2015 Official Selections
Below are the 2015 AAHSFF Official Selections in alphabetical order by first name. If you need to change, add or update the information below please e-mail Brian@aahsff.com. Changes requested after 9/8/15 will not be reflected in the festival program.
Aaron Lepisto, "la mort nostalgique", Experimental, Georgetown, KY
Synopsis: the grim reaper of creativity takes the newly deceased culture to a better place
Abbey Sacks, "Cave", Drama, Kirkland, WA
Synopsis: A disenchanted high schooler and her babysitter journey to a sacred spot to escape the “therapeutic” manipulations of her mother.
Abbey Sacks, "Faze", Experimental, Kirkland, WA
Synopsis: Part 3 of a series of experimental films about identity.
Abbey Sacks, "Girl", Documentary, Kirkland, WA
Synopsis: This documentary explores body image, following a dancer who wants to empower young girls to love their bodies.
Aggie Ryan, "The Marvelous McGuffins", Comedy, Greenwich, CT
Synopsis: A tribute to Wes Anderson
Aidan Benitez, "Divine Liquidation", Drama, Burbank, CA
Synopsis: In this short film loosely based on the Bible's Book of Job, a hard working, young, and loyal employee is sent into a sudden and unwarranted downward spiral. The resulting experience causes him to question his loyalty to the company and his mysterious boss.
Aidan Saunders, "Life Saving Stoves", Documentary, Woodstock, VT
Synopsis: The story of building eco stoves in remote villages in Nicaragua. Cooking smoke is a huge danger, each year it kills more than that of aids and Malaria combined.
Aidan Saunders, "My Name is...", Experimental, Woodstock, VT
Synopsis: A self introduction piece. This film tells a story of who I am without showing my face.
Alec Douglas, "Taking A Beating", Drama, Discovery Bay, CA
Synopsis: A short film centered on the struggles of a teenagers addiction to underground boxing and the loss of the things that matter to him most.
Alex Barnett, "Ryan", Horror, Bala Cynwyd, PA
Synopsis: Struggling to determine fact from fiction, a troubled teen reveals a tragedy to his therapist.
Alex Forcillo, "Blue Nostalgia", Drama, Rockport, ME
Synopsis: Glimpses into a teenager's past help us understand what ails him.
Alex Forcillo, "Charlie", Documentary, Rockport, ME
Synopsis: "Charlie" is a short subject documentary that goes into the mind of a small-town ski technician named Charlie Pearson, who has a lot of interesting insights on his line of work and the state of the ski industry from a seasoned perspective.
Alex Gilmour, "Stage Fright", Animation, Dallas, TX
Synopsis: A magician is terrorized by a sweatshirt wizard.
Alexander Edep, "Save Kessab", Documentary, Boca Raton, FL
Synopsis: We learn history with the hopes to never have it repeated, but what happens when certain history isn't taught? Save Kessab follows the Forgotten Genocide, The Armenian Genocide, and its role within society today. Because of its lack of acknowledgement and knowledge of the topic, many have feared history to repeat itself.
Alexander Edep, "Double Troubled", Experimental, Boca Raton, FL
Synopsis: A Hitman breaks his usual code of justice to complete a special hit worth a mass of money, which he will soon regret.
Alexander Garza, "The Slug Apocalypse: Special Edition", Animation, Glendale, CA
Synopsis: The story of a disturbed man and his journey through a frontier of slugs.
Alexander Guo, "Healthy Food Systems: Deerfield Academy and Local Farms", Documentary, Cambridge, MA
Synopsis: A documentary on the local food systems and their importance in western Massachusetts, this video seeks to raise awareness regarding the significance of locally and organically sourced foods, as well as volunteers among the community.
Alexander Raphael, "Johan Goes to War", Comedy, Plano, TX
Synopsis: Johan, a military man, must brave his most ferocious nemesis, lions, whilst on an empty stomach.
Alexandra Barletta-Chacon, "Cold Morning", Drama, Palm Springs, FL
Synopsis: A young girl suffers abuse from her violent stepfather. The purpose of the film is to bring awareness to child abuse.
Alexandra Routh, "Lily", Drama, Chatham, NJ
Two friends reconnect after the tragic loss of their best friend.
Alexcina Figueroa, "Counting", PSA, West Haven, CT
Synopsis: This may not be professional, but I created this script at 2:00am with five cups of hot chocolate in me. It originally started as a poem about social injustice
Alexia Salingaros, "Lady of Paint Creek", Music Video, San Antonio, TX
Synopsis: A woman, trapped in a society of mindless ritual and minimal emotion, must find it in herself to escape—and face the consequences.
Alexia Salingaros, "Luminosity", Animation, San Antonio, TX
Synopsis: In a fast-deteriorating world, a lonely hero must join together with an unlikely crew of misfits to uncover the secret needed to save their dying civilization.
Alexia Salingaros, "KERS", Documentary, San Antonio, TX
Synopsis: KERS is the tale of a hidden passion. Due to the negative connotations associated with street art, graffiti artists find it challenging to communicate their art form in public. In this documentary, Catherine has the added difficulty of being female in a man’s world, as even members of her own art community look down upon her because of her gender.
Alexis Banda, "Parched", Animation, Humble, TX
Synopsis: Wulf, the company intern, goes on a journey to get the boss a cup of water.
Alexis Kesselman, "Behind the Pine: Monica", Hollywood, FL
Synopsis: A documentary highlighting a member of the Pine Crest cleaning staff.
Ali LaBadessa, Riley Trubitt, Catherine McMahon, Elizabeth Winters, Jane Simonetti, "What If...", Oakland,CA
Synopsis: A short documentary film that discusses the one question we all wonder about…
Allison Patt, Jenelle Giordano, Ryan Fuller, "Evil", Horror, Derry, NH
Synopsis: After a young girl find and old doll in her basement, strange things start to happen.
Ally Gondeck, "Just Do It Already", Comedy, Jacksonville, FL
Synopsis: Alice, a young, college librarian, spends months attempting to build up the courage to talk to the boy who she's been anonymously writing letters with. However, she learns that in order to find the love she is looking for, she must cope with various obstacles and personalities.
Amanda Morrison, "H2O for Hope", Documentary, Helena, MT
Synopsis: Clean water is the foundation of life, and its absence is at the root of most global health and poverty-related problems worldwide. H2O for Hope explores the need of clean water projects in communities like Khwisero, Kenya, where one borehole well and composting latrine can lead to enhanced education, gender equality, family health, medical improvements, community involvement and long-term prosperity. However, the short film doesn't overlook the challenges that foreign aid workers face and the importance of working hand-in-hand with local leaders to engage in effective and sustainable projects.
Amelia Ahn, "Annette", Drama, Atlanta, GA
Synopsis: Annette deals with the transition from adolescence into teenage hood through the eyes of a young teenage girl struggling to find her sexuality.
Anand Prahash and Trevor Chase, "Katherine" Documentary, Charlottesville, VA
Synopsis: "Katherine" tells the story of Katherine West, a member of the Class of 2016 at St. Anne's-Belfield School who tragically passed away from heart failure in November of 2013. Throughout Middle and High School, Katherine battled self-image issues that culminated in an eating disorder which ultimately proved fatal. In "Katherine," we tell Kat's story to honor our classmate, commemorate her life, and to shed light on the dangers of eating disorders.
Andre Shahjanian, "By Ear", Documentary, Santa Clarita, CA
Synopsis: Blind, 8 year old girl, teaches herself how to play the piano. Interviews with her parents and a performance from the girl give a peak into the life she lives without vision, and how she expresses herself through music.
Andre Zimmermann, "Bug Out", Documentary, Colorado Springs, CO
Synopsis: A film about a small museum in Colorado Springs dedicated to large insects and the family that runs it
Angela Soyeon Chon, George Khabbaz, Dora Schoenberg and Jordan Siebel, "The Monster Within", Animation, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: Where does domestic violence come from? This animated tale offers insights into the thoughts, feelings and choices we can make to end the violence. This public service announcement was created by teens in a workshop called I CAN WE CAN: Films to End Domestic Violence.
Andrew Boyles, Julia Elihu, Gabrielle de Boucaud, Akeel Najimudeen, and Thomas Wade, "Lily's Journey", Documentary, San Diego, CA
Synopsis: This film focuses on the life of Lily, a Iranian refugee, who fled Iran away from religious persecution in 1979. In America, she found solace and built a career for herself through her skills in pottery and glass blowing. She recounts her moving tale and the tribulations she endures to build a new life for her and her family.
Andrew Lisle, "Swing Set", Music Video, Springdale, AZ
Synopsis: Connor Phillips' music video to Swing Set (Moving Mountains)
Andrew Lisle. "Terry", Horror, Springdale, AZ
Synopsis: Romance is in the air for suburban loner, Terry. But why are all the paperboys going missing?
Andrew Nemets & Max Internoscia, "Beyond the Numbers", Documentary, Sunny Isles Beach, FL
Synopsis: A documentary examining school shootings and featuring an interview with Dr. Scott Poland, a leading expert on school shootings.
Andrew Termini and Jessica Horwitz, "The Berlin Wall: Flight to Freedom", Documentary, Winchester, MA
Synopsis: By erecting the Berlin Wall, the communist-controlled East German government trampled upon numerous basic human rights. The unintended result, however, was the kindling of the human spirit in both East and West Germans, inspiring thousands of Easterners to battle the odds in a perilous attempt to escape the cruel lives they led, meanwhile igniting a sense of responsibility in West Germans to aid their Eastern brethren.
Andy Stevenson, "DUALITY", Experimental, Santaquin, UT
Synopsis: DUALITY is a concept film exploring the social and commercial forces placed on teenagers, and how we are at a tipping point with regards to how we react to consumerism, how we utilize technology, and ultimately how there is a duality in the resources we have available to us as youth.
Anna May Tubbs, "No Story Time", Drama, Ada, MI
Synopsis: In an attempt to escape expulsion, June, Kai, and Charlie steal a car and attempt to run away to Utah. However, things start to go awry when the car breaks down and they are led through a forest that seems to echo not only their past but their inner fears for the future and who the three of them will become. In “No Story Time,” three teens must face the reality of what growing up and letting go really means.
Annie Palmer, "Bad Habits", Drama, Cambridge, MA
Synopsis: This short non-dialogue short is about the hardships people with any addiction face and choosing between family & getting help or continuing down this very dangerous path of addiction.
Anthony Lorelli, "Generation Z", Drama, Bergenfield, NJ
Synopsis: Generation Z is a film depicting the youth's obsession with technology. The film revolves around a high school student whom after breaking his phone one morning, begins to realize how involved his peers are with technology. He goes throughout the day noticing the extent to which his peers seem to depend on their smart phones, and he must decide if he will succumb to the societal norms.
April Fulp, "I Just Wish I Knew Then, What I Know Now", PSA, McAllen, TX
Synopsis: The PSA focuses on how hard it is to multitask when texting and driving by showing the limitation of peripheral vision and illustrates a very possible and major consequence for distracted driving.
Ari Moutal, Brandon Chase, Nathaniel Goodman, & Carson Fildey, "Homebody", Drama, San Diego, CA
Synopsis: A 19 year-old street performer, Jacob, struggles to bring his mother out of her depression. His efforts eventually lead to a significant understanding of what it means to be a family.
Ari Wilson, "Wilson and Bratcher: A Short Documentary", Documentary, Roswell, GA
Synopsis: A short Documentary made in about a month and 2 weeks about my late father Tim Wilson and his prodigy guitar player Scotty Bratcher.
Arianna McDaniels, "Censorship and Gay Rights", PSA, West Haven, CT
Synopsis: My video is about the censorship against gays. It shows how free speech allows them to express themselves and their beliefs. Defending free speech allows anyone freedom of expression of any medium which enables our society to be more accepting. Without free speech there would be no gay rights.
Ariel Desler, "Never Forget: Charles Redler and the Holocaust", Documentary, Plantation, FL
Synopsis: A documentary looking at Charles Redler, a second generation Holocaust Survivor, who has taught Holocaust Studies for 20 years at NSU University School.
Ariel Desler, "Never Say Goodbye", Music Video, Plantation, FL
Synopsis: An original animated music video for Lindee Link's, Never Say Goodbye.
Ashley Rous, "Yearbook", Experimental, Ellicott City, MD
Synopsis: A woman recounts her childhood encounters with book clubs, beauty pageants, and self confidence.
Ashling Quinn , "All You Need", Experimental, Lynn, MA
Synopsis: An exploration of the concept of time and what it means to live in the now.
Ashton Herrild, "Worst Case", Drama, Newcastle, WA
Synopsis: A boy wakes up alone in the woods without knowing how he got there. He befriends a woman and her daughter, realizing they all share the same last memory.
Atomic Thorson, "The Story Behind the Race", Action Sports, Bemidji, MN
Synopsis: Megan Serratore takes us through the challenges of an athlete and what it takes to compete.
Austen Halpern-Graser, "Stan Bush: Stand in the Fire", Music Video, Galway, NY
Synopsis: A parody of 80's music videos.
Austin Blake, "The Beauty of It", Drama, Sandy, UT
Synopsis: It's December, and Ash Cooper wants to buy his brother an XBox for Christmas. He decides last-minute to enter a film festival to pay for his gift. His film ends up effecting his brother in a way that he didn't anticipate.
Austin Quintana and Joseph Tiberio, "Return to Sender", Experimental, Fairport, NY
Synopsis: A teenage boy begins to experience lucid dreams; In his dreams he has a camera and in the distance the figure of a girl can be seen. He tries to take a photo of this mysterious girl but every time he takes the photo, the dream ends. The next morning the photo is on his wall, but the girl is no where to be found.
Ava Kathryn Jillian Bloom Goodfriend Larkin, "Stop Bullying Yourself", PSA, Greenwich, CT
Synopsis: This video portrays the damage young adults inflict on themselves through self hatred and criticism.
Ava Kuslansky "Live to Skate", Action Sports, New York, NY
Synopsis: Live 2 Skate is a film that I produced, filmed, interviewed, edited, and wrote that investigates the controversies of race, gender, business, and general stereotypes within skateboarding culture. I made the film as an outsider with no connection to skateboarding at the time. As a documentary film maker, I believe there is a power to being an outsider, you are a neutral observer and once you are a part of the culture, you build an opinion.
Ava Ludwig, "Microcosm", Experimental, Lynn, MA
Synopsis: An experimental film that discovers landscapes through the human body.
Avery Schroeder, "BROken", Comedy, Stevenson Ranch, CA
Synopsis: Two selfish brothers, a wheelchair, and a staircase. What could go wrong?
Avery Schroeder, "He Said She Said", Drama, Stevenson Ranch, CA
Synopsis: When Kyle and Amy break up, the details surrounding their split turn into a dangerous game of He Said She Said.
Aviva Okeson-Haberman, "The Election", Comedy, Springfield, MO
Synopsis: Nikki Anzalone challenges the most popular guy at school in the student body election.
Bailey Francisco, "AFTER WAR", Documentary, Fountain, CO
Synopsis: This film is about my families experience with PTSD. MY dad was deployed to Iraq four times, and the injuries he suffered, both mental and physical tore my family apart.
Belkis Alvarado, "PAVEMENT", Action Sports, Perth Amboy, NJ
Synopsis: PAVEMENT is a skating action sports film. It shows many of the kids/teens in Perth Amboy who love to skate.
Ben Nadler, "Pink Roses", Drama, Pittsburgh, PA
Synopsis: Imogen has lived in the asylum for what seems like forever, until a mysterious girl named Laurie breaks her out and reveals herself to be Imogen's sister. Imogen, fighting both her doubt and her slipping mind, must come to terms with the possibility of having family, while also experiencing the outside world for the first time.
Benjamin Ades, "This is New York: Gary", Documentary, New York, NY
Synopsis: A short portrait on the life of a New York City cab driver.
Benjamin Liu, "And Some in Storm", Drama, Phoenix, AZ
Synopsis: A schizophrenic high school senior struggles with his first relationship.
Bennett Morgan, "The Sleep Over", Comedy, Gulf Stream, FL
Synopsis: Two middle school best friends decide to have a sleep over. After some goofy banter, in the intimate atmosphere of late night secret sharing, they learn that some secrets are better left unsaid.
Beth Mintzer, "Heal the Bay", Documentary, Santa Monica, CA
Synopsis: A documentary film for Heal the Bay for my Girl Scout Gold Award film to educate people on ocean pollution and to recruit beach clean-up volunteers.
Bilal Othman "Grip Tape Over A Wound - A Skateboarding Film", Action Sports, Homer Glen, IL
Synopsis: Grip Tape Over A Wound shows the realities of living in an occupied territory and how skateboarding is used as an expressive outlet for these kids. The film draws parallels to the American Skate Scene while demonstrating how these normal kids' lives have been altered thanks to the occupation.
Billie Wakeham, "Tight Lines", Documentary, Los Angeles, CA
Synopsis: A documentary about the life of a 10 year old boy, Charlie, specifically the impact that fishing has had on his life so far, and the relationship Charlie has with his father.
Brandon Buccheri, "Silent Night", Horror, Springdale, AR
Synopsis: After her husband leaves for a business trip, one woman faces very sinister forces.
Brandon Chase and Jason Phillips, "Sofia", Drama, San Deigo, CA
Synopsis: A graffiti artist looks back on one of his favorite days with his sister.
Brandon Young, "Unwanted", PSA, Canton,OH
Synopsis: A little girl who lives in a unwanted home with parents who barely notice her. One day, a girl came and picks her up at her house to go somewhere special.
Brendon Mata, "Collusion", Drama, Westland, MI
Synopsis: Collusion is a suspense film set on a college campus in the winter of 1974. College student Sebastian Edmond dives deeper into the mysterious deaths of three famous musicians, unknowingly thrusting himself into a world of danger.
Brett Ellison, "Cool Shoes", Comedy, Durham, NC
Synopsis: A boy tries to attract the attention of a cool group of kids by wearing the same shoes.
Brett McLoughlin, "Oh Malô "Hey Mr. Paul", Music Video, Cockeysville, MD
Synopsis: "Hey, Mr. Paul" is a music video created for Oh Malô, a Boston-based band whose members study at Berklee College of Music. The song is from the band's second color-themed EP, entitled "Red." The EP and video express the emotion of rage by combining punchy music with heat- and horror-inspired imagery.
Brian Ball and Jal-Quel Banks, "David's Story", Documentary, Lawrenceville, GA
Synopsis: Short documentary focusing on David who through a series of unfortunate events found himself homeless and constantly in and out of jail. With the help and support of the United Way and the Gwinnett Reentry Intervention Program, David was able to turn his life around and start out on the road to recovery.
Bronson Aznavorian, "How You Make It", Comedy, Moneta, VA
Synopsis: Ivan Fields, a narcissistic documentary filmmaker, endeavors to find a legendary forest-dwelling creature known as "Mary the Mystery." Meanwhile, his inconsiderate, passive-aggressive behavior pushes away his only assistant, the camera girl, until she finally leaves him in the woods. Ivan soon discovers that "making it" in the film industry requires teamwork and friendship, rather than showmanship and pride.
Brooke Johnson, "Synesthesia", Animation, Aledo, TX
Synopsis: Synesthesia is a claymation that shows the viewer a brief look into the life of a man suffering from Synesthesia. While the man is having an episode, the cat is unaware of his condition.
Brynne McGregor, "Every Splinter Split in Half", Experimental, Cincinnati, OH
Synopsis: The short film Every Splinter Split In Half serves as a symbolic representation of an individual’s journey to minimalize introspection. While viewing the world solely through a window, the protagonist struggles to survive within the realm of her mind. By stepping into the real world, without a pane of glass as an obstruction, the protagonist accepts her place and size in the world.
Cal Etcheverry, "Decisions", Drama, Dallas, TX
Synopsis: After Jim's girlfriend breaks up with him he truly realizes all of his life problems, and he decides to resolve these problems with the power of violence. Is it the right thing to do?
Cal Etcheverry, "The Surgeon of Seoul", Drama, Dallas,TX
Synopsis: Set in Seoul, South Korea, an organ trader known as "The Surgeon of Seoul" gets a new partner in crime. The rookie soon learns the black market business, and their friendship blossoms amidst the horrid reality they are in.
Caleb Wild, "Slacker", Comedy, Wesley Chapel, FL
Synopsis: This time Ben is going all out to prove he’s not a slacker. His entire summer is on the line, and he’s determined not to blow it. Besides, his ex-girl is watching.
Cameron Penn, "A Stacked Deck", Drama, Carlsbad, CA
Synopsis: The newest student at Triton High School, Nathan Forrester, infiltrates his school's political system through deceit and manipulation in this House of Cards adaptation.
Cameron Thuman, "2014-2015 Ski Reel", Action Sports, Park City, UT
Synopsis: A collection of my best ski footage from the 2014-2015 ski season. Showcasing athletes performing their tricks at Park City Mountain Resort.
Cameron Thuman, "The Undecided", Drama, Park City, UT
Synopsis: One last fight for his coach, everything is undecided.
Carl Stewart, "Up in the Air", Documentary, Washington, DC
Synopsis: An investigation of the FAA's civilian drone regulations.
Carlos Doce, "The Bizarre Altercation", Horror, Weston, FL
Synopsis: Two friends witness each others dreams by using a home made machine. Everything runs smoothly until they encounter a bizarre altercation.
Carly Hughes, "Bound to Trafficking", PSA, Dunwoody, GA
Synopsis: Approximately 3 million young girls worldwide averaging ages 12-14 are sold, lured, or kidnapped and bound in the chains of sex trafficking. This video follows girls throughout their normal day and raises awareness of the thin connection that every girl has to the sex trade. The bindings a girl has to the sex trade is invisible to others. Without even knowing it, a normal girls you see every day could be pulled in closer and their connection to trafficking becomes thicker and tighter like a rope. She might not even notice she is being lured in. Then one day, she is gone.
Carmen Torres, "Red Riding Hood PSA", PSA, New York, NY
Synopsis: It's based on the story of Red Riding Hood but this time, it turns into a dark reality.
Carol Nguyen, "This Home is Not Empty", Experimental, Toronto, Canada
Synopsis: This personal piece is explores the idea of the 'lies we tell ourselves' through a metaphorical lens.
Caroline Makauskas, "Ties", Drama, Wheaton IL
Synopsis: A young girl about to enter college is driven by insecurity to join a cult, only to be morally driven to escape in order to save herself.
Carolyn Davidhizar, "A Shot at Equality", Documentary, Huntsville, TX
Synopsis: A Shot at Equality is the story of Chantale Macias who has a dream of playing for the Women's Mexican National Team. Her dream is supported by her family which is a rarity in the Hispanic culture as most parents find sports a waste of time that do not contribute to the family. Chantale is on a team where her dreams are supported by her coach and teammates in Huntsville, Texas.
Carter Knight, "Josh", Action Sports, Santa Clarita, CA
Synopsis: Josh Trejo speaks about his life as a BMX rider.
Casey Seabolt, "Going Home", Music Video, Cleveland, GA
Synopsis: This is a short film about the struggles of a family after the loss of the father in war. The music in the film is royalty free music from MegaTrax which White County High School has a yearly subscription.
Casey Seabolt, "Is It You", Music Video, Cleveland, GA
Synopsis: Gian Gailey is our broadcast video instructor and a accomplished, award winning county music singer. Her song "Is It You" was released to Warrior Films for use in producing this music video, our first professional music video and also permission was granted for any contest White County High School entered it into. All actors in the films are students, teachers, and a celebrity from the hit ABC TV show "The Bachelor". The video was produced on location in the North East Georgia mountains/
Casey Seabolt, "The Last Goodbye", Music Video, Cleveland, GA
Synopsis: This is a short film about the struggles of a family after the loss of the father in war. The music in the film is royalty free music from MegaTrax which White County High School has a yearly subscription.
Catherine Robinson, "Grief, etc." Documentary, Bronx, NY
Synopsis: A reflection on grief and how it can bring a single father and teenage daughter closer together.
Celine Nguyen, "Out of Tune", Drama, San Jose, CA
Synopsis: A short film by our Betting On Our Future Program (BOOF) that illustrates how a musical teenager may turn to gambling when she feels she has no other option to try to earn quick money to enter a piano competition.
Charlotte Cooper, "The Stories We Tell", Drama, Rye, NY
Synopsis: The Stories We Tell follows the diverging realities between the lies we tell ourselves in the public eye.
Chris Omar, "The Other Side", Music Video, Monroe, NY
Synopsis: In the wake of the killings of Eric Garner and Mike Brown, SterlingsILLver delivers a chilling performance about what it's like to come from "The Other Side."
Christian Colwell, "The Heart", Animation, Midlothian, VA
Synopsis: A barn owl helps a scarecrow learn about the cycles of life and in turn his actions pay off.
Christian Whittemore and Mckenna Martin, "Roadblock", Drama, Franklin, TN
Synopsis: A teenage boy, deathly afraid of driving, mentally prepares for his driver’s test that just happens to be administrated by a charismatic, doughnut-loving loudmouth.
Christina Xing, "Black Coffee", Drama, Birmingham, AL
Synopsis: Mark, a barista at a local coffee shop, has always been compared to black coffee: dull and conventional. However, everything changes when he meets Sarah and he begins to understand that black coffee is so much more than that. And maybe he is too
Christopher Boncimino, "Dead Man's Curve", Horror, Freehold, NJ
Synopsis: Three friends share local legends in an attempt to make sense of the paranormal phenomena which occurs at Clinton Road.
Christopher Reyes, "Fire Safety PSA", PSA, Central Valley, NY
Synopsis: Fire safety in the home and Fire Prevention.
Ciani Walker, "Pam's Coopers", Comedy, Playa Del Rey, CA
Synopsis: A helicopter mother of four forces her preoccupied family to eat a meal together for the first time in months.
Ciara Boniface, "YOUTH", Drama, McKinney, TX
Synopsis: The desire for an old romance gets in the way of a longtime friendship. In the aftermath, one girl realizes the fate of her youth.
Ciara Edwards-Mendez, "Eye of the Beholder", Experimental, Valley Glen, CA
Synopsis: Ciara Edwards-Mendez takes a look into “how technology affects eating disorders and other social issues in adolescents/teens.” For this project, Edwards-Mendez gathered information from teen girls who currently have/ or have had anorexia and how social media influences their everyday behavior. Edwards-Mendez used screen capture for this film.
Claire Gostin, "Being Evel", Drama, Fox Island, WA
Synopsis: A young daredevil is inspired to take to the air in an act that proves the triumph of the human spirit is only as strong as the will to succeed.
Claire Uygur, "Pulse", Experimental, Greenwich, CT
Synopsis: An experimental video chronicling the street art of NYC through a different eye.
Claire Wiles, "Open Up", Music Video, Castaic, CA
Synopsis: A guy gets a girl to "Open Up"
Clarissa Lam, Sydney Torrens, Jenna Tessler, Maraiah Papy, Norma Anaya, "Sleepy House", Drama, Oakland, CA
Synopsis: “Sleepy House” is about a teenage girl, Riley, who has a knack for street art. Her aunt, in hopes that Riley will give up street art, offers her help in submitting a classical piece of art to a competition for an Art School scholarship. Although Riley tries to please her aunt, she realizes that her true passion is in street art, and learns to accept her individuality.
Clio Gevirtz and Sebastian Kleppe, "Stranded", Drama, San Francisco, CA
Synopsis: A group of dancers on the way to their final competition is stranded in the middle of nowhere when their bus breaks down. Each dancer must come to terms with the fact that they won't make it to the final competition.
Cole Bacani, "In Her Eyes", Drama, Naperville, IL
Synopsis: A boy, troubled by a reappearing girl in his dreams, argues with his friend about the purpose behind these people in dreams. While she makes the more logical argument, he goes the more farfetched route.
Cole Borgstadt, "Pyro", Drama, Fayettevile,AR
Synopsis: Two brothers, the younger a mild pyromaniac, adjust to new life after the death of their parents.
Cole Borgstadt, "Go to the Ball with Me, Jenny", Comedy, Fayettevile, AR
Synopsis: A quirky sixteen year old boy makes this video for a cute girl in his Language Arts class to ask her to their school's Winter Ball.
Cole Kawana, "Kindness of Strangers", Documentary, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: High school sophomore Cole Kawana learned how neighbors helped his grandparents when they were interned in WWII JapaneseAmerican internment camps. So when he traveled to Rwanda to learn about the 1994 genocide, he wanted to find out how he could help his neighbors halfway around the world. He discovered that in addition to recovering from a devastating genocide, the country faced a common problem of many developing nations around the world a lack of clean water. Cole brought water filters and taught people how to use them, creating clean water for an entire village. This documentary tells his story.
Colin Hughes, "Why Would You Live in a House with Radon?", PSA, Riverside, IL
Synopsis: A short PSA showing that Radon a largely unknown poison gas is just as dangerous as an ax murder or hand grenade!
Conner Hall, "Sunny Life", Drama, Bluffdale, UT
Synopsis: Teenager Timothy Meadows struggles with the idea that his childhood friends Oliver and Russ are growing up and taking their own paths in life, and he is afraid that their friendship will soon change.
Connor Castilla, "The Session", Horror, Dallas, TX
Synopsis: A young man recounts to a psychiatrist the terrifying tale of his personal haunting by a tall, mysterious, and simultaneously terrifying figure.
Connor Ryan, "By George!", Comedy, Grantham, PA
Synopsis: This light hearted tribute to a classic American legend explores a father's reaction to a young mischievous boy whose adventures know no bounds.
Cooper Yeager, "The Therapist", Comedy, Rye, NY
Synopsis: A man gives insight into his chosen career.
Council Brandon, "Separation", Experimental, Hartford, CT
Synopsis: A young woman's sub-conscious and outer life is explored through the separation of image, word, and sound, in three parts.
Cristina Trabada, "The Lunch Table", Drama, Pembroke Pines, FL
Synopsis: The personalities and back stories of a group of friends in a high school lunch table, through the eyes of a teenage writer.
Cullum Andrews, "Track", Drama, North Olmsted,OH
Synopsis: Tyler, a high school track star is relying on a scholarship in order to afford school. Just days before a meet that offers the scholarship, his beloved coach dies. Now Tyler must overcome his grief and rekindle his passion for running.
Daniel Kelly, "From Five to One", Mansfield, TX
Synopsis: The Story of a Couple in Mansfield, Texas that went to South America to adopt a baby girl, and came back with a Sibling Group of Five, and the Struggles they've faced into becoming one family.
Danielle Stolz, "Heartless", Drama, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: Stolen art, cigarettes, and love describe Heartless, a short film in the style of Godard's Breathless. Written, co-directed and starring Delilah Napier; co-directed, shot and edited by Danielle Stolz; and co-starring Henry Quilici, with Oliver Sanderson and Ed Napier. Produced at Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, 2015.
Danny Roberts, "Kara and Jules Play Hide and Seek", Horror, Kensington, MD
Synopsis: When Jules finds a mysterious invitation in his doorway to a game of "high-stakes" hide and seek, he brings his best friend Kara along for one final adventure before college. As the game progresses however, the duo discover more than they bargained for about the house, the game, and each other.
Danny Rubin, "Adam and Evan", Comedy, Englewood, CO
Synopsis: God makes a mistake of heavenly proportions and accidentally creates Adam and Evan who form the world's first bromance. God needs to figure out how to handle his first mistake
Danny Sandler, "The New News", Documentary, Del Mar, CA
Synopsis: Written News has been evolving for centuries and will continue to for years to come. The film takes a look into how news companies are adapting and dealing with the changes that have shaken up the industry.
David Grant, "HiSpy", Drama, San Antonio, TX
Synopsis: A new student becomes infatuated with a beautiful girl at his high school. Life is full of surprises.
David Haines, "The Reunion", Drama, New York, NY
Synopsis: Two best friends are split up because one gets into trouble with the law. Years later he comes back into the city to reunite with his best friend, when he only wants to break into his old house to try and get back some old memories from their past.
David Jenny, "Cream Puff", Comedy, Salt Lake City, UT
Synopsis: Bryce Parker is a self-effacing, closeted homosexual teen. When he befriends Nathan, his confidently gay classmate, his ambition to come out is triggered but before he can, he must first get over his fear of what others will think.
David Sabot, "A Twisty Tale", Drama, Weston, MA
Synopsis: A Twisty tale is a classic hero's journey about the fictional invention of the twisty tie. As the world enters the great depression, Abraham Jefferson has to find a way to keep himself afloat; in the process he competes with the biggest bread clip baron of them all. The production combines classic techniques such as mat painting and no hand held filming with digital effects to remove anachronisms and better recreate the year 1929 on a minimal budget.
David Saveliev, "Wonderful World", Drama, South Pasadena, CA
Synopsis: A science fiction drama about a lone survivor of an apocalypse who tries to escape his surroundings through his imagination.
Dean Parker, "No Love in Loveland", Comedy, Loveland, OH
Synopsis: A love-seeking teenage boy tries to start a love revolution in a town called Loveland.
Delaney McCallum, "Fade", Music Video, Seneca, SC
Synopsis: A film diary that combines elements of a music video and an experimental film.
Delilah Napier, "Bernice Bobs Her Hair", Drama, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: When Bernice stays at her cousin’s house, things get hairy when it becomes clear her peers don’t accept her. In this modern adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, how far will one girl go to prove her worth?
Demar Gunter, "Are You Sure?", Drama, San Antonio, TX
Synopsis: A portrait of the effects of peer comments, peer behavior, and the media on one girl's self esteem and body image.
Demar Gunter, "Invisible People", Documentary, San Antonio, TX
Synopsis: A short documentary on what Joan Cheever and the Chow Train do to help the homeless of San Antonio.
Demitri Makeig, "Multiplayer", Drama, Fairfield, IA
Synopsis: A bullied freshman, accustomed to being alone, searches for friendship online.
Dennis Kim, "Elliot", Animation, Seoul, South Korea
Synopsis: A tale of an elephant that learns to see the colors in life.
Destiny Rinder, "One in Six", Documentary, Colorado Springs, CO
Synopsis: The documentary, “One in Six”, focuses on the inspiring story of Doris Rivera-Black. Like one in every six women, Doris was a victim in a stalking situation. After experiencing stalking first hand, Doris decided to create a program to teach women how to avoid being a victim.
Devon Gulati, "Zen", Music Video, Bentonville, AR
Synopsis: "ZEN" (Official Music Video) is a creative collection of production, film, and lyricism.The entirety was created upon conception and represents the beauty of thought to fruition.
Diana Perez, "Night Fall", Experimental, Perth Amboy, NJ
Synopsis: The main character goes though her daily routine however, somethings changes. She encounters a "stranger" in the middle of the night who wants something from her. Once this occurs, the viewer will watch the main character through her point of view struggle to escape, the viewer can know use his or her imagination on what the story is about and predict what happens next.
Diego Torrado, "Sweet Science (Oswego Boxing Club)", Documentary, Ithaca,NY
Synopsis: A local Oswego boxer discusses the sport while revealing his background.
DJ Samuels, "Football Playoff Promo", Documentary, Paris, TX
Synopsis: This is a video that I made in the fall of 2014 as a promotion to encourage students to support the football team as we went into playoff season. It aired on the day of the last game before the playoffs as a part of my schools very cheesy weekly series "Blue Tube".
Domenic Lombardi, "Listen", Horror, East Hanover, NJ
Synopsis: In Listen, Anna and Jason, accompanied by their friend Jamie, listen to a song that makes you see strange things. But what happens when something goes wrong?
Dora Palmer, "Bucket", Drama, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: When time is running out, what will you cross off your list? A high school comedy in which a group of second semester seniors have the night of their lives. Written, shot, directed and edited by Dora Palmer and produced at Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, California. Starring Covi Brannan, Henry Platt, James Hansen, Laurel Rand-Lewis and Matt Beyer. Executive Producer Cheri Gaulke.
Dorothea Nomy Fox-Dichter, "Save Our Horses", Documentary, New York, NY
Synopsis: Mixed reactions to Mayor de Blasio's move to ban the horse carriages in Central Park.
Dylan Yanow, "Airbourne", Experimental, Washington, NJ
Synopsis: The movie entails a subject where things are hard to explain.
Difference between dreams and reality.
Elaine Morales, Ahdenae Khodaverdian, "Stitch Garden", Animation, Sherman Oaks, CA
Synopsis: Stitch Garden follows a plush toy-like boy tending to his garden of fabric flowers, who then takes his most recently mended flower to offer to a beautiful ballerina he'd seen moments before, but she'd since vanished. But when the dancer's threads become ensnared in a thorn bush and thus rip open her foot, the boy runs quickly to aid her, mending the woman's foot like he does his flowers.
Eli Stern, "8.3", Experimental, Princeton, NJ
Synopsis: A young, unassuming girl goes on a quiet rampage to try to ‘purify’ the technologically-advanced modern society.
Elise McNair, "Mistrust", Documentary, Stamford, CT
Synopsis: After the deaths of Eric Garner & Michael Brown students at the Stamford Academy turn their cameras on their classmates and local police to try to find ways to build trust between both groups.
Ella Lowder, Kiele Head, Kaela Garber, Dylan Voorhees, "Perfectly Imperfect", Oakland, CA
Synopsis: A short film that searches for diverse opinions on body image, and how it affects young women today.
Ellen Pucel, "Inside P.O.T.S.", Documentary, Ridgefield, CT
Synopsis: P.O.T.S. is a non profit organization that provides essential and everyday needs to those looking for help and stability. Located in the Bronx, P.O.T.S. helps every individual who walks in the door providing stability and help.
Emily Yue, "Moments", Experimental, Guilford, CT
Synopsis: A reflection on the fleeting moments in our lives.
Emily Yue, "Ode to Youth", Drama, Guilford, CT
Synopsis: Xander compares his blissful childhood to his present teenage life.
Emma Gobillot, "Time of the Month", Comedy, Houston, TX
Synopsis: Two chess nerds, deep in debt, take over a high school drug ring and realize they are in way over their heads.
Emma Ziegler, Ruby Spies, Anjali Biswal, Isabel Ray, Laina Hare, "Between the Shelves", Documentary, Oakland, CA
Synopsis: An intriguing short documentary profiling Bibliomania, a local Oakland, California bookstore. This film highlights the touching relationship between co-owners, Jean and Daryl Van Fleet, as well as their unique, rare collection of books.
Eric Benninghoff, "Freedom of the Waters", Documentary, Weston, CT
Synopsis: Freedom of the Waters tells the story of high school varsity swimmer, David Gelfand, and describes the way in which he has triumphed over his condition, PFFD. Despite having a prosthetic leg, David finds amazing success as both an athlete and a person. As he continues to triumph over his disability, he hopes to one day earn the chance to compete in the Special Olympics.
Eric Benninghoff, "Making the Connection", Documentary, Weston, CT
Synopsis: Making the Connection brings awareness to a variety of learning challenges that children with special needs face and discusses ways in which a learning community can create a more accepting and inclusive environment for those affected.
Erin Sawadzki, "Constellations: Still the Same", Documentary, Mount Laurel, NJ
Synopsis: This documentary explores the rich history of the Still family and Mount Laurel's role in the Underground Railroad. The legacies of prominent members such as William and James Still carry on to the present day. The descendants of this family share what it means to be part of such an influential family and how their family should be an inspiration to people of all races.
Ethan Hoffman-Sadka, "Salad", Drama, New York, NY
Synopsis: Following the death of Sam's parents, the court rules that Sam is of legal age to live in his apartment by himself until going off to college.
Evan Gulock, "Paper Planes", Drama, Royal Oak, MI
Synopsis: One act of kindness becomes many when a determined son attempts to send encouraging messages to his apprehensive father.
Evan O'Brien, "Black Noise", Experimental, Dallas, TX
Synopsis: An artist takes a journey through his own creativity, but quickly becomes disturbed by what he finds.
Evelyna Nazari, "Destiny Key", Animation, Burbank, CA
Synopsis: A video game protagonist named Keenan needs to advance to the next room in a level and engages in combat with the boss to obtain the key.
Felipe Vargas, "Cul-de-sac", Drama, Weston, F
Synopsis: Behind the closed doors of the American suburbia, not all is well, and one disappointed family comes to show it. This short film tells the story of a sad and disconnected family made up of a father who works relentlessly, a mother whose only escape is over-the-counter drugs, a lonely teenager, and a disoriented grandmother. Together, they come to realize the oppressiveness of conforming to society, but that there may be hope to escape.
Fernando Rocha, "Arlington County, A World Class Community", Documentary, Arlington, VA
Synopsis: Documentary on Arlington County featuring County Board Member Walter Tejada
Flora Namala, "Open Closet Policy", Documentary, Culver City, CA
Synopsis: A student made documentary delving into the lives and stories of high school students pertaining to the LGBT community. The students answer a series of questions which pertain to the attitudes and reactions of their family, friends, and peers along the students journey of discovering themselves. Produced by students who pertain to the LGBT community, the documentary attempts to shed light on the backstories and personalities of multiple individuals.
Francisco Cabrera Feo, "Revolving Child", Drama, Pembroke Pines, FL
Synopsis: A young girl's nostalgic and haunting look into the memories that her old house plagued her with. Triggered by the finding of the family's gun we are taken through the the good and horrible times, which ultimately proves darkness ignites curiosity.
Francisco Cabrera Feo, "PLUS ONE", Drama, Pembroke Pines, FL
Synopsis: A young teen is found in a dilemma where he must decide between his self-respect or his first high school love.
Georgina Cahill, "Driving Towards a Better Future", PSA, Greenwich, CT
Synopsis: "Driving Towards A Better Future" is a PSA featuring all the uses older cars have.
Georgina Cahill, "Trick or Treat", Animation, Greenwich, CT
Synopsis: "Trick or Treat" is a frightening claymation following three boys' Halloween night that is filled with more tricks than treats.
Grace King, "The Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference: Dream. Dare. Do.", Documentary, Miramar, FL
Synopsis: The Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference was created to carry on the legacy of Al Neuharth and make sure that the future of journalism is in good hands. 51 students from across the nation gathered to dream, dare, and do while exploring their passion for journalism.
Grace Zhang, "Pretty Girls", Documentary, East Setauket, NY
Synopsis: A documentary short about the narrow-minded ideals of Asian beauty standards.
Grace Zhang, "Rebirth", Experimental, East Setauket, NY
Synopsis: Experimental dance short symbolizing a violent metamorphosis as one loses purity in the transition from childhood to adulthood.
Grace Zhang, "Suburban Artifice", Experimental, East Setauket, NY
Synopsis: A love letter to suburbia in faded pastels
Graham Burrell, "The Translator", Comedy, Coplay, PA
Synopsis: When a teenage girl must act as a translator between her crush and a French girl who catches his eye, she decides to alter their conversation to her benefit.
Greg Speroni, "No Trespassing", Action Sports, Painted Post, NY
Synopsis: We took a road trip across Upstate New York and went to all of the Cliff Jumping locations we could find. Hiking, swimming and jumping are just small parts of our trip that we were able to share with others.
Gretchen Lynch, "Never Date a Project", Comedy, Austin, TX
Synopsis: Everybody knows one.
Griffin Berkenfeld, "Time Stops", Drama, East Hills, NY
Synopsis: People age normally until they turn 18. When they turn 18 they stop aging until they meet their soulmate, so that they can grow old together with who they were meant to. Cora is a girl whose parents won’t let her date or even meet any guys so that she will not be able to age; however, they start to notice that she's begun to age.
Griffin Olis, "The Joan Rose Foundation: Moving to Haiti", Documentary, Troy, MI
Synopsis: With the racial tensions between Haitians and Dominicans reaching a boiling point, a foundation prepares to move hundreds of Haitians from an impoverished Dominican town to Jacmel, Haiti.
Gunner Lawless and Brett Stineman, "Marcus: Downs Without Frowns", Documentary, Hot Springs, AR
Synopsis: Marcus Bodemann's life that lights the world around him with happiness.
Hamna Malik, "Light of Life", Animation, Punjab, Pakistan
Synopsis: LIGHT OF LIFE is a journey and struggle of a human character with bulb (Hope) on back & the blessing box with red (danger), yellow (blessings) and green (wishes) glowing ribbons on it . Through his world facing all kind of obstacle and choosing goal symbolizing the pursuit of happiness.
Hannah Brown, Jason Beede and Krzysztof Madro, "Conserving Watt Counts: An Everyday Story", PSA, Key West, FL
Synopsis: A young women goes about her business like any other day-- wasting energy. But the strain on the system has a young power plant worker worriedly analyzing the spikes in usage and with reason, a power outage that was inevitable puts an end to the woman's wasteful ways. In reverse, we learn what we should be doing to prevent this tale from becoming ours.
Henry DaCosta, "Life Forms", Experimental, East Setauket, NY
Synopsis: A look into the subconscious of a teenage boy questioning his place in society and the existential questions of life.
Henry Quilici, "Gray Matter", Drama, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: Plagued by a mysterious beeping noise, a man is taken on a journey of discovery through an alternate level of consciousness.
Hope Alexander, "Don't Say It, Just Do It", PSA, Happy Valley, OR
Synopsis: Texting and driving is not a problem just teenagers face.
Hope Alexander, "Pea Soup", Comedy, Happy Valley, OR
Synopsis: Even though she has not been kissed in her "entire high school career," Kenzie conspires with herself to lock lips with the man of her dreams at a party.
Hope Alexander, "The Not So Peachy Life of Ivy Clarke", Drama, Kirkland, WA
Synopsis: Ivy, a self absorbed teenager, learns that she is not the only one with problems. She is forced to socialize with the new girl next door on a walk to her mom's favorite coffee shop.
Hope Alexander, "Unanswered Question", Music Video, Happy Valley, OR
Synopsis: After a fight with his sibling, a boy has to follow the unanswered question and solve their issues.
Hope Rangel, "The Patient", Drama, Decatur, AL
Synopsis: The patient of a psychiatrist is at his best when he is enchanted by young woman in a café. The man spins into a chaos created in his own mind as he grows more obsessed with the girl of his dreams.
Hunter Williams, "NVader", Documentary, Auckland, New Zealand
Synopsis: There is more slavery in the world today than at any other time in human history. This documentary chronicles the work of Daniel Walker, an undercover investigator who heads into some of the darkest places on earth to save women and children that have fallen victim to modern-day sex slavery.
Hunter Williams, "Quinn's Quest", Documentary, Auckland, New Zealand
Synopsis: Quinn Hautapu was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 7. In the last two years she has undergone close to 1000 procedures. Through her ambassadorship with The Child Cancer Foundation NZ, she is impacting the lives of thousands of people. This is Quinn's Quest!
Hunter Wu, "Pepper Oni", Animation, Cerritos, CA
Synopsis: Which meat is the girl who is soon eating pizza to choose? Big animation release: ambiguity, chaos, and a confusing and disappointing outcome! Acclaimed in the East, director Hunter Wu brings his finest vision to master illustrator Jonathan Hsu's stunning visual direction with the help of some other bloke to bring their most defining, human, troubled and delayed work yet to the table with Pepper Oni!
Ian Loehr, "Genesis Six Five", Drama, Denver, CO
Synopsis: Two bank robbers tear themselves apart trying to cope with their newly acquired wealth.
Imani Cook-Gist, "The Rhythm of Healing", Documentary, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: Dancer Imani CookGist shares the healing power of music and dance in Rwanda, a country devastated by a 1994 genocide in which one million people were slaughtered in 100 days. Traditional dancers, music students and the country’s most famous Gospel singer share their experience.
Isa Gueye, "Civil War Sickness", Documentary, Brooklyn, NY
Synopsis: A young director focuses on her eating disorder recovery, she consciously resists the temptation to rely on visuals of starvation and specific body weights, instead seeking to articulate the deeper questions: why do eating disorders develop? Why do eating disorders persist? And how does healing happen?
Isaac Friedman, "In the Shadows of Monsters", Animation, Nashville, TN
Synopsis: A bizarre and violent species from a distant planet falls to Earth, threatening to consume and forcefully assimilate the Earth into their hive mind. The people of the world must ally themselves to deal with this threat, though there is much they do not know about this race and it is possible there is much more to them than what can be found at first glance.
Isaac Knopf, "Goodbye, Cokely", Documentary, Kansas City, MO
Synopsis: Over 40 years of history. Three state championships. A legacy like no other.
Isabela Reid, "A Harmonious Cacophony", Documentary, Alameda, CA
Synopsis: A Harmonious Cacophony is a short documentary featuring Isaiah Zagar, a Philadelphia-based artist, as he teaches San Luís Potosí locals the art of mosaic. Locals learn each step in creating a mural that will enhance the city and park. The mosaic process is compared to the mosaic itself: a bit messy, but beautiful nonetheless - a harmonious cacophony. Directed by Isabela Reid and Marielle Boland. 2014.
Isabella Kinder, "Manic Cure", Comedy, Grenada, MS
Synopsis: The county sheriff realizes she has a peculiar case on her hands when she receives a serious of suspicious envelopes.
Isabella Olaguera, "ALS PSA", PSA, Deal, NJ
Synopsis: Before the Ice Bucket Challenge, I knew nothing about ALS. But after being nominated myself, I decided to do my research.
Isabella Olaguera, "Hoping for the Dream", Documentary, Deal, NJ
Synopsis: As teenagers express aspirations for their future careers, older adults reflect on the reasons why they didn't follow through with their original dreams.
Isabella Olaguera, "Shoes Get Shined", Documentary, Deal, NJ
Synopsis: Stefan Olaguera, a high school student in the NJROTC, demonstrates his unusual passion for shining shoes.
Isabella Olaguera, Connor Duffy, Nick Haaf and Justin Ortiz, "The Thin Line", PSA, Deal, NJ
Synopsis: A PSA about the dangers of driving under the influence.
Isabella Pierson, "Session One", Comedy, Bellingham, WA
Synopsis: Robert and Janet have some serious issues to hash out...
Ivan Zigas, "Sic Semper Tyrannis", Drama, Painted Post, NY
Synopsis: A tortured soul tries to find resolution with a school bully.
Iver Jensen, "The Jolly Adventures of the Men Who Travelled in Time", Animation, Norland, Norway
Synopsis: A man is suddenly sent 700 years ahead in time. Terrified by what he sees, he decides to take the destiny of the Earth in his own hands, and change the future.
Iver Jensen, "In a Mirror, Dimly", Experimental, Norland, Norway
Synopsis: A girl struggles with self-harming and mental disorders. Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
Jaci Herron, "Emerging", Documentary, Summit, MO
Synopsis: Three high school seniors describe their roles as leaders in their school and community as well as their ambitious plans for the future. These young women emerge as the next generation of powerful female leaders. They are three remarkable role models who encourage younger girls to step up and take advantage of the many opportunities within their reaches.
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World", Experimental, Medina,OH
Synopsis:
Jack Belisle, "Byrd Watching", Drama, Larchmont, NY
Synopsis: Roxanne Byrd's next case? Finding her husband's killer.
Jack Campise, "Double Sided", Drama, Columbus, OH
Synopsis: When two high schoolers meet, their relationship soon takes off but quickly ends after a few months.
Jack Campise and Ryan Gagnet, "Upstream", Drama, Columbus, OH
Synopsis: A girl and a robot ponder life in an apocalypse.
Jack McCaffrey, "Magic Marker", Animation, McClean, VA
Synopsis: Follow the nameless gentleman's journey in the unknown, and his efforts to avoid a power-corrupt force from harming him.
Jack McCaffrey, "Rabbit Trick", Animation, McLean, VA
Synopsis: Awaking in an empty room, a small rabbit discovers what lies beyond his cell door.
Jack Niehaus, "Of Bears and Men", Documentary, Orinda, CA
Synopsis: A short documentary film exploring two perspectives on the debate over the morality of brown bear hunting. For this film I interviewed an Alaskan bear hunting guide and a National Geographic filmmaker/bear biologist. Filmed over the course of five summers in Alaska.
Jack Pacilio, "Out of Time", Comedy, Southport, CT
Synopsis: An eccentric high school student avoids facing his future, until the guidance counselor corners him to attend a college planning session. The student crams for the meeting, focusing on impressing the counselor by reading Russian novels, and wearing a bow tie. The meeting begins with the earnest, but astray student trying the patience of the guidance counselor, who offers his support and asks for the student’s trust, but then blackmails him for the bow tie he is wearing.
Jacob Baer, "The Impact of Action", Documentary, Pleasanton, CA
Synopsis: This film documents one service provided to homeless people near the Bay Area. The Livermore Homeless Refuge was opened by several Livermore churches working together with the purpose of providing homeless people with food, water, and a safe place to sleep. In the words of the providers and the words of the homeless, this Refuge, including its purpose, the commitment, and its value, is reviewed. The Refuge puts faith into action that impacts people's lives.
Jacob Dysinger, "East by Southeast", Documentary, Kapa'a, HI
Synopsis: My cousin and I traveled from New York to Ecuador by ourselves. What we experienced there changed our lives forever. From the food, to the Andes mountains, to the rivers of the Amazon, to my grandfather’s alternative medicine clinic in this documentary.
Jacob Falberg, "Chase", Documentary, Highwood, IL
Synopsis: Chase is a teenage boy who was born with multiple birth injuries making him a right side hemiplegic. This short takes you through his story, the advances he's made, and all of the lives he's changed forever.
Jacob Langsner, "Good Talk, Buddy", Drama, Las Vegas, NV
Synopsis: To grapple with his inner turmoil, a therapy patient must journey into his own mind. What he finds just might change his outlook on life.
Jade LeBlanc-Ernest, "Small Town Dreams", Documentary, Pearland, TX
Synopsis: This is a short documentary film which highlights LaQuita Thompson, a basketball trainer and businesswoman. The documentary explores her youth, her inspirations for her work, gender politics surrounding girls' and womens' participation in sports, and the programs she has developed to counter those barriers.
Jake Shick, "You Are What You Eat", PSA, Santa Clarita, CA
Synopsis: Nick loves eating lots of junk food and has a hard time deciding when enough is enough. As he ignores Drake's advice, which is to make healthier choices, Nick becomes a slice of pizza. As the phrase says,"You Are What You Eat".
James Hamill, "Unplugged", Drama, Huntington Beach, CA
Synopsis: Unplugged tells the story of Carter, a quiet awkward kid who becomes to connected to technology to notice what's right in front of him.
James Lawyer, "The Deafening Silence", Drama, Scituate, MA
Synopsis: This short film is about a young boy encountering difficulty in coping with the death of his older brother, Chris. The main character, Michael, does not speak to anyone or remain present in his own life after the death of his brother. The film depicts his community and loved ones reaching out to him to provide advice in his grieving period in hopes of helping him come to terms with his unfortunate situation.
James Perry, "Such Morning Songs", Documentary, Toronto, Canada
Synopsis: A bittersweet reflection on death, mourning and loss from the filmmaker himself as he retells his own personal experiences and what they have taught him. The film is an exploration of what it truly is to lose someone and addresses hardship in an honest but optimistic light.
James Tralie, "Escape Velocity", Experimental, Fort Washington, PA
Synopsis: From pollution, to landfills, to grey skies and alleyways covered in graffiti, the Earth is ugly in the eyes of a young boy. He calculates the escape velocity to leave Earth and imagines a journey into the heavens. It is not until his imagination comes back to Earth (when he sees the globe on his desk) that he realizes beauty was around him all along.
Jamie Weiss, "The Dollar", Comedy, Dallas, TX
Synopsis: A college student meets the love of his life at a laundromat, but loses her phone number, and goes on a quest to find it.
Jared Peraglia, "Walter and the Pink Frosted Donut", Drama, Courtland Manor, NY
Synopsis: Walter Daran has four months to live. After going to a time capsule ceremony at his school, things start to go haywire! Meteors, aliens and time travel - what could go wrong?
Jarrett Ho, "Skateboarding Documentary", Documentary, Eastlake, CO
Synopsis: A short documentary about young skateboarders explaining what skateboarding has given them and what it means to them. The documentary includes a skateboarding montage to show how they skate and to show that they practice what they preach.
Jason Chen, "The Housing Predicament: the Foundations of Homelessness", Documentary, Saint Louis, MO
Synopsis: The Housing Predicament by Jason Chen is a 15-minute documentary that addresses the issue of homelessness in american cities. This film explores the root causes of this social problem, one of which is the lack of affordable housing, as well as the current efforts that individuals, organizations, and governments are making to solve this issue. Through the interview of experts in homelessness and the story of a man who rose from it, this film debunks common misconceptions and shows that homelessness is an issue that cannot be ignored.
Jason Kim, "A Student's Dream", Drama, Paoli, PA
Synopsis: A reclusive, overlooked student with a talent for art is supported and inspired by a teacher who notices his talents and helps him pursue his dream.
Javier Arango, "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death", Experimental, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: A poetry video by HarvardWestlake sophomore Javier Arango. Based on the poem of the same name by W. B. Yeats.
Jeff Fan, "To Change", PSA, Bethesda, MD
Synopsis: The film was created as the launching point of Barons United, a student-led initiative at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (Bethesda, Maryland) that works to address an issue voted on by the student body in the beginning of every school year and encourage social activism. The film aims to break the taboo on mentions of sexual violence, the topic chosen this year, and tell students that, yes, their voices do make a difference.
Jeffrey Zhong, "iOS H8", Comedy, Claremont, CA
Synopsis: Siri, a real live person, answers people's questions for a living. However, one day, she encounters a boy who makes her reconsider her purpose in life, sending her into a downward spiral of depression.
Jennifer Anderson, "The Human Connection", PSA, Castaic, CA
Synopsis: Beyond technology, the human connection.
Jennifer Baker, "The Haunting of Spring Lake", Comedy, Mapleton, UT
Synopsis: After visiting an abandoned school, students get picked off one by one by a mysterious evil janitor.
Jennifer Gao, "TIME", Horror, Millbrae, CA
Synopsis: Alice Takahashi, a young girl who has just gone through a breakup, finds herself on anonymous chatting site, Omegle. After accidentally confessing her need for love to the anonymous stranger on the other end of the line, she is relentlessly stalked by it...the mysterious thing holding a red light. When she receives a cryptic Facebook message from the killer itself, she finds video after video of herself posted online. One is extremely unsettling–it shows Alice on the floor, dead–and unlike the others, the title is a time in the future. Alice's time is up–her fate is sealed.
Jerry Shang, "The Thirty Nine Days", Drama, North Haledon, NJ
Synopsis: A passionate but emotionally torn pianist inadvertently unlocks a mystic portal for 39 days, and summons composer Frederic Chopin who guides his young protege to musical greatness.
Jessica Sweeney, "What Gets Me Through", Documentary, Lynn, MA
Synopsis: The everyday struggle can be rough. But what matters is how we overcome it to keep us sane and happy.
Jimmy Ward, "Impact Life", PSA, Manahawkin, NJ
Synopsis: The lives that I have been able to help from my fundraising with Hurricane Sandy, Ward's Haunted House and my Do Something Good Surprise. Ever since I was little I always enjoyed finding ways to impact lives around me.
Joelle Dong, "18", Drama, Palo Alto, CA
Synopsis: Bella turns 18.
Joey Schweitzer, "Run", Drama, Brooklyn, NY
Synopsis: A young man suffers from an eating disorder while his mom struggles to accept the truth about her son's illness
John Chigas and Anna Eva Kotyza, "Girls Don't Cry Wolf", Music Video, Interlochen, MI
Synopsis: Girls Don't Cry Wolf is dedicated to survivors of sexual assault. Girls ages 16-19 are four times more likely to be victims of sexual violence than the general population. Together we can raise awareness to end this culture that perpetuates the objectification and oppression of young women.
John Chigas, "The First Monday of Summer", Animation, Acton, MA
Synopsis: A teenage boy wakes up on the first Monday of Summer.
John Kohler, "Everything Unresolved", Drama, Medfield, MA
Synopsis: A teenage couple discusses the future, their fears, and the paths they will be taking.
Jonah Goldbergas, "Needed", Drama, Dallas, TX
Synopsis: A boy with anger issues starts taking medication to help, but when a creature appears a victor must be named. But who is the real winner?
Jonah Haber, "The Breakdown", Experimental, Toronto, Canada
Synopsis: This film explores what makes a moment unique.
Jonah Haber, "For Your Eyes Only", Drama, Toronto, Canada
Synopsis: A teen who doesn't see the purpose of human interaction finds a pair of broken heart shaped sunglasses outside of the local strip club that change his entire philosophy.
Jonathan Morales, "Labels", PSA, Key West, FL
Synopsis: Short PSA on bullying, labels, and forgiving those who wrong you.
Jordan Aucella, "Breaking Point", Experimental, Southbury, CT
Synopsis: A mental journey of an artist, battling between reality and the unreal. Trying to find the answer to his lost sense of direction in his art, and his true inner peace with his creations. He undergoes many introspective thoughts, until his emotions take over. And he reaches the breaking point. And just over the breaking point, he finds himself, and picks up the pieces, (in multiple ways, you'll see), and becomes content with his life.
Jordan Aucella, "One Pebble", PSA, Southbury, CT
Synopsis: Short inside look at how the YMCA has changed lives, and a PSA on how we all can too.
Jordan Aucella, "A Soundstory", Experimental, Southbury, CT
Synopsis: A sad story told only through pictures and sound, about fighting parents and the effect on their child.
Jordan Krim, "Unlocked", Experimental, Wyckoff, NJ
Synopsis: This is a Film Diary that is symbolic for me, and was it developed from a very personal place. Unlocked follows a young girl as she overcomes her biggest problem and greatest fear.
Jordan Pollak, "Our Boy Christopher", Documentary, East Setauket, NY
Synopsis: Christopher is an eight year old boy afflicted with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Christopher's parents tell their story as they cope with having a child with a terminal disease that has no treatment or cure. The film also educates the audience on what Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is.
Jordyn Fitch and Van Courtney, "Lights Out", Horror, Davie, FL
Synopsis: An annoyed teenager has to pick up his brother's "friend."
Jose Reyes, "I Am Not A Dummy", Drama, San Diego, CA
Synopsis: With aspirations of becoming a doctor and saving his sick mother, a young scholar struggles to find a balance between his academic commitments and his turbulent home life.
Josh Oberlander, "At Your Service", Comedy, Cleveland, GA
Synopsis: It is a funny take on a hotel bell stage, the hotel manager and one of the workers girlfriend who is upset over a breakup.
Julia Elihu, Erin Bentel, Daniel Sandler, and Daria Miller, "Celine and Simon", Drama, Del Mar, CA
Synopsis: Celine and Simon is a film about a young mother and son who recently move from France to San Diego. As Celine, the mom, has a hard time adjusting to the American culture and making new friends, her son, Simon, helps her adjust and feel comfortable in her strange new surroundings.
Julia Elihu, Andrew Boyles, Gabrielle de Boucaud, Akeel Najimudeen, and Thomas Wade, "Lily's Journey", Documentary, San Diego, CA
Synopsis: This film focuses on the life of Lily, a Iranian refugee, who fled Iran away from religious persecution in 1979. In America, she found solace and built a career for herself through her skills in pottery and glass blowing. She recounts her moving tale and the tribulations she endures to build a new life for her and her family.
Juliette Guice, "Takin it to the Streets", Documentary, Greenwich, CT
Synopsis: A look into NYC's underground talent.
Jun Hyung Park "Snapped", Horror, Stevenson Ranch, CA
Synopsis: The stalker finds your house.
Jun Hyung Park, "Un-Plug", PSA, Stevenson Ranch, CA
Synopsis: Un-plug from technology. Live your life. See what's outside the screen
Justis McMahon, "Nice Guys", Comedy, Lynn, MA
Synopsis: The difference between good guys and nice guys. A spoken word piece by Brian Ocasio.
Justin Binder, August Blum, Robert Carlson, Levi Glaser, George Khabbaz, Kayla Mossanen, Tammy Shine, "Curt Lowens: A Life of Changes", Animation, Los Angeles, CA
Synopsis: Students in the Righteous Conversations Pilot Digital Storytelling Workshop worked collaboratively to bring to the screen Holocaust Survivor Curt Lowens' story of escape and resistance during World War II through stop-motion animation, live interview, and sound design.
Justin Boswick, "The Word Search", Documentary, Medford Lakes, NJ
Synopsis: The Word Search is a family documentary about an adventurous woman diagnosed with Alzheimer’s trying to find happiness and security in a world of unknowns.
Justin Ciccone, Joe Levin and Michael Stokdyk, "Stealing Home", Documentary, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: Baseball may be America’s favorite past time, but to Cubans it means even more. Three teen sports enthusiasts traveled to Cuba and spoke to scholars and fans to learn more about the legacy of baseball in Cuba.
Justin Fargiano, "Eight", Drama, Bethel, CT
Synopsis: A teenage girls tries to live her last eight minutes to the fullest before the end of the world.
Kaci Sleeth, "Graveyard Dancing", Music Video, Loxahatchee, FL
Synopsis: A girl finds herself drawn into the cycle of drug use.
Kaela Riley, "B&W", PSA, Natick, MA
Synopsis: A short video on abuse. Using the absolute minimal amount of words, viewers understand more about domestic abuse through the artistic way the bruises are shown in the video.
Kaela Riley, "Break the Silence" Documentary, Natick, MA
Synopsis: A documentary on selective mutism and how it impacts and individual. This individual is a teenage girl by the name of Jesse and the documentary tells her story over the years. It explains the struggle of having selective mutism and hopes to allow viewers to sympathize and learn more about the disorder.
Kaira Robertson, "Fashionably Late", Comedy, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: 1. Don't make bets with friends 2. Don't be friends with Jenna 3. And always have an extra change of clothes at school.
Karenina Juarez, Juli Freedman, Becca Frischling and Jess Grody, "Emergency Stop (The Cycle of Violence)", PSA, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: “He hit me and it felt like a kiss” go the lyrics of a song. How do you stop domestic violence when pop music normalizes abuse? How can we stop the seemingly endless cycle of violence? This public service announcement was created by teens in a workshop called I CAN WE CAN: Films to End Domestic Violence.
Karly Klaeser, "Transcendence", Music Video, Greer, SC
Synopsis: My sister loves to play her bass, and when she does it takes her to a whole new place.
Kat Vlasova, "Permanent Dissonance", Drama, Reston, VA
Synopsis: Just as Nixon Carter begins to think he is starting to succeed with his art he is visited by his old pal Lucy, the physical manifestation of his depression and anxiety, who refuses to leave him alone.
Katelyn Scott, "Be Prepared", PSA, Cleveland, GA
Synopsis: Katelyn and Hannah wrote a powerful message about the importance of checking the batteries of your smoke detectors.
Katherine Calvert, "Reweaving: Rwanda After Rape", Documentary, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: Katherine Calvert’s film gives an historic perspective on the horrific crime of rape as a weapon of war and genocide. Calvert grounds her story in the 1994 Rwandan genocide where rape’s lasting impact tears apart its victims as well as the very fabric of society. Yet the film offers hope as we see women in Rwanda bonding together to heal themselves and their country.
Katherine De Jesus and Kimberly De Jesus "Lie: A Drug Documentary", Documentary, Miami, FL
Synopsis: A short piece documenting the story of Luis Montejo and Dania Gonzalez during a time where drugs engrossed their young lives. Throughout their journey their faith is challenged yet becomes the thing, alongside supportive friends and family, that helps the individuals overcome the deception that underlies drug addiction.
Katherine Russell, "Jordan", Documentary, Lynn, MA
Synopsis: An exploration of an autistic teenager and his visit home from a residential setting.
Kathryn Rothwell, "Who I Am", PSA, Lynn, MA
Synopsis: Four transgender people talk about gender, and how the rigid views on it affect them.
Katie Garner and Emily Conly, "Becky Brewer: More Than My Mugshot", Documentary, Hot Springs, AR
Synopsis: The inspiring story and testimony of a woman who against all odds turns her life of drug abuse around.
Kayla Phaneuf, "The Definition of You". Experimental, Berryville, VA
Synopsis: I cover the basis of how I define myself based on what I want to do, instead of basing the definition of myself on what other people around me think.
Keegan Nakano, "Duty Calls", Comedy, Las Vegas, NV
Synopsis: Ted really has to go to the bathroom, but many obstacles, like out of order signs and talkative classmates, impede him during his quest for a toilet.
Kelley McGinnis, "Best, Ella", Drama, Pacific Palisades, CA
Synopsis: Two teenage girls run from an insane asylum and take refuge in a motel.
Kelsie Cummings, "Going Home", PSA, Prosper, TX
Synopsis: Going Home is a PSA about domestic violence. The short story follows the relationship between a young boy in the foster care system and his bus driver.
Kemani Harriott, "Tricked and Taken", Documentary, Hartford, CT
Synopsis: Not many people realize that sex trafficking happens in Connecticut. Interviews include Presidential Medal of Freedom winner Frank Barnaba, DCF Division of Multi-Cultural Affairs Director and member of Connecticut Coalition Against Human Tafficking William Rivera, as well an as interview with Jasmine Marino a survivor of sex trafficking, who was trafficked in Hartford. The film details her descent into trafficking, escape attempts and the positive work she does today.
Ken Asada, "Your Face", Animation, Westport, CT
Synopsis: Ken faces difficulty escaping his room.
Ken Dwyer, "Forgotten", Drama, Howell, NJ
Synopsis: Members of an expedition team from Earth search for a potential new home on an uninhabited world...only to find that they aren't as alone as they thought.
Kennedy Huff, "Three Years Later", Documentary, Pflugerville, TX
Synopsis: his story examines how Pflugerville ISD has increased security in the wake of recent school shootings across the nation, as well as a threat made by a Pflugerville High School student three years ago.
Kevin Tsai, "IDENTITY", Drama, Rowland Heights, CA
Synopsis: Mason's life takes an unexpected turn when his lover is murdered.
Kevin Yu, "Amos", Drama, Forest Hills, NY
Synopsis: An extraordinarily lonely teenage boy develops superpowers that he cannot control, and slowly becomes a species separate from the human race.
Khodja Sy, "The Meaning of a Hero", PSA, West Haven, CT
Synopsis: This a film that takes a new spin on the definition of a "Hero".
Khodja Sy, Sofia Azmal, and Naszir Johnson, "Tomboy Girlz", Music Video, West Haven, CT
Synopsis: This is a music video that was created by the Tucana Productions film crew with the help of lyricist and star Sasha. It's about not being obsessed with girly things, hence, being a Tomboy Girl!
Kolton Rogers, "Your Little Boy", Drama, Royse City, TX
Synopsis: A son seeks justification for his mother's death, instead revealing his own mental instability and unforgivable regrets.
Kris Theorin, "GUMBALL" Experimental, Landenberg, PA
Synopsis: GUMBALL follows one night in the life of a rebellious young woman who breaks into a diner after hours with a can of spray paint. She ends up discovering what's left of a love story. The story is told without dialogue.
Kris Theorin and Kurtis Theorin, "Alien Communications", Comedy, Landenberg, PA
Synopsis: Sometimes communicating with the opposite sex can be as alien as communicating with well... an alien. This slightly sci-fi short film is a touching coming of age story that the awkward in all of us can relate to.
Kris Theorin, "A Jarring Encounter", Animation, Landenberg, PA
Synopsis: A park ranger finds himself relentlessly pursued by a T-Rex but are her motives entirely what they seem?
Kristen Broderick, "Science Project", Animation, Burbank, CA
Synopsis: Moon rocks are a good idea for a science project. But once you're on the moon, do you have enough time to get back home?
Kristi Cook and Grace King, "Fostered Love", Sunrise, FL
Synopsis: Channon and Frank Mills, after fostering more than ten foster children and adopting two (Benjamin and Zanobian), are now happily living their lives with the new additions to their family and their biological daughter Vanessa Mills.
Kristine Hoessel, "Frontiers", Documentary, Brooklyn, NY
Synopsis: Kristine goes on a journey to find a place where she truly belongs, taking with her a familiar book.
Kunal Dixit, "Centered", Documentary, Dallas, TX
Synopsis: Centered is follows the story and artistic perspective of master ceramics teacher Bill Kysor and his students. The film examines ceramics at a technical, aesthetic, and philosophical level.
Kyle Siringan, "A Song of My Own", Drama, Bergenfield, NJ
Synopsis: Michael intends to escape the shadow of his successful older sister. In the following weeks, he will experience what he always wanted, to be unique.
Kyle Vanesko, "Darkroom", Drama, Dallas, TX
Synopsis: A student accuses another for the sudden and mysterious death of the photo teacher, Mr. Tate.
Landon Mauricio, "Many Rivers One Ocean", Documentary, Honolulu, HI
Synopsis: This was an experimental assignment given in class. The topic was reflection.
Landon Mauricio, "Reflection", Experimental, Honolulu, HI
Synopsis: This was an experimental assignment given in class. The topic was reflection.
Laura Creese, "Ocean Drive", Horror, North Kingstown, RI
Synopsis: After a huge fight with her boyfriend, Mallory take solace on a beach by the vast Atlantic Ocean. Ignorant of Mallory's past, a friendly stranger offers to pick her up.
Lauralee Harper, "Triforce of Desire", Comedy, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: Star Wars? Lord of The Rings? These high school nerds are going to win Annabelle Winchester’s love even if it takes their last galleon!
Lauren Collette, "A Numbers Game", Drama, Cinncinati, OH
Synopsis: This film follows the daily life of someone struggling with an eating disorder. From the moment she awakes until the moment she goes to sleep at night, she is pestered and broken down by her destructive thoughts.
Lauren Killian, "Just Imagine", PSA, Buffalo, NY
Synopsis: A poem to enlighten society about how technology is causing us to fall short of the important things in life.
Lauren Loesberg, "Man Up", Experimental, Warren, NJ
Synopsis: In these short, true stories, several teenage girls experience sexism for the first time.
Lauren McKinley, "The Climb", Animation, Ridgewood, NJ
Synopsis: A young turtle wishes to play with another group of animals, but is too slow to catch up. He will go through great lengths to do so, even climb a mountain.
Lauren Rothman, "Embargo on Love", Documentary, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: A dialogue has been opened between the U.S. and Cuba. Two U.S. teen journalists traveled to Cuba and asked people on the streets, what would you like Americans to know about you?
Lauryn Henry, "SOPHIA", Experimental, Somerset, NJ
Synopsis: A girl comes to terms with her sexuality when on the phone with her father.
Leilani Ingold, "Before It's Too Late", PSA, Castaic, CA
Synopsis: Get help before it's too late. Offer help before it's too late.
Leo Pfeifer and Coleman Andersen, "Air Pressure", Drama, Seattle, WA
Synopsis: Long after a disastrous experience at the Balloon Animal World Championships, an old man struggles to regain his youthful confidence and overcome a lifetime haunted by guilt and failure.
Leo Pfeifer, Duncan Gowdy and Coleman Andersen, "Clipped Wings", Documentary, Seattle, WA
Synopsis: On the journey to Eagle Scout, discrimination gets in the way. "Clipped Wings" tells the stories of those most affected by the Boy Scout's ban on gay members.
Leo Pfeifer and Coleman Andersen, "Stolen", Drama, Seattle, WA
Synopsis: An old man seeks revenge after something is stolen from him. Will he go too far?
Lily Lizotte, "Bi-Polar", Animation, Los Angeles, CA
Synopsis: The story of first love gone wrong and how truly primal it can be
Lily Yu. "Bay Area Girls Rock Camp", Documentary, Oakland, CA
Synopsis: An intimate look at relationships and rock music at a rock camp for girls.
Lisa Salus, "Career Path", Drama, San Diego, CA
Synopsis: This narrative short film explores the implications that having a criminal record has on a youths future job opportunities. How do mistakes effect the choices one makes and the opportunities available as young offenders enter adulthood? This is a topic we need to begin to recognize and address as a society.
Logan Gaston and Liz Patrico, "The Harder You Work, The Luckier You Get", Documentary, Hot Springs, AR
Synopsis: A look into the life of Tim Richey, racehorse trainer.
London Allen, "Child Trafficking: Internationally", PSA, Blythewood, SC
Synopsis: I wanted to create a PSA that showcased a major issue that is not known by many but it is rampant around us. I wanted to convey my message in a short but powerful PSA that captured students my age and adults attention to take action against this horrific problem.
Long Tran, "Trapped", Documentary, Renton, WA
Synopsis: A short documentary about a transgender named Bruce who wants to be known as Brooklyn.
Luc Alper-Leroux, "When I Was A Star", Drama, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Synopsis: A boy reminisces to his father who is dying of cancer.
Luis Vazquez and Nicholas Richard "C-Men", Comedy, Santa Rosa, CA
Synopsis: A parody of a super hero organization. A group of youngsters blessed with unremarkable abilities are recruited by a professor for the good of mankind.
Luis Vazquez, "Little Red", Horror, Santa Rosa, CA
Synopsis: Little Red Ridding Hood needs to get to grandma's house, but she must avoid the big bad wolf, or should he fear her?
Luke Pacilio, "Joe Kiernan: Don't Ask Me About Jazz", Documentary, Southport, CT
Synopsis: This is a portrait piece on professional jazz musician and teacher, Joe Kiernan.
Malia Romero, "Helpless", Documentary, Colorado Springs, CO
Synopsis: Daniel Rodriguez family feels helpless about Daniel's schizophrenia mental disease.
Manuel Izquierdo, "The Story of a Ballerina", Documentary, Surfside, FL
Synopsis: The trials and tribulations Ella most face to become professional ballerina.
Marcus Aubin, "Family", Experimental, Oak Lawn, IL
Synopsis: A short experimental piece, with a documentary feel, explaining the significance and importance of family.
Marcus Aubin, "Smile", Experimental, Oak Lawn, IL
Synopsis: A short, experimental piece with the purpose of explaining how significant, powerful, and unparalleled a smile can be to one's life.
Marcus Emery, "Dooble- The Small Winged Quail", Animation, Saratoga, CA
Synopsis: Dooble is a baby bird with small wings. Today he is going to learn how to fly.
Maria Alavarez, "Between You and Me", PSA, Beachwood, OH
Synopsis: "Between You and Me" is about giving back to others, and how making a difference in somebody else's life can eventually make an equally important impact in your own life as well.
Marianna Lombello, "Spectrum", Documentary, Sunny Isles, FL
Synopsis: This short documentary highlights the lives of three autistic children, Gabriel ,PJ, and Shilo as they go through their day by day activities. They all attend Casablanca Academy in Hollywood, Florida. It is the only school in the state that uses the DIR Floortime Method.
Marielle Boland, "5150", Documentary, San Francisco, CA
Synopsis: A mother illustrates the story of her son. This was made from my point of view, as the sister to the main subject.
Marielle Boland, "#ExposeTheseHoes", Documentary, San Francisco,CA
Synopsis: An artistic look at exploitation, bullying and teenage sexuality through real life stories.
Mariya Pyter, "Taste to be Wicked", Horror, Pasadena, CA
Synopsis: Abandoned doll regains consciousness and finds cupcakes one of which will bring unexpected transformation to her life!
Marnie Kritzman, "Blurred Visions", Drama, Deerfield, IL
Synopsis: A short film about the overwhelming guilt and anxiety a young teenager faces after the death of her friend.
Marshall Woodruff, "EVAN", Drama, Philadelphia, PA
Synopsis: A teen spy is denied his first field assignment. But before he can prove himself, he gets captured by unknown persons and now must fight his way out to find the truth.
Martin Herlihy, "Todd's Urn", Comedy, Ridgefield, CT
Synopsis: Two friends attempt to convince the other to take the urn of their third, deceased friend. This leads to awkward arguments, bizarre dream sequences, and an extended conversation about cupcakes.
Mason Whittingham, "Runaway", Drama, Altadena, CA
Synopsis: A boy escapes home and tackles all obstacles to find his real dad.
Matt Brosey, "No Safety? Know Pain", PSA, York, PA
Synopsis: Remember that the same laws of physics apply when driving, so buckle up and have a fun ride.
Matt Brosey, "Tristan's Home Field Advantage", Documentary, York, PA
Synopsis: Tristan Schilling gives the Dallastown football team a home field advantage each time he enters the field.
Matt Wassong, "Isolation", Drama, Larchmont, NY
Synopsis: A man who is haunted by the ghost of his recently deceased wife finally learns to let go.
Matthew Boney, "Rainbow Strong", Experimental, Menomonee Falls, WI
Synopsis: Matthew Boney's "Rainbow Strong" is a LGBT short film made in honor of The 2015 National Day of Silence. It was made to raise awareness about the LGBT community in my school, and to serve as a short love story of mine.
Max Iacovelli, "The Case of Ryan DeCann", Comedy, Manahawkin, NJ
Synopsis: Detective Worcestershire Stone, with the help of Detective Voltson, attempts to solve the biggest case of his career.
Max Watkins, "The Puzzle: Raising an Autistic Child", Documentary, Commack, NY
Synopsis: Discover both the frustrations and the hopes of two parents raising their 11 year old autistic child.
Max Wehner, "The Death of the Green Dragon", Animation, Fullerton, CA
Synopsis: A wizard battles the green dragon.
Maxwell Casper, "To Protect and Profile", Documentary, Cornwall Bridge, CT
Synopsis: A short documentary exploring the relationship between police and the latino community in Connecticut. In 2012 a Reverend in East Haven, CT was arrested by police for filming their mistreatment of his parishioners. This lead to a federal investigation of the East Haven Police and revealed deep racial fissures in what was considered to be a progressive & tolerant state.
Maxwell Geoffrey, "Footsie", Drama, New York, NY
Synopsis: Footsie is a love story told in a unique way.
Maya Rajan, Christina DeConcini and Caroline Dym "Behind the Camera: Lee Morgan", Documentary, Cos Cob, CT
Synopsis: A look through the lens of creative photographer Lee Morgan. Apart from being an excellent photographer who has worked with "Nike" to "Lord and Taylor", Lee Morgan has lived an incredibly interesting life, and is a very warm person.
Maya Rajan, Christina DeConcini and Caroline Dym "We Exist Too", PSA, Cos Cob, CT
Synopsis: A look at Ableism, discrimination against the disabled.
Mckinley Carlin, "Lose It All", PSA, Inver Grove Heights, MN
Synopsis: A short film that illustrates the consequences of distracted driving.
Megan Dogra, "Assist Bhopal", Documentary, Mequon, WI
Synopsis: Assist Bhopal is a story of the unabating effects of the worst industrial disaster the world has known- gas leak at a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. On the morning of December 3, 1984 more than 40 tons of methyl isocyante (MIC) gas leaked from the India Union Carbide Limited plant, creating a dense cloud over a resident population of about 500,000. That night 8000 people died due to inhalation of this lethal gas, and over time another 20,000 fatalities have been directly attributable to the accident. Today, an estimated 200,000 people suffer from chronic illnesses resulting from this accident.
Megan Mathison, "A Smashing Good Time", Animation, Arcadia, CA
Synopsis: An animated short about two siblings that smash a vase, and must scramble to put the pieces back together before the wrath of their mother is unleashed upon them.
Meredith Slifkin, Drama, "Give & Take", New York, NY
Synopsis: Two women in their 60s, Phoebe and Isabella, meet in a doctor’s office waiting room and realize that their pasts overlap. This discovery provides them with a new perspective on their pasts, and unexpected emotions bubble to the surface.
Michelle Marquez, "The Emotional Dimentions of the James River", Experimental, Midlothian, VA
Synopsis: Michelle Marquez, a fifteen-year-old scientist and artist, aims to challenge the traditional division and separation between Science and Art. Her three-year journey in research has revealed the deeply rooted biological connection that the human brain forms with complex images, sounds, and music. Her award winning neuroscience research correlates a mathematical parameter (fractal dimension) of music and/or images with the selective triggering of emotional states.
Mike Klubeck, "Healthy Life", PSA, Matawan, NJ
Synopsis: This is a PSA about how to achieve happiness and health in school
Mike Mapes, "I am Kizito", Documentary, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: On a school trip to Rwanda, high school sophomore Mike Mapes met Kizito, a child survivor of the 1994 genocide. At age 6 Kizito saw his father killed, his mother raped and his home burned the 1994 genocide. At age 6 Kizito saw his father killed, his mother raped and his home burned the 1994 genocide. At age 6 Kizito saw his father killed, his mother raped and his home burned to the ground. As Rwanda rebuilds after the physical and emotional devastation of the genocide, to the ground. survivors like Kizito struggle due to a lack of education and resources.
Miles Carey, "Border Woods", Drama, Princeton, NJ
Synopsis: When Rowan loses track of his two best friends in the woods the night of their goodbye camping trip before college, he is plunged into a fantastical world where he must face his hopes, fears, and sexuality, as he is pushed ever closer to the border with the unknown.
Miles Warren, "Through the Chain", Drama, New York, NY
Synopsis: Tyler, a teenage soccer player is roped into his older brothers bike theft business after being expelled from boarding school, and having his college scholarship revoked.
Mitchell Beinfest, "Angel", Experimental, Southwest Ranches, FL
Synopsis: A day in the life of a Russian prima ballerina
Molly Simmons, "Masha'Allah", Drama, Fishers, IN
Synopsis: A young Muslim girl discovers herself amidst oppression from her family and peers while finding a voice through her art and writing.
Montserrat Guerra-Solano, "Canopy", Music Video, Horsham, PA
Synopsis: The saddening Love Story of 2 teenage girls.
Moon Su Kang, "Easy Way Out", Music Video, Madison, AL
Synopsis: A high school student faces hardship during his youth. To cope with this stress, he decides to take drugs as the easy way out. He reflects his death with a song he sings.
Morgana McKenzie, "We All Go the Same" Music Video, Ontario, Canada
Synopsis: In the timeless world of fairy tales, villains and victims are visited by a vengeful fairy who offers to shift the balance of power.
Nathan Simms, Restraint", Drama, Dallastown, PA
Synopsis: When a man wants revenge against a drunk driver, he must fight through an inner struggle to achieve what he wants.
Nell Hensey, "Bishop presents...The Brilliant Resilient", Animation, Ennis, Claire, Ireland
Synopsis: Spin off to our successful short 'Checkmate', 'The Brilliant Resilient' follows Bishops' top tips to living a positive and fulfilling life.
Nicholas Jugeli-Giroux, "The Crossroad", Drama, Washington DC
Synopsis: After arriving from Guatemala, three brothers find a way to survive without their parents while living in the states. Life takes over the darkest hours of their brother, Miguel, that will change their lifes forever.
Nick Snyder, John De Vito, Evan Stefanko, and Brandon Chase, "Switchfoot: Close to Our Hearts", Documentary, San Diego, CA
Synopsis: San Diego-based, Grammy-award-winning rock band Switchfoot gave four local teen filmmakers behind-the-scenes access to their 10th Annual Bro-Am surf contest and concert which has raised more than a million dollars for San Diego underprivileged teens. The Canyon Crest Academy student filmmakers who created this documentary attend the same public school district where members of Switchfoot grew up and developed their love for music, surf, and beach culture. A production of the school program CCA-TV and Envision Cinema, this short film focuses on the band members' desire to give back to the community that invested in them when they were teens.
Nico Page, "Kayna Wawaiki Jamuni (Now I Come as Your Son)", Documentary, Santiago, Chile
Synopsis: A vision of the people, landscapes, and customs of Bolivia -from Altiplano to jungle and across Lake Titicaca- through the eyes and voice of a Chilean-American high-school student, in dialogue with a tour guide, an anthropologist, and other location recordings in the native Quechuan language.
Nicole Bahar, Joji Baratelli, Noa Schwartz, "Quote Unquote", Comedy, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: Cinema Studies just might be the most boring class according to Alex and Bailey. When their teacher kicks them out for mouthing off, things start to get weird.
Nihal Dantluri, "Parallel", Drama, Naperville, IL
Synopsis: A boy believes that he is constantly being followed by something everywhere he goes, and eventually becomes obsessed with trying to find out what it may be. His friends and family label him as insane, but is he?
Nikolas Trusko, "Marching Band: The Other Side", Documentary, Sugarland, TX
Synopsis: The film follows the award winning Clements High School Marching Band from Sugar Land, Texas during its 2014 Marching Season. The documentary provides a glimpse into how a model Texas marching band operates on the road to state finals, all while drawing upon the feelings of the Band's Senior Class of 2015 as they reflect upon their time in marching band and their last season together.
Nilo Batle, "Making Light in Tbilisi", Documentary, San Francisco, CA
Synopsis: Making Light in Tbilisi is a documentary about my family’s experience making art during Artisterium, an art biennial held in Tbilisi Georgia. Artisterium’s goal is to create an international dialog, to share and learn from different artists, designers and craftspeople from around the world. Our project focused on transforming disposable plastic containers into beautiful functional light fixtures with the help of local students and artists.
Nina Milligan, "Children of the Genocide", Documentary, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: Nina Milligan, in Children of the Genocide, explores how a genocide that happened twenty years ago continues to affect children in Rwanda today. Child survivors are now young adults who were witness to horrific violence; they saw parents murdered or raped and their schools destroyed. In the aftermath, these young people had little access to food, shelter or education. Milligan shares stories of young people rebuilding their lives and interviews President Paul Kagame himself about a country in the process of change.
Nisa Neza, "The Diary of a Daydream Girl", Experimental, Leonia, NJ
Synopsis: The nonsensical mental scribblings of a girl who meant all the things she didn't say.
Noah Bennett, "Cut the Tall Trees: The Killing Power of Words", Documentary, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: How do you convince someone to kill their neighbor? Noah Bennett and Max Cho’s film answers this chilling question as it delves into the 1994 Rwanda genocide in which one million people were slaughtered, mostly by people they knew, in a period of 100 days.
Noah Maxey, "Going Home", Drama, Prosper, TX
Synopsis: A boy with a rough home life bonds with his bus driver and is reluctant to go home.
Oliver Levi-Malouf, "Penelope's Penguin", Comedy, Canberra, Australia
Synopsis: In a world where growing up means the arrival of your own animal doppelganger, Penelope is a late bloomer. But even though she waits anxiously for an animal to come, will she be content when it finally arrives?
Oliver Levi-Malouf, "Magic Man", Drama, Canberra, Australia
Synopsis: Matthew has always held onto the guilt of his younger brother’s death. When a series of events tip him over the edge, it takes a special kind of magic to bring him back.
Orlando Pinder, "I, Too, Am B-CC", Documentary, Silver Spring, MD
Synopsis: While Bethesda Chevy Chase High School is a very open minded community, we often ignore the struggles African Americans and Hispanics are faced with as the minority. This social campaign, inspired by I, too, am Harvard, attempts to give voice to those who suffer from ill perceptions. The purpose of this campaign is to expose the harm of racial stereotypes in high school as well as bring awareness to the achievement gap.
Oziel Esparza, "Burger Barn", Animation, Irving, TX
Synopsis: In this film, the Senior and Junior burger begin with debating as to who will get eaten first. A shake comes in and tries to convince the two that being eaten is a bad thing. The Senior burger suggests otherwise but the shake manages to show them that being eaten is indeed bad.
Paige Miltenberger, "Triggers", Experimental, Valencia, CA
Synopsis: Every night at sunset, a man undergoing a mid-life crisis ventures to the top of a mountain. Triggered by major life problems, the man contemplates taking his own life.
Paige Young, "A Drawing Worth Forgetting", Experimental, Chevy Chase, MD
Synopsis: A silent movie highlighting the struggle of bullied teens follows a boy as he draws out a mural depicting scenes from his life where he was bullied.
Parker Wallace, "Clairvoyant", Drama, Denton, TX
Synopsis: A timid high-schooler struggles to understand if his visions are hallucinations or a supernatural ability.
Patrick VanZandt, "Marz", Comedy, Carlsbad, CA
Synopsis: He's a man with nothing to loose and nowhere to go.
Paty Gomez-Palacio, "Lucid", Experimental, Irving, TX
Synopsis: A lucid dream that goes deep into a girls mind and explores her body image, past, and other problems through symbols and visuals within her dream.
Paul Patterson, "Bluebleach - Petropolis", Music Video,
Perry Barth, "New Foods on the Block", Documentary, Riverside, CT
Synopsis: A taste of New York City street food.
Peter Despres, "Life Could Be Simple", Experimental, Stewartsville, NJ
Synopsis: An experimental film that takes a look at the problem of technology in society and how it keeps us apart when it was meant to bring us closer together.
Quentin Washington, "Best Pals at North Shore 9th Grade", Documentary, Houston, TX
Synopsis: Video featuring the Best Pals program here at North Shore 9th Grade. Video shows select students and teachers who work with our challenged students.
Quintin O'Connell, "Tori", Experimental, Pembroke Pines, FL
Synopsis: Following a young girl's journey to overcome unsettling emotions and thoughts.
Quinton Simmonds and Cameron Stine, "Being Cuban", Documentary, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: With historical roots in Spanish colonialism, African slave ships, Chinese railroad workers and no surviving indigenous populations, what exactly does it mean to be Cuban? This teen-produced documentary reveals the nature of Cuban identity.
Rachel Glassman, "For the Trees", Drama, Toronto, Canada
Synopsis: A young girl named Tess has a certain amount of time to tell her parents what she wants to do with her life.
Rafel Fortier, "Pearl", Drama, Crawfordville, FL
Synopsis: "Pearl" tells the story of a girl, neglected by her alcoholic father, who befriends the troubled boy who stole her bike. This friendship distracts them from their troubles and allows them to find happiness.
Rainey Zimmermann, "The In Between", Drama, St Augustine, FL
Synopsis: Following the death of her lover, a woman falls asleep in her bathtub and enters a multi-leveled dream world where she grapples with concepts of illness, life, and death.
Raymond Zrike, "A Contained Life", Drama, Houston, TX
Synopsis: A Dell customer service representative goes through a typical day.
Raynee Hainline, "Medicated | Squethan ft Christina Galang", Music Viedo, Poway, CA
Synopsis: Music video showing the difference between the rappers reality, and dream state.
Raynee Hainline, "Paint", PSA, Poway, CA
Synopsis: A video encouraging being kind, and not judging a book by its cover.
Rebecca Johnson, "Time is Not My Enemy", Drama, Chippewa Falls, WI
Synopsis: Alice Franco is an individual who is contemplating the role of time in her life. Does time control her? By the end of the film, the audience will discover why she is in this predicament between her life and time...
Reed Carson, "A Film On Hate", Comedy, Feyetteville, AR
Synopsis: Jack is in love with Casey, a beautiful blonde with striking blue eyes. All is going well until Casey says, "we need to talk," and suddenly hate begins to overpower every rational thought Jack is having as his world begin to crumble around him. He begins to retreat into his mind in order to control this chaos.
Rémi Verdel, "Network", Drama, Lorraine, France
Synopsis: Have you already thought that one day Internet shall take the power? And if that day has already come...
Reyna Colt-Lacayo, "Not Just A Tree", Documentary, Oakland, CA
Synopsis: A short documentary about Friends of The Urban Forest (FUF), a non profit based in San Francisco. FUF teaches teenagers how to plant and maintain trees in urban settings through their “Green Teens” program. They focus on spreading awareness about the environmental issues through hands on training. This film follows the people and places involved with Friends of the Urban Forest, and how they are a crucial organization to the maintenance of San Francisco’s urban greenery. Part of The Factory’s Summer 2014 Community Filmmaking Partnership.
River Shay, "Turkey Dinner", Experimental, River Ridge, LA
Synopsis: Turkey Dinner is about the stress and headaches most people get around the holidays. A young man gets ready for and attends a dinner party that turns into a bittersweet display of his inner emotions and self as he is becoming a man.
Robert Flummerfelt, "Dark Horizon", Drama, Las Vegas, NV
Synopsis: After a close encounter in suburban Las Vegas, NV, Scott Goodlight and his grandfather must embark on a harrowing journey, one that will alter the history of the earth as they know it.
Rocky Lubbers, "The Heist", Comedy, Oregon House, CA
Synopsis: Logan, Ethan, and Patrick come up with a brilliant plan to steal the final math test that their grades rely heavily on.
Rona Ahdout and Neema Sadeghi, "Below the Surface", Drama, Irvine, CA
Synopsis: A girl reflects on the precious moments she had with her little sister in order to release her guilt over a tragic mistake and reach her absolution.
Roshanna Paul, "The Family Three", Documentary, Brooklyn, NY
Synopsis: The family three is about three creative women (a mother and her two daughters), who help each other and support each other doing what they love.
Ruby Drake, "2 by 2", Experimental, San Francisco, CA
Synopsis: Four screens! Four stories! And old lady burns her popcorn, a lonely girl tries to flirt with the guy next door (who only has eyes for his super), meanwhile, a husband cheats on his wife and is caught red handed.
Ruby Drake, "Overflow", Drama, San Francisco, CA
Synopsis: Two girls try try to work through an unexpected crisis in their friendship.
Ruby Drake, "On the Fence", Comedy, San Francisco, CA
Synopsis: To avoid being caught by his girlfriend's mom, a teenager must make is way across other people's back yards to get home.
Ruviselda Tafolla, "Spanish Fork Football 2014", Action Sports, Spanish Fork, UT
Synopsis: Spanish Fork High School's Football highlights of 2014.
Ryan Beggs, "Spring", Experimental, Scottsdale, AZ
Synopsis: This is an experimental short revolving around some abstract themes of spring. This short also emphasizes new perspectives regarding portraits.
Ryan Debergh, "The Second Right Off Main Street", Drama, Kingsville, Canada
Synopsis: "The Second Right Off Main Street" accurately depicts the troubles and joys of growing up in a small town and how the hometown environment influences the life choices of it's residents.
Ryan Town, "Blind Ambitions", Drama, Newbury Park, CA
Synopsis: A mime struggles with the choice of love or career when he falls in love with a girl who cannot see him.
Ryan Zimmerman, "Allegory", Drama, Macungie, PA
Synopsis: Brent Johnson, a slacking drug dealer and con-man, is forced to change his ways due to meeting a supernatural entity.
Safi Nazzal, "Hardly Evil", Drama, San Jose, CA
Synopsis: To prove his place as heir to the throne, the cowardly prince of a villainous kingdom must return with a single head.
Sage Meadows, "Yesterday", Drama, New York, NY
Synopsis: A strange relationship between a couple where one of them is definitely confused, it turns out there may be some deeper problems.
Sam Ashurov, "Reaching Equilibrium", Documentary, Old Bridge, NJ
Synopsis: There are millions of homeless people around the world. Online you can watch thousands of videos of people performing random acts of kindness for homeless people. The problem with theses videos is that you never get the homeless persons true story, so we decided to go find out some of their stories.
Sam Ashurov, "Sleepless", PSA, Old Bridge, NJ
Synopsis: This is a PSA about how high school students do not get enough sleep. Since they do not get enough sleep their grades are not as good as they should be and their overall health is not well.
Sam Brief and Ryan Kane, "One Yard: Turning Heartbreak Into Redemption", Documentary, Highland Park, IL
Synopsis: The riveting story behind the quest of the Highland Park (IL) HS football team to redeem themselves from falling one yard short of a conference title in 2013. In this HPTV original documentary, producers Sam Brief and Ryan Kane take viewers through the team's drive to attain revenge against rival Glenbrook North, win a conference title and complete the first undefeated regular season in school history—all in head coach Hal Chiodo's final season before retirement.
Sam Dodd, "The Phoenix King", Drama, Bethesda, MD
Synopsis: A teenage girl seeks closure by visiting the Newseum's 9/11 Gallery to write to her deceased father until one day, he writes back.
Sam Dodd, "Queen of Glass", Drama, Bethesda, MD
Synopsis: Two past lovers meet to discuss their failed relationship. The conflict between the two results in an argument characterised through chess.
Sam Vargen, "Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell Tale Heart", Horror, Martinez, CA
Synopsis: Driven insane by an old man's deformity, a man decides to kill the old man and hide his body under the house.
Sam Zagame, "Boulevard Dogs", Drama, Melbourne, Australia
Synopsis: A ruthless private detective investigates the brutal murder of a local women.
Sammi Handler and Lauren Kim, "Dear America", Documentary, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: A dialogue has been opened between the U.S. and Cuba. Two U.S. teen journalists traveled to Cuba and asked people on the streets, what would you like Americans to know about you?
Samuel Applebaum, "La Fortuna", Documentary, Wayne, NJ
Synopsis: A video detailing my experience volunteering at the La Fortuna Orphanage in Costa Rica. I discuss the people I met there and how the trip changed my life.
Samuel Eisenhower, "This Isn't a Movie, Private!", Comedy, Mechanicsburg, PA
Synopsis: Two Specials Forces Operators encounter trouble in the Siberian Arctic.
Sandy Schwertfeger "Our Forever Home", Documentary, Colorado Springs, CO
Synopsis: An LDS family is brought together through foster care. Promotes happy endings of foster care and shows incredible family love.
Santiago Benito, Alan Moutal, Christopher Razniak and Kalani Newman "Unplugged", Comedy, San Diego, CA
Synopsis: An anti social brat is forced to make freinds when his mom grounds the most precious thing in his life, his video games.
Sarah Karver, "Departure", Drama, Auburn, CA
Synopsis: After the loss of his longtime girlfriend Maura to suicide, Asher believes he has nobody in his life that can make him truly happy again. His grades are falling, and his motivation to live is slowly fading away when he starts to talk to a girl he sees in the woods. As the days go on, Asher has to make the decision of how he wants to live his life, and who he wants in it.
Sarah Stiles, "Friction", Experimental, Prosper, TX
Synopsis: "Friction" is a spoken word poem about the pressures that go into being a teenager. It focuses on self loving and building the confidence that society tends to tear down.
Sarah Topf, Jessica Roman and Melissa Rabinowitz, "The Perfect Image PSA", PSA, Miami, FL
Synopsis: "The Perfect Image" addresses how images of "perfect and beautiful" women in print media can lower the self-esteem of teenage girls longing to have "perfection", an unrealistic goal.
Sarit Sandler, "Fred", Documentary, Jacksonville, FL
Synopsis: After experiencing an immense amount of antisemitism and hate as a young child, Manfred 'Fred' Hecht escaped Nazi Germany at the age of 11. When he came to America he discovered his love of art and painting. As a successful painter he has had numerous galleries and shows displaying his art. Through this intimate documentary Fred shares the trials and tribulations of his life.
Sasha Sibley, "Water", Drama, Rockville, MD
Synopsis: A man has something missing in his life, something as vital as water...
Scott Partington, "Admission is Priceless", Comedy, Ithaca, NY
Synopsis: Ithaca High School's most notorious hustler has recently given up life on the streets to pursue his most profitable enterprise yet... selling college applications to desperate high school seniors.
Sharon Lee, "Behind the High", Documentary, Springfield, MO
Synopsis: Behind the High investigates the growing knowledge gap between students and administrators regarding high school drug use. Anonymous drug users, recovered users, medical experts, school administrators, law enforcement, and everyday high schoolers share their knowledge on drug use and abuse.
Shuhan Lei, "Never Have I Ever", Comedy, Guizhou, China
Synopsis: Three teenage girls are invited to another girl's house. They play the game called Never Have I Ever, and as game proceeds, they dug out each other's dirty secret. At the peak of the game, however, something horrible happens.
Siddhant Joshi, "Jailbird", Experimental, Delhi, India
Synopsis: Jailbird is an open ended psychological thriller with a deep social message.Showcasing the biggest nightmare of an Indian Student , the film gives an insight into the mind of the main protagonist. The film awakens and sensitises the audience to the malaise that ail the India of today. This film promises to provoke and ask questions as the protagonist is jailed behind the metaphorical bars of hopes and expectations of the people.
Siddhant Joshi, "Varanasi junction", Documentary, Delhi, India
Synopsis: Varansi jn. a film/movie about the lives of people living on the Kashi railway platform portrays the foundations of the values on which the city was established. The film is a package of contradictions, lost hopes and dreams of people living in heinous conditions on this platform and brings forth the lives of the ill-fated girls whose survival lies in the hands of the everyday travelers who visit the city frequently via trains.
Sierra Bardfeld and Ayla Maulding, "Keep the Arts! PSA", PSA, Davie, FL
Synopsis: A PSA advocating to keep the arts in all schools.
Sophia Brusco, "From Fashion to Film: Arthur Elgort", Documentary, Bronxville, NY
Synopsis: Take a look inside the life of world renowned photographer, Arthur Elgort.
Sophia Dienstag, Ryan Finley, Sarah McAllister, "Love and Music", Documentary, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: Cuba is known for its expressive music, but how did the revolution affect musicians’ freedom of speech through their music? Three American teen musicians delve into the matter through interviews with scholars and contemporary Cuban musical artists.
Sophia Gross, Sydne Klein, Shannon Bower, Nikki Knudsen, Anna Deeg and Seamus Malley "Second Best Thing", Experimental, Plymouth Meeting, PA
Synopsis: My short film has a dystopian take on how the internet has allowed the universe to see into peoples lives, regardless of if they are aware. It depicts the dangers of the internet and predators on it. This video shows how much information one can obtain just from a simple picture on the internet, how obsessive the hunt can get, and a simple reminder that big brother is always watching.
Stefano Montalto, "Dead Memories", Horror, San Jose, Costa Rica
Synopsis: Tells about a school teacher who is very depressed of his sister’s death. One month later he decides to take anti-depressive pills. Then he starts to presence the soul of her own sister and the experience of death.
Stella Gutierrez, "Tangles", Documentary, San Francisco, CA
Synopsis: Filmmaker Stella Gutierrez, 15, opens up about her struggle with OCD in this autobiographical short documentary. She shares how she seeks support from others who also suffer from trichotillomania (pulling of the hair) and dermatillomania (picking of the skin), the difficulty of talking about OCD in a society that stigmatizes mental illness, and how she manages her compulsive behaviors in her day-to-day life.
Stephanie Cherng, "The Naked Sister", Drama, Brooklyn, NY
Synopsis: When a teenage girl learns about her sister's rebellious life of drugs and prostitution, she finds herself suddenly living in fear and coping with the disappearance of her sister.
Taeyonna King, "Broken Pieces: Anti-Drug PSA", PSA, Atlanta, GA
Synopsis: Imagine the three main aspects of your life, your future, your family, and your health, all represented as plates. With every pill you take, and smoke you make, a piece of your plate is broken. Even if you somehow manage to glue the pieces back together, it will never be the same way it once was.
Taher Gawad, "Theft", Animation, Windermere, FL
Synopsis: Mark is an average man who just wants to buy his wife a birthday present. The sales clerk is not who he seems he is, which ultimately leads to disaster.
Tariq Harris, "Okay, Bubbie", Animation, Newark, NJ
Synopsis: On January 2nd, 2015, my grandmother and best friend, Mary Thomas, passed away of lupus after having it for 30 years. "Okay, Bubbie" is about her sharing one last conversation with me, telling me why she had to leave while also giving me the confidence to move on.
Tashi Bhutia, "The Invisible Disease", Documentary, Elmhurst, NY
Synopsis: The documentary focuses on the lives of people and their journey living with depression. This film also focuses on the idea of how each person deals with depression differently.
Taylor Benson, "Don't Leave", Music Video, Cleveland, GA
Synopsis: This a true story about Taylor Benson's friend, Matthew Walters who was killed in a car crash. Taylor is a accomplished singing/songwriter. (Rights cleared paper work on file with Warrior TV.)
Taylor Jo Conder, "Resurrection of Lincoln", Drama, South Jordan, UT
Synopsis: In an alternate steampunk universe, just after the attempted assassination of Abraham Lincoln, he is rushed to a Union air ship to be monitored as his barely living body is guarded by two Union soldiers. But, a double agent Confederate soldier secretly contacts Confederate steam powered robot pirates to attempt to abduct the body of the president.
Taylor Stoddard, "Deadbeats", Drama, West Jordan, UT
Synopsis: A petty thief breaks into an apartment only to find a ghost who talks to him about death.
Tejah Robinson, "June 23rd", PSA, Alpharetta, GA
Synopsis: A girl talks about her experience in a car accident due to not acting safely when riding in a car.
Terrence Hunt, "Simple Tasks", PSA, New Haven, CT
Synopsis: The world in which we live is filled with wastefulness. We waste energy, food, and we neglect to recycle. A simple task like recycling needs to be taken in order to move onto bigger things.
Thomas Jones, "Afterlight", Drama, Carmel, CA
Synopsis: A recently deceased man is forced to look back on his life in a strange version of the afterlife.
Thomas Jones, "Making the Grade", Documentary, Carmel, CA
Synopsis: Students and Teachers alike talk about the rigors of the high school system and the stress that it causes.
Thomas Miller, "Barry", Experimental, Boon, NC
Synopsis: Meet Barry.
Tia Mayer, Greg Wolff, Daria Miller, Navin Bose, "Expect Resistance", Documentary, San Diego, CA
Synopsis: A short documentary on the Che Cafe Collective, a student-run music venue on campus of UC San Diego, that was in jeopardy of being shut down by the school chancellor due to the student body's alleged lack of awareness in regard to the venue's practices, goals, and values
Tiana Coles, "Ways of Talking", Experimental, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: A video based on the poem Ways of Talking by Ha Jin.
Tiffany Lin, "Full Circle", Animation, Fremont, CA
Synopsis: Follow the journey of a plastic bag as it travels from San Francisco to the open ocean.
Tiffany Lin, "Spin Cycle", Experimental, Fremont, CA
Synopsis: A portrait of the inside of a laundry machine.
Tiffany Shin, "Tick Tock", Animation, Los Angeles, CA
Synopsis: In a world where balloons represent one's life span, a young introvert boy takes care of his bedridden grandmother every day. That is, until one day her balloon deflates.
TJ Gascho, Andrew Boyles, Skyler Stewart, Kalani Newman, and Akeel Najimudeen, "Just Add Water", Drama, San Diego, CA
Synopsis: A 16 year old being, Jacob, receives the milky way galaxy from his parents for his birthday. They are concerned about his minimal knowledge of responsibility but trust him with the galaxy anyway. He accidentally shatters the galaxy while admiring it and panics, afraid of what his parents will think.
TJ Noel-Sullivan, "Public Citizen", Documentary, Hartford, CT
Synopsis: Focusing on Ralph Nader's work in consumer advocacy in the 60s and 70s, Public Citizen examines how his legacy has been affected by the 2000 presidential election. All filming, editing, and production was done by TJ Noel-Sullivan, including interviews with many consumer advocates and Ralph Nader himself.
Tommy Fletcher, "OUT- A Coming Out Documentary", Documentary, Manasquan, NJ
Synopsis: Two LGBTQ teenagers share their coming out stories and how they felt before, during, and after their experiences in hopes that they will help others thinking of coming out.
Toren Fronsdal, "The Power of Generosity: The Struggle to Overcome Hunger in Silicon Valley", Documentary, Redwood City, CA
Synopsis: This short documentary offers an examination of income inequality, hunger, and homelessness in Silicon Valley. Despite being one of the wealthiest regions of the United States, Silicon Valley is home to one of the most startling and drastic dichotomies between the rich and poor. This film takes a look at what some charitable individuals are doing to keep those who cannot support themselves from going hungry.
Trad Willmann, "The Secret to Living", PSA, New Orleans, LA
Synopsis: Addressing the theme of "the impact of giving back." This film tells the story of a girl who represents giving back through reforestation and a writer who represents giving back to humanity through his novels. Ultimately this story is for the purpose of giving it's viewers perspective on the way they live and how they can add to themselves and to others.
Trevor Chase, "History Speaks", Experimental, Charlottesville, VA
Synopsis: History is arguably the most important thing to help people find who they are, and where they came from. History Speaks talks about how important history is in all of our lives, no matter what race, religion, or country that one is from.
Trey Carlisle, Ned Jacobs, Connor Reese, Cameron Stine, "It Shouldn't Be This Easy", PSA, Los Angeles, CA
Synopsis: A PSA that focuses on the dangers of gun violence in schools.
Tristan Jackson, "Everything Will Be Okay", Drama, Beaverton, OR
Synopsis: A girl suffering from self harm and depression goes through a day in her life with her boyfriend who doesn't always say the right things.
Tristan Jackson, "Funny Guy", Drama, Beaverton, OR
Synopsis: Richard Diamond is a washed-up comedian who feels completely alone. He hasn't had a connection with anyone in years, that is until he meets his adoring fan Lauren a smart and witty comedian who surprisingly at this point in her life is already more famous then her idol Richard.
Tristan Jackson, "Suicide PSA", PSA, Beaverton, OR
Synopsis: Teen suicide is a subject that sometimes just gets pushed away but still affects many people today and I believe we need to remind people how much of an issue this is.
Tyler Knapp, "The Drop", Animation, Snelville, GA
Synopsis: When students break their school laptops they are turned in to get repaired. In The Drop, the mystery of how the computers are brought back to full functionality is discovered
Vitina Povolo, "Surprise, Surprise!", Drama, Los Angeles, CA
Synopsis: When two teenagers try to surprise their friend for their birthday, their willingness to outdo each other blinds them from the dangers they encounter. Now, they must put their disputes aside and work together to find out what to do next.
Vera Abrams, August Hartwell, Jessica Miner, "One Nation Under Mike", Comedy, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: Daniel convinces the charismatic Mike to run for class president when they realize they’ll get In-N-Out for lunch instead of cafeteria slop, but Mike’s incompetence threatens to ruin the whole thing.
Victoria Bongard and Schuyler Mitchell, "Prosperity Candle: MooKho's Story", Documentary, Chatham, VA
Synopsis: This short documentary highlights the inspirational story of a Burmese refugee named MooKho. In the documentary, MooKho describes her chilling experiences in Burma, her transition to life in the United States, and her work with the social enterprise Prosperity Candle. This documentary is a culmination of a year of work for a high school independent study in filmmaking.
Vitina Benson, "Boylimia", PSA, Santa Rosa, CA
Synopsis: Males get eating disorders as well as females. This isn't to silence females but to show awareness to males due to the lack of acknowledgement. All genders should seek help for this illness.
Vivian Lau, "I Spy a Spy", Comedy, Holmdel, NJ
Synopsis: Two girls follow a new student around town to determine the motives behind her suspicious behavior.
Will Martin, "Welcome to my World", Music Video, Wilmington, NC
Synopsis: A music video that is based on racial prejudice that conveys a positive message of hope and strength derived from personal choice. The original music and soundtrack was specifically created for the film in conjunction with the performance of emerging urban poet Trill.
William Sobolik, "The Opening Act", Documentary, Colorado Springs, CO
Synopsis: In the town of Colorado Springs, CO, three working musicians share their views on the local music industry and explain how they personally define success in what they do.
Wynter Rhys, "Little Red", Experimental, North Bend, WA
Synopsis: A dark interpretation of the original Charles Perrault fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood.
Yesenia Rego, "Reaching Zero", Drama, East Providence, RI
Synopsis: A young man who suffers from epileptic seizures opts to undergo a corpus callosotomy brain surgery to prevent further incidents--only to find the anesthesia a conduit to vaguely familiar memories and a woman he inexplicably cannot escape from.
Youna Choi, Griffin Gunn-Myers, Mate Major, "Deep End", Drama, Studio City, CA
Synopsis: High school junior John is about to fail P.E. because of his fear of swimming. When the coach assigns him a swim buddy, John treads into waters that might be over his head.
Zack Hosseini, "When I Grow Up", Drama, Alpharetta, GA
Synopsis: Faced with an unclear vision of his future, a young boy must dive deep into his soul to figure out how exact;y he wants to spend the rest of his life.
Zoe Mills, "Choose One" Horror, Washington, DC
Synopsis: A girl moves into a new dorm after having problems in her old one, only to find that her past psychological troubles have followed her.