The 12th edition of the Glendale International Film Festival begins here! Celebrate the kick-off of GIFF 2026 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 appetizers and complimentary water and soft drinks. A no-host bar is available to purchase additional beverages.
Convenient parking is available via valet and on surrounding streets.
No Small Matter
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Documentary / US / Petaluma High School / 6 minutes
Director & Producer: India Anne Mitchell
Us and Them
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Documentary / US / Petaluma High School / 8 minutes
When a 15-year-old filmmaker conducts the first youth-led in-depth interview with Ameca, the most expressive humanoid robot on Earth, the Q&A blossoms into an unexpected friendship that dissolves the boundary between silicon and soul.
Director & Producer: India Anne Mitchell
Mexican Mudflats
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Documentary / US / Glendale Community College (GCC) / 4 minutes
An unserious Attenborough-esque portrait of a muddy wetland at low tide in Baja, Mexico.
Director, Writer, Producer & Cast: Ben Do
Hi, Dad
Student Short / Documentary / US / Pepperdine University / 15 minutes
An autistic college senior seeks to grow closer to his father for a more genuine and affectionate relationship, but they find it challenging to connect, as his father is also autistic.
Director, Writer & Producer: Joshua Pitney
Cast: Emmett Dennis, Jack Pitney, Joshua Pitney, Lisa Pitney, Thalia Markowski
Our Last Time
West Coast Premiere / Student Short / Documentary / US / University of Southern California (USC) / 9 minutes
After a college student returns to China and his grandparents, he begins exploring the idea of death in an introspective journey to understand what it means to exist.
Director, Writer, Producer & Cast: Jiayang Liu
The Dying Business
Glendale Premiere / Short / Documentary / US / 21 minutes
A quirky Italian-American family attempts to innovate their third-generation funeral home in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
Director & Writer: Joe Duca
Producers: Savanna Duca, Joe Duca, Lana Link
Cast: Frank Duca Jr., Bradley Duca, Frank Duca III, Alexis Peifer
There Is, There is Not
West Coast Premiere / Student Short / Animation / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 4 minutes
There Is, There is Not is a traditionally animated film that visually investigates thinking around Being and consciousness, and invites a different mode of thought.
Director: Vincent Parkes
Cast: Shane Danielson, QQ Yi, Nanxi Xie, Jess Chen
we are something
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Animation / China, Japan, US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 7 minutes
Everyone is a black hole. Stand too close, and you start to disappear.
Director: Huayi Yu
Go Dodo!
Short / Animation / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 3 minutes
A young girl has an unexpected encounter with her favourite mascot at an amusement park.
Director, Writer & Producer: Yoyo Zhu
Cast: Norah Liou, Ryan Rodriguez, Elise Jung, Hanaka Oyama
Don’t Letter Go!
Student Short / Animation / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 3 minutes
When a girl’s breakup letter to her girlfriend gets stolen, the ensuing chase leads her to realize her true feelings.
Director: Celine Hung
Cast: Elena Cianciolo, Abby Burkholder, Lauren Kong, Corey Wilder
Alyssum
Student Short / Animation / US / San Jose State University / 7 minutes
Alyson, a young woman who’s struggling with perfectionism as she attempts to craft the perfect bouquet for her wife, Lilith. Overwhelmed by anxiety and self-doubt, she battles her inner critic. As she spirals deeper into self-doubt, she must decide: will she push forward and embrace imperfection, or will her fears consume her?
Director & Writer: Alex King
Producer: Destiny Oleson
Birdsong
Student Short / Animation / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 3 minutes
A field biologist reminisces about his encounter with a bird species on the brink of extinction. Based on John Sincock’s experiences in Kauai (1960s-80s).
Director: Michelle Cheng
Cast: James Cheek, Maddie Rivera
The Oceanarium
Student Short / Animation / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 4 minutes
A child gets lost exploring the wonders of the aquarium, and must find their way back to their mother with the help of the ocean animals.
Director: Matthew Lei
Seagull Coffee
Student Short / Animation / China / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 4 minutes
A young girl opens the café window for a coffee-loving seagull, throwing her older sister’s barista shift into chaos.
Director: Yunqing Pan
Cast: Maya Wechsler, Leah Booth, Yunqing Pan, Luke Lee
Bye-Bye Baby Otter
California Premiere / Short / Animation / US / 6 minutes
A heartwarming, animated short film about a mama otter learning to let go as her baby becomes ready to swim on his own. Told from her perspective, the 6-minute 3D film follows the otters through the joys and challenges at different stages of life.
Director & Writer: Nathanael Shoemaker
Producer: Hustlin Backward Entertainment Company
Honey Business
California Premiere / Student Short / Animation / US / Brigham Young University / 7 minutes
A ginormous grizzly bear finds himself in a sticky situation when his paw gets caught in the wrong beekeeper’s hive.
Director: Dallin Clarke
Producer: Adin Gates
Wasabi
Los Angeles Premiere / Student Short / Drama / US / University of Southern California (USC) / 15 minutes
Following the death of her husband, a pregnant Senegalese writer moves in with her estranged Japanese mother-in-law, forcing them to confront their painful pasts and brewing tensions.
Director & Writer: Uhoman Blonded Baby Moltok
Producers: Stephanie Peraza, Ana Flávia Veiga, Chae Talley
Cast: Olamiju Obanikoro, Marina Chung
Teenhood
Student Short / Drama / US / University of Southern California (USC) / 14 minutes
Following an unintended pregnancy, a troubled Chinese-American boy faces the crushing responsibility and emotional weight of fatherhood, past and present.
Director & Writer: Jiayang Liu
Producers: Jiayang Liu, Richard Li, Adam Bloodgood, Boris Liu
Cast: Jackie Tran, Katie Brown, James Sico, Felix Garcia, Maya Dutea, Michel Euliss, James Forbis, Ranen Navat
MAKTOUB
US Premiere / Student Short / Drama / US / University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) / 27 minutes
After a long search for the right spouse, Ibrahim and Hawa must either succumb to – or overcome – the obstacles standing in the way of their blissful union.
Director & Writer: Kunle Fasasi
Producers: Hamoun Dolatshahi, Shazia Mian, Kunle Fasasi
Cast: Yetide Badaki, Jonima Diaby
The Uninvited Child
World Premiere / Student Short / Drama / US, India /New York Film Academy / 25 minutes
An Indian immigrant single mother conceals her 9-year-old daughter’s true identity from her fiancé’s family – until the child refuses to stay invisible.
Director & Writer: Ojsee Brijpuriya
Producer: Smahi Anand
Cast: Mahek Shah, Sofia Grace Clifton
An Oath to Two, For Three
Student Short / Animation / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 6 minutes
An individual replaces a past version of himself.
Director & Writer: Mohe Pinkston
Cast: Mohe Pinkston, Leah Booth
Paper Faces
Short / Animation / US / 9 minutes
A boy learns to let go of his paper face.
Director: Sull Devries
Unboxed
Glendale Premiere / Short / Animation / US / 8 minutes
Tired of being overlooked at a vast delivery hub, a young mechanic yearns for something more than turning bolts and screws. Her world is thrown into chaos when she is suddenly entrusted with a mysterious package that seems to have a life of its own, launching her into an unintended journey across dimensions.
Director: Pam Thanatrakolsri, Jiyoung Choi, Marci Wilson, Brian Tran, Chloe Chan, Sizhe Guo
Writer & Producer: Brian Tran
angel’s eye
Student Short / Animation / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 3 minutes
A long haul trucker has a close encounter.
Director & Writer: Emi Baumgardner
FINIS VIAE ODYSSEA FELINA
Student Short / Animation / Mexico, US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 5 minutes
Join the road trip of a lifetime! A family of cats and their trustful car, what could go wrong?
Director & Cast: Demian Guzman Gonzalez
The Heroine with A Thousand Faces
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Animation / China, US / University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) / 6 minutes
Director: Yujie Liu
Writer: Jie Yu
Cast: Jess Reed, David Goldstein, Gloria Ho, Kevin Todd, Jie Yu
Normal Glasses
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Animation / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 4 minutes
You’re trying out a new optometrist to update your prescription, but his reality-bending prescriptions aren’t quite what you were looking for. And you’re beginning to suspect he’s a wizard.
Directors: Ava Azarmi, Matthew Lei
FISH MONEY
Student Short / Animation / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 3 minutes
Two sisters fight a giant fish monster for a sweet cash reward.
Director, Writer & Producer: Genevieve Funes
Cast: Jonna-Lynn Alonso, Danny Brown
St. Augustine’s School for Redeemable Boys
Student Short / Animation / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 4 minutes
It’s finals week at St. Augustine’s School for Redeemable Boys. Edward must do what he can to not fall behind academically.
Director: Judah Joel Esquivel
Cast: Judah Esquivel, Kabir Kukathas, Luke Lee
GiRL DOG
Student Short / Animation / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 11 minutes
God’s pet dog sneaks into Hell. Chaos ensues. GiRL DOG, a 10-minute animated student short directed, animated, and produced by Marissa Brennan, follows the journey of three college-aged demons in Hell who discover an angelic puppy from the heavens.
Director & Writer: Marissa Jane Brennan
Cast: Marissa Brennan, Adriana Lopez, Judah Esquivel
Camp Salvation
Student Short / Animation / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 8 minutes
A Christian summer camp is thrown into upheaval when a piece of Jesus x Judas fan fiction is found outside the cabins.
Director, Writer & Producer: Oz Zhang
Cast: Mav Brennan, María Jurado
LAST ROUND
Student Short / Animation / Taiwan, US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 5 minutes
A downfall boxer, long past his prime, returns home one night to find his only companion gone. The next day, in the ring, something breaks…
Director, Writer & Producer: Pincheng Kuo
Cast: Daniel Forgione, Peanuts Kuo, Lindsey Pollard, Kidequip
Squash Casserole
Glendale Premiere / Short / Drama / US / 5 minutes
After an irreversible act, two sisters reckon with their lifelong dynamic that finally begins to shift.
Director: Tobin Sanson
Writer: Meg Aldridge
Cast: Meg Aldridge, Autym Sanson
Repercussion(s)
Short / Drama / US / 15 minutes
The unsolved disappearance of his daughter prompts a grieving father to take matters into his own hands, giving rise to myriad consequences.
Director, Writer & Producer: Kelsey Nerrie
Cast: Rick Bickel
The Last Coin
Short / Drama / US / 14 minutes
A desperate young man enters a laundromat on the eve of a crucial interview, only to find himself in a silent standoff with a homeless drunk over a single missing coin.
Director & Writer: Minjia Du
Producer: Frances Chiu
Cast: Josiah Hand, Jose Degracia
NIKI•TOMI•BETO
Glendale Premiere / Short / Drama / US / 18 minutes
Haunted by the Nahua deity Tlazolteotl, 4 cousins in Northeast LA try to protect each other from the violence and family strife threatening to tear them apart.
Director & Writer: Jon Ayon
Producer: Estevan Padilla
Cast: Natalia Dominguez
Proxy
World Premiere / Short / Thriller / South Korea / 30 minutes
A young man struggling financially accepts a friend’s offer to work as a proxy giving up his identity. Feeling guilty about accepting illegal and high value request, he tries to escape from the organization.
Director & Writer: Sungho Phillip Moon
The Shape of Her Smile
Short / Drama / US / 10 minutes
Alone in the mirror, a woman fixates on her reflection and considers a life altering change until an unexpected conversation with her daughter reframes not only her appearance, but how she sees herself.
Director & Producer: Dale Fabrigar
Writers: Dale Fabrigar, Crystal S. Avila
Cast: Crystal S. Avila, Isa Rojas
PEANUT
Glendale Premiere / Short / Drama / US / 11 minutes
A man at the crossroads wanders into the dark woods where he encounters a mysterious woman. In this liminal space, what begins as a descent into darkness shifts into an unexpected passage toward light, where the strangest of offerings can alter the course of a soul.
Director: Sheila Sawhny
Writer: Gary J. Klavans
Producers: Laney Brabson, Graeme Finlayson, Sheila Sawhny
Cast: Gary J. Klavans, Bellina Logan
A King’s Curtain
Short / Dramedy / US / 17 minutes
A career woman’s love and devotion to her Shakespearean actor father are tested when his descent into Alzheimer’s jeopardizes her chance for a coveted promotion.
Director: Grant M. Johnson
Writers: Grant M. Johnson, Allison Dayne
Producers: Grant M. Johnson, Britlynn Allen, Allison Dayne
Cast: Stephen McKinley Henderson, Austin Pendleton, Veanne Cox, Charles E. Gerber, Allison Dayne
NEXT UP
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / UK / 30 minutes
Director: Elisabeth Silveiro
Writers: Marion H von Loewenstern, Elisabeth Silveiro
Producer: Marion H von Loewenstern
Cast: Hervine De Boodt
Breaking into animation has never been simple. But what does it take to find your way in and continue building a creative life as the industry changes around you?
Animator and artist Nic Gregory draws from his own career to explore these questions through work examples, pivotal experiences and stories from inside the animation industry. He’ll share his path into the field, how breaking in has changed, and his perspective on what artists can do to navigate an industry and a way of working that continues to evolve.
The presentation will open into an extended audience Q&A, inviting artists, animators, filmmakers, students and creative professionals at every stage of their careers to join the conversation about the realities of building and sustaining a creative life.
This event is Free to attend. Reservation link to follow.
People vs. Politics
California Premiere / Feature / Documentary / US / 97 minutes
Profiles grassroots leaders in Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Alaska, and Washington, DC trying to place citizen initiatives on the 2024 ballot to enhance people power through open primaries and ranked choice general elections.
Directors: Robert M. Pease, Carol A. Wingard
Writer: Robert. M. Pease
Producers: Carol A. Wingard, Robert M. Pease, Mary Claire Kogler, Julia Hoppock
Cast: Lisa D. T. Rice, Luke Mayville, Cesar Marquez, Rebecca Himschoot, David Oclander, Lisa Feret, Kenyatta Smith
Three Brothers in Shanghai
Glendale Premiere / Short / Documentary / US / 17 minutes
Escaping the Nazis in Austria, a Jewish family flees to the port of last resort: Shanghai. Facing poverty, illness and persecution, the three young sons adapt and thrive in an unknown world.
Director: Nick Andrus
Writer & Producer: Jenny Gewing Andrus
Cast: Walter Gewing, Heinz Gewing, Ehud Gewing
An Auschwitz Album Story
Glendale Premiere / Feature / Documentary / US / 65 minutes
An Auschwitz Album Story shares the extraordinary survivor story of Mike and Joe Kreitenberg and their life-changing discovery in the Auschwitz Album: the only existing photographs of their family and neighbors who were lost in the Holocaust.
Director & Writer: Jeffery L. Gary
Producers: Mitchell Kreitenberg, Ernie Kreitenberg, Steve Kreitenberg, Dari Kreitenberg
Cast: Mitchell Kreitenberg, Ernie Kreitenberg, Steve Kreitenberg, Harold Kreitenberg, Nancy Kreitenberg, Ren Kreitenberg, Kaylee Kreitenberg, Gillian Kreitenberg, Benjamin Kreitenberg, Shira Kreitenberg, Gila Kreitenberg, Pamela Kreitenberg, Christopher Ambrose, Daniel Zagroski, Danny Mills, Saskia Bauer, Jackson Janowicz, Ben Kreitenberg, Jaron Feldman
The Gloved Hands of God
Student Short / Experimental / US / Pasadena City College / 8 minutes
A colorful choose your own adventure where the audience watches God make a person, but even God makes mistakes.
Director, Writer, Producer & Cast: Isabella Ersoz
InteleJustice
World Premiere / Student Short / Comedy / US / Glendale Community College (GCC) / 14 minutes
Director, Writer & Producer: David Shuck
Cast: Gabe Vachon, Douglas Wallace, Candra Baizan, Gabriela Machuca, William Sibley, John Lee Whitener, Erik Dylan Matibag, Esteban Tino Romero, Hannelore Berlin
Her Anima
World Premiere / Student Short / Experimental / US / Glendale Community College (GCC) / 8 minutes
Her Anima is Anna’s apocalyptic catharsis as she fights through different versions of herself to find one that sticks within her new environment. A surrealist commentary on the constant need to change into different versions of ourselves, when in fact the whole is enough.
Director: Benjamin Nicholas Madoyan
Writers: Benjamin Nicholas Madoyan, Azniv Baberian
Producers: Monika Tumanian, Catherine Ramirez, Nat Yoo
Cast: Harmony Elise Jones, Joshua Christopher Reade, Benjamin Elias Salmeron, Nina Elmoyan
Medəkärpəs
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Sci-Fi / US / Los Angeles City College (LACC) / 10 minutes
Unwittingly binding his soul to an AI through a prompt, a grieving artist trying to save his wife gets trapped in an endless time loop.
Director & Writer: Indy Gott
Producer: Maxwell Marcus
Cast: Indy Gott, Veronica Bruce, Emma Kotos
Dialtone
Student Short / Drama / US / John Burroughs High School / 3 minutes
A short film about a young woman who escapes a sex trafficking ring after being drugged at a nightclub.
Director, Writer & Producer: Hannah Hope O’Briant
Cast: Lily Brooks O’Briant
The Last Delivery
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Comedy / US / University of California, Berkeley / 10 minutes
A humble delivery driver, late for his son’s birthday party, hurries to complete his last order of the day. A series of mishaps and confrontations ensue!
Director & Writer: Hasmik Jasmine Tumasyan
Producer: Milena Ataian
Cast: Val Hovanesian, Kristine Kumuryan, Andy Karandganian
Salieri and Mozart
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Drama / US / New York Film Academy / 11 minutes
A young actor develops a profound character for a stage performance – only to discover that the theater manager has other plans.
Director & Writer: Mikhail Cherkasov
Producer: Yulia Arispe
Cast: Andy Kim
A Prayer
West Coast Premiere / Student Short / Dramedy / US / Southern Methodist University / 8 minutes
A young breakout black female director named Sonya St. Claire is invited to a popular podcast. She must answer the hard-hitting questions the host throws her way and come to terms with the true meaning of her art from the public’s perception.
Director: Juan Andres Davalos
Writer: Bri Woods
Producers: Juan Andres Davalos, Bri Woods
Cast: Bri Woods, Caleb Mosley
The X Time I Saw Her
West Coast Premiere / Student Short / Experimental / US / California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) / 10 minutes
Two women drift through the same spaces: hallways, smoking areas, balconies, cafés… They never speak, but through repeated encounters, they reach an almost self-knowledge, an almost relationship.
Director, Writer & Producer: Rex Xiao
Cast: Shea Chen, Jiajing Ling
FOR OLD TIME’S SAKE
California Premiere / Student Short / Dramedy / US / University of Southern California (USC) / 14 minutes
An actor known only by his role as Tater Tot, the world famous human-size cat, has his personal life put on full display during a late night show interview, causing his reality to collapse as he confronts whether this is the role he still wants to play.
Director: Julian Barahona Rhi
Writer: Laura Furniss-Roe
Producers: Sparrow Nicole, Bien Bagui
Cast: Christopher Hatsfield, Rafael Petardi
Collision Theory
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Dramedy / US / New York Film Academy / 21 minutes
On her way to the opportunity of a lifetime, an overly careful astrophysicist teacher finds herself stuck on a plane in a turbulent debate with a passionate flat-earther.
Director & Writer: Vanessa Lavoie
Producer: Kartikay D Pawar
Cast: Amber Tiara, Dwight Evans
In The Still Of The Night
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Drama / Mexico / New York Film Academy / 16 minutes
On the Day of the Dead, a 10-year-old kid anxiously awaits a visit from his grandfather from the afterlife to finally meet him. He has to confront the skepticism of his parents, who discover that memory transcends life and death.
Director & Writer: Aristides Mantilla
Producers: Aristides Mantilla, Paola Mantilla, Eli Zavala
Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Memo Villegas, Jesús Ochoa, Leonardo Nájar
Loss
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Drama / Mexico, US / New York Film Academy / 13 minutes
Director & Writer: Alejandra Rosales
Producers: Alejandra Rosales, Andrés García, Chucho Morales
Cast: Courtney Scheuerman, Kimberly Prendergast, Catherine Jean Moberly, Sandi Mcbride, Allison Linker, Kyle, Jeffrey Allan Waid, Meredith Kay Aldridge, Sarah Welborn, Maria Fernanda Rico
Embrace
West Coast Premiere / Student Short / Drama / South Korea, US / New York Film Academy / 15 minutes
A year after her father’s funeral, a Korean American daughter returns home for the first time, only to find her immigrant mother has erased every trace of him and has chosen faith over memory.
Director & Writer: Youil Kim
Producers: Yeji Shawn, Joeun Jang, Jungyun Shin
Cast: Hannah Kwon, Sienna Sohn
The Cadenza
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Drama / US / Rochester Institute of Technology / 18 minutes
Inspired by true events, The Cadenza tells the story of a once award winning teacher, who finds his life unraveling and decides to do something about it.
Director & Writer: Andrew Ragan
Producer: Caitlyn Robbins
Cast: Marco Scapillato, Miki Reaume, Ron Dufort
Hidden Jab
Student Short / Drama / US / Ithaca College / 21 minutes
A desperate father returns to underground boxing to save his terminally ill daughter, but as the fights grow bloodier, he risks losing the one thing he’s fighting for: time with her.
Directors: Michael Bernardi, Michael Fischer
Writer: Michael Bernardi
Producers: Michael Bernardi, Emma Barstow, Tessa Dill, Sam Smith
Cast: Jesse Wakeman, Beth Ann Leone, Hannah Werts, Whitney Werts, Erin Allen
Chase Me
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Comedy / US / Loyola Marymount University / 3 minutes
When runner Tony comes upon a curiously competitive runner, Eva, their encounter turns into a fierce race of athleticism and wits. Who might Eva be?
Director & Writer: Sal Ardongde
Producers: Sal Ardongde, Sofia Miera
Cast: Jonathan Lee, Lindsey Wagstaffe, Rebecca Stoughton, Keita Murray
Buddies
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Comedy / US, India / New York Film Academy / 5 minutes
Two strangers meet on a day when they fake their identities, but reveal their true selves.
Director & Writer: Rahul Hansraj
Producer: Avani Sanalkar
Cast: Mari Blake, Dilion Cain
Nuh Uh
West Coast Premiere / Student Short / Comedy / US / Yale University / 15 minutes
A gay screen-addict jeopardizes his closest friendship in this experimental comedy where queer, Gen-Z, internet subculture interrupts real life. Yass, unfortunately.
Director & Writer: Dean Farella
Producers: Dean Farella, Lelah Shapiro
Cast: Dean Farella, Tess Romero, John Colbert
Talking Stage
Student Short / Comedy / US / New York Film Academy / 16 minutes
A socially awkward college student wants to win over his crush, but his imagination plays out every text exchange as a crisis inside his mind, where he’s the President of the United States.
Director, Producer & Writer: Ken Edwards Offodile
Cast: Drew Fawcett, Melissa Rokuskie, Michael Brewer
Wedding Belles
West Coast Premiere / Student Short / Comedy / US / Belmont University / 10 minutes
When Lucy learns her sister plans to elope, she fights to save her from heartbreak – and her family’s forced notions of a fairytale romance. Wedding Belles is a heartfelt comedy about a family business, a runaway bride, and three generations of women with conflicting notions of true love.
Director: Katherine Wise
Producers: Elicia Broyles, Page Richards
Cast: Amber Rossi, LaRae Deaon, Susan Aida, Gabe Cyrus, Claire Keller
THE MAGIC WORDS
West Coast Premiere / Student Short / Drama / Mexico, US / New York Film Academy / 8 minutes
In Nazi Germany, a Jewish father gives his son “magic words,” his only shield against the horrors of war.
Director & Writer: Gael Kuni
Producers: Andrés García, Gael Kuni
Cast: Turner Beckett, Robbie Martin
Heart on the Diamond
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Drama / US / University of Southern California (USC) / 13 minutes
When tragedy strikes during Cecilia’s big baseball game, 15-year-old Cecilia and her mom, Gloria, face an uncertain future.
Director & Writer: Martha Rodriguez
Producers: Hector Martinez, Chirsten Vanderbilt Ellis, Martha Rodriguez
Cast: Grecia López, Yahaira Valdés, Stephen Sherman, Sofia Martinez, Glenn Rivera, Jon Nathenson, Franco Vidal, Karolina Esqueda, Eugenio Rodriguez
Pyre
West Coast Premiere / Student Short / Drama / US / University of Georgia / 20 minutes
In a remote 17th-century village, a widowed mother accused of witchcraft is interrogated by a charming but ruthless inquisitor, forcing an impossible choice to save her daughter.
Director & Writer: Dylan Miller
Producers: Dawna Miller, Nicole Toren
Cast: Tara Kaye Burgh, Will R. Muller, Mila Rose, Ethan Konner Post
ALTADENA: The Heart. The Art & The Soul
Glendale Premiere / Short / Documentary / US / 30 minutes
A journey through a community shaped by memory, creativity, and resilience – where Black culture, history, and the arts converge to define a place that refuses to forget its past or surrender its future.
Director & Writer: Eric Dyson
Producers: David Conolly, Eric Dyson
Cast: Keni Arts, Jeffrey Bernstein, Zaire Calvin, Kentura Davis, Courtney “suNWhoa” Linsey, Peggie Davis, Gilberto Espino, Akil Grant, Pastor LaKeith Kennebrew, Alejandro Lopez, Darrin Lyons, Edgar McGreggor, Norman Nelson, Irene H. Nelson, Floyd Norman, Dr. Allison Rose Jefferson, Kevin Sandbloom, Aimeny Thomas, Phillip Williams, Evan Zieganmeyer, Alan Zorthian
Beneath the Ashes: The Past Reimagined
Glendale Premiere / Feature / Documentary / US / 63 minutes
In the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, Altadena’s historic Black community confronts devastating loss – and a high-stakes fight to preserve a cultural legacy generations in the making.
Director: Hrag Yedalian
Producer: Brandon D. Lamar
Come together with filmmakers, film lovers, and members of the GIFF community for a relaxed happy hour celebrating creativity and connection. Meet fellow filmmakers, connect with people who love independent film, and continue the conversations sparked throughout the festival. Free to attend for filmmakers and film festival attendees.
EGGNOG
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 10 minutes
He just wants to spend Christmas alone, but his son’s girlfriend is determined to make him some holiday spirit(s). What starts as a recipe for disaster becomes a sweet way for them to bond over a shared loss.
Director: Heather Hillstrom
Writer & Producer: Ashna Sharan
Cast: Ashna Sharan, Wayne Jay
Intertwined
West Coast Premiere / Short / Drama / US / 14 minutes
Marci’s arrival to a new city finds her facing a crippling fear that conflicts with her determination to fulfill a promise.
Director: John Schwert
Writers: John Schwert, Cameran Bellamy
Producers: John Schwert, Cameran Bellamy, Erik Murphy
Cast: Cameran Bellamy, Kyle Riggs
GIVEN
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 15 minutes
When an encounter with her high school boyfriend, Eric, reveals life shaking news to Callie, a woman hiding out from life by working as a desert diner manager, she must decide if she will stay in her safety bubble or change a decision she made 25 years ago that will set her life on an unknown course.
Director: Marissa Vonn
Writer: Glory Simon
Producer: Sami Bass
Cast: Glory Simon, John Charles Meyer
Uncommitted
Southern California Premiere/ Feature / Documentary / US / 88 minutes
Uncommitted follows Arab and Muslim grassroots leaders and their elected allies as they spearhead the Uncommitted National Movement, striving to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and redefine American political priorities far beyond the 2024 Presidential Election.
Director & Writer: Razi Jafri
Producers: W. Kamau Bell, Zoe Sua Cho, Razi Jafri
Cast: Lexis Zeidan, Layla Elabed, Abbas Alawieh
Bet On A Bad Horse
World Premiere / Feature / Drama / US / 72 minutes
A devastating car crash causes a young mother to resort to selling drugs in small town Ohio.
Director & Writer: James Francis Flynn
Producer: Dave Sholle
Cast: Sasha Gioppo
Bottom Feeder
Glendale Premiere / Short / Experimental / US / 3 minutes
A three minute nightmare.
Director: Vito Trabucco
Producer & Cast: Joanna Fang
At the Mercy of Faith
Glendale Premiere / Short / Horror, Drama / US / 22 minutes
When a devout young preacher’s faith is shattered by a traumatic childhood tragedy, his attempts to rebuild his life as an adult are upended by haunting visions, supernatural warnings, and the reemergence of unresolved guilt, forcing him to confront the demons of his past… before they destroy his family.
Director: Andrew Arguello
Writer: Samuel Lee Taylor
Producers: Samuel Lee Taylor, Ly Taylor
Cast: David Gamble Jr., Dan Morrison, Ivan Woods, Gregory Klino, Sandra Dee Richardson, Kenneth Anglemire, Amaya Chapman, Quintin Vassel, Nick Josten, Krystal Lynn
WOMANHOOD: A TRILOGY OF HORROR
World Premiere / Short / Horror-Comedy / US / 38 minutes
A trilogy of horror-comedies based on the three stages of womanhood titled maiden, Mother, and CRONE.
Director & Writer: Elizabeth J. Musgrave
Producers: Elizabeth J. Musgrave, Frank J. Forte, Amanda D’Ambrosio
Cast: Anastasia Washington, Heather Tyson, Sherry Larson, Bobby Gaylor, Elena Afanasiev
The Holdens
Glendale Premiere / Student Short / Dark Comedy / US / California State University, Long Beach / 10 minutes
A 16-year-old girl finds the truth out about Santa.
Director & Writer: Nicholas Geraci
Producer: Joshua Baldwin
Cast: Chanda Davetas, Ben Solenberger, Sydney Skye
The Audit
West Coast Premiere / Short / Dark Comedy / US / 11 minutes
A very important company audit is jeopardized when a staff member reveals the fates of his co-workers’ eternal souls.
Director: Jon Rizik
Writer: Jon Rizik, Evan Rindler
Producers: Jon Rizik, Evan Rindler
Cast: Devon Werkheiser, John Patrick Hayden, Jaime Schwarz, RJ Brown
Mort
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dark Comedy / US / 14 minutes
A risk-averse actuary’s all-nighter spirals into absurdity when an unexpected visitor claiming to be Death, forces him to reevaluate his life choices as the clock ticks down.
Directors & Writers: Larry Ziegelman, Terry Ziegelman
Producer: Aaron Wertheimer
Cast: Greg Pragel, Steve Rozic, Ronald Conner
AMUCK
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 20 minutes
A man who laments “not even feeling like the main character of his own story” suddenly finds himself aware of the camera that’s watching him, eliciting a mind-bending journey of self(less) discovery.
Director & Writer: t.j. peters
Producers: t.j. peters, Elisha Yaffe, Eric Sheehan
Cast: Elisha Yaffe, Kelsey Gunn, Curt Neill
Calamity Care
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dark Comedy, Horror / US / 18 minutes
In 1965, a young secretary and a janitor at an insurance office plagued by misogynistic staff join forces for a deadly vengeance against their male colleagues.
Director, Writer & Producer: Zoe Xandra
Cast: Annie Batista, Michelle Cefalo, David Ogrodowski
Attend this first of its kind GIFF panel discussion in which working casting professionals explore the one constant that’s shaped the entertainment industry – change. With every evolution, casting professionals stand on the front lines and help shape the standards and trends that keep the industry moving forward. From adapting to technologies and emerging media, to dynamic talent discovery that creates new landscapes for storytelling, witness casting as they pull back the curtain on a profession that impacts everything we see, hear, and let’s face it – obsess over.
Panelists: Henry Russell Bergstein, CSA; Candido Cornejo, CSA; and Leslie Wasserman, CSA
Moderator: Paisley Baker, CSA
This event is free to attend. Reservation link to follow.
Anchor Points
Glendale Premiere / Short / Documentary / Canada / 26 minutes
Through archival footage and visual effects, Anchor Points explores Victor Quijada’s personal and artistic evolution from street dancer to contemporary choreographer, showcasing the foundations of the RUBBERBAND Method.
Directors: Victor Quijada, Samuel Greffe
Producers: RUBBERBAND, Mathematic Studio
Cast: Jean Bùi, Daniela Jezerinac, Jessica Muszynski, Brontë Poiré-Prest, Rion Taylor, Paco Ziel
In The Quiet
Glendale Premiere / Short / Experimental / US / 6 minutes
In the Quiet is a meditation on stillness, memory, and presence, where love and connection live between moments.
Director: Liana Grigoryan
Cast: Christina Wen, Emeka Nwoye, Jimmy 2 Times
MARILYN’S DARK PARADISE
Short / Drama / US / 23 minutes
An adventurous time traveler befriends Marilyn Monroe and struggles with adhering to the rigid rules of time travel.
Director & Writer: Remi Gangarossa
Producers: Stephanie Stuart, Gary Vitacco-Robles, Scott Fortner
Cast: Stephanie Stuart, Addelyn Workman
Left Behind
World Premiere / Short / Music Video / US / 4 minutes
A visually driven music video depicting a phone call to an ex-lover, where the song is sung as a plea to be taken back and not left behind, while the ex-lover exists only as a fading memory.
Director: David Alexander Ambrose
Cast: Jenny Maryn Sierra, The Spins
Tied Up
Glendale Premiere / Short / Comedy / US / 8 minutes
He’s hot, British, and Jewish. And because of it, she’s tied up.
Director & Writer: Elana Rubin
Producers: Elana Rubin, Chip Kass, Elena Weinberg, Frankie MacLaughlin
Cast: Evi Eden, Liam Gibb, David Schwartzbaum, Marcie Barkin, Jess Brill
Follow The Sun
Glendale Premiere / Short / Comedy / US / 9 minutes
A young man is visited by “ghosts” of girlfriends past, and forced to grapple with his dating life.
Director & Writer: Will Ahrens
Producer: Roe Moore
Cast: Jared Boghosian, Jasmine De La Fuente, Mariana Arôxa
Eat Surf Love
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 10 minutes
A jaded New York writer and a laid-back California surfer navigate the murky waters of a first date, in this letter to San Francisco, a paradoxical place, where hearts have been left, lost, and occasionally found.
Director & Writer: Nada Djordjevich
Producers: Mayra Padilla, Vera Djordjevich
Cast: Tyler Ritter, Laura Yumi Snell, Molly Wood, John Dylan Keith, David Bach, Troy Takaki
Partner in Crime
Short / Comedy / US / 11 minutes
A woman unwittingly reveals her desire for a romantic “partner in crime” to an actual criminal looking for an accomplice.
Director & Writer: Alex Wood
Producer: Halley Lamberson
Cast: Morgan Nalley, Noah Silver
TOXIC
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 20 minutes
Ayo, an emotionally repressed theatre student, finds herself in an obsessive situation-ship with her co-star until her jealousy gets the better of her, and she has a toxic reaction.
Director & Writer: Ànú Bámidélé
Producer: Marie Louis France
Cast: Antonio Suarez, Amariee Woods, Ànú Bámidélé
Todd & The Toad
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / Germany / 13 minutes
Anxious, awkward, and terminally avoidant, Todd is a man paralyzed by social anxiety. When pressure mounts from Polly – a girl he’s been messaging online – to finally meet in person, he spirals into neurotic panic. To cope, he goes to the darknet, advising him to lick a mysterious toad…only to awaken in a bizarre hallucination.
Director & Writer: Julia Mücke
Producer: Katharina Kümmel
Cast: Lewis Edridge, Ina Vöhringer
Face Love
Glendale Premiere / Feature / Comedy / US / 94 minutes
Danny, a Brit-Spaniard living in L.A., travels to Madrid to renew his visa, just as the pandemic shuts down borders. Stuck 6k miles away from, Ana (Mex-American), he must navigate bureaucracy, culture shock, and long-distance heartbreak.
Director & Writer: Gerald Fillmore
Producers: Gerald Filmore, Jorge Alonso, Victor Corrales, Horacio Alcala
Cast: Gerald Fillmore, Vanessa Benavente, Tito Valverde, William Miller, Mela Green, Carlos Santos, Beau Bowker
BACKYARDS: L.A.’s Gen Z Music Scene
World Premiere / Feature / Documentary / US / 90 Minutes
In backyards across Los Angeles, teens have come together to create a community centered around live music. This DIY scene involves artists, writers, photographers, and amazing musicians. BACKYARDS: L.A.’s Gen Z Music Scene dives into this world and explores 12 of these incredible bands.
Director & Writer: Paul Covington
Producers: Paul Covington, Keith Myers, Ainslie Covington
Cast: Finn Cragen, Marc Mangabat, Lena Joy Embry, Magnus Bjorgum, Chase Timmons, Charlotte Door, Bug Nachmanoff, Sequoia Branson, Cillian Leddy, Wiley Bouchard, Oliver Janss, Morrison Bauer, Henry Dearborn, Sebastian Yu, Jonathan Woodruff, Pierce Lee, Nami Conness, Riley Arce-Riolo, Eli Williams, Chloe Haack, Ethan Gonzales, Mae Gad
Bob’s Best Friends
Feature / Dramedy / US / 99 minutes
A lonely man discovers he has an ability to talk to dogs after a sudden illness strikes. Through a series of adventures, mishaps, and conversations with his new “friends,” Bob rediscovers life’s joys. It’s a story of love, loss, and renewal. A drama/comedy for all ages.
Director: Randy Kent
Writers: Bill Redding, Randy Kent
Producers: Bill Redding, Kym Abrams, Eric Leukert, Christine Mahaney
Cast: Stephen Root, Leah Remini, Judy Greer, Tyler Posey, Keith David, Bill Redding, Gail Rastorfer, Heidi Drennan
Clean Getaway
Short / Comedy / US / 11 minutes
THE ONLY CRIME IS A MESSY HOUSE. A meticulous thief breaks into a home and tidies up instead of robbing it.
Director: Patricia Rigney
Writers: Kevin Carrao, Patricia Rigney
Producers: Kevin Carrao, Robin Leabman, James Pomichter, Patricia Rigney, Karen Ryan
Cast: Robin Leabman, Pennie Promise, Jennifer Bobiwash, Kevin Carrao, Kimbra Westervelt, Victoria Blackburn, James Pomichter, Patricia Rigney
COMMITTEE ANIMAL
Glendale Premiere / Short / Comedy / US / 13 minutes
Committee Animal offers a twist on evolution: what if the quirkiest animals – like platypuses, giraffes, and armadillos – were the result of an overworked design committee battling red tape, tight deadlines, and supply chain shortages?
Director & Writer: Robert Redfield
Producers: Robert Redfield, Anastasia Tharp, Hilary Nagler, Elizabeth Gilcreast, Dave Haws
Cast: Leslie Zemeckis, Rick Reischman, Riley Conrad, Lukas Dziemidok, Alec Reusch
THE CURRENT STATE OF THE BACKYARD POOL INDUSTRY
Short / Comedy / US / 18 minutes
Divided over the fate of their rundown pool, the Osgood family is visited by a nocturnal stranger who convinces them to take one last plunge.
Director & Producer: Derek Frey
Writer: David Amadio
Cast: Gil Damon, David Amadio, Steve Kuzmick
Central Unit
Glendale Premiere / Short / Comedy / US / 17 minutes
In a dystopian world where a community worships an air conditioning unit as a deity, two disillusioned siblings, Lily and Brooks, struggle to survive the oppressive heat and bizarre rituals. When an outsider arrives, secrets about their society unravel, forcing them to confront their dependence on the unit and fight for their future.
Director: Micah Schiff
Writers: Micah Schiff, Oliver Scherick
Producers: Lily Darragh Harty, Willis McCord
Cast: Sara Eklund, Kyle Prue, Ivan Klousia, Aaron Oberst
Come together with filmmakers, film lovers, and members of the GIFF community for a relaxed happy hour celebrating creativity and connection. Meet fellow filmmakers, connect with people who love independent film, and continue the conversations sparked throughout the festival. Free to attend for filmmakers and film festival attendees.
The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11: From Tragedy to Triumph
Glendale Premiere / Feature / Documentary / US / 119 minutes
The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11 is a deeply moving documentary narrated by actor Gary Sinise. Produced by Gier Productions in collaboration with SoldierStrong and directed by Michael Gier, an award-winning director/producer, the film goes beyond the tragedy of September 11 to showcase the incredible acts of bravery, humanity, and resilience that followed.
Director, Writer & Producer: Michael Gier
Cast: Gary Sinise, Andrew Card, Tom McMillan, Alexander Vesely, Scott Strauss, William Jimeno
The Last Brown Beret
Glendale Premiere / Feature / Drama / US / 107 minutes
Brown Beret 1960’s activists reunite for a funeral. At the after party, one of them waylays the others into the garage where they used to meet. They attempt to come to terms with what they changed for the good, and what was left undone.
Director & Writer: Del Zamora
Cast: Daniel E. Mora, Randy Vasquez, Vance Valencia, Linda Lopez, Del Zamora, Ingrid Oliu, David Castro, Karen E. Wright, Alex Cox, David Rangel, Jessica Figueroa, Martin Chavero, Abel Gutierrez, Tristan Domani, Xander Morales Hemenway, Maribel Chavez, Iris Gonzalez, Dina Acebo
WOOZY
Glendale Premiere / Feature / Horror / US / 89 minutes
A man’s structured life to cope with mental health issues unravels when a horrifying apparition called Woozy starts tormenting him, forcing him to confront his fears.
Director & Writer: Joey Bicicchi
Producers: Keith Kjarval, Lalit Bhatnagar, Sasi Naga, Gary Michael Schultz
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Jackie Cruz, Penelope Mitchell, Jeff Adler
The Border Czar
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / Costa Rica / 12 minutes
After delivering a rousing speech on immigration, Rep. Jim Coolidge goes to sleep – only to wake up on the wrong side of the border.
Director & Writer: Raymond T. Williams
Producer: Jodi Beck, Mark Pellegrino
Cast: Tom Humes, David Vergnani, Jairo Flores Rivera, Greyvin Aldolfo Brizuela Hurtado, Alexa Masís, Tai Boshart, Ana X Garcia
Plaything
Southern California Premiere / Short / Horror, Drama / US / 14 minutes
An innocent 20-something Clem is courted by charming Kevin, but as Clem falls deeper, he begins to realize their relationship isn’t just imperfect, but something far more sinister.
Director: A.B. AllenWriter: Chris Lam
Producer & Cast: Chris Lam
CERULEA
Glendale Premiere / Short / Sci-Fi, Fantasy / US / 16 minutes
A young mother’s fleeting wish to abandon her family comes true in an instant that ends up being the rest of her life.
Director & Writer: AJ Lambert
Producers: Rebekah Sherman-Myntti, Briana Bursten
Cast: Serena Mello, Michael Neeson, Hilary Dennis
Limit Exceeded
Short / Sci-Fi, Drama / US / 15 minutes
A husband and wife preparing for their first child seem to have the perfect future ahead of them – until cracks in their reality reveal that nothing is quite what it seems.
Director: Setareh Samandari
Writer: Sargon Yoseph
Producers: Katie Taylor, Habib Zargarpour, Brandon Stacy, Sargon Yoseph, Ford Bowers
Cast: Brandon Stacy, Cheyenne Isabel Wells, Tracie Thoms, Sofia Grace Clifton
The Ocean and the Sea
Glendale Premiere / Short / Sci-Fi, Drama / US / 17 minutes
A man’s relationship with his wife – and himself – changes when he encounters a mysterious stranger adrift at sea.
Director & Writer: Matthew Katz-Overstreet
Producers: Matthew Katz-Overstreet, Ryan Matsunaga, Stephen Ling, Rachel Katz-Overstreet, Alex Guttman
Cast: Jeremy Urann, Juliette Cecile, Mitchell McCollum
CALL ME MULE
Feature / Documentary / US / 77 minutes
A man traveling with three mules fights to maintain his nomadic lifestyle in the American West.
Director & Producer: John McDonald
Cast: John Sears
Please Hold
World Premiere / Short / Comedy / US / 9 minutes
Director: Donald McQuade
Writers: Donald McQuade, Matthew Barnette
Producer: Katheryn Heffelmire
Cast: Paul Tigue, Olivia Graham, Austen Moret, Erika Moret, Sandra Macarelli
Lolo’s JoyRyd
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 15 minutes
Director & Writer: Wilandrea Lynette Blair
Producer: Gabi Velis
Cast: Wilky Lau, Kenya Stewart, Liris Crosse
SANDWICHED
Short / Comedy / US / 10 minutes
Caught between her insatiable Gen Alpha child and her boundary-lacking Baby Boomer parents, a burnt-out Millennial Mom tries to reclaim her sanity.
Director: Meg Swertlow
Writer: Tiffany Chandon
Producers: Sami Kolko, Tiffany Chandon
Cast: DaJuan Johnson, Tiffany Chandon
Woman Reclining on Grass
World Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 21 minutes
A family on the verge of auctioning their newly discovered lost masterpiece must confront one last hurdle in the shape of their daughter’s new art critic boyfriend.
Director: Claudia Doumit
Writer: Alex Aves
Producers: Kelly O’Malley, Zein Khleif, Salim Aliaga, Alex Aves
Cast: Pete Gardner, Salim Aliaga, Varda Appleton, Alex Aves, Mason Heidger, Kelly O’Malley
Kick Time
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 20 minutes
Two estranged friends, who made a wildly successful kid’s video 30 years ago, are forced to work together again to capture the same magic… that is if they can keep from killing each other.
Director & Writer: Thomas Ian Griffith
Producer: Amber Neukum
Cast: Thomas Ian Griffith, Mary Page Keller, Eamon Griffith, Robert Meltzer, Bridge Stuart
Don’t Assume
Glendale Premiere / Short / Drama / US / 8 minutes
A bewildered protester finds himself detained in police custody as the political landscape shifts.
Director, Writer & Producer: Zeena M. Pliska
Cast: Bryan Staggers, Tiffany M. Crosby
MY FOOT IS IN HEAVEN
Glendale Premiere / Short / Drama / US, Palestine / 15 minutes
A young girl in a war torn country suffering daily attacks is critically injured, and with the help of her courageous father, must face a tragic treatment or die.
Director & Writer: Iyad Hajjaj
Producers: Iyad Hajjaj, George P. Saunders, Mabrouka Ghanmi, Romane Simon
Cast: Maya Hajjaj, Iyad Hajjaj, Amy Byrd, Ali Saam
The Hour
Glendale Premiere / Short / Drama / US / 18 minutes
Director: Paige Henderson
Writer: Molly Flanagan
Producers: Molly Flanagan, Lady Maggie Anwer, Kelsey Fordham, Maddy Murphy
Cast: Molly Flanagan, Ari Hader, Phoebe Holston, Samantha Cutaran, Joseph Callari, Eileen Grubba
The Listeners
Glendale Premiere / Short / Drama / US / 15 minutes
Starring Blair Underwood, with original music by Jon Batiste, The Listeners follows David, a once-brilliant jazz musician, who can no longer hear music. Doctors search for a diagnosis while debating whether his condition is neurological or psychological, but answers remain elusive.
Director: Joslyn Rose
Writers: Joslyn Rose, Dominique Mouton
Producers: D’Angelo Louis, Dominique Mouton, Blair Underwood, Vernon Davis, Joslyn Rose
Cast: Blair Underwood, Bechir Sylvian, Simone Leanora, Cindy Herron
F Minor
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 15 minutes
A struggling musician is plagued by feelings of insecurity when he discovers he was never a target of his music teacher’s predatory behavior.
Director & Writer: Josh Litman
Producers: Josh Litman, Jason Nott, Yifen Low
Cast: Jason Nott, Sam H. Clauder II, Hally Smith, Jacques-Henri Hutchinson, Joe Nassi, Yifen Low, Noella Akwiri
Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp and the Biotech Revolution
Glendale Premiere / Feature / Documentary / US / 98 minutes
A groundbreaking look at Phil Sharp’s rise from being a rural Kentucky farm boy who battled dyslexia to Nobel Prize-winning scientist. Narrated by Mark Ruffalo with insights from Walter Isaacson, Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp and the Biotech Revolution reveals how Sharp’s RNA discovery transformed biology and launched the biotechnology revolution leading to life-saving treatments for millions.
Director & Writer: Bill Haney
Producers: Carina Chavda, Maura McCarthy Haney, Bill Haney, R. J. Cutler, Tim Disney, Michael & Barbara Eisenson, Reed & Elena Jobs, Sean & Jennifer Reilly
Cast: Philip A. Sharp, Mark Ruffalo, Walter Isaacson, Noubar Afeyan
Frith – Pinocchio Music Video
Short / Music Video / US / 5 minutes
Inside of Bob Baker’s Marionette Museum, a puppet begins to notice human emotion and realizes there is more to life than he ever knew possible. He convinces the other puppets to join him on an adventure out into the real world, questioning the greater importance of imagination vs reality.
Director: Lauren Hoover
Writers: Lauren Hoover, Travis Warner
Producer: Travis Warner
Cast: Travis Warner, Siri Miller
Brain Spotting
World Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 15 minutes
Failing writer Julie Winters is suddenly struck with inspiration when her fantasy creations leap off the page and into her life. The price of her creativity comes at a high cost however when she discovers her visions are the result of a brain tumor.
Director & Writer: Chelsea Spirito
Producers: Chelsea Spirito, Jordan Paley, Vince Tennant
Cast: Chelsea Spirito, Scott Hamby, Mayur Chauhan
Happily Never After
Glendale Premiere / Short / Comedy, Sci-Fi / US / 9 minutes
When a lonely and self-destructive self-help book writer starts hearing her electronic devices talk to her, she has to decide whether or not to trust them to help her fix her life.
Director, Writer & Producer: Tamara Hernandez
Cast: Tamara Hernandez, Willie Macc, Jerry Garcia, Big Mickey, Sally Mullins, Ai Yoshihara, Joe Manente, Stoner Rob, Mike Eaton, Harry Ralston
Earthquake Note
California Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 9 minutes
On the eve of her daughter’s first day of preschool, a mother’s attempt to write the perfect comfort note for the “earthquake kit” spirals into an all-night reckoning with mortality and motherhood itself.
Director, Writer & Cast: Kat Foster
Producer: Emily Maya Mills
Homebodies
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 12 minutes
In a near future where it literally costs money to leave the house, a burnt-out woman risks fraud when she pays her live-in boyfriend’s ‘exit toll’ to get some alone time.
Director: Rachel Olson
Writers: Jorja Hudson, Ethan David
Producer: Drew Brandon Jone
Cast: Alyssa Limperis, Andre Hyland, Sam Richardson, Martha Kell
Eaton Alive
Glendale Premiere / Short / Dramedy / US / 15 minutes
When the Eaton fire torches her house, a woman moves her family into an RV perched on the crispy remains of their lot. Now she’s juggling grant paperwork, an eye-rolling teen, a developer who won’t take a hint, and an unpredictably odd neighbor. Sanity? Optional.
Director: Jeannette Godoy
Writer: Kristen O’Meara
Producers: Vicki Syal, Lauren Brooks
Cast: Kristen O’Meara, Ian Roberts, Ata-Han Erentok, Dieterich Gray, Henry Dittman, Gaby Sandoval, Rebecca Metz, Mariel Suarez, Lance Paullin, Chase Kim, Matt Patrick Fox
Harmless
Los Angeles Premiere / Feature / Thriller / US / 91 minutes
HARMLESS tells the story of Grace Norway, and her struggle for answers in the disappearance of her husband and her neighbor. The easiest thing to believe is that they ran away together. The hardest thing to face is the bone-chilling truth. Most of the people we know in life are quiet, unassuming, ordinary, average. Average does not mean innocent; even if someone has never done you any harm, that doesn’t make them harmless.
Director: Charles Box
Writer: Eric Player
Producers: Eric Player, Kanarose Oonhateparuk
Cast: Scott Christopher, Owen Wilson, Marissa Rivera, Gary J. Klavans, Boz Wells, Anthony J. Potter, Briana Watson, Britton Webb, Sheila Sawhny, Evan Vihlen, Douglas K Harrison
Dirty Drugs – The Crisis of Addiction and Overdose
Short / Documentary / US / 34 minutes
A powerful and eye-opening film that brings awareness to the dangers of illicit substances, particularly fentanyl, and the devastating impact they can have on individuals, families, and our community.
Directors: Peter Bahlawanian, Nairi Bandari
Producers: Peter Bahlawanian, Silva Harapetian
Cast: Marco Khan, Andrew Lazzaretto, Bryan Duncan, Dr. Angelica Loza-Gomez, Blake Tyler Malone, Victoria Malone, Jerry Lee Butt, III, Sam Babayan, Erwin Khachikian, Manny Cid
What We Dreamed of Then
Feature / Drama / Canada / 104 minutes
Then, Gideon was a vibrant young father and husband. Now, he is invisibly houseless, trying to hold onto his relationship with his estranged daughter. Told through a non-linear narrative, this story weaves between past and present, revealing the fragility of hope and the resilience needed to survive isolation.
Director & Writer: Taylor Olson
Producers: Taylor Olson, Steve Foster, Britt Kerr
Cast: Taylor Olson, Christie Burke, Parveen Kaur, River Price-Maenpaa, Hugh Thompson
BORIS IS DEAD
Glendale Premiere / Feature / Comedy, Action / US / 90 minutes
A struggling actor working as a waiter unwittingly becomes involved in a violent heist gone wrong, where his boss – deep in debt – has been stealing from employees and running the restaurant as a front for the mob.
Director: James Cullen Bressack
Writers: Jacqueline Donelli, Kerry Donelli
Producers: Sasha Yelaun, Henry Penzi, Micah E. Brandt
Cast: Dane Cook, Cam Gigandet, Jesse Metcalfe, James Duval, Hana Mae Lee, Richard Riehle, Mindy Sterling, Martin Kove
Join us at the beautiful Glen Arden Club as we honor the talents and artistry of our GIFF 2026 filmmakers and screenwriters with a special reception and awards ceremony.
Back by popular demand, three-time Emmy Award-winning improv actor/host and feature film screenwriter/producer Mark DeCarlo will return to the GIFF stage as the evening’s emcee.
Each ticket includes hors d’oeuvres and 1 beer/wine ticket (water and soft drinks are complimentary). A no-host bar will be available to purchase additional beverages.
Doors for the reception will open at 6:00pm. The awards program will begin at 7:30pm.
Free parking is available at the lot directly across the street from the venue on Arden Ave. and on surrounding streets (please be sure to check parking signs).