Opening Night March 31, 2023

Griefcake. United Kingdom 

US PREMIERE 

9:06 

Writer/Director - Vilma Kartalska

A bittersweet comedy-drama about a cake-loving family bereft after the death of their expert baker mum.

The New Nanny. 

United States 

NC PREMIERE 

3:39

Writer/Director - Bridget Moloney. 

With a little magic, the new nanny helps a non-binary child deal with bullies and find self-acceptance

Aspirational Slut. 

United States 

14:38

Writer/Director - Caroline Lindy 

A newly heartbroken woman, on the advice of a pizza guy, learns to separate love from sex, and over a series of wild random hookups, she learns to put them back together.

Asking For It. 

United States 

NC PREMIERE 

11:54

Writer/Director - Rhea MacCallum, Christy Lee Hughes

A victim of a crime quickly becomes the suspect in this gender adaptation of a satirical play.

The Interview.  

United States 

NC PREMIERE 

9:17

Writer/Director - Janet Guillet/Inga Moren Tapias

An interview between two women at opposite ends of their careers turns into a therapy session where we question: Who is interviewing whom?

We Should Get Dinner. 

United States 

NC PREMIERE 9:56

Writer/Director - Eliza Jiménez Cossio, Lexi Tannenholtz

After their parents' divorce, ex-step-siblings Abby and Sean are forced to confront if they were ever really family.

A Killer Secret. 

United States 

5:44

Writer/Director - Bettina Bresnan, Julian Burzynski

Two best friends are enjoying what they think is a normal night, until the doorbell rings and an unexpected visitor delivers the possibility of death. In their last moments together, they decide to share secrets that could affect their friendship forever.. if they survive.

Candy. 

United Kingdom 

USA PREMIERE 

13:50

Writer/Director - Sarah Grant

Plus-size burlesque enthusiast Mandy is rehearsing for her first performance. She finds confidence when her best friend needs her help

Paper Geese. 

United States 

NC PREMIERE 

13:56

Writer/Director - Elizabeth Chatelain

After an unsuccessful goose hunt, a young girl grapples with seeing her father in a new light.

Last Chance. 

Hungary 

NC PREMIERE 

27:32

Writer/Director - Eszter Angyalosy, Dániel Szőke

50-year-old Dodi decides to learn longboarding. He finds a teenager willing to teach him - to not just skate but fight for what matters.

The Unexpected Expectant Father. 

United Kingdom 

14:59

Writer/Director - Keeley Gainey

Bobby, 8, is abandoned by his mother and left unannounced at his granddad Ted's house again.

Finding Dad. 

United Kingdom 

NC PREMIERE 

29:50

Writer/Director - Alana Hutton-Shaw

It's Christmas, and Anita's mum just died unexpectedly; with nothing left, she and her BFF descend on the EastEnd to find the father she's never met.

OKAY AL-I.

United States

NC PREMIERE 

16:16

Writer/Director - Sarah Emery, Matthew Emery

As she recalls the harsh treatment received at the hands of her programmer, an android decides she's had enough.

***Filmmaker in attendance***

OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD. 

United States 

NC PREMIERE 

7:36

Writer/Director - Ursula Ellis

While working deep in a West Virginia coal mine, Diana is exposed to a mysterious gas that seeps into her everyday life.

Glitch. 

United States 

NC PREMIERE 

3:40

Writer/Director - Rebecca Sonia Berrih

While FaceTiming her daughter, a mother spots something scary on the video feed that can’t be seen with the naked eye...

WILD BITCH. 

United States 

12:23

Writer/Director - Rebekka Johnson, Kate Nash

Wild Bitch is a quirky thriller about a local reporter’s interview with a mousy housewife about her life-changing encounter with a coyote. This leads to an eerie trek in the woods that leaves them forever bonded with each other... and the beast.

Ursula. 

United States 

NC PREMIERE 

16:11

Writer/Director - Hannah Heller

URSULA takes place in the near future, a hand-me-down world in which water is scarce and anxiety is high. Set amidst an extreme water crisis, two misfits, Ursula and Stuart (Martin Starr), meet at a country music show. Their attraction and curiosity propels them into an experiment in optimism: a date. 

PICKUP. 

United States 

12:34

Writer/Director - Christine Delp

When a rideshare to the airport takes an unsettling turn, both passenger and driver struggle to keep control.

***Producer/DP in attendance***

The Fall. 

Canada 

NC PREMIERE 

2:51

Writer/Director - Desirae Witte

Leafie is a plucky little maple leaf who loves to groove. But when their latest performance takes an unexpected turn, the harsh realities of the season come crashing down.

Freedom Swimmer, 

United Kingdom 

NC PREMIERE 

15:00

Writer/Director - Olivia Martin-McGuire

The story of a grandfather's perilous swim from China to Hong Kong parallels his granddaughter's own quest for a new freedom

ALONE. 

United States 

1:00

Writer/Director - Sydney Johnson (2022 Uptilt Intern)

A short film reflecting on loneliness in crowded spaces

***Filmmaker in attendance***

Pushing Through. 

Canada 

8:58

Writer/Director - Geneviève Bélanger Genest

A synaesthetic voyage by canoe over pack ice explores the trials our bodies push through to inhabit our surroundings.

The Turnip. 

Estonia 

NC PREMIERE 

7:12

Writer/Director - Piret Sigus, Silja Saarepuu

Well-known folk tale from different perspective - showing what happens under the ground while peasants are cultivating vegetables.

Gaia and the King: an Eco-Fable. 

United States

EAST COAST PREMIERE 

4:36

Writer/Director - Laura Lewis-Barr

Gaia tries to teach the King a lesson that could help the earth.

Quill's Trinket Treasure. 

United States 

NC PREMIERE 

3:34

Writer/Director - Jenny Brunner

After a student loses her ring, her stop-motion creation comes to life to bring it back.

***Filmmaker in attendance***

Anjela. 

Bulgaria 

16:02

Writer/Director - Vilma Kartalska

The inspiring documentary-animation story of Anjela Pencheva, whose severe diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy has never broken her spirit and has turned her into a writer, an actress and a dancer.

un·fixed still life of Dolly S. Dalí... a mini epic. 

United States 

3:49

Writer/Director - Jennifer Scully-Thurston

A "coming of age" parable OR cautionary tale, of a woman turning into a ​Dalí​ painting.

Curiosa. 

United Kingdom 

9:30

Writer/Director - Tessa Moult-Milewska, Matthew Dicky

Curiosa tells the story of overly curious Mary, who visits her boyfriend's flat for the first time, just to discover it’s been stripped bare of all personal belongings. After being denied an explanation, she climbs into his head.

Lucky Fish. 

United States 

NC PREMIERE 

8:22

Writer/Director - Emily May Jampel

Two Asian-American teenagers meet in the bathroom of a Chinese restaurant while having dinner with their families.

Twitching. 

United Kingdom 

NC PREMIERE 

14:54

Writer/Director- Madelaine Moore

Ella goes on a date with the recently bereaved Mark, who asks her to join him in his unconventional grieving process - will she agree?

Black Morning. 

United States 

USA PREMIERE 

12:59

Writer/Director - Valentina Hueck

On Christmas night, a heartbroken girl uncovers how the impact of leaving home shapes her will to love.

***Filmmaker in attendance***

What's The Mark. 

United States 

NC PREMIERE 

14:10

Writer/Director - Stacey Larkins

Through the lens of an actress unintentionally involved in a controversial commercial, What’s the mark explores the power of media and advertisements in influencing public opinion and the perpetuation of stereotypes and its effects.

Fractal.  

United States 

NC PREMIERE 

10:35

Writer/Director - Keaton Morris-Stan

Kiarra Goldberg

How do you mourn the loss of something that you never had?

***Filmmaker in attendance***

The Window. 

Lebanon 

NC PREMIERE 

15:53

Writer/Director - Sarah Kaskas

A year after Beirut’s port explosion, Basma and Mariam reunite in their old bedroom. Surrounded by a view of the port’s remains, the two women attempt to resolve their shared trauma and broken relationship. 

Comadre. 

United States 

NC PREMIERE 

18:24

Writer/Director - Nicole Chi

Marielitos is a Mexican immigrant nanny struggling with the last days of her current nanny job, and trying to find a new one.

Something New. 

United States 

14:29

Writer/Director - Jacey Powers, Michelle Bossy

On a tumultuous wedding day, five women prepare to walk down the aisle while a teenage bridesmaid probes about what really happens on the wedding night. A subversive and political take on the rom-com genre that reveals the disturbing truth behind one bride’s pre-nuptial cold feet.

***Filmmaker in attendance***

Carrion. 

United States 

21:38

Writer/Director - YVONNE ZHANG

In an isolated desert motel, a young girl digs up a rotting carcass. Later that night, something mysterious is unearthed in her mother.

Mother(s) & Son.

United States 

9:43

Writer/Director - Kiersten Houser

A filmmaker captures her wife's journey of high-risk pregnancy and birth in this short documentary about family and the anxieties of motherhood.

Jumping Bean. 

United States 

3:39

Writer/Director - Christen S Christian

Filmed during the isolation of the pandemic, "Jumping Bean" is a reflection on the grief of losing a parent, corporate mismanagement and the larval stage of tiny moths.

***Filmmaker in attendance***

Desmond's Not Here Anymore. 

United States NC PREMIERE 15:51

Writer/Director - Lindiwe Suttle Müller-Westernhagen

Mmabatho Montsho

The mother can't remember, the daughter can't forget.

 Ma's Kitchen. 

United States 

12:19

Writer/Director: Debbie Vu 

**2022 Grant Winner**

Ma's Kitchen is a semi-autobiographical short film (which will become a feature film) about Debbie Vu, her mother, their language barrier and straddling between two very different cultures, Vietnamese and American.

***Filmmaker in attendance***

My Two Lives, Creative Response to the Holocaust. 

Australia 

14:55

Writer/Director - Sarita Gold

When resilience, courage and miracles outweigh unspeakable cruelty. This is Lotte’s story