The celebrated true indie-focused film festival returns to New York City with three times as many films as last year’s debut.
64 World Premiere Screenings Featured
Dylan K. Narang’s TAPAWINGO is the Opening Night selection,
and Nicholas Gyeney’s THE ACTIVATED MAN will make its World Premiere as the
Closing Night selection.
New York, NY (November 9, 2023) – Dances With Films
announced the film lineup for the return of what has become LA’s largest purely
indie film-focused film festival over the past 26 years to New York City
(November 30-December 3) for the second time featuring a film lineup nearly
three times the size of last year’s NYC debut. DWF alum Dylan K. Narang’s
Tapawingo is the Opening Night selection, and Nicholas Gyeney’s psychological
thriller The Activated Man will make its world premiere in the Closing Night
slot.
Among DWF NYC’s lineup of 136 films, including 20 narrative
features, 9 documentary features, 19 television and streaming pilots, and 88
short films (73 narrative and 15 documentaries), are an impressive number of
world premieres. All screenings will take place at Regal Union Square (850
Broadway).
Among the 64 world
premieres are Gyeney’s The Activated Man, Etana Jacobson’s Advanced Chemistry,
Kevin Interdonato’s The Bastard Sons, Michael Groom’s Between The Lights, Isaac
Hirotsu Woofter’s Bound, Sara Katarina Burke and Aaron Andrew Keene’s Can’t
Seem to Make You Mine, Ryan Moore’s Influence, Michelle Bossy’s Nobody’s Home,
Brendan Boogie’s Tallywacker, Micah Khan’s The Zombie Wedding, Justin Best’s
Sheryl, and Wynette Yao’s District Of Second Chances. Hanna Vastinsalo’s
Palimpsest will make its North American Premiere at Dances With Films NYC.
After becoming the
leading beacon for true indie films and filmmakers in Los Angeles over the past
26 years, this will mark Dances With Films’ return to New York City for the
second year. Dances With Films’ Founders and Directors Leslee Scallon and Michael
Trent, said, “This year's theme is "the color of imagination" and
that imagination, by its various definitions, exemplifies what Dances With
Films will be highlighting this December. We could not be more excited to
return to NYC and debut so many wonderful films and help provide a platform for
all our indie filmmakers and their projects under the spotlight of this great
city.”
Thursday, November 30
will feature the Opening Night presentation of DWF alumni Dylan K. Narang’s
Tapawingo. Previously at DWF with his feature All I Need (2016), Narang’s
Tapawingo is a lighthearted coming-of-age comedy stars Jon Heder as an
eccentric young man who lives with his mother and works in a mailroom. However,
when he must pick up his boss’ son from school, he discovers the kid is the
subject of relentless bullying. at school, Naturally, he assembles a team of
misfits to ensure the boy’s safety, but the good deed takes an unexpected turn
when they discover that the network of bullies they are guarding against wields
more power and influence than they initially thought. The film also stars Gina
Gershon, Billy Zane, John Ratzenberger, and Amanda Bearse.
As part of DWF NYC’s
dedicated programming of horror, thrillers, and genre films, the Closing Night
selection also comes from the film festival’s Midnight section. Sunday,
December 3, Nicholas Gyeney’s The Activated Man will make its world premiere as
it officially closes the film festival. In the film, a man, struggling with the
grief from losing his best friend and beloved dog to cancer, begins to have
strange visions only he can see. While he questions whether his mind has
fractured or if it's real, a mysterious rise in murder-suicides takes hold of
the city, and he becomes haunted by images of a shadowy figure known as ‘The
Fedora Man’. To survive, he must face his fears and confront 'The Fedora Man'
as he uncovers dark secrets from his past, while finally embracing who he
really is, and what he is meant to do.
Additional feature films making their world premieres are
Etana Jacobson’s Advanced Chemistry about a scientist whose attempt in the lab
to help his lesbian best friend stop cheating on her wife backfires when the
wife falls for him. Kevin Interdonato’s The Bastard Sons is a story of revenge
by a group of men, when the man who raised them – the family boss – is
murdered. Michael Groom’s British romantic drama Between The Lights follows
askeptical scientist who falls for a reluctant medium, leading them on an
odyssey of love, loss and discovery that turns her world upside down. Isaac
Hirotsu Woofter’s Bound focuses on a young introvert who flees with her pet
pocket squirrel to New York in order to escape her drug-dealing controlling
stepfather. Making it’s North American Premiere is Vardan Tozija’s M. A
multi-national production including
Macedonia, Croatia, Kosovo, France, and Luxembourg, the film
centers on a young boy who lives in the forest under the watchful eye of his
overprotective and mysterious father. Their sheltered existence is all he knows
until an encounter with a kind-hearted, helpless boy may open up a whole new
world to him.
Also making their world premieres at DWF NYC are Sara
Katarina Burke and Aaron Andrew Keene’s Can’t Seem to Make You Mine about a
recent parolee who tries to make amends with his ex and become a father to his
little boy while staying with a stripper he met on a pen-pal website. Ryan
Moore’s Influence focuses on a struggling female filmmaker who kidnaps a famous
social media influencer to convince them to play the lead role in her latest
project. Michelle Bossy’s Nobody’s Home follows the mind-bending journey of a
young man after he is released from the psychiatric hospital with his
girlfriend who may or may not be telling him the truth about what he is
experiencing. Brendan Boogie’s buddy comedy Tallywacker takes us on a trip with
2 bandmates whose relationship gets tested when one of them gets a gig touring
with a major rock star. Micah Khan’s outlandish comedy The Zombie Wedding
illustrates the challenges one can have at a New Jersey wedding when the groom
is a zombie, and the bride is not. Another film in the Midnight Features
section making its world premiere is Justin Best’s Sheryl about a woman who
goes on a bloody quest to create the perfect face after she’s dumped by her
serial killer boyfriend for not being “hot enough”.
Highlights among the
documentary section include one feature-length film making its world premiere,
and a second making its U.S. Premiere. Making its world premiere is Wynette
Yao’s District Of Second Chances, which follows the journeys of three men - all
sentenced to life in prison during the 1990s - who have the possibility of
being released and starting a new life thanks to sentencing reform. Making its
U.S. premiere will be Emilio Di Stefano’s Denim Hunter. The road movie
documentary follows a man whose obsession with really old jeans leads him
through the deserts of California, Arizona, and Nevada as well as up the
snowclad Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Marc Saltarelli’s Studio One Forever is
the untold story of America’s iconic gay disco, a kaleidoscopic excursion into
LGBTQ+ history through the lens of Studio One and its adjoining live music
venue, The Backlot during the 70s and 80s. Hoag Kepner’s Torched - The Story of
Austin Torch tells the story of the Austin Torch, a wild and fiery group of women/non-binary
athletes in Austin who are trying to legitimize and professionalize their
fringe sport of Ultimate Frisbee.
The television, web
series pilots, and episodics also have a healthy number of world premieres.
Those include Federica Marchese and Vinusha Sundaresan’s Chinese series pilot
The Blind Zone about a faceoff between two teenage sociopaths after they set
their eyes on the same target, David Antonio Martin’s absurd comedy The
Selectman where two men are trapped in a picturesque world where the forces of
learned behavior, arrested adolescence, and the quest for power forever
collide, and Henk Pretorius’ British animated series pilot Travel Foxwhich
follows the inquisitive Travel Fox and Bogie the Tortoise as they race across
the world, chasing rainbows in search of a legendary pot of gold.
Additional world
premieres include Jon Da’s Ülom: The Primary Experiment is centered on a
desperate scientist who undertakes a labyrinthian experiment he believes will
locate his missing daughter. Jonathan Chao’s Xander teams a lonely high school
student with a Genie. However, the student might lose his new best friend if he
makes his one wish. Making its North American premiere will be Aaron Lewis’
Moments, a gripping 9-episode digital series, offering intimate glimpses into
characters on the brink. Clarissa De Los Reyes’ Hot Angry Mom about a
people-pleasing mom who must face her rage, as a video of her epic meltdown
goes viral, and Dana Marisa Schoenfeld’s East about a New York City Corporate
attorney who suddenly loses her job and catches her boyfriend cheating, forcing
her to reevaluate everything and pursue
her childhood dream of being an actress.
Highlights among the short films showcased at DWF NYC
include the world premiere of Luke Black’s I Keep Bumping Into Candy Maldonado
in which a man keeps bumping into the famous baseball player who is his
childhood ideal each day until he’s inspired to make some life changes.
Rj Collins’ thrilling Dropping follows a young woman going
through the rigorous “dropping” training which may just turn into a fight for
survival. Actor Cynthia Gibb takes a turn behind the camera, directing Lux
Freer, about a non-binary teen whose humiliating job of delivering a pizza to
bully and aspiring prom queen Arabella Astor’s mansion sets in motion a plot to
upend the social stratosphere at her high school. Nazrin Choudhury’s Red, White
And Bluestars Brittany Snow as a single parent forced to cross state lines in
search of an urgent and necessary abortion. Eleanor Morrison’s You Need To
Process This stars Mary Holland and Matt Peters as a married couple who must
discuss a sexual assault.
DWF NYC will also
present a series of filmmaker panels focused on current real world issues faced
by today’s indie filmmakers at The Stand (116 E. 16th Street) Panels will
include “Distribution: Navigating the Marketplace as Well as Forecasting the
Future”, which will be moderated by Scott Macauley (Filmmaker Magazine), and is
slated to include executives from Magnolia Pictures, IFC, and STX
Entertainment, “Making the Sale: The Producer/Sales Agent Dynamic” moderated by
Kate Erbland (Indiewire), and includes Carylanna Taylor (Head of Sales Film
Sales Corp), Josh Braun (Founder & President, Submarine), and Jason
Ishikawa (Sr. Exec. & Co-head of Sales, Cinetic Media), and “The Casting
Director/Producer Dynamic” moderated by Michael Sladik (SAGindie New York), and
includes casting directors Shayna Markowitz, Bernie Telsey, and Paul Schnee.
For more information about the Dances With Films NYC film
lineup, events, passes, and tickets, go to: https://danceswithfilms.com/.
The 2023 Dances With Films NYC official selections:
OPENING NIGHT
SELECTION
Tapawingo
Director: Dylan K. Narang
Country: USA; Running Time: 109 min
An oddball becomes the bodyguard for a misfit teenager and
finds himself in the crosshairs of the town's family of bullies.
CLOSING NIGHT SELECTION
The Activated Man World
Premiere
Director: Nicholas Gyeney
Country: USA; Running Time: 115 min
As Ors Gabriel struggles with the grief from losing his best
friend and beloved dog to cancer, the trauma brings on strange visions only Ors
can see. While he questions whether his mind has fractured or if it's real, a
mysterious rise in murder-suicides takes hold of the city, and Ors becomes
haunted by images of a shadowy figure known as ‘The Fedora Man’. Through
torments and terror, Ors must face his fears and confront 'The Fedora Man' as
he uncovers dark secrets from his past, while finally embracing who he really
is, and what he is meant to do.
ADDITIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURES
Advanced Chemistry World Premiere
Director: Etana Jacobson
Country: USA; Running Time: 96 min
A scientist injects his lesbian best friend with a compound
he's created to make her stop cheating on her wife (who is bi), but when the
wife finds her new monogamous fixation suffocating, he injects the wife too,
which backfires when she falls for him.
The Bastard Sons
World Premiere
Director: Kevin Interdonato
Country: USA; Running Time: 90 min
Life for a crew of organized criminals is disrupted when
Vincent Damiano’s father, the family’s boss, is murdered. Vincent’s ‘bastard’
brothers (UFC legend Frank Edgar, Chicago Med star Malik Whitfield), a group of
orphaned souls he raised together, have an idea of who killed their father…his
partner Rome (TV/Film veteran Al Sapienza). In a valiant and calculated attempt
to regain the business and enact vengeance on Rome over the course of one day,
the Bastards wage an all-out war to get their pound of flesh.
Between The Lights
World Premiere
Director: Michael Groom
Country: UK; Running Time: 104 min
When skeptical scientist Alice falls for reluctant medium
Jay, she's taken on an odyssey of love, loss and discovery that will turn her
world upside down. Between the Lights is a romantic drama with a liberal dose
of the supernatural, in which we visit our characters over three consecutive
Christmases. It is set within the ancient walls of York and the stunning
natural beauty of the Lake District.
Bound World
Premiere
Director: Isaac Hirotsu Woofter
Country: USA; Running Time: 101 min
To escape her drug-dealing controlling stepfather, a young
introvert flees to NYC with only her pet pocket squirrel. After successfully
reinventing herself, she realizes she must confront her dark past, to truly be
free.
Can’t Seem to Make You Mine
World Premiere
Directors: Sara Katarina Burke, Aaron Andrew Keene
Country: USA; Running Time: 102 min
A man who was just released from prison tries to make amends
with his ex and become a father to his 6-year-old son while staying with a
stripper he met on a pen-pal website.
Daruma
Director: Alexander Yellen
Country: USA; Running Time: 104 min
Patrick (bitter wheelchair user) must enlist the help of his
cantankerous neighbor (double amputee veteran) to transport the daughter he
never knew he had to live with her maternal grandparents on the other side of
the country.
Grounded
Director: Justin Chan
Country: USA; Running Time: 84 min
William Lee, a 30-something Chinese-Filipino American,
introduces his Caucasian girlfriend to his overbearing, immigrant parents when
a mysterious cosmic force takes hold of their day.
Home Free
Director: Aaron Brown
Country: USA; Running Time: 98 min
In 1997, a group of college misfits invite an unhoused
professor to crash on their porch.
Home Free is a Trojan horse, a bold coming-of-age comedy
aimed at reaching a mass audience, but also intended to be a catalyst for
serious social change sharply focused on one of the most pervasive problems
across America—the homelessness epidemic. Humor is our spoonful of sugar.
Influence
World Premiere
Director: Ryan Moore
Country: USA; Running Time: 83 min
A female filmmaker struggling with her career and her mental
health reaches a breaking point and decides to kidnap a famous social media
influencer in an attempt to coerce them into playing the lead role in her
latest project.
Katie’s Mom
Director: Tyrrell Shaffner
Country: USA; Running Time: 111 min
A heartfelt comedy influenced by The Graduate but told from
the perspective of a protagonist inspired by Mrs. Robinson. Set in modern-day
Pasadena, California. Nancy Rosenfeld (Dina Meyer), a nurturing mom and recent
divorcée, whose beloved Jewish/Christmas mashup holiday celebration with her
adult children is derailed when she falls for Alex Rojas (Aaron Dominguez (Only
Murders in the Building), her daughter’s charming new boyfriend. Their
electrifying affair upends her status quo and sets her on a path to becoming
who she was meant to be.
M
North American Premiere
Director: Vardan Tozija
Countries: Macedonia/Croatia/Kosovo/France/Luxembourg,
Running Time: 99 min
In a secluded forest, young Marko lives under the watchful
eye of his overprotective and mysterious father. Their sheltered existence is
all he knows. Marko seeks solace in his cherished picture book, finding comfort
and answers within its pages. One day, an encounter with a kind-hearted,
helpless boy named Miko, brings a glimmer of warmth and connection into Marko’s
isolated world. As his curiosity grows, Marko yearns to uncover the secrets
that lie beyond the confines of the wilderness. But, a cruel turn of events
grants him his wish sooner than he expects…
Nobody’s Home
World Premiere
Director: Michelle Bossy
Country: USA; Running Time: 83 min
When Luca is released from the psychiatric hospital where he
and his girlfriend Theodora live, she escapes with him. To remain in control,
she takes him to his childhood home, the root of his trauma. Time lapses.
Consciousness is distorted. A dead body is discovered. Theodora insists Luca
committed the murder in his sleep. Is she telling the truth? A knock on the
door suddenly diverts them. Angelica and Jeremy show up, high on acid. Theodora
invites them in to test Luca’s loyalty. Her jealousy increases to the point of
danger. In the end, nothing is what it seems. Everyone has darkness inside.
Palimpsest
North American Premiere
Director: Hanna Vastinsalo
Country: Finland; Running Time: 109 min
Two elderly roommates are selected for a medical trial that
makes them younger. Given a second chance at life, with the memories of their
past life intact, they realize that growing young is not just fun.
Space Baby
Director: Rex Dean
Country: USA; Running Time: 99 min
Three friends fight fascist Nurse Nancy to rebuild the holy
grail and get a new soul for the earth. Each friend is different. 8-year-old
Sam ("Mental Man") is a mad scientist and inventor; 6-year-old Sophia
("Nature Girl") is a caretaker of the earth; 300-year-old Blue (a
great ballplayer like Satchel Paige) was the keeper of the holy grail in Africa
before he and his siblings were captured as slaves. With help from a squadron
of ladybugs, they fight the "greed, intolerance, and just plain
cruelty" that Nurse Nancy and her demonic crow inhabit. A story of
courage, friendship, and love.
Tallywacker
World Premiere
Director: Brendan Boogie
Country: USA; Running Time: 90 min
A rock and roll buddy comedy about 2 bandmates whose
relationship gets tested when one of them gets a gig touring with a major rock
star.
The Zombie Wedding World Premiere
Director: Micah Khan
Country: USA; Running Time: 99 min
A young Cumberland County, NJ couple decides to go through
with their wedding – during the Zombie Apocalypse. Unfortunately, he’s a zombie
and she’s not. Both families are fearful, but the humans' behavior is brutish.
When the Zombies begin feeling brain-deprived, the ceremony takes a turn for
the weird. Weekly World News reporters are there to cover this wild wedding -
while trying to get out alive!
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
44 Lights: Music from Ground Zero
Director: Barbara Blackburn Tuttle
Country: USA; Running Time: 68 min
A musical journey to healing in the aftermath of 9/11. A
story of pain, loss, and ultimately rebirth through music.
American Pot Story: Oaksterdam
Directors: Dan Katzir and Ravit Markus
Country: USA; Running Time: 97 min
This award-winning documentary is a decade-long follow-up of
the underdogs who put their blood, sweat, and tears to overturn a 100-year-old
policy, proving in the process that “a small group of thoughtful committed
citizens can change the world,” to quote Margaret Mead).
Brothers Broken
Directors: Geoff Levin, Lily Richards
Country: USA; Running Time: 86 min
This is the story of brothers Geoff and Robbie Levin, who
grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of the 60's music scene including
Jerry Garcia, the Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin. The brother’s band PEOPLE!
had the hit record “I Love You” in 1968 and toured with The Who; then
Scientology entered their lives destroyed their band and split up the brothers.
After 46 years Geoff despite losing his children and friends to the cult, left
the church and reunited with his brother and band. It’s a tale of breaking free
from a modern-day prison of belief.
Denim Hunter
U.S. Premiere
Director: Emilio Di Stefano
Country: Sweden; Running Time: 87 min
In the road movie documentary Denim Hunter, we meet Viktor -
a regular guy from Sweden but with a burning passion for really old jeans. The
film follows Viktor on his wild journey through the deserts of California,
Arizona, and Nevada as well as up the snowclad Rocky Mountains of Colorado,
where he hunts for denim treasures in hazardous run-down gold mines from the
1880s. On his journey, Viktor comes across an array of unlikely desert characters,
like Indiana Jeans, Dynamite Dan, and Redneck-Mike. In various ways, they all
lead Viktor from one failure to the next.
The Depths of My Despair
Director: Elizabeth Lawrence
Country: USA; Running Time: 68 min
The Depths of My Despair is a visceral rabbit hole toward
the authentic self. Filmmaker Elizabeth Lawrence takes an emotional,
first-person detour inward. Oscillating through saneness and psychosis; debris
and lucidity, the film stares at depression dead-on.
District Of Second Chances World
Premiere
Director: Wynette Yao
Country: USA; Running Time: 76 min
District of Second Chances follows the journeys of three men
from Washington, D.C., all sentenced to life in prison during the 1990s. Now,
because of sentencing reform, they have a rare chance at release and new lives.
Meet Me Where I Am
Director: Grant Garry
Country: USA; Running Time: 86 min
Meet Me Where I Am explores the topic of grief through
individual stories of loss, love, and hope. The film aims to normalize grief in
our culture and explores how we can actively participate in helping others
through grief. By accepting grief and its impact, we hope to help individuals
find new meaning as they move forward with their grief.
Studio One Forever
Director: Marc Saltarelli
Country: USA; Running Time: 86 min
The untold story of America’s iconic gay disco, a
kaleidoscopic excursion into LGBTQ+ history through the lens of this
groundbreaking club. From 1974-1994, Studio One and its adjoining live music
venue, The Backlot, became symbols of hope and community for gay men during
tumultuous times. Amidst the rise of gay rights, disco's heyday, and the
devastating AIDS crisis, the club offered sanctuary from rampant homophobia and
police oppression.
Torched - The Story of Austin Torch
Director: Hoag Kepner
Country: USA; Running Time: 66 min
Torched tells the story of the Austin Torch, a wild and
fiery group of women/non-binary athletes in Austin who are trying to legitimize
and professionalize their fringe sport of Ultimate Frisbee in a historically
male-dominated sports industry. As we follow the Torch on the road and at home
during their 2022 season, we realize that though the Torch might not always
win, they never really lose, because it's more than a team: it's a movement.
MIDNIGHT FEATURES
Sheryl World
Premiere
Director: Justin Best
Country: USA; Running Time: 72 min
After she’s dumped by her serial killer boyfriend for not
being “hot enough”, a beauty-obsessed woman goes on a bloody quest to create
the perfect face, all while navigating her new relationship with the cop
investigating the murders.
Wild Eyed and Wicked
Director: G.S. Foxwood
Country: USA; Running Time: 99 min
Lily Pierce is sick of being haunted. She decides to
reconnect with her estranged father, a disgraced history professor, and learn
how to draw upon a time of steel and blade when armor-clad knights rode out and
dueled their monsters to the death.
TELEVISION AND WEB SERIES PILOTS
A Killer Service
Director: Gio Randazzo
Country: USA; Running Time: 25 min
The hapless daughter of an incarcerated con-artist finds she
has inherited a substantial debt to a dangerous crime boss. Forced into a
corner, Elliott discovers how to take control of her life while helping empower
other women.
Awesome
Director: Paul Munger
Country: USA; Running Time: 16 min
Every night, 20-year-old Joy gets a glimpse of the future.
But with a dad on parole, a pill-popping boyfriend, and a recent lay-off, that
doesn't mean she can stop it from being shitty. That is until she foresees an
event that will ruin the lives of her loved ones forever. She'll have to figure
out how to change her future--or live with the consequences.
The Blind Zone
World Premiere
Directors: Federica Marchese, Vinushu Sundaresan
Country: China; Running Time: 32 min
Battle of wits and violence ensues when the separate worlds
of two teenage sociopaths collide after they set their eyes on the same target.
East
Director: Dana Marisa Schoenfeld
Country: USA; Running Time: 32 min
When Ella Goldman, a New York City Corporate attorney, gets
engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Josh, she is ecstatic to embark on the next
stage of her life. With a wedding to plan and a blossoming career, Ella thinks
she has it all. But when she suddenly loses her job and catches her boyfriend
cheating, her world comes crashing down. This devastating turn of events forces
her to confront the truth about her life – and what it is she really wants.
Convinced that this is a "wake-up call," Ella pursues her childhood dream
of being an actress.
Events At Hemlock Manor
Director: Katie North
Country: USA; Running Time: 15 min
At its core, this is a series about underdogs: a ragtag
group of spooky weirdos with nowhere else to go. Hemlock Manor is not only a
year-round haunted house with a terrible business model; it’s also a home. But
what do you do when the thing you love is in trouble? You fight for it. Even
when that means throwing a baby shower for a group of rich ladies who thought
“the historic Hemlock Manor” was a charming country villa, not a haunted house
open in July.
For Years to Come
Director: Micah Stuart
Country: USA; Running Time: 27 min
An irreverent and heartfelt romantic dramedy about a gay man
who falls in love with his dead mother's hospice nurse, while struggling to
reconnect with his elderly father...who's secretly a porn director.
Hit Man: Secrets Of Lies
Director: Elias Plagianos
Country: UK; Running Time: 19 min
A reflective hitman from New York City travels to small
towns around the country trying to find meaning in his seemingly
inconsequential life as he fulfills his contracts and eliminates his targets.
Hot Angry Mom
Director: Clarissa De Los Reyes
Country: USA; Running Time: 34 min
A people-pleasing mom must face her rage, as a video of her
epic meltdown goes viral.
I Could Eat
Director: Rick Bedrosian
Country: USA; Running Time: 28 min
A new TV/Web Series showcasing the cuisine & music that
unites diverse cultures. Host, Rick Bedrosian (“George” in a Beatlemania stage
show for 7 years, leader of Celtic music powerhouse, Hair Of The Dog, since
1993 and an international tour guide) spans the globe seeking out the finest
food and the most interesting music makers.
L.I.F.E.: It’s Wonderful
Director: Dathan Smith
Country: USA; Running Time: 22 min
L.I.F.E. is an anthology series set in the near future where
citizens receive a hand-delivered card notifying them the day they will die.
Rose feels trapped in her new "home". Emilia feels trapped by her
daughter's recent news. Bob is forced to deliver a card he has been dreading
since joining L.I.F.E. Corp. as Diane adjusts to her new job.
Moments North
American Premiere
Director: Aaron Lewis
Country: USA; Running Time: 23 min
Moments is a gripping 9-episode digital series, each under
13 minutes, offering intimate glimpses into characters on the brink. Driven by
black trauma and mysticism, it unravels mind-reading and hidden truths through
therapist Dr. Winston. An enigmatic narrator, Rutina Wesley, introduces time
travel, adding layers of self-discovery. Momentshints at an expanded episodic
journey, diving deeper into characters' histories and relationships, while
authentically addressing themes of healing and transformation within the
mystical. Boasting a stellar ensemble cast and profound storytelling.
Morse Code
Director: Travis Nicholson
Country: USA; Running Time: 37 min
In the eccentric community of modern-day East Nashville,
Simon, a talented but flawed thirty-something indie folk singer finds himself
at a crossroads as he struggles to strike a balance between family and career.
Off The Menu
Director: Daniele Sestito
Country: USA; Running Time: 37 min
“Chef” is a perfectionist, Italian cook who works for an
unordinary institution. Typically stern and grandiose, a new side of Chef is
revealed when he is forced to make a meal that’s beyond his grasp.
Q Train
Directors: Dionne Van Den Berg, Samantha Tran
Country: USA; Running Time: 10 min
A Brooklyn based DJ explores the queer dating scene.
Roboto
Directors: Mari Madrid, Keone Madrid
Country: USA; Running Time: 18 min
Ky loses his entire career as a highly successful
choreographer when AI takes over the dance industry and the world by storm.
This throws Ky into suicidal ideations until Mikah, a bright and optimistic
12-year-old boy, decides to disregard the latest craze of dancing with Roboto
and instead asks Ky to choreograph for his school performance. While at first
Ky reluctantly decides to help the kid, he begins to find a bit of light in his
life again. And when it’s revealed that Mikah had a battle with cancer Ky’s
perspective is completely shifted.
The Selectman World
Premiere
Director: David Antonio Martin
Country: USA; Running Time: 26 min
In the wake of Selectman Joseph Allenby's untimely death,
this absurd comedy begins amid a memorial service in the small town of Picasquiddy,
Maine. Subverting the idyllic nature of small-town New England, our
protagonists are trapped in a picturesque world where the forces of learned
behavior, arrested adolescence, and the quest for power forever collide. As two
unlikely successors emerge as candidates for the Board of Selectmen, the town’s
fate hangs in the balance. Does anybody have what it takes?
Travel Fox
World Premiere
Director: Henk Pretorius
Country: UK; Running Time: 5 min
Get ready for a wild adventure in Travel Fox, the pilot
episode of an animated series tailor-made for curious kids. Follow the
inquisitive Travel Fox and Bogie the Tortoise as they race across the world,
chasing rainbows in search of a legendary pot of gold. But here's the twist –
instead of gold, our friends discover something even more precious: a treasure
trove of unique characters and unforgettable experiences.
Ülom: The Primary Experiment World Premiere
Director: Jon Da
Country: USA; Running Time: 25 min
In Ülom, one can find anything, even meaning. A desperate
scientist undertakes a labyrinthian experiment he believes will locate his
missing daughter. Journeying ever deeper into the labyrinth, he must confront
an invasive, fictional reality. Remember: what feels real, is real. Ülom is
here.
Xander
World Premiere
Director: Jonathan Chao
Country: USA; Running Time: 11 min
When lonely high school student Luke befriends Xander the
Genie, he's forced to consider if making his one wish is worth losing his new
genie best friend.
(THE LIST OF SHORTS can be found at https://danceswithfilms.com)
ABOUT DANCES WITH FILMS
Now in its 26th year, Dances With Films champions the
unflinching spirit at the very core of the independent film scene. With most
film festivals relying heavily on celebrity, we have relied on innovation,
talent, creativity, and sweat equity that revolutionized the entertainment industry.
And that reliance continues to prove successful with alumni moving on to write,
direct, and produce celebrity-studded vehicles, star in blockbuster movies, and
television series, produce multi-million-dollar film and create hot TV shows.
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