The Cracks(2021)

The Open Countryside of a Lonely Man(cs)

A chance encounter between a young student looking for a summer job and a slightly desolate man, a generation older, unable to overcome his chronic, dirt-ridden loneliness.

Boys and Girls(en)

Ryan and Jennifer are opposites who definitely do not attract. At least that's what they always believed. When they met as twelve-year-olds, they disliked one another. When they met again as teenagers, they loathed each other. But when they meet in college, the uptight Ryan and the free-spirited Jennifer find that their differences bind them together and a rare friendship develops.

Daydream Therapy(en)

Daydream Therapy is set to Nina Simone’s haunting rendition of “Pirate Jenny” and concludes with Archie Shepp’s “Things Have Got to Change.” Filmed in Burton Chace Park in Marina del Rey by activist-turned-filmmaker Bernard Nicolas as his first project at UCLA, this short film poetically envisions the fantasy life of a hotel worker whose daydreams provide an escape from workplace indignities. —Allyson Nadia Field

Supermarket Sweep(en)

Protozoa(en)

Darren Aronofsky’s AFI short opens with angry slacker Dave sitting in a dreary, empty junkyard. Dave stares into space, sips beer, and beats the hell out of a cracked guitar. We quickly realize the emptiness of the dump parallels the emptiness of Dave’s life which consists of smoking weed, staring at television screens and watching school children. Dave’s friend Pete is shortly introduced, along with their friend, Ari, who despite calling her pals losers, doesn’t seem to accomplishing much herself. These three are going nowhere fast. They’re the amoebas of life… protozoa….

Rheum(cs)

Libuše and her husband Jaromír have been together for a long time, perhaps too long. It seems their lives have become mired in a vicious circle of enervation, which neither of them wants to admit. The couple might have spent the rest of their days like this were it not for the arrival of a motivational package from an agency called The Sun…

Home Is Where the Scars Are From(de)

Andi shares a deserted building with a group of fellow-squatters he considers his family. One day his sister turns up unexpectedly with her small son Levi, seeking refuge from her abusive boyfriend; she has nowhere else to turn. So Andi suddenly finds himself in the role of uncle, the squat is transformed into an alternative kindergarten, and the estranged pair become the siblings they once were.

Club Silencio(es)

The mother of ten-year-old Martina turns up late, just when the little girl is about to give up hope they might spend the afternoon together. As they have an amazing chemistry, she really wants to have her mum to herself, but all too soon she realises that her mother has not beaten her drug addiction and Martina finds herself in a hard situation yet again...

A Cold Wind To... Blow The House Down(en)

With their relationship on the rocks, David and Emily move to Halifax to catch a break from the pandemic and their monotonous routine. Upon meeting Emily's best friend Delilah and her local friend Meg, the already shaky groundwork of their relationship starts to fracture.

Drifters(cs)

Trapped in a nomadic world that makes less and less sense, Eliška yearns for a safer and more stable life for herself and her little brother Aleš. As illegitimate repo men begin frequenting their home, Eliška’s uncertainty about her and her brother’s future reaches a crescendo and she is forced to take action to protect Aleš from this shady and dangerous life.

Dying Woods(sh)

While his marriage is falling apart, a cocky journalist is worried about environmental pollution.

Blue Cow(en)

When his business partner retires, an overly-attentive cafe owner, embraces the challenge of working solo.

Inversion(cs)

A film about the complicated friendship of three adolescent girls, two swimming pools, and one malicious act of revenge.

Sing for Us(cs)

When Eva (14) goes to the lake with her older brother and his friends, she finds herself under her body’s control, of which she is still ashamed at her age.

Tarde de domingo(es)

The boredom of a young middle-class woman at home a Sunday afternoon. Not to be confused with Carlos Saura's short of the same name produced in 1957.

Mt. Molehill(en)

In the late 1800s, a young girl traverses the rocky mountain wilderness to enact revenge upon the grizzly bear responsible for her father's death.

Death of an Agent(en)

Mickey Skinner is a truly talented actor. But he lacks that essential part of the 'what-you-know' versus 'who-you-know' equation. He's hard working and survives with no chip on his shoulder, right up until the final moment of the worst day of the rest of his life.

Ultraviolet(en)

In Vancouver, British Columbia, two teenagers attempt to create a feature length documentary about their lives. The main character James (played by himself) becomes obsessed with the project and is pushed into a more introverted, lonely existence. His best friend Quinn (played by himself) sets out to help him, but is met with the real answer as to why James is keeping himself inside: the rejection of what he thinks is the love of his life. The two of them go their separate ways, with James going deeper into a depression he’s not sure he can escape from.

Shergar(en)

A boy lives a fast-paced, free-roaming life with his friends on the streets of Dublin, which doesn’t always lead to good choices.

Sleep Is for Sissies(en)

A broke Brit tries to pick-up girls, earn some money and navigate Los Angeles.