Love, Post-Lockdown

Ben Mourra, Lucas Boetsch

16 min | 2020 | UK | East Coast Premiere

Isolating alone, anxious James finds himself clinging on to his social distance rituals, even though restrictions have been lifted. But after locking eyes with the sparky Samira, James must decide whether to finally step outside of his bubble or remain within it forever.

Awards: BEST ROMANTIC SHORT ~ Independent Shorts Award

Official Selections: Rome Independent Prisma Awards, San Francisco Independent FF, Phoenix Short FF, KinoDUEL Int’l FF. 

The Robbery

Alfonso Díaz

10 min | 2017 | Spain | Boston Premiere

What’s going to happen when these tough times get worse and there are more robbers than bars?

Awards: Best Short Film – Short Film Contest Picarral (Spain), Shire FF (Australia), Festival Int’l Hacelo Corto (Spain), Alicante Int’l FF (Spain); Audience Choice Award – Shepparton FF (Australia), Schermi Irregolari (Italy), among numerous others.   

Official Selections: Chicago Latino FF (US), Monadnock Int’l FF (USA), Martha’s Vineyard Int’l FF (USA), Portobello FF (UK), Sevilla European FF (Spain), Huellas Festival (France), Festival de Cine de Comedia de Tarazona (Spain), European Cinema Festival (France), Athens Hispanophone FF (Greece), The, Unprecedented Cinema Int’l Short FF (Estonia), among numerous others.

The Kids

Amir Daryani

12 min | 2021 | Iran | US Premiere

What a devastating effect a separation/divorce can have on children. A brother and sister wander into a judge’s office in family court and ask to legally separate from each other. The judge is confronted with their questions that he realizes deserve serious consideration.

Award: BestFamily Values – Int’l Festival of Modern Art & Ethical, Spiritual Films (Armenia). 

Official Selections: San Francisco Iranian FF (USA).

Al-Sit

Suzannah Mirghani

20 min | 2021 | Sudan/Qatar | New England Premiere

In a cotton-farming village in Sudan, 15-year-old Nafisa has a crush on Babiker, but her parents have arranged her marriage to Nadir, a young Sudanese businessman living abroad. Nafisa’s grandmother Al-Sit, the powerful village matriarch, has her own plans for Nafisa's future. But can Nafisa choose for herself?

Awards: Excellence in Women's Filmmaking Award - European Independent FF (Paris France), Audience Choice Award - Toronto Arab FF (Canada) - Vigata FF (Sicily Italy), Best Script Award - Huesca Int’l FF (Spain), Best Short Film - Ismailia FF (Egypt) - Nuuk FF (Greenland, Best Cinematography - Linz Short FF (Austria), Best Int’l Film - DC Black FF (US).  

Official Selections: Clermont-Ferrand Int’l Short FF (France), Ajyal FF (Qatar), Tampere FF (Finland), Aspen Shortsfest (US), Malmo Arab FF (Sweden), Seattle Int’l FF (US), San Francisco Int’l FF (US), Busan Int’l Short FF (Korea), Short Shorts FF & Asia (Japan), Palm Springs Shortfest (US), Ischia FF (Italy), Guanajuato Int’l FF (Mexico), Quibdo Africa FF (Colombia), 

Toxic

Diego Fabian Archondo

18 min | 2019 | Mexico | East Coast Premiere

A couple in a marriage crisis will have to survive a terrible explosion that releases millions of toxic particles in the environment while being trapped in a vacation house in the middle of the Mexican desert.

Awards: Best Mexican Short Film – Festival Int’l de Cine de Merida y Yucatan (Mexico), Macabre Festival Int’l de Cine de Horror de la Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico). 

Official Selections: Festival Iberoamericano de Cortometrajes (Spain), Portobello FF (UK), Festival Int’l de Cine de Terror de Valdivia (Chile), Oklahoma Cine Latino FF (US), LA Indie FF (US), Shorts That Are Not Pants (Canada), Newport Beach FF (US), Long Story Shorts (Romania), Shorts Mexico Festival Int’l de Cortometrajes de Mexico (Mexico), Festival Int’l de Cine de Monterrey (Mexico), Festival Int’l de Cine en Guadalajara (Mexico).

Dusty Nation

Kang Le

7 min | 2020 | Taiwan | US Premiere

This film is an attempt to describe the characteristics of the Chinese community. - At the Construction of the Great Wall of China by Franz Kafka, he is quoted, "Human nature, which is fundamentally careless and by nature like the whirling dust, endures no restraint. If it restricts itself, it will soon begin to shake the restraints madly and tear up walls, chains, and even itself all over the place."

Official Selections: Guam USA Int’l FF, BUEIFF Channel, FMV Cine

The Last Jam Jar

BEST SHORT NARRATIVE

Watch in Shorts Program ONE

Arpan Bahl

13 min | 2021 | India | US Premiere

Inspired by a true story of eternal love, caught in a moment. On their special day, Govind spends it with Leela in a trance-like state. When the day ends and he returns home will the trance be broken?

Official Selection: West Europe FF (Brussels Belgium).