Sponsored by:
Alpine Physical Therapy, Blackfoot Communications, The Good Store, and George's Distributing!
Shorts Program 2: Places (Sort Of)
How does setting--a sense of place, the look of a landscape, the law of the land--shape a story? These nine stunning films take the audience on a journey from the mountains of Yellowstone to the rooftops of Saigon, from a California diner boiling over with political tension to a valley in the Philippines where nothing is what it seems. The stories they tell are as varied and beautiful as the landscapes their characters inhabit.
Sierras
Director: Matthew Wilbur
US
MT Premiere
The landscapes and ecology of Yellowstone transition from fall to winter. With unique, experimental 16mm cinematography and sound design, the perception of a pristine natural environment quickly decays into something otherworldly.
Mango
Director: Joan Iyiola
Producers: Alison Holder, Mary Iyiola, Joan Iyiola, Laura Jumel, Victoria Braunholz, Francois Morisset, Nick Nessling-Jessup
UK/France
MT Premiere
Zadie suffers from fibroids which are morphing unpredictably inside of her. When a dream job appears, she is forced to act before the unwanted growths take over.
Encuentro Americano
Director: E.T. Vasquez
Producers: Andrea Camacho-McCracken, Sheheryar Ahsan, Elizabeth Taide Vazquez
US
MT Premiere
On a hot Sunday morning, in a bustling American diner, the fragile lives of strangers collide over greasy breakfasts, black coffee reflections, and tense interactions amidst the 2024 U.S. election cycle.
Rooftop Lempicka
Director: Hang Luong Nguyen
Producers: Mai Ka Nguyen, Nhi Bui
Vietnam
MT Premiere
While her mother is expecting her second child, 10-year-old Thi befriends young club waitress Ngoc who has just rented a room in her family's Saigon home. As their friendship grows, Thi discovers that Ngoc is an undisclosed sex worker.
Paydirt
Director: Max Lannan
Producer: Caroline Murphy
US
MT Premiere
Underpaid and overworked, two low-level gig-economy hitmen drive into the Utah desert to confront their elusive boss.
The Truck
Director: Elizabeth Rao
Producer: Eliza Soros
US
MT Premiere
Please note: This film is not available in the MTFF Virtual Fest.
An impulsive Chinese-American teen and her boyfriend try to buy the morning-after pill in post-Roe America.
Ragamuffin
Director: Kaitlyn Mikayla
Producers: Hannah Alline, Christina Jundt, Sailor Larocque, Amber Neukum
US
A young female motocross rider, Ryan “Ragamuffin” Myles spends what seems like an average race weekend with her father. But as the weekend unfolds, 12-year-old Ryan is faced with a multitude of challenges on and off the track.
It Doesn't Pass
Director: Daniel Lopez
US
MT Premiere
A man manifests an entity to guide him through a difficult night. From Daniel Lopez, whose short film They're Taking My House screened at the 2024 MTFF.
Vox Humana
Director: Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan
Producers: Hannah Schierbeek, Alemberg AngPhilippines
MT Premiere
In the aftermath of an earthquake in the Phillippines’ Cordillera Mountains, the police find a man in the woods. A zoologist, a sound recorder, and a news team grapple with the truth that he may be the cause of the natural disasters that have devastated this small mountain town. Directed by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, whose film The Headhunter's Daughter screened at the 2022 MTFF.
Followed by a Q&A with:
Daniel Lopez, director, It Doesn't Pass
Max Lanman, writer/director, Paydirt
Matthew Wilbur, director, Sierras
Duration: 102 min
