2022 Award Winning Shorts
Monumental Divide is about a small rural town divided over politics, and follows a young couple as they come to terms with the social forces that drove them out. Stephanie, an outdoor enthusiast, moved into town two years ago with her boyfriend seeking recreation and a place to call home. Taking a job at the local non-profit, she inadvertently took sides in a bitter 20-year-old battle over land management. Now, four months pregnant, Stephanie navigates a town stuck in perpetual breakdown and questions whether she’s found the ideal community for her new family.Director's Bio:An award-winning producer and director, Brian's filmmaking career began in action sports, producing original content for Fox’s Fuel TV. Leveraging an expertise in outdoor and adventure stories, he developed youth-culture driven ad spots and branded content for clients like PepsiCo, 7Eleven and Toyota. Brian produced a feature documentary ‘Gorging’ – about the unique sport of canyoneering – and other short doc films. His latest film ‘Love of Place’ is touring the film festival circuit this year.
After Tim’s work-related stroke leads to troubling signs of memory loss, his son Michael returns home to Montana. As they spend the most time together since Michael’s childhood, they reckon with the past that haunts Tim. Meantime is a deeply personal exploration of memory, guilt, labor, and the attempt to preserve the fleeting.Director's Bio:Michael T. Workman is a filmmaker, curator, and organizer based in San Francisco and Montana. His latest film Meantime (2022) won the Best Short Film Award at Telluride Mountainfilm and the Vimeo Staff Pick Award at Palm Springs Short Fest. His documentary From Parts Unknown (2018) won the Grand Jury Prize at the Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival. He holds a B.F.A. in Fine Art from the University of Montana and an M.F.A. in Documentary Film from Stanford University.
An ominous vision leads to bad news for Yanise and her family when she receives word of her grandfather’s passing. Unable to return to Puerto Rico immediately, Yanise arrives three months later and is welcomed by her mom, grandmother, and cousins. At breakfast, Yanise describes a recurring dream of being held in the ocean. Her grandmother recognizes it as a calling from Yemaya and shares a ritual that leads to a spiritual awakening and ultimately, a salve for Yanise's grief. Director's Bio:Alexis C. Garcia is an award-winning writer, director whose work has spanned film, TV, and digital. She created and served as showrunner of the Webby Award-winning series for BuzzFeed’s Pero Like channel, “Mi Quinceañera Come True,” and is a 2022 recipient of the LALIFF Inclusion Fellowship, sponsored by Netflix. Alexis is passionate about driving critical conversations that both inform and uplift the Latinx community.
Progressive muscle relaxation, Lycra, spoken word. As Michael (Himesh Patel) seeks novel ways to halt his spiraling depression, a moment of hope arrives via an unexpected source.Director's Bio:Born and raised in London, Saul is a half Finnish, half British director/producer working acrossdrama, documentary and commercials. His films have been screened at festivals around the world and he was recently included in the BBC New Talent Hotlist. Saul co runs Saul & Josh Studio in London: www.saulandjosh.com
Every day, a father and his son jump with a parachute from their vertiginous cold house, attached to a cliff, to go to the village on the ground, far away where they sell the ice they produce daily.Director's Bio:João Gonzalez (1996) is a Portuguese film director, animator, illustrator and a musician with classical training in piano. Recipient of a scholarship from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, he did a Masters at the Royal College Art (UK), after finishing his BA at ESMAD (PT). In 2022 he became the first Portuguese animation filmmaker to be awarded at Festival de Cannes, winning the Jury Prize for Best Short film in competition at the Critics Week, with “Ice Merchants”.