“The Cafone: Ep. # 1 The Badge” USA / Comedy / English / 23 minutes
SYNOPSIS: After a brief stint in prison, consummate “low-life,” Sal Forte, AKA THE CAFONE, reaches out to his old pal from the neighborhood, John Falcone, for a little help getting back on his feet. John is a married, successful funeral director who has a fondness for Sal because he protected John from the “wise guys” in their old stomping grounds.
John reluctantly allows Sal to stay with him and his wife in their beautiful home, if he agrees to help around the house. John desperately loves his wife Linda (even though she is addicted to spending money) and hopes Sal can take some of the cooking/cleaning burden off of Linda’s plate. Sal agrees; however, his lifelong aversion to manual labor becomes very apparent expeditiously.
While attempting to steal jewelry from one of the dead bodies in the funeral parlor, Sal realizes that John is involved in an illegal scheme of selling body parts for cash. Instead of partaking in the household chores he agreed on, Sal decides to join in on John’s scam and threatens blackmail if he does not comply.
Will Sal and John be able to pay off all their debts and keep mob associates at bay?
Director: Tom Bentey Writer: Tom Bentey Producer: Rob Ciano, Michael Lombardi Key Cast: James Ciccone, Brett Eidman, Lydia Fiore, Brian Anthony Wilson
SPY POEMS United States / Action, Thriller / English / 7 minutes
SYNOPSIS: Shot entirely on green screen and adapted from a collection of poems, this stylized short dives into a noir-inspired world of spies, sirens, and double agents.
Director: Brad Etter Writer: Brad Etter (screenplay), based on poems by Neville Johnson Producer: Julia Barbie Key Cast: Neville Johnson, Harry Holmes, Inna Rekeil, George Megrela
JACQUES United States / Comedy / English / 12 minutes
SYNOPSIS: “When a neglected stray pup finds refuge in the arms of an eccentric young woman, he quickly grows obsessively attached — and in this quirky tale, he’ll stop at nothing to keep her all to himself.”
Director: Charlie Bellarose Writer: Charlie Bellarose Producer: Charlie Bellarose Key Cast: Jack (the dog), Charlie Bellarose, Deondre Durham, Bill Dawes
SUGAR STATE Miami Shores / Comedy. Drama / English / 4 minutes
SYNOPSIS: In Miami’s glossy underbelly of influencers and dreamers, River, a struggling actress and new mother, will do anything to stand out. Between diaper changes and unpaid bills, she shoots self-tapes in her tiny apartment while her baby sleeps—her best friend Barbie behind the camera and a borrowed dog as her prop. Sugar Slate peels back the curated sheen of ambition, exposing the raw, messy hunger beneath Miami’s golden light—a story about what it costs to chase a dream when no one’s watching.
Director: Lorenzo Patanè a.k.a. The Coach MC, Alessandra Rucco Writer: Lorenzo Patanè a.k.a. The Coach MC, Alessandra Rucco, Maria Sky Producer: Lorenzo Patanè a.k.a. The Coach MC, Alessandra Rucco, Maria Sky Key Cast: Mari Sky, Ramen Noodle, Shital Patel
WAITING FOR APHRODITE United States / Dramedy / English / 7 minutes
SYNOPSIS: It’s after midnight and a curfew has been broken. Atticus and Olivia Bates are loving parents, almost-empty-nesters who have been happily married for a very long time, and looking forward to the time they have their house all to themselves. However, tonight as they watch TV they disagree on how to handle a broken curfew, and it’s having an effect on their own intimacy. Aphrodite Bates promised to be back by midnight from a date with someone she met online. Atticus is adamant about waiting up to confront her, while Olivia wants them to take advantage of this extra time and have some of their own fun. In this light-hearted dramedy with a surprise ending we eventually see that family bonds are not always what they appear to be.
Director: Richard Stephen Bell Writer: Richard Stephen Bell Producer: Lisa Donmall-Reeve and Cinema Ed Films Key Cast: Martin Fisher, Meredith Rush-Bell, Claudia Robinson
BACK IN BABY’S ARMS USA / Comedy / English / 17 minutes
Synopsis: When struggling actor Jonathan is kicked out by his girlfriend, he finds himself the unlikely housemate of Colleen, an older woman suffering memory loss who constantly mistakes him for her dead husband. Tired of contradicting her, he decides to give in and play the part…could it be the role of a lifetime?
Writer/Director: Jackson Giuricich Producer: Adrien Hoppenot Key Cast: Carter Jenkins, Eileen Barnett
THE SANDWICH LINE USA/Romantic Comedy/English/12 mins
SYNOPSIS: A young woman who’s given up on finding love stumbles upon a magical sandwich line where every time she buys a sandwich, she gets a date.
Director: Jaime Schwarz Writer: Jaime Schwarz Producer: Jeremy Jacobowitz, Christina Leonardi, Talia Light Rake Key Cast: Jaime Schwarz, Tessa Albertson, Kaya Rosenthal, Jane Park
FRENCH LESSONS USA, UK, CAN / Comedy / French, English / 8 minutes
SYNOPSIS: Bienvenue en…. Los Angeles! Film executive Kyle and filmmaker Arran rendez-vous for a tête à tête in this crème de la crème of Cinéma Verité.
Director: Anna Maguire, Kyle Greenberg Writer: Anna Maguire, Kyle Greenberg Producer: Christina Campagnola, Anna Maguire, Kyle Greenberg Key Cast: Kyle Greenberg, Arran Shearing
