2022 Schedule
Saturday, July 16th
House of Legends Aud. #2
LEGENDS IN THE MAKING – (11:00 am)
Stories told from the lens of our youngest future filmmakers.
Burnt Feathers, Broken Wings
(Dir. Cady McClain)
A documentary about four young girls in the foster care system who are on a mission to shatter stereotypes and overcome their past.
Student Documentary Short Film | Run time: 13:32
Exemplary
(Dir. Grant Housley; Writer: Alaiya Kollie, Noel DiBrell, Aliah White, Landren Gipson, Asian Johnson; Producer: Kids In The Spotlight, Grant Housley, Michael Trainotti, Martin Russell Johnson, Jamal Speakes, Amber Harris, Tiffany Thompson)
Set in the Civil Rights Era, a group of young Black girls must band together in order to escape an evil villain trying to silence their movement.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 13:43
Parallel
(Dir. David Mahmoudieh; Writer: Ruth Arnold, Baiinga Bangura, Santiago Chavez, Diane Guzman, Nelcit Lopez; Producer: Kids In The Spotlight, Inc., David Mahmoudieh, Annalea Fiachi, George Lako)
Parallel explores the dichotomy between two students’ sexual assaults within the school system, and how their contrasting reactions to it affect not just themselves but the safety of those around them.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 14:33
Guns and Stuff
(Dir./Writer: Alexander McDaniel; Producer: Lindsay Hopper, Kelly Tighe)
Tangzi, an undercover Wakanda detective, is sent to retrieve stolen vibranium from a hardcore gang. As prepared as he was for his mission, he would’ve never guessed a foster teen would be interfering with his plans of success.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 10:37
GREATER HEIGHTS – (12:10 pm)
Stories that understand the idea of what it means to see your truth and take the next step to live in it.
I AM A MAN
(Dir. Michael A. Pinckney; Writer: Calvin J. Walker, Michael A. Pinckney; Producer: Michael A. Pinckney, Curshion Jones, Tobias Truvillian, Kenneth Gifford)
Four Black men from different worlds have a heartfelt conversation about manhood, creativity, sex and their place in the world. They discover the harsh reality that not much has changed but are nevertheless grateful for those that came before them.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 6:13
Hues and Hidden Kings
(Dir./Writer: Sydney Morgan Currie; Producer: Sydney Morgan Currie, Chandler Kravitz)
A poetic dialogue of racial and political injustice in America. The redefining declaration of inheritance made by African American artists.
Performance Piece | Run time: 6:45
The Return: Making Hues and Hidden Kings
(Dir./Writer/Producer: Sydney Morgan Currie)
The behind the scenes making of a short film made by young college students to reclaim their royal inheritance during the beginning of a divided racial and political era of American history. The film is a witness of students bonding together to create unity, creativity, and advocacy.
Documentary Short Film | Run time: 14:00
Nomadic
(Dir. Kyle Sykes; Writer: Fresh Linen; Producer: Christian Redd)
On a journey of self exploration to find himself in Los Angeles, a young man goes around visiting cornerstones of the black community: the barbershop, the farmers market, Leimert Park. Underneath we hear a poem about how this world has shaped his internal identity.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 6:30
Lift
(Dir. Abraham Amkpa; Writer: Abraham Amkpa; Producer: Abraham Amkpa, Patrick Taylor, J. Mallory McCree)
Two Nigerian weightlifters must compete against each other in order to gain US citizenship.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 13:43
Birdwatching
(Dir. Samantha Soule; Writer: Daniel Talbott; Producer: Lovell Holder, Samantha Soule, Addie Johnson Talbott, Daniel Talbott)
By a stream in the woods – a place between worlds – two women find each other ankle-deep in the water, letting go of what’s past and wondering what will come.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 12:02
Legacy
(Dir. Richmond Obeng; Writer: Jasmine D. Jackson; Producer: Christopher D. Moore, Geno Brooks, Myles Grier)
Legacy profiles gentrification, romance and inheritance as Jada Lane faces the complex decision to give up her New York City lifestyle or lose her father’s business and the continuation of his legacy in the community.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 19:50
BLACK AS U R – (1:40 pm)
Why do we as a people protest against racial injustice, but disregard the injustices experienced by black queer people? It’s time to raise the question.
BLACK AS U R
(Dir./Writer: Micheal Rice; Producer: Edward J Radford)
BLACK AS U R is the first step in confronting the African American community about queerphobia, via the seering stories of queer black people.
Documentary Feature Film | Run time: 1:15:00
THE STORY WITHIN – (3:35 pm)
Digging deep to find the true story of the matter.
Temple Beauty
(Dir./Writer: Tiffany Frances; Producer: Matthew Keene Smith)
The story of Amber Osbourne from Compton who used the money she won from Snoop Dogg on a game show to open a neighborhood beauty supply store right before quarantine.
Documentary Short Film | Run time: 9:32
Nkemefuna
(Dir./Writer: Kaelo Iyizoba; Producer: Ivan Rome)
Nkem and her brother struggle through the anniversary of their father’s death, when an encounter forces them to confront their identity in America.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 15:18
Under the Sun After the Wind
(Dir./Writer: Patrice D. Bowman; Producer: Craig T. Williams, Brenda Cooks)
An isolated Black woman struggles with the chaos she sees online. An adaptation of the Book of Ecclesiastes.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 5:00
Song of the Same Night
(Dir. Kary H Sarrey, Jason J Sarrey, Jay Rho, Ryan Foregger, Yong Duk Jhun, Lai Tsz Yeung Alson; Writer: Jason J Sarrey, Elle Sunyoung Lee)
How do five strangers scattered across the world find solace in each other during a global pandemic? A new social media platform and the international language of song.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 11:30
GBOY
(Dir./Writer/Producer: Geoff Browne)
A slice of life from the Niger Delta. When two teen activists are caught on the grounds of an oil refinery, a boisterous teen must convince a trigger-happy guard to set them free.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 5:10
Hallelujah
(Dir./Writer: Victor Gabriel; Producer: Duran Jones)
After being stuck with the guardianship of their annoying, bookworm nephew, two brothers in Compton CA have to decide if they are willing to take on the responsibility of being caretakers.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 13:56
Happy Hour Break
5:05 PM
Location: Legends Lounge
Regal Cinemas L.A. Live – Mezzanine Level
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER – (6:15 pm)
Stories that are bold, impactful, and strong in their voice and vision.
Jason Markk
(Dir./Writer/Producer: Jose A Renteria)
A commercial under a minute. Why Jason Markk is the best shoe cleaner.
Commercial Spot | Run time: 0:49
Airway
(Dir./Writer: Jessica Redish; Producer: Kira Leinonen, Jessica Redish)
A woman’s worst nightmare comes to life when the man next to her won’t turn his phone to Airplane mode.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 3:44
Fetish
(Dir. Rhian Williams; Writer: Jennifer Zhang; Producer: Jennifer Zhang, Jo Podmore)
An Asian American woman’s one night stand takes an unsexy turn when breakfast the morning after comes with a side of fetishism. Caught in a moment of truth, she’s forced to ponder her options for how to respond to casual racism.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 13:29
The Forgotten Place
(Dir. Oscar Rene Lozoya; Writer: Jeff Locker; Producer: Brian Flaccus, Alex Raines, Ben Dunn, Celia Cowles, Oscar Rene Lozoya)
All Eric ever wanted was a friend. He just never knew how to find one.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 11:38
Don’t Frighten the Horses
(Dir. Yannis Zafeiriou; Writer: Josh Allen Goldman; Producer: Josh Allen Goldman, Yannis Zafeiriou)
Jesse desperately wants to hold Derek’s hand, but he soon remembers that a bus stop is not a safe space for public displays of queer affection. A suggestive glance between them becomes more than they bargained for.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 8:00
Lesbian Miserables
(Dir. Tess Paras; Writer: Sibel Damar, Lauren Walker, Calvin Seabrooks; Producer: Eddie Mujica)
Across all of the United States, there are only 21 gay bars for the women, non-binary, and trans masc community… this is the story of Lesbian Miserables.
Music Video | Run time: 2:40
Caroline
(Dir./Writer: Juli Del Prete; Producer: Diana Pérez Riveros)
A young actress’s audition for a major movie takes an unexpected turn.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 10:10
Nialian (of Beings and Deceit)
(Dir. Juan Carlo Tarobal; Writer: Juan Carlo Tarobal, Mai Fanglayan; Producer: Juan Carlo Tarobal)
A young lady screams in silence as she seeks salvation from the evil that surrounds her.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 13:18
If These Locs Could Talk
(Dir. Jahbrielle Henning)
This film explores the importance and connections African Americans have with dreadlocks. Everyone has a story to tell but the commonality we have is the journey of learning more about ourselves through our hair.
Documentary Short Film | Run time: 8:19
Selahy (My Weapon)
(Dir./Writer: Alaa Zabara; Producer: Pierre Bagley)
A short narrative film that takes place in war-torn Yemen and follows a young deaf girl, Saleemah who has one major love in this world; her camera which her brother Aqeel introduced her to.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 14:00
CHILLS & THRILLS – 7:55 pm
Stories of creeps, contact and the uncontrollable.
CDPH Holiday Vaccine Awareness Stories
(Dir. Lalo Alcaraz; Writer: Ric Torres II, Lalo Alcaraz; Producer: Lalo Alcaraz, Ric Torres II, Mustafa Hasnain, Murtaza Hasnain, Yahya Ehsan, Dr. Gilbert Lopez, Denisse Veron, Maricela Rodriguez, Devon Keeler)
Collaborative animated stories by nationally syndicated cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz and the Office of Civic Engagement and Strategic Partnerships at the Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health to bring vaccine awareness to the Latino community during the holiday 2021 season.
Commercial Spot | Run time: 1:00
Algo en el Jardin (Something in the Garden)
(Dir./Writer: Marcos Sánchez)
It’s nighttime in the suburbs and the stillness is interrupted by a strange presence, a creeping being that lurks in the dark.
Animated Short Film | Run time: 6:00
Morse Code
(Dir. McKenzi Vanderberg; Writer: Maurizio Ledezma; Producer: Da Eun Kim, Elizabeth Lian)
After a loved one’s tragic death, Stefani uses Morse Code to speak with The Beyond. In her search for answers, she inadvertently discovers questions far more dangerous.
Student Short Film | Run time: 13:04
Alex, Stop
(Dir./Writer: Erin Ryan)
ALEX STOP is based on a true story about intimately mixed messages.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 6:56
Vlada Goes to London
(Dir./Writer/Producer: Arti Savchenko)
Vlada is a pizza delivery girl who lives in Haifa and dreams of becoming a famous DJ. Within a five-hour shift, we get a glimpse into her world full of pressure where she’s willing to do whatever it takes to find the money for a flight to perform at a festival in London.
Student Short Film | Run time: 21:54
American Hero
(Dir./Writer: Manny McCord; Producer: Matt Marshall, Freddy Giorlando, Pia Vicioso- Vila, Manny McCord)
American Hero is a film about a female veteran contending with PTSD, an emotional trauma we typically associate with warfare. But as our story unfolds, we learn her trauma stems from sexual assault by a superior officer.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 14:57
SOUND
(Dir./Writer: Tawan Bazemore; Producer: Crystal Porter Bazemore, Tawan Bazemore)
Photographer Isabelle Pisano becomes hearing-impaired after a violent car accident. As she struggles to cope in the muffled and scary new normal something beautifully-terrifying happens…
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 14:48
SONY Pictures Entertainment presents: Clips & Conversation – (8:00 pm)
Trailblazing filmmakers – Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) and Nicole Brown (President, TriStar Pictures) sit down for an intimate conversation around the highly anticipated Sony Pictures release, The Woman King starring Viola Davis. This conversation will dive into how this film went from script to screen, the importance and significance of this never been told story, power of inclusion in front and behind the camera while also providing a sneak peek of what audiences can expect in the upcoming release via exclusive content!
OVERCOMING – (10:05 pm)
Stories of overcoming tragedies, incapacities and a past that won’t let go.
Chevy: Be First
(Dir./Writer: Corry Wiens; Producer: Gavin Buckland)
A self-funded spec ad for Chevrolet highlighting the career of Bill Lester, the first black NASCAR driver to win any Grand Am division race.
Commercial Spot | Run time: 0:30
Dollar 2 The Rich
(Dir. Lewis T Powell; Producer: Xavier Thompson, Lewis T Powell, Julio Mata Jr.)
“DOLLAR 2 THE RICH” is an ode to mental health. The narrative music video is primarily a “one-take” music video that starts with a young LaRussell seeing his adult family and friends engaging in activities that plague our community.
Music Video | Run time: 3:21
Alalia
(Dir./Writer/Producer: Savannah Abrishamchian)
A woman grapples with her sudden inability to speak which is triggered when reflecting on the former glory and fading light of her relationship.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 5:48
An Island Drifts
(Dir./Writer: Vivian Ip; Producer: Jasmine Tay, Kim Mariel)
Set in Singapore, a young teacher presses for the truth from a maladjusted student, the act leads to devastating results and they suffer the ignominy of losing everything that matters to them.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 18:32
Slow Pulse
(Dir./Writer: Marshall Tyler; Producer: Moira Griffin, Efuru Flowers, Jeremy Hartman)
In this moving story of love and dedication, Bernard Brash heals and finds hope by learning how to dance.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 8:46
Keep/Delete
(Dir./Writer: Kryzz Gautier; Producer: Kryzz Gautier, Maya Butler, Corsica Wilson)
In a future world where memories are handled like computer files, two lovers decide to undergo a procedure and have their entire relationship wiped from their brains.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 19:00
Ghost Girl
(Dir. Paavo Hanninen; Writer: Paavo Hanninen, Lauren Cargo; Producer: Lauren Cargo, Betsy Holt)
On the night before she is set to leave New Orleans to audition for a high-budget television pilot in Los Angeles, Ashley must overcome her best friend and closest collaborator’s attempts to thwart her ambitions as this sudden opportunity reveals the long-festering differences between the two of them.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 12:00
Six Feet Apart
(Dir. Monty Cole; Writer: Isaac Gómez; Producer: Diana Perez Riveros, Josh Sobel, Juli Del Prete)
In El Paso, Son stands in the shower, his cinnamon skin glistening, as he prepares for his father’s funeral. Memories flood into his head of the contentious relationship between a gay Latinx man and his religious Dad, as he journeys to a funeral in the times of COVID.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 13:24
Thank You, Come Again
(Dir./Writer: Nirav Bhakta; Producer: Kelsey Fordham, Keertana Sastry, Alexcina Figueroa)
After the trigger of a hate crime, an undocumented Indian American convenience store clerk comes crashing into his subconscious as he grieves the passing of his father during an attempted border crossing.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 11:11
House of Legends Aud. #3
LOST & FOUND – (11 am)
Stories of loss, finding & seeking, and things found.
Last Patrol on Okinawa
(Dir. Nick Brokaw; Writer: Aurauz Azima; Producer: Nick Brokaw, Jerry Wolf)
Set on the fateful date; August 6th, 1945. Okinawa. Six weeks post-battle, a squad of U.S. Marines is assigned the unenviable and tedious job of clearing caves where fanatical Japanese soldiers hold out and forlorn Okinawan civilians seek refuge.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 30:00
Tundra
(Dir.José Luis Aparicio; Writer: Carlos Melián; Producer: Leila Montero, Daniela Muñoz, José Luis Aparicio, Gabriel Alemán)
Walfrido Larduet, a lonely electrical inspector, dreams of the Red Woman, whose image persists and becomes an obsession. Something tells him she is near.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 30:00
GUNS DON’T KILL PEOPLE, THEY MAKE IT EASIER – (12:15 pm)
Stories of gun violence and how it affects more than just the life that is lost.
Shreveport Son
(Dir./Writer/Producer: Mark D. Bonner)
A young man reunites with a childhood friend during the last 37 hours of his life.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 15:08
#BTSD
(Dir./Writer: Terry Gingles Jr.; Producer: Ozy Reigns, Julius Ritter, Omar Dorsey)
#BTSD (Black Traumatic Stress Disorder) examines the psychological effects that violent acts against Black Americans, as continuously displayed in the news media, have on the average person of color.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 10:20
Jalisa
(Dir./Writer: Benjamin Abiola; Producer: Bobby Coston, Matthew Sutton)
After the passing of their father, Jalisa moves to Texas to live with her older brother. Summer break has just begun and love is in the air, the honeymoon phase is soon cut short when an altercation between her brother and new man takes place.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 32:49
Home Soon
(Dir./Writer: Maisha Azadi; Producer: Raquel Scott, Darnell Rhea, April Barnes, Maisha Azadi)
Set at the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, a weary mother’s fears and desires for her mentally distressed son’s future hang in the balance while awaiting his arrival home.
Narrative Short Film | Run time: 19:42
A LIVING LEGEND SPOTLIGHT – (2:00 pm)
Double Play
(Dir. Ernest Dickerson; Writer: Evan Jones, Alaric Smeets; Producer: Lisa Cortes, Gregory Elias, Rose Geddes, Yaron Schwartzman)
Poverty and wealth are two sides of the same coin in a high stakes game of dominoes, where the players confront their lust, desperation, rage, and remorse with deadly consequences.
Feature Film | Run time: 2:17:00
CAREER SPOTLIGHT: ERNEST DICKERSON – (4:20 pm)
Happy Hour Break
5:05 PM
Location: Legends Lounge
Regal Cinemas L.A. Live – Mezzanine Level
RUN NIXON – 6:05pm
RUN NIXON
(Dir./Writer: Sky Directs; Producer: C. Love, Dreux Frederic, Steven Lu, Brian Cooper)
When 10 year old Nixon is diagnosed with the life-threatening medical condition chronic heart failure, two young parents Dre & Stacy must figure out how to cover costs and save his life. Limited with time, Stacy takes matters into her own hands and decides to rob a well known drug dealer. This puts Nixon in yet another dangerous situation and causes him to be kidnapped. Thrust back into his old ways, Dre must turn to the streets to save his son, before it’s too late.
Narrative Feature Film | Run time: 1:53:03
MOON GARDEN – 9:30 pm
MOON GARDEN
(Dir./Writer: Ryan Stevens Harris; Producer: John Michael Elfers)
Following a terrible family accident, a young girl slips into a coma, finding herself thrust into a dark and surreal industrial wonderland. Haunted by a chattering nightmare that feeds off her negative emotions, the little girl must follow her mother’s voice on a transistor radio to find her way back to consciousness.
Narrative Feature Film | Run time: 1:33:00