In partnership with Nitehawk Cinema, The Gotham is proud to present its third annual Shorts-to-Features Showcase. Seven short films will be shown in their entirety for Film Lovers, Filmmakers and Industry. The slate includes shorts that have premiered at major festivals, including Spirit Week, a multi-award-winning short, and Alex Heller’s Debaters, featuring J. Smith-Cameron and Kenneth Lonergan, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Debaters, Comedy/Drama – 10 minutes
In a debate chamber, affluent high schoolers argue a bill on minimum wage in an effort to impress two working-class adult judges.

No es mi nombre (Not My Name), Drama/Thriller – 19 mins
As Colombia descends into insurgent warfare, a family must travel on a perilous road to visit their ailing grandfather. Their fear of kidnapping forces them to rely on their youngest child to conceal their fake identities, exposing him to the reality of war.

Friends of Sophia, Sci-fi, LGBTQ – 24 mins
In a dystopian future, a lonely young man risks everything to escape oppressive vice agents with the android he loves — but he’ll need the help of a renegade group known as the Friends of Sophia.

Güero & Prieto, Coming of age – 13 mins
Mexico / Miami 2010. Seeking true independence from his family’s expectations, an immature Mexican teenager flees to Miami, only to realize he has no idea how to survive on his own. He finds an unlikely lifeline in a street-smart, undocumented Mexican immigrant from a radically different background, sparking a poignant brotherhood that teaches him the real meaning of hard work.

Balloon (Project Market Title: Spirit Week), Drama / Supernatural Thriller – 16 mins
For teenager Sam, surviving high school means staying below radar. But that becomes impossible after he becomes the target of a vicious viral video. He’s pressured to “hit back,” but Sam isn’t so sure—even if he does have superpowers.

Vital, Drama – 15 mins
A mother in Iran, considers selling her organs to save her daughter, while in the United States, a doctor faces ethical dilemmas to save his daughter, revealing the complexities of organ trade.

Daughter of the Sea (Project Market Title: La Casa de Luz), Drama – 19 mins
After the death of her grandfather, a young woman experiences a spiritual awakening when she is called by Yemaya, the Orisha Goddess of the Sea.