SCHEDULE
Neighborhood House at Christ Church
20 N. American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
12:00 PM Screening
Animation Nation Shorts Program
Inked
Directed & Produced by Victoria Grace Karr
Short Animation | 2 min | English | USA
A biographical/autobiographical film about my first tattoo told from my mother’s perspective.
What They Say About Carmen
Directed by Eve Ferretti, Pedro Mota Teixeira
Written by Eve Ferretti
Short Animation | 2.5 min | English, Portuguese | Portugal
The story of a 10-year-old girl who was born without arms. This narrative, coming from someone who never knew Carmen, adopts a memorial tone that contrasts with the animated image, revealing the true essence of the protagonist.
The Tale of Mari
Directed by Anya Vaughn
Short Animation | 6.5 min | English | USA
Mari, an elderly Japanese woman, recounts her experiences growing up in Okinawa, moving to America, and attempting to become a newspaper cartoonist.
Each Day Feels the Same
Directed, Written & Produced by Lisa Reinerth
Short Animation | 4 min | English | Germany
A quiet, emotional music video about life with ME/CFS – a neurological illness that traps millions in exhaustion and stillness. Often triggered by viral infections – like Covid. This original song tells of darkness and repetition – and the quiet return of strength.
Flocky
Directed, Written & Produced by Esther Casas Roura
Short Animation | 12 min | Spain
FLOCKY is an animated allegory navigating pregnancy, exploring the connection between a mother and her unborn child. Set in a melancholic and enchanting world, the film beautifully captures the essence of love, and the poignant nature of loss.
Heist Gone Wrong
Created by Makenzie O’Malley
Short Animation | 2 min | English | USA
A thief looks to make a profit by breaking into a castle and stealing a valuable amulet. Little does she know how powerful that amulet can be.
Two One Two
Directed by Shira Avni
Short Animation | 4 min | English | Canada
An experimental animated documentary love letter to motherhood, parenting on the spectrum, and two headed monsters everywhere.
Memories of the Little Pond
Directed, Written & Animated by Yeon Choi
6 min | English, Korean | USA
Memories of the Little Pond is an exploration of the pain and sorrow experienced by those who lost loved ones and homes during the Korean War.
Disabled: A Love Story
Directed by Sheila M. Sofian
Short Animation | 13 min | English | USA
”Disabled” is an animated documentary that explores the relationship and struggles of Terry, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and her husband Jon, who has cared for her since her diagnosis.
2:00 PM Screening
Complicit: Observations from the 57th Floor
Complicit: Observations from the 57th Floor
Directed & Produced by Millicent Cho
Feature Narrative | 82 min | English | USA
Complicit: Observations from the 57th Floor is a one woman, riveting performance by Evangelia Kingsley who takes us into the life of a world-weary legal secretary who finds herself a fly on the corporate wall to destructive societal shifts and corrosive events that leave her stricken with guilt and moral doubt.
4:00 PM Screening
Sorority Story
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Voices of Tomorrow
Sorority Story
Directed & Produced by Kathryn Smith Pyle
Feature Documentary | 70 min | English | USA
In 1966 the filmmaker, Kathryn Smith Pyle, was in a sorority at a college in Pennsylvania when the chapter secretly denied membership to a Black woman. Kathryn quit the sorority but never spoke out; she’s been haunted by her silence ever since. Inspired by the Alabama whistleblowers, she sets off to find out how this discrimination can still be happening — 50 years after the civil rights movement banned segregation. With women young and older, Black and white, witnesses and activists, Kathryn uncovers a hidden history, including her own family’s participation in structural racism.
Voices of Tomorrow
Directed & Produced by Lena Popilieva
Short Documentary | 12.5 min | English | USA
In a hyperpolarized society, Voices of Tomorrow highlights the work educators in America are doing with students to restore civic culture.
6:00 PM Screening
Spicey Girls Shorts Program
The Heist
Directed, Written & Produced by Koura Linda
Short Narrative | 7 min | English | USA
Overwhelmed, Lilly is struggling under the weight of her hospital bills, but her BFF, Star, has a brilliant plan: pull off a heist worth millions of dollars, despite Star being Deaf and Lilly being an occasional wheelchair user with mixed mobility levels and limited spoons (energy levels). Hilarity ensues! Created for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge 2024 by cast and crew with disabilities and allies of the disabled film community.
Better Fate Than Never
Directed by Isabella Blake -Thomas
Short Narrative | 10.5 min | English | USA
When a 50 something LA Magazine writer is forced to pivot or quit, fate rewrites her story with an unexpected twist.
Derailed
Directed by Naaji Sky Adzimah
Short Narrative | 5 min | English | USA
Isabelle’s third date with Jason goes from promising to disastrous in Astoria, where recent subway renovations cost millions of tax dollars but kept the stations inaccessible.
Boezemkring
Directed by Ayla van Kessel
Short Narrative | 20 min | Dutch | Netherlands
As brand new president, Bo puts her best foot forward at the reunion dinner of Cybele, the sorority founded by her grandmother in 1967 for women’s freedom and equal rights. The moment Bo’s best friend and fellow board member appears in a compromising video, casting Cybele in a bad light, Bo asks her to stay away from the reunion. Not very sisterly.
Jules
Directed, Written & Produced by Tiffany M. Abney
Short Narrative | 20 min | English | USA
Jules is in a relationship with Clutch, an ex-motocross racer whose career ended prematurely due to an injury during a pivotal race. As a result of Clutch’s injury, he has forbidden Jules to continue riding motocross. Jules meets Rome, an attractive racer with a newfound relentless affinity towards Jules. What’s a woman to do?
Unlikely Mermaid
Directed, Written & Produced by Lorraine Portman
Short Documentary | 18 min | English | USA
Two Mermaid wannabes audition to be performers at Weeki Wachee, the Florida roadside tourist attraction that is older than Disney World. Lorraine, obsessed with mermaids, invites Peggy, 79, to travel with her to audition after they practice underwater ballet. We deep dive into vintage footage, learning what it takes to audition to be a world famous mermaid while getting to know Peggy and Lorraine. It’s never too late to dream or drown trying.
8:00 PM Screening
20 Pounds to Happiness
20 Pounds to Happiness
Directed by Yelyna De León
Feature Narrative | 100 min | English | USA
20 Pounds to Happiness stars Yelyna De León as “Caridad Alonso” a a full figured Latina who joins a Real Women Have Curves Support Group to cope with her critical mother. Caridad must decide whether to get gastric bypass surgery with her renegade friends from the support group or risk losing the man of her dreams who wants her to keep her curves in this socially relevant, empowering and timely film with heart. From the director, “ With social media being such a large part of our lives, the message for women to love their bodies and themselves is even more urgent and important than ever. As a Latina actor with curves I constantly experience how women’s bodies are regularly policed by outside opinions. This film is a statement that comes from our soul and a message that all women need to hear and be reminded of.
“If you obey all the rules,
you miss all the fun.”
Katherine Hepburn
Actor
thewomensfilmfestival.org 