2022 Program
Environmental Shorts : 6:30pm
The Last Last Hike
*Director in attendance*
Dir. Celine Francois (Alabama, 20min)
One man. One Trail. Many Stories. The Last Last Hike journeys into 83-year-old Nimblewill Nomad’s life as he prepares to become the oldest person to hike though the Appalachian Trail, finalizing his 2 decade long hiking experience. An inspirational story of one man on an exploration of life, nature, and liberation of being tied to down to place.
Heal the River
*Director in attendance*
Dir Paulina Sobczak (Alabama, 21min)
Hydropower dams, built decades ago, have dramatically altered river systems across Alabama. Downstream of the Harris Dam on the Tallapoosa River, families and landowners who have lost property and use of the river have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ask for changes to the operation of the dam through the relicensing process. Their hope is that changes can improve downstream conditions and begin to heal the river.
54 Miles to Home
Dir. Claire Haughey (Selma, Alabama, 27min)
In 1965 three Black farming families risked their lives by providing refuge to thousands of voting rights marchers on the historic five day, 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery. Nearly 60 years later, The Halls, Steeles and Gardners share for the first time what their parents and grandparents sacrificed. Their stories help unveil the rural and agricultural roots of the civil rights movement, while asking the seemingly timeless American question: how do you fight for what you know is right when the majority is against you?
Absolution
Dir. Gina Lizama, Gabriel Harvey (New Orleans, La)
A city undergoes a purification ritual.
Feature : 8pm
El Chata / The Sparring Partner
Day 1 April 22nd
Dir Gustavo Ramos Perales (Puerto Rico, 75 min)
*Director in attendance*
Day 2 April 23rd
After time in prison, Samuel wants to prove everyone he has changed, especially his family. With a lot of talent as a boxer and with the possibility of being a champion, it is the only thing he can think of, to prove his talent to everyone. However it is not easy with his coach Joe, training another boxer, his family with economic problems and above all, no one that supports him.
Feature : 11am
88.3 FM & The Voice of the People
Dir. JT Tarpley (Little Rock, AR, 105min)
*Director in attendance*
Over the course of one week, radio station KABF looks at social issues such as women's rights, MLK event organizers, and black history. Little Rock’s spirit of social justice is reanimated in the face of new local and national challenges in this Southern piece of direct cinema.
Social Issue Shorts : 1:30pm
Just Benjamin
Dir Paige Murphy (Little Rock, AR, 24min)
Benjamin “Benji” Davis, a 29-year-old transgender man from Arkansas, has wanted to move to Colorado for years. Since coming out as trans in his 20s, Benji has found acceptance in unexpected places, both in the military and with his traditional, small-town Arkansan father. But Benji hopes that moving to Colorado will be a fresh start for him, a place where he can be safe and free, where he can be "just Benjamin."
Beautiful People
*Director in attendance*
Dir. Shane White (Arkansas, 30min)
Breaking Beauty standards and pushing the boundaries for what deserves to be seen, Beautiful People revolves around Arkansas models, creative directors and designers striving to diversify the fashion industry. This short documentary invites a new perspective to body image and unpacks the aesthetics of perfection in an area prone to conformity.
*Director in attendance*
Gaining Wait
Dir. Katherine Diane Dixon
Gaining Wait is a short yet insightful film that visualizes a realistic insight into the complicated relationship women often face with their bodies. The film explores the stories of 5 women, each with different struggles, on how they view their body.
Mirror Image
Dir. Emily Freeze (Cumming, GA, 7min)
A dancer struggling with her body image comes to the realization that she is a role model to her younger sister.
Tucker's War
*Director in attendance*
Dir. Gian Smith (New Orleans, La, 43min)
A middle-aged lobbyist battles institutions of systemic oppression while her own substance use straddles the line between therapy and abuse.
One Pint at a Time
Dir. Aaron Hose (USA 89min)
Craft beer generates tens of billions of dollars annually for the US economy. Despite beer’s Egyptian and African heritage, Black-owned breweries make up less than 1% of the nearly 9,000 breweries in operation. Eager to shift the historical perception of who makes and drinks beer, Black brewers, brand owners and influencers across the country are reshaping the craft beer industry and the future of America’s favorite adult beverage.
International Stories : 5:50pm
Sugarcake
Dir. Joshua Paul (Jamaica, 12 min)
A taxi driver grappling with guilt and a prostitute strike an unlikely bond that shapes both of their lives. This film beautifully depicts the similarity we all share with the human spirit, despite how different our circumstances may be.
Salted / SALGÁ
Dir. Aïshah Granviel, Tittel Del Mar (Curacao, 22min)
Nobody knows who did it, but Jacqueline, a local journalist, along with her cameraman are committed to figuring it out who's behind the scream that was so loud it sounded like it circled the earth at least three times. Jacqueline interviews several witnesses, and they each tell a different story. At the end of the day, gossip is just like salt; it's in everything!
Feature : 4pm
Little Moko
Dir. Miquel Galofre (Trinidad and Tobago, 15 min)
Coronavirus swept the globe, toppling the world and putting its cultural festivities on hold. While the Caribbean Island of Trinidad and Tobago are no exception, the people refuse to lose their traditions.
Libertad
Dir. Lea Roger Abi Zeid Daou (St. Petersburg, FL, 17 min)
An intimate portrait of political refugees from Venezuela, their resilience and love for one another, and their lived experiences of abduction, torture, and oppression.
The Heartbeat of the City: Verse 1
Dir. Ryan Eccleston (Kingston, Jamaica, 17min)
Downtown Kingston, is the epicenter of trade, commerce, and culture in Jamaica’s capital. The one constant through all the city's comings and going has been the Push Cart!.
Transporting goods, fruits, materials, and services, not many think of how important the men who make them, repair them, and the women who make a living from them are. If they stop, Downtown stops, Kingston stops, St. Andrew stops. The Push Cart is the “Heartbeat of the city”. The Film looks to investigate the complexities of this industry.
Horror Shorts : 7:40pm
Let Me In
Dir. Emily Freeze (Cumming, GA, 4min)
A naive teenager home alone decides to let a panicked stranger into her house.
Within
Dir. Jorge Miranda (El Paso, TX, 21min)
After the mysterious disappearance of his girlfriend Alice, Elijah is unknowingly forced into piecing together the reality of what really happened to her.
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Compulsion
*Director in attendance*
Dir. OJ Parker (New Orleans, La, 5min)
A young woman struggles with her compulsory habits and the consequences of the actions caused by those habits.
Backyard Blackbird
Dir. Andrew Huggins (North Carolina, 15 min)
A father’s unconditional love for his son is tested after a grisly altercation with a school peer in this cryptic film by Andrew Huggins.
Vendicare
*Director in attendance*
Dir. Harrison Atwood (New Orleans, LA, 12min)
After the untimely loss of her significant other, a woman fights with the idea of justice.
Til Death Do Us Part
Dir. Elijah Sylvester-Johnson (Roanoke, VA, 2min)
In this silent micro short, vivid images cut between a couple's wedding day and a vision of their future – with hints of what happened in between. Shot on digital as an homage to 16mm film.
Feature : 9pm
Heart of the Gun
Dir. Travis Mills (US, 93 minutes)
A woman, Sarah, is found injured after a raid by Travers, a deserter, and doctor. In this gritty Western Thriller, they are on the quest to find Travers’ missing wife with obstacles on the way.
Day 3 April 24th
Stories of Love & Hate : 12pm
Touch
Dir. Georgia Carls (Memphis TN, 10min)
This touching short illuminates life into a bereaved elderly man’s memory of his love story with his late wife through the decades. Through snapshots of their lives together, their love proves to be immortal.
Sindustry
Dir. Emily Lemoine (Baton Rouge, LA, 26min)
*Director in attendance*
When a young college student falls into a superfluous gambling debt, he attempts to pay off the debt by luring young women into his sex trafficking ring. With this piece dealing with difficult topics from woman director Emily Anne Lemoine, viewer discretion is advised.
Battle of the Bands
Dir. Carter Schaeffer (Salem, VA, 11 min)
Jordan, a lonely, lower-class punk, finds a chance to escape the drudgery of his life through a Battle of The Bands. Through it, Jordan navigates moshing, musicianship, his fantasies of rock stardom, and his love for his guitar tutor.
Sins of the Father
Dir. Azriel Bahadoor (Trinidad & Tobago, 13min)
A priest has his devotion put to the test, as he listens to the confession of an ex convict; one that was incarcerated at a prison he visited years ago.
Really Good Friends
Dir. Adam Sekuler (New Orleans, LA, 9min)
*Director in attendance*
Loyola Shorts : 1:30pm
Roads Diverged
Dir. Michael Lardizabal (New Orleans, 15min)
*Director in attendance*
An unlikely meeting between a blind author and a woman, one struggling with understanding her future and the other struggling with mistakes of his past, results in a newfound understanding of their lives. This short drama explores two unlike individuals who grant one another a different outlook on life.
Piece by Piece
Dir. Conner Baudier (New Orleans, LA, 17 min)
A symbolic romantic live-action narrative short about the building and breaking of trust in relationships.
The Reckoning
Dir. Troy Pierre II (New Orleans, LA, 8min)
*Director in attendance*
Awe inspiring cinematography and musical score offers a soaring narrative on the current, black American life. Through exploring racial American history and its lasting impact, its protagonist, an outspoken black woman, makes a powerful critique on past promises and modern shortcomings of the nation.
The Stairwell
Dir. Jonathan Presson (New Orleans, La, 6min)
*Director in attendance*
In his writing and directorial debut, Loyola Freshman Jonathan Presson, a young college student named Nathan awakes in a strange, unfamiliar stairwell. What ensues becomes increasingly more bizarre.
Stranger in the Room
Dir. Sam Marin (New Orleans, LA, 17min)
A young college student named Quinton wakes up one morning after a party not recognizing himself. He sees another man’s reflection in every window, while those in his life see him as he is. In his Loyola senior film, Samuel B. Marin touches on the experience of accepting yourself as you are and the contrast between authentic self and the molded identity of social pressure.
The Invite List
Dir. Tony King (Oxford, MS, 6min)
Two college students try to figure out who to invite to their Halloween party, they struggle trying to decide due to a breakup in their friend group.
Smoke Free Campus
Dir. Andrew Meyers (Gainesville, GA, 7min)
*Director in attendance*
Ben, a down on his luck college student, embarks on a journey to have a cigarette on his strictly no smoking college campus.
The Cleansing Spirit
Dir. Cole Konstance (Roanoke, VA, 3min)
This endearing comedy tells the story of a young man attempting to clean during the night shift of his janitorial job. While he’s cleaning however, he is bombarded with an unforeseen surprise.
Madaptation
Dir. Andrew Cheyne (Florida, 8min)
When a disgruntled young film student feels as if he can’t produce a unique film, he takes no hesitation to write a script detailing his frustrations. Andrew Cheyne produces a satirically humorous story about self worth and attempting to carve an artistic, personal identity in this comedy short.
2nd Chance Thrift
Dir. Garry Jesinski
Clothes at a thrift shop are eager to go home and be put to use in this playful, endearing short.
Bigfoot? Bigger Men!
Dir. Carter Schaeffer (Salem, Virginia, 9min)
Two mountain men and their daughter go into the woods to “catch” the Sasquatch. Hijinks ensue!
Pick Me a Winner
Dir. Jackie Rhoads (Nashville, TN, 2min)
In this funny, light hearted comedic short, a young college woman has an enormous crush on a young man, however her feelings quickly spiral to a fade when she learns an unforgettable secret about him.
Freddie Clark's Existential Crisis
Dir. David Culotta (Baton Rouge, La, 27min)
*Director in attendance*
Back in town for Halloween, Freddy Clark sneaks into a Frat party to reconnect with his best friends from high school, but soon finds that everything is a bit weirder than when he left, especially when a drugged out girl, "The Groundhog," corners him in the bathroom, saying she's lived the day over and over a thousand times and that he's the only hope to save the entire universe.
Experimental Shorts : 4:55pm
Glued
Dir. Oswmer Louis
A young man is stuck in his chair.
Your Time is Up
Dir. Leon Truong (Richmond, VA, 2:30min)
A Black and White experimental short, where death is the main theme. A girl must deal with death lurking around the corner.
No Garden Beyond
Dir. Anna Kipervaser, Rhys Morgan (Burmuda 11min)
Scenes from above, below, and around the Sargasso Sea, a body of water unbounded by land where ecology and mythology have coexisted since before Juan de Bermúdez’s 1505 expedition. Where spirits whisper through the Island’s flora and fauna, only to be interrupted by the alternating currents of manmade ruin and regeneration.
The First 280 Honest Words of My Life
Dir. Ella Janes (Oklahoma, 6 min)
From 16 year old director Ella Janes, comes a lively depiction into a teen woman’s perspective on life and navigating the desire to find distinct identity - as mundane and earth shattering as it may be.
Proximity
Dir. Catherine Peinhardt (Alabama 18min)
Proximity is an indie psychological thriller that follow's a woman's struggles with mental health during quarantine and her growing disconnect from reality. Her isolation is relieved when she goes on a first date with a beautiful stranger. Is it a fantasy made real or too good to be true?
My Body, the Bicycle
Dir. Olivia-Graham Kapadia (North Carolina, 4min)
After suffering a fall off of a bike, a young person wrestles, reconciles, and reflects on the fragility of the human body, and the resilience of the human spirit.
VOID:VOID
Dir. Tho Ngo (Arlington, TX, 18min)
VOID:VOID is an experimental short with a touch of Sci-Fi. After a failed experiment Johnny must find a mysterious woman that's been chasing his thoughts and dreams. Will he ever find who she is? Or just even find her?
College Comedy Shorts : 3:30pm
Lousiana's Own : 6:20pm
11
Dir. Bradley Gueho (Lafayette, Louisiana, 11min)
11 follows the story of an insecure young basketball player on a journey to break out of his shell. With the support of a close friend, determination, and realizing his dreams, he takes the next step to unleashing his full potential.
The Boombox Saints
Dir. Sarah Hilal (College Station, Texas, 23min)
Two boys that love all things wrestling and music must smooth over a roadblock that may mean the end of their amateur careers.
Marcy in the City
Dir. Derek Zimmer (New Orleans, La, 35min)
*Director in attendance*
Marcy in the city tells a story of a young woman on her journey of leaving her environment while comparing it to the ever changing city of New Orleans.
Loyola Senior Theses! : 7:50pm (in-person screening only)
Dinner and a Movie
Dir. David Barth (New Orleans, 12min)
*Director in attendance*
James is a working man, who's in the midst of being stood up by his date. Cameron is a waiter who's not in the mood for his job that day. When the two personalities clash, they'll have to work through their issues together and face the consequences.
Sit at the Table
Dir. Francesca Ariemma (New Orleans 16min)
*Director in attendance*
¡Siéntate en la mesa!; Siediti a tavola!, is a trilingual psychedelic dark comedy about a girl celebrating her birthday however, things take a weird turn after she drinks some tea her friends made her. This film is based on my connection with culture through food and celebration.
Cariño
Keyla Blanco (New Orleans, La, 11min)
*Director in attendance*
A college student balances her last semester of college while missing her mom.
The Cauldron of Water and Flame
Christophe Cogerino (New Orleans, La, 21min)
*Director in attendance*
In a Fantasy-Comedy, two roommates hit a wizard with their car, who grants them the power of water and fire to defeat the maniacal Hybrid.
Peeling Oranges
Sidney Buckingham (New Orleans, La, 12min)
*Director in attendance*
Ember, a young woman with anxiety, is fired from her interior design job for budgetary reasons. She struggles to manage her anxiety as she searches for other jobs, and what to do next.
Jackie and Mel
*Director in attendance*
Haley Kastner (New Orleans, La, 10min)
Jackie & Mel attempt to commit a routine robbery when an unexpected guest gets in the way.
Conviction
Kailyn O'Neal (New Orleans, La)
*Director in attendance*
Jodie has just wrapped up a day of shopping. She’s
heading to her car to put her new purchases away just as she would on
any other retail therapy day. Upon entering her car, Jodie is joined
with some company that she is not yet aware of. This seemingly
useless old woman puts Jodie in a panic, but she carries on to help
her anyway. Jodie has a gut feeling that this passenger is not up to
any good and she calls the police. Is the old woman just looking for
help or looking to harm Jodie?
Just 5 Minutes
Armánn B. Turner II (New Orleans, La, 13min)
*Director in attendance*
Wesley “Wes” Richards is going to a party on Friday with one goal in mind: Talk To Melanie. With the help of his friend, Terrence, he’s created a foolproof plan to ensure this goes off without a hitch. But a seemingly never-ending series of obstacles quickly derails this plan
Shepherds We Shall Be
*Director in attendance*
Rudolph Melchiorre III (New Orleans, La)
Brothers Peter and Paul float through life as fringe members of society. We follow them as they go to work on just an average day. Aimless and in crisis, the brothers question and ponder the liminality of growing up.
Ghost Girl
*Director in attendance*
Maura Lindsey (New Orleans, La, 16min)
Missy shows off her ghost hunting abilities when an old friend asks to see the house she is investigating.
If you are looking for something a bit more catchy and brief:
Missy totally believes this house isn't haunted.
Chew on That
*Director in attendance*
Paula Andrade (New Orleans, La, 8min)
Four friends meet together for normal dinner, until one of them shares some news that may affect the others. Will everything be alright or will some friendships end after the dinner?
Fake it Till You Make It
*Director in attendance*
Ellison Booker (New Orleans, La, 17min)
When his new EP fails to sell records, hip-hop artist, LA Moore questions his overnight success as he watches his celebrity high-life start to fade. Can he prove himself to be more than a one-hit wonder?
Dime Size