At what point does one arrive — or are we in a constant cycle of arriving? Do we ever truly come of age? The shorts in EXPERIMENTS ON EXISTENCE may just answer your existential questions and will likely leave you with several more.

A Kafkaesque guide to self-discovery, this innovative program provides a space for lamentation and will inspire exploration of body and soul. Here’s your sign to break loose from your material self and uncover something new.

CYCLE ONE
Dir. Serge Garcia, Sweden, 9 min
A drifter wonders the streets as a current of queries invites the viewer to consider daily existence.

AHU’S JOURNAL
Dir. Weeda Nazim, Canada, 8 min
Safiya moves out to a sublet of an acquaintance, Ahu.

WINTER INSECT, SUMMER FLOWER
Dir. Weeda Nazim, Canada, 8 min
A trans woman’s journey through the changing seasons as she breaks away from her physical shell.

MOONCAKE
Dir. Rraine Hanson, USA, 11 min
An experimental meditation on genderqueerness and the blurred lines between influence, desire and obsession.

THE BIRTH OF A BEAUTIFUL BUTCH
Dir. Gia-Rayne Harris, USA, 3 min
On the day of school pictures, Alex has to choose between standards imposed on her or embracing of her authentic self.

CLAUDIA
Dir. Erin Nene-Lee Ramirez, USA, 17 min
A teen from El Salvador takes pole dancing classes.

RIVER FORK
Dir. Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, USA, 11 min
A transgender man is transported into his past by a photograph in his hotel room.

UP UNTIL NOW
Dir. Brandon Kazen-Maddox, Kevin Newbury, Marcus Shields, USA, 11 min
An experimental music video about trauma, transformation, acceptance and mermaids.