Thanks to Barbara Ann O’Leary and her Directed by Women global celebration last night I curated an evening of short films directed by women – 20 of them with Leah Abrams (a longtime friend and colleague from my San Francisco theatre days) and Custom Made Theatre Company who kindly switched up their monthly play reading series to give us the opportunity to show some movies at Ryan’s Daughter on the Upper East Side.

The turnout was great and despite a few sound glitches (oh the importance and intricacy of sound) everyone seemed to have a good time and I was reminded of why I do this whole theatre/film thing. There is something really great about getting together with people and sharing stories. I really loved all of these films and being able to share them with an audience was fantastic.

Online access is great and the advent of social media and different platforms have indeed, as director Joyce Wu pointed out last night, democratized the process to a large degree (monetizing is another issue but getting work out there for women and all indie filmmakers is incredibly doable) – but for me it doesn’t take the place of gathering and sharing the experience with others.

The films from far off lands (all over the United States, Argentina and Kazakhstan) filled the room with the laughter and moved the audience – and being able to engage with the filmmakers who were able to attend was an incredible bonus. Many of us found we had connections outside of this small screening emphasizing what a small world this global community can actually be. At the same time I met new people and was exposed to new talent and new stories which invigorated me and keeps me going on this bizarre roller coaster of life.

Thanks to Film Freeway we gathered over 440 submissions from all over the world.

Of course I am particularly grateful for the experience of last night where I got to enjoy these films with an audience and meet and engage with the filmmakers – but it doesn’t have to stop there.  I plan to keep up with the work of these talented women and for those who weren’t able to attend check out the list below for our lineup and links to the directors’ work and websites.

1. A DATE – written and directed by Olga Korotko
   The date goes wrong, when the guy starts to have some stomach problems… (5:00)
2. UMBRELLA GIRL – written and directed by Monika Norcross-Cerminara
   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 it’s time to play. (2:10)
3. AMBIENCE – written by Mackenzie McBride and directed by Trish Dalton
   Ambience is a dark comedy centered around Anna, a single, over-worked teacher living in New York. (7:00)
4. BICYCLE – written and directed by Valerie Dozier
   A young cyclist’s world turns upside down when his beloved bicycle goes missing. (3:19)
5. UNREST – written and directed by Shannon R. Giedieviells
   A young woman suffers from terrifying reoccurring nightmares of a man she feels is after her. (4:26)
6. CATNIP – written and directed by Deborah Napier
   A businesswoman makes a choice that turns out to be not what she expected. (0:30)
7. SINCERELY, US – written and directed by Laura Birek
   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. (6:13)
8. PAPER CUT – written and directed by Kanchalee Wijakpaisarn
   An anxious writer tries to finish his manuscript but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t overcome his worst nightmares. (5:04)
9. FUNNY WORDS – written and directed by Ananya Sundararajan
   Chad’s having one of those magical days full of deep conversations and profound realizations. Oh no, wait, he’s just really really high. (1:51)
10. SCISSOR MAN – written and directed by Sara Caldwell
    Two young girls are left alone in a motel room and conjure up their worst fear – the notorious Scissor Man who cuts off the fingers of naughty children. But is he real, or just a figment of their imagination? (7:48)
11. TIGER – written and directed by Connie Chung
    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. (8:52)
12. ANXEYETY – written and directed by Arden Barlow
    Six individuals from various cultural backgrounds, gender identities, ages, professions, and levels of social anxiety/disorders are interviewed about their relationships with eye contact. (5:02)
13. COFFEE SHOP CONVERSATIONS – written and directed by Kimberly DiPersia
    A comedic series of vignettes in a coffee shop, capturing moments in the lives of patrons and employees. (1:57)
14. 21 STEPS TO GET OVER YOUR EX – written and directed by Julieta Steinberg
    They say Tragedy + Distance = Comedy. This film tells my past tragedy stuff, with a touch of humor. (10:00)
15. DROP IT – written and directed by Tania Romero
    A dog wants popcorn, and he will do what it takes to get it. (1:00)
16. THE DONOR – written and directed by Natasha Soto
    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? (2:37)
17. THIS IS JACKIE – written and directed by Anna Sampers
    This video tells the story of Jackie and a couple other people she knows. It is told in four parts. (3:00)
18. THE ASSISTANT AND HER LOVELY MAGICIAN – written by Joyce Wu and directed by Chris Serveld, Joyce Wu, and 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. (4:55)
19. CANNED – written and directed by Ivan Joy, Tanya Zaman, Nathaniel Hatton
    A street artist paints a beautiful mural of a woman on the wall, and is suddenly chased by police… through the favela’s of Rio de Janeiro. (3:03)
20. NEED FOR SPEED (DATING) – written by Allyson Morgan, directed by Mary Nighy
    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. (6:49)