCENTEE
MOM A short drama about a single mother who tries her hardest to be the best mom she can be. Plucky but scatterbrained, she attempts to reignite an old flame and hold on to a steady job while also attempting to keep a close eye on her son. Mom wants to have it all.
2017. United States. 9 min, 50 sec.” (screened 2018)
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SHAHIN HEKMATKHAH
SMILE Smiley emoticon’s city is colorless. There he sees all emoticons are depressed so he will try to make them happy.
Islamic Republic of Iran. 4 min, 30 sec. (screened 2016)
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ZLILA HELMAN
THE INVISIBLES: LOST IN BERLIN East meets West when a Chinese student feels lost while facing challenges of being a lone foreigner in a big Western city. In German with English subtitles.
2017. Israel. 3 min, 53 sec. (screened 2018)
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JESSICA HUDAK
INSEYED A girl hears a mysterious noise and investigates, but the source isnât an easy answer.
2018. United States. 2 min, 4 sec. (screened 2018)
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EMMA HUIBREGTSE
LE VOL DE SOLANGE An urban ballerina ventures into the NYC metropolis to the hip hop beat of a jazz-infused orchestral track. Shot entirely on an iPhone, the film juxtaposes traditional ballet within the contemporary cityscape. The use of color and unique compositional choices adds to the dancerâs choreography.
2013. United States. 3 min, 16 sec. (screened 2017)
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JESS IRISH
FOR WHILE Inspired by Emma Lazarusâs famed poem welcoming immigrants to the United States, this experimental video short captures small moments of humanity within the quotidian carriage of the NYC subway.
2019. United States. 1 min, 5 sec. (screened 2019)
THE PHANTASMAGORIA OF OFFENSE: THE MALE VERSION An animated film lyric on the dangers of image suppression and censorship. In this “male version” a collage history of images related to the male body examines the cultural anxieties around vulnerability, homosexual desire and the questioning of the dominant paradigm.
2018. United States. 6 min, 33 sec. (screened 2018)
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ADINA ISTRATE
THE PERFECT ONE Anna meets a man like no other.
2015. Latvia. 8 min, 38 sec. (screened 2017)
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ZAHRA JAFARI
THE FIRST SMILE AFTER⊠By their innocent world, children save us from our sad miserable world and this film has a quick look at a love message that is the savior.
Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 min, 40 sec. (screened 2016)
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DIA JENET
OVER/UNDER A young womanâs surreal escape transforms into an explosive game when an unexpected visitor interrupts. Music by psych collective Dhrift.
2019. United States. 2 min, 9 sec. (screened 2019)
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WINNIFRED JONG
MILK Vicki buys milk and finds telling her grandmother is the hardest part.
2017. Canada. 1 min, 28 sec. (screened 2017)
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MARA KASSIN
NOW OR LATER Elise, a Hasidic woman and Mike, a black man start an unlikely relationship on Shabbat.
2017. United States. 9 min, 48 sec. (screened 2017)
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MARZIEH KHEIRKHAH
IN THE CROSSHAIRS (ۯ۱ ŰȘÛ۱۱۳) A soldier finds a birdâs nest with eggs in the tank gun. Despite his inner desire, he is forced to fight and blow up a village as his commanderâs order.
2016. Islamic Republic of Iran. 5 min, 17 sec. (screened 2017)
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OLGA KOROTKO
A DATE The date goes wrong, when the guy starts to have some stomach problems…
2015. United States. 5 min. (screened 2015)
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FILIZ KUKA
BEJLERĂVE BEGOVA BEYLER Ariana is a 7 year-old Albanian girl who lives in a multicultural society in Kosovo. She returns from her school with a decision that surprises her family. In Albanian, Serbian, Turkish with English subtitles.
2017. Kosovo. 7 min, 3 sec. (screened 2018)
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BETINA KUNTZSCH
A 1 MINUTE HISTORY OF IMAGE DISTORTION (DIE GESCHICHTE DER BILDSTĂRUNG IN 1 MINUTE) Material resistance in film history.
2017. Germany. 1 min. (screened 2017)
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LESLIE D. LANIER
FILM FEMME When youâve only got two minutes to make an impact, you speak the truth and pray that people are listening. I wanted to create a female centric story that meant something to me. This was what needed to be said. Everyone involved in this project was real. They werenât actors, they werenât cast. They were filmmakers, like me, that wanted their voice heard.
2019. United States. 2 min. (screened 2019)
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NANCY LEE
FAUX SOLO Empty space, a human body, and eight articles of clothing. Faux Solo explores the dialogue and collaboration between the body, sound, clothing, and the space. Dancer: Ralph Escamillan.
2016. Canada. 3 min, 28 sec. (screened 2016)
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MENGNA LEI
OUTSIDE A flowerâs journey of exploring the outside world and finding the ocean.
2017. United States. 4 min, 30 sec. (screened 2017)
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HARRIET LENNEMAN
BERNINA SINGS Mom tells me a story while she hems my pants on her Bernina sewing machine. A self-proclaimed imperfectionist, Mom doesnât measure fabric or read instructions. After 50 years of sewing, you donât need to follow anyoneâs rules.
2015. United States. 3 min, 6 sec. (screened 2016)
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ARIEL LOEWENTHAL
8 MINUTES A short dramatic narrative following a teenage girl as she experiences the fight for survival on a day that seems like every other.
2019. United States. 8 min. (screened 2019)
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NICOLA MACINDOE
THE ART OF DOODLING A vibrant, animated documentary following three quirky artists as they examine the unintentional, universal activity that is doodling, and ask the question: is it untapped artistic truth or just scribble? Is it art?
2017. Australia. 5 min, 32 sec. (screened 2019)
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ERICA MANN
STATE OF INDEPENDENCE An intimate documentary short following DJ Ghanaian-American Gabrielle Kwarteng. With the backdrop of Paris, London, and New York City, the film is a personal look into her beginnings as a music curator and how she is breaking the mold and defining her own life path through her art.
2019. United States. 5 min, 55 sec. (screened 2019)
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KELLY MANN & SKYE TATI
NEW DEVONIA A 2D animated “concept-umentary” exploring the life prospering in a half-submerged city years after the catastrophic “Great Wave” has flooded the world. Prehistoric Devonian life forms have re-emerged from the deep and humans live symbiotically with nature, living in balanced harmony amongst the overgrown remnants of the city.
2018. United Kingdom. 2 min, 30 sec. (screened 2019)
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FELICIA MANNING
PAWENA STUDIO: HANDMADE CERAMIC ARTIST This is the intimate space of designer and handmade ceramic artist Pawena Thimaporn. We capture her process and story in this brand film.
2016. United States. 2 min, 42 sec. (screened 2016)
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STEPHANIE MAXWELL
AQUARIUM Jump into the ocean where the light and motion of water can reawaken a greater reverence for the exquisite beauty of nature. Aquarium was shot in Bonaire, Dutch Antilles at the shoreline in breaking waves, in tide pools, and underwater. The filmâs thematic ideas were inspired by Camille Saint-SaĂ«nsâ musical composition “Aquarium” and âplayedâ over and over in the filmmakerâs head during the shooting of the work.
2018. United States. 6 min. (screened 2018)
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JENNIE MEADOWS
TWITTEN Take a Twitten trip and explore an invisible city.
2018. United Kingdom. 2 min. (screened 2018)
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YASMIN MISTRY
AMERICA HEARD: REFUGE OF HOPE Syracuse, New York is an unlikely home to over 10,000 former refugees. Two women at the fore-front of this community reflect on what their presidential vote means to those whose only true home is the American town that took them in.
2017. United States. 5 min. (screened 2017)
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SHIVANGI MITTAL
A HAIRY TALE A fun adventure of a young girl having her first hair cut in an all men’s salon.
2016. India. 5 min, 30 sec. (screened 2016)
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GOLNAZ MOGHADDAM
NIGHT NIGHT Reading a creepy book for his son, Dad finds out the kid is not on the bed anymoreâŠ
2016. Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 min, 40 sec. (screened 2017)
DREAM Revival of Grandpa’s frozen memories and living an ordinary day through one of them from dawn to duskâŠ
2014. Islamic Republic of Iran. 5 min. (screened 2016)
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DEBORAH NAPIER
CATNIP A businesswoman makes a choice that turns out to be not what she expected.
2015. United States. 30 sec. (screened 2015)
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CAROLINE VOAGEN NELSON, NYAHZU & MARIA PAULA ABADIA
FAKELORE: EPISODE 1-PECOS BILL Based on the 1830s Wild West legend. The story is split into four chapters, retelling how Pecos became a famous cowboy and found his love, Slue-Foot Sue.
2015. United States. 4 min, 14 sec. (screened 2016)
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MARY NIGHY
NEED FOR SPEED (DATING) Polly and Nate have the perfect relationship – except she’s packed up and moved to London and yearns for something (or someone) new. In this modern twist on a romantic comedy, Polly learns that what she’s searching for may not be so easy to find.
2014. United States. 6 min, 49 sec. (screened 2015)
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MONIKA NORCROSS-CERMINARA
UMBRELLA GIRL Living in the middle of nowhere is not ideal. That does not matter to Ella, especially on rainy days. All she has to do is wait for the rain to stop, and then itâs time to play.
2015. United States. 2 min, 10 sec. (screened 2015)
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EILEEN OâMEARA
PANIC ATTACK! Do you ever wonder, “Did I leave the coffee on?” or, “Am I pregnant with a devil-baby?” This 3-minute short explores anxiety, obsession, and one womanâs slippery hold on reality.
2016. United States. 3 min.” (screened 2018)
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ERICA OROFINO
TAMPON Katieâs about to have a romantic night with her guy, when her period keeps getting in the way.
2019. Canada. 5 min, 30 sec. (screened 2019)
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STEPHANIE PATRICK
More information: http://www.stephaniepatrick.me/.
THEY GO WILD Two dancers and a spoken word artist speak to female-geared emotional and physical abuse, and the cyclical experience of trauma. Structured as a PSA for natural disaster, this film parallels wild landscape with the reckless treatment of women, and what might happen when they will no longer endure.
2019. United States. 6 min, 55 sec. (screened 2019)
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TĂNIA PRATES
WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT (QUANDO A LUZ SE APAGA) This documentary aims to, through an experimental video essay and using images from the photos of the Fotocine Fund existing in the collection of the Municipal Museum of Coruche, to make known some aspects of the familiar reality of the mid-twentieth century in this Ribatejo region and its relation to photography.
2019. Portugal. 5 min. (screened 2019)
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CHRISTINA RAIA
ENOUGH The lives of three women collide in one night when two of them decide to rob the house the other is house sitting.
2017. United States. 7 min, 55 sec. (screened 2018)
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TANIA ROMERO
DROP IT A dog wants popcorn, and he will do what it takes to get it.
2015. United States. 1 min. (screened 2015)
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ANNA SAMPERS
THIS IS JACKIE This video tells the story of Jackie and a couple other people she knows. It is told in four parts.
2014. United States. 3 min. (screened 2015)
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ALYSSA SHEA
MOODY Site-specific projection art and spoken word poetry tell the story of Lady Deborah Moody, founder of Gravesend, Brooklyn, originator of New York Cityâs grid plan, and the only woman to start a village in Colonial America.
2019. United States. 4 min, 22 sec. (screened 2019)
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PORNGIRA SING
CIVILIZED Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is the center of civilization. It has a large population, everyone comes for a chance to work and it is one of the most famous places for foreign travelers. Nevertheless, people who live there see the disadvantages of living in the city: serious traffic jams, bad garbage disposal, lack of management and disorder because of the lack of consciousness.
2017. Thailand. 2 min, 30 sec (screened 2017)
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NATASHA SOTO
THE DONOR A nervous male patient heads to his local clinic to make his first “deposit”, but with his imagination running wild will he able to deliver?
2015. United States. 2 min, 37 sec. (screened 2015)
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E.M. SPAIROW
DEFAULT A destitute man defaults on his student loans, and faces losing the only thing he has left.
2013. United States. 5 min, 22 sec. (screened 2016)
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KATIE SPEARE
MASK A film about society’s pressure on women to alter their appearances.
2014. United States. 1 min, 12 sec. (screened 2016)
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JULIETA STEINBERG
21 STEPS TO GET OVER YOUR EX They say Tragedy + Distance = Comedy. This film tells my past tragedy stuff, with a touch of humor.
2014. Argentina. 10 min. (screened 2015)
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JUDITH LYNN STILLMAN
More information: http://www.judithlynnstillman.com.
I CHERISH WOMEN Thirty artists and activists unite to deliver a bold statement to “defend human rights and right human wrongs in the Trump era.”
2017. United States. 4 min. (screened 2017)
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ANANYA SUNDARARAJAN
FUNNY WORDS Chad’s having one of those magical days full of deep conversations and profound realizations. Oh no, wait, heâs just really really high.
2015. United States. 1 min, 51 sec. (screened 2015)
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ELENA SURINA
MIME WITHOUT MAKEUP In this world of grey we need a bright flash. A lonely mime walks through the streets of Paris giving joy to people. But is he happy himself? How to be a mime without makeup?
2016. France. 7 min, 3 sec. (screened 2016)
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CLAIRE TANKERSLEY
A LETTER TO MYSELF AT 16 I was sexually assaulted by a close friend at a party in high school. Five years later, there is so much that I wish Iâd known when I woke up the next morning.
2019. United States. 3 min, 5 sec. (screened 2019)
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ANAĂS TARACENA
BETWEEN VOICES (ENTRE VOCES) The voice of a woman tells the story of many girls who have violently become adults. In Spanish with English subtitles.
2018. Guatemala. 7 min, 34 sec. (screened 2018)
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VENETIA TAYLOR
VENICE Josh is in Venice, Mum is in Sydney. Josh doesnât understand backpacking, Mum doesnât understand Skype.
2015. Australia. 4 min, 4 sec. (screened 2017)
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POLLY THOMAS
QUALITY TIME Man, Boy and the battle for ice cream.
2014. United Kingdom. 4 min, 32 sec. (screened 2016)
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JUANITA UMAĂA
MUJER EN DĂA A portrait of a womanâs hands throughout her day.
2018. Colombia. 3 min, 19 sec. (screened 2019)
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PAULA WEISS
PORN – A WEBSĂRIE (EPISODE 1: “PAGANDO BEM”) Three girlfriends want to produce porn to get out of their financial crisis, but for that they will need to learn the rules of the industry and deal with their personal frustrations and differences of opinion. In Portugese with English subtitles.
2018. Brazil. 7 min, 53 sec. (screened 2018)
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KANCHALEE WIJAKPAISARN
ITâS A GIRL! PROJECT : ROSEMARY WILLIAMS (WORK IN PROGRESS) This series of short documentaries will show women in professional careers talking about their experiences in their jobs, as well as how they were when they were younger. This episode follows Rosemary Williams, a printmaker, at work as the Program Director of Western New York Book Arts Center in Buffalo NY, and also talks about her growing passion towards the craft of printmaking.
WIP. Thailand/United States. 5 min. (screened 2017)
ITâS A GIRL! PROJECT: CAROLINE VOAGEN NELSON & CHRISTINA LAFONTAINE (WORK IN PROGRESS) It’s a Girl! Project is a series aimed towards girls, about women in professional careers talking about their experiences in their jobs as well as how they were when they were younger. This short presents multimedia artists Caroline Voagen Nelson and Christina Lafontaine as both individual artists and collaborators.
WIP. United States. 6 min, 51 sec. (screened 2016)
PAPERCUT An anxious writer tries to finish his manuscript but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t overcome his worst nightmares.
2015. United States. 5 min, 4 sec. (screened 2015)
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JOYCE WU
THE ASSISTANT AND HER LOVELY MAGICIAN (co-directed by Chris Serveld, Joyce Wu & Eric Yoon) A romantic comedy about a young woman who must go in search of her magician boyfriend when he disappears into thin air⊠literally.
2011. United States. 4 min, 55 sec. (screened 2015)
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(RACHEL) YINGZONG XIN
NINI Ciciâs best friend Nini was taken away. At midnight, Nini returns back and tries to tell her friend something.
2018. United States. 5 min, 10 sec.” (screened 2018)
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KAI-TING YANG
WHAT THE ! What the world presents depends on how we see the world.
2016. Taiwan. 1 min, 28 sec. (screened 2016)
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MABEL YE
GONE ASTRAY A weary detective searches for a missing loved one through a series of flashbacks.
2017. United States. 3 min, 49 sec. (screened 2017)
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A Brief History
Part of the annual #DirectedbyWomen Global Celebration
We set our screening celebration on pause for the 2020 cycle and we look forward to returning as soon as in-person celebrations are once again feasible đ I had to laugh when I re-read the intro for our fifth annual event referring to the personal challenges of 2019. The challenges of 2020 are global. We are so impressed with those who have been able to go forward with celebrating and we have been enjoying taking part in their #DirectedbyWomen celebrations, now in its sixth year!
Intro from our 2019 Celebration
Every year for the past five years (2014-19) I have felt inspired selecting and screening the works directed by women in the month of September but I guess there is something to be said for anniversaries because in 2019 I felt particularly exhilarated. Granted, co-curator and co-host Eric Rice and I each had a particularly challenging year personally so perhaps that had something to do with my appreciation for the “fifth annual” event – but, at the same time, each year we have managed to get a little more organized and make it all happen. So when it came to the night of our 2019 event I was able to enjoy the evening and engage more with the filmmakers and the audience.
We are very grateful to Barbara Ann O’Leary who initiated the Directed by Women global celebration and invited us all to do this, to all who attended, to the venues we used over the years â Ryan’s Daughter, Videology and, most recently, Crystal Lake – for helping us make everything go smoothly and, of course, to the filmmakers for creating the work!
â Jennifer Dean, Co-creator, Co-curator
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EXCERPT from “An Inside Look at the Shorts of All Sorts Film Festival” by Irene Richard (Agnes Films):
âI was impressed with the overall quality of the work that was screened as well as by the sense of a âzeitgeistâ that emerged from watching both programs â that women have so many important things to share with us in the medium of cinema when they have the opportunity to do so. It was an evening filled with compelling, moving, witty, and persuasive cinematic statements about aging, sexual abuse, sexism, violence, and climate peril, as well as community, family, and cultural heritageâŠ
Itâs not always easy to watch one short film after another â you sometimes find yourself lost or overwhelmed in the visual equivalent of a buffet spread. Jennifer and Eric artfully overcame that issue with a selection of films that were each compelling in their own way as well as representative of an extensive array of genres and cinematic styles â including animation, dance on camera, dramatic narrative, essay, experimental and romcom â that the filmmakers mixed together in unusual and intriguing combinations.â
PROGRAMS FROM EACH YEAR:
2015 Program
2016 Program
2017 Program
2018 Program
2019 Program
TRAILERS:
2017 Trailer 2018 Trailer 2019 Trailer
RELATED #DirectedbyWomen “CONVERSATIONS” BLOG POSTS:
To help film lovers discover and appreciate these filmmakersâ work, Barbara Ann O’Leary invited them to contribute to the Conversation series by responding to this question:
“Could you please tell us about a moment during the making of your film when you could feel your vision coming together or when you overcame a challenge in a satisfying way?”
2019:
#DbW2019: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Block #1
Filmmakers: Laurel Cummings, Reena Dutt, Tara Gadomski, Sarah Grant, Dia Jenet, Tùnia Prates and Juanita Umaña.
#DbW2019: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Block #2
Filmmakers: Tash Ann, Stephanie Cheng, Cecelia Condit, Deb Ethier, Jess Irish, Leslie D. Lanier, Ariel Loewenthal, Nicola Macindoe, Erica Orofino, Stephanie Patrick, and Claire Tankersley.
2018:
#DbW2018: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Part 1
Filmmakers: Agathe Bernard, Jungmin Cha, Jessica Hudak, Jess Irish, Filiz Kuka, Stephanie Maxwell and Jennie Meadows.
#DbW2018: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Part 2
Filmmakers: Georgina Bates, Georgia Cook, Sarah Harper & Lexee McEntee, Christina Raia, Anais Taracena and Paula Weiss
#DbW2018: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Part 3
Filmmakers: Hristina Belousova, Shanny Chen and Eileen OâMeara.
DIRECTORS & THEIR FILMS:
YEBIN AHN, BYEORI KIM & HAE DEUN WOO
SWIFT A teenage kid who wants to be a superhero finds out about her superpower one dayâŠ
2018. United States. 4 min, 58 sec. (screened 2018)
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ALLISTER ANN
STOP DESIRE (TEGAN & SARA) Inspired by sexuality, Tegan and Sara begin to notice how sexual everything can become in the simple tasks of life.
2016. United States. 3 min, 25 sec. (screened 2017)
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TASH ANN
THE ESCAPE A romantic-comedy about Lori, a young woman who sleeps with her over-protective brotherâs roommate and must sneak out of their apartment before he discovers the secret affair. Itâs a story about pre walk-of-shame escape tactics, but it is really about love, and the boundaries that love pushes between friends and family.
2019. United States. 9 min, 3 sec. (screened 2019)
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RACHEL ARA
MANSPREADING In 2015 the word “Manspreading” was officially entered into the English Dictionary. This is a lighthearted animated take on the word from the London Underground.
2016. United Kingdom. 1 min. (screened 2016)
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JEAN BALEST
LA BUENA MUERTA (THE GOOD DEATH) This film explores how Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican tradition of families and friends gathering to remember their departed loved ones, is celebrated in Los Angeles. Set amid the Dia de los Muertos Festival at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, this film tells the story of a mother-daughter team whose Ofrenda (altar) asked all of us to contemplate the question: What is a bad death, a good death and a great death?
2017. United States. 5 min, 6 sec. (screened 2018)
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ARDEN BARLOW
ANXEYETY Six individuals from various cultural backgrounds, gender identities, ages, professions, and levels of social anxiety/disorders are interviewed about their relationships with eye contact.
2015. United States. 5 min, 2 sec. (screened 2015)
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GEORGINA BATES
More information: http://gypsyplum.wixsite.com/brickbybrickdance.
UNSTOPPABLE A choreographic exploration of redefining femininity, a diverse group of strong women break barriers of expectations in a world that asks us to be a “lady.”
2018. United States. 4 min, 36 sec. (screened 2018)
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HRISTINA BELOUSOVA
SEA If you think of the sea long enough, then the sea comes to you!
2017. Uzbekistan. 1 min. (screened 2018)
THE PERFECT WORLD A person seeks to make the world around them better. But, about what world do we speak? Where are the borders of that world?
2016. Uzbekistan. 1 min. (screened 2016)
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AGATHE BERNARD
CARVING LANDSCAPES To celebrate Canadaâs history and Mary Vauxâs inspiring legacy we will venture onto the Illecillewaet Glacier, reenacting her research and her mountain travel in the restriction of Victorian dresses. We will trace Maryâs footsteps and search for the rock that the Vaux family used to mark the retreat of the glacier, paying homage to a rebellious female pioneer and the important contributions of her early glacial research…
2018. Canada. 5 min, 35 sec. (screened 2018)
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LAURA BIREK
SINCERELY, US Jen was already having a tough time. But when burglars break into her apartment and steal her dog, she’ll do anything to get her best friend back – even if it means messing with the space-time continuum.
2015. United States. 6 min, 13 sec. (screened 2015)
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SARA CALDWELL
SCISSOR MAN Two young girls are left alone in a motel room and conjure up their worst fear â the notorious Scissor Man who cuts off the fingers of naughty children. But is he real, or just a figment of their imagination?
2015. United States. 7 min, 48 sec. (screened 2015)
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NATASHA CĂNEPA
READY TO FIGHT When the kingdom is threatened by the monster of darkness, the princess desperately calls for her hero to save the day. If only he was completely ready to defeat the enemyâŠ
2017. United States. 1 min, 22 sec. (screened 2017)
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JENNY CARTWRIGHT
GOLDEN TUNA – MONTREAL SESSIONS After leaving Berlin, French multidisciplinary artist Golden Tuna surfs Montreal’s cold and dark wave to find inspiration.
2016. Canada. 9 min, 39 sec. (screened 2016)
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JUNGMIN CHA
WHERE I WAS BORN Through short, humorous vignettes, one presents a critique of the diverse social issues permeating throughout South Korean culture.
2018. United States. 4 min, 26 sec. (screened 2018)
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NAOMI CHAINEY
GASLIT A young disabled woman fights to hold on to her identity in the face of the worldâs assumptions, and strives for independence from her parents, who doubt her ability to become a mother.
2018. Australia. 9 min, 33 sec. (screened 2019)
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SHANNY CHEN
SARAH A heartwarming story about a little girl collecting bottles.
2018. United States. 2 min, 35 sec. (screened 2018)
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STEPHANIE CHENG
LEOTARD A young ballet dancer experiences a sexual awakening for the first time and must deal with this newfound feeling in the middle of her rigorous ballet class.
2018. United States. 6 min, 19 sec. (screened 2019)
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CONNIE CHUNG
TIGER Utilizing projections, Tiger is an experimental short film that explores the battles and life stages of a young Chinese girl after witnessing her mother’s suicide. As she grows up, we journey with her through depression, immigration to America, and love – or lack thereof.
2015. United States. 8 min, 52 sec. (screened 2015)
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CECELIA CONDIT
WE WERE HARDLY MORE THAN CHILDREN tells an epic tale of an illegal abortion as lived by two friends on a frightful journey through a world that has little concern for their survival.
2019. United States. 8 min, 45 sec. (screened 2019)
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GEORGIA COOK
BACKSEAT On a dark night, a young girl struggles to convince her mother that there is a monster in the backseat of the car.
2017. United Kingdom. 3 min, 28 sec. (screened 2018)
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LAUREL CUMMINGS
GOOD EGG Lily is living her best unburdened life when her ex drops in for a visit. Shocked to learn that she has a four-year-old daughter, Lily attempts to bond with her child even though she finds motherhood doesnât come naturally to all.
2019. United States. 5 min, 56 sec. (screened 2019)
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TRISH DALTON
More information: http://www.trishdaltonfilms.com.
AMBIENCE is a dark comedy centered around Anna, a single, over-worked teacher living in New York.
2015. United States. 7 min. (screened 2015)
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MIN DING
FOX SPIRIT The story follows a shop owner, a fox who transforms into a woman and collects beautiful male customers to turn them into mannequins. Through the lens of intersectional feminism I revisit and recontextualize a traditional Chinese mythological story using animation. Story based on the Chinese novel Liaozhai Zhiyi.
2019. China. 5 min, 23 sec. (screened 2019)
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KIMBERLY DIPERSIA
COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS A comedic series of vignettes in a coffee shop, capturing moments in the lives of patrons and employees.
2015. United States. 1 min, 57 sec. (screened 2015)
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MARIJA ÄOKOVIÄ
WEâRE ALL GONNA BE FAMOUS A story about a fictional society in which people willingly lose their privacy in order to gain attention and become popular.
2016. Serbia. 7 min, 40 sec. (screened 2016)
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CYPRIA DONATO
PUTAIN A voyage through the complex sensations experienced by six female characters in their daily life as prostitutes, and the ways their bodies are involved and exposed.
2015. Belgium. 5 min, 15 sec. (screened 2017)
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VALERIE DOZIER
BICYCLE A young cyclist’s world turns upside down when his beloved bicycle goes missing.
2015. United States. 3 min, 19 sec. (screened 2015)
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REENA DUTT
TOO MANY BODIES is a music video addressing Americaâs need for gun reform through dance, music and passion, culminating in a website of resources for advocacy and survivor support.
2018. United States. 5 min, 42 sec. (screened 2019)
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DEB ETHIER
THE SEAMLESS CUP SOCIETY Using the wonders of Math and Science, an anonymous group of older women change the course of Menopausology in this humorous animated mockumentary.
2019. Canada. 6 min, 54 sec. (screened 2019)
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JACINTHE FOLON
MELANCHOLY (TA TRISTESSE) It looks like the weather is getting badâŠ
2016. Belgium. 4 min, 9 sec. (screened 2017)
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TARA GADOMSKI
SIGNS OF AGING A skin-cream salesperson sells her anti-aging potions to women by shaming them for having wrinkles. But one enigmatic young woman challenges her tactics, and finds a way for the others to understand that their changing faces are beautiful. The film challenges the term “anti-aging” while celebrating diverse women over forty. The film was funded in part by a grant from the Greater Pike County Community Foundation in Pennsylvania.
2019. United States. 10 min. (screened 2019)
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HANNAH GAUTREY
BRAINWASH A group of people head to work, it’s just their average 9-5 working day.
2016. United Kingdom. 8 min, 13 sec. (screened 2016)
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SHANNON R. GIEDIEVIELLS
UNREST A young woman suffers from terrifying reoccurring nightmares of a man she feels is after her.
2015. United States. 4 min, 26 sec. (screened 2015)
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SARAH GRANT
SCARE Caught out after a one night stand, a womanâs mind races with all the possibilities, opportunities, difficulties and issues surrounding pregnancy during the excruciating 3-minute period the test takes to develop. The scariest three minutes of a womanâs life, and itâs all our fault.
2019. United Kingdom. 5 min, 18 sec. (screened 2019)
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ASHLEY HARGROVE
BROKE After her many failed attempts at making money without spending money, Veronica must decide how far sheâs willing to go for the green.
2017. United States. 5 min, 53 sec. (screened 2017)
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SARAH HARPER & LEXEE MCENTEE
MOM A short drama about a single mother who tries her hardest to be the best mom she can be. Plucky but scatterbrained, she attempts to reignite an old flame and hold on to a steady job while also attempting to keep a close eye on her son. Mom wants to have it all.
2017. United States. 9 min, 50 sec.” (screened 2018)
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SHAHIN HEKMATKHAH
SMILE Smiley emoticon’s city is colorless. There he sees all emoticons are depressed so he will try to make them happy.
Islamic Republic of Iran. 4 min, 30 sec. (screened 2016)
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ZLILA HELMAN
THE INVISIBLES: LOST IN BERLIN East meets West when a Chinese student feels lost while facing challenges of being a lone foreigner in a big Western city. In German with English subtitles.
2017. Israel. 3 min, 53 sec. (screened 2018)
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JESSICA HUDAK
INSEYED A girl hears a mysterious noise and investigates, but the source isnât an easy answer.
2018. United States. 2 min, 4 sec. (screened 2018)
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EMMA HUIBREGTSE
LE VOL DE SOLANGE An urban ballerina ventures into the NYC metropolis to the hip hop beat of a jazz-infused orchestral track. Shot entirely on an iPhone, the film juxtaposes traditional ballet within the contemporary cityscape. The use of color and unique compositional choices adds to the dancerâs choreography.
2013. United States. 3 min, 16 sec. (screened 2017)
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JESS IRISH
FOR WHILE Inspired by Emma Lazarusâs famed poem welcoming immigrants to the United States, this experimental video short captures small moments of humanity within the quotidian carriage of the NYC subway.
2019. United States. 1 min, 5 sec. (screened 2019)
THE PHANTASMAGORIA OF OFFENSE: THE MALE VERSION An animated film lyric on the dangers of image suppression and censorship. In this “male version” a collage history of images related to the male body examines the cultural anxieties around vulnerability, homosexual desire and the questioning of the dominant paradigm.
2018. United States. 6 min, 33 sec. (screened 2018)
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ADINA ISTRATE
THE PERFECT ONE Anna meets a man like no other.
2015. Latvia. 8 min, 38 sec. (screened 2017)
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ZAHRA JAFARI
THE FIRST SMILE AFTER⊠By their innocent world, children save us from our sad miserable world and this film has a quick look at a love message that is the savior.
Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 min, 40 sec. (screened 2016)
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DIA JENET
OVER/UNDER A young womanâs surreal escape transforms into an explosive game when an unexpected visitor interrupts. Music by psych collective Dhrift.
2019. United States. 2 min, 9 sec. (screened 2019)
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WINNIFRED JONG
MILK Vicki buys milk and finds telling her grandmother is the hardest part.
2017. Canada. 1 min, 28 sec. (screened 2017)
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MARA KASSIN
NOW OR LATER Elise, a Hasidic woman and Mike, a black man start an unlikely relationship on Shabbat.
2017. United States. 9 min, 48 sec. (screened 2017)
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MARZIEH KHEIRKHAH
IN THE CROSSHAIRS (ۯ۱ ŰȘÛ۱۱۳) A soldier finds a birdâs nest with eggs in the tank gun. Despite his inner desire, he is forced to fight and blow up a village as his commanderâs order.
2016. Islamic Republic of Iran. 5 min, 17 sec. (screened 2017)
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OLGA KOROTKO
A DATE The date goes wrong, when the guy starts to have some stomach problems…
2015. United States. 5 min. (screened 2015)
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FILIZ KUKA
BEJLERĂVE BEGOVA BEYLER Ariana is a 7 year-old Albanian girl who lives in a multicultural society in Kosovo. She returns from her school with a decision that surprises her family. In Albanian, Serbian, Turkish with English subtitles.
2017. Kosovo. 7 min, 3 sec. (screened 2018)
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BETINA KUNTZSCH
A 1 MINUTE HISTORY OF IMAGE DISTORTION (DIE GESCHICHTE DER BILDSTĂRUNG IN 1 MINUTE) Material resistance in film history.
2017. Germany. 1 min. (screened 2017)
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LESLIE D. LANIER
FILM FEMME When youâve only got two minutes to make an impact, you speak the truth and pray that people are listening. I wanted to create a female centric story that meant something to me. This was what needed to be said. Everyone involved in this project was real. They werenât actors, they werenât cast. They were filmmakers, like me, that wanted their voice heard.
2019. United States. 2 min. (screened 2019)
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NANCY LEE
FAUX SOLO Empty space, a human body, and eight articles of clothing. Faux Solo explores the dialogue and collaboration between the body, sound, clothing, and the space. Dancer: Ralph Escamillan.
2016. Canada. 3 min, 28 sec. (screened 2016)
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MENGNA LEI
OUTSIDE A flowerâs journey of exploring the outside world and finding the ocean.
2017. United States. 4 min, 30 sec. (screened 2017)
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HARRIET LENNEMAN
BERNINA SINGS Mom tells me a story while she hems my pants on her Bernina sewing machine. A self-proclaimed imperfectionist, Mom doesnât measure fabric or read instructions. After 50 years of sewing, you donât need to follow anyoneâs rules.
2015. United States. 3 min, 6 sec. (screened 2016)
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ARIEL LOEWENTHAL
8 MINUTES A short dramatic narrative following a teenage girl as she experiences the fight for survival on a day that seems like every other.
2019. United States. 8 min. (screened 2019)
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NICOLA MACINDOE
THE ART OF DOODLING A vibrant, animated documentary following three quirky artists as they examine the unintentional, universal activity that is doodling, and ask the question: is it untapped artistic truth or just scribble? Is it art?
2017. Australia. 5 min, 32 sec. (screened 2019)
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ERICA MANN
STATE OF INDEPENDENCE An intimate documentary short following DJ Ghanaian-American Gabrielle Kwarteng. With the backdrop of Paris, London, and New York City, the film is a personal look into her beginnings as a music curator and how she is breaking the mold and defining her own life path through her art.
2019. United States. 5 min, 55 sec. (screened 2019)
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KELLY MANN & SKYE TATI
NEW DEVONIA A 2D animated “concept-umentary” exploring the life prospering in a half-submerged city years after the catastrophic “Great Wave” has flooded the world. Prehistoric Devonian life forms have re-emerged from the deep and humans live symbiotically with nature, living in balanced harmony amongst the overgrown remnants of the city.
2018. United Kingdom. 2 min, 30 sec. (screened 2019)
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FELICIA MANNING
PAWENA STUDIO: HANDMADE CERAMIC ARTIST This is the intimate space of designer and handmade ceramic artist Pawena Thimaporn. We capture her process and story in this brand film.
2016. United States. 2 min, 42 sec. (screened 2016)
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STEPHANIE MAXWELL
AQUARIUM Jump into the ocean where the light and motion of water can reawaken a greater reverence for the exquisite beauty of nature. Aquarium was shot in Bonaire, Dutch Antilles at the shoreline in breaking waves, in tide pools, and underwater. The filmâs thematic ideas were inspired by Camille Saint-SaĂ«nsâ musical composition “Aquarium” and âplayedâ over and over in the filmmakerâs head during the shooting of the work.
2018. United States. 6 min. (screened 2018)
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JENNIE MEADOWS
TWITTEN Take a Twitten trip and explore an invisible city.
2018. United Kingdom. 2 min. (screened 2018)
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YASMIN MISTRY
AMERICA HEARD: REFUGE OF HOPE Syracuse, New York is an unlikely home to over 10,000 former refugees. Two women at the fore-front of this community reflect on what their presidential vote means to those whose only true home is the American town that took them in.
2017. United States. 5 min. (screened 2017)
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SHIVANGI MITTAL
A HAIRY TALE A fun adventure of a young girl having her first hair cut in an all men’s salon.
2016. India. 5 min, 30 sec. (screened 2016)
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GOLNAZ MOGHADDAM
NIGHT NIGHT Reading a creepy book for his son, Dad finds out the kid is not on the bed anymoreâŠ
2016. Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 min, 40 sec. (screened 2017)
DREAM Revival of Grandpa’s frozen memories and living an ordinary day through one of them from dawn to duskâŠ
2014. Islamic Republic of Iran. 5 min. (screened 2016)
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DEBORAH NAPIER
CATNIP A businesswoman makes a choice that turns out to be not what she expected.
2015. United States. 30 sec. (screened 2015)
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CAROLINE VOAGEN NELSON, NYAHZU & MARIA PAULA ABADIA
FAKELORE: EPISODE 1-PECOS BILL Based on the 1830s Wild West legend. The story is split into four chapters, retelling how Pecos became a famous cowboy and found his love, Slue-Foot Sue.
2015. United States. 4 min, 14 sec. (screened 2016)
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MARY NIGHY
NEED FOR SPEED (DATING) Polly and Nate have the perfect relationship – except she’s packed up and moved to London and yearns for something (or someone) new. In this modern twist on a romantic comedy, Polly learns that what she’s searching for may not be so easy to find.
2014. United States. 6 min, 49 sec. (screened 2015)
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MONIKA NORCROSS-CERMINARA
UMBRELLA GIRL Living in the middle of nowhere is not ideal. That does not matter to Ella, especially on rainy days. All she has to do is wait for the rain to stop, and then itâs time to play.
2015. United States. 2 min, 10 sec. (screened 2015)
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EILEEN OâMEARA
PANIC ATTACK! Do you ever wonder, “Did I leave the coffee on?” or, “Am I pregnant with a devil-baby?” This 3-minute short explores anxiety, obsession, and one womanâs slippery hold on reality.
2016. United States. 3 min.” (screened 2018)
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ERICA OROFINO
TAMPON Katieâs about to have a romantic night with her guy, when her period keeps getting in the way.
2019. Canada. 5 min, 30 sec. (screened 2019)
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STEPHANIE PATRICK
More information: http://www.stephaniepatrick.me/.
THEY GO WILD Two dancers and a spoken word artist speak to female-geared emotional and physical abuse, and the cyclical experience of trauma. Structured as a PSA for natural disaster, this film parallels wild landscape with the reckless treatment of women, and what might happen when they will no longer endure.
2019. United States. 6 min, 55 sec. (screened 2019)
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TĂNIA PRATES
WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT (QUANDO A LUZ SE APAGA) This documentary aims to, through an experimental video essay and using images from the photos of the Fotocine Fund existing in the collection of the Municipal Museum of Coruche, to make known some aspects of the familiar reality of the mid-twentieth century in this Ribatejo region and its relation to photography.
2019. Portugal. 5 min. (screened 2019)
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CHRISTINA RAIA
ENOUGH The lives of three women collide in one night when two of them decide to rob the house the other is house sitting.
2017. United States. 7 min, 55 sec. (screened 2018)
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TANIA ROMERO
DROP IT A dog wants popcorn, and he will do what it takes to get it.
2015. United States. 1 min. (screened 2015)
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ANNA SAMPERS
THIS IS JACKIE This video tells the story of Jackie and a couple other people she knows. It is told in four parts.
2014. United States. 3 min. (screened 2015)
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ALYSSA SHEA
MOODY Site-specific projection art and spoken word poetry tell the story of Lady Deborah Moody, founder of Gravesend, Brooklyn, originator of New York Cityâs grid plan, and the only woman to start a village in Colonial America.
2019. United States. 4 min, 22 sec. (screened 2019)
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PORNGIRA SING
CIVILIZED Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is the center of civilization. It has a large population, everyone comes for a chance to work and it is one of the most famous places for foreign travelers. Nevertheless, people who live there see the disadvantages of living in the city: serious traffic jams, bad garbage disposal, lack of management and disorder because of the lack of consciousness.
2017. Thailand. 2 min, 30 sec (screened 2017)
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NATASHA SOTO
THE DONOR A nervous male patient heads to his local clinic to make his first “deposit”, but with his imagination running wild will he able to deliver?
2015. United States. 2 min, 37 sec. (screened 2015)
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E.M. SPAIROW
DEFAULT A destitute man defaults on his student loans, and faces losing the only thing he has left.
2013. United States. 5 min, 22 sec. (screened 2016)
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KATIE SPEARE
MASK A film about society’s pressure on women to alter their appearances.
2014. United States. 1 min, 12 sec. (screened 2016)
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JULIETA STEINBERG
21 STEPS TO GET OVER YOUR EX They say Tragedy + Distance = Comedy. This film tells my past tragedy stuff, with a touch of humor.
2014. Argentina. 10 min. (screened 2015)
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JUDITH LYNN STILLMAN
More information: http://www.judithlynnstillman.com.
I CHERISH WOMEN Thirty artists and activists unite to deliver a bold statement to “defend human rights and right human wrongs in the Trump era.”
2017. United States. 4 min. (screened 2017)
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ANANYA SUNDARARAJAN
FUNNY WORDS Chad’s having one of those magical days full of deep conversations and profound realizations. Oh no, wait, heâs just really really high.
2015. United States. 1 min, 51 sec. (screened 2015)
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ELENA SURINA
MIME WITHOUT MAKEUP In this world of grey we need a bright flash. A lonely mime walks through the streets of Paris giving joy to people. But is he happy himself? How to be a mime without makeup?
2016. France. 7 min, 3 sec. (screened 2016)
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CLAIRE TANKERSLEY
A LETTER TO MYSELF AT 16 I was sexually assaulted by a close friend at a party in high school. Five years later, there is so much that I wish Iâd known when I woke up the next morning.
2019. United States. 3 min, 5 sec. (screened 2019)
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ANAĂS TARACENA
BETWEEN VOICES (ENTRE VOCES) The voice of a woman tells the story of many girls who have violently become adults. In Spanish with English subtitles.
2018. Guatemala. 7 min, 34 sec. (screened 2018)
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VENETIA TAYLOR
VENICE Josh is in Venice, Mum is in Sydney. Josh doesnât understand backpacking, Mum doesnât understand Skype.
2015. Australia. 4 min, 4 sec. (screened 2017)
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POLLY THOMAS
QUALITY TIME Man, Boy and the battle for ice cream.
2014. United Kingdom. 4 min, 32 sec. (screened 2016)
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JUANITA UMAĂA
MUJER EN DĂA A portrait of a womanâs hands throughout her day.
2018. Colombia. 3 min, 19 sec. (screened 2019)
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PAULA WEISS
PORN – A WEBSĂRIE (EPISODE 1: “PAGANDO BEM”) Three girlfriends want to produce porn to get out of their financial crisis, but for that they will need to learn the rules of the industry and deal with their personal frustrations and differences of opinion. In Portugese with English subtitles.
2018. Brazil. 7 min, 53 sec. (screened 2018)
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KANCHALEE WIJAKPAISARN
ITâS A GIRL! PROJECT : ROSEMARY WILLIAMS (WORK IN PROGRESS) This series of short documentaries will show women in professional careers talking about their experiences in their jobs, as well as how they were when they were younger. This episode follows Rosemary Williams, a printmaker, at work as the Program Director of Western New York Book Arts Center in Buffalo NY, and also talks about her growing passion towards the craft of printmaking.
WIP. Thailand/United States. 5 min. (screened 2017)
ITâS A GIRL! PROJECT: CAROLINE VOAGEN NELSON & CHRISTINA LAFONTAINE (WORK IN PROGRESS) It’s a Girl! Project is a series aimed towards girls, about women in professional careers talking about their experiences in their jobs as well as how they were when they were younger. This short presents multimedia artists Caroline Voagen Nelson and Christina Lafontaine as both individual artists and collaborators.
WIP. United States. 6 min, 51 sec. (screened 2016)
PAPERCUT An anxious writer tries to finish his manuscript but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t overcome his worst nightmares.
2015. United States. 5 min, 4 sec. (screened 2015)
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JOYCE WU
THE ASSISTANT AND HER LOVELY MAGICIAN (co-directed by Chris Serveld, Joyce Wu & Eric Yoon) A romantic comedy about a young woman who must go in search of her magician boyfriend when he disappears into thin air⊠literally.
2011. United States. 4 min, 55 sec. (screened 2015)
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(RACHEL) YINGZONG XIN
NINI Ciciâs best friend Nini was taken away. At midnight, Nini returns back and tries to tell her friend something.
2018. United States. 5 min, 10 sec.” (screened 2018)
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KAI-TING YANG
WHAT THE ! What the world presents depends on how we see the world.
2016. Taiwan. 1 min, 28 sec. (screened 2016)
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MABEL YE
GONE ASTRAY A weary detective searches for a missing loved one through a series of flashbacks.
2017. United States. 3 min, 49 sec. (screened 2017)
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PROGRAMS FROM EACH YEAR:
| | | | |
TRAILERS:
RELATED #DirectedbyWomen “CONVERSATIONS” BLOG POSTS:
To help film lovers discover and appreciate these filmmakersâ work, Barbara Ann O’Leary invited them to contribute to the Conversation series by responding to this question:
“Could you please tell us about a moment during the making of your film when you could feel your vision coming together or when you overcame a challenge in a satisfying way?”
2019:
#DbW2019: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Block #1
Filmmakers: Laurel Cummings, Reena Dutt, Tara Gadomski, Sarah Grant, Dia Jenet, Tùnia Prates and Juanita Umaña.
#DbW2019: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Block #2
Filmmakers: Tash Ann, Stephanie Cheng, Cecelia Condit, Deb Ethier, Jess Irish, Leslie D. Lanier, Ariel Loewenthal, Nicola Macindoe, Erica Orofino, Stephanie Patrick, and Claire Tankersley.
2018:
#DbW2018: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Part 1
Filmmakers: Agathe Bernard, Jungmin Cha, Jessica Hudak, Jess Irish, Filiz Kuka, Stephanie Maxwell and Jennie Meadows.
#DbW2018: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Part 2
Filmmakers: Georgina Bates, Georgia Cook, Sarah Harper & Lexee McEntee, Christina Raia, Anais Taracena and Paula Weiss
#DbW2018: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Part 3
Filmmakers: Hristina Belousova, Shanny Chen and Eileen OâMeara.
DIRECTORS & THEIR FILMS:
YEBIN AHN, BYEORI KIM & HAE DEUN WOO
SWIFT A teenage kid who wants to be a superhero finds out about her superpower one dayâŠ
2018. United States. 4 min, 58 sec. (screened 2018)
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ALLISTER ANN
STOP DESIRE (TEGAN & SARA) Inspired by sexuality, Tegan and Sara begin to notice how sexual everything can become in the simple tasks of life.
2016. United States. 3 min, 25 sec. (screened 2017)
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TASH ANN
THE ESCAPE A romantic-comedy about Lori, a young woman who sleeps with her over-protective brotherâs roommate and must sneak out of their apartment before he discovers the secret affair. Itâs a story about pre walk-of-shame escape tactics, but it is really about love, and the boundaries that love pushes between friends and family.
2019. United States. 9 min, 3 sec. (screened 2019)
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RACHEL ARA
MANSPREADING In 2015 the word “Manspreading” was officially entered into the English Dictionary. This is a lighthearted animated take on the word from the London Underground.
2016. United Kingdom. 1 min. (screened 2016)
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JEAN BALEST
LA BUENA MUERTA (THE GOOD DEATH) This film explores how Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican tradition of families and friends gathering to remember their departed loved ones, is celebrated in Los Angeles. Set amid the Dia de los Muertos Festival at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, this film tells the story of a mother-daughter team whose Ofrenda (altar) asked all of us to contemplate the question: What is a bad death, a good death and a great death?
2017. United States. 5 min, 6 sec. (screened 2018)
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ARDEN BARLOW
ANXEYETY Six individuals from various cultural backgrounds, gender identities, ages, professions, and levels of social anxiety/disorders are interviewed about their relationships with eye contact.
2015. United States. 5 min, 2 sec. (screened 2015)
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GEORGINA BATES
More information: http://gypsyplum.wixsite.com/brickbybrickdance.
UNSTOPPABLE A choreographic exploration of redefining femininity, a diverse group of strong women break barriers of expectations in a world that asks us to be a “lady.”
2018. United States. 4 min, 36 sec. (screened 2018)
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HRISTINA BELOUSOVA
SEA If you think of the sea long enough, then the sea comes to you!
2017. Uzbekistan. 1 min. (screened 2018)
THE PERFECT WORLD A person seeks to make the world around them better. But, about what world do we speak? Where are the borders of that world?
2016. Uzbekistan. 1 min. (screened 2016)
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AGATHE BERNARD
CARVING LANDSCAPES To celebrate Canadaâs history and Mary Vauxâs inspiring legacy we will venture onto the Illecillewaet Glacier, reenacting her research and her mountain travel in the restriction of Victorian dresses. We will trace Maryâs footsteps and search for the rock that the Vaux family used to mark the retreat of the glacier, paying homage to a rebellious female pioneer and the important contributions of her early glacial research…
2018. Canada. 5 min, 35 sec. (screened 2018)
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LAURA BIREK
SINCERELY, US Jen was already having a tough time. But when burglars break into her apartment and steal her dog, she’ll do anything to get her best friend back – even if it means messing with the space-time continuum.
2015. United States. 6 min, 13 sec. (screened 2015)
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SARA CALDWELL
SCISSOR MAN Two young girls are left alone in a motel room and conjure up their worst fear â the notorious Scissor Man who cuts off the fingers of naughty children. But is he real, or just a figment of their imagination?
2015. United States. 7 min, 48 sec. (screened 2015)
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NATASHA CĂNEPA
READY TO FIGHT When the kingdom is threatened by the monster of darkness, the princess desperately calls for her hero to save the day. If only he was completely ready to defeat the enemyâŠ
2017. United States. 1 min, 22 sec. (screened 2017)
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JENNY CARTWRIGHT
GOLDEN TUNA – MONTREAL SESSIONS After leaving Berlin, French multidisciplinary artist Golden Tuna surfs Montreal’s cold and dark wave to find inspiration.
2016. Canada. 9 min, 39 sec. (screened 2016)
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JUNGMIN CHA
WHERE I WAS BORN Through short, humorous vignettes, one presents a critique of the diverse social issues permeating throughout South Korean culture.
2018. United States. 4 min, 26 sec. (screened 2018)
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NAOMI CHAINEY
GASLIT A young disabled woman fights to hold on to her identity in the face of the worldâs assumptions, and strives for independence from her parents, who doubt her ability to become a mother.
2018. Australia. 9 min, 33 sec. (screened 2019)
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SHANNY CHEN
SARAH A heartwarming story about a little girl collecting bottles.
2018. United States. 2 min, 35 sec. (screened 2018)
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STEPHANIE CHENG
LEOTARD A young ballet dancer experiences a sexual awakening for the first time and must deal with this newfound feeling in the middle of her rigorous ballet class.
2018. United States. 6 min, 19 sec. (screened 2019)
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CONNIE CHUNG
TIGER Utilizing projections, Tiger is an experimental short film that explores the battles and life stages of a young Chinese girl after witnessing her mother’s suicide. As she grows up, we journey with her through depression, immigration to America, and love – or lack thereof.
2015. United States. 8 min, 52 sec. (screened 2015)
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CECELIA CONDIT
WE WERE HARDLY MORE THAN CHILDREN tells an epic tale of an illegal abortion as lived by two friends on a frightful journey through a world that has little concern for their survival.
2019. United States. 8 min, 45 sec. (screened 2019)
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GEORGIA COOK
BACKSEAT On a dark night, a young girl struggles to convince her mother that there is a monster in the backseat of the car.
2017. United Kingdom. 3 min, 28 sec. (screened 2018)
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LAUREL CUMMINGS
GOOD EGG Lily is living her best unburdened life when her ex drops in for a visit. Shocked to learn that she has a four-year-old daughter, Lily attempts to bond with her child even though she finds motherhood doesnât come naturally to all.
2019. United States. 5 min, 56 sec. (screened 2019)
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TRISH DALTON
More information: http://www.trishdaltonfilms.com.
AMBIENCE is a dark comedy centered around Anna, a single, over-worked teacher living in New York.
2015. United States. 7 min. (screened 2015)
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MIN DING
FOX SPIRIT The story follows a shop owner, a fox who transforms into a woman and collects beautiful male customers to turn them into mannequins. Through the lens of intersectional feminism I revisit and recontextualize a traditional Chinese mythological story using animation. Story based on the Chinese novel Liaozhai Zhiyi.
2019. China. 5 min, 23 sec. (screened 2019)
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KIMBERLY DIPERSIA
COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS A comedic series of vignettes in a coffee shop, capturing moments in the lives of patrons and employees.
2015. United States. 1 min, 57 sec. (screened 2015)
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MARIJA ÄOKOVIÄ
WEâRE ALL GONNA BE FAMOUS A story about a fictional society in which people willingly lose their privacy in order to gain attention and become popular.
2016. Serbia. 7 min, 40 sec. (screened 2016)
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CYPRIA DONATO
PUTAIN A voyage through the complex sensations experienced by six female characters in their daily life as prostitutes, and the ways their bodies are involved and exposed.
2015. Belgium. 5 min, 15 sec. (screened 2017)
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VALERIE DOZIER
BICYCLE A young cyclist’s world turns upside down when his beloved bicycle goes missing.
2015. United States. 3 min, 19 sec. (screened 2015)
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REENA DUTT
TOO MANY BODIES is a music video addressing Americaâs need for gun reform through dance, music and passion, culminating in a website of resources for advocacy and survivor support.
2018. United States. 5 min, 42 sec. (screened 2019)
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DEB ETHIER
THE SEAMLESS CUP SOCIETY Using the wonders of Math and Science, an anonymous group of older women change the course of Menopausology in this humorous animated mockumentary.
2019. Canada. 6 min, 54 sec. (screened 2019)
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JACINTHE FOLON
MELANCHOLY (TA TRISTESSE) It looks like the weather is getting badâŠ
2016. Belgium. 4 min, 9 sec. (screened 2017)
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TARA GADOMSKI
SIGNS OF AGING A skin-cream salesperson sells her anti-aging potions to women by shaming them for having wrinkles. But one enigmatic young woman challenges her tactics, and finds a way for the others to understand that their changing faces are beautiful. The film challenges the term “anti-aging” while celebrating diverse women over forty. The film was funded in part by a grant from the Greater Pike County Community Foundation in Pennsylvania.
2019. United States. 10 min. (screened 2019)
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HANNAH GAUTREY
BRAINWASH A group of people head to work, it’s just their average 9-5 working day.
2016. United Kingdom. 8 min, 13 sec. (screened 2016)
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SHANNON R. GIEDIEVIELLS
UNREST A young woman suffers from terrifying reoccurring nightmares of a man she feels is after her.
2015. United States. 4 min, 26 sec. (screened 2015)
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SARAH GRANT
SCARE Caught out after a one night stand, a womanâs mind races with all the possibilities, opportunities, difficulties and issues surrounding pregnancy during the excruciating 3-minute period the test takes to develop. The scariest three minutes of a womanâs life, and itâs all our fault.
2019. United Kingdom. 5 min, 18 sec. (screened 2019)
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ASHLEY HARGROVE
BROKE After her many failed attempts at making money without spending money, Veronica must decide how far sheâs willing to go for the green.
2017. United States. 5 min, 53 sec. (screened 2017)
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SARAH HARPER & LEXEE MCENTEE
MOM A short drama about a single mother who tries her hardest to be the best mom she can be. Plucky but scatterbrained, she attempts to reignite an old flame and hold on to a steady job while also attempting to keep a close eye on her son. Mom wants to have it all.
2017. United States. 9 min, 50 sec.” (screened 2018)
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SHAHIN HEKMATKHAH
SMILE Smiley emoticon’s city is colorless. There he sees all emoticons are depressed so he will try to make them happy.
Islamic Republic of Iran. 4 min, 30 sec. (screened 2016)
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ZLILA HELMAN
THE INVISIBLES: LOST IN BERLIN East meets West when a Chinese student feels lost while facing challenges of being a lone foreigner in a big Western city. In German with English subtitles.
2017. Israel. 3 min, 53 sec. (screened 2018)
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JESSICA HUDAK
INSEYED A girl hears a mysterious noise and investigates, but the source isnât an easy answer.
2018. United States. 2 min, 4 sec. (screened 2018)
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EMMA HUIBREGTSE
LE VOL DE SOLANGE An urban ballerina ventures into the NYC metropolis to the hip hop beat of a jazz-infused orchestral track. Shot entirely on an iPhone, the film juxtaposes traditional ballet within the contemporary cityscape. The use of color and unique compositional choices adds to the dancerâs choreography.
2013. United States. 3 min, 16 sec. (screened 2017)
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JESS IRISH
FOR WHILE Inspired by Emma Lazarusâs famed poem welcoming immigrants to the United States, this experimental video short captures small moments of humanity within the quotidian carriage of the NYC subway.
2019. United States. 1 min, 5 sec. (screened 2019)
THE PHANTASMAGORIA OF OFFENSE: THE MALE VERSION An animated film lyric on the dangers of image suppression and censorship. In this “male version” a collage history of images related to the male body examines the cultural anxieties around vulnerability, homosexual desire and the questioning of the dominant paradigm.
2018. United States. 6 min, 33 sec. (screened 2018)
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ADINA ISTRATE
THE PERFECT ONE Anna meets a man like no other.
2015. Latvia. 8 min, 38 sec. (screened 2017)
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ZAHRA JAFARI
THE FIRST SMILE AFTER⊠By their innocent world, children save us from our sad miserable world and this film has a quick look at a love message that is the savior.
Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 min, 40 sec. (screened 2016)
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DIA JENET
OVER/UNDER A young womanâs surreal escape transforms into an explosive game when an unexpected visitor interrupts. Music by psych collective Dhrift.
2019. United States. 2 min, 9 sec. (screened 2019)
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WINNIFRED JONG
MILK Vicki buys milk and finds telling her grandmother is the hardest part.
2017. Canada. 1 min, 28 sec. (screened 2017)
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MARA KASSIN
NOW OR LATER Elise, a Hasidic woman and Mike, a black man start an unlikely relationship on Shabbat.
2017. United States. 9 min, 48 sec. (screened 2017)
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MARZIEH KHEIRKHAH
IN THE CROSSHAIRS (ۯ۱ ŰȘÛ۱۱۳) A soldier finds a birdâs nest with eggs in the tank gun. Despite his inner desire, he is forced to fight and blow up a village as his commanderâs order.
2016. Islamic Republic of Iran. 5 min, 17 sec. (screened 2017)
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OLGA KOROTKO
A DATE The date goes wrong, when the guy starts to have some stomach problems…
2015. United States. 5 min. (screened 2015)
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FILIZ KUKA
BEJLERĂVE BEGOVA BEYLER Ariana is a 7 year-old Albanian girl who lives in a multicultural society in Kosovo. She returns from her school with a decision that surprises her family. In Albanian, Serbian, Turkish with English subtitles.
2017. Kosovo. 7 min, 3 sec. (screened 2018)
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BETINA KUNTZSCH
A 1 MINUTE HISTORY OF IMAGE DISTORTION (DIE GESCHICHTE DER BILDSTĂRUNG IN 1 MINUTE) Material resistance in film history.
2017. Germany. 1 min. (screened 2017)
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LESLIE D. LANIER
FILM FEMME When youâve only got two minutes to make an impact, you speak the truth and pray that people are listening. I wanted to create a female centric story that meant something to me. This was what needed to be said. Everyone involved in this project was real. They werenât actors, they werenât cast. They were filmmakers, like me, that wanted their voice heard.
2019. United States. 2 min. (screened 2019)
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NANCY LEE
FAUX SOLO Empty space, a human body, and eight articles of clothing. Faux Solo explores the dialogue and collaboration between the body, sound, clothing, and the space. Dancer: Ralph Escamillan.
2016. Canada. 3 min, 28 sec. (screened 2016)
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MENGNA LEI
OUTSIDE A flowerâs journey of exploring the outside world and finding the ocean.
2017. United States. 4 min, 30 sec. (screened 2017)
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HARRIET LENNEMAN
BERNINA SINGS Mom tells me a story while she hems my pants on her Bernina sewing machine. A self-proclaimed imperfectionist, Mom doesnât measure fabric or read instructions. After 50 years of sewing, you donât need to follow anyoneâs rules.
2015. United States. 3 min, 6 sec. (screened 2016)
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ARIEL LOEWENTHAL
8 MINUTES A short dramatic narrative following a teenage girl as she experiences the fight for survival on a day that seems like every other.
2019. United States. 8 min. (screened 2019)
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NICOLA MACINDOE
THE ART OF DOODLING A vibrant, animated documentary following three quirky artists as they examine the unintentional, universal activity that is doodling, and ask the question: is it untapped artistic truth or just scribble? Is it art?
2017. Australia. 5 min, 32 sec. (screened 2019)
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ERICA MANN
STATE OF INDEPENDENCE An intimate documentary short following DJ Ghanaian-American Gabrielle Kwarteng. With the backdrop of Paris, London, and New York City, the film is a personal look into her beginnings as a music curator and how she is breaking the mold and defining her own life path through her art.
2019. United States. 5 min, 55 sec. (screened 2019)
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KELLY MANN & SKYE TATI
NEW DEVONIA A 2D animated “concept-umentary” exploring the life prospering in a half-submerged city years after the catastrophic “Great Wave” has flooded the world. Prehistoric Devonian life forms have re-emerged from the deep and humans live symbiotically with nature, living in balanced harmony amongst the overgrown remnants of the city.
2018. United Kingdom. 2 min, 30 sec. (screened 2019)
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FELICIA MANNING
PAWENA STUDIO: HANDMADE CERAMIC ARTIST This is the intimate space of designer and handmade ceramic artist Pawena Thimaporn. We capture her process and story in this brand film.
2016. United States. 2 min, 42 sec. (screened 2016)
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STEPHANIE MAXWELL
AQUARIUM Jump into the ocean where the light and motion of water can reawaken a greater reverence for the exquisite beauty of nature. Aquarium was shot in Bonaire, Dutch Antilles at the shoreline in breaking waves, in tide pools, and underwater. The filmâs thematic ideas were inspired by Camille Saint-SaĂ«nsâ musical composition “Aquarium” and âplayedâ over and over in the filmmakerâs head during the shooting of the work.
2018. United States. 6 min. (screened 2018)
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JENNIE MEADOWS
TWITTEN Take a Twitten trip and explore an invisible city.
2018. United Kingdom. 2 min. (screened 2018)
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YASMIN MISTRY
AMERICA HEARD: REFUGE OF HOPE Syracuse, New York is an unlikely home to over 10,000 former refugees. Two women at the fore-front of this community reflect on what their presidential vote means to those whose only true home is the American town that took them in.
2017. United States. 5 min. (screened 2017)
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SHIVANGI MITTAL
A HAIRY TALE A fun adventure of a young girl having her first hair cut in an all men’s salon.
2016. India. 5 min, 30 sec. (screened 2016)
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GOLNAZ MOGHADDAM
NIGHT NIGHT Reading a creepy book for his son, Dad finds out the kid is not on the bed anymoreâŠ
2016. Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 min, 40 sec. (screened 2017)
DREAM Revival of Grandpa’s frozen memories and living an ordinary day through one of them from dawn to duskâŠ
2014. Islamic Republic of Iran. 5 min. (screened 2016)
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DEBORAH NAPIER
CATNIP A businesswoman makes a choice that turns out to be not what she expected.
2015. United States. 30 sec. (screened 2015)
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CAROLINE VOAGEN NELSON, NYAHZU & MARIA PAULA ABADIA
FAKELORE: EPISODE 1-PECOS BILL Based on the 1830s Wild West legend. The story is split into four chapters, retelling how Pecos became a famous cowboy and found his love, Slue-Foot Sue.
2015. United States. 4 min, 14 sec. (screened 2016)
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MARY NIGHY
NEED FOR SPEED (DATING) Polly and Nate have the perfect relationship – except she’s packed up and moved to London and yearns for something (or someone) new. In this modern twist on a romantic comedy, Polly learns that what she’s searching for may not be so easy to find.
2014. United States. 6 min, 49 sec. (screened 2015)
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MONIKA NORCROSS-CERMINARA
UMBRELLA GIRL Living in the middle of nowhere is not ideal. That does not matter to Ella, especially on rainy days. All she has to do is wait for the rain to stop, and then itâs time to play.
2015. United States. 2 min, 10 sec. (screened 2015)
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EILEEN OâMEARA
PANIC ATTACK! Do you ever wonder, “Did I leave the coffee on?” or, “Am I pregnant with a devil-baby?” This 3-minute short explores anxiety, obsession, and one womanâs slippery hold on reality.
2016. United States. 3 min.” (screened 2018)
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ERICA OROFINO
TAMPON Katieâs about to have a romantic night with her guy, when her period keeps getting in the way.
2019. Canada. 5 min, 30 sec. (screened 2019)
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STEPHANIE PATRICK
More information: http://www.stephaniepatrick.me/.
THEY GO WILD Two dancers and a spoken word artist speak to female-geared emotional and physical abuse, and the cyclical experience of trauma. Structured as a PSA for natural disaster, this film parallels wild landscape with the reckless treatment of women, and what might happen when they will no longer endure.
2019. United States. 6 min, 55 sec. (screened 2019)
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TĂNIA PRATES
WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT (QUANDO A LUZ SE APAGA) This documentary aims to, through an experimental video essay and using images from the photos of the Fotocine Fund existing in the collection of the Municipal Museum of Coruche, to make known some aspects of the familiar reality of the mid-twentieth century in this Ribatejo region and its relation to photography.
2019. Portugal. 5 min. (screened 2019)
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CHRISTINA RAIA
ENOUGH The lives of three women collide in one night when two of them decide to rob the house the other is house sitting.
2017. United States. 7 min, 55 sec. (screened 2018)
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TANIA ROMERO
DROP IT A dog wants popcorn, and he will do what it takes to get it.
2015. United States. 1 min. (screened 2015)
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ANNA SAMPERS
THIS IS JACKIE This video tells the story of Jackie and a couple other people she knows. It is told in four parts.
2014. United States. 3 min. (screened 2015)
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ALYSSA SHEA
MOODY Site-specific projection art and spoken word poetry tell the story of Lady Deborah Moody, founder of Gravesend, Brooklyn, originator of New York Cityâs grid plan, and the only woman to start a village in Colonial America.
2019. United States. 4 min, 22 sec. (screened 2019)
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PORNGIRA SING
CIVILIZED Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is the center of civilization. It has a large population, everyone comes for a chance to work and it is one of the most famous places for foreign travelers. Nevertheless, people who live there see the disadvantages of living in the city: serious traffic jams, bad garbage disposal, lack of management and disorder because of the lack of consciousness.
2017. Thailand. 2 min, 30 sec (screened 2017)
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NATASHA SOTO
THE DONOR A nervous male patient heads to his local clinic to make his first “deposit”, but with his imagination running wild will he able to deliver?
2015. United States. 2 min, 37 sec. (screened 2015)
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E.M. SPAIROW
DEFAULT A destitute man defaults on his student loans, and faces losing the only thing he has left.
2013. United States. 5 min, 22 sec. (screened 2016)
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KATIE SPEARE
MASK A film about society’s pressure on women to alter their appearances.
2014. United States. 1 min, 12 sec. (screened 2016)
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JULIETA STEINBERG
21 STEPS TO GET OVER YOUR EX They say Tragedy + Distance = Comedy. This film tells my past tragedy stuff, with a touch of humor.
2014. Argentina. 10 min. (screened 2015)
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JUDITH LYNN STILLMAN
More information: http://www.judithlynnstillman.com.
I CHERISH WOMEN Thirty artists and activists unite to deliver a bold statement to “defend human rights and right human wrongs in the Trump era.”
2017. United States. 4 min. (screened 2017)
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ANANYA SUNDARARAJAN
FUNNY WORDS Chad’s having one of those magical days full of deep conversations and profound realizations. Oh no, wait, heâs just really really high.
2015. United States. 1 min, 51 sec. (screened 2015)
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ELENA SURINA
MIME WITHOUT MAKEUP In this world of grey we need a bright flash. A lonely mime walks through the streets of Paris giving joy to people. But is he happy himself? How to be a mime without makeup?
2016. France. 7 min, 3 sec. (screened 2016)
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CLAIRE TANKERSLEY
A LETTER TO MYSELF AT 16 I was sexually assaulted by a close friend at a party in high school. Five years later, there is so much that I wish Iâd known when I woke up the next morning.
2019. United States. 3 min, 5 sec. (screened 2019)
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ANAĂS TARACENA
BETWEEN VOICES (ENTRE VOCES) The voice of a woman tells the story of many girls who have violently become adults. In Spanish with English subtitles.
2018. Guatemala. 7 min, 34 sec. (screened 2018)
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VENETIA TAYLOR
VENICE Josh is in Venice, Mum is in Sydney. Josh doesnât understand backpacking, Mum doesnât understand Skype.
2015. Australia. 4 min, 4 sec. (screened 2017)
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POLLY THOMAS
QUALITY TIME Man, Boy and the battle for ice cream.
2014. United Kingdom. 4 min, 32 sec. (screened 2016)
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JUANITA UMAĂA
MUJER EN DĂA A portrait of a womanâs hands throughout her day.
2018. Colombia. 3 min, 19 sec. (screened 2019)
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PAULA WEISS
PORN – A WEBSĂRIE (EPISODE 1: “PAGANDO BEM”) Three girlfriends want to produce porn to get out of their financial crisis, but for that they will need to learn the rules of the industry and deal with their personal frustrations and differences of opinion. In Portugese with English subtitles.
2018. Brazil. 7 min, 53 sec. (screened 2018)
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KANCHALEE WIJAKPAISARN
ITâS A GIRL! PROJECT : ROSEMARY WILLIAMS (WORK IN PROGRESS) This series of short documentaries will show women in professional careers talking about their experiences in their jobs, as well as how they were when they were younger. This episode follows Rosemary Williams, a printmaker, at work as the Program Director of Western New York Book Arts Center in Buffalo NY, and also talks about her growing passion towards the craft of printmaking.
WIP. Thailand/United States. 5 min. (screened 2017)
ITâS A GIRL! PROJECT: CAROLINE VOAGEN NELSON & CHRISTINA LAFONTAINE (WORK IN PROGRESS) It’s a Girl! Project is a series aimed towards girls, about women in professional careers talking about their experiences in their jobs as well as how they were when they were younger. This short presents multimedia artists Caroline Voagen Nelson and Christina Lafontaine as both individual artists and collaborators.
WIP. United States. 6 min, 51 sec. (screened 2016)
PAPERCUT An anxious writer tries to finish his manuscript but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t overcome his worst nightmares.
2015. United States. 5 min, 4 sec. (screened 2015)
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JOYCE WU
THE ASSISTANT AND HER LOVELY MAGICIAN (co-directed by Chris Serveld, Joyce Wu & Eric Yoon) A romantic comedy about a young woman who must go in search of her magician boyfriend when he disappears into thin air⊠literally.
2011. United States. 4 min, 55 sec. (screened 2015)
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(RACHEL) YINGZONG XIN
NINI Ciciâs best friend Nini was taken away. At midnight, Nini returns back and tries to tell her friend something.
2018. United States. 5 min, 10 sec.” (screened 2018)
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KAI-TING YANG
WHAT THE ! What the world presents depends on how we see the world.
2016. Taiwan. 1 min, 28 sec. (screened 2016)
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MABEL YE
GONE ASTRAY A weary detective searches for a missing loved one through a series of flashbacks.
2017. United States. 3 min, 49 sec. (screened 2017)
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RELATED #DirectedbyWomen “CONVERSATIONS” BLOG POSTS:
To help film lovers discover and appreciate these filmmakersâ work, Barbara Ann O’Leary invited them to contribute to the Conversation series by responding to this question:
“Could you please tell us about a moment during the making of your film when you could feel your vision coming together or when you overcame a challenge in a satisfying way?”
2019:
#DbW2019: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Block #1
Filmmakers: Laurel Cummings, Reena Dutt, Tara Gadomski, Sarah Grant, Dia Jenet, Tùnia Prates and Juanita Umaña.
#DbW2019: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Block #2
Filmmakers: Tash Ann, Stephanie Cheng, Cecelia Condit, Deb Ethier, Jess Irish, Leslie D. Lanier, Ariel Loewenthal, Nicola Macindoe, Erica Orofino, Stephanie Patrick, and Claire Tankersley.
2018:
#DbW2018: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Part 1
Filmmakers: Agathe Bernard, Jungmin Cha, Jessica Hudak, Jess Irish, Filiz Kuka, Stephanie Maxwell and Jennie Meadows.
#DbW2018: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Part 2
Filmmakers: Georgina Bates, Georgia Cook, Sarah Harper & Lexee McEntee, Christina Raia, Anais Taracena and Paula Weiss
#DbW2018: Shorts of All Sorts NYC â Part 3
Filmmakers: Hristina Belousova, Shanny Chen and Eileen OâMeara.
DIRECTORS & THEIR FILMS:
YEBIN AHN, BYEORI KIM & HAE DEUN WOO
SWIFT A teenage kid who wants to be a superhero finds out about her superpower one dayâŠ
2018. United States. 4 min, 58 sec. (screened 2018)
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ALLISTER ANN
STOP DESIRE (TEGAN & SARA) Inspired by sexuality, Tegan and Sara begin to notice how sexual everything can become in the simple tasks of life.
2016. United States. 3 min, 25 sec. (screened 2017)
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TASH ANN
THE ESCAPE A romantic-comedy about Lori, a young woman who sleeps with her over-protective brotherâs roommate and must sneak out of their apartment before he discovers the secret affair. Itâs a story about pre walk-of-shame escape tactics, but it is really about love, and the boundaries that love pushes between friends and family.
2019. United States. 9 min, 3 sec. (screened 2019)
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RACHEL ARA
MANSPREADING In 2015 the word “Manspreading” was officially entered into the English Dictionary. This is a lighthearted animated take on the word from the London Underground.
2016. United Kingdom. 1 min. (screened 2016)
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JEAN BALEST
LA BUENA MUERTA (THE GOOD DEATH) This film explores how Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican tradition of families and friends gathering to remember their departed loved ones, is celebrated in Los Angeles. Set amid the Dia de los Muertos Festival at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, this film tells the story of a mother-daughter team whose Ofrenda (altar) asked all of us to contemplate the question: What is a bad death, a good death and a great death?
2017. United States. 5 min, 6 sec. (screened 2018)
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ARDEN BARLOW
ANXEYETY Six individuals from various cultural backgrounds, gender identities, ages, professions, and levels of social anxiety/disorders are interviewed about their relationships with eye contact.
2015. United States. 5 min, 2 sec. (screened 2015)
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GEORGINA BATES
More information: http://gypsyplum.wixsite.com/brickbybrickdance.
UNSTOPPABLE A choreographic exploration of redefining femininity, a diverse group of strong women break barriers of expectations in a world that asks us to be a “lady.”
2018. United States. 4 min, 36 sec. (screened 2018)
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HRISTINA BELOUSOVA
SEA If you think of the sea long enough, then the sea comes to you!
2017. Uzbekistan. 1 min. (screened 2018)
THE PERFECT WORLD A person seeks to make the world around them better. But, about what world do we speak? Where are the borders of that world?
2016. Uzbekistan. 1 min. (screened 2016)
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AGATHE BERNARD
CARVING LANDSCAPES To celebrate Canadaâs history and Mary Vauxâs inspiring legacy we will venture onto the Illecillewaet Glacier, reenacting her research and her mountain travel in the restriction of Victorian dresses. We will trace Maryâs footsteps and search for the rock that the Vaux family used to mark the retreat of the glacier, paying homage to a rebellious female pioneer and the important contributions of her early glacial research…
2018. Canada. 5 min, 35 sec. (screened 2018)
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LAURA BIREK
SINCERELY, US Jen was already having a tough time. But when burglars break into her apartment and steal her dog, she’ll do anything to get her best friend back – even if it means messing with the space-time continuum.
2015. United States. 6 min, 13 sec. (screened 2015)
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SARA CALDWELL
SCISSOR MAN Two young girls are left alone in a motel room and conjure up their worst fear â the notorious Scissor Man who cuts off the fingers of naughty children. But is he real, or just a figment of their imagination?
2015. United States. 7 min, 48 sec. (screened 2015)
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NATASHA CĂNEPA
READY TO FIGHT When the kingdom is threatened by the monster of darkness, the princess desperately calls for her hero to save the day. If only he was completely ready to defeat the enemyâŠ
2017. United States. 1 min, 22 sec. (screened 2017)
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JENNY CARTWRIGHT
GOLDEN TUNA – MONTREAL SESSIONS After leaving Berlin, French multidisciplinary artist Golden Tuna surfs Montreal’s cold and dark wave to find inspiration.
2016. Canada. 9 min, 39 sec. (screened 2016)
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JUNGMIN CHA
WHERE I WAS BORN Through short, humorous vignettes, one presents a critique of the diverse social issues permeating throughout South Korean culture.
2018. United States. 4 min, 26 sec. (screened 2018)
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NAOMI CHAINEY
GASLIT A young disabled woman fights to hold on to her identity in the face of the worldâs assumptions, and strives for independence from her parents, who doubt her ability to become a mother.
2018. Australia. 9 min, 33 sec. (screened 2019)
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SHANNY CHEN
SARAH A heartwarming story about a little girl collecting bottles.
2018. United States. 2 min, 35 sec. (screened 2018)
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STEPHANIE CHENG
LEOTARD A young ballet dancer experiences a sexual awakening for the first time and must deal with this newfound feeling in the middle of her rigorous ballet class.
2018. United States. 6 min, 19 sec. (screened 2019)
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CONNIE CHUNG
TIGER Utilizing projections, Tiger is an experimental short film that explores the battles and life stages of a young Chinese girl after witnessing her mother’s suicide. As she grows up, we journey with her through depression, immigration to America, and love – or lack thereof.
2015. United States. 8 min, 52 sec. (screened 2015)
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CECELIA CONDIT
WE WERE HARDLY MORE THAN CHILDREN tells an epic tale of an illegal abortion as lived by two friends on a frightful journey through a world that has little concern for their survival.
2019. United States. 8 min, 45 sec. (screened 2019)
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GEORGIA COOK
BACKSEAT On a dark night, a young girl struggles to convince her mother that there is a monster in the backseat of the car.
2017. United Kingdom. 3 min, 28 sec. (screened 2018)
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LAUREL CUMMINGS
GOOD EGG Lily is living her best unburdened life when her ex drops in for a visit. Shocked to learn that she has a four-year-old daughter, Lily attempts to bond with her child even though she finds motherhood doesnât come naturally to all.
2019. United States. 5 min, 56 sec. (screened 2019)
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TRISH DALTON
More information: http://www.trishdaltonfilms.com.
AMBIENCE is a dark comedy centered around Anna, a single, over-worked teacher living in New York.
2015. United States. 7 min. (screened 2015)
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MIN DING
FOX SPIRIT The story follows a shop owner, a fox who transforms into a woman and collects beautiful male customers to turn them into mannequins. Through the lens of intersectional feminism I revisit and recontextualize a traditional Chinese mythological story using animation. Story based on the Chinese novel Liaozhai Zhiyi.
2019. China. 5 min, 23 sec. (screened 2019)
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KIMBERLY DIPERSIA
COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS A comedic series of vignettes in a coffee shop, capturing moments in the lives of patrons and employees.
2015. United States. 1 min, 57 sec. (screened 2015)
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MARIJA ÄOKOVIÄ
WEâRE ALL GONNA BE FAMOUS A story about a fictional society in which people willingly lose their privacy in order to gain attention and become popular.
2016. Serbia. 7 min, 40 sec. (screened 2016)
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CYPRIA DONATO
PUTAIN A voyage through the complex sensations experienced by six female characters in their daily life as prostitutes, and the ways their bodies are involved and exposed.
2015. Belgium. 5 min, 15 sec. (screened 2017)
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VALERIE DOZIER
BICYCLE A young cyclist’s world turns upside down when his beloved bicycle goes missing.
2015. United States. 3 min, 19 sec. (screened 2015)
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REENA DUTT
TOO MANY BODIES is a music video addressing Americaâs need for gun reform through dance, music and passion, culminating in a website of resources for advocacy and survivor support.
2018. United States. 5 min, 42 sec. (screened 2019)
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DEB ETHIER
THE SEAMLESS CUP SOCIETY Using the wonders of Math and Science, an anonymous group of older women change the course of Menopausology in this humorous animated mockumentary.
2019. Canada. 6 min, 54 sec. (screened 2019)
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JACINTHE FOLON
MELANCHOLY (TA TRISTESSE) It looks like the weather is getting badâŠ
2016. Belgium. 4 min, 9 sec. (screened 2017)
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TARA GADOMSKI
SIGNS OF AGING A skin-cream salesperson sells her anti-aging potions to women by shaming them for having wrinkles. But one enigmatic young woman challenges her tactics, and finds a way for the others to understand that their changing faces are beautiful. The film challenges the term “anti-aging” while celebrating diverse women over forty. The film was funded in part by a grant from the Greater Pike County Community Foundation in Pennsylvania.
2019. United States. 10 min. (screened 2019)
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HANNAH GAUTREY
BRAINWASH A group of people head to work, it’s just their average 9-5 working day.
2016. United Kingdom. 8 min, 13 sec. (screened 2016)
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SHANNON R. GIEDIEVIELLS
UNREST A young woman suffers from terrifying reoccurring nightmares of a man she feels is after her.
2015. United States. 4 min, 26 sec. (screened 2015)
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SARAH GRANT
SCARE Caught out after a one night stand, a womanâs mind races with all the possibilities, opportunities, difficulties and issues surrounding pregnancy during the excruciating 3-minute period the test takes to develop. The scariest three minutes of a womanâs life, and itâs all our fault.
2019. United Kingdom. 5 min, 18 sec. (screened 2019)
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ASHLEY HARGROVE
BROKE After her many failed attempts at making money without spending money, Veronica must decide how far sheâs willing to go for the green.
2017. United States. 5 min, 53 sec. (screened 2017)
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SARAH HARPER & LEXEE MCENTEE
MOM A short drama about a single mother who tries her hardest to be the best mom she can be. Plucky but scatterbrained, she attempts to reignite an old flame and hold on to a steady job while also attempting to keep a close eye on her son. Mom wants to have it all.
2017. United States. 9 min, 50 sec.” (screened 2018)
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SHAHIN HEKMATKHAH
SMILE Smiley emoticon’s city is colorless. There he sees all emoticons are depressed so he will try to make them happy.
Islamic Republic of Iran. 4 min, 30 sec. (screened 2016)
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ZLILA HELMAN
THE INVISIBLES: LOST IN BERLIN East meets West when a Chinese student feels lost while facing challenges of being a lone foreigner in a big Western city. In German with English subtitles.
2017. Israel. 3 min, 53 sec. (screened 2018)
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JESSICA HUDAK
INSEYED A girl hears a mysterious noise and investigates, but the source isnât an easy answer.
2018. United States. 2 min, 4 sec. (screened 2018)
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EMMA HUIBREGTSE
LE VOL DE SOLANGE An urban ballerina ventures into the NYC metropolis to the hip hop beat of a jazz-infused orchestral track. Shot entirely on an iPhone, the film juxtaposes traditional ballet within the contemporary cityscape. The use of color and unique compositional choices adds to the dancerâs choreography.
2013. United States. 3 min, 16 sec. (screened 2017)
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JESS IRISH
FOR WHILE Inspired by Emma Lazarusâs famed poem welcoming immigrants to the United States, this experimental video short captures small moments of humanity within the quotidian carriage of the NYC subway.
2019. United States. 1 min, 5 sec. (screened 2019)
THE PHANTASMAGORIA OF OFFENSE: THE MALE VERSION An animated film lyric on the dangers of image suppression and censorship. In this “male version” a collage history of images related to the male body examines the cultural anxieties around vulnerability, homosexual desire and the questioning of the dominant paradigm.
2018. United States. 6 min, 33 sec. (screened 2018)
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ADINA ISTRATE
THE PERFECT ONE Anna meets a man like no other.
2015. Latvia. 8 min, 38 sec. (screened 2017)
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ZAHRA JAFARI
THE FIRST SMILE AFTER⊠By their innocent world, children save us from our sad miserable world and this film has a quick look at a love message that is the savior.
Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 min, 40 sec. (screened 2016)
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DIA JENET
OVER/UNDER A young womanâs surreal escape transforms into an explosive game when an unexpected visitor interrupts. Music by psych collective Dhrift.
2019. United States. 2 min, 9 sec. (screened 2019)
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WINNIFRED JONG
MILK Vicki buys milk and finds telling her grandmother is the hardest part.
2017. Canada. 1 min, 28 sec. (screened 2017)
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MARA KASSIN
NOW OR LATER Elise, a Hasidic woman and Mike, a black man start an unlikely relationship on Shabbat.
2017. United States. 9 min, 48 sec. (screened 2017)
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MARZIEH KHEIRKHAH
IN THE CROSSHAIRS (ۯ۱ ŰȘÛ۱۱۳) A soldier finds a birdâs nest with eggs in the tank gun. Despite his inner desire, he is forced to fight and blow up a village as his commanderâs order.
2016. Islamic Republic of Iran. 5 min, 17 sec. (screened 2017)
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OLGA KOROTKO
A DATE The date goes wrong, when the guy starts to have some stomach problems…
2015. United States. 5 min. (screened 2015)
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FILIZ KUKA
BEJLERĂVE BEGOVA BEYLER Ariana is a 7 year-old Albanian girl who lives in a multicultural society in Kosovo. She returns from her school with a decision that surprises her family. In Albanian, Serbian, Turkish with English subtitles.
2017. Kosovo. 7 min, 3 sec. (screened 2018)
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BETINA KUNTZSCH
A 1 MINUTE HISTORY OF IMAGE DISTORTION (DIE GESCHICHTE DER BILDSTĂRUNG IN 1 MINUTE) Material resistance in film history.
2017. Germany. 1 min. (screened 2017)
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LESLIE D. LANIER
FILM FEMME When youâve only got two minutes to make an impact, you speak the truth and pray that people are listening. I wanted to create a female centric story that meant something to me. This was what needed to be said. Everyone involved in this project was real. They werenât actors, they werenât cast. They were filmmakers, like me, that wanted their voice heard.
2019. United States. 2 min. (screened 2019)
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NANCY LEE
FAUX SOLO Empty space, a human body, and eight articles of clothing. Faux Solo explores the dialogue and collaboration between the body, sound, clothing, and the space. Dancer: Ralph Escamillan.
2016. Canada. 3 min, 28 sec. (screened 2016)
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MENGNA LEI
OUTSIDE A flowerâs journey of exploring the outside world and finding the ocean.
2017. United States. 4 min, 30 sec. (screened 2017)
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HARRIET LENNEMAN
BERNINA SINGS Mom tells me a story while she hems my pants on her Bernina sewing machine. A self-proclaimed imperfectionist, Mom doesnât measure fabric or read instructions. After 50 years of sewing, you donât need to follow anyoneâs rules.
2015. United States. 3 min, 6 sec. (screened 2016)
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ARIEL LOEWENTHAL
8 MINUTES A short dramatic narrative following a teenage girl as she experiences the fight for survival on a day that seems like every other.
2019. United States. 8 min. (screened 2019)
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NICOLA MACINDOE
THE ART OF DOODLING A vibrant, animated documentary following three quirky artists as they examine the unintentional, universal activity that is doodling, and ask the question: is it untapped artistic truth or just scribble? Is it art?
2017. Australia. 5 min, 32 sec. (screened 2019)
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ERICA MANN
STATE OF INDEPENDENCE An intimate documentary short following DJ Ghanaian-American Gabrielle Kwarteng. With the backdrop of Paris, London, and New York City, the film is a personal look into her beginnings as a music curator and how she is breaking the mold and defining her own life path through her art.
2019. United States. 5 min, 55 sec. (screened 2019)
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KELLY MANN & SKYE TATI
NEW DEVONIA A 2D animated “concept-umentary” exploring the life prospering in a half-submerged city years after the catastrophic “Great Wave” has flooded the world. Prehistoric Devonian life forms have re-emerged from the deep and humans live symbiotically with nature, living in balanced harmony amongst the overgrown remnants of the city.
2018. United Kingdom. 2 min, 30 sec. (screened 2019)
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FELICIA MANNING
PAWENA STUDIO: HANDMADE CERAMIC ARTIST This is the intimate space of designer and handmade ceramic artist Pawena Thimaporn. We capture her process and story in this brand film.
2016. United States. 2 min, 42 sec. (screened 2016)
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STEPHANIE MAXWELL
AQUARIUM Jump into the ocean where the light and motion of water can reawaken a greater reverence for the exquisite beauty of nature. Aquarium was shot in Bonaire, Dutch Antilles at the shoreline in breaking waves, in tide pools, and underwater. The filmâs thematic ideas were inspired by Camille Saint-SaĂ«nsâ musical composition “Aquarium” and âplayedâ over and over in the filmmakerâs head during the shooting of the work.
2018. United States. 6 min. (screened 2018)
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JENNIE MEADOWS
TWITTEN Take a Twitten trip and explore an invisible city.
2018. United Kingdom. 2 min. (screened 2018)
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YASMIN MISTRY
AMERICA HEARD: REFUGE OF HOPE Syracuse, New York is an unlikely home to over 10,000 former refugees. Two women at the fore-front of this community reflect on what their presidential vote means to those whose only true home is the American town that took them in.
2017. United States. 5 min. (screened 2017)
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SHIVANGI MITTAL
A HAIRY TALE A fun adventure of a young girl having her first hair cut in an all men’s salon.
2016. India. 5 min, 30 sec. (screened 2016)
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GOLNAZ MOGHADDAM
NIGHT NIGHT Reading a creepy book for his son, Dad finds out the kid is not on the bed anymoreâŠ
2016. Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 min, 40 sec. (screened 2017)
DREAM Revival of Grandpa’s frozen memories and living an ordinary day through one of them from dawn to duskâŠ
2014. Islamic Republic of Iran. 5 min. (screened 2016)
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DEBORAH NAPIER
CATNIP A businesswoman makes a choice that turns out to be not what she expected.
2015. United States. 30 sec. (screened 2015)
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CAROLINE VOAGEN NELSON, NYAHZU & MARIA PAULA ABADIA
FAKELORE: EPISODE 1-PECOS BILL Based on the 1830s Wild West legend. The story is split into four chapters, retelling how Pecos became a famous cowboy and found his love, Slue-Foot Sue.
2015. United States. 4 min, 14 sec. (screened 2016)
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MARY NIGHY
NEED FOR SPEED (DATING) Polly and Nate have the perfect relationship – except she’s packed up and moved to London and yearns for something (or someone) new. In this modern twist on a romantic comedy, Polly learns that what she’s searching for may not be so easy to find.
2014. United States. 6 min, 49 sec. (screened 2015)
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MONIKA NORCROSS-CERMINARA
UMBRELLA GIRL Living in the middle of nowhere is not ideal. That does not matter to Ella, especially on rainy days. All she has to do is wait for the rain to stop, and then itâs time to play.
2015. United States. 2 min, 10 sec. (screened 2015)
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EILEEN OâMEARA
PANIC ATTACK! Do you ever wonder, “Did I leave the coffee on?” or, “Am I pregnant with a devil-baby?” This 3-minute short explores anxiety, obsession, and one womanâs slippery hold on reality.
2016. United States. 3 min.” (screened 2018)
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ERICA OROFINO
TAMPON Katieâs about to have a romantic night with her guy, when her period keeps getting in the way.
2019. Canada. 5 min, 30 sec. (screened 2019)
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STEPHANIE PATRICK
More information: http://www.stephaniepatrick.me/.
THEY GO WILD Two dancers and a spoken word artist speak to female-geared emotional and physical abuse, and the cyclical experience of trauma. Structured as a PSA for natural disaster, this film parallels wild landscape with the reckless treatment of women, and what might happen when they will no longer endure.
2019. United States. 6 min, 55 sec. (screened 2019)
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TĂNIA PRATES
WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT (QUANDO A LUZ SE APAGA) This documentary aims to, through an experimental video essay and using images from the photos of the Fotocine Fund existing in the collection of the Municipal Museum of Coruche, to make known some aspects of the familiar reality of the mid-twentieth century in this Ribatejo region and its relation to photography.
2019. Portugal. 5 min. (screened 2019)
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CHRISTINA RAIA
ENOUGH The lives of three women collide in one night when two of them decide to rob the house the other is house sitting.
2017. United States. 7 min, 55 sec. (screened 2018)
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TANIA ROMERO
DROP IT A dog wants popcorn, and he will do what it takes to get it.
2015. United States. 1 min. (screened 2015)
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ANNA SAMPERS
THIS IS JACKIE This video tells the story of Jackie and a couple other people she knows. It is told in four parts.
2014. United States. 3 min. (screened 2015)
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ALYSSA SHEA
MOODY Site-specific projection art and spoken word poetry tell the story of Lady Deborah Moody, founder of Gravesend, Brooklyn, originator of New York Cityâs grid plan, and the only woman to start a village in Colonial America.
2019. United States. 4 min, 22 sec. (screened 2019)
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PORNGIRA SING
CIVILIZED Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is the center of civilization. It has a large population, everyone comes for a chance to work and it is one of the most famous places for foreign travelers. Nevertheless, people who live there see the disadvantages of living in the city: serious traffic jams, bad garbage disposal, lack of management and disorder because of the lack of consciousness.
2017. Thailand. 2 min, 30 sec (screened 2017)
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NATASHA SOTO
THE DONOR A nervous male patient heads to his local clinic to make his first “deposit”, but with his imagination running wild will he able to deliver?
2015. United States. 2 min, 37 sec. (screened 2015)
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E.M. SPAIROW
DEFAULT A destitute man defaults on his student loans, and faces losing the only thing he has left.
2013. United States. 5 min, 22 sec. (screened 2016)
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KATIE SPEARE
MASK A film about society’s pressure on women to alter their appearances.
2014. United States. 1 min, 12 sec. (screened 2016)
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JULIETA STEINBERG
21 STEPS TO GET OVER YOUR EX They say Tragedy + Distance = Comedy. This film tells my past tragedy stuff, with a touch of humor.
2014. Argentina. 10 min. (screened 2015)
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JUDITH LYNN STILLMAN
More information: http://www.judithlynnstillman.com.
I CHERISH WOMEN Thirty artists and activists unite to deliver a bold statement to “defend human rights and right human wrongs in the Trump era.”
2017. United States. 4 min. (screened 2017)
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ANANYA SUNDARARAJAN
FUNNY WORDS Chad’s having one of those magical days full of deep conversations and profound realizations. Oh no, wait, heâs just really really high.
2015. United States. 1 min, 51 sec. (screened 2015)
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ELENA SURINA
MIME WITHOUT MAKEUP In this world of grey we need a bright flash. A lonely mime walks through the streets of Paris giving joy to people. But is he happy himself? How to be a mime without makeup?
2016. France. 7 min, 3 sec. (screened 2016)
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CLAIRE TANKERSLEY
A LETTER TO MYSELF AT 16 I was sexually assaulted by a close friend at a party in high school. Five years later, there is so much that I wish Iâd known when I woke up the next morning.
2019. United States. 3 min, 5 sec. (screened 2019)
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ANAĂS TARACENA
BETWEEN VOICES (ENTRE VOCES) The voice of a woman tells the story of many girls who have violently become adults. In Spanish with English subtitles.
2018. Guatemala. 7 min, 34 sec. (screened 2018)
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VENETIA TAYLOR
VENICE Josh is in Venice, Mum is in Sydney. Josh doesnât understand backpacking, Mum doesnât understand Skype.
2015. Australia. 4 min, 4 sec. (screened 2017)
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POLLY THOMAS
QUALITY TIME Man, Boy and the battle for ice cream.
2014. United Kingdom. 4 min, 32 sec. (screened 2016)
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JUANITA UMAĂA
MUJER EN DĂA A portrait of a womanâs hands throughout her day.
2018. Colombia. 3 min, 19 sec. (screened 2019)
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PAULA WEISS
PORN – A WEBSĂRIE (EPISODE 1: “PAGANDO BEM”) Three girlfriends want to produce porn to get out of their financial crisis, but for that they will need to learn the rules of the industry and deal with their personal frustrations and differences of opinion. In Portugese with English subtitles.
2018. Brazil. 7 min, 53 sec. (screened 2018)
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KANCHALEE WIJAKPAISARN
ITâS A GIRL! PROJECT : ROSEMARY WILLIAMS (WORK IN PROGRESS) This series of short documentaries will show women in professional careers talking about their experiences in their jobs, as well as how they were when they were younger. This episode follows Rosemary Williams, a printmaker, at work as the Program Director of Western New York Book Arts Center in Buffalo NY, and also talks about her growing passion towards the craft of printmaking.
WIP. Thailand/United States. 5 min. (screened 2017)
ITâS A GIRL! PROJECT: CAROLINE VOAGEN NELSON & CHRISTINA LAFONTAINE (WORK IN PROGRESS) It’s a Girl! Project is a series aimed towards girls, about women in professional careers talking about their experiences in their jobs as well as how they were when they were younger. This short presents multimedia artists Caroline Voagen Nelson and Christina Lafontaine as both individual artists and collaborators.
WIP. United States. 6 min, 51 sec. (screened 2016)
PAPERCUT An anxious writer tries to finish his manuscript but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t overcome his worst nightmares.
2015. United States. 5 min, 4 sec. (screened 2015)
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JOYCE WU
THE ASSISTANT AND HER LOVELY MAGICIAN (co-directed by Chris Serveld, Joyce Wu & Eric Yoon) A romantic comedy about a young woman who must go in search of her magician boyfriend when he disappears into thin air⊠literally.
2011. United States. 4 min, 55 sec. (screened 2015)
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(RACHEL) YINGZONG XIN
NINI Ciciâs best friend Nini was taken away. At midnight, Nini returns back and tries to tell her friend something.
2018. United States. 5 min, 10 sec.” (screened 2018)
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KAI-TING YANG
WHAT THE ! What the world presents depends on how we see the world.
2016. Taiwan. 1 min, 28 sec. (screened 2016)
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MABEL YE
GONE ASTRAY A weary detective searches for a missing loved one through a series of flashbacks.
2017. United States. 3 min, 49 sec. (screened 2017)
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DIRECTORS & THEIR FILMS:
YEBIN AHN, BYEORI KIM & HAE DEUN WOO
SWIFT A teenage kid who wants to be a superhero finds out about her superpower one dayâŠ
2018. United States. 4 min, 58 sec. (screened 2018)
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ALLISTER ANN
STOP DESIRE (TEGAN & SARA) Inspired by sexuality, Tegan and Sara begin to notice how sexual everything can become in the simple tasks of life.
2016. United States. 3 min, 25 sec. (screened 2017)
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TASH ANN
THE ESCAPE A romantic-comedy about Lori, a young woman who sleeps with her over-protective brotherâs roommate and must sneak out of their apartment before he discovers the secret affair. Itâs a story about pre walk-of-shame escape tactics, but it is really about love, and the boundaries that love pushes between friends and family.
2019. United States. 9 min, 3 sec. (screened 2019)
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RACHEL ARA
MANSPREADING In 2015 the word “Manspreading” was officially entered into the English Dictionary. This is a lighthearted animated take on the word from the London Underground.
2016. United Kingdom. 1 min. (screened 2016)
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JEAN BALEST
LA BUENA MUERTA (THE GOOD DEATH) This film explores how Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican tradition of families and friends gathering to remember their departed loved ones, is celebrated in Los Angeles. Set amid the Dia de los Muertos Festival at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, this film tells the story of a mother-daughter team whose Ofrenda (altar) asked all of us to contemplate the question: What is a bad death, a good death and a great death?
2017. United States. 5 min, 6 sec. (screened 2018)
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ARDEN BARLOW
ANXEYETY Six individuals from various cultural backgrounds, gender identities, ages, professions, and levels of social anxiety/disorders are interviewed about their relationships with eye contact.
2015. United States. 5 min, 2 sec. (screened 2015)
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GEORGINA BATES
More information: http://gypsyplum.wixsite.com/brickbybrickdance.
UNSTOPPABLE A choreographic exploration of redefining femininity, a diverse group of strong women break barriers of expectations in a world that asks us to be a “lady.”
2018. United States. 4 min, 36 sec. (screened 2018)
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HRISTINA BELOUSOVA
SEA If you think of the sea long enough, then the sea comes to you!
2017. Uzbekistan. 1 min. (screened 2018)
THE PERFECT WORLD A person seeks to make the world around them better. But, about what world do we speak? Where are the borders of that world?
2016. Uzbekistan. 1 min. (screened 2016)
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2016. Uzbekistan. 1 min. (screened 2016)
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AGATHE BERNARD
CARVING LANDSCAPES To celebrate Canadaâs history and Mary Vauxâs inspiring legacy we will venture onto the Illecillewaet Glacier, reenacting her research and her mountain travel in the restriction of Victorian dresses. We will trace Maryâs footsteps and search for the rock that the Vaux family used to mark the retreat of the glacier, paying homage to a rebellious female pioneer and the important contributions of her early glacial research…
2018. Canada. 5 min, 35 sec. (screened 2018)
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LAURA BIREK
SINCERELY, US Jen was already having a tough time. But when burglars break into her apartment and steal her dog, she’ll do anything to get her best friend back – even if it means messing with the space-time continuum.
2015. United States. 6 min, 13 sec. (screened 2015)
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SARA CALDWELL
SCISSOR MAN Two young girls are left alone in a motel room and conjure up their worst fear â the notorious Scissor Man who cuts off the fingers of naughty children. But is he real, or just a figment of their imagination?
2015. United States. 7 min, 48 sec. (screened 2015)
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NATASHA CĂNEPA
READY TO FIGHT When the kingdom is threatened by the monster of darkness, the princess desperately calls for her hero to save the day. If only he was completely ready to defeat the enemyâŠ
2017. United States. 1 min, 22 sec. (screened 2017)
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JENNY CARTWRIGHT
GOLDEN TUNA – MONTREAL SESSIONS After leaving Berlin, French multidisciplinary artist Golden Tuna surfs Montreal’s cold and dark wave to find inspiration.
2016. Canada. 9 min, 39 sec. (screened 2016)
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JUNGMIN CHA
WHERE I WAS BORN Through short, humorous vignettes, one presents a critique of the diverse social issues permeating throughout South Korean culture.
2018. United States. 4 min, 26 sec. (screened 2018)
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NAOMI CHAINEY
GASLIT A young disabled woman fights to hold on to her identity in the face of the worldâs assumptions, and strives for independence from her parents, who doubt her ability to become a mother.
2018. Australia. 9 min, 33 sec. (screened 2019)
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SHANNY CHEN
SARAH A heartwarming story about a little girl collecting bottles.
2018. United States. 2 min, 35 sec. (screened 2018)
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STEPHANIE CHENG
LEOTARD A young ballet dancer experiences a sexual awakening for the first time and must deal with this newfound feeling in the middle of her rigorous ballet class.
2018. United States. 6 min, 19 sec. (screened 2019)
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CONNIE CHUNG
TIGER Utilizing projections, Tiger is an experimental short film that explores the battles and life stages of a young Chinese girl after witnessing her mother’s suicide. As she grows up, we journey with her through depression, immigration to America, and love – or lack thereof.
2015. United States. 8 min, 52 sec. (screened 2015)
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CECELIA CONDIT
WE WERE HARDLY MORE THAN CHILDREN tells an epic tale of an illegal abortion as lived by two friends on a frightful journey through a world that has little concern for their survival.
2019. United States. 8 min, 45 sec. (screened 2019)
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GEORGIA COOK
BACKSEAT On a dark night, a young girl struggles to convince her mother that there is a monster in the backseat of the car.
2017. United Kingdom. 3 min, 28 sec. (screened 2018)
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LAUREL CUMMINGS
GOOD EGG Lily is living her best unburdened life when her ex drops in for a visit. Shocked to learn that she has a four-year-old daughter, Lily attempts to bond with her child even though she finds motherhood doesnât come naturally to all.
2019. United States. 5 min, 56 sec. (screened 2019)
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TRISH DALTON
More information: http://www.trishdaltonfilms.com.
AMBIENCE is a dark comedy centered around Anna, a single, over-worked teacher living in New York.
2015. United States. 7 min. (screened 2015)
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MIN DING
FOX SPIRIT The story follows a shop owner, a fox who transforms into a woman and collects beautiful male customers to turn them into mannequins. Through the lens of intersectional feminism I revisit and recontextualize a traditional Chinese mythological story using animation. Story based on the Chinese novel Liaozhai Zhiyi.
2019. China. 5 min, 23 sec. (screened 2019)
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KIMBERLY DIPERSIA
COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS A comedic series of vignettes in a coffee shop, capturing moments in the lives of patrons and employees.
2015. United States. 1 min, 57 sec. (screened 2015)
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MARIJA ÄOKOVIÄ
WEâRE ALL GONNA BE FAMOUS A story about a fictional society in which people willingly lose their privacy in order to gain attention and become popular.
2016. Serbia. 7 min, 40 sec. (screened 2016)
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CYPRIA DONATO
PUTAIN A voyage through the complex sensations experienced by six female characters in their daily life as prostitutes, and the ways their bodies are involved and exposed.
2015. Belgium. 5 min, 15 sec. (screened 2017)
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VALERIE DOZIER
BICYCLE A young cyclist’s world turns upside down when his beloved bicycle goes missing.
2015. United States. 3 min, 19 sec. (screened 2015)
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REENA DUTT
TOO MANY BODIES is a music video addressing Americaâs need for gun reform through dance, music and passion, culminating in a website of resources for advocacy and survivor support.
2018. United States. 5 min, 42 sec. (screened 2019)
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DEB ETHIER
THE SEAMLESS CUP SOCIETY Using the wonders of Math and Science, an anonymous group of older women change the course of Menopausology in this humorous animated mockumentary.
2019. Canada. 6 min, 54 sec. (screened 2019)
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JACINTHE FOLON
MELANCHOLY (TA TRISTESSE) It looks like the weather is getting badâŠ
2016. Belgium. 4 min, 9 sec. (screened 2017)
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TARA GADOMSKI
SIGNS OF AGING A skin-cream salesperson sells her anti-aging potions to women by shaming them for having wrinkles. But one enigmatic young woman challenges her tactics, and finds a way for the others to understand that their changing faces are beautiful. The film challenges the term “anti-aging” while celebrating diverse women over forty. The film was funded in part by a grant from the Greater Pike County Community Foundation in Pennsylvania.
2019. United States. 10 min. (screened 2019)
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HANNAH GAUTREY
BRAINWASH A group of people head to work, it’s just their average 9-5 working day.
2016. United Kingdom. 8 min, 13 sec. (screened 2016)
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SHANNON R. GIEDIEVIELLS
UNREST A young woman suffers from terrifying reoccurring nightmares of a man she feels is after her.
2015. United States. 4 min, 26 sec. (screened 2015)
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SARAH GRANT
SCARE Caught out after a one night stand, a womanâs mind races with all the possibilities, opportunities, difficulties and issues surrounding pregnancy during the excruciating 3-minute period the test takes to develop. The scariest three minutes of a womanâs life, and itâs all our fault.
2019. United Kingdom. 5 min, 18 sec. (screened 2019)
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ASHLEY HARGROVE
BROKE After her many failed attempts at making money without spending money, Veronica must decide how far sheâs willing to go for the green.
2017. United States. 5 min, 53 sec. (screened 2017)
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SARAH HARPER & LEXEE MCENTEE
MOM A short drama about a single mother who tries her hardest to be the best mom she can be. Plucky but scatterbrained, she attempts to reignite an old flame and hold on to a steady job while also attempting to keep a close eye on her son. Mom wants to have it all.
2017. United States. 9 min, 50 sec.” (screened 2018)
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SHAHIN HEKMATKHAH
SMILE Smiley emoticon’s city is colorless. There he sees all emoticons are depressed so he will try to make them happy.
Islamic Republic of Iran. 4 min, 30 sec. (screened 2016)
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ZLILA HELMAN
THE INVISIBLES: LOST IN BERLIN East meets West when a Chinese student feels lost while facing challenges of being a lone foreigner in a big Western city. In German with English subtitles.
2017. Israel. 3 min, 53 sec. (screened 2018)
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JESSICA HUDAK
INSEYED A girl hears a mysterious noise and investigates, but the source isnât an easy answer.
2018. United States. 2 min, 4 sec. (screened 2018)
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EMMA HUIBREGTSE
LE VOL DE SOLANGE An urban ballerina ventures into the NYC metropolis to the hip hop beat of a jazz-infused orchestral track. Shot entirely on an iPhone, the film juxtaposes traditional ballet within the contemporary cityscape. The use of color and unique compositional choices adds to the dancerâs choreography.
2013. United States. 3 min, 16 sec. (screened 2017)
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JESS IRISH
FOR WHILE Inspired by Emma Lazarusâs famed poem welcoming immigrants to the United States, this experimental video short captures small moments of humanity within the quotidian carriage of the NYC subway.
2019. United States. 1 min, 5 sec. (screened 2019)
THE PHANTASMAGORIA OF OFFENSE: THE MALE VERSION An animated film lyric on the dangers of image suppression and censorship. In this “male version” a collage history of images related to the male body examines the cultural anxieties around vulnerability, homosexual desire and the questioning of the dominant paradigm.
2018. United States. 6 min, 33 sec. (screened 2018)
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2018. United States. 6 min, 33 sec. (screened 2018)
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ADINA ISTRATE
THE PERFECT ONE Anna meets a man like no other.
2015. Latvia. 8 min, 38 sec. (screened 2017)
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ZAHRA JAFARI
THE FIRST SMILE AFTER⊠By their innocent world, children save us from our sad miserable world and this film has a quick look at a love message that is the savior.
Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 min, 40 sec. (screened 2016)
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DIA JENET
OVER/UNDER A young womanâs surreal escape transforms into an explosive game when an unexpected visitor interrupts. Music by psych collective Dhrift.
2019. United States. 2 min, 9 sec. (screened 2019)
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WINNIFRED JONG
MILK Vicki buys milk and finds telling her grandmother is the hardest part.
2017. Canada. 1 min, 28 sec. (screened 2017)
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MARA KASSIN
NOW OR LATER Elise, a Hasidic woman and Mike, a black man start an unlikely relationship on Shabbat.
2017. United States. 9 min, 48 sec. (screened 2017)
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MARZIEH KHEIRKHAH
IN THE CROSSHAIRS (ۯ۱ ŰȘÛ۱۱۳) A soldier finds a birdâs nest with eggs in the tank gun. Despite his inner desire, he is forced to fight and blow up a village as his commanderâs order.
2016. Islamic Republic of Iran. 5 min, 17 sec. (screened 2017)
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OLGA KOROTKO
A DATE The date goes wrong, when the guy starts to have some stomach problems…
2015. United States. 5 min. (screened 2015)
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FILIZ KUKA
BEJLERĂVE BEGOVA BEYLER Ariana is a 7 year-old Albanian girl who lives in a multicultural society in Kosovo. She returns from her school with a decision that surprises her family. In Albanian, Serbian, Turkish with English subtitles.
2017. Kosovo. 7 min, 3 sec. (screened 2018)
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BETINA KUNTZSCH
A 1 MINUTE HISTORY OF IMAGE DISTORTION (DIE GESCHICHTE DER BILDSTĂRUNG IN 1 MINUTE) Material resistance in film history.
2017. Germany. 1 min. (screened 2017)
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LESLIE D. LANIER
FILM FEMME When youâve only got two minutes to make an impact, you speak the truth and pray that people are listening. I wanted to create a female centric story that meant something to me. This was what needed to be said. Everyone involved in this project was real. They werenât actors, they werenât cast. They were filmmakers, like me, that wanted their voice heard.
2019. United States. 2 min. (screened 2019)
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NANCY LEE
FAUX SOLO Empty space, a human body, and eight articles of clothing. Faux Solo explores the dialogue and collaboration between the body, sound, clothing, and the space. Dancer: Ralph Escamillan.
2016. Canada. 3 min, 28 sec. (screened 2016)
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MENGNA LEI
OUTSIDE A flowerâs journey of exploring the outside world and finding the ocean.
2017. United States. 4 min, 30 sec. (screened 2017)
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HARRIET LENNEMAN
BERNINA SINGS Mom tells me a story while she hems my pants on her Bernina sewing machine. A self-proclaimed imperfectionist, Mom doesnât measure fabric or read instructions. After 50 years of sewing, you donât need to follow anyoneâs rules.
2015. United States. 3 min, 6 sec. (screened 2016)
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ARIEL LOEWENTHAL
8 MINUTES A short dramatic narrative following a teenage girl as she experiences the fight for survival on a day that seems like every other.
2019. United States. 8 min. (screened 2019)
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NICOLA MACINDOE
THE ART OF DOODLING A vibrant, animated documentary following three quirky artists as they examine the unintentional, universal activity that is doodling, and ask the question: is it untapped artistic truth or just scribble? Is it art?
2017. Australia. 5 min, 32 sec. (screened 2019)
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ERICA MANN
STATE OF INDEPENDENCE An intimate documentary short following DJ Ghanaian-American Gabrielle Kwarteng. With the backdrop of Paris, London, and New York City, the film is a personal look into her beginnings as a music curator and how she is breaking the mold and defining her own life path through her art.
2019. United States. 5 min, 55 sec. (screened 2019)
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KELLY MANN & SKYE TATI
NEW DEVONIA A 2D animated “concept-umentary” exploring the life prospering in a half-submerged city years after the catastrophic “Great Wave” has flooded the world. Prehistoric Devonian life forms have re-emerged from the deep and humans live symbiotically with nature, living in balanced harmony amongst the overgrown remnants of the city.
2018. United Kingdom. 2 min, 30 sec. (screened 2019)
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FELICIA MANNING
PAWENA STUDIO: HANDMADE CERAMIC ARTIST This is the intimate space of designer and handmade ceramic artist Pawena Thimaporn. We capture her process and story in this brand film.
2016. United States. 2 min, 42 sec. (screened 2016)
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STEPHANIE MAXWELL
AQUARIUM Jump into the ocean where the light and motion of water can reawaken a greater reverence for the exquisite beauty of nature. Aquarium was shot in Bonaire, Dutch Antilles at the shoreline in breaking waves, in tide pools, and underwater. The filmâs thematic ideas were inspired by Camille Saint-SaĂ«nsâ musical composition “Aquarium” and âplayedâ over and over in the filmmakerâs head during the shooting of the work.
2018. United States. 6 min. (screened 2018)
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JENNIE MEADOWS
TWITTEN Take a Twitten trip and explore an invisible city.
2018. United Kingdom. 2 min. (screened 2018)
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YASMIN MISTRY
AMERICA HEARD: REFUGE OF HOPE Syracuse, New York is an unlikely home to over 10,000 former refugees. Two women at the fore-front of this community reflect on what their presidential vote means to those whose only true home is the American town that took them in.
2017. United States. 5 min. (screened 2017)
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SHIVANGI MITTAL
A HAIRY TALE A fun adventure of a young girl having her first hair cut in an all men’s salon.
2016. India. 5 min, 30 sec. (screened 2016)
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GOLNAZ MOGHADDAM
NIGHT NIGHT Reading a creepy book for his son, Dad finds out the kid is not on the bed anymoreâŠ
2016. Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 min, 40 sec. (screened 2017)
DREAM Revival of Grandpa’s frozen memories and living an ordinary day through one of them from dawn to duskâŠ
2014. Islamic Republic of Iran. 5 min. (screened 2016)
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2014. Islamic Republic of Iran. 5 min. (screened 2016)
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DEBORAH NAPIER
CATNIP A businesswoman makes a choice that turns out to be not what she expected.
2015. United States. 30 sec. (screened 2015)
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CAROLINE VOAGEN NELSON, NYAHZU & MARIA PAULA ABADIA
FAKELORE: EPISODE 1-PECOS BILL Based on the 1830s Wild West legend. The story is split into four chapters, retelling how Pecos became a famous cowboy and found his love, Slue-Foot Sue.
2015. United States. 4 min, 14 sec. (screened 2016)
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MARY NIGHY
NEED FOR SPEED (DATING) Polly and Nate have the perfect relationship – except she’s packed up and moved to London and yearns for something (or someone) new. In this modern twist on a romantic comedy, Polly learns that what she’s searching for may not be so easy to find.
2014. United States. 6 min, 49 sec. (screened 2015)
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MONIKA NORCROSS-CERMINARA
UMBRELLA GIRL Living in the middle of nowhere is not ideal. That does not matter to Ella, especially on rainy days. All she has to do is wait for the rain to stop, and then itâs time to play.
2015. United States. 2 min, 10 sec. (screened 2015)
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EILEEN OâMEARA
PANIC ATTACK! Do you ever wonder, “Did I leave the coffee on?” or, “Am I pregnant with a devil-baby?” This 3-minute short explores anxiety, obsession, and one womanâs slippery hold on reality.
2016. United States. 3 min.” (screened 2018)
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ERICA OROFINO
TAMPON Katieâs about to have a romantic night with her guy, when her period keeps getting in the way.
2019. Canada. 5 min, 30 sec. (screened 2019)
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STEPHANIE PATRICK
More information: http://www.stephaniepatrick.me/.
THEY GO WILD Two dancers and a spoken word artist speak to female-geared emotional and physical abuse, and the cyclical experience of trauma. Structured as a PSA for natural disaster, this film parallels wild landscape with the reckless treatment of women, and what might happen when they will no longer endure.
2019. United States. 6 min, 55 sec. (screened 2019)
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TĂNIA PRATES
WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT (QUANDO A LUZ SE APAGA) This documentary aims to, through an experimental video essay and using images from the photos of the Fotocine Fund existing in the collection of the Municipal Museum of Coruche, to make known some aspects of the familiar reality of the mid-twentieth century in this Ribatejo region and its relation to photography.
2019. Portugal. 5 min. (screened 2019)
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CHRISTINA RAIA
ENOUGH The lives of three women collide in one night when two of them decide to rob the house the other is house sitting.
2017. United States. 7 min, 55 sec. (screened 2018)
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TANIA ROMERO
DROP IT A dog wants popcorn, and he will do what it takes to get it.
2015. United States. 1 min. (screened 2015)
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ANNA SAMPERS
THIS IS JACKIE This video tells the story of Jackie and a couple other people she knows. It is told in four parts.
2014. United States. 3 min. (screened 2015)
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ALYSSA SHEA
MOODY Site-specific projection art and spoken word poetry tell the story of Lady Deborah Moody, founder of Gravesend, Brooklyn, originator of New York Cityâs grid plan, and the only woman to start a village in Colonial America.
2019. United States. 4 min, 22 sec. (screened 2019)
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PORNGIRA SING
CIVILIZED Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is the center of civilization. It has a large population, everyone comes for a chance to work and it is one of the most famous places for foreign travelers. Nevertheless, people who live there see the disadvantages of living in the city: serious traffic jams, bad garbage disposal, lack of management and disorder because of the lack of consciousness.
2017. Thailand. 2 min, 30 sec (screened 2017)
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NATASHA SOTO
THE DONOR A nervous male patient heads to his local clinic to make his first “deposit”, but with his imagination running wild will he able to deliver?
2015. United States. 2 min, 37 sec. (screened 2015)
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E.M. SPAIROW
DEFAULT A destitute man defaults on his student loans, and faces losing the only thing he has left.
2013. United States. 5 min, 22 sec. (screened 2016)
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KATIE SPEARE
MASK A film about society’s pressure on women to alter their appearances.
2014. United States. 1 min, 12 sec. (screened 2016)
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JULIETA STEINBERG
21 STEPS TO GET OVER YOUR EX They say Tragedy + Distance = Comedy. This film tells my past tragedy stuff, with a touch of humor.
2014. Argentina. 10 min. (screened 2015)
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JUDITH LYNN STILLMAN
More information: http://www.judithlynnstillman.com.
I CHERISH WOMEN Thirty artists and activists unite to deliver a bold statement to “defend human rights and right human wrongs in the Trump era.”
2017. United States. 4 min. (screened 2017)
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ANANYA SUNDARARAJAN
FUNNY WORDS Chad’s having one of those magical days full of deep conversations and profound realizations. Oh no, wait, heâs just really really high.
2015. United States. 1 min, 51 sec. (screened 2015)
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ELENA SURINA
MIME WITHOUT MAKEUP In this world of grey we need a bright flash. A lonely mime walks through the streets of Paris giving joy to people. But is he happy himself? How to be a mime without makeup?
2016. France. 7 min, 3 sec. (screened 2016)
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CLAIRE TANKERSLEY
A LETTER TO MYSELF AT 16 I was sexually assaulted by a close friend at a party in high school. Five years later, there is so much that I wish Iâd known when I woke up the next morning.
2019. United States. 3 min, 5 sec. (screened 2019)
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ANAĂS TARACENA
BETWEEN VOICES (ENTRE VOCES) The voice of a woman tells the story of many girls who have violently become adults. In Spanish with English subtitles.
2018. Guatemala. 7 min, 34 sec. (screened 2018)
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VENETIA TAYLOR
VENICE Josh is in Venice, Mum is in Sydney. Josh doesnât understand backpacking, Mum doesnât understand Skype.
2015. Australia. 4 min, 4 sec. (screened 2017)
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POLLY THOMAS
QUALITY TIME Man, Boy and the battle for ice cream.
2014. United Kingdom. 4 min, 32 sec. (screened 2016)
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JUANITA UMAĂA
MUJER EN DĂA A portrait of a womanâs hands throughout her day.
2018. Colombia. 3 min, 19 sec. (screened 2019)
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PAULA WEISS
PORN – A WEBSĂRIE (EPISODE 1: “PAGANDO BEM”) Three girlfriends want to produce porn to get out of their financial crisis, but for that they will need to learn the rules of the industry and deal with their personal frustrations and differences of opinion. In Portugese with English subtitles.
2018. Brazil. 7 min, 53 sec. (screened 2018)
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KANCHALEE WIJAKPAISARN
ITâS A GIRL! PROJECT : ROSEMARY WILLIAMS (WORK IN PROGRESS) This series of short documentaries will show women in professional careers talking about their experiences in their jobs, as well as how they were when they were younger. This episode follows Rosemary Williams, a printmaker, at work as the Program Director of Western New York Book Arts Center in Buffalo NY, and also talks about her growing passion towards the craft of printmaking.
WIP. Thailand/United States. 5 min. (screened 2017)
ITâS A GIRL! PROJECT: CAROLINE VOAGEN NELSON & CHRISTINA LAFONTAINE (WORK IN PROGRESS) It’s a Girl! Project is a series aimed towards girls, about women in professional careers talking about their experiences in their jobs as well as how they were when they were younger. This short presents multimedia artists Caroline Voagen Nelson and Christina Lafontaine as both individual artists and collaborators.
WIP. United States. 6 min, 51 sec. (screened 2016)
WIP. United States. 6 min, 51 sec. (screened 2016)
PAPERCUT An anxious writer tries to finish his manuscript but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t overcome his worst nightmares.
2015. United States. 5 min, 4 sec. (screened 2015)
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2015. United States. 5 min, 4 sec. (screened 2015)
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JOYCE WU
THE ASSISTANT AND HER LOVELY MAGICIAN (co-directed by Chris Serveld, Joyce Wu & Eric Yoon) A romantic comedy about a young woman who must go in search of her magician boyfriend when he disappears into thin air⊠literally.
2011. United States. 4 min, 55 sec. (screened 2015)
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(RACHEL) YINGZONG XIN
NINI Ciciâs best friend Nini was taken away. At midnight, Nini returns back and tries to tell her friend something.
2018. United States. 5 min, 10 sec.” (screened 2018)
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KAI-TING YANG
WHAT THE ! What the world presents depends on how we see the world.
2016. Taiwan. 1 min, 28 sec. (screened 2016)
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MABEL YE
GONE ASTRAY A weary detective searches for a missing loved one through a series of flashbacks.
2017. United States. 3 min, 49 sec. (screened 2017)
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