GET ME TO 21 – THE JENNA LOWE STORY, 88min., South Africa
Directed by Diana Joy Lucas

The extraordinary story of a young South African girl, her battle to get to 21 and the lasting impact she has had on the world around her. A riveting and inspiring story of advocacy, rare disease, organ donation, courage and hope.

https://www.jennalowetrust.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/710845692340944
https://instagram.com/jenna_lowe_trust

Get to know Executive Producer Gabi Lowe:

PH is a rare, cruel and silent disease and way too many people die from it before even being diagnosed. I know that if I can get Jenna’s compelling story out as far and wide a possible, it will impact thousands of people through earlier diagnosis which equals HOPE for a longer life and better quality of life. But that is not all that this Doccie s about … …illness and suffering aside, there are so many inspirational learnings to be found in this story such as the extreme grace, courage and a fighting yet gentle spirit that Jenna demonstrated that I feel the world can benefit from right now. Finding ways to truly live, make a difference, give back and find meaning even in the face of extreme suffering… now THAT is something we all need to learn and aim for.

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THE SHEPHERD, 14min., USA
Directed by Arie Forma
Struggling with the news of his son’s interfaith engagement, a religious father seeks solace in his estranged brother.

https://www.arieforma.com/the-shepherd
https://www.instagram.com/rosecolored.pictures/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I was motivated to bring The Shepherd to life for a few reasons. The first is that the topic of interfaith marriages is very prevalent in my life. I was confused by the negative reactions to my sister dating a non-Jew. Upon further research, I saw that this issue extended beyond other religions and that there were stories where families could take these reactions a step too far (HINT HINT).”

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OUT OF THE DARK, 3min,. USA
Directed by Alexa Ruggiero, Ashley Carrizo
A screendance film that portrays how certain relationships in ones life can cause turmoil. The process of letting someone go can be freeing while also being an emotional rollercoaster full of sadness, anger, and relief.

Get to know the filmmakers:

Alexa: To tell a story people can relate and connect to. I’ve always been passionate about dance so l loved using movement verse a script to tell that story.

Ashley: I had always wanted to create my own work on film but didn’t know how or where to start. I was associate choreographer last year on another artist’s project. That experience gave me the inspiration to want to create my own work with cameras and sets verse just creating choreography for stage.

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SYNTHETIC HOPE, 16min., USA
Directed by Chris Hinton
Faced with certain death a young girl unleashes a mysterious AI to help her escape.

https://www.instagram.com/synthetic_hope

Get to know the filmmaker:

Listening to the first 30 seconds of Gravastar by Hybrid when I was sick. It sounds like what a robot would hear when it’s booting up. I thought to myself what scenario could I create to have this in live action. So I wrote a story that created this situation. Unfortunately I couldn’t get Hybrid to let me use the song. I was close though, they were talking to me about it. Also I want to say, recent advances in AI motivated this story as well, there are a lot of unknowns as to how this emerging technology will be used.

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Low Down Larry Versus the Giant Reptile, 7min., USA
Directed by Sammy Verni
In their latest adventure together, Larry and Spike set out in a time machine to be the first to bring a living dinosaur back with them to present day. They’ve already been to the Moon and back, but this time have they gone too far?

Get to know the filmmaker:

Low Down Larry Versus the Giant Reptile is the second in a series of shorts that I have made based on a comic book character I used to draw when I was about ten years old. I see it as a love letter to that time in my life as well as an homage to sci fi b movies, classic stop motion and the Saturday morning cartoons that I grew up with.

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CLAIRE, 25min., USA
Directed by Paul Ambe Ngang
Committed to getting his crush to love him, Mark uses an AI to snoop into her private life; but when the AI unexpectedly develops love for him and spite for her, he must choose the AI or lose everything.

https://www.instagram.com/claireshortfilm/

Get to know the filmmaker:

I started to write this when it started to be a hot topic in 2023. Soon after the writers strike happened so I felt like it was now or never to get the story going.

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P IS FOR PENIS, 9min., UK
Directed by Joe McGowan
An overdue catch up down the pub between two old friends is thrown into chaos by the inclusion of a terrifying third wheel with an embarrassing secret.

http://www.thejoemcgowan.co.uk/
https://instagram.com/joe_mcgowan88

Get to know the filmmaker:

I wanted to make a film that focused on an escalating absurd premise. I love a good sitcom that is led by strong, memorable characters who find themselves in a bit of a pickle. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is by far my favourite show for this. The way the characters talk and treat each other always cracks me up and the levels of escalating circumstances in that show are second to none. I approached this film like I was writing a scene from a sitcom, as ultimately that’s what I would love to do in the future.

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DEJA VU, 14min., Canada
Directed by Jean Frenette
John is convinced he’s been on this planet for longer than his lifetime. This feeling of knowing more than what meets the eye troubles him deeply.

Get to know the filmmaker:
I had this idea mind for many years and always wanted to bring it to the big screen; I love telling stories.

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DIPPERS IN THE ALTAI IV; EMERGENCE OF THE CHICKS, 54min., UK
Directed by Andrew Laurie
In the course of his work as a wildlife conservation advisor to the Mongolian government, Andrew Laurie followed up on a childhood fascination with White-throated Dippers on the Teme near Ludlow, by finding out more about their lives in the Altai Mountains. Now resident in Cambridge, Andrew has made four films on Dippers in Mongolia – covering nest-building, incubation, feeding of the chicks in the nest, and this, the most recent one (2023) on the emergence of the chicks and their early lives on the river.

https://www.youtube.com/@andrewlaurie64/featured

Get to know the filmmaker:

Early experience and fascination with the White-throated Dipper in UK as a schoolboy led me to search for its breeding sites in the Mongolian Altai when there on an assignment much later in life – because although sigthings were common, particularly in winter on unfrozen streams, the local ornithologists did not know where it bred.

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HOLLY BY CAPTAIN DANGER, 5min., USA
Directed by Aaron Steinberg
Captain Danger soundtracks interstellar misadventures.

https://www.captaindanger.com/
https://www.facebook.com/captaindangermusic
https://twitter.com/captdanger
https://www.instagram.com/captaindangermusic

Get to know the filmmaker:

Our band Captain Danger needed a music video to accompany our single entitled “Holly.” Our goals included making something fun that pointed to our sense of adventure as a group, musically and otherwise. Along the way, we were super-fortunate to enlist (Emmy-nominated) Dane Lawing as Director of Photography, who was keen on capturing a look for the live band sequences that could somehow complement the overall Sci Fi concept. We were striving to create something that could nod to our appreciation for weirdness and humor while also supporting the song’s underlying, more earthbound themes, which explore missed connections and a sense of alienation.

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BUTTERFLY'S BAQA, 6min., USA

Directed by Abby London, Mariam-Saba Ahmad

This heart-opening dance film Butterfly’s Baqa invites the viewer to drop into their heart and open to an experience of meaningful beauty. Dancers Mariam-Saba Ahmad and Antonio Samayoa move through a European traditional dance, the waltz, to modern American Pop music, expressing ancient Eastern spiritual concepts. The art and music are created and sung by Mariam-Saba Ahmad specifically for this film, to create a cohesive message, a reminder that there is a purpose to the difficulty we all experience, and that freedom and connection we all search for is within our grasp.

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EARTHLOVE, 6min., Sweden
Directed by Felicia Konrad, Johan Haugen
EarthLove is a poetic music/dance film with 6 dancers, filmed in the city of Malmö, south of Sweden. “There’s a revolution that needs to happen and it starts from inside each one of us. We need to wake up and fall in love with Earth. We’ve been homo sapiens for a long time. Now it’s time to become homo conscious.” Thich Nhat Hanh

http://www.istillliveinwater.com/
https://www.facebook.com/www.istillliveinwater.com
https://www.instagram.com/feliciavoiceperformer

Get to know filmmaker Felicia Konrad:

A strong sense of that we need to become aware of the fact that we are not separated from Earth, we are a part of Earth. And the inspiration to find the playfulness in shifting into a wider perspective sensing ourselves becoming with Earth.

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JAYA, 50min., USA
Directed by Mike McKay
It is a rare blessing to meet someone filled with such joy, kindness and inspiration that they leave such a mark on you and your life is changed forever.

Get to know the filmmaker:

The story of evolved over a number of years, but really what began the inspiration was Jaya’s spirit and energy. I always found him to be a great personality in the community and one of the opportunity to get to know him and his life better.

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HIGH LIGHT, 4min., USA
Directed by Anthony Orlando
A young man musters the courage to face an alien lifeform rooting through his garage.

Get to know the filmmaker:

: As I saw my peers in the film industry sharing their new projects and getting laurels for their work, I knew I had to direct a new movie to promote myself so I could move forward in my career as a filmmaker. It had been a few years since I directed my last short, so I knew I had to create something new to showcase all the knowledge and experience in filmmaking I had gained since then. Also, since the short is based on a screenplay I have been working on, I hoped this film would act as a proof of concept that I could pitch to executives and hopefully get it made into a feature-length film.

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THE DOLPHIN DILEMMA, 18min., USA
Directed by Olivia Andrus-Drennan
Imagine, waking up being covered in third-degree burns, that’s what it’s like for the Burrunan dolphins in Australia. But why is this happening? That’s what Dr. Duignan, Director of Pathology at The Marine Mammal Center, Dr. Stephen’s from Murdoch University, and Dr. Robb from the Marine Mammal Foundation had to find out. This film explores this international collaboration that proves for the first time that these lesions being found on cetaceans around the world are only caused by climate change.

https://www.bigskygenesis.com/films
https://www.facebook.com/BigSkyGenesisProductions/
https://www.instagram.com/bigskygenesisproductions/

Get to know the filmmaker:

After reading the paper that The Marine Mammal Center released, I just had to make this into a film. It needed to be seen, dolphins and whales are loved by so many including myself and if I could bring light to such important work I had to try, so this film was born.

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WAR COUPLES, 3min,. USA
Directed by Nevin Boila
In a desert war land, the elite tactical team, only know as BRAVO, must be the eyes and ears for their comrades, ALPHA Team. With time on the essence, both teams need to be on alert for the capturing of the 6 mass villains of the land. A war of stealth, values, and friendship lay on the line as BRAVO Team must overcome their own internal struggles if they wish to accomplish the mission. The question is, will they?

http://www.nevinbolla.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

=The truth is the motivation was just to film. Any filmmaker’s goal- well the majority of filmmakers- is to bring some type of entertainment to everyone. For me, not only motivation to film was the reason ‘War Couples’ was made, but I also asked myself this question right before I began creating a film, “Is This Possible?” Location, time, money, the team, when making shorts you can have the greatest script in the world, but if you don’t have the proper resources then the story will never be true to what you see it. ‘War Couples’ passed these obstacles because it was not only simple to shoot, but had a great comedy aspect to the end of the film.

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DUNES, 10min., France

Directed by Virginie Kahn

It could be a Harlem theater in the fifties. Two strangers share the same emotion while watching a movie. The cinema exit door opens onto an imaginary desert where they will meet,

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AN ORDINARY EXPERIENCE, 52min., France
Directed by Herve Marcotte
In July 2022, I brought together two sixteen-year-olds, Jeanne and Romain, in a house by the sea. They didn’t know each other yet. I was determined to take them seriously, and make them live with all their uncertainties and reserves, an experience in the world of beauty.

http://verissimusfilms.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

My first long documentary, “Encounter with Remarkable Souls,” focused on 25-year-olds, so it’s no surprise that “An Ordinary Experience” centers around two 16-year-olds. Initially, my intention was simply to gather two young individuals (not actors). The casting requirement was deeply rooted in my desire to reconnect with my youth. The art theme emerged later.

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MAKE A MOVE, 20min., USA

Directed by Dalie Caudle

Make A Move is a docuseries about a national and international speed chess tournament with players from all walks of life and different levels of experience.

http://www.makeamovela.org/

https://www.instagram.com/make.a.move.la/

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COOKIES 4 JANE, 62min., USA
Directed by Mary Elle Alexander
Ten years in the making, “Cookies 4 Jane” recounts the final chapters of the life of a beloved matriarch, Jane, as she battles Alzheimer’s Disease. Filmed, edited, and directed by Jane’s granddaughter, Mary, this intimate documentary condenses four years of raw footage into an hour-long, heart-rending, inspirational, and delightfully educational piece.

https://vimeo.com/maryellealexander

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