AWARD WINNERS

REFRACTIONS – A Mary Magdalene Story

Directed by Amaya Smith

Refractions tells the story of Talitha Jones, a young woman tormented by seven demons who possess her, twisting her…

Thank You For Your Time

Directed by Ricki "Ricasso" Nelson

In an unassuming HR office, April Moore sits down for her exit interview, determined to leave her job without rocking the boat. But when the interview veers into a surreal interrogation of her flaws, perceived and otherwise, the lines between reality and absurdity blur.

The Truck

Directed by Elizabeth Rao

A Chinese American teenager and her boyfriend try to buy the morning after pill in post-Roe America.

After What Happened at the Library

Directed by Kyle Casey Chu, Syra McCarthy

Inspired by my viral true story.

Akita the drag queen hasn’t left her apartment in days. Her inboxes overflow with messages of praise, concern, and… death threats?

She lets in a film crew and recounts to a reporter about how Nazis stormed her Drag Story Hour.

After the interview, Akita breaks down.

In one final flashback: After the Nazis leave, Akita returns to complete the Drag Story Hour reading for the children and families.

Ya Hanouni

Directed by Lyna Tadount, Sofian Chouaib

While the Mom and the Dad try to put their baby to sleep, a competition arises between them: who will manage to get the baby to say the first word?

The Little Ancestor

Directed by Alexa Tremblay-Francoeur

This ancestral house is where we take root.

The Cat Man Eshete

Directed by Laura Checkoway

The extraordinary story of Eshete, who escaped Ethiopia’s civil war on foot as a young man and is now a devoted caretaker of a feral cat colony in Brooklyn. Eshete has become the heart of a close-knit community, despite living on the fringes. This intimate document is equally a portrait of community care with a supporting cast of New Yorkers who help care for the cats—and for each other.