Congratulations to all the films selected for the NYWIFT 2nd Annual Online Shorts Festival! NYWIFT is proud to announce the following projects for the 2nd Annual NYWIFT Online Shorts Festival, presented in partnership with GoIndieTV. The selected films are available to stream on Roku and on the GoIndieTV website through the end of February.
The “NYWIFT Shorts Festival” Roku channel can be added with the following link:
https://my.roku.com/add/NYWIFT
And its channel store page is:
https://channelstore.roku.com/details/269754/nywift-short-film-festival
Or, on your TV: Select Streaming Channels -> Search Channels -> NYWIFT Shorts Festival. Then you have the option to add the channel to your list.
Watch the selected films online now:
Comedy
Scratch This – Directed by Jody Lauren Miller
Grand Winner
1st Place – Best Comedy
Sisterly love turns sour as Karen, Kaitlin and Kristen get an unexpected gift from Mom. Watch the trailer.
NYWIFT members:
Jody Lauren Miller (Director)
Laura Dowling Shea (Producer/Actress)
Jessica Alexandra Green (Actress)
Catcalling Virgin – Directed by Beata Harju and Doug McGinness
2nd Place – Best Comedy
An off-beat young man sets out to master catcalling in order to lose his catcalling virginity. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Hanna Hemila (Producer)
Constance Cooks Episode 1: Bitter Melons – Directed by Rosalie Tenseth
3rd Place Tie – Best Comedy
Constance, a 40-year-old professor, avoids paying off student loans and dreams of hosting a cooking show. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Rosalie Tenseth (Director)
Rape Culture – Directed by Kimmy Gatewood
3rd Place Tie – Best Comedy
In this sketch, the actual Devil and his “appointed” advocate gain some well needed insight on rape culture. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Amy Emmerich (Executive Producer)
Caren Spruch (Executive Producer)
Addie & Addy – Directed by Adenike Thomas
Honorable Mention
Two weirdo Nigerian-American roommates live their best life in Brooklyn, NY. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Adenike Thomas (Writer/Director/Actor)
BFF – Directed by Megan Macphee
Honorable Mention
Steve and Brittany try to navigate the perfect first date when Brittany’s BFF Marcos intrudes on the dinner. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Megan Macphee (Director)
Blue Balls – Directed by Leah Faye Caddigan
Honorable Mention
Two gals and two guys discuss their hesitations over their “first time;” one of them is a virgin, the other is a vampire. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Meredith Metcalf (Writer)
CART – Directed by Tiffany Laufer
Honorable Mention
A young woman’s heartbreak is softened when an unlikely godmother lends a helping hand. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Tiffany Laufer (Writer/Director)
Idle Worship – Directed by Samantha Saltzman
Honorable Mention
Three Brooklynites summon an ancient cleansing goddess only to realize that enlightenment comes at a cost. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Jenny Paul (Executive Producer)
In Black & White – Directed by Dana Verde
Honorable Mention
Family is all that matters! Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Dana Verde (Writer/Director)
No More Mrs. Weiss – Directed by Magda Katz
Honorable Mention
Family is all that matters! Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Magda Katz (Director)
Rhonda Mitchell, M.D. – Directed by Roderick Giles
Honorable Mention
The life of an ambitious Type A doctor gets turned upside down when she gets fired from her dream job and returns home to work in her father’s Harlem based clinic. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Carolyn Pierre-Outlar (Writer)
Time Consuming – Directed by Stephanie Stender
Honorable Mention
A short look at modern life. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Stephanie Stender (Director)
The Friend Zone – Directed by Jenny Paul, Chelsea Roach
Honorable Mention
Thinking she’s going to get a better opportunity that evening, Karen’s “friend zones” Danny, but as luck would have it, she is in for a rude awakening. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Jenny Paul (Producer/Co-director)
Drama
Curse of War – Directed by Abdul Malik Abbott
1st Place – Best Drama
Outstanding Lead Actor – Ronald Graham
A marine suffering from PTSD reminisces about his tumultuous past. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Phillipa Davis (Executive Producer/Producer)
The Disenchantment of a Young Adult and a Wild Child – Directed by Hannah Roze
2nd Place – Best Drama
A short film about the dark side of sisterhood and growing up…or not! Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Hannah Roze (Director)
America Online – Directed by Alexa Wynter
Honorable Mention
A narrative fashion film about a suburban housewife whose intense gaze shows that she is deprived of a better life. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Alexa Wynter (Director)
Beyond Our Mountains – Directed by Madeline Johnson
Honorable Mention
Ensnared by strangling visa restrictions a young Albanian-Serbian couple must decide their future. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Madeline Johnson (Writer/Director)
Creative Block – Directed by Nicola Rose
Honorable Mention
A young woman crosses an ocean in search of her missing creativity, lost somewhere between America and France. Watch Now.
NYWIFT members:
Nicola Rose (Producer/Director/Writer)
Veronique N. Doumbe (Cinematographer – Paris Unit)
In the Night, Facing Sun – Directed by Xuezi Zhang
Honorable Mention
A girl’s estranged mother visits her in New York. The two world’s collide as they inhabit each other’s presence. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Xuezi Zhang (Director)
My Best Friend’s Husband’s Funeral – Directed by Whitney Uland
Honorable Mention
When Morgan came to collect Gabby for her husband’s funeral, she wasn’t expecting this. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Whitney Uland (Director)
My Sun Sets to Rise Again – Directed by Dana Offenbach
Honorable Mention
When Shekhar, a businessman, falls in love with his boss’s maid, both of their lives take unexpected turns and force them to confront their futures in a modern society still ruled by ancient social stratification. The film takes place in contemporary India and was shot on location in Mumbai. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Dana Offenbach (Producer/Writer/Director)
Paris Blues in Harlem – Directed by Nadhege Ptah
Honorable Mention
A young woman desperately pressures her grandfather to accept a realtor’s briefcase with mounds of cash in exchange for his insolvent Harlem jazz club. Watch Now.
NYWIFT members:
Nadhege Ptah (Director/Actress)
Michele Baldwin (Producer/Actress)
Tonya Pinkins (Associate Producer/Actress)
Yvette Joseph (Associate Producer/Actress)
Sand Castle- Directed by Rob Feld
Honorable Mention
Faced with obstacles big and small, some out of her control, a young girl builds a special sand castle. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Tina Fine (Writer)
Take Me Home Tonight – Directed by Skylar Jennings
Honorable Mention
Can women and men really be friends? Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Kelly Wray (Writer/Actor)
The Basis of Intimacy – Directed by Victoria Spadaccini
Honorable Mention
Separated from her family, Skylar, a young artist, tries to find a place to belong and redefine her future. Watch the film.
NYWIFT member:
Gaia Visnar (Actor / Producer)
When Tomorrow Comes – Directed by Ken Feinberg
Honorable Mention
A teenager with stage four brain cancer gets a visit from a boy who loves her. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Barbara Desmond (Production Designer)
Dramedy
Momtress – Directed by Shaina Feinberg
1st Place – Best Dramedy
A quirky suburban mom that tries to juggle parenting and an acting career. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Liz Samuel (Writer/Producer/Actress)
Soul Candy – Directed by John Stimpson
2nd Place – Best Dramedy
Siri can’t muster the courage to apply for a job in her favorite bookstore and is aided by her sister Kaya who pretends to be her. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Jennifer Rapaport (Producer/Writer)
A Royal Caper – Directed by Jaclyn Powell
Honorable Mention
A couple that checks into the Ritz Carlton London looks like they’re planning a heist Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Jaclyn Powell (Writer/Director/Producer)
Open House – Directed by Analisa Robertson
Honorable Mention
Excited and loving couples have found their perfect home and race to purchase property in Manhattan, but find themselves being challenged during the interview process. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Malinda Logan (Writer)
#LoveMyRoomie – Directed by Yha Mourhia Wright
Honorable Mention
In the aftermath of being evicted from their Harlem apartment, three social late bloomers on the cusp of self-discovery, navigate the frenzied and tumultuous roller coaster of life in Brooklyn. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Yha Mourhia Wright (Writer/Director/Producer)
Suspense/Thriller/Action
Switch – Directed by Stavroula Toska
1st Place – Best Suspense/Thriller/Action
A group of women working in the BDSM industry navigate leading a double life, the struggle for power, identity, ambition, trauma, love, and family. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Stavroula Toska (Writer/Director/Producer/Actress)
Come On In – Directed by Jody Lauren Miller
2nd Place – Best Suspense/Thriller/Action
Beverly is an upbeat woman hell-bent on having a meaningful relationship. But as she talks on the phone with an unknown caller, we slowly learn that Beverly isn’t all that she seems. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Jody Lauren Miller (Director/Producer)
Guilty – Directed by Drica Armstrong
Honorable Mention
A disgraced cop is found not guilty for the murder of a child who is now haunting him to tell the truth. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Drica Armstrong (Director)
Out To Lunch – Directed by Katia Koziara
Honorable Mention
On a lunch date, things are not quite what they seem….or are they? Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Cleo Handler (Writer)
The Soothing System – Directed by Erik Spink
Honorable Mention
A young woman who fears she has a mental illness takes a tour of an unconventional treatment facility against her brother’s wishes. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Sarah Cronik (Co-writer)
Trayvia – Directed by Tonya McCornell
Honorable Mention
When the system fails her family, Trayvia seeks her own form of justice. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Tonya McCornell (Writer/Director)
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Lilith’s Song – Directed by Julia Aldana
1st Place – Fantasy/Sci-fi
A fairytale of unrequited love lasts through decades and finds its resolution somewhere beyond time and space. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Julia Aldana (Writer/Director)
e.ro.sion, noun – Directed by Catriona Rubenis-Stevens
2nd Place – Fantasy/Sci-fi
E.ro.sion, noun follows the last days of a woman as she checks into the “Goodbye clinic” to have her life deleted. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Catriona Rubenis-Stevens (Writer/Director)
A Sea Child – Directed by Marina Shron
Honorable Mention
A girl is drawn to the lake where her father disappeared before she was born. It’s heavy as lead and cool to the touch, and it wraps around her body like new skin. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Marina Shron (Director)
Common Structure – Directed by Anne Hollowday, Bill Kirstein
Honorable Mention
Amongst fragmentary recollections of friendship and the sublime, two friends explore changing priorities in a world that may quickly be slipping away. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Anne Hollowday (Director/Writer)
Documentary
Cannoli: Traditions Around The Table – Directed by Andrea Cordaro, Francesco Cordaro
1st Place – Documentary
Cannoli explores the impact food traditions have on family through the history of cannoli and its role in the Italian American household. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Andrea Cordaro (Director)
Ebb Tide – Directed by Vivian Rivas
2nd Place – Best Documentary
Zee, an 86-year-old retired teacher decides to go back to the happiest time of her life to make peace with the path she has chosen and reconnect with her students from the early 90’s in East Harlem. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Vivian Rivas (Director)
Three Roads To My Daughter (Parts 1, 2, 3) – Directed by Lauren Anders Brown
3rd Place – Best Documentary
Rasha – Watch Part 1
Basmah – Watch Part 2
Reyhab – Watch Part 3
A mother, a midwife, and a volunteer all work together in Azraq Refugee Camp to deliver one baby girl.
NYWIFT member:
Lauren Anders Brown (Director)
Before David – Directed by Melissa Saucedo
Honorable Mention
A pregnant woman goes through the symptoms of pre-partum depression without knowing about it, and tries to cope with the changes in her body, lifestyle, identity, and ideology before giving birth. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Melissa Saucedo (Director)
Dirty Roses – Directed by Petra Terzi
Honorable Mention
A humanitarian docudrama that deals with the power of the soul of the disabled persons and individuals or families who came from the Arab world in Greece as war or economic or political refugees. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Petra Terzi (Writer/Director)
Flying On the Wings of Time – Directed by Teresa Mular
Honorable Mention
A journey through the Paris of South America: Buenos Aires and its monuments, buildings, sculptures and neighborhoods which reveal the European influence on the city (French, Italian and Spanish). Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Teresa Mular (Producer, Director)
Journey Without A Map – Directed by Jill Woodward
Honorable Mention
Abdul discovers an unlikely passion in contemporary dance, tapping into the healing power of art as he seeks asylum in Greece from his native Afghanistan. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Jill Woodward (Director)
Monty – Directed by Margaret Metzger
Honorable Mention
Monty is a ceramicist trying to make it in New York. Watch the film.
NYWIFT member:
Margaret Metzger (Director)
Never Stop Moving – Directed by Rick McKay
Honorable Mention
Never Stop Moving is about how Eugene Louis Faccuito became Luigi, the most famous Jazz teacher of all time. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
James Berry (Producer, Associate Editor, Original Music)
Terry Greenberg (Associate Producer)
Sweet Soul In Exile – Directed by Tyler A. Chase
Honorable Mention
An odic encapsulation of the eviction of prominent sculptor Deborah Masters from her loft of twenty years at 475 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Tyler A. Chase (Director)
The New Land Grab – Directed by Sylvia Gail Kinard
Honorable Mention
A piece on the impact of gentrification on black churches. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Sylvia Gail Kinard
Experimental/Documentary/Narrative
The Call From The Sea – Directed by Taylor McNulty
1st Place – Experimental/Documentary/Narrative
A reflection on living with the Bajau, a sea nomadic community in Indonesia, and what they think will happen in our oceans. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Taylor McNulty (Writer/Producer/Director)
Sonnet #153 – Directed by Jill Salvino
2nd Place – Experimental/Documentary/Narrative
A tapestry of cinematic art that infuses the poetry of William Shakespeare into the poetry of the world in which we live. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Jill Salvino (Director)
Bijoux (Nebulae) – Directed by Stephen Jablonsky
Honorable Mention
What can we imagine while looking up into the Milky Way? Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Nan Avant (Composer)
Lies People Tell – Directed by Jill Salvino
Honorable Mention
Two old high school friends run into each other in Central Park. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Jill Salvino (Writer/Director)
Silver Sirens – Directed by Laura Nova
Honorable Mention
A cheerleading squad of senior citizens shouts about healthcare and age discrimination. Watch Now.
NYWIFT member:
Laura Nova (Director)
Congratulations again to all the winners! Keep an eye out for the Go Indie TV channel on Roku in January to see all the films!
