The DTLA Film Festival revealed the short form content programming at the upcoming 10th edition of the festival, consisting of 77 short films, TV pilots and web series episodes.
Anchoring the festival’s short film content programming are the short films series, curated by Robert Torres ”Emerging Artists,” “Queer Expressions,” “Our Modern World,” “Strange Encounters,” “Spotlight on Latin Shorts” and “DTLA Shorts.” Sosa curated three other series of shorts program under the banner of “L.A. Artists,” which showcases local LA talent.
Rounding out the short-form content are programs devoted to new and established web series and to TV pilots, both with a focus on women and people of color. Monica Jones curated the TV web series; Jade Jenise Dixon and Suki Ramirez curated the TV pilots series.
The 10th annual DTLA Film Festival takes place October 17 to 21 at Regal L.A. LIVE and venues throughout downtown Los Angeles.
A complete list of short-form content screening at the festival follows:
EMERGING ARTISTS
THE SUMMER OF THE ELECTRIC LION
Chile| Narrative | 2018 |22 mins.
Director: Diego Céspedes
Hidden in a house far from the city, Alonso accompanies his sister, Daniela. She waits to become the seventh wife of El León (The Lion), a prophet who, rumors says, electrocutes you when you touch him.
KILN
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 5 mins.
Director: Salamo Manetti-Lax
A short culled from footage the director shot in high school 10 years ago in upstate New York. A remembrance, a haunted collective portrait, and a critique.
AKEDA (THE BINDING)
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 18 mins.
Director: Dan Bronfeld
An orphan boy has his humanity tested when a film director encourages him to give a violent performance that will blend fiction with reality.
I CAN ONLY TALK TO YOU WHEN I STAND IN SHADOWS
USA, China| Narrative | 2018 | 5 mins.
Director: Yuchi Ma
A girl in her late teens contemplates the conflict between family identity and self, in face of the cruelty of times. This is a brief moment of the director’s coming of age.
INSOMNIA
France| Narrative | 2017 | 2 mins.
Director: Islena Niera Lacosta
It’s night and a boy can’t fall asleep.
SOÑADORA
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 10 mins.
Director: Maria Altamirano
A hardworking high school senior faces circumstances beyond her control that may hinder her path to college.
HEY, BOY!
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 20 mins.
Director: Nathan Mulroy
St. Valentine strikes an unsuspecting teenage lover
QUEER EXPRESSIONS
MOLT
France, Sweden| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins.
Director: Nathalie Alvarez Mesen
The summer sun sets in rural Appalachia as 12-year-old Cadie and her neighbor, Sarah, redefine their friendship on the eve of burgeoning sexuality.
JIM
USA |Animation | 2017 | 9 mins.
Director: Sam Gurry
Jim assembled these floppy disks in the late 1990s with images and samples sourced from online chat rooms. How do you connect with someone you can’t see? That you don’t know? One short email conversation provides his name.
ASIAN GIRLS
Australia| Narrative | 2017 | 6 mins.
Director: Hyun Lee
Chan is a Chinese factory worker who lives alone. Every night, she suffers from horrific nightmares involving the woman in the apartment next door, a Japanese office lady.
MONOGAMISHUSA| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins.
Director: Nardeep Khurmi
Sagar and Nishi and explore the dynamics and strength of two non-traditional couples, in which agreements are made and boundaries are challenged.
FOR NONNA ANNA
Canada| Narrative | 2017 | 14 mins.
Director: Luis De Filippis
A trans girl has to care for her Italian grandmother. She assumes that her Nonna disapproves of her – but instead discovers a tender bond in their shared vulnerability.
WAFFLES
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 4 mins.
Director: Foster Wilson
The morning after a casual one-nighter with an older woman, Gina scrolls through her Facebook feed, only to discover that the person in bed beside her is the epitome of everything she loathes in this world.
A DOLL’S HUG
Taiwan| Narrative | 2017 | 20 mins.
Director: Rob Lo
Domestic, school violence and societal violence continually challenge and threaten the Taiwanese teenage boy, XiangYu. He seeks to escape from the undesirable reality to take shelter in his imaginary Barbie doll world.
OUR MODERN WORLD
RAPAZ
Chile| Narrative | 2018 | 13 mins.
Director: Felipe Gálvez
Ariel gets involved in a teenager’s civil arrest, who is accused of stealing a phone. A mob surrounds the young man and some curse and beat him, some defend him. The police aren’t showing up, so Ariel must decide what side he is on.
PERFECT MAN
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 9 mins.
Director: Nic Collins and Jake Andrews
Set in the very near future, a virtual reality -addicted girl must follow a government mandate to remove her VR headset for 3 hours. When her dismal reality sets in, she goes online and orders Perfect Man: a robotic humanoid love companion.
VERMINE
Denmark| Animation | 2018 | 6 mins.
Director: Jeremie Becquer
A Rat poet, whose hopeful poetry contrasts the world in which he lives in, gets confronted with the harshness of a society biased toward Mice.
CAROLINE
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 10 mins.
Director: Logan George and Celine Held
When plans fall through, a 6-year-old is faced with a big responsibility on a hot Texas day.
THE BRINK
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 7 mins.
Director: Ricky Rhodes and Arnold Aldridge
Pushed to the edge by abusive co-workers, an odd IT guy takes unthinkable steps to handle his grim reality.
NADIA’S VISA
USA, Jordan| Narrative | 2018 | 18 mins.
Director: Hanadi Elyan
After failing to obtain a travel visa to meet with her family, Nadia finds herself stuck in a moral dilemma.
JUDGEMENT
Philippines| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins.
Director: Raymund Ribay Gutierrez
Joy, a mother of a 4-year-old girl, finally decides to file a case under domestic violence against her abusive husband, Dante.
THE RIGHT CHOICE
UK| Narrative | 2018 | 10 mins.
Director:Tomisin Adepeju
With the help of The Adviser, a husband and wife must answer three seemingly harmless questions to create their perfect designer baby.
STRANGE ENCOUNTERS
BOTANICA
Netherlands| Narrative | 2017 | 13 mins.
Director: Noël Loozen
A garden-center employee fears his possible infertility. While the pregnancy wish of the love of his life is growing, shame starts to take a hold on him.
INTIMITY
Netherlands| Documentary | 2017 | 5 mins.
Director: Elodie Dermange
As she is showering, dressing and putting on her make-up, a woman bares her soul.
THE CHIRPING
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 10 mins.
Director: Matt McKinney
A mother and her adult son work some things out while trying to rid their home of a pesky cricket.
LIRA’S FOREST
Canada| Narrative | 2017 | 8 mins.
Director: Connor Jessup
As the end of her life approaches, an old woman encounters a strange spirit from a nearby forest.
TRESPASS
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 6 mins.
Director: Erik LeDrew
The actions of a trigger-happy cop come back to bite him in the ass. A P.O.V. fright flick.
PRIVATE JOY
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 9 mins.
Director: Owen Kaye
In the final days of their relationship, a fading actress and her younger, animal lover are torn apart by lust, jealousy, anger and magic.
HEART CHAKRA
USA| Animation | 2017 | 7 mins.
Director: Angela Stempel
Mae’s life is routinely disrupted by the advice from her online crystal healer and her devotion to horoscopes. Armed with healing crystals and numerology, Mae is ready to follow the predictions on an unexpected path to find her soulmate.
KIMCHI
USA, South Korea| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins.
Director: Jason Segars
As his family argues about his end-of-life care, an elderly Korean man reflects on his life with a stranger.
SOLAR WALK
Denmark| Narrative | 2018 | 20 mins.
Director: Réka Bucsi
The unreal journey of individuals and their creations through time and space.
SPOTLIGHT ON LATIN STORIES
ONE OF THESE DAYS
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 20 mins.
Director: Rudy Lopez
After unfortunate circumstances, Manny, an aspiring musician, must decide between becoming the sole guardian of his uncle’s daughter, Marisol, and pursuing his band’s tour of the U.S.
CHIADO
Brazil| Narrative | 2018 | 15 mins.
Director: Fenando Belo
A woman and her boyfriend go on a last road trip when she decides to end her own life.
KEEP EM’ WHITE
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins.
Director: Sandra Lindqvist
Two Hispanic teenage boys from South Central LA take a bus ride to the other side of town in search of a famed basketball player.
EL GALLO
USA, Mexico| Documentary | 2018 | 14 mins.
Director: Michael Medoway
Gallo takes us on a visceral journey through the life of Juan ‘El Gallo’ Estrada, the former Flyweight champion of the world and one of Mexico’s most famous boxers.
¿FAMILIA?
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins.
Director: Kase Pena and Marlene Forte
A transgender woman navigates life while dealing with a pesky teenage neighborhood boy who’s in love with her, a married lover with empty promises, and a family back home who demands her financial support at any cost, even her personal safety.
CARRO
USA, Brazil| Narrative | 2018 | 12 mins.
Director: Gustavo Rosa
An undocumented Brazilian immigrant living in the Boston area decides to buy a car in an effort to better his life before returning home.
DTLA SHORTS
REDEMPTION SQUARE
USA| Documentary | 2018 | 20 mins.
Director:John Moody
In the footsteps of many unique Angelenos, a down-on-her-luck woman finds a new identity in Pershing Square, a notoriously unloved space in downtown Los Angeles.
TOKEN
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 25 mins.
Director: Joy Shi
Two artists in different stages of life and success deal with the effects of love, ego and loss in modern-day LA.
BROCCOLI
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 7 mins.
Director: Phil Rosanova and Will Reiland
After a scare at the office, a man must decide between his compulsive diet of only broccoli and his own mortality.
DECEMBER
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 7 mins.
Director: Luciana Faulhaber
At year’s end a woman tries to move on as her past comes rushing back. In matters of the heart do we take a risk before it’s too late or hope for a second chance? This movie is about the messes we make.
THE HOAXING
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 25 mins.
Director: Bevin McNamara
A young artist couple moves into a painter’s studio where the previous tenant hacked two people to death. The couple quickly discovers the studio harbors dark secrets.
THE LION AND HIS WALL
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 17 mins.
Director: Raphael Krigel and Austin Dalgleish
The film follows one of LA’s most prolific artists as he attempts to paint the largest mural in the world by a single individual. But this artist’s aspirations extend far beyond this one wall, and he’s not afraid to prove it.
LA ARTISTS SHORTS
SOMEDAY
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 16 mins.
Director: J.S. Mayank
Two strangers meet on a 14-hour non-stop flight from Sydney to Los Angeles. Adam is a world-famous composer, but Melody doesn’t recognize her flight companion. Along the way, they laugh, flirt and pour their hearts out… a connection made more beautiful precisely because of its fleeting nature.
CREATE
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 3 mins.
Director: Mikkel Aranas
An artist finds himself in the middle of the wilderness wanting to create. After seeking guidance from the ultimate creator, he’s inspired by the elements around him and begins to create using what’s in front of him. A beautiful dance ensues between art and artist.
ABUELA’S LUCK
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 9 mins.
Director: Ricky Rosario
A young man’s relationship with his grandmother is altered forever after a chance visit to his neighborhood Dominican bodega.
THE ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT
USA| Documentary | 2018 | 17 mins.
Director: D’Angelo McCornell and Martel McCornell
A grieving mother Yvonne Pointer from Cleveland, OH and an impoverished boy from Ghana, Africa turn their pain into purpose, and their purpose into action by educating the youth and strengthening communities together.
AVOWED
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 13mins.
Director: Summera Howell
A young nun-to-be struggles to find God inside Robin, a non-responsive adult whose brain stopped developing before he was born.
GRIT
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 11 mins.
Director: Charles Lee Wilson
After a long day’s work, a young teacher returns to find his home has been burglarized. When he discovers his relation to the culprit and their motive, he resorts to rogue tactics in order to save a loved one spiraling down a deadly path.
#WHERE IS BEAUTY
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 11 mins.
Director: Angela McCrae
An introspective visual artist dealing with the pressures of social media embarks on a journey of self-discovery capturing everyday life through SnapChat, which unexpectedly transforms her perspective of beauty.
PARALLAX
USA | Narrative | 2018 | 4 mins.
Director: Ajiri Akpolo
Two lovers try and find the right words to say to each other.
BLACK CHICKS
USA, Canada | Narrative | 2017 | 12 mins.
Director: Neil LaBute
A man and a woman, one white, one black — what could possibly go wrong?
LET MY PEOPLE VOTE
USA| Documentary | 2018 | 18 mins.
Director: Gilda Ann Brasch
Filmed during the 2016 presidential election, this verité short covers a day-in-the-life of civil rights activist and former felon Desmond Meade. What begins as an upbeat day of faith in our democratic process, ends with a heartbreaking realization and a call-to-action.
GLORIA’S CALL
USA| Documentary | 2018 | 16 mins.
Director: Cheri Gaulke
From the cafes of Paris to the mountaintops of Samiland, a scholar’s life is forever changed through her friendships with the women artists of Surrealism.
FOXES
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 14 mins.
Director: Tristan Taylor
An African-American man struggles to unmask his depression, while admitting he’s never been his younger brothers’ hero.
THE PRICE WE PAY
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 8 mins.
Director: Jesse Garcia
A scarred soldier, suffering from PTSD, who comes home from war to find his relationship with his neighborhood, best friend and wife, not how he left it. But is what he’s seeing, real?
AMERICAN NIGHTMARE
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 7 mins.
Director: Jesus Nebot
A traffic stop due to speeding takes a turn for the worse, landing a mother and her 5-year-old daughter in jail.
TV PILOT SERIES | THRILLER-CRIME
THE ONLY FLIGHT
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 13 mins.
Director: Royston Innes
When a group of unwitting strangers wake up on an airplane in midair they must learn the true nature of why they were deemed enemies of the state.
PAWG – DAY 12 “PRETTY ASS WHITE GIRL”
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 20 mins.
Director: John Eddins
The uniqueness at the very end of this tale gives birth to a strange beginning as lovers reunite 12 days after one of them gets a whole new lease on love.
THE PLURAL OF BLOOD
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 20 mins.
Director: Mary-Lyn Chambers
Diana Santiago is an African American police wife, joyfully on the verge of adopting a black baby boy. Her world unravels when her husband, LAPD officer Alejandro Santiago, finds himself amid the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black teenager.
TV PILOT SERIES 2 | COMEDY
GREENPORT
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 27 mins.
Director: Shannon Goldman
This is a story about a struggling Hollywood filmmaker, who is determined to show the world that an autistic kid can do anything.
WED-LOCKED
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 23 mins.
Director: Malcom Barrett and Tina Huang
Recently married, Denise & Robert deal with the ups & downs of marriage in this true-to-life comedy. Laugh and cry alongside our fledgling couple as they navigate everything from sex shop shyness and pubic hair politics, to having to tell their spouse they can’t cook.
WEB SERIES | DRAMA-SUSPENSE
MAKEUP AND BREAKUP SERIES – EPISODE 7 “WHEN THINGS FALL APART” OF SEASON 2
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 23 mins.
Director: Eric J. Dickens
When Brooke blindsides Blake and ends their two-year relationship, Blake doesn’t hesitate before jumping back into the New York dating scene. Instantly he finds a new love interest and regains his confidence. Once things begin to get serious, Brooke resurfaces and wants to claim what was once hers. Confused, Blake finds himself caught in the middle. When the dust settles, who will win him over in the end?
STAGED – EPISODE “EVERYONE ISN’T WHO THEY POST TO BE”
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 10 mins.
Director: Abai Dunbar
Staged explores the struggle to self-discovery for four social media influencers, in a world where nothing is what it seems and no one is who they claim.
WHO KILLED MADAM SILVA – EPISODE 1
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 5 mins.
Director: Anne Reis
A maid and a driver come across the corpse of their mistress stretched out on the floor of the main living room. Both had reasons to commit the crime and both suspect one another.
CHRONICLES OF JESSICA WU- EPISODE 1 – “MEET JESSICA”
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 6 mins.
Director: Zane Hubbard
This is the story of Jessica Wu and her living with autism.
WEB SERIES 2 | COMEDY
AVANT GUARDIANS THE SERIES – EPISODE 1 “THERAPY SESSION 1” & EPISODE 2 “THERAPY SESSION 2”
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 6 mins.
Director: Clarence Williams, IV
Episode 1 – Razz tells her therapist why she has nicknamed her beloved human Creepy Charlie, exploring re-appropriating negative labels.
Episode 2 – Razz dives into her past life and the open wounds of feeling the need to justify her lifestyle-a style change to be more palatable to those who misunderstand her.
FML SERIES – EPISODE 2 – “BEFORE THE PARTY”
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 12 mins.
Director: Viktoria I.V. King
We got to get tipsy before the party starts! We get an insight into the separate lives of each friend as they prepare for Jeanette’s big birthday party later tonight.
DATING AND WAITING – EPISODE 3 “THE PACT”
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 7 mins.
Director: Lawrence Saint-Victor
Sisters Chastity and Geneva face off and get real with their sex lives. What ensues is a very interesting pact.
THE FOB AND I – SEASON 2 EPISODE 1- “RESIST”
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 5 mins.
Director: Meenakshi Ramamurthy
A trip for dosas takes a turn when Sita is forced to confront her feelings about immigrants.
BREEDING GROUNDS-EPISODE – “BAKE SALE PART 1”
USA| Narrative | 2017 | 11 mins.
Director: Susan Skoog
A privileged stay at-home mother aggravates her bake sale co-chair. After the two end up on the brink of fisticuffs, Debra gets a call that her mammogram is positive.
SK & J – EPISODE 2 “GOOGLE IT!” and EPISODE 3 “COMMA”
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 5 mins.
Director: Jenn Liu (Google it!) and Susan-Kate Heaney (Comma)
Episode “Google It!” – Sue-Kate is late (as usual!) meeting Jenn for sushi, and compounds the situation by asking Jenn for directions. Jenn (as usual) tells her to Google it. Some things never change.
Episode “Comma” – The simple debate over the placement of a comma reveals Sue-Kate and Jenn’s inner thoughts about writing, friendship and how much they hate working with one another.
SYCAMORE VALLEY – EPISODE 1 – “INTROS”USA| Narrative | 2018 | 4 mins.
Director: Marisa Luz
Kayla and Curtis get prepped for the exciting journey of their televised home-buying adventure, and they meet their realtor, Cece, for the first time. Early warning signs that trouble may be brewing are quickly forgotten after a few glasses of cheap Chardonnay.
WAKING UP WITH STRANGERS- EPISODE 1- “PRETTY IN PINK” AND EPISODE 7- “PANIC ROOM”
USA| Narrative | 2018 | 7 mins.
Director: Antoine Perry
EPISODE 1 “Pretty In Pink” – Chloe wakes to find her favorite one-piece dress has been unwittingly turned into separates.
EPISODE 7 “Panic Room” – After a heavy night of drinking, Xavier wakes up with more questions then condom wrappers.
SHUGS & FATS: SEASON 2 EPISODE 2 -“SPEED DATING” and SEASON 3 EPISODE 5 “LOST IN CONEY ISLAND”
USA| Narrative | 2015,2016 | 6 mins.
Director: Alex Mallis
Episode 2 “Speed Dating” – Dating in NYC is hard. There’s OK Cupid, there’s Tinder, there’s Craigslist Missed Connections, but none of these will get you married to Justin Bieber. The surefire solution? Speed Dating. Romance is negotiable. Efficiency is key.
Episode 5 “Lost In Coney Island” – It’s late, it’s lonely, and Coney Island is a shitty place to be stuck. Luckily, Fats has a brilliant idea for getting picked up and brought back home.
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