FILM DESCRIPTIONS AND TRAILERS COMING SOON
8:38, Director Imole Ladipo, Texas Short Film, 8 minutes, Texas Premiere. At 8:38 PM, May wakes up in a room with no memory. With one lifeline call, she must uncover the truth before it's too late. But is the voice helping her or hiding something darker? Eight minutes is all she has.
Adagio, Director Joseph Balderas, RGV Short Film, 23 minutes, RGV Premiere. As Van prepares to welcome his first child, he reluctantly returns home to care for his estranged father, Anton, whose advancing dementia forces them toward an unexpected reconciliation and reshapes Van's understanding of love, forgiveness, and becoming a parent.
ADELA, Director Gabriela San Miguel, Narrative Feature Film (Mexico), 1 hour 30 minutes
Cycles of Resilience: A Journey Through Austin's Black History, Director Ya'Ke Smith, Documentary Feature Film, 1 hour
Daniela and the Apocalypse, Writer Enrique Quintanilla, The Pitch. A teacher arrives in a town trapped in drought and religious fanaticism and discovers that a young girl may hold the key to an ancient prophecy about the beginning of the end. When her own father becomes convinced he must sacrifice her to save the town, the teacher must uncover the truth before it is too late.
Driving for Dad: A Wiener Story, Writer Jodie Salazar, The Pitch. Dad had a dream to drive a weinermobile in the Indy 500 and practiced for years to be ready. And then the Indy 500 did away with the Wiener mobile Race. Dad died of a broken heart. The Indy 500 has brought it back and it is my life’s purpose to drive the weiner for dad.
Eclipse Outlaw Chase, Director Noah David Wetzel, Documentary Feature Film, 46 minutes
Escapism, Writer Alexandra Guerrero, Pitch-Texas Student Division (high school)
Fishman, Director Joe Rios Jr, Narrative Feature Film (United States), 1 hour 10 minutes, Rio Grande Valley Premiere. Cursed with a fish-like visage and the ability to communicate with the dead he prepares for burial, a lonely mortician finds himself drawn to a restless spirit—sparking an impossible romance that blurs the line between life and death.
Friend of the Enemy, Director Samuel Balas, Texas Short Film, 23 minutes
Hide, Director Brenden Hubbard, Texas Short Film, 16 minutes
Hola Awesome Possum, Writer Craig Alan Alaniz, The Pitch. A curious young possum, his adventurous armadillo best friend, and a clever ocelot navigate friendship, family, and growing up in a vibrant South Texas town inspired by the culture and spirit of the Rio Grande Valley.
Hollering Creek, Writer Adrian Martinez, The Pitch. After painfully giving birth to her first child, a young Latina dropout recovers at her family’s manor, plunging deeper into postpartum, just as she discovers that a haunting entity is out to steal her baby.
Holmes, Directors Kahlil Maskati, Erik Martinez, U.S. Short Film, 18 minutes. Fresh out of prison, Ram Rosales teams up with his brilliant but guarded teenage niece, Addie, to find answers about his mother's fentanyl overdose. Together, they prove to be an unstoppable force as they hunt down the predators hiding in plain sight.
Hope for the Guadalupe, Director Ben Masters, Documentary Short Film, 26 minutes. On July 4th, 2025, catastrophic flash flooding devastated the Texas Hill Country, bringing unimaginable tragedy to families and communities along one of the state’s most treasured rivers. Hope for the Guadalupe bears witness to the heartbreaking disaster and showcases a coalition of Texans launching an ambitious effort to restore the river and help heal their communities.
How They Built a Movement, Director Oddett Garza, Documentary Short Film, 8 minutes
Hysteresis, Writer Lynn Vincentnathan, The Pitch. An army woman from a dying future must travel back in time to kill the American president to prevent an Arctic oil rig explosion that unleashes runaway warming or her daughter will be executed.
In the Mood for Violence, Directors Mario Alberto Zamarripa, Jose Guadalupe Zamarripa, RGV Short Film, 39 minutes, Rio Grande Valley Premiere. In the midst of a killing spree, a serial killer finds himself falling for one of his victims, a prostitute.
Insensible Losses, Director Amanda Williams, Texas Short Film, 8 minutes, Rio Grande Valley Premiere. A doctor puts aside concerns about her own pregnancy as she works to care for a miscarrying patient.
Los Tejanos: A 500-Year History, Director Joseph C. Stillman, Documentary Feature Film, 2 hours, Rio Grande Valley Premiere. Five centuries, one enduring story. Los Tejanos: A 500-Year History is expansive in vision yet deeply rooted in place, tracing Tejano history through oral histories, archival research, and voices who safeguarded this heritage in South Texas.
Meadow Melody, Directors Alizah Barbee, Alana Lombardi, TX Student Division Short Film, 3 minutes
MIAZEL, Director George Dogaru, International Short Film (Romania), 17 minutes
My Puppet & Me, Writer Arlene "Nik" Mendez, The Pitch. After being rejected by another production studio, Mira finds herself spiraling into a depression until an unlikely friend encourages her not to give up.
My Safe Place, Director Brenda Patricia Garza, RGV Short Film, 32 minutes, RGV Premiere. Eleven-year-old Lisa becomes the sole survivor of a classroom shooting. Struggling with fear, grief, and overwhelming survivor's guilt, she retreats into silence as her mom desperately searches for a way to help her heal. As they navigate the emotional aftermath together, My Safe Place explores the lasting impact of trauma through the eyes of a child.
Nan, Director Genaro T. Pérez, International Short Film (Mexico), 40 min. When Nan's father passed away, Nan at 10 years of age, suddenly finds himself to be the man of the house.
Once upon a time in modern times..., Writer José R. Rivera Jr, The Pitch. Across Hispano-America and the wider Hispanophone world, well-known and classic fairy tales are reborn as brutal political nightmares turn to reality, where children, lovers, mothers, and outcasts confront monsters born not from fantasy, but from dictatorships, disappearances, disasters, war, collective memory and even from self.
Pieces of Us, Director Ben Fullman, Narrative Feature Film (United Kingdom), 1 hour 11 minutes, Texas Premiere. An American author and a young Cornish woman meet in a coastal town. As their connection deepens, buried grief and hidden secrets emerge, forcing them to confront loss, embrace healing, and rediscover hope together in this intimate Cornish drama film.
Prime Wagon, Writer Chloe Vela, The Pitch. After a traveling wagon cult leader has the murder of a girl pinned on him and unjustly serves time in prison, he vows revenge.
Psychothia, Writer Yair Fuentes, Pitch-Texas Student Division (high school)
Raya Among The Clouds, Director Iane Nicole Artillaga, International Short Film (Philippines), 20 minutes, Texas Premiere. Set in 2005, third-grader Raya Carpio struggles with stage fright and fears judgment over her unconventional family. Unsure about inviting her mother to Family Day, Raya discovers, through setbacks and reconciliation, the power of acceptance, resilience, and the enduring bond between parent and child.
RINGMASTER'S JUNCTION, Writer Diego Alberto Calderon, Pitch-Texas Student Division (high school). After her younger brother vanishes inside Ringmaster's Junction, a beloved carnival concealing a horrifying secret beneath its grounds, a young woman must join forces with unlikely allies before she loses the only family she has left.
RISE, Director Jessica J. Rowlands, International Short Film (Zimbabwe), 21 minutes
Rosalie, Director Erin McGuff-Pennington, U.S. Short Film, 20 minutes, Rio Grande Valley Premiere. An unplanned pregnancy leaves an overwhelmed mother of four determined to end it—and her infertile best friend determined to stop her.
Signals From Tomorrow, Writer Santiago Martinez, Pitch-Texas Student Division (high school),
SONS, Director Eli Brooks Davidson, Documentary Short Film, 27 minutes
spirit guide, Writer Carlos Daniel Perez, Pitch-Texas Student Division (high school)
SweetNess, Director Vanessa Rae Lerma, Texas Short Film, 17 minutes, Rio Grande Valley Premiere. An insecure young baker with a thriving home business must find the courage to pursue her dream of opening a storefront with the help of her fiery aunt.
Take Me Home, Director Fabian Martin, U.S. Short Film, 11 minutes, Texas Premiere. The estranged relationship between an "always-too-busy" daughter and her mother who suffers from Alzheimer's comes to a head when the mother escapes from her assisted living facility to search for her husband.
The First Date, Directors Diego Calderon, Antonio Diaz, TX Student Division Short Film, 4 minutes
The Henchman, Director Elko Weaver, U.S. Short Film, 25 minutes
The Joke’s On Me, Writer Miguel Angel Martinez, Pitch-Texas Student Division (high school)
The Unraveling of Edgar, Writer Magaly Patricia Treviño, The Pitch. After a burned-out man begins experiencing vivid dreams inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, the line between nightmare and reality begins to collapse, pushing him toward a terrifying truth about his identity before his life completely unravels.
Un Abrazo Del Otro Lado, Directors Omar A Casas Jr., Laura Daniela Martinez, RGV Short Film, 5 minutes, Texas Premiere, A young Mexican woman, lost between who she is and who she longs to be, sets out across unforgiving lands. During her arduous journey across harsh terrain, the spirits of her ancestors surface, guiding her towards a new path.
Whatever You Want, Writer Hondo Constante Teran, The Pitch. A lonely person downloads the software of an AI they found on an internet forum. The lonely human begins to develop a bizarre, codependent relationship with the AI. This leads to complete human isolation and bending to the will of the AI with each passing day.
Wonderful World with Clint Townsend, Director Michael Dean Marbach, Documentary Short Film, 13 minutes. What a Wonderful World follows Clint Townsend, whose life with ALS inspires friends, Broadway’s The Great Gatsby cast, and a wider community to unite in song, raising funds and awareness for Team Gleason through love, joy, gratitude, resilience, and hope.
Yuri Part II, Director Zack Rodriguez, RGV Short Film, 23 minutes, Rio Grande Valley Premiere. Yuri is back and his journey to back to life continues. With the assistance of his spiritiual guide, Bo. Yuri must complete his second good deed helping an elderly man cross into the afterlife. He learns that he won’t be able to resurrect if there isn’t a body to return to. He requests the assistance of an old childhood adversary, John, to aid his body from being embalmed.
Yvonne & Beau, Director Devine Galvan Gracae Galvan, TX Student Division Short Film, 7 minutes