Learn about this family of 5 as they do life through the seasons in the mountains of North Carolina in a school bus they converted to a tiny home.
Three young homeless girls with diverse circumstances are living on the streets in the Las Vegas desert. A chance meeting while panhandling leads to an unusual connection with an elderly widow and the most innocent of the trio. This compelling relationship becomes complicated by the suspicions of her friends and leads us down a dark unpredicted path. Featuring an all female Cast.
Birdie (the title character) struggles with depression as she raises her two-year old son and works a dead-end job in rural Missouri outside of St. Louis. She sometimes wonders what would have happened had she stayed in LA and continued to persue acting. Her friend (a working movie director) visits her while he films on location. They contemplate "the grass is always greener" concept of family verses career.
A therapist gets more than she bargained for when she becomes entangled in her clients messy and unconventional love life.
Welcome to the support group for people named Karen. Believe it or not, there are some people out there who are named Karen. That’s their actual name. People who must walk through their days knowing the very name their parents gave them is now an insult. This film is for them. We’ve all seen angry and entitled ‘Karens’— throwing tantrums on the internet, threatening to call the police on bird-watchers of color, yelling at fast-food workers, making a scene in a Walmart. Many have wondered if, in a time of frustration, we were being too much of a Karen. Join us at your local community center where women named Karen come together to support each other through this cruel twist of fate. A riotous short film from comedian Katie Goodman and the women of the internationally-touring, award-winning, satirical comedy show Broad Comedy. Take a seat, Karen. We’re here for you.
In her kitchen, a woman is processing her feelings after giving birth.
This short solo dance video is an autobiographical one. I choreographed it, danced it, directed it. It has been filmed with my personal cellphone, a Samsung Galaxy A20 5G.
The images have been filmed in the kitchen of the house where I live, somewhere in the slums around Lima, Peru, where I and my family have been volunteering for the last 2 years.
The whole project, from preproduction to post-production, lasted 2 months, between 5 and 10 days of work.
It is a one-shot sequence film. It had to be done in the real postpartum period I was really going through, when the emotions and the sensations of this specific time in life were still very vivace and most of all, true. It also had to be done with all the respect due to what I and my baby who had been born 3 months before were experiencing.
Gladiolus flowers were and still are inhabiting the kitchen where the video was shot. In the desertic areas of Peru, they bring colors and joy. They bloom inside one's body, celebrating this glorious time of life when life is born. They wither inside one's body, as petals being stepped on after a party when it is all that is being left. These two opposite movements are present at the same time within the woman who is standing in her kitchen, as a gladiator in the middle of the arena.
The Salve Regina is a catholic antienne dedicated to the Virgin Mary, commenting about the difficulties of life and asking for Her protection and care.
When a struggling new mother takes on the project of digitizing her family's home videos, she gets a troubling new perspective on her own upbringing.
A weary mother-to-be attends an all-inclusive glamping retreat in the mountains, only to have her greatest fears about motherhood realized.
While on a challenging rock climb, a young woman discovers the healing power of exercise as she reflects upon the universality of trauma.
A married mother of two desperate to find relief from the infinite days of nothingness and the loneliness that threatens to suffocate her daily is faced with a decision to relieve her suffering or find the will and reason to stay.
In the late 90s, Asia is desperate to prove that she belongs at a cut-throat Hollywood Talent Agency. In a desperate attempt, she has to make a decision that could ultimately change the life of her 15-year-old client.
A depressed Mom finds pleasure in an unexpected way.
A mother and son respond to the unending killings of black Americans amidst the backdrop of the protests that followed the death of George Floyd. Dance and archival photographs are woven together to evoke fear, outrage, and anger and the need for communities to come together and find solutions.
In a stale church basement, during a support group meeting we hear from Rose, who through her own past and memories reveals that this group has gotten more than they bargained for after receiving a life-saving treatment. Through REST, filmmaker Joan Cassin explores the themes of time, forever, the preciousness of life, and whether you can have too much of a good thing.
From award-winning director Clarissa de los Reyes and creator Mel House comes a punk rock comedy series, so funny it hurts...
Marie is a people-pleasing New York City mom who thought she’d have money, success, and respect by middle age. Instead, she's working too many survival jobs and failing to meet her family’s expectations. But Marie’s the kind of woman you can count on to swallow her anger and put on a bright fucking smile. When she gets an opportunity to step into the role of a powerful Goddess, Marie thinks she’s finally getting what she deserves. But her world is turned upside down when a video of her unleashing her anger goes viral.
For moms, theatre nerds, those impacted by #metoo, and anyone who has ever struggled with their RAGE, HOT ANGRY MOM asks, "What does healthy anger look like? And how can we turn it into a source of power?"
Lorenzo Terry is a black cosplay performer who seeks to inspire and motivate his audience with the power of Costume Play.
Produced by Sari Leigh, owner of Anacostia Yogi Media, a health and wellness media company based east of the Anacostia river in Washington, D.C.
In the diverse and divided neighborhood of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, with mom and pop shops closing all around them, several small business owners work tirelessly and creatively to keep their doors open during the Covid-19 PAUSE order, experiencing understandable fear, interminable hope, radical generosity, and even miraculous visions.
A broadway dancer turned stay at home mom reluctantly joins a stroller league and is roped into girl's night out that is more than she bargained for.
An anthology of four views on the intersection of race and the global COVID19 pandemic. Each Philadelphian reveals their personal stories of how they moved from fear, sadness or rage in the era of the pandemic and the George Floyd protests, to a place of service and mutual aid in their communities in dealing with the trauma of COVID-19. The short films are produced by independent filmmakers who are members of SIFTMedia 215 Collective. Executive Producer: Nadine Patterson. Editor: Stephen Schaffer. Sound Design: Mike Moore. Music: Ursula Rucker, Tim Motzer, Lenny Seidman.
PHOENIX RISING
Producer/Director/Editor: Lois M. Moses
This film tells the story of a Yogini Nya Patrinos who is incited during the confluence of the pandemic, the Breonna Taylor and George Floyd demonstrations, such that she goes out to march, befriends a group of African American teenage girls, and reflects that she has been playing life too small. Through that experience, she turns her practice of yoga into her activism, following a long tradition of yogini’s who fought in and for revolution.
Producer/Director: Melissa Beatriz
Animator : Gabrielle Patterson
Voiceover: Tatiana Bacchus and Melissa Beatriz
Editor: Tatiana Bacchus
A reflection on how Philly artists/cultural workers have been impacted by the pandemic, and how they are envisioning a new future that includes cultural equity. The piece uses a combination of documentary footage and animation.
Producer/Director: Eboni Zamani
Produced by: Pearl’s Girl Productions
Cinematographer/Editor: Stephanie Malson
This short documentary takes a look at the impact that the dual pandemics of COVID 19 and racism have had on the lives of Black people in Philadelphia. We speak with Sanitation Worker and Advocate Terrill Haigler, Community Organizer Shakira King and Nurse Toni T. about their lives during 2020. We discuss what life has been like for them during a year of civil unrest, personal loss, economic crisis, and a global health crisis.
THE LAST RESPONDER
Producer/Director: Nikki Harmon
Cinematographer: Stephanie Malson
Editor: M. Asli Dukan
A Philadelphia undertaker discusses the impact the pandemic has had on his business and his life. Keith Hodges is the director of the Beckett, Brown, and Hodges Funeral Home in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. The funeral home services primarily African-American families and has been overwhelmed with the bereaved needing their assistance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding: The project is funded in part by Independence Public Media Foundation.
“Becoming” captures a moment on the edge of awakening, the fleeting time before motivation and before criticism. A childhood dream-dance, lived fully in the moment, and destined to be forgotten.
Director & Choreographer: Anabella Lenzu
Videographer and Editor: Todd Carroll
Composer: Geoff Gersh
Dancer: Fiamma Lenzu-Carroll
After a horrific encounter with a stranger, two friends, one blind and other deaf, use their senses to defend themselves from a robbery gone wrong.
A free-spirited teen fulfills her terminally ill grandmother’s dying wish of building a rocket ship to launch her into outer space.
Super Scar is an animated short based on a true story, about a new mom’s unexpected struggle to stay sane amidst the madness of the NICU. In telling her story to a mommy-and-me support group, she learns through humor to be grateful for all the goodness in her life, especially her Super Scar, which ultimately symbolizes her newfound warrior spirit.
“What do I love most about my mum? God. I wish that wasn’t such a difficult question to answer…” A Super 8 short about one of the easiest and most difficult relationships of our lives. Made as part of the Straight 8 initiative - one cartridge of super 8 film, no re-takes, no editing, no grade, no post-production at all. You even make your soundtrack ‘blind’.
Countless Little Moment depicts a hypothetical (but all too realistic) school shooting at a high school graduation. The scene is juxtaposed with the countless ways adults work overtime to protect their children in their lives from the moment of conception until graduation and beyond (real home videos). Sometimes it feels like we parents are saving our kids lives 50 times a day. Every day, our energy is focused on them: their safety and their well-being. And it can all be taken away in a matter of seconds, in a mass shooting spree.
A Thousand Times A Day is a story of loss and forgiveness. Natasha loses her 4-year-old son to drowning and blames her alcoholic brother, Jeremy, who was taking care of him on the night of the tragedy. Both of their lives are irrevocably ruined by the boy's death. After hitting rock bottom, they both learn that, as hard as it might be, their only chance of survival lies in forgiveness and in choosing to let go.
When good mom Riley’s efforts to parent perfectly lead to burnout, she takes her therapist’s advice to “let go of societal rules about being a good mother” literally, leading to trouble at the local RV Resort and Water Park.
A woman realizes she's committed a violent act during her routine tennis practice, but has this happened before? Will it happen again? She goes about her day, harboring a secret that may ultimately destroy her.
Emily Taylor is an Oakland-based queer, Black rock climbing coach who supports young girls of color as they grapple with discrimination in the outdoors.
In 2016 I went to vote at the same polling place where I was registered and had voted for a decade. This time I was told my name wasn’t on the voter rolls and was asked if wanted a provisional ballot. Reluctantly, I voted with a provisional ballot because I knew a dirty little secret about US voting: Provisional ballots do not have to be counted.
After casting my ballot, I decided to investigate my vanished voter registration, and wondered if my vote vanished because of Interstate Crosscheck, centralized corporate voting systems, or the Russians?
Naddie is in a new school. In a different country. And everything feels foreign - even her self.
Her classmates could care less about her. Her teacher treats her as if she's stupid. And she can't even walk home without grown men harassing her.
For a 14-year-old girl, stuck between so many worlds, it all seems like too much.
But Once Upon a Time, not so long ago, Naddie loved to dance and wasn't afraid of anything... at least that's what her mother tells her.
Still, how can she take on all the challenges before her and still face the world with conviction now?
Is happiness something you lose when you grow up, or do you learn how to adjust with the times and still keep your head held high?
Set at the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, a weary mother's fears and desires for her mentally distressed son’s future hang in the balance while awaiting his arrival home. HOME SOON examines a family’s collective, and unprocessed trauma, which is often eclipsed by police violence.
HOME SOON is a snapshot of time capturing all that is, and all that was hoped for immediately prior to an all too familiar tragedy faced by many in Black communities across America.
Nina has not seen or heard from her son Troy since the previous evening. His girlfriend Simone pops over for an unexpected visit in an attempt to locate her love who has uncharacteristically “ghosted” her the night before. Our drama depicts a pivotal moment where both women, in an attempt to reroute worry, hash out their differences in how they love Troy in his absence. Their exchange reveals fears, hopes and conflicting desires all left unresolved until his anticipated return home.
This inspiring and insightful film features Nubia Martin, the founder of Birth from the Earth, a non-profit, dedicated to making home birth safe, sacred, and accessible to those who need it the most. As a midwife and educator, Nubia has made it her mission to address maternal health disparities that negatively impact BIPOC women, mothers, babies, and their families. Her commitment to creating equity, quality, and love through her birthing center has offered hundreds of women an alternative to the broken for-profit medical system. The film also features mothers and partners and their empowering home birth experiences as well as their personal photos and videos documenting their magical experiences birthing at home,
In the first three months of the sleep-deprived, surreal, and emotional haze of being postpartum, a writer tries to make sense of her new identity as a mother.
RAINBOW BABY is the heartbreaking story of a couple trying to heal after a devastating miscarriage - while running an ice cream shop, no less.
After a mysterious disease turning human beings into monsters has ripped through the city Gabriel and Genevieve pledge their devotion to each other. But on their wedding day they are attacked and take refuge in a church where they must face the ultimate test of love.
Joanie, a feisty senior, regales her friends about past events from her youth, but cannot recall her sister Gloria's recent death.
A husband and wife go for walk on a mysterious trail they cannot escape.
Beverly is a woman nearing the end of her life and about to succumb to complications to Alzheimer's. Her ex-daughter-in-law, Simone, cares for her in spite of their tumultuous relationship. Nonetheless, Simone visits her until the end. Jude, Beverly's caretaker, is a calming presence and fosters a friendship with Simone. Meanwhile, Beverly's son, Kenney, struggles with having to say goodbye to his mother twice. All of these people show what a life well lived looks like.
Niecey is an abused young girl who is desperate for rescue, yet society continues to fail her.
Assaman is a cosmic twin love story with the future. A man named Tukki meets a sky-being named Asé. Together, they become suspended in a visual and sonic examination in search of flourishing joy and self-care. What may seem a simple love story quickly expands into a kaleidoscope of introspective, interconnected and intergenerational movement and moments. Assaman holds you for 14 minutes in an Afrofuturist and Indigenous sonic vision - a hypnotic journey. Assaman means "the sky" in Wolof.
Logline: A love story with the future kaleidoscopes in a cosmic twin encounter.
Ordering your first taco might not be as easy it seems. Kavitha and Balaji discover this one Tuesday when they stumble into - and hold up - the lunch line at Emmanuel's.
A young woman endeavors to find her voice as she tries to maintain balance between work, life, family and new motherhood.
Hardworking moms, Teeni and Cherice don’t ask for much. Like everyone else, they are on the grind, just trying to make a better life for themselves and their toddler. Struggling financially, things get worse when they come home to find an eviction notice plastered on their door. The solution however surprises even them when their cranky, constipated toddler poops three golden nuggets. While WONDERS is a response to the eviction crisis across the country, at its heart is a celebration of the wisdom of our elders and the magic of our babies. It speaks to community, personal power and legacy presented with humor and imagination.
Stop Running is about a sorceress who constantly resists the next step in her evolution, represented by the bear, because she is afraid of the uncertainty and the discomfort that phase will bring. It is not until the sorceress tries to harm the bear that she symbolically realizes that she is the bear, and is just hurting herself. She needs to stop the running game. She is determined to end it and chooses transformation despite the pain and suffering growth brings.
A series of documentaries shining a light on issues and people the world needs to know about.
A series of stories about working through challenges.
A series of stories where things are not always as they seem.
A series of documentaries paving new ways to make things equitable, accessible, and sustainable for future generations.
A series of stories showcasing the beauty and complexities of love, youth, and motherhood.
A series of stories that serve as a reminder that moms go through phases in life, too.
A series of relatable stories providing some comic (momic) relief surrounding the adventures of motherhood.
A series of stories about experiencing shared connection through traumatic moments of loss.
A series of stories about accomplishing one's goals by any means.
