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.

The nine short films in the OPENING NITE screening of the Nitehawk Shorts Festival address the dynamics of family, shining in the face of adversity, and attempting to make meaningful connections. New York stories punctuate this program. Includes Q&A with filmmakers.

Join us afterwards for the official OPENING NITE PARTY at Nitehawk’s Lo-Res Bar. Featuring cocktails by New York Distilling and beer by Brooklyn Brewery!

KIM BUSH’S ABDUCTION
COURTNEY BUSH, WILL CARINGTON, JAKE GOICOECHEA / U.S.A. / 2017 / COMEDY / 9 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Everyone freaks out at a Christmas party when Kim goes missing.

MONSTER
JAKE KOLTON / U.S.A. / 2017 / COMEDY, DRAMA / 5 MINS / WORLD PREMIERE
A stay-at-home mom experiences an unexpected upheaval during her daily routine.

9AT38
CATHERINE LEE / SOUTH KOREA, U.S.A. / 2017 / DOCUMENTARY / 18 MINS
A Juilliard-trained violinist is unwavering in his pursuit of harmony by North and South Korean musicians straddling their heavily militarized border

86’D
ALAN PALOMO / U.S.A. / 2018 / COMEDY, DRAMA / 12 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Four seedy stories transpire over the course of one late-night order at 24-hour deli.

THE MORNING AFTER
LAUREN MINNERATH / U.S.A. / 2017 / DRAMA / 14 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Family tensions erupt the morning after the 2016 U.S. Presidential election.

LOW ROAD
ELEANOR WILSON / U.S.A. / 2018 / DRAMA / 91/2 MINS / WORLD PREMIERE
A tense slow burning thriller about a woman consumed by the image of her husband’s affair.

MARIA EL DIABLO (MARIA THE DEVIL)
JUSTICE NNANNA / PUERTO RICO, U.S.A. / 2018 / DOCUMENTARY / 5 MINS / WORLD PREMIERE
The story of Cucha, a 79 year-old artisan mask maker from Playa de Ponce, Puerto Rico.

SPELL OF THE WEST
SAME LANE / U.S.A. / 2018 / ANIMATION, WESTERN / 7 MINS
On an isolated cacti farm, three stressed out birds ask a cowgirl to help put a stop to the elusive Ax-Man.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARSHA!
TOURMALINE AND SASHA WORTZEL / U.S.A. / 2018 / DRAMA / 14 MINS
Commemorating Black transgender activist and performer Marsha “Pay It No Mind” Johnson and her role in instigating the 1969 anti-policing riots at the Stonewall Inn.

Starring: Gordon Heath, Maurice Denham

The British animated adaptation by Halas & Batchelor of the George Orwell classic. A successful farmyard revolution by the resident animals vs. the farmer goes horribly wrong as the victors create a new tyranny among themselves. Though it features Disney-like animal animation, this British adaptation is of a decidedly bleaker subject matter.

The nine shorts in the CLOSING NITE screening at the Nitehawk Shorts Festival highlight bonded families, searching for a sense of belonging, and the effects of media on individuals. Q&A with filmmakers.

LIKE GLASS
ANDREW K. MEYER / U.S.A. / 2017 / DRAMA / 20 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
A club kid grappling with their identity finds liberation in NYC nightlife, while haunted by the pressures of societal norms.

MAMMA, MAMMA
JOSE FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ / PUERTO RICO, U.S.A. / 2018 / DOCUMENTARY, HYBRID / 9 MINS
A son films his middle-aged mother as she undertakes a hallucinatory trip down memory lane.

STREAKERS
BRIELLE BRILLIANT / U.S.A. / 2018 / DRAMA / 11 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
A little girl decides to become a Streaker to distract from her sister’s violent behavior.

THE MATRIX061792
TYNAN DELONG / U.S.A. / 2017 / COMEDY / 6 MINS
A group of friends try to remake THE MATRIX.

MAMA JANE
LISA MARIE HALL / U.S.A. / 2018 / DRAMA / 11:30 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
An imminent death in the family puts a spotlight on the complex relationship of a free-spirited mother and her twenty-something daughter.

BOOMERANG
MATTHEW FROST / U.S.A. / 2018 / COMEDY / 9 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Our heroine JEN, a regular girl-next-door, tries to quit Instagram.

READY FOR LOVE
DYLAN PASTURE AND LAUREN MCCUNE / U.S.A. / 2017 / COMEDY, DRAMA / 15 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Amber Lynn Weatherbee knows that the right man is out there. Maybe he’s on The Bachelor?

THE MESS HE MADE
MATTHEW PUCCINI / U.S.A. / 2017 / DRAMA / 10 MINS
A man waits for the results of a Rapid HIV Test in a small town strip mall.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION
IVETE LUCAS AND PATRICK BRESNAN / U.S.A. / 2017 / DOCUMENTARY / 9:30 MINS / NEW YORK PREMIERE
Palm Beach International Airport’s newest snowbird has become one of the fastest growing roadside attractions in the United States.

Starring: Benfors ‘Wee Do, Boyd Banda, Kalundu Banda

After a minor incident in her village, nine-year-old Shula is exiled to a traveling witch camp where she is told that if she tries to escape she will be transformed into a goat. As she navigates through her new life with her fellow witches and a government official who espouses her, exploiting her innocence for his own gain, she must decide whether to accept her fate or risk the consequences of seeking freedom.

Starring: David Bradley, Holly Weston, Sam Gittins

It’s Christmas Day and the Milgram family wake to find a mysterious black substance surrounding their house. Something monumental is clearly happening right outside their door, but what exactly – an industrial accident, a terrorist attack, nuclear war? Descending into terrified arguments, they turn on the television, desperate for any information. On screen a message glows ominously: ‘Stay Indoors and Await Further Instructions’. As the television exerts an ever more sinister grip, their paranoia escalates into bloody carnage.

A powder keg of throat-grabbing intensity and mind-bending body horror, AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS is an unmissable tour-de-force from rising star filmmaker Johnny Kevorkian and the BAFTA-nominated producer of God’s Own Country.

Note: This is a special edition Halloween version of NoBudge Live! All directors will be in costume for the post-film Q&A and Afterparty. We encourage audience members who wish to dress up, please do!  The audience member selected best dressed of the nite will receive a Nitehawk / NoBudge / Movies Brand prize package!

NoBudge is a movies club that presents a hand-picked selection of new indie movies daily. “One of the best places to sample what’s happening in low-budget cinema worldwide,” says Glenn Kenny of The New York Times. Its mission is to provide a supportive home for emerging indie filmmakers working with limited resources and without major industry connections, and to be a trusted discovery platform helping audiences find their new favorite movies and filmmakers.

The Movies:

His Heart Lived in Lonesome Valley
Director Benjamin Finkel present.
A young man embarks on a cosmic journey after deciding to plan a party.
(8 minutes)

Exit 9
Director Joseph Barglowski present.
Maddy finds herself stranded somewhere off of the highway after being stood up by a guy named Mike.
(23 minutes)

The Filipino Picture Show
Director Shalemar Coloma present.
This double feature homage to Filipino culture includes a origin myth about how pineapples were created, and a visual poem about two Filipino girls in love.
(7 min)

Walking Your Dog in the Park
Director Graham Mason present.
A strange encounter with a man who loves dogs.
(4 minutes)

Proxy
Director Eric Schuman present.
An isolated sick girl and a curious boy strike up a hidden relationship at a roadside motel.
(14 minutes) 

While the Kettle Boils
Director Nick Shultz present.
While waiting for his water to boil to make tea, a young man enters a state of distorted reality.
(7 minutes)

Houseplants
Director Prashanth Kamalakanthan present.
The story of a couple on their first day living together. As they move in, ghosts from the past interrupt.
(10 min)

Girl Powder
Director Annelise Ogaard present.
Jessica is the CEO of a hip, millennial drug cartel. Her assistant Louise handles all the little details.
(6 minutes)

F*ck Bunny
Director Wesley Wingo present.
A young woman tries to navigate issues of intimacy in a unique relationship after an unsettling incident.
(10 minutes)