A Los Angeles-based short film festival Salute Your Shorts Film Festival has announced its first wave of film titles today. This first round of titles includes a festival-favorite BIRDS by Katherine Propper, a shortlist for The Yugo BAFTA Student Awards WE WERE MEANT TO by Tari Wariebi, a Los Angeles-based director Kait Schuster's GERANIUM, and a striking horror GET AWAY by Michael Gabriele.
The festival will take place exclusively in person from August 18-20 at Assistance League Theatre in Los Angeles. Tickets and passes will be available soon.
Here is the first wave lineup for the 2023 Salute Your Shorts Film Festival — more titles to be announced.
BIRDS
DIR. Katherine Propper
Moments in the lives of Austin teenagers in the heat of Texas summer.
BOUNCE HOUSE
DIR. Callie Bloem, Christopher J. Ewing
Civilization has ended. Everyone Polly loves is dead. But at least she has a bounce house.
BREAKING SILENCE
DIR. Amy Bench, Annie Silverstein
A portrait of a Deaf activist and his formerly incarcerated daughter, who build new bonds through their experiences in the criminal justice system.
CLAUDIO'S SONG
DIR.Andreas Nilsson
A young man faces the wrath of a family of criminals that target people who are famous on the internet and extort money from them. When their scheme fails, the plan to kill him takes an unexpected turn.
CREATING THINGS
DIR. Bryan Simpson, Taylor Simpson
Two brothers use thoughtful interview fragments, pieces of art, and various family mementos to explore the legacy of their father and what he left behind.
GERANIUM
DIR. Kait Schuster
A queer couple takes to the bedroom to process a sexual assault through role play until things fall apart when they forget their floral safe-word.
GET AWAY
DIR. Michael Gabriele
A group of friends spending the weekend at a remote vacation rental in the desert, play a mysterious VHS tape, and realize that there are too many strange and terrifying coincidences.
I AM WHOLE
DIR. Bianca Poletti
A coming of age story about a girl finding her voice through a sea of pressure from her peers.
MAKEOVER MOVIE
DIR. Sue Ding
Young women comment on the 100-year-old trope of the movie-makeover: from 1920s silent films through the present day.
ME NIGHT
DIR. Anna Salinas
When Allie's plans fall through, she must face her chaotic Inner Demon to survive an evening home alone.
MOTHERLAND
DIR. Christina Yoon
Leah, a Korean adoptee raised in America, returns to Korea to search for her birth mother. Leah is met with secrecy from the adoption agency as well as her own family but remains relentless on her solo journey, driven by her longing to discover the truth of her origins.
MT. MYSTIC RANGERS
DIR. Jeremiah Dunlap
In a race against time, the Park Rangers of the underfunded and enigmatic Mt. Mystic State Park must unravel the mystery behind a sudden and unexplained monolithic structure that materializes on the eve of the new lieutenant's arrival, forcing them to confront supernatural forces while scrambling to prepare the park for his inspection.
PICTURE DAY
DIR. Kelly Pike
Casey, an Asian-American tomboy coming of age on Army bases, prepares for picture day at her new school, deciding what she's willing to sacrifice in order to fit in.
ROSEMARY A.D. (AFTER DAD)
DIR. Ethan Barrett
Would my daughter be better off without me? The question swims around a father’s mind as he cradles his newborn.
SCABS
DIR. Tommy Butler
A skin picker and his girlfriend dance around his compulsive behavior, which threatens to tear their relationship apart.
SCOTTY'S VAG
DIR. Chaconne Martin-Berkowicz
A college freshman goes outside her comfort zone to impress the older girl she wants as her sorority "big."
SUCKS TO BE THE MOON
DIR. Tyler March, Eric Paperth
Jealous of the Sun’s stardom, the Moon journeys into space, searching for a planet that actually cares about him. Will he find his place in the universe, or is he destined to be a lonely loser forever?
THE VACATION
DIR. Jarreau Carrillo
In Flatbush, Brooklyn, four friends are stuck in their car after it breaks down on the way to the beach on the last day of the summer.
THEY GROW UP SO FAST
DIR. John F. Beach
When Brian meets Amy after a night out on the town, things move a lot faster than he'd anticipated.
WE WERE MEANT TO
DIR. Tari Wariebi
In a world where Black men have wings and their first flight is a rite of passage, Akil must defy fears, insecurities, and societal barriers while discovering his perfect launch into manhood.
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