NFFTY 2024 Programmers’ Picks

Collective film created in the framework of the program Cinema en curs
Spain

“Exquisitely patient and quietly moving, this collaborative piece was created by a group of 16 to 23 year olds who recently migrated to Barcelona from various countries in Africa, Europe, and Asia. They interview a series of older folks who themselves migrated to Barcelona, which causes the youth to reflect on their own stories in a new light. The deceptively simple structure creates poetic reflections on home, nature, and family that nourish the soul with their beauty.”

On the Road

Olivia De Camps - 22
Dominican Republic

“Sirena is a special film with a unique sense of place and character; only on rare occasions will a short film create such a fleshed out, lived-in world within the confines of its runtime. Every moment, ravishing visual, and audio cue creates an organic sensorial experience that never distracts from the moving story that illustrates the complex patriarchal dynamics that leave Caribbean women feeling disempowered. In my mind, this also joins the ranks of the great motor scooter films (a favorite sub-genre of mine).”

Closing Night

Philip Thompson - 23
NY, USA

“What happens when real emotions disrupt our regularly scheduled programming? Should we maintain the laugh track or give in to the invasion of the real? I was completely captivated by the design of this film, which emulates a sitcom and then dissolves into a lo-fi documentary collage of memory and emotion. The unforgettable visual texture combined with the uncanny recreation of the televisual world sheds a unique light on the relationship between media, memory, and mental health.”

Experimental Visions

Jesse Vela - 21
CA, USA

“As with the best experimental cinema, I found many of my own preconceptions about cinema challenged with this film. I was left with a range of emotions from wonder, frustration, nostalgia, and above all else: admiration. The filmmaker interviewed their mother across great geographic distance, subsequently dressed up as her to record a mock interview, then fed the staged interview and some photos into an AI system to create a new, fused recreation of their mother. The results are a compelling and utterly unique depiction of memory.”

Experimental Visions

Julia Hogg - 21
Canada

“I always relish being able to spend time with people who are experts in extremely niche areas, as it showcases the unbelievable breadth of the human experience. This film takes this obsession to a new level, following those who specialize in competitive pigeon racing. We spend time with everyone from old time members of the Canadian Racing Pigeon Union to a 12 year old who represents the next generation of pigeon racers. Please let me join your collective!”

Passionate Pursuits

Freddie Gluck - 23
CO, USA

“Tucked away in the forest amid a field of rock slabs and marble dust lives a sculptor carving elaborate headstones through which he connects the living to the dead. His unique curiosity and musings on mortality shine through director Freddie Gluck’s contemplative Stone Dead as his carvings themselves honor bygone strangers by sharing unique glimpses into how those passed have chosen to be commemorated. This immersive, invigorating profile will leave you ruminating on some of life’s big questions.”

Centerpiece

Cyrus Gainer - 22
NY, USA

“New York’s hottest club is the 140 degree heat wasteland of Cyrus Gainer’s SKIN wherein a lonely roommate searches another messy hot wasteland, online dating apps, for simple human physical contact. The difficulty of prioritizing human connection during a disaster pairs compellingly with SKIN’s grungy world-building and visceral vulnerability for a high energy look at urban isolation that’s never before run up the monthly phone bill this high.”

Futurescapes

Rebecca Lynne Loftin - 24
CA, USA

“Rebecca Lynne Loftin’s mesmerizing SHRIKE feels like something you can’t quite put your finger on but not because you haven’t felt it before in some form. Its story— a one-night stand prompting a startlingly open conversation complete with personal epiphanies—coyly operates below the surface, lingering in your mind for a while to process. It’s a mysterious, cathartic, and alluring watch in the best ways.”

Friday Night Spotlight

Jacob Staudenmaier - 23 & Chris Pickering - 23
CA, USA

“Sometimes when it feels too hard to laugh, finding something unabashedly goofy like Jacob Staudenmaier and Chris Pickering’s pair of films GROCERIES and RELEASE can set you right. The small glimpses of absurd moments when life can unexpectedly turn, like when letting loose or taking an unanticipated falter, empoweringly remind us that finding the silly in the mundane is just a matter of perspective.”

Happy Hour Shorts
Passionate Pursuits

Joey Schweitzer - 24
NY, USA

“A deeply empathetic and effective character study, director Joey Schweitzer’s New Lives absolutely stunned me. Manusha’s (Weronika Wozniak) emotional journey navigating the trauma of her past while confronting the pressures of assimilation is handled with such respect and nuance. I can’t wait to see what Schweitzer makes next.”

Centerpiece

Ella Greenwood - 21
UK

“An unflinching look at the repercussions of a relationship with a power imbalance, I was immediately drawn into the world that director Ella Greenwood masterfully creates. Meticulously choreographed and shot, this short feels like a filmmaking feat.”

Closing Night

Gordy De St. Jeor - 21
CA, USA

“Director Gordy De St. Jeor has made a film that will keep you appropriately on the edge of your seat as you cruise down Uneasy Street! I thoroughly enjoyed the atmospheric worldbuilding, stellar performances, and experimentation with the genre that will keep you guessing until the very end.”

Uneasy Street

Yvette Sin - 23, Nikita Zhang - 23
Canada

“Who doesn’t love a dynamic duo? Directors Yvette Sin and Nikita Zhang perfectly capture the big feelings involved with growing older, and introduce us to a grandmother/grandson pair for the ages in this coming of age classic.”

Young & Restless

Jennifer Fan Jiang - 22
Canada

“I’ve been thinking about the climactic conversation in this film for months; I was absolutely riveted by Angel Lo’s performance as Jean, a young protagonist grappling with her relationship to both her faith and her mother. This is a film that will stick with me for a long time.“

Parental Instincts

Alyssa DiMartino - 24
NY, USA

“Every year there’s one film that resonates maybe a little too much with me – and as someone who grew up in a family filled with strong-willed women, ‘Faccia Brutta’ takes that prize for NFFTY ‘24. Its warm yet anxiety-inducing atmosphere draws viewers in, but it’s the film’s well-rounded cast and authentic dialogue that really bring the story to life.”

Friday Night Spotlight

Davi Peña - 24
NY, USA

“A thought-provoking exploration of loss and guilt, "Remember Me Here" captures the intricacies of growing up through its protagonist’s search for meaning in the face of unanswered questions. This film’s captivating visuals and emotionally resonant storytelling have lingered with me ever since I watched it.”

On the Road

Donny Bianchi - 24
NY, USA

“This delightfully absurd mockumentary follows the journey of a classically trained musician with an extraordinary talent: making cricket chirps with his legs. While its charm lies in its sheer silliness, “Chirped” is a genuinely heartfelt story and I was rooting for its protagonist the whole way through.”

Work Ethics

Michael Colombos - 21 & Dakota Ticheli - 23
NY, USA

“This song has been stuck in my head for weeks, and the video's energy is off the charts. Set against the backdrop of a roaring airplane propeller, I love how the edit keeps the momentum high.”

Seismic Soundtracks

Oisín McKeogh - 21 & Maiya Rice - 24
Ireland

“Through its remarkable cinematography, this documentary beautifully captures the serene rhythm of life on a farm in rural Ireland. It’s truly such a peaceful and hopeful film and I found myself deeply moved by it.”

All Around Us

Ka’miya Clark - 17
WA, USA

“This film is filled with sincerity, energy and a palatable kindness. I’m so glad to see Ka'miya Clark returning to NFFTY with such a passionate project. I look forward to seeing her name in lights in the near future.”

The Evergreen Screen

Terrie Aghaizu - 23

“This film is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It is aesthetic breath of fresh air. Alterior brilliantly intersects at African diaspora and Black female alternative lifestyle. Incredible watch!“

Passionate Pursuits

Minerva Navasca - 22
Canada

“Films about mothers and daughters are plentiful but Desync made me truly sit with the subgenre.”

Friday Night Spotlight

Alex Vicatos - 21
Australia

“The best 2 minutes and 8 seconds of my life! I won’t say too much but this is the best film about sentient bread EVER.“

Happy Hour Shorts

Johanna Xue - 24
NY, USA

“I am such a fan of beautiful animation. I also love when the medium is used in unexpected ways. We all expect to laugh at a cartoon but when animation stirs nostalgia and invokes deep emotion, that is truly amazing.“

Fresh Eyes

Phoenix Park - 18
CA, USA

“This texture-rich and visually-intriguing animation follows a bored kid caught in the battle between malaise and inspiration. This film draws us through something as mundane as an air conditioner and into a vivid stream-of-consciousness world, prompting us to reflect on such a crucial question: how do we breathe life back into the death of passion? As an artist myself, I deeply relate to the elusiveness of motivation, the suffocation of complacency, and the gnawing pressure to create and thought this displayed that pressure creatively.”

Breaking the Mold

Yukako Fujimori - 21
CA, USA

“In this beautifully-crafted cult thriller, the young heroine, Rebecca, attempts to break away from the cult’s powerful leader Amos and escape to the real world. I LOVE a uniquely eerie and unsettling film, and Amos’ Bride was exactly that!! I was completely immersed from the first to the last shot.”

Immense Immersions

Kevin Jin Kwan Kim - 23
Canada

“This film meditates on both the fragility and power of family. Through the interplay of somber slices of life and wistful vignettes, we feel the impact of physical and cross-cultural distance on Minseo and his yearning to reconnect to his family, especially his brother. This film communicates an immeasurable depth of emotion, not only throughout Minseo’s journey, but through the viewer’s own emotional experience bearing witness to it.”

Familial Frames

Xinchen Ella Zhang - 22
CA, USA

“Beautifully intricate, Cocoon Lover, is a narrative that has no direct spoken dialogue. But words are completely unnecessary in this visually captivating tale of a woman whose lover appears to have abandoned her. Cocoon Lover is so visually and thematically arresting, it’s a feast for the eyes and the heart at the same time.”

Friday Night Spotlight

Gabrielle Selnet - 24
France

“In this French animated short, a young woman– and her cat– are kicked out of their home by the young woman’s mother. The animation vividly shows the chaotic bustle of the city, as well as the hectic hustle facing the young woman and her cat, as they scramble to find a new place to live in Paris. The bright colors and potent characters are undeniably fun and captivating.”

Centerpiece

JT Trinidad - 21
Philippines

“A quiet exploration of loneliness that is often misrepresented in queer cinema. Very real and subtle, every frame is visual poetry masked with the illusion of stillness. With what few words the characters offer, Baby shows us the many layers to her story and the men that inhabit her world.”

Centerpiece

Agustina Aranda - 21
CT, USA

“This is a beautiful documentary that makes what is personal into something universal. The courage it takes to confront your parents, guardians, or role models, showing them the realest part of yourself, knowing that how they respond might break you, that is moving in so many ways.“

Closing Night

Lucas Manuel-Scheibe - 20
NY, USA

“Driven by incredible performances, this is one of the most interesting shorts I’ve seen that takes place in a single room (and its adjacent bathroom). It has such a nice dreamy quality to it that makes you want to dig beyond the surface. Really.”

Closing Night

Kaylinn Duffy - 23
CA, USA

“I know nothing about this side of the US (Missouri), which is what made this an experience for me as a viewer. It’s an experimental road trip film about the in-betweens, or the things that happen after you put away your phone camera while on a trip.”

Pedal to the Mettle

Ankit Santra - 24
India

“There is so much about this film that I could talk about, from the cinematography, to its use of editing and use of split frames, to how the story is structured, and how it plays with the surreal in ways reminiscent of Gaspar Noe and Franz Kafka.”

Experimental Visions

Emmanuel Li - 21
UK

“A vibrant, technicolor tale of magic, adventure, and spirituality- but most importantly a story that follows a battle of staying true to oneʻs self in a world that is oftentimes blinded with ignorance.”

Immense Immersions

Ruby Harris - 24
Aotearoa

“Amali is one of those lovely films that captures the balance between the beauty and anxiety of girlhood. Amaliʻs perspectives are both comforting and educational, demonstrating that even the youngest of minds can understand the importance of goodness in a world that has seemed to lost sight of it.”

Fresh Eyes

Jaina Galves - 23
WA, USA

“‘What does it mean to be Hawaiian?’ Filmmaker Jaina Galves masterfully conveys a story of resilience and self-forgiveness, educating audiences and illustrating the ongoing struggles many Kānaka Maoli face in fighting to maintain one’s cultural identity after decades of oppression.”

Opening Night

Nepal Arslan - 21
CA, USA

“A thrilling and touching account of a young man's quest for inner peace, showing how family can be found in even the toughest of situations. Kabuk is an amazing film about connection and how memories form our identities, ultimately defining who we are but also leading us on a journey of who we can be.”

Passionate Pursuits

Vivienne Ayres - 19, Nidhi Kumar - 20, Audrey Shuppert - 19
USA

“A fantastic documentary that educates viewers about the impact of tourism and cultural appropriation on Indigenous communities and individuals. A Piece of Myself is a powerful piece that uplifts indigenous voices and artists, encouraging them to remain true to their identity and fight against capitalism and the exploitation of native peoples.”

Reel Impact