In a Bronx juvenile prison, a 16-year old boy faced with losing custody of his child must discover what it takes to be a father through the raising of a chicken.

Impact // Filmmaker’s Voice

84% of children in juvenile detention will be re-incarcerated within 5 years. Much of this is due to residents not believing they can reconcile their past – and not receiving the proper reintegration support they need. Our team hopes that audiences realize CHICKEN isn’t just a film – it’s the real lives of children in our backyards.

Our team remains committed to working alongside impacted BIPOC prison communities and recently-paroled children in the Bronx/Brooklyn through local city partners Sprout by Design, C3.NYC Juvenile Justice, and the NYC Administration for Children’s Services. We seek to mobilize volunteers for programs inside the detention centers, move audiences to donate to rehabilitation programs, and support mentorship and early-career programs for children exiting prisons/close-to-home facilities.

To learn more and to get involved, please visit www.chickenshortfilm.com – Josh Leong

Based on “Native Guard” by Pulitzer Prize Winner Natasha Trethewey, Another Country tells the story of an interracial couple raising their mixed race child in the racially polarizing times of 1956 Mississippi.

Impact // Filmmaker’s Voice

Another Country was conceived prior to the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. It was an idea that was born out of the on-going assault on African-Americans before most people took to the streets to march in favor of black lives. This is a modern tale of America. It’s dark racial history. It’s many flaws as a democracy. This is a film that begs the question, “when will things change?” “Or have things changed at all?” Anti-miscegenation laws may be a thing of the past, but the race issue in America has become the socials ills that is prevalent in today’s society. This film is not meant to preach or suppose to serve as a mouthpiece to tackle racism in America. Our aim is for it to be felt and to a degree… get under your skin. This is a film seen through the observational lens of a black filmmaker, who is connecting the past to the present. – Sherif Alabede

When Gramma gets sick, 7-year old Roan must learn to survive on her own in a world without drinkable water.

Impact // Filmmaker’s Voice

As a working-class, native Nebraskan who grew up with farmers as parents, I have seen and experienced the importance of our environment and the responsibility we have to care for it. However, I also have seen a blatant disregard for the damage we cause as the effects of climate change become deadlier and more tangible. In March, 2019, historic flooding hit Nebraska, forcing entire cities to evacuate, sweeping away millions of animals and even taking the lives of several Nebraskans. After seeing the impact these floods had on my home and family, I decided to tell a story that explores what could happen not only to our beautiful environment, but to the people who are fighting for it and who have minimal economical means of surviving in a world damaged by climate change.

“Ain’t No Mercy for Rabbits” is about 7-year-old Roan and Gramma who are fighting to survive in a nearly waterless world. Because of the timely, culturally significant story and the outstanding team that worked on the film, we strongly believe in “Ain’t No Mercy for Rabbits” and its ability to have a lasting impact on its audience. – Aliza Brugger

Precedes Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times

Inspired by a true story. Isolated in an assisted living facility with only her caretaker, a grandmother battles her loneliness and fading memory as she searches for human connection through a series of family Zoom calls.

OPENING NIGHT FILM and RECEPTION

The latest film from Academy Award Winning auteur, Wes Anderson. A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in “The French Dispatch.”

Preceded by short film, Are You Okay?

When a recently widowed mother becomes homeless, she convinces her 8-year-old daughter that they are only camping for fun while she tries to get them off of the streets.

Precedes I’M FINE (THANKS FOR ASKING)

This bystander story is told through the perspective of a 15-year old girl, Raquelle, who witnesses her classmate Noah being bullied. When doing the right thing transforms Raquelle from bystander to victim, she finds herself trapped in the same emotional quicksand of her peers. At an age when social acceptance weighs heavy and the stress of social media follows you home, Raquelle and Noah learn that no one can make it through alone. “Are You Okay?” explores the impact that reaching out can have on someone in crisis.

Marianne’s Onion is a true story from the pandemic based on an interview with 86-year-old Marianne Ross, who miraculously found an onion, when she was in need of one, while hiking through the woods behind her house. The film follows her journey from first discovery, to the reactions of her community, to her hilarious and poignant musings on the meaning of unexpectedly receiving a seemingly mundane gift.

A fisherman and young mother have a chance encounter when their lines become tangled. But in this story of a mother’s desperate love, there’s more beneath the surface.

In this playful comedy, three kids worry that their beloved school bus driver will be lonely this summer without them. They set out to find her a partner and imagine the perfect matches.