Eraserheads: Combo On The Run (Germany) by Maria Diane Ventura

In a time of uncertainty and political upheaval, an unlikely group of disbanded punks provide solace to a country, unknowingly needing healing themselves.

Running time: 01:39:05

Ottilie Moore –  Heiress in the Resistance (United States) by Dana Plays

Tells the story of Ottilie Moore an Ameircan heiress, of German and Austrian descent, and philanthropist, who sheltered WWII refugees under Vichy occupation during WWII. A first generation American of German and Austrian decent, was the daughter of Adolf Gobel, "The Sausage King," a German immigrant who went from penniless to millionaire when he built up his sausage manufacturing business in Brooklyn NY at the turn of the 20th century at L'Hermitage during WWII (working title): Told in poetic style, this documentary feature film presents interviews with Ottilie Moore’s biological daughter Didi, and those whom she sheltered at her property at L’Hermitage, interviews with adults and children who were sheltered on her property displaced by the war or seeking refuge, including anti-Nazi resistance journalists, film producers, artists and composers for whom she sheltered, provided safe haven for giving birth during the time of  WWII with the atrocities of Hitler’s attempt at full genocide of Jewish persons. 

Running time: 01:35:12

Seconds Away (United States) by Benjamin Kegan

A runner chasing Olympic dreams. A coach facing cancer. A story about mentorship, resilience, and showing up for each other.

SECONDS AWAY follows Belgian-American runner Peter Callahan and his longtime coach, Patrick McHugh, as they chase a qualifying time fast enough to make the Olympic Games—a dream made more urgent by the coach’s recent cancer diagnosis. Moving seamlessly between breathtaking race footage and intimate verité cinematography, director Benjamin Kegan penetrates the more frightening existential questions lurking beneath a quest for Olympic glory and what it means to devote one’s life to a dream. A profound and moving portrait of the vulnerable relationship between a star athlete and his coach, the film deftly observes how these two men rely on each other to persevere in the face of uncertainty, build a friendship that transcends sport, and form a lifeline for one another on and off the track.

Running time: 01:24:00

From Earth to Earth: The Lost Art of Dying in America (United States) by Maxwell Schweik, Alyssa Beebe, Chess Cabrera, Reed Freedman, Mikayla Hall

“From Earth to Earth” takes a critical look at the rituals dictated by America’s death-denying culture and asks, “how can people trying to cope with the death of a loved one be better served?” Our documentary takes the viewer deep into the woods of Vermont and the meadows of central New York where deathwork pioneers are inspiring a new way of thinking about life, death, and our enduring connection to nature. Along the way, we explore the systematic problems of the death industry and provide insight into alternative paths for returning our bodies to the embrace of the Earth. You will meet traditional morticians, advocates of natural burial, people dealing with the death of loved ones,  and Vermont's very own “tiny death witch.” Along the way, you will discover a whole new approach to burial, funerals, and life itself.

Running time: 00:18:45

Portraits In Drag – The Faces of Pinay Colada (Germany) by Stephan Schaar

A compelling and intimate documentary exploring the life and art of Jay, a drag performer and activist living in Munich, Germany. Known on stage as Pinay Colada, Jay uses drag as a medium of self-expression, empowerment, and activism, breaking societal norms while embracing identity and self-love.

Running time: 00:11:22

No Matter What  (United States) by Carolyn Lambert

This essay film weaves together memories of hawk babies outside my window, my shortcomings as an wildlife observer, and Hollywood's use of the red-tailed hawk cry to signal danger and threat. No Matter What draws parallels between this slippage in auditory representation and the ongoing mass extinction event.

Running time: 00:10:30

Harder! Faster! Louder! – Crows! Fireworks! Berlin! (Germany) by Westley Hennigh-Palermo

New Years Eve, here in Berlin, is an intense night for the crows and other animals of the city. In this short documentary we see chaos at the winter roost, and in the skies all across the city, as fireworks explode everywhere all around.

Running time: 00:10:00

Hidden Driveways (Canada) by Quinn Masselink

Where does my point of view come from?

Running time: 00:06:38

Sanctity (Germany) by Frances Rebollido

Sanctity is a sentimental and philosophical exploration of what exists in between. Inspection of the in-between of space itself invited a thought-stream and consequently uncovered the in-betweens of time, identity and presence. The piece is a reflection, a discovery, a confession. The poetic prose is set to the backdrop of film vignettes that appear as dream sequences, the footage of which were captured in various locations in Düsseldorf, Paris, and a crater in Iceland, with equally crude equipment and skill.

Running time: 00:06:19

Aka 赤 (Mexico) by Abinadi Meza

In Aka 赤 ("red" in Japanese), processed bullet train recordings create an ethereal soundscape as crimson textures and forms transport viewers through layers of memory or consciousness. Sound and saturated color merge to explore a space between seeing and dreaming.

Running time: 00:06:00