Beyond Shorts: The Things We Want

ABOUT THE EVENT:

A ghostly spank, a dangerous game, a forbidden crush, a demon summoning (or two)—these films explore the dark and unpredictable terrain of desire. Forbidden, fantastical, and sometimes terrifying, each story examines what drives us and what we risk when we chase it. Desire takes many shapes here—sexual, spiritual, and psychological—and these filmmakers pull each into sharp, surreal focus.

ABOUT THE FILMS:

“A Brighter Summer Day For The Lady Avengers,” Dir. Birdy Wei-Ting Hung, 12 Min, Taiwan/USA

Taiwan, 1980s. Hot summer day, watermelon juice, and a teenage girl’s sexual awakening with her celluloid fantasies. Shot on 16mm.

FORMAT: DCP

“The Girl on a Motorcycle,” Dir. Nathalia Pizarro, 9 Min, USA

Guided by vicious Rock N Roll; Rebecca, a young adulterous teenage girl, flees on her 1967 Electra Glide to see her ideal lover Daniel.

FORMAT: DCP

“Spanked by a Ghost,” Dir. Katelyn Douglass, 12 Min, USA

Alone in her home, a woman is spanked by an unseen entity, awakening a force she cannot control.

FORMAT: DCP

“Heartstopper,” Dir. Jackson Stewart, 17 Min, USA

A recenty deceased teen idol reaches out to his biggest fan via a haunted 1-900 number.

FORMAT: DCP

“XARAX,” Dir. by Salil Fernandez, 13 Min, India

A young priest visits a convent in Mumbai where a brutal exorcism has failed – what he finds inside is not just a demon, but a mirror to his own darkest desires.

FORMAT: DCP

“METANOIA,” Dir. Mike Pecci, 5 Min, USA

Drawn through dreamlike rituals and surreal spaces, a man follows a magnetic force that pulls at his fear, longing and shame – until he begins to realize that what he desires may not be dangerous, but deeply true. METANOIA stars David Dastmalchian (Dune, The Suicide Squad, Oppenheimer) and Sedona Legge.

FORMAT: DCP

“The Dysphoria,” Dir. Kylie Aoibheann, 13 Min, Australia

A trans woman performs a Satanic ritual to get a vagina, but unwittingly invites a demonic presence into her home which demands a terrible sacrifice

FORMAT: DCP

“Would You Rather,” Dir. Sophie O’Donovan, 11 Min, Ireland

After recovering from a mental breakdown, a young woman shows up uninvited to a friend’s gathering, where a game of Would You Rather threatens to push her over the edge.

FORMAT: DCP

“Follow Me Wherever I Go,” Dir. Max DeFalco, 13 Min, USA

Cathleen Jett-Witowski Donovan, a deeply religious single mother, is determined to start her life anew and will stop at nothing until she gets what she wants: her son’s best friend.

FORMAT: DCP