RIFF FILMS 2023

The Best Way to RIFF. ACCESS to ALL FILMS, PARTIES & THE FILMMAKERS' LOUNGE

Jeong Sae-nal, a young boy in Gwang-ju City, receives new sneakers as a 12th birthday gift, but he is shot by martial law forces while playing with his friends in a mountain reservoir in the back of the town. Sae-nal wakes up to the moonlight and the scent of wild roses, and flies to the downtown of Gwang-ju City on a sneaker plane. He meets countless people who fought for democracy against the soldier's guns and flies high in a sneaker plane.

A soldier guarding the borders, endangers his very existence out of respect for the one whose only weapon is a pen.

Shriver (Michael Shannon), a down-on-his-luck handyman who has is mistaken for a famous writer that has been in hiding for over 20 years. With nothing to lose, he accepts an invitation to attend a college literary festival and finds himself surrounded by adoring fans and an English professor (Kate Hudson) who captures his heart. Shriver must do whatever it takes for his shot at love in this fish-out-of-water comedy.

After the funeral of her mother, who died due to Covid 19, a woman encounters a strange call from the hospital, that her mother's body is still there.

Killer Bees Attack

Microsoft, Google, META, and AWS are some of the biggest single-power consumers in the world. Along with other digital infrastructure companies’ consumption, they make up 2.4% of the world's energy use. This film details the digital infrastructure industry's work to reduce their carbon footprint in an effort to lower carbon emissions and help save the world.

A young girl escapes the hustle and bustle of New York City to go on an adventurous bird walk with her grandfather. Their journey is chronicled through the eyes of the girl's stuffed penguin, who is determined not to let go of their city roots. A documentary that combines fantastical elements to show the beauty of nature and friendship.

A boy mourns the loss of his departed sister. Her spirit remains his only sense of comfort or friendship, as he navigates a tumultuous home life and adolescence. He imagines her as Lucy from Charlie Brown offering the counseling he desperately needs.

Created through The Acting Gym’s summer independent film program. A rigorous program for young professional and pre-professional artists in the film and entertainment industry. The program provides practical hands-on experience in every aspect of the filmmaking process - acting, writing, design, tech, post-production, etc. Each film is written, acted and crewed by students who work alongside experienced industry professionals.

A couple goes to the forest to sacrifice an animal to the goblins in order for their child to be born healthy, but they are not alone in this forest.

In a dystopian society where the state has the power to determine who can and cannot father children, four men attend a government-sanctioned retreat in the remote mountains of California. When they show up at the site, only to find no guide or instructions, they are left to their own devices and must prove to themselves—and each other—that they have what it takes to become fathers.

A physician's first day of work as a Forensics examiner proves difficult.

A musical film about mental health and gun violence, EVERY OTHER KID tells the story of three high school students as they deal with their mental and emotional struggles. Coming from three different backgrounds and going down three different paths, these students’ lives intersect in a crucial, heartbreaking way.

A Turkish wedding day at Espace Venise (France). Huddled in a car in the parking lot, Fatih, 21, wants to get married. He has set his sights on Ipek, Recep’s sister. But neither Murat, his best friend, nor Recep, nor even Ipek are aware of this yet.

A magician, some magic, and a wish. A walk down Reverie Rd. brings a young boy on a magical journey as he learns to cope with the recent passing of his mother in this wondrous telling of life after loss.

Audience Choice WINNER - Open Gate International Film Festival
Best Short Film - CANNES SHORTS

Fobi has a phobia of spiders which turns into an unknown love along the way

First-time filmmaker Nick Damore’s journey to revisit decades-old memories in an attempt to answer questions that have lingered long after his father’s death. Leo Damore was a New York Times best-selling investigative journalist who killed himself on October 2, 1995 in Ivoryton, Connecticut, when Nick was only 10 years-old. Leo specialized in stories about the Kennedy Family and true-crime investigations that took place in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, most notably his success in breaking open Ted Kennedy’s Chappaquiddick incident and his pursuit to tell the story of John F. Kennedy’s slain lover, Mary Pinchot Meyer. Told through interviews with family, friends, and collaborators, as well as a bevy of archival photos and video, “For Nick, From Dad” is an exploration into truth, memory, and fatherhood.

A theater troupe of teenage girls in Iran wish their show to participate in a prestigious festival abroad. The main actress, Ava, is a girl with an Iranian mother and an Afghan father, and therefore doesn’t have a birth certificate, or passport. The director of the show decides to replace Ava with a boy to solve the problem, but the other members of the group decide to do anything for Ava, from bribing the employee of the passport office to taking the head of the passport office hostage and even leaving illegally with human traffickers.

“Game Over” tells the story of a diverse group of illegal Afghan youngsters, who have been left with no choice, but to leave their homes and families behind, to flee as teenagers to a foreign country. The film follows their life in Zeytinburnu, an Afghan diaspora in Turkey, where they do not speak the language and must live underground, hiding from the police, while working in shady jobs.

In an underground basement, Mo and Ali live with 30 other boys. As the place is crammed, they spend their awakening hours outside moving around the streets and parks of Zeytinburnu, always on the go, to avoid being caught by the police. Left with no one but themselves to look after one another, their incredible strength and yet extreme vulnerability surface side by side in the no-man's land between childhood and adulthood. Fearlessly, they play a dangerous game of destiny over and over again, determined to smuggle themselves into Europe – a utopia far away.

To avoid the early marriage of his sister, Ali has to pay a debt.

WPKN began as the University of Bridgeport’s college radio station in 1963. It has been operating as a listener supported, community based radio station since 1989. There are only two paid staffers, the full-time General Manager and part-time Operations Manager. All of the Programmers are volunteers. In this compelling documentary, interviewees share their personal, idiosyncratic stories, speaking passionately about their love of music, news, politics, health, cars, organic gardening, space exploration, and culture.

When a self-described "guy's girl" and her boyfriend split, all of her guy friends simultaneously profess their secret, undying love for her.

Loved-up oyster farmer Az thinks he’s made it. But when an elaborate proposal goes awry and his girlfriend Jess breaks his heart, Az is forced to confront his understanding of what happiness really looks like – both hers and his own. Followed by Q&A with filmmaker Emma Benestan and a reception in her honor.

On a windy day in Tehran, a woman loses her headscarf on a highway margin and tries to get home without being arrested by the morality police.

A psychological/paranormal horror about a teenager named Lina. Lina has fallen victim to rape and not only is she suffering psychological trauma due to it, she has begun to face an entity that has become drawn to her after the rape.

Jesselyn Silva, a 15-year-old girl from New Jersey, is a 3x national boxing champion. She has her sights set on becoming the best in boxing. Jess's father, Pedro, navigates what it means to support his daughter’s dreams in an extremely dangerous sport. As Jess is on the cusp of making the Olympic team, she faces her toughest battle yet, a cancer diagnosis. JessZilla is a coming-of-age story about what it means to be a champion.

A brash and arrogant man catches a peeping-tom spying on his sister. He vows to take revenge, and discovers something very special about himself along the way.

A stand-up comedian works through a rough patch by trying out her impressions via voicemail. When her boyfriend calls her back, we start to realize just how deep her grief goes.

A young lonely boy lives in a city on the outskirts of Tehran and is interested in helping stray and injured dogs. He meets a young woman who has fled to this city. She has a secret in her life that takes the relationship between them to a different direction.

Mallory and Clay are two estranged siblings who lost touch after their parent's divorce eight years ago. To escape her failing marriage in LA, Mallory heads to her family's lake cabin in Minnesota, only to run into Clay, who has been living there on unemployment. They reconnect over a weekend filled with arguments, laughter, trips down memory lane, and an unexpected crisis. "Loons" is a film about growing up, mending family ties, and just trying not to end up "disappointments."

The search for an authentic life leads an existential bike mechanic to discover the universal truths and transformative powers of love.

Three sibilings gather to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of their mother's disappearance. An unusual dinner where three different theories about what could have happened to her will be unveiled, finding that none of them matches the others. The filming crew, as hired invited guests, will testify to the collective mental construction of this unknown mother, Lucrecia.

A middle-class, non-binary teen feels like an outcast in their new town of rich jocks and beauty queens, until a wishing well and the most popular guy in town offer a view from the top of the social ladder.

A grade-schooler with crippling anxiety, 8 year old Luke reluctantly spends time with his free spirited Aunt Sally. In the midst of arcades, ketchup stains and axe throwing, he learns the powerful lessons of taking risks, making mistakes and dealing with adversity. Like Sally says, “It’s what you do after the bird shits on you that counts.”

A young victim of abuse is left with no options and alienated from her community.

Created through The Acting Gym’s summer independent film program. A rigorous program for young professional and pre-professional artists in the film and entertainment industry. The program provides practical hands-on experience in every aspect of the filmmaking process - acting, writing, design, tech, post-production, etc. Each film is written, acted and crewed by students who work alongside experienced industry professionals.

Raha is a young girl who is eager to learn the mythical dance, Sama, after she sees a dance session in the neighbor's studio. Her father opposes her decision due to rumors about the dance instructor in the neighborhood.

An interracial couple reconnects after 60 years. Robert and Claudette have a chance encounter in a coffee shop, their first meeting since they dated over 60 years ago. As a Black girl and a white boy in 1957, their relationship never had a chance. A re-connection to memory, and discovery of feelings long buried takes them on an emotional journey through their past.

Praise for the film by The New York Short Film Festival:

“Audiences praised the film’s heartfelt tribute to the generations of interracial couples who were not allowed to express their love publicly, and our team was impressed by the its attention to detail in both the modern and period settings and the masterful way that it set up its well-earned emotional twist ending.”

Inspired by the book Underestimated, by Jamie and JB Handley, from Executive Producers Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg and Donnie Wahlberg, the new full-length documentary SPELLERS challenges conventional wisdom regarding a group relegated to society’s margins: nonspeakers with autism, who most “experts” believe are cognitively disabled.

The turkey isn’t the only thing on the chopping block this holiday season. Can outspoken Emelina and her normally unreserved sisters survive an entire Thanksgiving dinner with their belligerent, matriarchal mother? Tune in to find out!

Hannah and her girlfriend Gabi return to Hannah's hometown for a beach weekend, theoretically to relax. But the beach has more waiting for Hannah than just small waves. Shallow Water is a horror film about the memories that lurk in the deep.

A young man misses his train to an important family gathering. On the platform, he meets a strange man who helps him find the next train-station. Along the way, they share stories and learn that sometimes the people you can be the most honest with are those you only cross paths with once.

A heart sick man marries the love of his life...too bad she's already dead!

The sculptor struggles a lot every day to create a new sculpture.
But, the sculpture loses its freedom when it takes shape.

Oysters rely on the ebb and flow of the tide for flavor. Their survival is determined by their farmers, deeply rooted in their tradition and connection to the water. In the nineteenth century, oysters were a plentiful source of protein that was as popular with the affluent as with the everyman in Manhattan’s oyster saloons. When the city grew, the oysters began to disappear, and so did their place as potent water filters in rivers, bays, and estuaries. Through the grit and dedication of oyster farmers, modern aquaculture technology, and efforts to better understand their ecological value, oyster beds are being protected while once depleted regions are being restored.

Two brothers, estranged since they were toddlers reunite in Mexico

Two women discover their inner witch.

A middle-aged man hatches a plan to win the woman of his dreams.

Join us for our Awards Brunch Celebrating this year's outstanding films and filmmakers.