Officials with the Oxford Film Festival, which is set for March 21-24, have announced the lineup of official selections and events for the 21st edition of the popular film festival.

There are 120 narrative and documentary features and shorts, experimental films and music videos planned. The films include two feature-length documentaries and 27 short projects set in Mississippi. Other films come from the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Iceland, France and Germany. 

“This year, the festival is concentrated on audience experience,” said says Matt Wymer, executive director of the Oxford Film Festival.

“We’ve expanded our film selections to include sci-fi and horror, while continuing to celebrate poignant documentaries and engaging narratives. There’s something for everybody and this lineup reflects a film industry on the cusp of exciting change.” 

Alongside film screenings, the festival will feature a lineup of workshops and panel discussions including the following:

• Technology of Animation: Features a panel of animators whose work spans the gamut of animation history, from 2D design to the most cutting-edge technology entering the market today.
• Mobile Moviemaking: Learn to make stunning films using tools from your very own back pocket. 
• Safety On-Set: Armory specialist Bryan Carpenter will discuss the ins and outs of using weapons as props on set.

The Oxford Film Festival is made possible, in part, by support from the following grants: Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), South Arts, Visit Mississippi, and Visit Oxford. To buy passes or tickets or find more information, visit www.ox-film.com. Members of the press can apply for a festival credential here.

The festival film lineup is as follows:

2024 OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL LINEUP

Narrative Features

A Song For Imogene

Director: Erika Arlee

Country: United States, North Carolina; Running Time: 103:00 min

Logline: After discovering she is pregnant by her abusive boyfriend, a fallen-away musician must decide between freeing herself or remaining a relic of her drive-by Southern town.

Bored Games

Director: Joel Stern

Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 76:00 min

Logline: Six diehard board-gamers hunker down in a bunker post-armageddon but, as their rations diminish and treachery looms, survival quickly becomes the only game worth playing.

Don’t Die

Director: Benjamin Stark

Country: United States, Tennessee and Alabama; Running Time: 80:00 min

Logline: After stealing medicine from a small-town drug store, Jenks finds himself at odds with a black market pharmacy in the middle of nowhere.

Hello Dankness

Director: Soda Jerk

Country: Australia; Running Time: 70:00 min
Logline: Comprised entirely of hundreds of film samples, Hello Dankness is a political fable that bears witness to the psychotropic spectacle of American politics from 2016 to 2021, and the mythologies and lore that took root around it. Taking form as a suburban stoner musical, the film follows a neighborhood through these years as consensus reality disintegrates into conspiracy and other contagions. What unfolds is a rogue retelling of history in which hotdogs debate the culture wars, trashcans preach QAnon, zombies rally for revolution, and real events are refashioned as Broadway bangers from Cats, Les Miserables, Annie, and The Phantom of the Opera. There are songs and dancing, moments of menace and melancholy, shitposting and deep sincerity. Begun in 2016 and labored on throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Hello Dankness is a record of the time, written from the time. It premiered at the Berlinale in 2023, and has won numerous cinema awards including Best Feature at the Atlanta Film Festival and Lausanne Underground Film & Music Festival, as well as the Blackmagic Design Australian Innovation Award at the Melbourne International Film Festival. The cast of characters include Tom Hanks, Annette Bening, Bruce Dern, Ice Cube, Wayne and Garth, Maya and Ana, Rue and Jules, Seth Rogen and Reyn Doi. American politicians play themselves, with Jesse Eisenberg in the role of Mark Zuckerberg, and The Phantom of the Opera as Vladimir Putin.

The Meaning Of A Ritual

Director: Natalie MacMahon

Country: Germany; Running Time: 84:00 min

Logline: An empathic, young plant doctor gifted with extrasensory powers and an emotionally fragile, isolated artist, must rescue each other to rediscover the essence of living. A coming of age story about two women from different generations, who have more in common than they are willing to admit.

Playland

Director: Georden West

Country: United States; Running Time: 72:00 min

Logline: A raucous work of queer fantasy and history, “Playland” conjures a time-bending night in Boston’s oldest and most notorious gay bar.

Scent of Linden

Director: Sissy Denkova

Country: United States, Tennessee; Running Time: 112:00 min

Logline: Stefan (Ivan Barnev) moves into the Bulgarian enclave in suburban Tennessee, where comical rivalries, suspicions, and hijinks conspire to come between him and his American Dream.

Documentary Features

Brand Bollywood

Director: Anupam Sharma

Country: Australia; Running Time: 93:00 min

Logline: One of the most comprehensive feature documentaries 21 years in the making and spanning from 1897 to 2022, Brand Bollywood… down under looks at the birth and growth of Indian cinema, its Bollywoodisation and Globalisation. Delve beneath the colorful exterior of Hollywood’s biggest rival to discover the history, artistry, celebration, song, dances, controversies, and unique characters that have led to Bollywood taking Australia, and the world, by storm.

The Blues Society

Director: Augusta Palmer

Country: United States; Running Time: 76:00 min

Logline: A moving image mixtape about the Memphis Country Blues Fests of the 1960s that celebrates unforgettable Blues performances and re-evaluates the era.

Juvenile: Five Stories

Directors: Joann Self Selvidge, Sarah Fleming

Country: United States, Tennessee; Running Time: 57:00 min

Logline: Driven by the personal stories of five youth who were justice-involved as teens, JUVENILE traces their pathways into the system, their journeys of trauma and healing, and their lessons for how to break and remake the juvenile system. Shimaine, Ja’Vaune, Romeo, Ariel and Michael are all from different backgrounds and parts of the country, and each had a different pathway into the system: foster care, sexual abuse, violence, homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse. But as their individual narratives unfold in the film, a cohesive narrative emerges of the broken promises of our juvenile system across all American communities.

Little Brother of War

Director: Bryan W. Carpenter

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 89 min

Logline: The foundation of countless sports have their roots in Native American Stickball – a highly competitive, sometimes violent, always unifying ancient game known as the Little Brother of War. In the past the game was played between tribes as a last resort for settling conflicts before engaging in actual warfare. In the present, we follow a season of competition between two teams, both members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, as they struggle for the cherished title of Champion and a way to keep the tradition of the game alive in the modern-day.

Mississippi River Styx

Directors: Andy McMillan, Tim Grant

Country: United States; Running Time: 85:00 min

Logline: An enigmatic drifter with terminal cancer lives his dream of floating the Mississippi River on a ramshackle houseboat — until locals start to question his story.

No One Asked You

Director: Ruth Leitman

Country: United States; Running Time: 100:00 min

Logline: Short description: Lizz Winstead (The Daily Show co-creator) and Abortion Access Front travel across America to protect bodily autonomy, fighting misogyny with comedy in the war over abortion. synopsis: Comedian, disruptor-extraordinaire Lizz Winstead (co-creator The Daily Show) and Abortion Access Front crisscross the U.S. to support abortion clinic staff and bust stigma. Pop culture icons and next-gen comics fuel this six-year road film activating small-town folks to rebuild vandalized clinics, exposing wrongdoer politicians, anti-abortion extremists, and media neglect as the race to the bottom ensues. A bold call to action reminds us that when the patriarchy burns down, joy will prevail.

Rising Hope

Director: Theo Avgerinos

Country: United States; Running Time: 100:00 min

Logline: In this cinematic portrait of the forgotten Mississippi Delta, we follow inspirational individuals who, despite challenging personal hardships, are determined to keep hope alive in their communities and turn the tables on the degrading narrative of rural poverty.

Taking Back the Groove

Director: Celia Aniskovich 

Country: United States, New York; Running Time: 34:00 min

Logline: Taking Back the Groove reintroduces the world to Bronx-born ’80s disco superstar Richie Weeks. A writer, singer, and producer who was compared to Quincy Jones at his height, Richie created quintessential New York Disco and performed in the likes of Studio 54 and Paradise Garage, all while maintaining day jobs as a postal worker and bricklayer. His mega-hit Rock Your World made it to #1 on the dance charts in the ’80s, and has since become a landmark song in the field of disco and house music. While his ingenious mixes appealed to a kaleidoscope of glitter and lamé-clad partiers, his songs were never truly his own. Like many Black artists throughout American recording history, his talent was strip mined to enrich white-owned record labels. When disco cooled down, Richie Weeks and many other artists like him faded from view. But now, a new series of previously unheard recordings, from his private trove of 300 vintage tracks, is bringing him fresh recognition. Taking Back the Groove tells the story of how Richie Weeks clawed back the rights to his own music in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and his ongoing fight to restore his legacy and share his music.

Narrative Short Films

AMAZING GRACE

Director: Aiden Keltner 

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 15:00 min

Logline: Based on the true stories of many families, Amazing Grace tells the story of a single mother caring for her adult son with schizophrenia. 

Barely Breathing

Director: Derek Evans

Country: United States, Georgia; Running Time: 20:00 min

Logline: After an awkward masturbation accident, Sai is guilted into moving back in with his father, forcing them to bridge the chasm left by the death of Sai’s mother years prior.

The Basics of Love

Director: Joshua Nathan

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 18:00 min

Logline: After stumbling into an armed robbery on New Year’s Eve, two sanitation workers are caught off-guard by feelings for one another that they didn’t realize they had. 

Caught on Tape

Directors: Alexander Jeffery and Chris Alan Evans

Country: United States, Louisiana; Running Time: 13:00 min
Logline: When Finn can’t get a word out in front of his high school crush, his playground pals convince him that watching a porno tape will solve all his problems.

Cold & Sara

Director: Brenna Power

Country: United States, Washington; Running Time: 11:00 min
Logline: Emmy mourns a tragic loss while her sister, Sara, relentlessly tries to lighten her spirits in a ten minute interaction that teeters on the edge of chaos and vulnerability.

FBOY

Director: Liz Uys

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 15:00 min
Logline: While maintaining the facade of a perfect relationship, a man must confront his commitment issues at an awkward family dinner.

Food That Saves You

Director: Joe Vella

Country: United States, Indiana; Running Time: 4:00 min
Logline: A man overcomes depression and his wife’s death with a passion they used to share.

Frozen Out

Director: Hao Zhou

Countries: United States and China; Running Time: 5:00 min

Logline: An émigré retreats to frozen prairies and forests, hoping to find a meaningful story and escape the anxieties of dislocation. Delivered as a film-letter to the protagonist’s sister in rural China, the film considers his queer self-exile and the vulnerable nature of home, relationships, and the self.

Gabriela

Director: Evelyn Lorena

Country: United States, North Carolina; Running Time: 16:00 min

Logline: A young undocumented Guatemalan woman dreams of joining a Country Club swim team in the American South. Synopsis: It’s the summer after graduation and Gabriela, a young undocumented Guatemalan woman questions her worth as she pursues her dream of swimming for a Country Club swim team. Despite her determination, Gabriela must confront her mother’s fears, limitations on her socioeconomic and legal status, and her own self-judgment on her quest to personal freedom.

Give

Director: Kenya Gillespie

Country: United States, Texas; Running Time: 16:00 min
Logline: A composer attempts to unravel the memories of his relationship with his classical singer ex-boyfriend. Blending lyrical visuals and poetry by Carol Ann Duffy with a lush orchestral score, GIVE takes the viewer on a journey through the mind of the composer.

Grandma Bruce

Director: Brooke Stern Sebold

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 13:00 min

Logline: GRANDMA BRUCE is a magical short comedy about a queerdo whose old car comes to life with the spirit of their judgmental Jewish grandmother, a backseat driver from the ever after.

Grieving the Girl

Director: Victorya Cintra

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 16:00 min
Logline: After a teenage girl gets her period, she embarks on a quest to discover what it means to be a woman.

Half-Light

Director: Lauren Jevnikar

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 12:00 min
Logline: A couple debates having unprotected car sex late at night.

Hello?

Director: Mac Montero

Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 3:00 min
Logline: It’s the 90s in London. During her lunch break, a businesswoman calls her boyfriend for phone sex. It doesn’t quite go to plan.

Infraction

Director: Timothy Blackwood

Country: United States, New Mexico; Running Time: 21:00 min

Logline: After an inmate murders a prison guard, his replacement Sergeant Bennett is told to bring “the block” back to order. Bennett reluctantly relies on help from the head block worker, inmate Terrance Lewis. They form an unlikely friendship, which the warden condemns. Things come to a head at Terrance’s resentencing hearing where Bennett must choose between his job and standing up for an innocent man.

The Intention of the Night

Director: Fabrício Koltermann

Country: Brazil; Running Time: 18:53 min

Logline: Saul is a “coach” who offers motivational courses, in the middle of the night. He uses his family status and privileges to, through dubious sales methods, motivate people without purpose. His shady business gets in trouble when a Journalism student at a University, who fights against fake news and the devaluation of science, questions his teaching methods.The film portrays what a crisis can bring to a country and society. It addresses current social issues such as meritocracy, denialism and the value of science, which gained more strength with the arrival of the pandemic.

Just Desserts

Director: Jake Schwartz

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 7:19 min

Logline: All Dave wants is a break from his green juice diet. Determined to enjoy a slice of his daughter’s birthday cake without his wife noticing, he attempts a midnight escapade of their kitchen. However, thanks to the family’s new A.I. refrigerator, a sweet treat is easier said than done.

Lee Baby

Director: Leah Raidt

Country: United States, Illinois; Running Time: 13:44 min

Logline: Lee, a trans man, and his wife are smack dab in the middle of creating a family. Insecurity, hormone imbalances, loss of bodily autonomy, and the exhaustion of new parenthood test the limits of this resilient queer couple.

Lost in the Sky

Director: Simon Öster

Country: Sweden; Running Time: 12:20 min

Logline: After a long search in a strange galaxy, a lone rescue robot locates a surviving astronaut, but must reach her before she’s consumed by a looming black hole. A live-action space adventure made entirely with practical effects. 

The Lure

Director: Tony Hipwell

Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 1:32 min

Logline: Late at night, a lone fisherman discovers he is not the only one hoping to hook something.

Marbles

Director: Kyle Hatley

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 29:57 min

Logline: When a grief-stricken man with strange abilities opens up to his bereavement group about the death of his sister, he discovers that his curse becomes a gift to his fellow mourners.

Mermaid, Bitch

Director: Victoria Negri

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 12:37 min

Logline: A codependent long-term friendship is challenged when one of the women suddenly transforms into a mermaid.

Not Him

Director: Sarah Young

Country: United States; Running Time: 15:00 min

Logline: When her husband turns strange and violent, a wife becomes convinced he is possessed. But will anyone believe her?

The Old Young Crow

Director: Liam LoPinto 

Country: Japan; Running Time: 12:00

Logline: An Iranian boy befriends an old Japanese woman at a graveyard in Tokyo.

One Happy Customer

Director: WATTS

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 6:20 min

Logline: Set in the red-light district of a heightened world that mischievously blends live action and animation, One Happy Customer follows the daily routine of an older sex worker. Luring clients in, snatching up their cash, and using her special trick to leave them satisfied—and more importantly, to get them out of her hair as quickly as possible. She’s listless, even bored. It’s business as usual, until one customer—an old, seemingly decrepit man—arrives looking for something more. And he’s got a trick or two of his own to impress the woman who’s seen it all.

Purgy’s

Director: Robbie Bryan

Country: United States, New Jersey; Running Time: 16:14 min

Logline: At a magical bar, spirits from the other side are able to take the form of another human and interact with those in their past who need closure and re-connection.

Sara

Director: Jessica Hinkson

Country: Canada; Running Time: 11:00

Logline: As Sara navigates the stress of her flight being delayed multiple times, a missed call from an unknown number sends her spiraling into distress. Taking refuge in a bar, an unlikely stranger becomes the confessional she didn’t know she needed and the support to tackle her diagnosis.

Sarangi

Director: Tarun Thind

Country: Canada; Running Time: 7:08 min

Logline: A young boy is lured by the sound of a mysterious stringed instrument, only to discover that the ominous figure that plays it has a hold on more than just his ears.

Secret Santa

Director: Mark Serao

Country: United States, New Jersey; Running Time: 15:21 min

Logline: An unsuspecting family gathers for a Christmas Eve dinner filled with rueful revelations and betrayal, delivered by an unseen and booming narrative voice.

Show And Tell

Director: J.M. Kallet

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 10:00 min

Logline: Date night at a lovers’ lane takes a horrific turn for two 50s-era teenagers with dark secrets to hide.

TOOTH

Director: Jillian Corsie

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 4:00 min

Logline: Fed up with decades of abuse from forced perfection, a vengeful TOOTH takes matters into its own hands, launching a full scale attack.

Panic Attack

Director: Anthony Assad

Country: Ireland, Dublin; Running Time: 13:43 min

Logline: Alex is in the throes of his transition from female to male so when his best friend abandons a joint venture to assert their burgeoning identities he’s forced to confront his anxieties before entering the unknown alone.

Puffling

Director: Jessica Bishopp

Countries: Iceland, United Kingdom, United States; Running Time: 20:00 min

Logline: On a remote Icelandic island, teenagers Birta and Selma rescue pufflings (young puffins) from imminent danger; as pufflings leave their nests for the first time, they often get lost in town, mistaking the harbour lights for the moon. Over the course of one night, we follow Birta and Selma as they take it upon themselves to counteract humanity’s damaging impact on nature; exchanging night-time parties for puffin rescues. A coming-of-age documentary about growing up and making choices, Puffling explores the delicate interplay between wildlife, the environment, and human life.

The specter of innocence

Director: Mathis Tayssier

Country: France; Running Time: 13:47 min

Logline: Suddenly brought down in a fight he’s supposed to lose for money, Vincent, a corrupt boxer, wakes up in the labyrinth of his memories. If he wants to wake up before being K.O, he will have to trace back the thread of his life to find the “source.”

Suburban Story

Director: Chris Yen

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 30:33 min

Logline: Struggling against the harsh realities of poverty, a devoted father, Mike reluctantly turns to burglary to provide for his daughter. Amidst the complexities of his choices, the narrative unfolds through the varied viewpoints of those touched by his actions, including the menacing presence of Red, his psychopathic partner in crime. The story weaves a tapestry of morality, betrayal, and unexpected consequences as a desperate man navigates a world where the pursuit of a better life carries profound implications for all involved.

When Unfettered

Director: Derek Franzese

Country: United States, Texas; Running Time: 12:00 min

Logline: When an AI humanoid’s proprietor passes away, she is released on a journey where she discovers what it means to feel emotion after encountering and befriending a special child. 

Where the Bullets Go

Director: Cody Duncum

Country: United States, Tennessee; Running Time: 13:30 min

Logline: When a young boy shoots at a bird and misses, he embarks on a journey to find where the bullet went.

Wider Than The Sky

Director: Philip Taylor

Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 11:00 min

Logline: Anything is possible if you use your imagination.

With Love, Charlie.

Director: Jaren Hayman 

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 20:00 min

Logline: An American and Korean soldier are forced to leave their pregnant wives to serve during the Korean war; the destinies of the four lives becoming forever intertwined.

Documentary Short Films

(I’m Not) Your Negroni

Director: Antonio Tarrell

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 32:00 min 

Logline: Award-winning bartender Joseph “Joe” Stinchcomb shakes up the small town of Oxford, Mississippi when he launches a craft cocktail menu honoring Black History Month.

35205

Directors: Ilya Blokh, Daniel Blokh

Country: United States, Alabama; Running Time: 15:00 min

Logline: A short documentary about the DIY punk scene in Birmingham, Alabama and how it has reinvented itself post covid as a community that combines the violence and self-expression of moshing with inclusivity and diversity.

Beneath The Surface

Director: Cai Thomas

Country: United States, Illinois; Running Time: 6:00 min

Logline: Trina Reynolds-Tyler, a data scientist and journalist at the Invisible Institute, investigates gender-based violence found in complaints made against the Chicago Police Department.

The Dumpster Dive

Director: Laura Asherman

Country: United States; Running Time: 17:35

Logline: Set inside a dumpster television studio, The Dumpster Dive is a talk show in which a pair of cockroach news anchors report on the latest exploits of the human infestation. In the pilot episode of the series, hosts Howard Scourge and Madison Von Vermin investigate microplastics. By getting up close and personal with real-life scientists and plastic experts, the roaches revel in their findings that microplastics may just have dire consequences for their species’ biggest nuisance.

The Elwell Ferry

Director: Dave Monahan

Country: United States, North Carolina; Running Time: 15:00 min

Logline: The patterns and rhythms of a workday with Betty Rose Dolce, the operator of a small ferry carrying locals across the Cape Fear River in rural North Carolina.

Football Town

Director: Sammy Osmond

Country: United States, North Carolina; Running Time: 12:05 min
Logline: Tensions come to a head in a rapidly-growing college town when the school’s football team pulls off the latest in a string of miraculous upsets and ESPN comes calling.

Forward Fast

Director: Lorraine Sovern

Country: United States, Florida; Running Time: 3:00 min
Logline: While embarking upon a process of archival and preservation, a filmmaker dives into a stark exploration of self as she discovers the seeds of patriarchy and misogyny already planted and steeping the imagery of her childhood films.

Here, Hopefully

Director: Hao Zhou

Country: United States, Iowa; Running Time: 11:00 min

Logline: Zee, a nonbinary aspiring nurse from China, strives to build a gender-affirming life in rural Iowa, US. After graduating from nursing school, they work tirelessly to pass their licensure exam in hopes of obtaining a work visa.

If You Don’t Watch The Way You Move

Director: Kevin Jerome Everson  

Country: United States; Running Time: 12:00 min
Logline: If You Don’t Watch the Way You Move features Derek “Dripp” Whitfield Jr. and Taymond “ChoSkii” Hughes of the music group BmE composing and recording their latest composition, “Shiesty”, in the Columbus, Mississippi studio of Jermaine “Country Blakk” Hughes only to be interrupted by a John Cage score.

Legacy in the Making: The Bluebird Cafe

Director: Dominic Gill 

Country: United States, Tennessee; Running Time: 06:52

Logline: When a Nashville restaurant owner had the radical idea of inviting songwriters to perform in her intimate cafe, she created a magical listening room where new musical stars are still discovered nightly.

The Memphis Underdog

Directors: Suzy Hollenbach, Kevin Del Principe, Mark Blaszak, Jason Holler

Country: United States, Tennessee; Running Time: 20:00 min

Logline: By following the work of All 4s Rescue League, The Memphis Underdog reveals the dire animal welfare situation in Memphis, Tennessee, but also shows glimmers of hope in the resilient spirit found in underdog dogs and people.

Mississippi Creates: Graham Hamaker

Director: Lillian R Slaughter

Country: United States; Running Time: 09:49

Logline: Gulf coast native, Graham Hamaker, makes music with influences from the southern environment and his personal life.

Please Ask for It

Director: Allison Waid

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 20:00 min

Logline: Down on the Blues Alley in Holly Springs, Mississippi, you might meet David “Fox” Caldwell, the beloved owner of Aikei Pro’s Record Shop. Established in 1960 and a landmark on the Blues Trail, his shop was the hang-out for great Hill Country Blues artists like Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside — earning a place in blues magazines all over the world. Amidst waves of change and pressure from other business owners in town to close up shop, Mr. Caldwell, lovingly dubbed the “Father of the Alley,” keeps the dream alive, against all odds.

Slower Animals

Director: John C Kelley

Country: United States, Tennessee; Running Time: 7:00 min

Logline: While aimlessly following a winter goose migration across the American south, a professor slips in and out of childhood memories that all surround a forgotten trauma. This short animated film explores the ways we are shaped; both by what we remember and what we forget.

Sugaring

Director: Clem McIntosh

Country: Canada; Running Time: 3:26

Logline: An audiovisual meditation on the traditional practice of maple syruping in rural New Brunswick.

Fest Forward: Experimental

Another Sinking Sun

Director: Tyler Rubenfeld
Country: United States, New Jersey/ New York; Running Time: 11:00 min

Logline: A woman, unable to sleep, describes a comforting presence she encountered as a child.

Can We Really Know Anything About Carrots?

Director: Scott Bateman

Country: United States, New York; Running Time: 6:00 min

Logline: An artificial intelligence questions reality in this AI-assisted film. 

for Zigadene

Director: Michele Rose Seippel

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 6:49 min

Logline: A new trans parent’s inner monologue on those first turbulent months. Filled with questioning, reconciling reemerging memories, isolation, insecurities, and a newfound adaptation for surviving parenthood.

I’m Sorry I’m Late

Director: Sharon A. Mooney

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 7:23 min
Logline: Psychological deteriorations caused by invisible labor and stress intensify. What’s left as our internal and external struggle to find solid ground?

kāua – we (you & i)

Director: Ryan Betschart

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 2:15 min

Logline: In an attempt to use mirror divination, a spirit appears as a clever creature during the year of the rabbit.

Living Reality

Director: Philip Thompson

Country: United States, New York; Running Time: 16:00 min

Logline: An exploration of the emotional divide between fiction and reality in the American sitcom.

Love Letter to Glasgow

Director: Myria Christophini

Country: United Kingdom; Running Time: 5:58 min

Logline: An experimental animated short that makes an artistic commentary on the perception of some Glaswegians on romantic love.

Trust Fall

Director: Claire Ishi Ayetoro

Country: United States; Running Time: 1:27 min

Logline: Trust Fall is a short film about building the courage it takes to trust your ownself when there is no one there to catch you. In life, it seems that we truly are the only ones who can show up for ourselves when we need it most. It can be scary but also liberating. 

Visions of Waves

Director: Desirée Tolchin

Country: United States, New York; Running Time: 2:41 min

Logline: Submerged into a stream of life and death, we meet different forms of people, places, and things, all shot on Super 8 film over the course of 3 years.

Fest Forward: Animation

Balthazar’s Dream

Director: Dominik Baltazar Kowalski

Country: Poland; Running Time: 5:00 min

Logline: “Balthazar’s Dream” is a short film presenting a dream-like story about a journey through one’s own psyche to the desire. It’s a story about the battle of the shadow with the light and little, special things that carry us through our bad times – things of great power.

Las Nogas

Director: Catya Plate

Country: United States, New York; Running Time: 19:32 min

Logline: 500 years into the future, the earth is a dry wasteland destroyed by humans. Doctor Alma, a fluffy, brilliant Vulkeet (a cross between a parakeet and vulture) who drives a Vespa, must cure the only creatures left who can save the world by bringing back the rain – the bizarre and loveable Homeys who have fallen ill with a mysterious sickness.

The Misprint

Director: Jasper Lin

Country: United States, New York; Running Time: 2:47 min

Logline: A lone technician’s attempt to clone himself using cutting edge technology goes horribly wrong.

The Odyssey of Cleve & Mike

Director: Kevin A. Webb

Country: United States, California; Running Time: 5:48 min

Logline: Animated musical tribute to bass legend Cleveland “Cleve” Eaton with Mike Watt on an odyssey of surreal bass-centric salvation. 

OrHoDa

Director: tigris alt sakda

Country: Canada; Running Time: 11:00 min

Logline: Along the Amur River, mountains abound with mysterious lively treasures. The gifts of the sky were only visible to those who honor the powers that flow through the vast taiga. To find what human desires, ritual offerings to the mountain’s guardian spirits must be properly performed. But most importantly, one must face the gods with a serene, translucent heart. An animated reinterpretation of an old Jurchen legend from the 13th century.

Our Pain

Director: Shunsaku Hayashi

Country: Japan; Running Time: 16:00 min

Logline: Our common pain, although experienced individually and uniquely, is what connects us. It is the ambiguity and variety of our existence that allows us to imagine an infinity of variables, some of these alternatives may be malignant, and some benign.

Projections

Benthic Salvage Triptych

Director: Tom Hansell

Country: United States, North Carolina; Running Time: 3:00 min

Logline: How do humans impact fresh water? This three-channel video installation is created from material salvaged from headwaters streams in the Appalachian Mountains that feed the Mississippi River. 

Clear Ice Fern

Director: Mark Street

Country: United States, New York; Running Time: 12:00 min
Logline: Images shot through architectural glass on Super 8 film in the dead of night in NYC. The title refers to one of the glass samples I used to frame up images of Times Square and other nightspots in NYC. The city peeks its head in as an off screen character, but the glass bends and twists it in its own warped and wonderful way.

Killing Curry

Director: Patrick Moser

Country: United States, Florida; Running Time: 20:00 min

Logline: Love is an animal with other animals inside it. 

Mississippi Short Films

The Chair at the Edge of the Woods

Director: Mary Charles Ramsey

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 9:43 min

Logline: A guilt-ridden man’s attempt to cover up his infidelity leads him on a desperate search for a mysterious chair, as he struggles to come to terms with the consequences of his actions.

Help Wanted

Directors: Glenn Payne and Ben Powell

Country: United States; Running Time: 14:46 min
Logline: “Help Wanted” tells the story of a troubled teen, “Elijah” who forms an unexpected bond when he befriends a gruff old man in a story about friendship, growth and finding one’s place in the world.

Io’s Lament

Director: Tristan Hallman

Country: United States; Running Time: 10:23 min

Logline: After her car breaks down on Mississippi backroads, a pregnant teenager takes advantage of the kindness of a local woman.

Lucky, Paige

Director: Claire Ishi Ayetoro

Country: United States; Running Time: 10:23 min

Logline: A woman’s friendly encounter at a bar goes awry, leaving her violated and abandoned in the woods. A kind detective visits to get her story about what happened in hopes of gaining intel to lead her to the perpetrators.

Wrath Mercy

Director: Brian Whisenant

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 19:58 min

Logline: Adam is a drug addict. Irina is his reckoning.

Mississippi Documentary Shorts

60 Years Ago

Director: Austin Mitchell

Country: United States; Running Time: 18:00 min

Logline: Sixty years ago James Meredith enrolled at the University of Mississippi and helped integrate higher education in the South. 

Beautiful Country

Directors: Charlie Mars and Christian Harrison

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 8:14 min

Logline: Musician, Charlie Mars, learns about Brown Family Farm in Lafayette Country, Ms, while setting up for a concert.

Glennray Tutor reflections

Director: Deborah Freeland

Country: United States; Running Time: 26:00 min
Logline: Tutor looks back at 50 years in Oxford

Libation & Legislation

Director: Rex Jones

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 7:22 min

Logline: The story of Mississippi’s legislative frat house.

Mississippi Creates: Jerry Jenkins

Director: Elise Joelle Denoulet

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 12:58 min

Logline: This short documentary highlights the community-building and storytelling of musician Jerry Jenkins. He evokes cultural memory through drumming and educates children in his home state of Mississippi about West African culture and the lineage of regional music traditions.

Sites of Resistance and Healing

Director: Michael Fagans

Country: United States; Running Time: 19:50 min

Logline: As U.S. history becomes controversial to teach in some states, residents of this community come to terms with our past and present in Sumner, Mississippi and Montgomery, Alabama.

Unsung Heroes: The Jones County Drug Court

Director: Elise Joelle Denoulet

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 22:05 min

Logline: This documentary showcases the Jones County Drug Court in Ellisville, Mississippi, and its transformative impact on individuals struggling with addiction. Through the lens of firsthand accounts from participants in the program and dedicated staff members, including those in recovery themselves, the film captures the emotional journey of recovery.

Music Videos

Algorithm Takedown

Director: Alex Budovsky

Country: United States; Running Time: 4:00 min

Logline: “Algorithm Takedown” is an animated music video that is commissioned by Music Professor of Percussion Studies Jonathan Haas and is based on the music written by legendary drummer Lenny White, who recorded with Miles Davis and Chick Corea. In perfect synchronization animation follows and underlines the lyrics written and performed by rapper Walter West. 

Closer

Director: Daniel E. Catton

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 8:49 min

Logline: An old-school, loud-mouthed Hollywood director (Oliver Cooper) is sent into a frenzy when his artist—international superstar Allen Ling—is late to set. With the Moscow Ballet dropping out at the last minute and Allen’s whereabouts accessible only via pager, “Closer” proves to be a chaotically timeless production in the making.

Comfort Zone

Director: Jason Affolde

Country: United States, Louisiana; Running Time: 5:00 min
Logline: Music video for Ian/Ore’s song “COMFORT ZONE.” “A newly activated cybernetic organism has its senses tested by a more experienced entity…”

In My Side

Director: Elwood Quincy Walker

Country: United States; Running Time: 5:23 min
Logline: After getting into a car accident with a Witch in the woods, a goth band is cursed & must fight off a crowd of evil demons at their big show tonight.

Who To Love

Director: Giorgio Testi

Country: Italy; Running Time: 31:15 min

Logline: Music, memories, and nightmares intertwine in a haunting, disorienting journey.

Mississippi Music Videos

King Louie Bankston: (Theme From) Crawzilla

Director: Marsh Nabors

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 2:30 min

Logline: mixed media music video for King Louie Bankston song (Theme From) Crawzilla

Ray Kincaid: Black Boy Cry

Director: Kira Cummings

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 3:37 min

Logline: Before seeking professional help, I suffered from Depression. I was told countless times to “man up” and ignore my emotions. It never worked. It wasn’t until I found the courage to really face those internal emotions and deal with them. During that journey I learned that having emotions, isn’t a woman thing, it’s a human thing. I wrote this song to inspire men, especially of color, to take their mental health seriously. It’s ok to cry sometimes

Mr. Fluid: Black Girl Magick

Director: Kira Cummings

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 3:38 min

Logline: You’re allowed a window into the private space of a young couple going through the highs and lows of everyday life. From mundane tasks like washing dishes or paying bills, it is clear they are inseparable and present for one another in every way. She is t he sunlight in his darkest days; he, the rock she clings to in troubled waters. They are madly in love and equally infatuated with the other’s entire way of being. The soundtrack is Mr. Fluid’s “Black Girl Magick” which expresses his own feelings toward hi s wife and their life together. While the song is one – sided, the visual by The Works shows the love is mutual. The theme is of a perfectly balanced and intimate partnership. We should all be so lucky

OTHER

Director: Molly Boes

Country: England; Running Time: 2:45 min

Logline: My film “OTHER” portrays the breaking point of existing in an exhausting, game-like, man-made world. My character represents people who feel ostracized, misunderstood, enraged, and shamefully alone due to society’s harsh expectations. For people who don’t fit the mold, life feels like a never-ending pattern of unrealistic conformities. “OTHER” encapsulates overwhelming resentment and pain, ultimately leading to a boiling point.

Shiesty

Director: Bun Drye 

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 4:00 min

Logline: A music video for the latest hit from Columbus, Mississippi’s own BmE directed by ‘Bun Drye’. 

That Night in Pascagoula

Director: Don Smith

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 4:58 min

Logline: The UFO abduction in Pascagoula is recounted in song and film.

Truck Stop

Director: Ben Powell

Country: United States; Running Time: 3:30 min

Logline: A music video for the Great Dying

UM Short Films

Black-Eyed Susans

Director: Hannah Whitney 

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 10:31 min

Logline: A middle-aged man named Bolin begins a long-winded search for Black-eyed Susan flowers. The search begins in the park and continues to a grocery store, finally landing upon a flower shop. Just when he thinks that he found what he is looking for, he discovers that his search is not yet over.

Creation

Director: Jackson Strickland

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 5:14 min

Logline: Confineless in an empty void, two creative souls bring life to their own artistic creation through their words. As they collaborate to construct a world of shapes, color, sound, and motion, two souls must consult their instincts to build a meaningful, doubtless narrative, discovering the power of self-expression and the joy of creating something perceptually new.

The Corndog Movie

Directors: Bryce Durfey, Zoe Frassinelli 

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 01:55 min

Logline: A chef makes his most impressive meal yet: a corndog.

Endline

Directors: Crawford Bear and Jack Liscio 

Country: United States; Running Time: 5:26 min

Logline: A lonely man & a woman whom are ex-lovers each approach the incoming threat of a nuclear bomb during World War 3 in different ways.

The Future Drives on Electricity

Director: John Rash

Country: United States / China; Running Time: 6:30 min

Logline: Captured entirely on a mobile phone, this observation of the symphonic streets of Shandong, China raises questions about the impacts of traffic, diverse modes of transportation, and a future driven by battery power.

KNEAD

Director: Kelsey Scult

Country: United States, Louisiana; Running Time: 5:58 min

Logline: KNEAD explores the visceral and intimate processes of breadmaking and the ways in which they are reflected within the human experience.

Pinewood

Director: Martin Dean Lester

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 15:17 min

Logline: A complicated past casts a shadow over a young man’s reunion with his father, forever denied by untimely death. Now, he faces a stark choice: honor his legacy by preserving a shared tradition, or lay it to rest beside him, marking a bittersweet closure.

Yellow

Directors: Autumn Lindsey Payne, Erika Pratt 

Country: United States, Mississippi; Running Time: 01:42 min

Logline: An experimental exploration of an unhealthy queer relationship.