OPENING NIGHT PROGRAM: FIGURING IT OUT
Thursday, November 7, 7:00PM, Small World Music, Youngplace
Strained family bonds, complicated romances, unexpected encounters, and community ties are explored in this collection of short films. From mending fractured relationships to finding belonging in unfamiliar places, each story reveals the vulnerability and humour inherent in one's personal journey and discovery.
*Note, films are not listed in presentation order. Films contain mature themes. Viewer discretion is advised.
And, Scene - Fiction
Directed by Brianna Russell
An ambitious improv co-captain strives to honor her sister’s legacy by leading her team to regional victory.
Brianna is a screenwriter, director and playwright from Clarke’s Beach, NL, now residing in Toronto. Her work focuses on queerness in media. She was most recently nominated for the 2024 ArtsNL Emerging Artist Award, and was a resident of the 2025 CFC’s Norman Jewison Writers’ Lab.
Away Game - Fiction
Directed by Lucian E Austin
A father struggles to connect with his internet-obsessed son as unspoken tensions surface.
Lucian is an Egyptian-Canadian filmmaker and York University student exploring reality, internet culture, masculinity, and missed connections.
By-Election - Documentary
Directed by Ryan Douglas Daniel
Community organizer, Christie Nelson, campaigns for a seat on Windsor’s city council.
Ryan is a University of Windsor MFA candidate specializing in documentary filmmaking and film studies.
Carry My Couch - Fiction
Directed by Katie Lawrence, Christopher Lawrence
After a questionable fling, Gladys sells the couch where it happened, hoping to leave her neighbour—and feelings—behind.
Katie is a Toronto-based storyteller and historian who writes complex love stories and develops screenplays exploring history, media, and romance.
Christopher is a Toronto-based director and cinematographer, creating visually striking, collaborative films exploring toxic masculinity and society’s overlooked characters.
Chrysanthemums - Fiction
Directed by Yooeun Choi, Jack Steinhart
A teenager legally changes her age and moves into a retirement home, discovering youth in unexpected places.
Filmmakers Yooeun Choi and Jack Steinhart are Claude Watson Film Arts graduates whose collaboration continues through studies at UofT and TMU.
Is It? - Fiction
Directed by Jnyl Siazon
Joey, a young queer man, struggles to understand and label the aftermath of an unprotected sexual encounter.
Jnyl is an emerging filmmaker specializing in post-production and screenwriting, drawn to emotionally driven, character-focused stories.
Plants Get Lonely - Fiction
Directed by Jett Shields
A young scientist discovers an unexpected solution to a botanical experiment.
Windsor-based writer, director, and actor Jett Shields sold his first short film to CBC at fourteen and studies film production.
Rotten - Fiction
Directed by Abby Kolman
Stella spends her eighteenth birthday alone in her bedroom.
Toronto-based filmmaker Abby Kolman is a Vancouver Film School graduate exploring philosophical, artistic, niche, and absurd experiences through visual storytelling.
'Tis The Treason - Fiction
Directed by Mya Davidson
Relationship novice, Anne, agrees to a friend-arranged blind double date, setting the stage for romantic complications.
Mya is a Sheridan graduate passionate about revitalizing romantic comedies through warmth, humour, and emotionally resonant storytelling.
