Emerging Filmmakers 1: Drama Shorts Block

120 mins

In this program

Front Row

Directed by: Julian Rodriguez | 18:15 mins

A sound guy at a comedy club remembers his late brother’s advice to overcome his fear of doing stand-up.

Two estranged friends reunite at a weekend music festival getaway, where old wounds and buried emotions resurface, making their past impossible to escape. As the night unfolds in a sleek Airbnb filled with music, confession, and vulnerability, Ilah and Monica are forced to confront unresolved feelings and decide whether to let go or finally embrace what has lingered between them for years.
Directors:

Body and Blood

Directed by: Evan Olow | 04:14 mins

A Reverend must face his congregation after learning dreadful news during a church service.

Post Mortem

Directed by: Luca Rivetti | 14:55 mins

A funeral director with the ability to speak to the dead faces his own mortality as he awaits a fatal diagnosis from his doctor.

Success

Directed by: Jack Hyunjin Yu | 04:12 mins

A businessman reminisces on his past as a skateboarder.

Like Father Like Son

Directed by: Jiale Yan | 04:06 mins

This film explores an implicit relationship between a father and a son through their argument about a bag that won’t open during packing for the son’s departure to college.

Sunset Cliffs

Directed by: Stanislava Yury Golubeva | 14:48 mins

Set in San Diego in 2004, Sunset Cliffs follows Jesse, a seventeen-year-old student at Ocean Beach High. Jesse is used to quietly observing the world through his camcorder, capturing daily life, skateboarding, his outsider friends, and his popular classmate Rachel, who seems unattainable to him. When Rachel unexpectedly invites him to a party, Jesse finally gets a chance to bridge the gap between their worlds. Disregarding his concerned friends and the social boundaries of their high school, Jesse accepts the invitation.

However, instead of the anticipated connection with his love interest, Jesse encounters a violent and compromising incident involving Rachel’s boyfriend. Instead of taking action, Jesse returns to the comfort of his camera, but soon gets caught. The threat of video evidence creates an escalating tension between Jesse and Rachel’s boyfriend. Now Jesse must decide whether to maintain the illusion of safety from the role of a bystander or become an active participant in his life.

Phases

Directed by: Emma Lund | 7:52 mins

A boy and his grandfather connect across time through conversation.