« Back to First Look 2021 Screening List
Drama Films:
Clothesline (17:00)
An idle, Arab-American stoner discovers a portal to the memories of his mother's past while doing the laundry chore.
Director
Agazi Desta
Agazi Desta
Writer
Agazi Desta
Agazi Desta
Producer
Rose Chang, Anja Schwarz
Rose Chang, Anja Schwarz
Cinematographer
Sevag Chahinian
Sevag Chahinian
Production Designer
Vanessa Plaza Lazo
Vanessa Plaza Lazo
Editor
Martin Robertson
Martin Robertson
Sound
Ernesto M. Sandoval
Ernesto M. Sandoval
Hurricane (19:25)
As a young girl grapples with her mother's absence, a chance encounter with a woman coping with the loss of her son creates an unlikely friendship.
Director
Jeremy Lee MacKenzie
Jeremy Lee MacKenzie
Writer
Mitchell Graham Colley
Mitchell Graham Colley
Producer
Mitchell Graham Colley, Shardé Miller
Mitchell Graham Colley, Shardé Miller
Cinematographer
Aron Meinhardt
Aron Meinhardt
Production Designer
Carey Eliot Ohlemeyer
Carey Eliot Ohlemeyer
Editor
Alexander Atienza
Alexander Atienza
Sound
Brandyn Johnson, Christopher Garcia
Brandyn Johnson, Christopher Garcia
Last Day (16:18)
Last Day is a surreal meditative short that observes an Eastern European woman as she moves between reality and dreams at the end of her life.
Director
Polina Osen
Polina Osen
Writer
Anna Damaskova
Anna Damaskova
Producer
Anna Damaskova
Anna Damaskova
Cinematographer
Tanmay Chowdhary
Tanmay Chowdhary
Production Designer
Anthony Gaitros
Anthony Gaitros
Editor
Francis Jiaxi Lu
Francis Jiaxi Lu
Sound
Jiashu Li, Ajeng Canyarasmi
Jiashu Li, Ajeng Canyarasmi
Numb (18:24)
An inner city tomboy celebrates her graduation, but when celebrations are marred by tragedy, she is drawn deeper into the violence of her surroundings.
Director
Christopher Beaton
Christopher Beaton
Writer
Christopher Beaton
Christopher Beaton
Producer
Ben Cunis , Kristen Laffey , Zoe Salnave
Ben Cunis , Kristen Laffey , Zoe Salnave
Cinematographer
Juan Sebastian Baron
Juan Sebastian Baron
Production Designer
Alexa Acuna
Alexa Acuna
Editor
Jon Graham
Jon Graham
Rainy Days (13:09)
After learning a popular high school senior plans to kill herself, a rebellious dropout spends the afternoon trying to understand and, along the way, discovers how alike they really are.
Director
Sofija Elena Alekna
Sofija Elena Alekna
Writer
Sophia Mazzella
Sophia Mazzella
Producer
Ryan Vargas
Ryan Vargas
Cinematographer
Tre'len Johnston
Tre'len Johnston
Production Designer
Rita Konopasky
Rita Konopasky
Editor
Alexa Maltese, Abby Boyle
Alexa Maltese, Abby Boyle
Sound
Theo Haber
Theo Haber
Snake Trail (17:19)
Urged to complete the traditional Chinese death ritual as her mother's only daughter, but without the legal documentation to prove her kinship to the woman who gave birth to her—a girl finds herself in an institutional conundrum.
Director
Shicong Zhu
Shicong Zhu
Writer
Shicong Zhu
Shicong Zhu
Producer
Cilin Deng, Yiyi Huang, Qiaochu Mei
Cilin Deng, Yiyi Huang, Qiaochu Mei
Cinematographer
John Du
John Du
Production Designer
Yudi Zhang
Yudi Zhang
Editor
Guangwei Du
Guangwei Du
Sound
CABBA Jiaxuan Cai
CABBA Jiaxuan Cai
Steam! (18:45)
The conductor of a tourist steam train deserts his boyfriend for a night with a dangerous outlaw.
Director
Jeffrey D. Simon
Jeffrey D. Simon
Writer
Jeffrey D. Simon
Jeffrey D. Simon
Producer
David Hemphill , Matthew Andrews
David Hemphill , Matthew Andrews
Cinematographer
Luke Sargent
Luke Sargent
Production Designer
Kseniia Maksimova
Kseniia Maksimova
Editor
Ogechi Echebiri
Ogechi Echebiri
Sound
Kyle J. Miller, Gavin McFarland
Kyle J. Miller, Gavin McFarland
Straw Man (13:46)
At risk of losing the only family he′s ever known during the dustbowl of the 1930′s, a scarecrow must leave his post and journey into town in search of work. But facing the world proves challenging when your face is a burlap sack....
Director
Alex Casimir
Alex Casimir
Writer
John Laverman
John Laverman
Producer
Erik He, Aditya Vempaty
Erik He, Aditya Vempaty
Cinematographer
John Laverman
John Laverman
Production Designer
Nicholas Pudjarminta, Lauren Collette
Nicholas Pudjarminta, Lauren Collette
Editor
Isaac Sanchez
Isaac Sanchez
Sound
Benjamin Baraad
Benjamin Baraad
The Order (14:00)
1949. At the height of the Chinese Civil War, a young soldier is forced to wrestle with his morality when he is ordered to execute a child.
Director
Ryan Zhang
Ryan Zhang
Writer
Erik He
Erik He
Producer
Kevin Maxwell, Akshay Ravi
Kevin Maxwell, Akshay Ravi
Cinematographer
Luke Konopasky
Luke Konopasky
Production Designer
Marco Chiong
Marco Chiong
Editor
Yiwei Pu
Yiwei Pu
Sound
David Arteta, Sebastian Sack
David Arteta, Sebastian Sack