From more than 250 entries our festival selection committee has chosen 9 finalists. We will screen each short film and our jury will select the “Best Overall” film at the conclusion of the program.
Actress Debra Monk (Hold) and Filmmakers Josiah Spencer (Hold), Meredith Chin (A Thousand Cuts), Ray Santisteban (Savior) and Jay Zaretsky (Piano Man) will be in attendance
Our Jury:
*** Extreme Thanks to our Short Film Selection committee: Anne Evasick, Jennifer Turner Smith, Steven Berry, Steven Berry, and Deborah Alves for their work over the last six months to view, rate and select our finalists from close to 250 submissions. Bravo!
2024 MVIFF SHORT FILM FINALISTS
BARDO (16:00)
Directed by Mishki Vaccaro, Canada
Bardo takes place over the three days after Steph’s mother’s death when she returns home to find a surprise visitor and wrestles with guilt over not being more present when her mother was alive.
MEAL TICKET (10:22)
Director Adrian B. Herrera, United States
A tough loving father with hoop dreams for his daughter, is hit with the harsh reality of their environment.
HOLD (13:40)
Director Josiah Junqueira Spencer, United States
An early morning phone call propels a mother and daughter on a path toward connection and the mysteries held in the act of letting go.
Josiah Junqueira Spencer is a Brazilian-American filmmaker who produces, directs, and edits a wide range of projects, spanning from documentary to narrative films. With a unique multicultural background and a diverse set of influences and skills, Josiah brings a distinctive artistic perspective and a focused approach to every project. His work is characterized by a deep understanding of character, storytelling, and visual composition, which is evident in his recent film, Hold. Josiah’s dedication to exploring complex themes and his ability to capture the subtleties of human experiences make him a compelling voice in the film industry.
A THOUSAND CUTS (17:49)
Director Meredith Chin, United States
An elite college fencer grapples with an unspoken attraction to her teammate while training for her last competition. Pressured to be the best, and expected to win the team a national championship title, her emotions boil over in one vengeful final bout.
Meredith Chin is a writer, director, and producer living in Los Angeles, CA.
Meredith’s first short film, The Girl, premiered at the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival in 2022 and went on to be shown at Rhode Island Film Festival, Los Angeles International Film Festival and more.
Prior to writing and directing her own films, Meredith produced the feature documentary Duty Free, which was featured in The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter and premiered on PBS’s Independent Lens on November 2021.
I’M NOT A ROBOT(20:00)
Director Victoria Warmerdam, The Netherlands
After several unsuccessful attempts to complete a Captcha, feminist Lara sets out to answer the disturbing question of whether she’s a robot, and therefore bought by her own boyfriend.
Director Amir Youssef, Egypt
Amir Youssef is an Egyptian filmmaker based in San Francisco. He strives to create unconventional stories that echo unheard voices, while drawing inspiration from the extremely rich culture of his native Egypt. In his latest work, Amir focuses on themes of alienation and identity during periods of social and political chaos. He delves into topics of duality, where opposing ideas and emotions coexist, revealing the complexity and dissonance within the true self.
His latest short film ‘Dawn Every Day’ is currently on the festival circuit. It premiered at Galway Film Fleadh in Ireland and will be screening at BFI London Film Festival and Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival.
Amir’s previous short film ‘The Laughing Woo Woo’ screened at the 2023 Slamdance Film Festival. His directorial debut film ‘The Initiation’ won Best Narrative Short Film at the 2020 Oakland International Film Festival and Best Director at the 2020 Oregon Short Film Festival
Director Ray Santisteban, United States
Featuring acclaimed Albuquerque, New Mexico poet Marcial Delgado, “Savior” is call to action, a cry for help, and ultimately a harsh indictment of U.S. Immigration policy. Part op-ed, part confrontational oratory, Delgado speaks his truth to a society that routinely vilifies immigrants.
A graduate of NYU’s film program, Ray Santisteban has directed and produced award-winning documentaries broadcast in the U.S and internationally. Much of his work explores political organizing, literature, and history. In 2020, he directed/produced THE FIRST RAINBOW COALITION, an hour-long documentary nationally broadcast on the PBS series Independent Lens.He is a 2003 Rockefeller Media Fellow and a 2017 Firelight Media Documentary Fellow.
Her full length award winning screenplay Losing Gloria has been selected for many festival script competitions and won best screenplay at New York, California and Miami Indies, nominated at Toronto and Art Film Spirit Awards and a finalist at Oscar qualifying Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival. Her outline for a TV series “Only a Woman” was selected at City of Angels Women’s Film Festival in LA.
Director Jay Zaretsky, United States
Upon moving to California Jay contributed creatively to the first two seasons of FX’s Justified. Jay has written copy and developed campaign concepts for the likes of The Daniels, Anthony Mandler, Director X, Rupert Sanders, Alma Har’el, Darren Aronofsky, and many more. His most recent works include the original feature film Asher, starring Ron Perlman, Famke Jansen, and Richard Dreyfus. The biopic of Teddy Pendergrass for Tyrese Gibson, the western, Marauder for XYZ Films, A Different Beyond directed by Matthew Libatique and produced by Darren Aronofsky. When he’s not writing Jay can be found camped out in the corral with his horse, Willow, but he’s rarely not writing.
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