Join us for a special event of short films from across the USA. The evening features short films* by filmmakers whose works have been seen on Netflix, HBO, PBS and festivals worldwide. This year’s event includes films that approach love in transition through comedy, drama and other genres. The screening approaches how we care for one another through moments that define who we become. *Some films contain adult language and topics, Parental discretion is advised

SHORT FILMS

Total run time: 1hr 21 min.

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FOR DARIAN

A woman is forced to confront a painful loss on moving day.

IG: @rcwdels01

(writer/director) Jackie Mah, (writer/director/producer) Robert Christopher Webb, Don Purnell,

(Actors) Tamara Whatley, Deanne Lauvin, and Remington Baig.

 A woman is forced to confront a painful loss on moving day.

 Jackie Mah (writer/director) is a Los Angeles based artist and performer with a BFA from Pomona College. From the time she was a young girl, Jackie has been fascinated by the art of storytelling through imagery; whether it be in a painting, drawing, photograph, or film. After graduating from Pomona, she became curious about the filmmaking process, both in front of and behind the camera.

  On a lark, Jackie decided to take an acting class; and over twenty years later, she has a resume that includes Modern Family, Shameless, and S.W.A.T., to name a few. She’s also appeared in numerous national commercials for companies such as Chase bank, Charles Schwab, and Mattress Firm.

 Through all her years as an actor; however, Jackie never forgot her interest in filmmaking, and she enrolled at Los Angeles City College in 2023 to begin her journey as a writer and director. It was during her first year at LACC that she was inspired by a personal loss to write and direct “For Darian.” Currently, Jackie is in the process of writing her first feature film and pursuing a Master’s of Arts Degree in Theater.

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THE 4 WAY

Brian celebrates his 40th by having drinks with his three best friends and proposing an unusual request.

 IG: @rollynstafford

(Director/Writer/Producer) Rollyn Stafford, (Actors) Daniel Timothy, Ali Alkhafagi, Steve Larkin, Rollyn Stafford

 Rollyn Stafford (Writer/Director) works primarily as a director, writer and actor in Portland, Oregon. Credits include 'Grimm', Chuck Palahniuk's 'Romance', 'Zombie Walk', '1 Dead Dog', and 'Exorcist: The Fallen'. When not making movies, Rollyn works for the Portland Art Museum and teaches film history at Portland Community College.

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EACH LOVELY THING

In the midst of setting up for a mysterious party, a woman tries to stop her flighty younger sister from making a devastating choice.

 IG: @palomiiiiiiita

 (Director/Writer) Paloma Nozicka, (Actors) Paloma Nozicka, Cher Alvarez, (producers) Vance Smith, Lucas A Ferrara

 Paloma Nozicka (writer/director) is an award-winning Mexican-American actor, writer, and filmmaker, based in Los Angeles.  Directing credits include Each Lovely Thing (official selection at the Austin Film Festival, Cleveland International; “Best Short” winner at LA Femme and Lady Filmmakers LA; “Best Screenplay” at the New Filmmakers LA “Best of 2024” awards). Screenwriting credits include Enough to Let the Light In (feature), Horns (feature), Each Lovely Thing (short), HUGE (short), Sam Kelly (short). Playwriting credits include Enough to Let the Light In and Both.  Television acting credits include The Irrational (NBC), The Red Line (CBS); Proven Innocent, Empire (FOX); Chicago Med, Chicago PD (NBC); The Secret Santa (TLC); Underemployed (MTV).

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LITTLE FOOTSTEPS

A young woman invites an unsettling guest to her family's Christmas Eve dinner party.

IG: @littlefootstepsfilm

(writer/director) Louis Reyes McWilliams, (actors) Marilyn Bass, Louis Reyes McWilliams, Joely Fisher, Teddy Margas, Susan Louise O'Connor, and Paul Tigue, (Producers) Brenden Rodriguez, Rose Alsander-García, Louis Reyes McWilliams

Louis Reyes McWilliams (Writer/Director)  is a Los Angeles based writer, director, and actor. His debut short film Little Footsteps has played at film festivals across the country, including the Chelsea Film Festival, the Rhode Island International Film Festival, and LA Shorts Fest. As a writer, he’s had three features in the top 10% of the Academy Nicholl Fellowship, and finished as a Semi-Finalist in both the Disney Writers’ Program and the Final Draft Big Break Competition. Additionally, his stage plays have been produced at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Trinity Rep, the Actors’ Company, and Stanford University. As an actor, his credits include roles on network television and in award-winning films, as well as Off-Broadway, Shakespeare in the Park with The Public Theater, and regional productions with Berkeley Rep, the Huntington, The Old Globe, Pasadena Playhouse, Trinity Rep, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

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THE KITE

Days before her wedding, Mary learns of her fathers sudden passing. Due to their complicated relationship, she ponders if she should even mourn him.

 IG: @soupentertainmentvpp

FB: Soup Entertainment

 (director/writer/editor) Drake Dalgleish, (cinematographer/composer) Jacob Rohrbach

Drake Dalgleish (Writer/Director) is a filmmaker from Longview, Washington. He got his start early through improv and musical theater, which sparked a lifelong love for performing and creating. In 2017, he moved to Hollywood to attend the New York Film Academy, where he formally began his journey into the world of film.

Since then, Drake has worked on a wide range of creative projects, telling stories through film, theater, and digital content. He’s best known for directing The Another Horror Series — a collection of horror-comedy films including Another Cabin Massacre, Another Found Footage Film, and Another Blood Sucker.

After years of working in Hollywood as a freelance for film tv and movies, Drake moved back to the Pacific Northwest in 2022. He now works full-time as a video editor for a marketing firm, creating commercials and social media marketing, while still making time for passion projects in film and theater.

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BUSCANDO ALMA

A Honduran immigrant is given the chance to meet her mother after nearly two decades of separation. As she grapples with the uncertainty of their reunion, she is confronted by tumultuous memories of her past and the fact that she might not be what her mother is expecting.

 IG: @buscandoalmafilm

(director/writer/producer) Melissa Fisher, (co-writer) Mair Flores, (producers)  Katie Gunderson, Kai de Mello-Folsom, (executive producers) Carolina Gutierrez, Angelique Cabral, (actors) Carolina Gutierrez, Neher Jacqueline Briceño, Marc Anthony Samuel, Desiree Marisol Carcamo, River Jose, Gerardo Saenz

Melissa Fisher (co-writer/Director) is an accomplished director, writer and multi-hyphenate in the industry. As a member of the International Cinematographers Guild, she has over a decade of experience working on Academy and Emmy Award-winning films and television series. Fisher works her way up from a camera PA on Michael Bay’s PAIN & GAIN to camera assist on films like Damien Chazelle’s LA LA LAND and FIRST MAN, to eventually running the camera department on hit television shows like GLOW and THE DROPOUT. Her decade of experience working behind the camera has given her a keen sense for aesthetic visual storytelling.

Fisher graduated form Chapman University with a FFA in Film Production. Her directorial work merges technical skill with poetic imagery to create emotionally evocative drama. She is drawn to projects that tackle social justice themes and highlight marginalized communities. Fisher has directed several short films that have screened in Academy-qualifying festival. Her most recent film BUSCANDO ALMA focused on immigration an gender identity, and won numerous awards including the Oscar-qualifying Jury Award at Atlanta’s Out On Film Festival making it eligible of the 2025 Academy Awards. Fisher is currently a member of the AFI’s DWW+ class of 2026.

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CROSSING THE DESERT

Ignoring her mother's warning, Antara uses Google Translate to come out to her grandmother in India. Facing mistranslation and renewed tensions, can mother and daughter love each other for who they really are, or just who they want the other to be?

 IG: @crossingthedesert

 (director) Reena Dutt, (writer) Anu Bhatt, (producers) FutureHome Productions (Josh Sobel), Diana Perez Riveros, (actors) Anu Bhatt, Rumela Ganguly, Ranjita Chakravarty, Zehra Fazal.

 Anu Bhatt (she/her) (writer/actor/producer) is an actor, writer, and filmmaker from San Diego. Her mission is to spread awareness of the "balancing act" of being first-generation South Asian-American. A self-proclaimed language nerd, Anu loves incorporating foreign languages into her work. She studied Linguistics at U.C. Berkeley and speaks multiple languages in varying degrees of fluency. Anu earned her M.F.A. in Acting from Chicago’s Roosevelt University and worked professionally in Chicago theater, TV and commercials from 2010-2019. While in Chicago, she created and toured her one-woman show, Hollow/Wave, which premiered off-Broadway in 2019 with the United Solo Theatre Festival. In 2020, Anu wrote her first short film, AutoCorrect, about the importance of names in South Asian culture. Crossing the Desert is her second short film. Follow Anu and the film on Instagram at @iamanubhatt and @crossingthedesert. www.anubhatt.com.

 Reena Dutt (director) is part of the 2026 cohort in AFI DWW+ program working on COMFORT FOOD her next short film. She is dedicated to new and reimagined texts that catapult polarizing conversations. Her film, FOUND, brings voice to transracial adoption, and she directed TOO MANY BODIES, a music and dance piece advocating for gun reform, which was picked up by Alyssa Milano at NoRAnow.org and Survivors Empowered, and received numerous awards in music video and social justice categories. As a producer she has screened films at over 80 festivals worldwide including Sundance, Outfest and IFFLA. Fellowships: SFFilm, Project Involve, Trans Atlantic Partners with the Goethe Institut. www.ReenaDutt.com