Filmmakers Roundtable II

Join TWFF for an exciting panel of filmmakers for a roundtable discussion and Q&A about their collective experience in the film and television industries.

Macula

Directed & Written by Mariana X. Rivera
Short Documentary | 25 min | Spanish | Mexico

Sonia’s gradual vision loss becomes the filmographic allegory that allows her daughter to make a journey to unveil the events that had been kept in silence until then, and that had eclipsed the primeval memories of her gestation and birth.

Ikigai

Directed & Produced by Marina Waltz
Music Video | 3.5 min | English | United Kingdom

Drawing on her background as a curator of contemporary art, Marina makes dark, surrealistic short films which playfully explore questions around conformism and dystopia.

Shucking Tradition

Directed & Produced by David Helfer Wells
Short Documentary | 18.5 min | English | USA

A testament to the resilience of forward-thinking New England women. They are not just working hard, but also proving themselves in their region’s age-old oyster farming. Their new energy and perspectives are reshaping a tradition-bound, male-dominated maritime industry, inspiring us all.

Someone You Know

Directed by Asha Dahya
Short Documentary | 20 min | English | USA

Today in America, approximately 1 in 4 women will have an abortion before the age of 45. Trans men and nonbinary people have abortions too, though their experiences are rarely reflected in statistics. 

51st State

Directed by Hannah Rosenzweig
Short Documentary | 27 min | English | USA

51st State is a short film that explores the emerging national issue of D.C. statehood from the personal perspective of one of its youngest and most vibrant Gen Z leaders – set against the overlooked cultural backdrop of our capital city and a deep yet virtually unknown crack in our democracy.

Bridge

Directed by Tara Aghdashloo
Short Narrative | 16 min | English | United Kingdom

A young receptionist working at a healthcare practice, grapples with heartbreak, motherhood and a crumbling healthcare system. Locked into a disconnected routine, when she picks up the phone to a mum struggling with anxiety (Kirsty), they discover a shared past and form an unlikely bond.

Headbang

Directed & Written by Anna Khaja
Short Narrative | 14.25 min | USA

Two different young women, Leila, from secular background, and Amara, from a religious one. Headbang explores the complex power of the hijab, and how a seemingly simple piece of cloth embodies both what the wearer imbues it with and what society projects onto to it.

The Swallows

Directed, Written & Produced by Virginie Claude
Short Narrative | 2.5 min | French | France

A woman exhausted with the demands on her life gets stopped in the street by a girl who asks, Are you who you wanted to be when you grew up?

Darling

Directed & Produced by Finola Hughes
Short Narrative | 15 min | English | USA

After months of suspicion, Fiona follows her husband to a seedy motel and confronts Liza, the sex worker he’s seeing. Accepting an invitation from Liza to enter the motel room, Fiona learns that her husband goes there to talk about their dead daughter. This short film is directed by Finola Hughes from “General Hospital”.

Saverio

Directed & Written by Ellen Ancui
Short Narrative | 13.5 min | English | USA

When a young woman desperate to get to an important networking opportunity finds a senior with the beginnings of dementia abandoned in her car, she must grapple with an unsupportive system and her own priorities.

Loose Strands

Directed & Written by Panayiota Panteli
Short Narrative | 16.5 min | English | United Kingdom

A young Greek woman goes to visit her mother in a mental health facility. The mother is wearing the traditional black of mourning but the daughter opens her closet to bring out her old colorful clothes and they do a sewing project that helps them connect.

Know Her Name

Directed, Written & Produced by Zainab Muse
Feature Documentary | 90 min | English | Canada

Know Her Name is a mystery documentary that delves into the legacy of filmmakers and uncovers the story of why women, especially women from underrepresented communities like Zora Neale Hurston and Esther Eng, have been forgotten in discussions of film.