Short Stories 1

A kaleidoscopic lens on our world today and life in these times.

Total running time: 94 minutes

EAST COAST PREMIERE

Moving Violation

Eric Bergemann
USA, 2022, 4 minutes, narrative
A traffic stop triggers relationship issues.

In Person: Director Eric Bergemann

The Breakthrough

Daniel Sinclair
USA, 2022, 14 minutes, narrative
Jane and Teddy are on the brink of divorce. When their marital problems come to a sticking point, they have an unexpected breakthrough.

Lunchbox

Anne Hu
USA, 2022, 17 minutes, narrative
While preparing lunches from her childhood, a Taiwanese-American woman struggles to forgive herself for pushing away her immigrant mother.

In Person: Producer Gilana Lobel

You Left me Alone

Lauren Fondren
USA, 2022, 15 minutes, narrative
When a crisis forces Erica to go home to confront her estranged sibling, she fights to revive their childhood connection and finds that some wounds are too deep to heal.

In Person: Director Lauren Fondren & Producer Derek Kelly

Swimming Through

Samantha Sanders
USA, 2022, 16 minutes, documentary
As the pandemic rages on and the brutal Chicago winter draws near, Deirdre, Helen and Jennefer—avid open water swimmers—make a pact to continue through the snow and ice.

Seeds

Morningstar Angeline and Ajuawak Kapashesit
USA, 2021, 12 minutes, narrative
Grieving the loss of their parents, Indigenous sisters Loretta and Raven cope in different ways. While one finds catharsis in their mother's old VHS camera, the other struggles with a potential pregnancy.

Southern Afternoon

Tian Lan
China, 2022, 16 minutes, narrative (Uyghur and Mandarin w/English subtitles)
In Southern China, an Uyghur father who is unable to read Mandarin discovers that his 14-year-old daughter has received a possible love letter.