SCHEDULE
Neighborhood House at Christ Church
20 N. American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
12:00 PM Screening
Gina
Gina
Directed & Written by Ulrike Kofler
Feature Narrative | 98 min | German | Austria
In this beautifully acted film, Emma Lotta Simmer stars as Gina, a precocious nine-year-old who not only takes care of her little brothers but also her pregnant mother Gitte in a rundown rental house on the outskirts of town. Gina fights against hopelessness, neglect, and the child welfare office, for the baby in her mother’s belly and for herself. A female three-generation drama told through the eyes of a child who refuses to let fate dictate her future.
2:00 PM Screening
Love Me, Love Me Not
Love Me, Love Me Not
Directed & Written by Leila Sahir
Feature Narrative | 80 min | Dutch | Netherlands
Love Me, Love Me Not is a witty coming-of-age dramedy about Ines, a 27-year-old poet who navigates life with her unfiltered erotica and sharp humor. She lives with her best friend Maha, a stable counterpart in their dynamic friendship. Ines lives for the night, literature, and fleeting sexual encounters, with her poems mostly focusing on the freedom of her escapades. From the director: “In the current film climate, there is a significant lack of media that provides a realistic portrayal of sexual abuse and its potential consequences. In over 80% of women with a sex addiction, the cause lies in a history of sexual abuse. That is why I deliberately chose to make the main character, Ines, an independent, funny woman with a strong need for fleeting sexual encounters, who has buried her trauma deeply and does not recognize it as trauma.
4:00 PM Screening
Philly Philms Shorts Program II
Demons Against Death Club
Directed, Written & Produced by Sarah Scarborough
Short Narrative | 11 min | English | USA
Sick of killing humans, a team of demons meet to discuss ways they can rebel against the demon world to disrupt the balance of good and evil.
A Stupid Man
Directed by Amy Frear
Short Narrative | 8.5 min | English | USA
Owen wants his ex-girlfriend back but he needs his best friend Milly’s help. Will she come through or does she have other ideas?
In Quiet Company
Directed and Written by Asha Bagal Kelly
Short Narrative | 5.75 min | English | USA
In a secluded lakeside haven, a grieving woman finds solace in a mysterious penpal.
Madame Saito:
75 Years of Flavor
Directed by Phuong Kim Nguyen and Madame Saito
Short Documentary | 9 min | English | USA
Madame Saito: 75 Years of Flavor invites you into the heart of Philadelphia’s culinary legacy, tracing the extraordinary journey of Madame Saito—a revered sushi chef and the inventor of the Philadelphia sushi roll, whose career has shaped both the city’s palate and spirit. Through graceful imagery and heartfelt storytelling, it captures how one woman transformed sushi into a cultural bridge across generations and brings joy to sushi lovers around the world.
Becoming Parents
Directed & Produced by Dana Wiker
Short Documentary | 3 min | English | USA
Becoming parents is about exploring a brand new territory. In three minutes, my husband and I explore the ups and downs of bringing a child into the world. This is really about getting to experience the world through a new lens.
Mamas
Directed by Melanie Silva
Short Documentary | 14.75 min | English | USA
The film showcases the various dimensions of becoming a mother and normalizes the realistic early motherhood experience through stories told by real women. Every motherhood journey is unique, yet universal.
Lyz
Directed and Written by Darnell Brown
Short Narrative | 10.5 min | English | USA
A fresh, off-beat dramedy that follows a passionate mental health worker as she struggles to balance her uniquely challenging job with keeping a promise to her daughter. Inspired by the writer/director’s experience as a former mental health professional.
6:00 PM Screening
The Sh*t We Deal With Shorts Program
Lineage
Directed, Written & Produced by Michelle West
Short Narrative | 24 min | English | USA
Based on a true story set in 1933, 13-year-old Betty discovers a mysterious secret in her family’s decrepit home, it’s a fetus hidden in a trunk. She soon realizes it’s tied to a painful history, and it’s up to her to create the healing the women in her family so desperately need.
A Mother’s Promise
Directed and Produced by Heather Waters
Short Narrative | 13.25 min | English | USA
This period drama is based on the true-life story of Vivian Gordon: an aspiring singer in 1920s New York City who, after being framed and falsely imprisoned on prostitution charges, launches a combination escort service and extortion racket to fund the fight to regain custody of her daughter.
Alexas from Texas
Directed by Lizzy Joseph
Short Narrative | 6.75 min | English | USA
A woman gets a visit from a small town sheriff who explains that the DA has been tracking her movements when her Alexa indicated that she was pregnant.
Routine Questions
Directed, Written & Produced by Joya Joseph
Directed and Produced by Melissa Lozoff
Short Narrative | 4.25 min | English | USA
A man is robbed and the two female cops who show up to take his report ask questionable questions that many women will be familiar with.
When Darkness Grows
Directed by Naomi Plasterer
Short Animation | 2 min | English | USA
Where bad people go, cancer grows.
Measurements
Directed, Written & Produced by Marta Capossela
Short Narrative | 20 min | Italian | Italy
A couple’s drama unfolds in the claustrophobic rooms of their small flat. He measures her every movement and so much more.
Rosalie
Directed, Written & Produced by Erin McGuff-Pennington
Short Narrative | 20 min | English | USA
An unplanned pregnancy leaves an overwhelmed mother of four determined to end it — and her infertile best friend determined to stop her.
Music to Her Ears
Directed, Written & Produced by Noémi Santo
Short Narrative | 10 min | English | USA
Desperate to pay rent, Emily, a broke, rookie videographer, must outmaneuver a stingy music producer’s attempts to stonewall her.
8:00 PM Screening
Mikoko
Mikoko
Directed by Angela Aquereburu
Feature Narrative | 101 min | French, Other | Togo
When Déla Otimi, a shop owner at the Mikoko market for more than twenty years, complains to her husband – Apollinaire, the Mayor of their town – about the many problems that plague the market, her husband announces that the shop owners’ complaints have been heard and that the market will finally be renovated. She and the other shop owners are ecstatic, but the euphoria soon fades when Déla discovers that Apollinaire has no plans to renovate the market, but rather to replace it with a shopping mall. To protect what she holds dear, Déla is prepared to do anything, even if it means becoming her own husband’s rival for mayor in the upcoming elections!
“If you obey all the rules,
you miss all the fun.”
Katherine Hepburn
Actor
thewomensfilmfestival.org 