Official Selections
Ball For All
Refusing to allow his Cerebral Palsy diagnosis to diminish his competitive nature and desire to play sports, Nick Weiss paved his own path: ultimately inspiring youth to do the same. This is his story.
Hindering Comparison
An author struggles with writers-block as she attempts to write her first novel.
Kisses!
Maia is in town for the summer staying with her aunt. She is just catching up with her posh posse from summers previous when they are rather rudely interrupted! Maia meets Jonah, whose skateboard proves dissatisfactory. Yet, the unlikely pair become inseparable with the help of a secret setup. A sweet love story sealed with a kiss!
Liminal
Jordan is having an average day when he notices a strange figure going after him, he tries his best to run, hide, and fight for his safety.
Into The Garden
This film explores the essence of a garden in late autumn.
RUMORI
a conversation between an elder and a youth about the meaning of creating
North Passage
A dogs journey North.
Two Men, One Job
Two simpletons are hired as hit men. Only, they pick the wrong victim.
The Clock Continues to Tick
A short film about the stress caused by having missing assignments pile up.
Hear Me Now
"Hear Me Now" is an experimental film that contrasts past trauma and triumph over it using nostalgic horror elements along with modern imagery.
Distress
Distress is a science-fiction horror short-film set in Antarctica when a preservation vault engineer, Benjamin Reschler, investigates a vault after receiving a distress call. Benjamin soon realizes the reality-bending truth about the vault and its secrets.
Abandoned
The film takes you around an abandoned property in the middle of Grand Rapids, MN. It shows the personality of all aspects of the space.
the lovely mundane
Life often feels dark, dull, and even suffocating. Sometimes as humans, it feels like there are hardly ever those bright and exciting moments we so often crave. But what if there are? What if there is beauty in the mundane? Created by Violet Benson, the lovely mundane depicts experiences of embracing the mundanities in life in a poetry-film style.
Dream Haven
Dani’s life is falling apart due to constant stress in school and dealing with the complicated relationship with her sister. The only thing keeping her together is her dreams. She dances to a familiar tune with a mysterious being that keeps her in check till her last breaking point.
Water, Star Medicine
A teacher and her students study the nature, science, and brilliance of water. They visit the Rio Grande in New Mexico and interview Veda Austin, a New Zealand Māori scientist to learn that water is life, memory, and healing.
Envisioning Space
Envisioning Space is a personal narrative short film about the ways I think about the built environment. The piece shows my creative process of turning ideas into tangible objects.
5x5
doing math homework
Alone, Alone
A young girl is losing herself and her identity. She needs to get plugged in to find her true self.
Self Love
Coming home to her apartment one afternoon, Josie finds a box of her items at her doorstep. She realizes it is from her now ex-boyfriend, Sean, announcing their breakup. She goes to her friends for guidance, struggles seeing another couple, and ultimately goes through the box of items. Reclaiming her identity, Josie is able to find the love she has been looking for within herself.
SLOWBURN
SLOWBURN follows the story of Luke overcoming his fear of asking his crush Alice out to prom while being caught in a time loop of rejection where he must find his genuine self in order to escape.
Here
A person seeks shelter from a terrifying monster in a school but what they find inside is much worse.
Prospect Park
A short documentary showing Prospect Park in the wintertime.
Oak Grove
A calm and simple essence of place film. Get to know a beloved park/playground in the fall with beautiful colors and sounds.
Invasion
Aliens are sent to earth to exterminate humans.
Я. Мої одинадцять. Війна. (Me. My eleven years. War.)
Me. My eleven years. War.The film "I am. My eleven years. War" is the debut film of a young director (11 y), actress, swimmer and dancer from Ukraine, Marusya Shuvalova. The short film shows an ordinary day of a ukrainian girl during the war with the Russian occupiers. Her life is filled with fear, air raids and a great desire to learn, train, develop, and most importantly, stay alive. Ukrainian children now live one day and constantly think about whether the Russian invaders will destroy their houses with rockets or not? Will they have time for training or will they again need to sit in a shelter or a bomb shelter? When will they be able to return to their normal peaceful life?
11: Jacob's Legacy
Patty and Jerry Wetterling share their insights into the legacy of their son, Jacob, and healing from the loss
Vengeance
Violence triggers more violence.
Don't be a bully
A student gets teased for having a bad test score
SHADOWPLAY
A man gets ink on his hands, he attempts to wash it off
Friday Night
While deciding what to do for the night, two friends end up discussing their contrasting levels of anxiety around getting in trouble.
The Danger is Still Present
The Danger is Still Present is still in development. It takes place in a megastructure of a lab, its empty all except for Cori, and the apparition of their brother. This is a lab from millions of years ago, and whatever it was, was lost to history, no written language used in the lab is still understood. So whatever warnings they may have left, Cori would be ignorant to the hell that lives in the depths.
Kitty Pot Pie
Mrs. Johnson is making a chicken pot pie for her husband Mr. Johnson, until she realized she ran out of chicken.
Sweetness
This personal video essay discusses my interest in baking. I chose to make a film about this topic because it’s something not many people know about me. Baking reminds me of my mother, she was the one who taught me how to bake. I wanted to include my family in the final scene. The hands that reach for the cookies are of my godmother, my mother, and my father. This is a practice that makes me closer to my family and friends through sharing. Through the process of baking, I have discovered a sense of peace.
Essence
A man stumbles across a tree.
One Kind Thing
Connor notices Ava having a bad day and tries to make her laugh. The nice gesture is quickly returned.
FULL CIRCLE
"Full Circle - The Short Film" depicts the cycle of drug addiction & abuse. Elements of generational trauma are also touched on. The story follows Michael from the beginning to the end of the day.
To The Moon: The Documentary
To The Moon: The Documentary is a 2023 documentary created by Devan Sakaria following Asian high school student, Gavin Yang, as he embarks on the journey of creating his debut rap album. Through passion and determination, Gavin breaks stereotypes, builds new relationships, and finds himself as an artist. The film serves to light the flame of passion within everyone and inspire people to follow their dreams.
Photosynthefish
Animation consisting of a windy day and a leaf falling into the water and turning into a fish.
Jalopy
A girl tries to live in an absurd world. People these days, am I right?
Mind over Machine
When an evil computer kidnaps Sarah, she has to answer riddles to survive and escape its torment
The Mistake
A high school swimmer makes a grave mistake and forgets his suit.
Lake
A woman goes down to a lake and reminisces on her past
stART: A Do Rad Things Documentary
A Champlin High School Vidoe Program Production
Somebody's Gotta Take Him!
In this film, a tired businessman attempts to sell a creepy rabbit sculpture, with a shocking twist.
A Good Day?
A Good Day? follows the story of a man with crippling anxiety which takes the form of a monster. Watch as the monster slowly tears the man’s life apart and the man struggles to find a sense of hope again.
TVC-15: The Return of Major Tom
David Bowie's 1969 song "Space Oddity" that left Major Tom lost in space is revisited as the students of the Downriver Detroit Student Film Consortium bring Major Tom after 54 years in this original music video written & produced by the students of the DDSFC.
Como una Mosca en Leche (Like a Fly in Milk)
A person finds themselves trapped in conformity with a yearn to break out when they are all of a sudden confronted by a fly from the outside.
Crowstick
A stickman that transforms into a crow with ink
Pino's Fresh
This short documentary explores the personality and essence of Pino’s Pizzeria, a Multi Generational Pizzeria located in Downtown Saint Paul
SKIMMERS
A man receives a distressful phone call early in the morning.
There's No Winning
A short film following a highschool dancer who is stuggling with the stress of learning a new dance while juggling school work. The film follows the dancer going through a rough day.
The Lure
it is about me comin home and seeing that my fishing rod needs a new lure on it so I do what it asks and put a new lure on it.
Katsumi
A documentary about how one woman used her art as a escape from her fighting cancer.
Show the Stage
Our lonely main character is wandering the halls of his highschool when he finds a poster advertising a dance competition. He goes to his friend and together they choreograph their preformance.
Lorn's Conversation
A forlorn man listens to a pitch.
Define Me
Harju questions what truly defines an individual and lists what he already knows about himself.
Building
This was an assignment for one of my animation classes. The prompt was "building", and I chose the idea of building a family, specifically a found one, and how stranger can grow close and show kindness to others even in the darkest of times.
DOG
A thank you letter, from all the dogs in our lives.
Adam Sandler Interview Simulator
This film takes you through an interview with adam sandler, via nostalgic video game esque visuals.
Zoe Hill
Zoe Hill tells the story of her beloved career through passion and experience.
Scallywags & Skeletons
A band of pirates discover a little more than just treasure.
Process
A lone man is violently pursued by strange and malevolent forces.
Explaining Girlhood
A visual poem/ music video about the idling feelings of girlhood.
Roots
A film about appreciating myself and my family, and the journeys we've been through.
The Night I Swam With the Stars
This short film tells tells the story of a magical night of swimming in a lake at night under the star- filled sky.
The Lacquer Cowboy
A Parisian hitchhiker experiences the mysticism of the American Southwest.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
I used the poem "I Wandered lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth and turned it into visual story about friendship.
Backyard Dogs
A short animation on the simple joy of playtime outside for a few dogs.
Still Life
Laurence Gingerich draws a still life of an animal skull.
Miss Carnaval Miami 2023
Daylin Rodriguez explains the progress of winning Miss Carnaval Miami
Snow
A "Single Shot" 1 minute short film about a kid who is melencholically watching snow. As he watches the snow, we listen to a static filled tv broadcast about the declining state of the world. In a match cut + dolly zoom we reveal that the kid was in virtual reality the whole time and is actually living in his basement taking shelter, not enjoying the beautiful, Minnesotan, snow.
Intimacy with the Elephant
Two friends attempt to write a screenplay.
Woodvale
a day in the life of a nature preserve
The Race
An age-old rivalry between two street racers.
The Interview
A job candidate is on their way to an interview when they must prove their tenacity in a test that turns out to be the interview itself.
A New Stain
An old man's morning routine is disrupted by a particularly stubborn stain on his countertop.
The Shot
This film follows a photographer through the process of creating an image.
The Girl Next Door
I wrote this film to help other teenagers who are struggling with their self confidence and sexual identity.
Cornfield
Walking in a cornfield at night while a monster is lurking.
Shambles
A teenager named Maisy is suffering from depression, but as it worsens, we see it as the trash in her room, growing larger and larger the more she suffers.
Moving up the Wall
A documentary that explores the body movements, feelings, and pure joy of rock climbing.
The Miscalculation of one stairwell
A student gets more than what they bargained for when they ascend a stairwell.
Shells Above Us
A Man returns home from prison, his enthusiasm begins to fade the second he arrives.
"A WALTZ FOR A NIGHT"
Camille is a struggling dancer trying to find an audience for her work.
Graveyard
Two friends have cake in the grave yard. A short pixel animation.
Rush
A teen tries his best to get to work on time while dealing with a series of unfortunate events.
Sunrise
Sunrise is a classic love story following the lives of two young Ventura locals, and is shot to coincide with the song “Sunrise” by Cliffs + Caves. It is made entirely by young filmmaker Savannah Rayne, featuring her and her boyfriend as the main characters in the song.