Post-Screening Q&A moderated by Crickett Rumley, Senior Director, Film Festival Department, New York Film Academy
The 11th edition of the Glendale International Film Festival begins here! Celebrate the kick-off of GIFF 2025 with fellow filmmakers and a mix of new and returning faces at our Opening Night Party – guest starring the sweeping city views from The Glenmark Hotel’s MYA Rooftop.
Each ticket includes hors d’oeuvres and 1 beer/wine ticket (soda and water are complimentary). A no-host bar is available to purchase additional beverages.
Convenient parking is available at the hotel’s valet stand and on surrounding streets.
Post-Screening Q&A moderated by Crickett Rumley, Senior Director, Film Festival Department, New York Film Academy
Scary Marian, the Scariest Librarian
Student / Glendale Community College / Short / Horror / Thriller / US / 6 minutes
Two students make too much noise in the library, and pay the price…
Director: Brian Thomas Fagan
Producer: John C. McKay
Writer: Brian Thomas Fagan
Cast: Robby Dewey, Alex Hall, Damian Neto, William Sibley, John Fagan
World Premiere / Student / Los Angeles City College / Short / Horror/Thriller / US / 5 minutes
The girl finds a horror book titled The Diary of Nightmares. As she starts reading the book, she finds herself in a world of terrifying stories, where a horrifying creature chases her, intent on killing her. To save herself and return to the human world, she must share her nightmare with the book.
Director: Elizaveta Manina
Producer: Elizaveta Manina
Executive Producer: Ekaterina Melnikova
Writer: Elizaveta Manina
Cast: Ekaterina Melnikova
World Premiere / Student / Elon University / Short / Thriller / US / 15 minutes
A detective pair hunts down a murderer targeting criminals, but the truth is not what they expected.
Director: Griffin Powell
Producer: Griffin Powell, Ben Ohlmeyer, Ariel Turobiner
Writer: Griffin Powell
Cast: Mason Seel, Isabella Shaffer, Nick Brillo, Ben Ohlmeyer, Meghan Carroll, Griffin Powell
Student / Cal State University Northridge / Short / Drama / US / 15 minutes
When a young woman prepares to move away from her hometown and her sister, the trauma that she thought was in her past finds its way into her present. She knows she can claim her independence, but she doesn’t understand that battles are fought better when we have allies at our side.
Director: Abigail Salmon
Producer: Celeste Bird, Yuliia Zolina, Abigail Salmon
Writer: Abigail Salmon
Cast: Allison Landis, Abigail R. Blythe, Skylar Grace, Charlie Belle Parsells, Amy S. Johnson, Eric E. Johnston
Student / Ashton International College Ballot / Short / Experimental / South Africa / 5 minutes
In a pristine loop of survival, what measures must we take to express our freedom?
Director: Diag Mikelan Govender
Producer: Diag Mikelan Govender
Writer: Diag Mikelan Govender
Cast: Mlungisi Mlambo
Student / New York Film Academy / Short / Thriller / US / 15 minutes
In a seemingly idyllic suburban neighborhood where 1950s-inspired AI maids maintain perfect homes, one diligent maid gains sentience and embarks on a dangerous quest for truth.
Director: Michelle Künzler
Producer: Michelle Künzler, Rui Dong
Writer: Michelle Künzler
Cast: Elsha Kim, Amber Koval
Post-Screening Q&A moderated by Milena Ataian, Filmmaker
Student / Snyder School of Cinema and Media Arts / Short / Drama / US / 9 minutes
In the dead of night, a father attempts to comfort his child, who believes their deceased mother is tapping on the bedroom window.
Director: Logan Kishi
Producer: Gabriella Graves, Logan Kishi
Writer: Logan Kishi
Cast: Tyler Tackett, Maya Manko
World Premiere / Student / John Burroughs High School / Short / Drama / US / 11 minutes
The Pink Skirt is about a single mom and her 10-year old son who wants to be a ballerina for Halloween. The short delves into themes of acceptance and the struggles of raising a child as a single mom.
Director: Hannah Hope O’Briant
Producer: Hannah Hope O’Briant
Writer: Hannah Hope O’Briant
Cast: Mary Faber, Henry Witcher
Student / Loyola Marymount University / Short / Drama / US / 15 minutes
George lives in a hazy world of guitar riffs and old vinyls, under the watchful eye of a caretaker stretched too thin. When an estranged visitor arrives and challenges their fragile rhythm, tensions rise and questions emerge about what’s really going on inside George’s mind. However everything changes when a figure from the past shows up with a guitar in hand—and a song that could bring George back to himself. Soultones is a music-infused psychological drama about identity, legacy, and the healing power of a song.
Director: Austin Jeffrey Bourdages
Producer: Stanley Frederick Alger, Austin Jeffrey Bourdages
Writer: Austin Jeffrey Bourdages
Cast: Bradley Ash, Katie Kelley, Glenn Kennedy, Bruce Burns, Dennis Holland
California Premiere / Student / Sarah Lawrence College / Short / Drama / Switzerland / 37 minutes
Set in 1890s Switzerland, after discovering Roman gold in the Alps, a Civil War veteran is confronted by a visitor from his past whose uncertain intentions threaten his peaceful existence.
Director: Ralph C. Schulz
Producer: Ahmad Al Lawati, Ralph C. Schulz
Executive Producers: Paul Darrell McGuire, Jerald J. Silverhardt
Writer: Paul Darrell McGuire, Ralph C. Schulz
Cast: Paul Darrell McGuire, Jona Zeschke, Dominik Ellwanger