2026 Official Selection: Sci-Fi – Featurette

A group of middle aged men turn to an AI for help becoming "an Alpha"

• Director(s): Joseph Wesley
• Writer(s): Joseph Wesley, Rachel Kriegshauser, Eric Fisher
• Producer(s): Eric Fisher
• Key Cast: Ptolemy Slocum, Marcuis Harris, Laura Niemi
• Editor(s): Eric Fisher
• Cinematographer(s): Joseph Wesley
• Production Designer(s): Rachel Kriegshauser
• Sound Designer(s): Jacob Proctor
• Composer(s): Christopher Doucet

Language: English

Runtime: 32m

Country: United States

Los Angeles Premiere

Synopsis: An exclusive personal development boot camp promises to remake the lives of middle aged men in crisis. Doug joins the program in the hopes of getting over his divorce, only to fall prey to a nefarious artificial intelligence that specializes in manipulating insecure men.

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Source: FILA

2026 Official Selection: Short Film – SciFi

A man discovers he and his ex girlfriend are both dating the same hivemind.

• Director(s): Nathan Deshawn Bouie
• Writer(s): Nathan Deshawn Bouie
• Producer(s): Jayla Hodge, Ami Coulibaly
• Key Cast: Jai’Reeh Demond, Akira Jackson, Mckayla Fontanez
• Editor(s): Noah Radant
• Cinematographer(s): Paul Carrabba
• Production Designer(s): Callan Low

Language: English

Runtime: 20m

Country: United States

Synopsis: On the night he’s supposed to integrate with his Hive-mind alien girlfriend, James, a man with deep commitment issues, discovers his ex is also dating the same Hivemind.

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Source: FILA

2026 Official Selection: Arthouse/Experimental – Short

In this Surrealist cinema poem, a woman processes the waves of grief and finds solace in becoming one with her art.

• Director(s): CK Thornton
• Writer(s): CK Thornton
• Producer(s): CK Thornton
• Key Cast: Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz
• Editor(s): Stephanie Williams
• Cinematographer(s): Geffen Shichor
• Production Designer(s): Julia Vela; Shirley Guo
• Sound Designer(s): WA Reeves
• Composer(s): Nick Shadel

Runtime: 12m

Country: United States

Synopsis: CHICKEN SALAD is a surrealist film exploring grief and the raw and chaotic emotions of heartbreak through dreamlike, thought-provoking visuals. The act of art becomes a vehicle for our subject’s healing; she merges with her creations, blending her artwork into reality. "Chicken Salad" ultimately showcases how art provides a path to expression, acceptance and love in the face of profound loss.

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Source: FILA