Saturday, August 3, 2024
Wake Up, Leonard w/There Are Mermaids in LA
Part comedy, part self-help nightmare, WAKE UP, LEONARD follows one man”s quest for wellness while failing miserably to stay on his vibe. This is the story of a broken-hearted seeker with a tenuous grasp on his mental health, but an admirable faith in the Universe. Will Leonard learn how to not only love his higher self, but his lower self too? This improvised feature was shot during the pandemic and explores themes of mental wellness, queer love, and self acceptance.
Vulveeta
Riot grrrl band VULVEETA didn’t break up on the best of terms. In fact, lead singer Grrrilda Beausoleil disappeared 20 years ago, just as they were about to ”go big.” Now, she has to convince the band she’s ready to rock and overcome the band’s demons. They’ll need to figure out how to integrate Gordon, who’s transitioned since the band’s heyday. Meanwhile, their formerly two-year-old drummer, Killer Child, is eager to chart a new course in her 20s. Most importantly, how will the band be able to draw a crowd in the digital age, in a time far removed from the 1990s marketing methods of wheat paste and stickers?
The Mirror Game
Childhood friends Rose and Abe both find themselves in Las Vegas on the same weekend, but when Rose asks Abe for a life-changing favor, the evening takes a turn for the unexpected, and the two spend the night trying to beat the odds.
The Falconer
Inspired by true events, two best friends, Tariq, an Omani teenager and Cai, a privileged Westerner, conspire to steal animals from the zoo and sell them on the black market to raise money for Tariq’s sister’s divorce from an abusive marriage. They are forced to wrestle with morally complex choices that reveal the vast distance between their worlds.
The Big Bend
Two families meet for a reunion in the unknowable reaches of the West Texas desert where they explore the visually-striking landscape and reflect on their good lives. When a child goes missing on a hike, a father confronts his mortality and a wife decides to reexamine her marriage. THE BIG BEND follows the survival of these two families in a hauntingly dangerous environment, creating an unforgettable portrait of friendship, parenthood, and marriage.
Sweet Disaster
Frida, a 40-year-old German-Finnish painting therapist unexpectedly falls pregnant, and Felix, the father of her child, breaks up with her to reunite with his ex. Although some serious health problems caused by the pregnancy force Frida to rest, she still tries to get Felix back using methods which are absurd, exaggerated and sometimes hilarious.
Route One North w/ The Errand
Sisters Sarah and Bee set off to track down their long-absent father after their mother refuses to give 16-year-old Bee permission to marry her military boyfriend.
Northern Shade
Justin McLaughlin, a disenchanted Army vet working a menial job and avoiding his past, is forced to emerge from isolation when his younger brother is recruited by an extremist militia. Working with a private investigator named Frankie, Justin will have to decide how much of his past in the Army he’s willing to bring back to the surface to extract his brother from the clutches of the paramilitary conman Billy.
Miles From Nowhere
During an annual cabin retreat, a dying man must confront past mistakes after learning he may not know his friends as well as he may think. MILES FROM NOWHERE examines the shifting nature of relationships, the price of silence and secrets, and the confusion, not clarity, that can overcome a person faced with the reality of their own death.
Midday Black Midnight Blue
Living alone in a house on the edge of Puget Sound, Ian grapples with long-held grief and shame over the loss of Liv, a woman he loved dearly who died nearly two decades ago. As he moves though the world he’s created with visions and fantasies of their life together, he’s pulled further and further away from the present. Liv’s sister Beth, a woman with ghosts of her own, is the first to see how far Ian has slipped away from reality. Their chance run-in begins a spiral which ultimately forces Ian to choose… lose himself completely or turn towards healing.
Maybe Someday
In the midst of separating from her wife, Jay, a non-binary 40-something photographer, attempts to move across the country to start her life over again. Along the way, she takes a detour to stay with her high school best friend who she used to be secretly in love with, and befriends a charismatic gay man who has long given up on love. Struggling to move forward with the next chapter of her life, Jay grapples with the inevitable cycles of love, loss, and letting go.
Homebody w/ The Man of My Dreams
Nothing is quite as special as a child”s relationship with their babysitter, and nine-year-old, gender-queer Johnny is obsessed with theirs – so much so that they”ve meditated their spirit right into her body! Part ”Freaky Friday” and part ”Being John Malkovitch,” HOMEBODY is a charming, crowd-pleasing, cringe comedy for the gender-fluid era.
Hékate
”We”re in the middle of nowhere with my almost-dead boyfriend in there.” Helena and Kira argue on the side of the road. No destination in mind, no plan to follow. The journey unfolds kilometer by kilometer; a journey that soon becomes a ritual.
Dear Zoe
Adapted from the heartbreaking and inspirational novel of the same name, “Dear Zoe” is a powerful story of resilience told from the point of view of a 16-year-old girl; a coming-of-age drama in which teenage Tess enlists her biological father – a lovable slacker – and the charming juvenile delinquent next door to help her come to grips with the death of her little sister.
