Martin Lee - 21, Airham Almonte - 23 | USA

“Without being hidden behind ticket counters or museum glass, street art can be seen as the embodiment of community voices, perhaps giving catharsis to the artists’ themselves and maybe even to observers that see the work interwoven onto the structures in their day to day.The small, temporary acts of rebellion in the form of graffiti that are at the forefront of Martin Lee & Airham Almonte’s documentary remind us of the creators as indivudals who reach out across a variety of mediums to express and connect with others, and possibly to be remembered in some small-scale manner. And aren’t we all doing that, in our own way?“

Friday Night Spotlight presented by MUBI

Jules Vésigot-Wahl - 24 | France

“With such a long history of mystery to the sea, has it finally righted one of its tragedies? Though Jules Vésigot-Wahl’s film remains mostly landlocked, our understanding of the goings-on ebbs and flows with such effective visual storytelling that even without being spelled out, you too feel the allure of the supernatural to alleviate a buried & bygone hurt, like a riptide dragging you into the unknown.“

Memory Lane

Jiaying Lin - 21 | China

“Jiaying Lin’s documentary turns a handheld, trembling camera to her own family’s grief with such vulnerability and grace that it almost feels meant for relatives exclusively rather than a general audience. How special and comforting it is to have a privileged look into this amount of love for a grandfather and to see how the coincidences of life can be interpreted as echos from the departed in order to feel their presence once more.”

In Absentia

Phoenix Park - 19, Angel Noriega - 18, Sophia UY - 19 | USA

“The constant bombardment of commercials over every inch of our digital and physical spaces is nothing short of overwhelming. If corporations could make a buck off placing an advertisement in this very recommendation, they would! Instead, thankfully, I get to sing the praises of Phoenix Park’s entrancing animation film capturing the feeling of being overstimulated by the avalanche of ads that is beamed directly into our brains. If commercials were as refreshingly relatable as MANNIKIN PARADE, the GDP would skyrocket higher than this film’s protagonist. But for now, between life’s ads, we get to watch this gem of a short. “

Wired In presented by Blackmagic

Rahul Koul - 22, Ford Cowan - 22, Haneol Lee - 21 | USA

“Rahul Koul & Ford Cowan’s Yajñopavīta draws you in with its fluctuating restraint between a mother and son, between deep shadows and warm light, and between unspoken truths and overheard confessions. It embodies the quiet hesitance and subdued tenderness often found between family members rebuilding their shared trust, when a misplaced word can jeopardize a whole relationship. These silences and cutaways culminate in a deeply universal film that becomes more empathetic the longer it sits with you.“

Opening Night presented by MoPOP