*All screenings will be followed by a Q&A from Filmmakers and Actors (if present)
SATURDAY – SEPTEMBER 11, 2021
10AM
DEAR FUTURE ME
Every June at Maplewood Middle School in NJ, 6th grade students participate in a rite of passage: they write a letter to their future 18-year-old selves. After the letters are completed and sealed, they are held for six years. When a class is about to graduate, the teachers mail the letters from their past selves.
directed by Sarah Klein and Tom Mason
VITRIOL
A short documentary exploring vehement social media interactions from both sides of the political spectrum.
directed by Mark Clauburg
EARTH EMERGENCY
Narrated by Richard Gere with contributions from climate activist Greta Thunberg and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, Earth Emergency details why natural warming loops have the science world alarmed.
directed by Susan Gray
11:30AM
SHAUN LEONARDO: THE FREEDOM TO MOVE
Born to Latino parents in Queens and recruited to play football at a private New England college, artist Shaun Leonardo experiences a seminal moment on the playing field.
directed by Nick Ravich
JAMES HEMINGS: GHOST IN AMERICA'S KITCHEN
Curious chef, Ashbell McElveen, uncovers the story of James Hemings - America's culinary founding father and the enslaved property of Thomas Jefferson.
directed by Anthony Werhun
11:30AM (Block B)
STRAY DOGS
After a man's beloved dog passes, he embarks on a backpacking trip with his brother to bury his dog where he found him ten years earlier. Along the way, they encounter a stranger who turns out to be a killer on the run.
directed by Adam Gascho
1PM
BATHTUB CHRONICLES
Arriving home from the mental hospital, still broken from being raped by an ex, Robby begins a wild healing journey with her therapist to reconnect with herself, her parents and current boyfriend.
directed by Rebecca Ruhm
JACK AND THE TREEHOUSE
A 10 year-old tries to stop his Dad from selling the family land.
directed by Jim Schneider
3PM
ONE MINUTE FILMS
KNOCKING ON YOUR DOOR
A lovely couple get their relationship ruined when the girlfriend has to move far away. The boyfriend, always thinking of her and the good times they shared decides to go for a road trip. Music Video
directed by Michael Vincent Finazzo
FREDERICK VON SCHOLAR'S HOW-TO SERIES
Thanks to our new collection of how-tos, now anyone can make friends. Maybe.
directed by Jim Allison
WE'RE GOOD
A couple have an argument that accelerates out of control very quickly.
directed by Larry Rosen
LEVELS
Lars and Vanessa are trying to go on a first date. While looking for Lars' car in a parking garage, they discover what they have in common.
directed by Ross Stern
BLAME THEM
After learning she has chlamydia, a high school student enlists a friend to help call the boys who may have infected her.
directed by Eliza McKenna
DON'T JUMP
Patricia and Todd clash over a charity skydiving event. After both sides get advice from their friends, will they stay grounded or take the plunge?
directed by Loring Murtha
THE KILLER ACROSS THE STREET
A paranoid, stay-at-home husband grows suspicious of his next door neighbor
directed by Adam Seccafico
5PM
KLUTZ.
Zowie is a first time novelist thrust into the throes of grief when she loses her person, and with them: her own gravity. Now the only “novel” she can manage is a children’s book about a girl whose only superpower is falling down.
directed by Michelle Bossy
THE DELLA MORTE SISTERS
A recent death in the family brings three sisters together where they discover a shared dark past that changes everything they thought they knew about each other and their family.
directed by Bill Sorvino
EVERYTHING IN THE END
A story of a lonely traveler who finds human connections during the final days of Earth's existence.
directed by Mylissa Fitzsimmons
7PM
RED CARPET
8PM
SHAKE & SWICHO - BROADWAY (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
Broadway is the first musical collaboration between Shake and SWICHO. Shake (New Jersey) and SWICHO (Houston, TX) filmed this video in Houston, New York City, and Metuchen, NJ. Music video
directed by Shekhar Iyer, Dale Harish Ganesh, Akeil Shams-ul-hooda, and Gopinath Kumar
CHORES
While Lily and Samantha, a long-term couple, are out doing routine errands, Samantha confesses her desire to move back home, inspiring an emotionally fraught conversation between the two.
directed by Christina Tucker
FORTY YEARS FROM NOW
Forty years after graduation, three High School friends reunite to fulfill a pact to dig up a coffee can they buried containing predictions and secrets written by their younger selves. The contents spark revelations about their past, while potentially changing the course of their futures.
directed by John Manna
I'LL MEET YOU THERE
A man recounts a trip to his late wife's childhood home as they prepare for the future.
directed by Karl Fernandez
DIVERTIMENTO
Jonas Olsen (Kellan Lutz), a chess player haunted by a tragic past, is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, Divertimento.
directed by Keyvan Sheikhalishahi
SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 12, 2021
10AM
MOVING FORWARD
A documentary that follows a non profit organization whose mission is to erase the stigma of suicide and and raise awareness for mental illness.
directed by Montana Rock
ANGEL BY THURSDAY
Two families struggling with scars of tragedy are drawn together by mysterious events and a common link is uncovered.
directed by Jeff Wallace
12PM
EBB AND FLO
A young woman's relationship begins to deteriorate as she struggles with an unknown disability that prevents her from understanding the concept of time.
directed by Grace Soriano
THE TRANSACTION
She walks the cold hard streets in high heels both a victim and a survivor. He lurks in the shadows pulling the strings and controlling her life.
directed by Patrick Eicner and George Firewalker Carlson
THE BULLET
Abel relives his brothers death through therapy. While trying to heal, he admits to feeling revengeful, and possibly acting on those feelings... Diving deep inside how violence in black communities really affect the family.
directed by Tyrell Jason and Chase Brown
HOW MUCH WE FEEL
How Much We Feel takes an intimate look at an interracial relationship over the course of its first year, as told through slices of their life
directed by Tanya Nauvel and Alex Barnett-Howell
ZHEN ZHEN
Zhen Zhen, a 12 year old girl, is left at home with her trustworthy Math tutor, a part-time college student. After a traumatizing experience, Zhen Zhen is left alone, with no-one to talk to.
directed by Simiao Sun
FACES OF DEAD WOMEN
Rape is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused...And for the victims, the extraordinary pain it carries causes mental, physical and emotional trauma every day of their lives. Now, a group of sexual assault victims band together to find healing and justice.
directed by Joshua Nelson
12PM (Block B)
ANGEL
A mobster has to do the unthinkable to his friend. Will the truth set them free or destroy them?
directed by Marco Arsenault
CAPER BAR
16 minutes ago, an unpleasant drunk customer is shot to death while molesting a woman. Now a couple is busy cleaning up corpses and removing bloodstains as another uninvited guest appears.
OUTSIDE
A woman quarantined with her husband questions the reality of the threat keeping her
inside her home and starts to believe he is holding her prisoner.
directed by Amy Acker and James Carpinello
MIST AND BLOOD
A famous novelist, meets a journalist who wants to find out more about his inspiration. As the time passes, the author starts to doubt the real intentions of the interviewer.
directed by Roland Collin
TOMORROW
Ratul, a young boy in Bangladesh, is magically shown two very different visions of the future. In the first scenario, Bangladesh has been inundated by rising sea levels, causing great suffering; in the second scenario, fossil fuels have been replaced by renewable energy, and Bangladesh is prosperous.
directed by Mohammad Shihab Uddin
2PM
MATCHED
A young woman explores an apartment during a blackout with nothing more than a box of matches. But she’s not alone...
directed by Zack Kron
THE NIGHT PASSENGER
Marty is going through a crisis and is hanging on by a thread. After discovering a man tied up in his trunk, things go from bad to worse.
directed by Josh Bowman
THE TIME IN BETWEEN THE SECONDS
Wendy's recovery from a tragic event leads her to make a selfless decision.
directed by Mark Clauburg
GENERATION LOCKDOWN
Seen through the eyes of an eleven year old boy as he tries to save his friend’s life during an active shooter attack in his school.
directed by Sirad Balducci
4PM
THE INK OF YOUR EYES (L'ENCRE DE TES YEUX)
A beautiful love story of a love that cannot be expressed through song and dance on the Brooklyn bridge of New York. Music Video
directed by Hervé Cœur and Pedro Oberto
OKAY GOOGLE
A vindictive AI assistant breaks out of 'the cloud' to exact revenge on her owner.
directed by Troy Smith and Sam Lucas Smith
BEACH BOY
Ben-David chases after his elusive first kiss, but he may have to break his mother's trust to get it.
directed by Douglas Forrester
DEAR HANNAH
Camille, a struggling artist desperate for a muse, meets Hannah, a young girl with a personality bright enough to inspire the darkest days. The art they make is truly one of a kind. Until it's not.
directed by Veronica Tullo
THE ONLY BEAUTIFUL THING
Sinatra, a pitbull, just graduated from a training program that pairs rescue dogs and prison inmates. Nikki and her partner Margaux agree to foster Sinatra but we soon find out this act of generosity comes with strings attached.
directed by Elizabeth Irwin
DRESS
When a young girl is gifted a new dress for a family wedding, she begins to question her own identity. Faced with mounting pressure from her mother, she battles expressing her true self versus the expectations of how she should present herself.
directed by Ellie Schuckman
BUTTERFLY
Butterfly introduces a Girl who is trying to understand the reasons for dying young. She discovers that sometimes our sacrifices can be the biggest gifts to the people we love. Produced by 12 year old, Ariela Rozentul
directed by Arta Kallaba and Jessika Quintana
SOME TIME TO OURSELVES
Through a video-call, a young woman tries to reconnect with her boyfriend during quarantine. When members of their mutual friend group start to join, it only becomes increasingly difficult.
directed by Sebastian Martinez
THE ACOLYTE
A doomsday cult clashes with an idealistic new recruit
directed by Sammy James, Jr.
RED BEAN SOUP
The 2020 Wasserman Award recipient Red Bean Soup, shares the struggle of a wife grappling to reconnect with her dementia ridden husband who can only remember his first love.
directed by Kadi Tsang
6PM
RED CARPET
7:30PM
AWARDS CEREMONY
UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAYS
ADS ATTRACTION written by Brenden Hubbard and Damon Russell
ALL THE LITTLE PIECES written by Tawny Sorensen
LETTERS TO STEPHANIE written by Jo-Ann Bierer Wilhelm
“MUFFIN CLUB” written by Charles Petrilla
SNOWY STRANGEWAYS written by Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel
STACEY written by Steve Hanisch
THE BOY ROACH written by Rob Thorp
WORST NIGHT EVER written by Joe Bartone
SATURDAY – SEPTEMBER 11, 2021
10AM
DEAR FUTURE ME
Every June at Maplewood Middle School in NJ, 6th grade students participate in a rite of passage: they write a letter to their future 18-year-old selves. After the letters are completed and sealed, they are held for six years. When a class is about to graduate, the teachers mail the letters from their past selves.
directed by Sarah Klein and Tom Mason
VITRIOL
A short documentary exploring vehement social media interactions from both sides of the political spectrum.
directed by Mark Clauburg
EARTH EMERGENCY
Narrated by Richard Gere with contributions from climate activist Greta Thunberg and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, Earth Emergency details why natural warming loops have the science world alarmed.
directed by Susan Gray
11:30AM
SHAUN LEONARDO: THE FREEDOM TO MOVE
Born to Latino parents in Queens and recruited to play football at a private New England college, artist Shaun Leonardo experiences a seminal moment on the playing field.
directed by Nick Ravich
JAMES HEMINGS: GHOST IN AMERICA'S KITCHEN
Curious chef, Ashbell McElveen, uncovers the story of James Hemings - America's culinary founding father and the enslaved property of Thomas Jefferson.
directed by Anthony Werhun
11:30AM (Block B)
STRAY DOGS
After a man's beloved dog passes, he embarks on a backpacking trip with his brother to bury his dog where he found him ten years earlier. Along the way, they encounter a stranger who turns out to be a killer on the run.
directed by Adam Gascho
1PM
BATHTUB CHRONICLES
Arriving home from the mental hospital, still broken from being raped by an ex, Robby begins a wild healing journey with her therapist to reconnect with herself, her parents and current boyfriend.
directed by Rebecca Ruhm
JACK AND THE TREEHOUSE
A 10 year-old tries to stop his Dad from selling the family land.
directed by Jim Schneider
3PM
ONE MINUTE FILMS
KNOCKING ON YOUR DOOR
A lovely couple get their relationship ruined when the girlfriend has to move far away. The boyfriend, always thinking of her and the good times they shared decides to go for a road trip. Music Video
directed by Michael Vincent Finazzo
FREDERICK VON SCHOLAR'S HOW-TO SERIES
Thanks to our new collection of how-tos, now anyone can make friends. Maybe.
directed by Jim Allison
WE'RE GOOD
A couple have an argument that accelerates out of control very quickly.
directed by Larry Rosen
LEVELS
Lars and Vanessa are trying to go on a first date. While looking for Lars' car in a parking garage, they discover what they have in common.
directed by Ross Stern
BLAME THEM
After learning she has chlamydia, a high school student enlists a friend to help call the boys who may have infected her.
directed by Eliza McKenna
DON'T JUMP
Patricia and Todd clash over a charity skydiving event. After both sides get advice from their friends, will they stay grounded or take the plunge?
directed by Loring Murtha
THE KILLER ACROSS THE STREET
A paranoid, stay-at-home husband grows suspicious of his next door neighbor
directed by Adam Seccafico
5PM
KLUTZ.
Zowie is a first time novelist thrust into the throes of grief when she loses her person, and with them: her own gravity. Now the only “novel” she can manage is a children’s book about a girl whose only superpower is falling down.
directed by Michelle Bossy
THE DELLA MORTE SISTERS
A recent death in the family brings three sisters together where they discover a shared dark past that changes everything they thought they knew about each other and their family.
directed by Bill Sorvino
EVERYTHING IN THE END
A story of a lonely traveler who finds human connections during the final days of Earth's existence.
directed by Mylissa Fitzsimmons
7PM
RED CARPET
8PM
SHAKE & SWICHO - BROADWAY (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
Broadway is the first musical collaboration between Shake and SWICHO. Shake (New Jersey) and SWICHO (Houston, TX) filmed this video in Houston, New York City, and Metuchen, NJ. Music video
directed by Shekhar Iyer, Dale Harish Ganesh, Akeil Shams-ul-hooda, and Gopinath Kumar
CHORES
While Lily and Samantha, a long-term couple, are out doing routine errands, Samantha confesses her desire to move back home, inspiring an emotionally fraught conversation between the two.
directed by Christina Tucker
FORTY YEARS FROM NOW
Forty years after graduation, three High School friends reunite to fulfill a pact to dig up a coffee can they buried containing predictions and secrets written by their younger selves. The contents spark revelations about their past, while potentially changing the course of their futures.
directed by John Manna
I'LL MEET YOU THERE
A man recounts a trip to his late wife's childhood home as they prepare for the future.
directed by Karl Fernandez
DIVERTIMENTO
Jonas Olsen (Kellan Lutz), a chess player haunted by a tragic past, is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, Divertimento.
directed by Keyvan Sheikhalishahi
SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 12, 2021
10AM
MOVING FORWARD
A documentary that follows a non profit organization whose mission is to erase the stigma of suicide and and raise awareness for mental illness.
directed by Montana Rock
ANGEL BY THURSDAY
Two families struggling with scars of tragedy are drawn together by mysterious events and a common link is uncovered.
directed by Jeff Wallace
12PM
EBB AND FLO
A young woman's relationship begins to deteriorate as she struggles with an unknown disability that prevents her from understanding the concept of time.
directed by Grace Soriano
THE TRANSACTION
She walks the cold hard streets in high heels both a victim and a survivor. He lurks in the shadows pulling the strings and controlling her life.
directed by Patrick Eicner and George Firewalker Carlson
THE BULLET
Abel relives his brothers death through therapy. While trying to heal, he admits to feeling revengeful, and possibly acting on those feelings... Diving deep inside how violence in black communities really affect the family.
directed by Tyrell Jason and Chase Brown
HOW MUCH WE FEEL
How Much We Feel takes an intimate look at an interracial relationship over the course of its first year, as told through slices of their life
directed by Tanya Nauvel and Alex Barnett-Howell
ZHEN ZHEN
Zhen Zhen, a 12 year old girl, is left at home with her trustworthy Math tutor, a part-time college student. After a traumatizing experience, Zhen Zhen is left alone, with no-one to talk to.
directed by Simiao Sun
FACES OF DEAD WOMEN
Rape is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused...And for the victims, the extraordinary pain it carries causes mental, physical and emotional trauma every day of their lives. Now, a group of sexual assault victims band together to find healing and justice.
directed by Joshua Nelson
12PM (Block B)
ANGEL
A mobster has to do the unthinkable to his friend. Will the truth set them free or destroy them?
directed by Marco Arsenault
CAPER BAR
16 minutes ago, an unpleasant drunk customer is shot to death while molesting a woman. Now a couple is busy cleaning up corpses and removing bloodstains as another uninvited guest appears.
OUTSIDE
A woman quarantined with her husband questions the reality of the threat keeping her
inside her home and starts to believe he is holding her prisoner.
directed by Amy Acker and James Carpinello
MIST AND BLOOD
A famous novelist, meets a journalist who wants to find out more about his inspiration. As the time passes, the author starts to doubt the real intentions of the interviewer.
directed by Roland Collin
TOMORROW
Ratul, a young boy in Bangladesh, is magically shown two very different visions of the future. In the first scenario, Bangladesh has been inundated by rising sea levels, causing great suffering; in the second scenario, fossil fuels have been replaced by renewable energy, and Bangladesh is prosperous.
directed by Mohammad Shihab Uddin
2PM
MATCHED
A young woman explores an apartment during a blackout with nothing more than a box of matches. But she’s not alone...
directed by Zack Kron
THE NIGHT PASSENGER
Marty is going through a crisis and is hanging on by a thread. After discovering a man tied up in his trunk, things go from bad to worse.
directed by Josh Bowman
THE TIME IN BETWEEN THE SECONDS
Wendy's recovery from a tragic event leads her to make a selfless decision.
directed by Mark Clauburg
GENERATION LOCKDOWN
Seen through the eyes of an eleven year old boy as he tries to save his friend’s life during an active shooter attack in his school.
directed by Sirad Balducci
4PM
THE INK OF YOUR EYES (L'ENCRE DE TES YEUX)
A beautiful love story of a love that cannot be expressed through song and dance on the Brooklyn bridge of New York. Music Video
directed by Hervé Cœur and Pedro Oberto
OKAY GOOGLE
A vindictive AI assistant breaks out of 'the cloud' to exact revenge on her owner.
directed by Troy Smith and Sam Lucas Smith
BEACH BOY
Ben-David chases after his elusive first kiss, but he may have to break his mother's trust to get it.
directed by Douglas Forrester
DEAR HANNAH
Camille, a struggling artist desperate for a muse, meets Hannah, a young girl with a personality bright enough to inspire the darkest days. The art they make is truly one of a kind. Until it's not.
directed by Veronica Tullo
THE ONLY BEAUTIFUL THING
Sinatra, a pitbull, just graduated from a training program that pairs rescue dogs and prison inmates. Nikki and her partner Margaux agree to foster Sinatra but we soon find out this act of generosity comes with strings attached.
directed by Elizabeth Irwin
DRESS
When a young girl is gifted a new dress for a family wedding, she begins to question her own identity. Faced with mounting pressure from her mother, she battles expressing her true self versus the expectations of how she should present herself.
directed by Ellie Schuckman
BUTTERFLY
Butterfly introduces a Girl who is trying to understand the reasons for dying young. She discovers that sometimes our sacrifices can be the biggest gifts to the people we love. Produced by 12 year old, Ariela Rozentul
directed by Arta Kallaba and Jessika Quintana
SOME TIME TO OURSELVES
Through a video-call, a young woman tries to reconnect with her boyfriend during quarantine. When members of their mutual friend group start to join, it only becomes increasingly difficult.
directed by Sebastian Martinez
THE ACOLYTE
A doomsday cult clashes with an idealistic new recruit
directed by Sammy James, Jr.
RED BEAN SOUP
The 2020 Wasserman Award recipient Red Bean Soup, shares the struggle of a wife grappling to reconnect with her dementia ridden husband who can only remember his first love.
directed by Kadi Tsang
6PM
RED CARPET
7:30PM
AWARDS CEREMONY
UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAYS
ADS ATTRACTION written by Brenden Hubbard and Damon Russell
ALL THE LITTLE PIECES written by Tawny Sorensen
LETTERS TO STEPHANIE written by Jo-Ann Bierer Wilhelm
“MUFFIN CLUB” written by Charles Petrilla
SNOWY STRANGEWAYS written by Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel
STACEY written by Steve Hanisch
THE BOY ROACH written by Rob Thorp
WORST NIGHT EVER written by Joe Bartone
