(Opening Night)

A series of revealing stories that examine human nature and shared connections. Selected monologue style episodes from the DIRECTV series created by NEIL LABUTE, starring JUDITH LIGHT (Ugly Betty, Who’s the Boss?), JENNA FISCHER (The Office), JASON PATRIC (The Lost Boys, Narc) and BILL PULLMAN (The Sinner, Independence Day). Followed by a conversation with filmmakers and cast.

WOMAN 40’s (S1 E2) USA, 11MIN

starring JENNA FISCHER

A woman in her 40s recounts her experience running away from her former life to start a new one and finding comfort in her former high school friend, Tess, in the process.

WOMAN 60’s (S1 E3) USA, 12MIN

starring JUDITH LIGHT

A woman in her 60s talks to the audience about a man she met in French class, leading her to reflect on her past romance and think twice about what could have been.

MAN 40’s (S1 E8) USA, 13MIN

starring JASON PATRIC

A man in his 40s talks about love for baseball, his coaching experience, and his divorce. After revisiting a fight he was in, he reflects on his life choices.

MAN 60’s (S1 E10) USA, 11MIN

starring BILL PULLMAN

A man in his 40s talks about recent changes within the ‘Archie’ comics. He also touches on how smartphones have gone too far, and his love for the United States.

*This screening will be followed by a live virtual Q&A discussion with JASON PATRIC, and NEIL LABUTE

There’s talent all around you. The Hudson Valley is rich with filmmakers and today we display some of the gems crafted by local talents.

DRACULA’S SUPER SCARY HALLOWEEN 

(Animation, Local) USA/Australia, 5:24 MIN

directed by KEVIN MAHER, JOE DATOR

cast KEVIN MAHER

A new Halloween special that's super scary! 

HONEST WORK (Drama, Local) USA, 19:33 MIN 

directed KERMIS BATISTA

cast DANIEL TAVERAS, JAKE BAKIRDAN

A chance encounter between a vulnerable hipster and a charismatic hustler goes awry when a vial of white powder gets involved. Set against the pulsating background of an underground music show, Honest Work I is a darkly comic look into pits of hedonistic pursuit.

ATTENTION

(Experimental) USA, 5:05 MIN

directed TONA WILSON

Words on grainy film stills appear, transform and dissolve, and are read aloud by fourteen different readers to make a rising and falling soundtrack. 

I’M GETTING TOO MUCH ATTENTION FROM THE OUTSIDE

(Experimental, Local) USA, 12:24 MIN

directed by MYLES FLUSSER

cast LAUREN THOMAS, SOPHIE CONSTABLE

Two personal life experiences motivated me to make this film. The first was the unexpected death of my brother. Unable to think straight, the sporadic, disjointed structure of the film became my language of grief. The second experience was my opportunity to meet a 102-year-old retired ballet dancer named John. This film was my attempt to place his stories into an imaginary landscape of fading memory.

A SEA CHANGE

(Animation, Experimental, Local) USA, 2:17 MIN 
directed by TONA WILSON

In this short film, which uses animation, old 8 mm film footage, and 1080 video shot on a smartphone, a painter converts ocean scenes from one format to another.

NOTES ON A PAGE

(Documentary, Animation, Local) USA,13:33 MIN

directed by JENNIFER A. UIHLEIN

cast JENNIFER SILECCHIA

A middle-aged mother navigates life’s challenges, coming to a powerful realization: the noise that told her she wasn't good enough was wrong, fueling her through an exercise in finding her voice - a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of self-belief.

+ENDING (Animation, Local) USA, 3:13 MIN 

directed by NATHANIEL WEBNER

A short animated journey, following a lone sojourner on a dead alien world.

Art imitates life. Life imitates art. It’s a creative ouroboros. Music and dance and comedy and photography helps us see the world more clearly and ourselves, more charitably.

THE STAGE (Documentary) USA, 17:35 MIN 

directed by RAY SMILING

featuring AMY DUKE, SHARI BROWN, ESHAMA JP, MS PRYCE, CASANOVA VALENTINE, GENG PTP, MOTHERWOUND

A documentary exploring performers in niche subcultures; from a female Muay Thai fighter, to a no ring death match wrestler, to vampire clown drag performers.

CURATING ANNE’S INSTAGRAM (Experimental, Documentary) USA, 1:28 MIN 

directed by AARON BOURGET

Social media becomes a virtual museum for an unauthorized exhibition of Anne May's photography.

PERSONAL MYTHOLOGIES (Documentary, Animation) USA, 3:48 MIN 

directed by SUSAN O’BRIEN 

cast DOMINIQUE CASTELANO

Painter, Dominique Castelano reflects on her trans identity through folklore from her native Philippines in this visually rich portrait.

FAVOR (Animation) USA, 0:15 MIN

directed by AARON BOURGET  

A mix of characters unite in a call for artists.

ANDRA (Documentary) Russia/USA, 9:40 MIN 

directed by ALEXEY KRUPNIK and KATYA GIMRO  

FRANCESCA (Narrative) USA, 6:26 MIN 

directed by CHESTER VINCENT TOYE

cast FRANCESCA D’UVA

Francesca practices a wedding speech.

THE DREAM MACHINE (Documentary) USA, 8:47 MIN

directed by ANDREW SEGRETI 

cast TIMOTHY CLEARY

In an effort to feed his artistic drive to mine the subconscious, Composer Timothy Cleary has ingeniously crafted a one-of-a-kind electronic musical device. It grants him the ability to instantly and intuitively shape the textural and atmospheric sounds for which he is known. He affectionately refers to this remarkable creation as "The Dream Machine."

VOICES 4:11 MIN 

directed by MAC PREMO

Longtime Cavafy admirer Laurie Anderson reads “Voices” (1904, after the original “Sweet Voices” in 1894), the haunting early work by CP Cavafy.)

AFICIONADO (Experimental, Narrative) USA, 0:24 MIN 

directed by AARON BOURGET 

A trip to the museum becomes a critical study in art appreciation.

SINCOPAT (Narrative) SPAIN, 13:34 MIN 

directed by POL DIGGLER

Ona, a creative executive of a large company, is about to launch the latest technological revolution into the market: a device that allows listening to music directly inside the brain.

OUT OF TUNE (Narrative) USA, 15:06 MIN

directed by PORTLYNN TAGAVI and ERIKA HAMILTON

Stigmatized since childhood by her love of the rock band Journey, Maya finds her voice in a world where she doesn't feel "Black enough".

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the theater…it is! This hour plus of shorts is dedicated to the little ones, with sweet stories, gorgeous animation, and a brain-tickling lesson or two.

THE QUEEN’S FLOWERS (Animation) 11:32 MIN

directed by CIARA LEINAALA LACY

A magical take on a true story, an animated short adventure for kids that follows Emma, a native Hawaiian girl in 1915 Honolulu, as she makes a special gift for the last monarch of Hawai`i, Queen Lili`uokalani.

METKIDS MICROSCOPE: ARE BOOKWORMS REAL? (Documentary) USA, 3:06 MIN

directed by LISA LABRACIO

Bugs belong in nature, but sometimes they find their way into The Met. And not just bugs… there are also other pests afoot!

COSMODOG (Animation) USA, 3:27 MIN

directed by Mary ELLEN BOZZUTI  

A space dog's last day on earth.

SHOWER SONG (Music Video) USA, 1:26 MIN

directed by ALEX DE CORTE 

DARWIN THE DREAMER (Animation) USA, 4:32 MIN

directed by DON DIXON

Darwin the Dreamer tells the tale of a blind child who uses his imagination to see.

WHEN WE SLEEP (Animation) USA, 3:00 MIN

directed by ALANNA JOHNSON

A star child named Tauri going through and experiencing the dreams of different people.

WHY THE “I”? (Animation) USA, 4:00 MIN

directed by ROBERT KRULWICH, NATE MILTON

HUNKY DORY (Animation, Music Video) USA, 6:00 MIN

directed by STEVEN VANDER MEER

When we are in harmony with the beauty of nature, and the moon is as round as a banjo, that’s when you know everything is hunky dory.

FLUTTER (Animation) USA, 5:46 MIN

directed by ADAM REED LEVY

Jerry, an awkwardly plump hummingbird, desperately tries to fit in with his siblings. But more often than not, he only weighs them down, literally.

HERO’S JOURNEY (Animation) USA, 8:36 MIN

directed by ASH SUH, WES SMITH

Hero’s Journey is a 2D and 3D animation by SVA MFACA students Wes Smith and Ash Suh about the main character of a video game who is unable to control his actions. Hero’s Journey reframes the common story structure of mythic adventures through the modern perspective of a role-playing video game. Featuring rising star Christopher Sean Cooper Jr. (Sweet Tooth) as the voice of the Gamer, and Wes Smith as the voice of the titular character, Hero’s Journey combines laughter and heartbreak into one action-packed adventure.

METKIDS CREATE: WHY DO PENNIES TURN GREEN? USA, (Documentary) 2:33 MIN

directed by LISA LABRACIO

Have you ever noticed that some old pennies look almost…green? In this experiment, use vinegar and salt to get to the bottom of how and why pennies turn green.

FORAGE (Animation) USA, 7:29 MIN

directed by CAROLYN GAIR

Zip, a character made from found objects, finds a "broken" flower and tries to fix it while his friends look on.

If you wish to tell a great story, you must first understand what it is or, more precisely, why it is. Storyfinding® is a unique process that enables you to tap into your greatest resource: you. Storyfinding harnesses your curiosity and compassion to create game-changing narratives that provoke, persuade and empower. Storyfinding® helps you craft character-based tales, for any endeavor, that are deeply personal and, almost magically, universal.

Over the course of two hours, Warren Etheredge will share the secrets of his Storyfinding® technique — a process he has honed over 25 years writing for television, theater and film and working with CEOs, CIOs, consultants, screenwriters, documentarians, combat vets, convicts and lawyers. You’ll learn how to develop a Nugget, Conflict and a seven-sentence fairy tale, all rooted in your emotional experience of the world, in order to win clients, win over colleagues, earn green-lights for projects and the respect of your peers. Most importantly, you’ll understand your story so well, that its power will be evident whether you share it as a novel, a screenplay, an elevator pitch, a press release or a full-fledged business plan.

A certain four-letter word can make for four-star cinema. In this package of shorts, we examine the world of sexuality that polite society rather not discuss, from kink to porn to addiction.

THIRSTYGIRL (Narrative) USA, 10:08 MIN

directed by ALEXANDRA QIN

cast SAMANTHA AHN, CLAIRE MAKENZIE, DAVID EVES

On a road trip with her younger sister, Charlie struggles to hide a secret addiction.  

& YET HERE WE ARE (Animation) USA, 4:25 MIN

directed by ANDY CLAY HUEY

A poetic stop motion film exploring the life of a couple as they age.  

THE RIVER THAT NEVER ENDS (Narrative) Philippines, 18:54 MIN

directed by JT TRINIDAD 

Along a river that undergoes a major change, Baby, a middle-aged trans woman, shuttles between her job as a companion-for-hire for strangers and her duty to her father.

I DON’T NEED TO KNOW (Narrative) USA, 4:00 MIN

directed by ERIN MURRAY

A woman pressures her boyfriend to speak openly about their sexual fantasies.

LAST BRUNCH, THE (Narrative) USA, 11:29 MIN

directed by JIM CUMMINGS

Sometimes you don’t realize how thirsty you are until it’s right in front of you. 

UR HEINOUS HABIT (Animation, Documentary) USA, 13:47 MIN

directed by EUGENE KOLB

A blackmail email prompts a filmmaker to explore the intersection of shame and masturbation.

MY BLONDE GF (Documentary) UK, 18:40 MIN

directed by ROSIE MORRIS

 Helen discovers that deepfake images of her in sexually explicit and violent scenarios have been uploaded onto a porn site and goes on a journey to understand what has happened to her.

GILIPOLLAS (Animation) Spain, 7:20 MIN 

directed by JOAN BENTALLÉ, POL DIGGLER

Lolo and Dick meet again after a long time in a friendly bar and they catch up. To the surprise of both, feelings that they thought were forgotten arise again.

ANYWAY U WANT IT (Music Video) USA, 3:43 MIN 

directed by ERIN MURRAY

A couple navigates the glitches and complications of virtual reality intimacy.

A spin on an old African proverb: if you want to make something fast, work alone; if you want to make something well, work as a team. Thanks to the French and Auteur Theory, too many romanticize moviemaking as a solo venture driven by a single vision. However, for anyone to truly succeed in film, it’s imperative to embrace its hyper-collaborative nature. Join Summer Shorts Lead Programmer WARREN ETHEREDGE in conversation with fellow film artists SYLVIA SICHEL (All of Them) and ABIGAIL ZEALEY BESS as they deconstruct old-school patriarchal approaches to creativity to propose healthier, heartier models for fruitful partnerships. You’ll learn how producers can best serve directors, how directors can best harness the wisdom of cast and crew and how all must unite in service of Story.

ABIGAIL ZEALEY BESS, is an award-winning filmmaker, theatre director and educator. She has been directing theatre and film for over 35 years, specializing in new work since she arrived on these shores from London and established her film company, Weird Sisters, which began as a theatrical entity over 25 years ago.

Film Credits include Play Ball! (Fanfare for A Common Man, Random Acts of Intimacy, Caught in Time), Mary and Louise, Icarus Stops For Breakfast @IcarusBreakfast which won over 35 Best Film Awards on the 2020/21 International film festival circuit.

Her most recent project currently in post is The Lion starring the mighty Judith Roberts who played Beautiful Girl across the Hall in Lynch’s Eraserhead.

SYLVIA SICHEL’S first screenwriting effort, the coming-of-age and coming-out drama All Over Me, directed by her sister, Alex Sichel, had its world premiere in dramatic competition at The Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the Teddy Bear Award at The Berlin International Film Festival for best feature film. Sylvia wrote the middle segment of the HBO original movie If These Walls Could Talk 2 – 1972. The HBO movie was nominated for four Emmy Awards and won a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding television movie. Sichel co-produced #HORROR released by IFC Midnight and has written commissioned scripts for a variety of directors, actors, and producers including Susan Sarandon, Chloe Sevigny, Michelle Williams, Elain Goldsmith Thomas, Natasha Lyonne, and Ellen DeGeneres. Currently, Sichel is co-creator and co-writer of an hour-long episodic series SWANS in development with Karyn Kusama, Phil Hay, and Matt Manfredi of Familystyle Films.

Blood may be thicker than water, but some of our kin may be thicker than mud. Love ‘em or not, the bond between parent and child is more than relative, it’s imperative. In this package of shorts we see how breeds and their brood cope with one another.

SUCKER (Narrative) USA, 18:27 MIN 

directed by DENI CHENG

The story of two Chinese-American brothers as they navigate through their day in their hometown of Flushing, Queens.

I WOULD’VE BEEN HAPPY (Animation) USA, 8:49 MIN

directed by JORDAN WONG

Attempts to map a fraught relationship through the use of intricately coded pictographs and schematic abstractions applied onto glazed ceramic tiles and quilted cyanotype fabric.

ALL OF THEM (Narrative) USA, 12:23 MIN 

directed SYLVIA SICHEL

cast Judith Roberts, TOBY POSNER

Cora rises above her frayed relationship with her mother when faced with a poignant final request.

DAUGHTERING (Narrative) USA, 9:22 MIN 

directed by KAT FOSTER

Determined to finally repair her strained relationship with her mother before becoming one herself, a pregnant daughter battles with her naysaying inner voices and a lifetime of anger, fear, and disappointment, ultimately stumbling into a moment of profound healing.

PER TE (Animation) UK/Italy, 3:33 MIN 

directed by LUCA PAULLI

For You is a love letter from a father to his 2-year-old son. A message of hope, for a better future to build together.

INCOMING CALL (Narrative) USA, 14:39 MIN

directed by LISA MOLINARO

How many people look like everything is fine but inside they’re so overwhelmed, they feel like they’re screaming? “Incoming Call” is a film about Ellie, a working family woman whose job has taken her on the road for too long.

FUOCHI (Narrative) Italy/France, 15:40 MIN 

directed by MIRKO GENDUSO

The burnt, endless wheat fields in the heart of Sicily. Ino is a farmer who lives in the shade of a giant wind turbine, facing the disease of his father, a man attached to a ventilator, whose last desire is to escape from stillness and see the snow for the first and last time.

(Closing Night)

What’s love got to do with it? Everything. In this package of shorts, we eavesdrop on private moments and learn the intimate secrets of those whose native tongue is Love.

JEAN FELL IN LOVE (Narrative) France, 20:09 MIN

directed by ROMAIN ROELLET

cast THOMAS DEFOUCH, AYMERIC FOUGERON

Jean, 18yo is the prodigy player of his rugby club. As he and his team defend their title, Jean falls deeply in love with Ayoub, a player from the opposing team.

METEOROID (Narrative) USA, 1:36 MIN

directed by MO LU

A passionate geologist Ernie helps you differentiate space debris.

AS YOU ARE (Narrative) USA, 14:52 MIN

directed by. DAISY FRIEDMAN

cast BRI SCALESSE, ESTEFANIA GIRALDO

When an interabled queer couple spends the night together for the first time, they must confront their complex relationships with desire, sexuality, bodily autonomy, and what it means truly to love another person.

CLOSE SPACES (Video Poem) USA, 3:35 MIN

directed by KAMARI BRIGHT

In lieu of a public health crisis that encouraged isolation and distance, "Close Spaces" utilizes African American vernacular English (AAVE) to highlight and exalt the intimate and confined spaces that drive the genuine, everyday connections that are necessary for humanity.

TRANSYLVANIE (Narrative) France, 15:24 MIN

directed by RODRIGUE HUART

cast KATELL VARVAT, LUCIEN LE HO, EMMA GAUTIER, MARYLOU SAMPEUR

Ewa is a 10-year-old girl living in a high building in a quiet town. She's an odd, lonely child and for good reason: she's convinced of being a vampire.

NOSTRIL (Annimation) USA, 4:30 MIN

directed by MICHAEL DONDERO and SHENGNAN DONG

Lala is a sleep-deprived woman kept awake by her husband’s obnoxious snoring.

THE HIGH LIFE (Narrative) Ghana, 8:30 MIN

directed by ANDY MADJITEY

cast EDEN OYEOKU

A young lady, Ari, finds out she was left a box of unlabeled records at her deceased stepfather’s will reading. She is not sure how to feel about it given their complicatied relationship prior to his (stepfather’s) passing but she is sent on a journey of discovery and music.

TACCHI (Narrative) Italy, 10:04MIN

directed by COURTENAY JOHNSON

cast ANDREA BOSCA, SILVIA MORIGI

Finding love in the Eternal City is tough, but for Clarissa it's deadly.

RIPE! (Narrative) Spain/USA,18:10 MIN

dir. TUSK

cast RAINA LANDOLFI, RITA ROCA

Nothing says "it's complicated" like breaking your crush's arm.

Congratulations to all of our Nominees and Winners! Awards provided courtesy of Cronin Gallery in Water Street Market:

BEST DIRECTOR

MIRKO GENDUSO - FUOCHI

RAY SMILING - THE STAGE

COURTENAY JOHNSON - TACCHI

*ALEXANDRA QIN - THIRSTYGIRL - WINNER

RODRIGUE HUARTE - TRANSYLVANIE

(Jurors: ALEX ROLLINS BERG, BIANCA POLETTI, ROGIER STOFFERS)

BEST PERFORMANCE

TOBY POSER as “Cora” in ALL OF THEM

DUSTIN HAHN as “Jameson” in LAST BRUNCH, THE

ERIKA HAMILTON as “Maya” in OUT OF TUNE

EMERALD ROMERO as “Baby” in THE RIVER THAT NEVER ENDS

*NATALIE GOLD as “Ellie” in INCOMING CALL - WINNER

(Jurors: OLIVIA HALLER, J.J. KANDEL, MARIANNE MURRAY)

BEST SCREENPLAY

KAT FOSTER - DAUGHTERING

*CHESTER VINCENT TOYE - FRANCESCA - WINNER

ERIKA HAMILTON - OUT OF TUNE

TUSK - RIPE!

RODRIQUE HUART, DAVID A. CASSAN & AXEL WURSTEN - TRANSYLVANIE

(Jurors: SCOUT DURWOOD, WARREN ETHEREDGE, TIM HARMS)

BEST NARRATIVE

*RIPE! dir. TUSK - WINNER

SINCOPAT dir. POL DIGGLER

SUCKER dir DENI CHENG

THIRSTYGIRL dir. ALEXANDRA QIN

TRANSYLVANIE dir. RODRIGUE HUART

(Jurors: SEAN WAINSTEIM, MAX COHN, NANCY DRAGUN)

BEST DOCUMENTARY

THE DREAM MACHINE dir. ANDREW SEGRETI

*MY BLONDE GF dir. ROSIE MORRIS - WINNER

PERSONAL MYTHOLOGIES dir. SUSAN O’BRIEN

THE STAGE dir. RAY SMILING

UR HEINOUS HABIT dir. EUGENE KLOB

(Jurors: MATT KLUG, JO ARDINGER, JOANNE FEINBERG)

BEST ANIMATION

*& YET HERE WE ARE dir. ANDY CLAY HUEY - WINNER

GILIPOLLAS dir. JOAN BENTALLÉ, POL DIGGLER

I WOULD’VE BEEN HAPPY dir. JORDAN WONG

NOSTRIL dir. MICHAEL DONDERO & SHENGNAN DONG

THE QUEEN’S FLOWERS dir. CIARA LEINAALA LACY

(Jurors: LYDIA RICCI, LIAM LOPINTO, NEELY GONIODSKY)

BEST LOCAL SHORT

*DRACULA’S SUPER SCARY HALLOWEEN dir. KEVIN MAHER, JOE DATOR - WINNER

HONEST WORK dir. KERMIS BATISTA

ATTENTION dir. TONA WILSON

I’M GETTING TOO MUCH ATTENTION FROM THE OUTSIDE dir. MYLES FLUSSER

A SEA CHANGE dir. TONA WILSON

NOTES ON A PAGE dir. JENNIFER A UIHLEIN

+ENDING dir. NATHANIEL WEBNER

(Jurors: DOMINICK CIARDIELLO, MELANIE CRONIN, WENDY LIPSTEIN)