NO HUG ZONE Director: Jacqueline Olivo | USA, 8 min.
In the year 2014, scientists concluded that a Touch Transmitted Disease - a T.T.D. - could be contracted through any bodily contact. What would YOU do if even shaking hands were illegal?
POVERTY, INC. Director: Michael Matheson Miller | USA, 94 min.
A documentary that explores the hidden side of doing good and pulls back the curtain on the poverty-industrial complex: the multi-billion dollar market of NGO's, multilateral agencies and for-profit aid contractors. Are we catalyzing development or propagating a system in which the poor stay poor while the rich get hipper? (documentary)
REMEMBERING THE FALLEN Director: Julien Grincajgier |France, 15 min.
A French veteran of World War Two recalls the eventful day when he was wounded - and its surprising outcome. (short fiction)
SCAPEGOAT Director: Khadif Sanders | USA, 6 min.
An Asian store owner is robbed after arguing with a black customer he racially profiled, and the customer must decide if he will intervene. (short fiction)
SUPERDATE Director:Sasha Fox | USA, 3 min.
Two teens meet for the first time after months of dating via text only. But their first date is nearly thwarted by their allegiance to competing super heroes. Will these young lovers compromise their beliefs and fall in love or stick to their guns and be alone? (films by young people)
THE ARCTIC FOX Director: Annlin Chao | Taiwan, 9 min.
When an arctic fox escapes from a zoo, it begins an incredible journey. A haunting and beautiful animation which triggers concern about our environment and the relationship between humans and animals. (animation)
THE FIRST STEP Director:Daniel Brown, Kate McMeans | USA, 7 min.
Sara and her mother have just moved to a new house. On their first night, a mysterious figure climbs the stairs from the basement to terrorize her. (short fiction)
THE LONG NIGHT Director: Emma Penaz Eisner | USA, 2 min.
In a sequence of surrealistic images, this stop- motion animation threads through the intervals and spaces of 'The Long Night.' (films by young people)
THE ORPHAN AND THE POLAR BEAR Director: Neil Christopher | Canada, 9 min.
According to Inuit oral history, long ago animals had the power of speech, could shift their appearances, and could even assume human form. In The Orphan and the Polar Bear, a neglected orphan is adopted by a polar bear elder. Under the bear's guidance, the little orphan learns the skills he will need to survive and provide for himself. (animation)
THE RANDOM EFFECT Director: Nofre Moyà Sureda | Spain, 29 min.
Immersed in economic crisis, a small European region is about to go bankrupt. But Aleix, a modest biologist, has discovered a molecule that causes death randomly among members of the community where it is applied. Politicians and businessmen want Aleix to inoculate the lower classes of the community. Will he? (short fiction)
TRANSCENDING SURGEON Director: Sam Hampton | USA, 29 min.
A film about the life and challenges of African American trauma surgeon Dr. Edward Cornwell III. The film explores Dr. Cornwell's family upbringing, mentors, education and other guiding forces which led to his successful career in the context of African American medical pioneers, and the fact that many of his patients come from `communities beset by poverty, inadequate education and violence. (documentary)
UNDER THE SAME SUN Director: Sameh Zoabi | Palestinian Territories, Israel, USA., 75 min.
Entreneurs Shaul, an Israeli, and Nizar, a Palestinian create a solar energy company to bring renewable energy to Palestinian Territory communities, in this feature. But support for their venture is difficult to gain. Their families question them, community members threaten them and government policies make collaboration nearly impossible. (feature)
VOICES Directors: Gary Tsai, Hiroshi Hara | USA, 70 min.
The compelling personal stories of three individuals living with psychotic mental illness. Thomas is homeless and a beloved community fixture on the streets of San Francisco. Sharon is an endearing mother who finds herself in and out of treatment facilities after immigrating from Vietnam. Aaron was a young man whose family struggled to get him help that could have avoided a tragedy that would eventually make national headlines. Despite their diverse backgrounds, they are connected by their journeys, living in a reality that is at times bendable, frightening, spiritual and often misunderstood. (documentary)
