Click image to play trailer and videos
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Films
June 14 – 15 – 16 & 22 – 23
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EXCLUSIVE CINCINNATI SCREENING
The Garfield Theatre, 719 Race St.
You will not see this program anywhere
else in the Tri-State area !!
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Jury Award Winners and Nominees
with audience discussion after each screening
Our tenth annual presentation of the Sundance Short Film Program is a 110-minute compilation of seven Jury Award Nominees and Winners from this year’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah. The thought provoking slate is a mix of fiction, comedy, documentary, and animation telling stories that are funny, poignant, inspirational, and full of interesting characters we can relate to.
Schedule Snapshot
| Fri 6/14 7:00 | Sat 6/15 4:00 | Sat 6/15 7:00 | Sun 6/16 4:00 | Sun 6/16 7:00 |
| Sat 6/22 4:00 | Sat 6/22 7:00 | Sun 6/23 4:00 | Sun 6/23 7:00 |
The Sundance program repeats Fri-Sat-Sun over two weekends, offering flexibility for busy patrons. Discount dinner options and ample parking enhance convenience.
With Tim in and out of the hospital, CWC is fortunate to have seasoned volunteers leading the introductions and post-film discussions. Here’s a special shout out to Margaret – our rock – keeping CWC together while wrangling tech and FOH.
On the Festival side, curated by expert Sundance short film programmers, this year’s filmmakers represent a cross-section of our world, including five women and three men with racial and ethnic diversity — mixing British, Nigerian, Spanish, Japanese, and Filipino American perspectives.
BY THE NUMBERS: Cementing its status as the premier short film showcase, a record-setting 12,098 shorts were submitted to Sundance 2024, with only 53 chosen for the festival. From that slate, festival programmers selected the seven short films they felt best worked together as a cohesive package. VOILA, ENJOY!!
WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW MUCH ... DRINKS & DINING
“THE 2024 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL SHORTS TOUR.” A 110-minute program with seven short films selected by Sundance senior curators. * Most people find the post-film discussion worthwhile — budget two-and-a-half hours for the complete experience.
WHERE:
☀ THE GARFIELD THEATRE, 719 Race St., Cincinnati, OH 45202.
WHEN:
| Fri 6/14 7:00 | Sat 6/15 4:00 | Sat 6/15 7:00 | Sun 6/16 4:00 | Sun 6/16 7:00 |
| Sat 6/22 4:00 | Sat 6/22 7:00 | Sun 6/23 4:00 | Sun 6/23 7:00 |
TICKETS:
Adult Tickets are $12.00 in advance, $16.00 at the door. Tickets are available online via the Tix Button, and by phone at (859) 957-3456.
ADA ACCESS & SAFETY PROTOCOLS:
The Garfield is ADA accessible. ADA details and Covid-19 safety information can be found on the CWC Policies Page.
TERMS OF PURCHASE:
Outside food and drink is not allowed in the theatre.
Purchase of a ticket confirms acceptance by the purchaser that the presenter/host and their staff will not be liable for any loss, damage, action, claim, cost or expenses which may arise in the consequence of attendance at this event.
Purchaser declares that they will not attend unless in good health on the day of the event. Further, purchaser understands it is impossible to guarantee that they will not be exposed to Covid-19 and will attend at their own risk.
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DRINKS & DINING:
CWC patrons receive a 15% discount on their order, excluding alcohol; menu is on the website. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially if you are dining between weekend sessions. You should present your online confirmation or ticket from the event, and let your server know if there are time constraints. The discount is valid only for the date of ticket.
HOURS: MON-TUE, closed; WED-THS, 4-10 pm; FRI-SAT, 4-12 am; SUN, 4-10 pm. The kitchen closes one hour before the restaurant, every night. Hours and menu subject to change – check the website before booking. RESERVATIONS: 513-954-8974 or thebutcherbarrel.com.
FILMMAKERS & PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
From a diverse and talented group of filmmakers with international roots, the Sundance stories are unique — as are the ways they are told — there is something to behold in every short film.~~~~~
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
Here are some things that make this year’s program particularly enjoyable:
- Winner of the Jury Award for Animation, Bug Diner by Phobe Jane Hart may well be the funniest film we’ve seen in over twenty years of working with shorts.
- Alison Rich returns to Sundance with another live-action comedy, Pathological, about what happens when outrageous lies become true.
- Winner of the Special Jury Award for International Directing, Japanese filmmaker Nagahisa Makoto’s romantic comedy Pisko the Crab Child is in Love is about looking for love – not so easy when you are half Crustacean.
- For decades in Southeast England the phrase Essex Girls referred to privileged white women. British-Nigerian screen writer Busayo Ige turned this cultural stereotype upside down with her story about identity, race and the power of female friendships as it explores the ups and downs of teenage life.
- Winner of the Short Film Grand Jury Award, The Masterpiece by Spanish filmmaker Alex Lora-Cercos leverages misdirection and increasing tension to instill a sense of danger – creating a taut, mysterious ending inviting to viewer interpretation.
- Alex Hedison’s documentary ALOK helps us better understand Alok Vaid-Menon, the internationally acclaimed, non-binary, author, poet, comedian, and public speaker.
- With brilliant pacing, Dream Creep by Filipino American director Carlos Lopez transports laugh-out-loud suspense into a powerful, scary ending.
FILM DESCRIPTIONS:
ESSEX GIRLS
Essex Girls | UK | 2023 | 15 min | Directed by Yero Timi-Biu, written by Busayo Ige | Live-Action Drama
Nominee, 2024 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award, Best Short Film
Winner, 2024 Seattle Film Festival, Short Film Competition Award, Narrative
Nominee, 2024 BAFTA Awards, Best British Short Film
Nominee, 2023 BFI London Film Festival, Best Short Film
Based on writer/lead actress Busayo Ige’s real-life experiences growing up in the coastal regions of Essex (South East England), ESSEX GIRLS explores how it feels to be a Black girl in a mostly white regional space, how to find self-love in a sphere that doesn’t always accommodate you, and the magical power of female friendships.
Navigating adolescence in Benfleet, Essex hasn’t been straightforward for British-Nigerian Bisola. She doesn’t look like anyone else, she struggles with local dating and faces daily microaggressions. She’s tried her best to fit in, but even her two closest friends, Charlie and Saffron, who adore her, seem to understand her less with each passing day.
Things change after a high school incident brings her into the orbit of Ashlee, the only other Black girl in her year. Ashlee embodies everything Bisola wishes she could be, and their newfound friendship propels Bisola on a journey of self-discovery. Can Ashlee unlock the sisterhood Bisola craves, or will she push her best friends away?
About identity, race and the power of female friendships, ESSEX GIRLS explores the ups and downs of teenage life, from navigating friendships and social awkwardness to tackling the complexities of race, culture, and school life—all with humor and warmth.
Sundance Meet the Artist, video with Yero Timi-Biu – 2 minutes.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
YERO TIMI-BIU is a multiple award-winning writer-director for TV and film with projects for HBO, BBC, Channel 4, BFI, and Audible. Yero directed the second block of Sir Lenny Henry’s new ITV drama, THREE LITTLE BIRDS after learning the ropes as showrunner’s shadow and 2nd unit director on the BBC One/Amazon psychological thriller CHLOE. Yero has also been a staff writer on original shows for Sky One and Netflix.
Her short films as writer-director 0.5%, SIGNS, and BENEATH THE SURFACE, and as director ESSEX GIRLS have played at international festivals in competition such as BFI London Film Festival, Encounters, Aesthetica, and Hamptons International Film Festival. Yero was one of Edinburgh TV Festival’s prestigious ‘Ones to Watch’ for 2020/2021.
ABOUT THE WRITER / LEAD ACTRESS
Busayo Ige is a British actress and writer of Nigerian heritage based in Essex. She graduated from Birmingham City University with a degree in English and Drama, and trained at the Identity School of Acting.
Her experience on screen includes two Screen Nation Award nominated series, and she won ‘Favourite Actress’ for the web series SUFFERING in 2020. Busayo has also featured as the lead in multiple short films and her recent stage credits include playing Jasmine in the sold out play ‘Wright Brothers’ at the Albany Theatre in Deptford, and ‘That Face’ at Oxford House. Based on her real life adolescence, ESSEX GIRLS is Busayo’s screenwriting debut.
BUG DINER
Bug Diner| USA | 2023 | 7.5 min | written, directed and animated by Phoebe Jane Hart | Animated Comedy
Winner, 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Jury Award for Animation
Winner, 2024 SXSW Special Jury Award for Animation
Winner, Audience Award Midnight Shorts, Florida Film Festival
Winner, Sonoma International Film Festival, Best Animated Short
Winner, Arizona International Film Festival, Best Animated Short
A dissatisfied marriage, a secret crush, and workplace fantasies come to a head in a diner run by a mole with a hot buns.
Bug Diner serves up a feast of hidden desires and tantalizing temptations. As tensions rise and libidos reach their boiling point, the restaurant becomes a hotbed of passion. A Mole chef with suppressed desires and a Fly waitress buzzing around, serving a curious clientele of insects and animals. Mayhem follows when these creatures yield to their amorous impulses!
DIRECTOR BIO Phoebe is an artist and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Working primarily in stop-motion animation, her films focus on the human psyche using dark humor and surreal imagery. Her short Bug Diner won the Short Film Jury award for Animation at Sundance 2024 and the Special Jury Award for animation at SXSW 2024. Her previous short JamieSonShine screened at Slamdance and won the Director’s Choice award at the Thomas Edison Film Festival. She graduated in 2023 with an MFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts and continues to work on her own films and commercial work. She takes puppets very, very seriously…
MEET THE DIRECTOR (Sundance video, 1:50) 
ANIMATION MAGAZINE —
Director Phoebe Jane Hart talks about Bug Diner
THE MASTERPIECE
La Gran Obra (The Masterpiece) | Spain | 2024 | 20 min | directed by
Alex Lora-Cercos | In Spanish with English subtitles | Live-Action Drama
Winner, 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Grand Jury Prize
Leo and Diana, a wealthy couple, meet Salif and Yousef, two scrap dealers, at a recycling center. Offering them more junk, Diana invites them to their mansion, but the immigrants actually might be the ones with something she wants.
As tension masterfully builds throughout the film, we get the sense of pending conflict and that something bad will happen. We’re left with a central question: “What is the masterpiece here? The painting, the interplay between characters, the entire short film, something else?”
In his Director’s Statement Alex Lora-Cercos suggests something more pervasive at work — the system and class distinctions — all playing with lives on a black and white chess board.
DIRECTOR BIO: Alex Lora-Cercos is a Spanish filmmaker currently based in New York City. He earned his MFA in Media Arts Production at City College of New York as a Fulbright scholar, under the mentorship of the late Chantal Akerman. Alex’s films, characterized by intricate narratives focusing on the human condition, have garnered over 100 awards and have been selected at renowned international film festivals, including three appearances at the Sundance Film Festival with the short films “The Masterpiece” in 2024, “Godka Cirka” in 2014, “Odysseus’ Gambit” in 2012.
His initial feature documentary, “Thy Father’s Chair,” co-directed with Antonio Tibaldi, premiered at IDFA in Amsterdam and had theatrical releases in New York, Los Angeles, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, and Milan in October 2017. The New York Times recognized the film as a Critic’s Pick.
His second feature documentary, “El Cuarto Reino” (2019), received support from the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund and the International Documentary Association’s Pare Lorentz Grant. The film earned various accolades, including a Special Jury Mention at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, The Van Gogh Award at the Amsterdam International Film Festival, The Jury Prize for Best National Documentary at Documenta Madrid (Oscars qualifying), The Silver Horn, and the Critic’s prize at Krakow Film Festival, and the Best Documentary Award at the Atlanta Film Festival.
He is an 8-time New York Emmys® nominee, winning twice for the short documentary “Sure We Can” in 2018 and the magazine program “Nueva York” in 2014. Alex has been a finalist for the Oscars®-Student Academy Awards with his short film “Us” in 2012, a Spanish Goyas® Academy Awards nominee for his short film “The Fourth Kingdom” in 2018, and a winner of a Gaudi® Catalan Academy Award in 2014 for his short film “Godka Cirka.”
The New York Times quoted: “Alex Lora does much with little, and one is likely to finish with more questions than resolutions.” Alex has taught film at several universities, Blanquerna, Elisava, Universitat de Barcelona, and City College of New York.
ALOK
ALOK | USA | 2024 | 19 min | Director Alex Hedison, Executive Producer Jodie Foster | Documentary
Nominee, 2024 Sundance Short Film Grand Jury Prize – Best Short Documentary
Filmmaker Alex Hedison delivers a compelling portrait of Alok Vaid-Menon, the internationally acclaimed, non-binary, author, poet, comedian, and public speaker.
This thought-provoking short documentary explores the limitless expression of self, challenges societal norms, and inspires viewers to embrace personal freedom beyond the binaries that divide us.
Alok’s work explores themes of trauma, belonging, and the human condition. They are the author of Femme in Public (2017), Beyond the Gender Binary (2020), and Your Wound/My Garden (2021) and the creator of #DeGenderFashion: an initiative to degender fashion and beauty industries.
In recognition of their work, they have been honored as the inaugural LGBTQ Scholar in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania, awarded a GLAAD Media Award and Stonewall Foundation Visionary Award & recently was included in the honorees for “Advocate of the Year” by The Advocate in 2023.
Over the past decade, they have toured in more than 40 countries, most recently selling out their runs at the Soho Theatre in London, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Kennedy Performing Arts Center and the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.
Producer Jodie Foster and director Alex Hedison are joined by Alok Vaid-Menon at Sundance to discuss their short film, “Alok” – 10 minutes.
How Short Film ‘ALOK’ Captures the Spirit of Queer Identity -written interview.
DIRECTOR BIO
Alex Hedison is an internationally acclaimed photographer, artist, and actor. Born in Los Angeles, CA, Hedison’s photographic work has been exhibited in galleries across Europe, the US, and is in collections worldwide including the Grunwald Collection at the Hammer Museum.
Most recent art fairs include Frieze Seoul, Paris Photo, and Photo London. Her acting career spans numerous television roles, including a pivotal character in the cultural phenomenon The L Word. She has been featured in countless publications including The New Yorker and Art Forum.
A critical voice in both the artistic and LGBTQ+ community, Hedison has directed a handful of short films, with ALOK being the first film she will screen publicly. Hedison currently lives in Los Angeles with her wife, Oscar-winning actor/director Jodie Foster, and their dog Ziggy.
DREAM CREEP
Dream Creep | USA | 2024 | 13 min | Written and directed by Carlos A.F. Lopez | Live-Action Suspense
Nominee, 2024 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award, Best Short Film
Nominee, 2024 SXSW Grand Jury Award, Midnight Short
A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely source. David wakes up after hearing voices coming from the ear of his girlfriend, Suzy. Her voice tells him that he needs to save her using drastic measures.
Thanks to director Carlos A.F. Lopez’s clever concept and fresh approach, the 13-minute film is a slow burn, developing fear, anxiety and desperation as the pace relentlessly quickens in the final frames.
Sundance Meet the Artist, video with Carlos A.F. Lopez – 2 minutes.
Carlos A.F. Lopez is a multi-faceted filmmaker with over a decade of experience in all stages of production: directing, producing, editing, shooting and writing. His short film Ghosting the Party premiered at the 2017 Nashville Film Festival and won a Special Jury Prize. He produced The Procedure, winner of the Special Jury Prize for Best Short Fiction: U.S. at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and Harbor Island, winner of a Special Jury Award in the Independent Pilot Competition at SXSW 2023.
He has insidiously established himself as a dynamic filmmaker through a robust collection of evocative, award-winning shorts films and music videos. Transitioning from musician to filmmaker in the Seattle underground/DIY scene, he got his primer creating visually arresting videos for fellow artists; establishing a subversive, comedic and undeniably cinematic style.
A first-generation Washingtonian born to a Filipino mother and Mexican father, their cultural influence is imbued throughout his work in nuanced ways that subvert what it means to be an artist of color in the independent film community. https://www.carloslopezproductions.com/
PATHOLOGICAL
pathological | USA | 2024 |15 min | written and directed by Alison Rich | Live-Action Comedy
Nominee, 2024 Sundance Short Film Jury Award – Best US Comedy
Juliet Montgomery is a pathological liar. She lies about everything from having an astronaut neurosurgeon boyfriend to speaking Dutch to being Ariana Grande’s perfume muse. And as obnoxious and outlandish as her lies can be, it’s clear they come from a deep desire for friendship and connection.
So when she gets trashed one lonely night and barfs into a wishing fountain, she is thrilled to wake up the next day and discover her lies have become true. Suddenly she gets to live life as the person she’s always wished she could be, only to realize it’s not the key to connection she thought it would be.
Sundance Meet the Artist, video with Alison Rich – 2 minutes.
Short Trailer, pathological, – 1 minute.
DIRECTOR BIO
Alison Rich is a writer, director, and actor working in comedy. Her new narrative short PATHOLOGICAL (written, directed, & starring Alison) just premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Her previous narrative short TRAINING WHEELS (written, directed, & starring) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022. And her short before that, THE OTHER MORGAN (written, directed, & starring) premiered at SXSW in 2021.
Alison currently has a feature in development with Becky Sloviter (Palm Springs, Pen15). She was selected to participate in the Sony Television Diverse Directors Program and is currently a semi-finalist in the NBC Female Forward Directing program. Alison has directed for the PGA Awards, Roku, and multiple viral videos for CollegeHumor.
As an actor, Alison recurs on Max’s The Other Two. Previous credits include The Goldbergs, Drunk History, The Lonely Island’s Popstar, 2 Broke Girls, Life in Pieces, Angie Tribeca, and more. She was a series regular on the Fox sketch show Party Over Here produced by The Lonely Island and Hulu’s Resident Advisors produced by Elizabeth Banks. Alison appeared as a New Face at the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival.
As a writer, Alison has staffed on Saturday Night Live, The Goldbergs, Billy on the Street, The MTV Movie Awards, and various comedy specials. She’s also sold and developed shows for Comedy Central and TBS.
PISKO THE CRAB CHILD IS IN LOVE
蟹から生まれたピスコの恋 – Kani kara umareta Pisuko no koi (Pisko the Crab Child is in Love) | Japan | 2023 | 18 min | written and directed by Nagahisa Makoto | In Japanese with English subtitles | Live-Action Romance/Comedy
Winner, 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Short Film Special Jury Award – International Directing
Nominee, 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Short Film Grand Jury Prize – Best Short Film
Pisko’s father is a crab while her mother is human. She falls in love with her teacher but is heartbroken when he leaves her because she is half-crab. Pisko finally finds love and companionship with her friend Kubokayo.
Sundance Meet the Artist, video with Nagahisa Makoto – 2 minutes.
DIRECTOR BIO
Born in 1984 in Tokyo, Nagahisa Makoto became a film director after working in advertising. In 2017, he wrote and directed the short film And so we put goldfish in the pool, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival. His feature film, We Are Little Zombies was part of the official selection for Berlinale and other international film festivals.
Other notable projects include a music video for Joy Division’s “Insight” and a 2022 Gucci commercial. Upcoming projects include directing a TV series produced by A24. Makoto has a thorough knowledge of the newest and most diverse techniques in video, starting with anime and CGI. His films are often praised as being “emosh”, while his ability to depict the feelings of young people is one of his trademark strengths.
