- Film Screening
- Short Film Screening
Date: February 20, 2026
Time: 5:45 pm – 8:30 pm
Location:
Regal Union Square Theater 2
850 Broadway
New York, New York 10023
There will be a Q&A Session with the filmmakers at 8:10 PM. These films have not been rated and some content may not be appropriate for children.
- Animated Film Competition
Yuck!
Directed by: Loïc Espuche
Country: France
Minutes: 13
Yuck! Couples kissing on the mouth are gross. And the worst is, you can’t miss them: when people are about to kiss, their lips become all pink and shiny. Little Léo laughs at them, just like all the kids at the summer camp. But he has a secret he won’t tell his friends: his own mouth has actually begun glistening. And, in reality, Léo desperately wants to give kissing a try.
- Short Film Competition
Gioia
Directed by: Nixon Singa
Country: France
Minutes: 21
At 15, Gioia, a black teenager, lives a boring life at school. After class, she fully enjoys her passion: Afro dance. When she shares this hobby with Amandine, a popular student, their two worlds collide.
- Short Film Competition
Erlkönig
Directed by: Morgan Middleton, Charlie Driscoll
Country: United States
Minutes: 6
Premiere:
NYC Premiere
Warning:
Set to Schubert’s 1815 classical composition of Der Erlkönig, the short transports this well-known German story into the 21st century. Using an ambulance as a modern-day horse, a father rushes his mortally wounded son to the nearest hospital. In a back and forth between the father’s will and Erlkönig’s words, viewers see how the narrative of old speaks to racial and health disparities of today.- Short Film Competition
She Will Rock You
Directed by: Yebin Hyeon
Country: Korea
Minutes: 17
Premiere:
North American Premiere
Yongsik is abruptly and absurdly dumped by his girlfriend, Deokja. No matter how much he thinks about it, he refuses to accept the breakup. Determined to try anything to win her back, he begins a desperate pursuit for answers. But when they meet again, Deokja has—quite literally—turned into a stone. Faced with this surreal transformation, Yongsik struggles to understand the cruelty and tenderness of love, and whether something broken can still be held onto.- Music Video Competition
Staircase Stomp by The Clamor
Directed by: Aaron Louis
Country: United States
Minutes: 3
Warning:
Stop-motion music video for the song STAIRCASE STOMP by punk/new wave band The Clamor. The music video tells the story of a man grappling with his inner turmoil, represented by a haunting female figure in a storm-battered cabin. Through surreal stop-motion animation, the video explores themes of identity, psychological conflict, and self-reconciliation, blurring the lines between external chaos and internal struggles.- Short Film Competition
Tin Soldiers
Directed by: Aris Federman
Country: United States
Minutes: 17
Warning:
Falling behind in class, a parent-teacher conference sends Caius down a pharmaceutical rabbit hole that impacts him for the rest of his life. As he grows, Caius must navigate the complexities of mental health treatment at a time when he’s still discovering what ‘normal’ is.- Short Film Competition
I Hate Helen
Directed by: Katie Lambert
Country: United Kingdom
Minutes: 6
Premiere:
NYC Premiere
I HATE HELEN is a snapshot of teenage life, a short film about the tidal wave of gay lust some girls feel in school and letting those feelings just wash over you. But our protagonist, Emma, isn’t going without a fight. She hates Helen, and she hates the way she is feeling. This film is a love letter to being confused and angry. It’s about swimming and being a little pervert while trying to study for your GCSES. We made this with a queer crew around South East London and are delighted with this heartfelt mess of a result.- Short Film Competition
Malka
Directed by: Stacey Maltin
Country: United States
Minutes: 17
Premiere:
US Premiere
Malka, a Holocaust survivor, starts to see visions of her life at the camps during a present-day family seder. As time falls in on itself, Malka must find the hope in the present that she did in the past in order to survive.- Music Video Competition
What if I Die Flying Over Oklahoma?
Directed by: H. Nelson Tracey
Country: United States
Minutes: 5
Premiere:
NYC Premiere
Trapped in the middle seat, singer-songwriter Rae Isla spirals into an existential crisis that transforms airplane anxiety into a surreal question of “what if?”- Short Film Competition
The Other Side
Directed by: Nikita Hattangady
Country: United States / India
Minutes: 28
Premiere:
NYC Premiere
Set in the heart of Mumbai, THE OTHER SIDE is a compelling portrayal of the struggles endured by a Mumbai street artist aspiring to attend one of the country’s finest art academies. When he is faced with choosing between his desires and a friend’s needs, he must choose between his heart and his conscience.- Web Series Competition
Forbidden Pond
Directed by: Eric Jenkins-Sahlin
Country: United States
Minutes: 13
For single cellular organisms, life likely ends without a moment for reflection. It’s a didinium eat paramecium world. Retired epidemiologist Deb Kapell, however, immortalizes these tiny creatures with her microscopy art. FORBIDDEN POND accompanies Deb while she pursues her hobby and creates her own meaning of life through the relationships she builds with microscopic inhabitants of this world. The film is a celebration of both science and artistry, and appreciates the natural beauty that is both accessible and inaccessible.
