In it’s 5th year, this Hudson Valley-based Film Festival features a curated, diverse selection of 25 short films that is screened on the historic Warwick Drive-In Movie Theater, located only 55 miles from NYC.
My Final Girl is the journey to bring to light the positioning and existence of Black Women in American Horror Cinema. This short documentary is the first in a series of interviews and discussions that investigates the “Black People always die first in horror films” myth and the “Final Girl” film theory within the Genre, Gender AND Race specific lens of American Horror as investigated by a black female filmmaker.
Written, Produced & Directed by: Kristina Leath-Malin
Cast: Marlene Clark, Beverly Bonner, Gloria Gifford, Sam Waymon, Bill Crain, Chiz Shultz, Fabrizio Fama
A heart broken woman battles her inner critic as she works on a potion to bring back her dead lover.
Written, Produced, Acted & Directed by: Tara Tusher
This is Ben. Ben is an 8-year-old liver transplant recipient, and a 5-year Burkitt Lymphoma survivor. He and his family are members of the Capital District YMCA's Circle of Champs, a program dedicated to lifting the emotional and financial burdens of families that have a child with a life threatening illness. Ben's dream is to be an aquarium owner when he grows up.
Director: Erin Wolcott
Producer: Jillian Pugliese
Cinematographer: George Catechis
Editor: Conner Sweeney
Cast: Benjamin Longale, Sandra Nardoci, Lisa Wolcott, Patrick Buffaline
“Riveted, Structures, Lands” pieces together digital video and stop motion animation to explore loss and memory. Blueprints pilfered from Union Pacific Railroad by my great-grandfather alongside fragments of quilt pieces sewn by my great-grandmother weave together a new personal understanding of family memories. Through interviewing my grandmother who suffers from dementia, I was able to create a broader story and appreciation of her two parents and their own modest creative expressions within a larger history.
Director: Brenda Grell
A middle aged man finds a mysterious old door in the woods. Upon entering, unintentionally sends himself to the old west and ends up having to fight a violent outlaw for his survival.
Written & Directed by: Tim O'Hearn
Produced by: Tim O'Hearn, Aaron Bratcher
Cast: Jeff Grennell, Rae Edwards Treherne, Patrick Boyer
'Hugo' : A study in grief — Pets aren't just pets, they're family.
Director: Justin Christopher Ayd
Producer: Justin Christopher Ayd & Jennifer Lillemo Ayd
A reporter interviews the manager of the Boston Red Sox in an attempt to uncover secrets from his past.
Written & Directed by: John Gray
Produced by: John Gray & Melissa Jo Peltier
Cast : Peter Riegert, TJ Thyne
In this stop-motion horror short, a couple enlists the aid of a mysterious figure to help them with their seemingly insurmountable laundry problem.
Directed by: Michael Bartomeleo
Written by: Michael Bartomeleo, Stephen West-Rogers
Produced by: Megan Kortvelesy
Cast: Stephen West-Rogers, Sergine Garraud, Lukas Hassel
A poet loves his new houseplant so much he kills it. A meditation on true love, loneliness, and listening. And an allegory for modern man’s relationship with nature, and how it can heal.
Directed by:Tom Basis & Robert Summerlin
Written by: Robert Summerlin
Produced by:Tom Basis, Michael Hubbard, Morgan Waters, Robert Summerlin
Cast: Sarah Snook, Robert Summerlin, Masha Shub
Regular Car Reviews is a satirical web series that places everyday commuter vehicles within their social and historical context. This short documentary is a one-off special that we created about the iconic 1980s VW van. One part nostalgia, one part humour, and one part history lesson, this is a unique short film ostensibly about a car, but it really speaks to the connection between father and son.
“Hear the rain falling down – streams on the windows. Feel the clouds rolling by – grey against your midnight mind.” These are the opening lyrics to the song and music video for “Midnight Mind.” This piece was composed and performed by filmmaker and musician, Mara Katria (who likewise wrote/directed/edited the film) and features J. Jeff Ungar, with music e-mastered at Real World Studios. While the song itself is essential to the overall production, “Midnight Mind” was envisioned as an authentic story of both sound and vision – a short film which aims to convey the tragedy, struggle, and hope present in our human experience.
Written, Produced & Directed by: Mara Katria
Cast: Mara Katria & J. Jeff Ungar
Song Writer: Mara Katria
Editor: Mara Katria
A mother tries to reconnect with her son across memories, missed calls, modern distractions, and the distance of neglected relationships.
Directed by: Chris Foito
Written by: Joe Kappes & Chris Foto
Produced by: Katheryn Johansen & Chris Foito
Cast: Babs George, Austin Hall, Joel Fox, Dave Mcclain, Joe Kappes
Director of Photography: Tiger Hill
Lauren and Nico weren't expecting much from a Bumble date. That's why, when they hit it off and there were seemingly no red flags in sight, it was almost too perfect. Of course, it was, in fact, too perfect. A darkly comic take on how the contemporary political climate trickles down into the world of millennial dating, Red Flags asks questions about the assumptions we make, the fantasies we create, and the social divides we experience.
Directed by: Tess Goldwyn
Written by: Ben Weiss
Produced by: Tess Goldwyn & Ben Weiss
Cast: Lucie Fleming & Connor Vasile
Beth, practical, and River, impractical, struggle with their differences as they travel though life's rites of passage.
Written & Directed by: Martin Blank
Produced by: Martin Blank, Ali Cheff, John D. Lofton IV
Cast: Mikael Johnson, Jean Chemnick
A little white bear feels naked without some color in his life. When he discovers a colorful family, will he find the answer to his longing?
This film was shot entirely in creator Andrew Garcia's bedroom.
Andrew Garcia is the writer/editor/director of this short film.
A woman encounters a chair with strange properties, but can't decide if the experience is exciting or annoying. Created old-school style, using only pen and paper, and made up of 2,700 individual drawings.
Directed by: Ronnie Cramer
When society collapses, safety becomes the number one priority.
Written, Produced & Directed by: Martin Dominguez Ball
Cast: Martin Dominguez Ball, Kelsey Byrne
Enter the world of Princess Lionheart, where extraordinary adventures can be found even under the floor boards.
Written, Produced & Directed by Martin Dominguez Ball
When faced with a choice, every second counts.
A T-Rex attempts to find a hobby that is suitable for his little arms.
Writer & Director: Haley Parker
Producer: Mike Sylvester
Cast: Clark Stridesberg
Chordless is a voice and piano duo breathing life into new and forgotten music. Sara LeMesh, soprano, and Allegra Chapman, piano, are passionate about exploring overlooked composers and contemporary music, creating innovative experiences for audiences to discover new music. They seek to expand the canon of vocal/piano music to include these incredible works that deserve to be heard and loved.
Filmed in February in Marin, California, Chordless’s debut music video was created by independent filmmaker and director Joseph Dwyer, with sound engineered by Matt Carr. In the video, Chordless’s LeMesh and Chapman portray friends who have been parted by death, grappling with their respective realities among redwoods in Mill Valley, CA and the golden coast. “The Night in Silence Under Many a Star” is one of nine pieces from George Crumb’s 1979 song cycle Apparation, set to text from Walt Whitman's “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd.”
Writer & Director: Joseph Dwyer
Producer: Sara LeMesh
Cast: Sara LeMesh, Allegra Chapman,
Sound Engineer: Matt Carr
A late night encounter with a stranger is not what is seems.
Written & Directed by: Grace Soriano
Produced by: Grace Soriano, Joe Cremer, Herb Cremer
Cast: Freddy Maas, Bettina Skye, Charlotte Whittmann
Cinematography: Joe Cremer
Ben and his parents aren't exactly talkers. Together, life is mundane, but alone he’s chasing his own sort of high.
Written, Produced & Directed by: Josh Stasko
Cast: Jackson Q. Gray, Sherri Hvizdak, Timothy Hvizdak
Leonardo, an Italian immigrant who lives in New York, marries a Latina woman, Nikki, to obtain the American greencard. Through the comedy of it all Nikki and Leo fall in love “for real” but it looks like "Uncle Sam" will be the one to have the last laugh.
Directed by: Giorgio Arcelli Fontana
Produced by: James Ivory & Stephen Gibler
Cast: Giorgio Arcelli Fontana & Lori Hammel
Online Screening
You will recieve the link to watch online after you RSVP.
Not ready to get your tickets yet? Set a reminder to get your tickets on the day of the of screening.