The MATINEE ONE program of the Nitehawk Shorts Festival features nine short films that portray a sense of unity, trust, acceptance and self-discovery punctuated with some genuine humor. Fictional post-apocalypses, real life trauma, and an unwanted houseguest are part of this program featuring animated, documentary, and narrative shorts.

Q&A with filmmakers.

From fictional post-apocalypses to real life trauma, the MATINEE ONE program of the Nitehawk Shorts Festival features nine short films that portray a sense of unity, trust, acceptance and self-discovery punctuated with some genuine humor.

THE TABLES
JON BUNNING / USA / 2017 / DOCUMENTARY / 15 MINS
A look at the powerful connection between a pair of outdoor ping pong tables in the heart of New York City and the unlikely group of people they’ve brought together.

BELONG
STEPHANIE HUTIN / USA / 2017 / EXPERIMENTAL / 9 MINS
What separates feral children from humans is that they don’t “belong” to anything. Neither human nor animal.

THE GARDENER
JOEL FENDELMAN / USA / 2017 / NARRATIVE / 13 MINS
In a time when water and air is overly polluted, an elderly man discovers a way to grow vegetables again and passes on this legacy to a neighborhood kid.

BUGGED
RORY COVEY / USA / 2016 / ANIMATION / 5 MINS
A city couple’s urban tranquility is abruptly shattered by an unwelcome insect guest.

GEMA
KENRICK PRINCE / USA / 2016 / NARRATIVE / 13 MINS
When Gema gets roped into meeting her fiancé’s parents for the first time, she grapples with wanting their approval and facing the truth he’s been keeping from them.

REBUILDING IN MINIATURE
VEENA RAO / TURKEY, USA / 2017 / DOCUMENTARY / 7 MINS
Ali Alamedy, a displaced Iraqi artist, makes incredibly detailed dioramas of places he has read about but has never been.

LEAVING CHARLIE
AMANDA BROOKE AVERY / USA / 2016 / NARRATIVE / 16 MINS
A queer sex worker navigates comical and often dark relationships with her co-workers and customers, while trying to discover her path in life and maintain her sense of self.

CLOUDY ALL DAY
DYLAN PASTURE / USA / 2016 / NARRATIVE / 9 MINS
Two struggling performers have a life changing experience after they accept help from a stranger.

GINA IS A C***T
KATIE SKELTON  / USA / 2016 / NARRATIVE / 2 MINS
Two women discuss their coworker, Gina.