2019 SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Tuesday, June 25 | 5:15pm
Unity Temple on the Plaza
Get Ready to Mark Your Ballot!
Join us for this popular closing night event where you vote to decide which of these mini-short films (less than 10 minutes each) will earn a $100 cash prize.
ADELINE
An elderly woman at the end of her life reminisces about her years spent at a boarding school for girls.
Directed by Audrey Biche | 10 minutes
THE COMMON FAG
On the banks of Okanagan Lake, documentarian Kenney observes the Fag, a particular subspecies of the homosexual and more evolved cousin to the Gay as he preens, explores his habitat and extricates himself from the beige restrictions of his box. This short experimental film takes a playful look at the trials and triumphs of “the common fag.”
Directed by Denise Kenney | 5 minutes
FUCK
A one-word journey through an unsuspecting freshman’s sexual trials, tribulations, and revelations during her first semester of college.
Directed by Vern Haas | 3 minutes
HIM
Jasper mysteriously appears in Matthew's room in the middle of the night. Matthew attempts to figure out why his crush is acting so weird.
Directed by Carter Truitt | 4 minutes
LISTEN
Featuring young trans actors in trans roles, 'Listen' honestly and frankly depicts some of the myriad struggles experienced daily by trans children and teenagers, giving a much needed voice to this often maligned section of the community.
Directed by Jake Graf | 4 minutes
MISSED
A diner on a dusty desert highway in the American Southwest seems an unlikely place to call neutral territory, but it's Graham’s last chance to try and reconnect with his estranged father, John. With John clinging ever more to his conservatism and the differences between father and son seemingly insurmountable, the stakes are high. Can they reconcile their differences and reconnect before it is too late?
Directed by Fokke Baarssen | 9 minutes
THE ONE YOU NEVER FORGET
Carey, a 14-year-old boy, nervously prepares for his first dance as his parents reminisce about their own. When Carey's mother (Tasha Smith, EMPIRE) tasks Carey's father (Malik Whitfield, THE TEMPTATIONS) with getting the perfect picture of Carey and his date, a moment of tension arises as Carey becomes elusive and tries to thwart his father's objective.
Directed by Morgan Jon Fox | 8 minutes | Watch Preview
QUEEN FOR A DAY
Queen for a Day is a short comedy about drag queens and marriage. Directed by Kansas City's own Savannah Rodgers, this film shows the joy of the LGBTQ+ experience through the lens of a presumably heterosexual married couple from the suburbs.
Directed by Savannah Rodgers | 4 minutes
RESHAPING BEAUTY
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But we live in a world that is obsessed with one specific, narrow type of beauty. How would our perceptions of beauty change if we dared to idealize other types of beauty? Directed by multi-talented performer Tom Goss.
Directed by Tom Goss | 7 minutes
SELF PORTRAIT
"Struggling with gender identity, sexual orientation, and cultural identity has been a normal aspect of my life. Being pulled in and out of native culture and feeling like my queerness was unwelcome by my people, I separated myself for years. Now I explore my relationship with my culture by decolonizing myself and others by sharing my identity openly and honestly."
Directed by Faun Harjo | 3 minutes
SILVER LIGHT
A man returns to his hometown for the funeral of his male high school sweetheart, and has to confront the family that didn’t know their secret as well as his own feelings of loss and regret.
Directed by Brad McDermott | 7 minutes
STILL DRIFTING
Can a couple come together after all they have been through?
Directed by Lisa E. Williams | 6 minutes
THE TASK
In a God-fearing village, local goldsmith Alain delivers wedding rings to gay couple Sam and Daan.
Directed by Sander Houwen, Sjoerd Weening | 7 minutes