Works by festival participants selected for display at AIFF
-Short Film-
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Kelvin Wade Garvanne
Estelle Gilmore is an upbeat African American GenZer living with her family;parents Anthony, Ruth,and older sister Isabelle in Los Angeles. She is preparing to visit Hannah, her aging grandmother in Boston. The tone of her visit changes when she realizes it is a welfare check on the aging matriarch. Hannah's neighbor Bill is a long time neighbor who watches out for her. However, Bill isn't capable of helping Hannah with everything. When Estelle arrives in Boston with her parents they quickly realize a decison must be made about her care. However, Hannah is steadfast about staying in her home and protecting the legacy embodied in her home.
A young man and a woman meet in a college dorm lobby and end up spending a night together strolling the streets of Hollywood. Unfortunately, they both know this will likely be their last night together.
Devine drives for a ride-share company as a way to survive and make ends meet. The gig is not getting him closer to his dreams or the life that he truly desires. To make matters more complicated, he’s not getting any younger. Then one afternoon while he’s working, he accepts a trip request that will alter the course of his uncertain future.
Upon his monthly supply run into town. Manaba, a young Native American trader, finds Poloma, a Native American woman, laying beaten and unconscious, on the desert sand. After cleaning her wounds, Manaba warms Poloma by a fire as she shares tales about how she ended up lost in the desert. It is a common story about the treatment of the Natives during the late 1800s, but it is also a story of resilience, and a woman's fighting spirit. A woman who refuses to be tamed.
For thousands of years the Iñupiat of Little Diomede have made their living off the abundant waters of the Bering Sea—unlocking secrets of a tempestuous and unforgiving environment, becoming creative masters of this northern realm. Having survived blizzards, polar bears, colonization, the Cold War, and the demands of modernity, Little Diomede emerged into the 21st Century with their traditions and cultural identity intact. How We Survive Diomede is a window into a unique American community confronting a challenge more daunting than anything in their millennia-old history–global warming. The film probes two questions: can their culture survive ours, and can ours learn from theirs before it’s too late?
The Louisiana Swamp - Perceptions, Realities and Hope
David P. Glatz, Shiela P. Glatz
Common perceptions and media depictions of the swamp ecosystem usually portray a dark, dank place filled with monsters. It's described as a place of death. Our film acknowledges these negative impressions and aims to dispel them by showcasing some of the area’s stunning fauna and unique flora. The film presents factual details of species and habitat, and refutes several false myths, legends and rumors targeting specific species. We highlight the following families/species in the film: Herons; Alligator; Barred Owl; Cypress; Spanish Moss; and Egrets. The film features a “Threats to the Swamp” segment focused on pollution - both the large-scale industrial type and the simple, but just as dangerous, individual-level littering and carelessness. Our film concludes with a message of hope, illustrated by lovely sunset scenes.
A portrait of resilience, fisherman Pete Knutson navigates the turbulent waters of Alaska and the market. With a blend of poignant flashbacks and present-day reflections, the film follows Pete on his 50th and final season fishing for salmon in Southeast Alaska. With day-in-the-life scenes on his fishing vessel, Njord, he emphasizes the critical need for ethical fishing practices, grassroots political organizing, and direct consumer relationships to thrive in an increasingly challenging economy. Featuring powerful moments from the 2001 battle to protect Seattle’s Fisherman’s Terminal for working vessels, this documentary not only showcases the fight for economic survival but also underscores the personal and collective resilience that sustains small family businesses in the face of adversity.
Three women in metamorphosis, journeying to break free from their individual, ancestral and societal prisons. Me strives to reconnect with her essential nature. Marjorie wrestles with ill-fitting conformity and Rebecca faces the bloody misogynist myths circling her body. They are bonded by fire, revelation, and the desire to honour the source of their subconsciousness.
Amaltaas is a visual poem about routine, ritual, and the quiet violence of being chosen but never free. Set in a foreign home, a newly married woman drifts through incense smoke, tea rituals, and beauty masks. The echoes of wedding drums, once celebratory, now linger as a haunting reminder of her displacement, silencing her beneath routines of obedience and appearances. Through a blend of reality and poetic imagery, Amaltaas becomes a portrait of countless women told to smile, obey, repeat, and quietly disappear.
In a cozy home, Jiwoo and his dog, Maximus, welcome a new friend: a robotic dog caregiver. Jiwoo, fond of his favorite cartoon robot hero, names the new arrival Hyperion X, forming an instant bond with the robot. At first, Maximus is wary and frightened of the robot, but over time, during the family's absences, Maximus begins to warm up to Hyperion X’s gentle care, eventually forming an unbreakable bond of friendship. However, when the robot gets a new software update with exciting new features, the family’s attention shifts entirely to Hyperion X. Filled with jealousy, Maximus’s little prank soon leads to an unexpected turn of events that changes everything.
As winter's bitter cold threatens to freeze the animal people, they find themselves shivering without warmth, as the Yellow Jacket Sisters hoard the only fire in the world, unwilling to share it. Coyote, ever the trickster, hatches a plan to steal the fire and bring it to the animals so they can survive the harsh season. With his sharp wit, Coyote persuades the Yellow Jacket Sisters to invite him into their home and steals their precious fire. However, the Yellow Jacket Sisters discover the theft and chase after Coyote with fury. A thrilling race ensues. In the fast-paced chase, Coyote begins the baton race as the other animals each take the baton of fire. The race is filled with obstacles, but Coyote and his fellow animals persevere, determined to bring warmth to their people. In the end, Coyote and the animals succeed in escaping the sisters' wrath, delivering the fire to the animal people. Coyote then teaches the animal people how to make fire on their own from the “baton of fire”. The animals celebrate their newfound warmth, and fire is shared freely from that day onward, thanks to Coyote's bravery, cunning, and the teamwork of the animal friends.
Switch’n Lanez is an AI-animated short film inspired by Bay Area nightlife. Set across San Francisco and Oakland, California, this film draws on lived experiences and real stories. Hip-Hop clubs, messy situations, hella drama, and those late Saturday nights where things can go left... real quick. This project was created by Marlon McKenney, who shaped everything from the conceptual design and script to the dialogue, soundtrack, motion graphics, and final edit. The intention isn’t about flexing technology. AI is used as a tool to help tell a story rooted in real Hip-Hop culture.
“Mermaids Oracle” is an animated short film touching on themes of love, emigration, and the feeling of returning to your roots, and how we are all connected through the world around us. The film is inspired by the Poem ‘The Mostmaide Oracle’ by Jean Maskell. The film was animated digitallyusing the Procreate app.
The video portrays a sad tale of an old man in northern England at the end of his life. The story tells of his passing, with flashbacks to his younger life.
Glenn Harrold - "I wrote the song with my brother Paul 40 years ago and always had an idea for this kind of video in my head, but I've only recently been able to bring it to life. I posted this video on social media and received such lovely feedback. Several people said it made them cry and feel emotional because they thought of their parents and other elderly relatives. So I've been submitting it to various film festivals, and it's been going well so far."
Music Written by Glenn Harrold and Paul Harrold (1985). Words Written by Glenn Harrold (1985). Remixed by Glenn Harrold @2025. Video Production - Glenn Harrold @2025.