Starring: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Daniel Kaluuya, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall

From Academy Award-winning director Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”) and co-writer and bestselling author Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”) comes a blistering, modern-day thriller set against the backdrop of crime, passion and corruption.

WIDOWS is the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica, Alice, Linda and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.

Starring: Elina Löwensohn, Stéphane Ferrara, Bernie Bonvoisin

From award-winning documentary filmmaker E. Chai Vasarhelyi (MERU) and world-renowned photographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin comes National Geographic Documentary Film’s FREE SOLO, a stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of the free soloist climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock… the 3,000ft El Capitan in Yosemite National Park… without a rope.

Celebrated as one of the greatest athletic feats of any kind, Honnold’s climb set the ultimate standard: perfection or death. Succeeding in this challenge, Honnold enters his story in the annals of human achievement. FREE SOLO is both an edge-of-your seat thriller and an inspiring portrait of an athlete who exceeded our current understanding of human physical and mental potential. The result is a triumph of the human spirit.

November 5 at 5pm
Held in Nitehawk’s Lo-Res Bar
FREE, RSVP to shorts@nitehawkcinema.com

This workshop is Seed&Spark’s dedication to connecting creators with their audiences. Identifying, and then enthusiastically engaging, your supporters is essential to a career of successfully funding and distributing your films. That’s why in this class, you’ll learn how to find and engage your fans, run an effective crowdfunding campaign, and then distribute your film—all while preparing you to make your next film. Because after all, this class isn’t about crowdfunding: it’s about career building.

Seed&Spark is the world’s only streaming and crowdfunding destination, supporting inclusive films and film-related projects with funding, audience building, and distribution.

MUSIC RIGHTS IN FILMMAKING WITH THE VOLUNTEER LAWYERS FOR THE ARTS
FREE for NSF18 filmmakers, $25 for students, $35 all others

Securing permission for the use of music in film can feel daunting. This class will provide an overview of music copyrights, including ownership and fair use, and explain the basics of music clearances for the use of music in film.

Established in 1969, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA) is the leading legal aid and education organization dedicated to New York artists and its arts and cultural organizations (ACOs). VLA strives to protect the artistic community’s livelihoods, businesses, and creative works through access to dedicated legal representation and focused education programs.

Presented by NSF sponsor, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

The Nitehawk Shorts Festival’s MATINEE TWO screening includes eight films that imbue life and death as explored in stories about finite mortality, complex relationships, and exceeding expectations in an oppressive world. Q&A with filmmakers.

ODE TO JOY
MICHAEL KOSHKIN / U.S.A. / 2018 / DOCUMENTARY / 12 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
The elderly residents of a Houston retirement home make the best of their remaining days by playing in a kazoo band.

I WAS IN YOUR BLOOD
JOSEPH SACKETT / U.S.A. / 2017 / DRAMA / 7 1/2 MINS
A young boy falls in love with his babysitter.

AMAZING BAGEL
DARA KATZ AND BETSY KENNEY / U.S.A. / 2018 / COMEDY / 15 MINS / WORLD PREMIERE
When Devin, a single, 30-year-old woman learns—unbeknownst to her—she’s had a miscarriage, like everything else in her life, she’s not sure how to feel about it.

KENT STAYS IN THE WOODS
JACKSON DEVEREUX / AUSTRALIA, U.S.A. / 2018 / DOCUMENTARY / 1 1/2 MINS
A portrait of a life in rural America following an amiable cab driver in Central Maine who lives alone in a trailer in the woods.

SOTHEA
KATE-MARIE ENGBERG / CAMBODIA / 2017 / DRAMA / 15 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
When Sothea witnesses corruption at work, she has to decide morally and financially how to proceed.

A GIRL
C. CRAIG PATTERSON / U.S.A. / 2018 / DRAMA / 7 MINS
The Carroll brothers are at odds. Their father wants to get to the bottom of it.

LOLA: GIRL GOT A GUN
EMILY ELIZABETH THOMAS / U.S.A. / 2017 / DRAMA / 15 MINS
A young girl searches for purpose and belonging in a conservative West Texas household.

THE GOSPEL
A.V. ROCKWELL / U.S.A. / 2016 / DRAMA / 20 MINS
A music-driven short film presented as a visual prelude to Alicia Keys’ sixth studio album, HERE.

The MATINEE ONE screening at the Nitehawk Shorts Festival features eight films that explore the encouragement of imagination, pursued ambition, and the struggles in life that are both personal and culture. Q&A with filmmakers.

OKAASAN (MOM)
KANA HATAKEYAMA / JAPAN, U.S. / 2018 / DRAMA / 18 MINS
In rural Japan, a mother and daughter attempt to reconnect after dealing with the loss of a loved one the previous year.

LIFE’S A BIQTCH
JOHN E. KILBERG / U.S.A. / 2018 / DOCUMENTARY / 12 MINS
Biqtch Puddin’ shares her views of living the nightlife as a professional and affecting the community by way of drag through her inspiring perspective.

WHAT I WISH YOU SAID
TIFFANY FRANCES / U.S.A. / 2018 / DRAMA / 9 MINS / WORLD PREMIERE
In present day Brooklyn, a young woman and man on a date unexpectedly experience a manifestation from her traumatic past.

ON MY WAY
MARY DAUTERMAN / U.S.A. / 2018 / COMEDY / 1 1/2 MINS
When you’re on the way but you’re a liar! A comedy about not wanting to leave the house.

COMPANY
DORON MAX HAGAY / U.S.A. / 2018 / COMEDY / 13 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
A woman invites her former ceramics instructor to live with her after her husband’s disappearance.

SPACE GIRLS
CARYS WATFORD / UK / 2018 / DRAMA / 10 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Four 9-year-old girls obsessed with space embark on a secret mission in their cardboard rocket.

EDGECOMBE
CRYSTAL KAYIZA / U.S.A. / 2018 / DOCUMENTARY / 15 MINS
An examination of the ways trauma repeats and reinvents itself in rural Black communities revealing the deeply personal truths of three local residents.

I TURN TO JELLO
ANDREW T. BETZER / U.S.A. / 2016 / COMEDY / 15 MINS
A metropolitan nightmare unfurls as a nervous cellist cracks under pressure at an audition—and again, and again, and…

INTRO WITH FILMMAKERS.
DUST is teaming up with Nitehawk to deliver an evening of some of the best sci-fi content the Nitehawk Shorts Festival has ever seen. The first-ever Sci-Fi Midnite presentation will include various popular short films from the DUST catalog, as well as works submitted specially for the event from a variety of filmmakers. Audiences will enjoy films that range from traditional science fiction to groundbreaking genre content. Introduction with filmmakers.

HOME GROWN
WILLIAM REYNISH / DENMARK / 2018 / ANIMATION / 20 MINS / WORLD PREMIERE
Set after a nuclear accident, this short explores leaving the past behind, and accepting that nature finds a way.

BAD PETER
ZACH STRAUSS / U.S.A. / 2018 / 9 MINS
An expecting mother is forced into a humiliating birthing regimen by her personal automated assistant who thinks it knows what’s best for her and her unborn child.

TERMINALLY HAPPY
ADINA ISTRATE / UNITED KINGDOM / 2018 / 12 MINS
In order to remember, you first need to forget.

OVUM
CIDNEY HUE / U.S.A. / 2018 / 8 MINS
In the near future, a woman must make a hard choice after a mind bending medical procedure.

EDEN
KRISTIAN BAKSTAD / CANADA / 2018 / 14 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
A scavenger discovers a valuable artifact deep within an abandoned facility on a desolate planet. Hoping for a big payout, he ventures inside, only to find something much more sinister.

AFTER HER
ALY MIGLIORI / U.S.A. / 2018 / 14 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
A wayward teenager goes missing and her friend is haunted by her disappearance. An atmospheric sci-fi short about the archetypal lost girl.

FINAL OFFER
MARK SLUTSKY / U.S.A. / 2018 / 12 MINS / WORLD PREMIERE
A down-on-his-luck lawyer awakes in a doorless room to find he’s been selected to negotiate on behalf of the human race.

ABOUT DUST: DUST, a division of global content studio Gunpowder & Sky, is the first premium sci-fi entertainment brand that reaches fans across all platforms, giving voice to emerging and established filmmakers. DUST presents thought-provoking science fiction content to its legion of more than 2M fans across all platforms, exploring the future of humanity through the lens of science and technology. From timeless to cutting-edge movies, series and short films, DUST acquires, produces and distributes content from established and emerging filmmaking voices. DUST will have its first theatrical release this November with PROSPECT, starring Pedro Pascal (Narcos, Game of Thrones).

The Nitehawk Shorts Festival MIDNITE screening presents the most innovative new voices in genre filmmaking; now at a reasonable hour. This program presents seven films that explore the beautiful horror found in sacrifice and revenge with a particular focus on the female experience. Q&A with filmmakers.

Organized by Caryn Coleman and Sam Zimmerman.

CATCALLS
KATE DOLAN / IRELAND / 2017 / 9 MINS
A predatory man flashes two women before returning to his suburban existence, only to find he’s been pursued by something terrifying and vicious.

RAPE CARD
MADELEINE SIMS-FEWER AND NATHAN HUGHES-BERRY / CANADA, UK  / 2018 / DRAMA, FANTASY / 15 MINS / U.S. PREMIERE
A cautionary tale set in a chilling dystopian future where rape is legal.

PUPPET MASTER
HANNA BERGHOLM / FINLAND / 2018 / DRAMA, FANTASY / 15 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
A lonely woman, yearning to be caressed, allows a man to transform her into a puppet. But when the man loses his interest, the puppet won`t let go.

DULCE HOGAR (SWEET TOOTH)
GIOVANA OLMOS / MEXICO / 2018 / FANTASY / 9 1/2 MINS / U.S. PREMIERE
In a rundown centennial building in the heart of Mexico City,  Susana, the doorkeeper, prepares to collect one tooth per apartment: the monthly rent.

EL CUCO IS HUNGRY
DANIEL GARCIA / U.S.A. / 2018 / HORROR / 13 1/2 MINS
A modern interpretation of the Latin American folktale about a dark, shapeless monster that appears out of nowhere to kidnap and eat children who disobey their parents and don’t fall asleep.

GOODBYE OLD FRIEND
RAFAEL DE LEON JR. / U.S.A. / 2018 / HORROR / 6 MINS
A young woman is trapped in her apartment by her childhood imaginary friend, who has come back to haunt her.

DEVIL WOMAN
HEIDI LEE DOUGLAS / AUSTRALIA / 2018 / 12 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
In the wild forests of Tasmania, battle lines are drawn between loggers and environmental activists.

PETITE AVARIE
LEO HARDT AND MANON ALIROL / FRANCE / 2018 / COMEDY / 20 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Laura is scared. Laura is sick. But Sylvain, her lover, is here to help. Really? A furious, cruel and funny movie.

The 2018 Nitehawk Shorts Festival MUSIC DRIVEN program offers a series of short form documentaries that highlights music as vehicle for change, and follows individuals who use this power to overcome emotional, social and economic obstacles. Q&A WITH FILMMAKERS.

Organized by John Woods, Liz Zimiles, and Kris King.

BIG ELVIS
PAUL STONE / U.S.A. / 2018 / DOCUMENTARY / 12 MINS
A 960-pound Elvis impersonator becomes convinced he is Elvis Presley’s secret love child.

BIRTH OF AFROBEAT
OPIYO OKEYO / U.S.A. / 2018 / DOCUMENTARY / 7 MINS / DCP / NEW YORK PREMIERE
This hybrid short follows drum legend Tony Allen as he recounts his contribution to the birth of Africa’s most exported music genre–Afrobeat.

CRIME CUTZ
BEN FRIES AND ALDEN NUSSER / U.S.A. / 2017 / DOCUMENTARY / 17 MINS
A documentary that profiles four New Yorkers to the soundtrack of Holy Ghost!’s Crime Cutz EP.

BIG PARADISE
JP OLSEN AND KRISTEN NUTILE / U.S.A. / 2017 / DOCUMENTARY / 10 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Introducing audiences to the musical force, Robert Kidney, for the first time.

BOSS BITCH
WINONA REGAN / U.S.A. / 2016 / COMEDY / 2 MINS
A mom, a judge, and a firefighter each battle sexism in this animated music video created by Winona Regan.

MARIE’S CRISIS
MICHAEL VECCHIO / U.S.A. / 2018 / LGBTQ / 10 MINS / BROOKLYN PREMIERE
A documentary that explores how a West Village piano bar from 1967 continues to be a home for misfits, musical theatre lovers and tourists alike.

PA’LANTE
KRISTIAN MERCADO FIGUEROA / PUERTO RICO, U.S.A. / 2017 / DRAMA / 8 1/2 MINS
The story of an estranged working class Puerto Rican family trying to reconnect in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND PLAYED AT MY HIGH SCHOOL
ANTHONY JANNELLI AND ROBERT PIETRI / U.S.A. / 2017 / ANIMATION, DOCUMENTARY / 7 1/2 mins
An animated short about the Velvet Underground’s first gig in 1965 in front of a crowd of shocked kids at a suburban New Jersey High School.