This year’s shorts programs span continents, perspectives, and forms — bringing together films from Lebanon, South Africa, the United States, and beyond. Across three curated shorts programs and four shorts-feature film pairings, these works move between the intimate and the collective, exploring the stories that shape our shared world. From a program centered on the power of community, to one that expresses personal stories reflecting our collective narratives, each offers a distinct lens on the human experience.
SO CLOSE, SO FAR: ARTS AND CULTURE IN OUR HOMETOWNS
Friday, March 27 @ 2:00pm, Peabody Essex Museum
Through the eyes of artists we learn of the concealed corners of our communities here in New England. From the beautiful serenity of nature that never fails to inspire the creative souls to the power of artistic expression that makes the unusual a joyful possibility for all. This curation of short films celebrates the power of creative community and artistic expression and reminds us of the graceful power of collective imagination.
This program includes 2 WORLD PREMIERES: TORNADO TASTES LIKE ALUMINUM STING (dir. Harmon dot aut, James Rutenbeck) and SOUND & COLOR (dir. Alissa Fagin); as well as SALT MARSH (dir. Tom Bell), and FINAL FRONTIER (dir. Heidi Burkey). A live Q&A with the films' directors, producers, and protagonists from each of the four films to follow! Ticket holders to a screening at PEM are also welcome to browse the museum before or after the screening.
PERSONAL MEMORY, COLLECTIVE NARRATIVES
Saturday, March 27 @ 4:00pm, National Park Service
Our intimate lives carry the burden of politics unfolding in real time. Our relationships, love stories and our hometowns often become the quiet backdrop of history as it rushes forward in time. These stories traveling across continents, from West Africa to India, the Caucasus mountains to the Middle East and its diasporas invite us to look behind the curtain of headlines and trendy news and see how wars break families and how true love survives beyond borders and decades of separation.
This program includes ENTRE LE FEU ET LE CLAIR DE LUNE (dir. Dominic Yarabe), PLACE KEEPERS (dir. Robert Hope), I AM GRASS (dir. Abhi Indrekar), SIMPLY DIVINE (dir. Mélody Boulissière, Bogdan Stamatin) and THIS DISSONANCE (dir. Christophe Katrib). Three of the five films in this program are nominated for our Best Short Award. A Q&A with visiting filmmakers Abhi Indrekar & Christophe Katrib to follow!
TOGETHER, STORIES OF OUR COLLECTIVE POWERS
Sunday, March 29 @ 3:00pm, National Park Service
Magic can be real and each of these films make a strong case for it. This block of short films lets us indulge in the unmatchable power and beauty of what humans are capable of accomplishing when they come together. These positive yet crucial stories from places near and far gather us here in Salem to tell us more about the less known history of American Sign Language, a community food project in NYC, a beloved doctor in Mississippi, a local theater band in rural Scotland, and finally revealing what it takes to keep the lights on in a city!
This program includes the WORLD PREMIERE of BARRIGA LLENA, CORAZON CONTENTO (FULL BELLY, HAPPY HEART) (dir. Jordana Rubenstein-Edberg, Marshall Hanig), as well as BLOODLINES, MISSISSIPPI (dir. Crystal Kayiza), NO MEAN CITY (dir. Ross McClean), COMMUNITY THEATRE (dir. Lewis Baillie), and SIGNS FROM THE MAINLAND (dir. Michael Cestaro).
