Stories of cultural identity, a subcultural legend, meaningful and surprising connection with others, and personal sacrifice comprise the eight short films in the Nitehawk Shorts Festival MATINEE TWO program.

Q&A WITH FILMMAKERS
PROGRAM

CUBA SCALDS HIS HAND
ABBY SUN & DANIEL GARBER / U.S.A. / 2019 / DOCUMENTARY / 4 MIN / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Behind the scenes of the annual high school rodeo championship, Naudy Exposito, a.k.a. “Cuba,” feeds the bucking horses and bulls. When an accident befalls him, he does what cowboys do best: work through the pain.

NO FORKS IN THE ROAD
JESSICA LE / U.S.A. / 2019 / DRAMA / 9 MIN / NEW YORK PREMIERE
At a rest stop, May’s newly-found friendship with a stranger leaves her at a crossroads with her cultural identity.

MAMI
ALESSANDRA LACORAZZA / U.S.A. / 2018 / DRAMA / ENGLISH & SPANISH WITH SUBTITLES / 11 MIN / BROOKLYN PREMIERE
An overburdened daughter decides to abandon her obligations, sealing her depressed mother’s fate.

A YEAR
JISUN JAMIE KIM / U.S.A. / 2019 / DRAMA / NEPALI WITH SUBTITLES / 14 MIN
A Himalayan village woman yearns to provide a better life for her young daughters. But the only possible option she sees is surrogacy – a choice that will explode her domestic tranquility and become a searing dilemma.

THE MAGNITUDINOUS ILLUMINOUS
MAYA TIPPETT & RACHEL MILLS / U.S.A. / 2018 / DOCUMENTARY / 12 MIN
In between pouring shots at the bowling alley where he works, 66-year-old Pete Napolitano has been developing metaphysical theories. Pull up a stool to Pete’s “Table of Honor” and soak in his elucidations on how to live a creative life.

JAZZ IN WAKANDA
DJAKA SOUARE / U.S.A. / 2018 / DRAMA / 10 MIN
An otherwise uneventful day for Julie takes a more serious turn when her daughter, Jazz, starts to ask profound questions about slavery, and what she’s learned at school.

BLACKOUT
SOFIA BONAMI / U.S.A. / 2019 / DRAMA / 13 MIN / WORLD PREMIERE
A power outage in a prison classroom temporarily suspends the teacher and inmates in a reality with no barriers.

SPARE PARTS
EMILY KAPLAN / U.S.A. / 2018 / WESTERN, DRAMA / 18 MIN / NEW YORK PREMIERE
A small time hustler spots a vulnerable woman in a truck-stop town on the edge of nowhere. What seems like an easy hit becomes more complicated when unexpected tenderness develops.