The Bait is a visceral survival thriller based on a true story. It follows João, a disillusioned real estate executive suffocating under the weight of his domineering family’s expectations. When his carefree friend Patrick invites him on a windsurfing trip to Búzios, João seizes the chance to reconnect with the ocean—and with himself. But a sudden shark attack leaves him critically injured, stranded miles from shore and fighting for his life.
A showcase of the best new films from around the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Feature Film: ROTTEN APPLE Best Short Film: ALWAYS AND FOREVER Best Story: CARDBOARD Best Documentary: HOW WE ROLL
HOW WE ROLL, 16min,. USA Directed by Anthony Ciancio What started as a little idea becomes a local phenomenon. Meet the passionate folks who have reinvigorated this ancient game as a means of escape and finding common ground in their community. Meet The Elmwood Park Bocce League.
Always and Forever, 22min., USA Directed by Johnny Thames An obsessive, controlling teenager kidnaps her boyfriend to play a bizarre, self destructive game. But things become complicated when the boy demands a stop. The film comments on how trauma if not confronted and resolved will lead to co-dependent and potentially destructive results, while providing enough empathy toward accountability.
CARDBOARD, 23min., USA Directed by Diana Densmore A neglected young girl builds a cardboard time machine and runs away to the future only to find her adult self in the throes of depression, as the two connect they remind each other of the joy of loving oneself.
ROTTEN APPLE, 81min., USA Directed by Justin Hunt A truly groundbreaking docu-drama, ‘Rotten Apple’ is an alarming exposé on the dark epidemic of grooming and sexual assault in public schools and the eminent ripple effect.
A showcase of the best ANIMATION films in the world today.
AUDIENCE WINNERS: Best Animated Short Film: Dynamics Best Genre Animation Film: Troop 13 Best Micro-Short Film: Patchwork Best Music Video: Onion Dog Best Visual Design: The Town Without Laws Best Story: Gnomes of New York Best Direction: Mare in the Grass
dystopia, 9min., Switzerland Directed by bellopropello – Soap bubbles infiltrate a robotic armaments factory. Subversiveness versus logical reasoning. Who will get the upper hand?
What we imagined, 3min., USA Directed by Shubhavi Arya In a magical park, two children meet across a divide — one fast like a cheetah, the other once feared. Through questions, sketches, and a desktop of dreams, they invite us into a story of transformation, truth, and imagination. Their message is simple but powerful:
Cosmic Handshake (Official Video), 8min. USA Directed by Steven Wright Clarkson This video is about unity. As a christian, I know I can learn something from just about everyone. Opening your heart to other countries and their people and customs undoubtedly bridges the barriers that this world needs so very much. No matter what religion, color, creed, race, sexual orientation, etc., we are all children of God. He loves each and every one of us immensely. He wants to form a strong relationship with every creation including us. Peace and Christ’s love to each of you, Steven
Prayer of the Sea, 6min., Germany Directed by Martin Gerigk A composer recounts a dream from his youth that inspired the slow movement of his first string quartet, Prayer of the Sea. The dream, depicting a peaceful dissolution into the sea and wind, symbolized his future death. Decades later, rediscovering a drawing from the quartet’s premiere – perfectly capturing the dream’s essence – revived its emotions. Now older, he reflects on the dream’s message: a serene acceptance of life’s inevitable end.
Cats Cradle, 10min., Canada Directed by Allyson Lorraine Glenn Cats Cradle is inspired by the Greek myth Ariadne and her journey from Crete to Naxos. Like The Fates, she is associated with the symbol of the thread, which she uses to help Theseus kill the Minotaur. Central to Ariadne’s story is her deification, her transcendence from mortal to divine through a union with Dionysus. By revisiting this ancient myth, Cats Cradle invites viewers to reflect on how they navigate their own inner labyrinths of identity and transformation.
The Town Without Laws, 3min., USA Directed by Kiarra Angelique Moore A rag tag trio of criminals are tasked by the devil, to hunt down an outlaw trying to outrun his debt.
Mare in the Grass, 3min,. USA Directed by Beza Solomon Bryce, the coolest kid at Destiny Middle, is bound to win the school talent show. Mary, Mikey, and Stephen won’t stand by and let this happen.
Gnomes of New York, 4min., USA Directed by Shane Willett New York is a busy city, everyone is always coming and going and never stopping. What if you stopped and took time to watch the city, carefully, around a secret world exists. Gnomes, they keep the city alive and thriving. Without them, New York would not be the same. [Process consisted of filming the entire project on a digital camera and creating plates to add in CGI]
TROOP 13, 4min., USA Directed by Alice Elizabeth Trisha Vogel Troop 13 is a short horror stop motion comedy about a troop of campers who are out in the woods. The fire begins to die and one by one the campers go off to find wood and earn their fire-wood gathering patch but once they set off none return. The troop leader then goes off to get firewood on his own, and just when he thought he was safe he is met with the same fate as the campers.
Onion Dog, 7min., USA Directed by Michelle Pozen The story of an ordinary American dog. Struggling to find his place in the modern world, he points his beak toward the Old West in search of purpose and meaning.
PATCHWORK, 2min., USA Directed by Karsyn Fletcher A determined sprite builds a scarecrow to save her pumpkin, but when it grows too big, she must adapt in the face of change.
DYNAMICS, 14min., Netherlands Directed by Teo Baehler, DYNAMICS (Frozen Movements) is an experimental, dreamy and surreal stop-motion film, created using everyday materials. The film offers a visual reflection on transformations that emerge through the intuitive blending of dissimilar elements. The result is a non-narrative art film where fantasy, form and texture merge into a sensory experience.
Standing Crooked Logline: A boy born with club feet in Troubles-era Belfast survives a traumatic childhood and 42 surgeries, discovering that while the body may falter, the right words can teach a man how to stand.
A showcase of the best new films from around the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Short Film: NEXT UP Best Visual Design: EMMA Best Performances: TREU (FAITHFUL) Best Music Video: TIMELESS: A SYMPHONY IN MOTION Best Direction: NIGHT SHIFT AT NED’S Best Documentary: CHICAGO CRIME Best Student Film: PESTICIDE Best Cinematography: INVINCIBLES Best Sound & Music: THE TENDER ONES WILL TRIUMPH
Emma, 11min., Canada Directed by Robert Bockstael Two women, associated through addiction are spiraling downwards. In a rare moment of clarity, nearing the end of their salvageable lives, Emma remembers a long-forgotten ‘secret stash’ of money she and her grandmother kept for an emergency. Embarking on a quest for this treasure – this perceived salvation – they find instead an offer of redemption.
Treu (Faithful), 15min., Germany Directed by Hansjoerg Thurn A woman wakes up in a bed she doesn’t know and seems to be trapped by a man twice her age. She tries to escape, but after a wild getaway, she saves herself back in the same house she escaped from. An older version of her speaks to her from a computer. Only then does she realize that she is suffering from Alzheimer’s and is actually the same age as the man who is her husband. She remembers the early years of their relationship, when they were both famous actors on stage. TREU depicts the disorientation of a woman with dementia and the mental imprisonment of her caring partner. This short film focuses on the suffering of the husband (Anthony Arndt) and his wife (Annika Kuhl) in a tense atmosphere. The film has already won awards at many festivals. This short film is also going on a charity tour of international cinemas.
Timeless : A Symphony in Motion, 5min., UK Directed by Susan Mey Lee Lim, Christina Teenz Tan, Samudra Kajal Saikia “Timeless : A Symphony in Motion”” is a captivating music video that seamlessly blends a live recording of the titular song with poignant animated overlays, creating a visual and auditory experience that resonates deeply with audiences. Filmed at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in April 2025, the video features the 82-member Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the extraordinary vocals of Tom Ball, a star from America’s Got Talent.
NEXT UP, 30min., UK Directed by Marion H von Loewenstern Juliette Mandeville and Tilly Anders, two actresses follow a call for an audition to London. Juliette is already a successful and well-known actress who, however, due to her age, is no longer offered good film roles. Tilly Anders on the other hand, is at the beginning of her career, she is very young, inexperienced and full of self-doubt. The director is a shady character driven by selfishness. Juliettes audition doesn’t go well . Tilly is overcome nervousness and flees from the theatre before it’s her turn. How will the two women deal with it and will their lives take a turn? In the style of a surreal dramedy, the story gives a socially critical insight into the entertainment industry, with its possible obstacles and difficulties.
Night Shift at Ned’s, 25min., USA Directed by Hagen Mattingly A seasoned waitress starts a new job at an overnight diner in the deep south, and learns new meaning to the term “customers from Hell.”
Chicago Crime, 19min., USA Directed by Marcus DiPaola Marcus DiPaola and Jermaine Kelly chase crime across Chicago, finding shocking differences between how police act in minority neighborhoods versus wealthy neighborhoods.
Invincibles, 25min., France Directed by Shane Rosilio This film is a dinner party behind closed doors. Hannah is hosting a dinner party at her house with her grandmother, her old school teacher, one of her classmates, and her brother, who lives with her. The classmate seems unaware of what he’s doing there, the school teacher tries to be as discreet as possible, and the brother keeps coughing. The atmosphere at dinner is heavy, as if everyone is superfluous, and the room is increasingly filled with unease…
THE TENDER ONES WILL TRIUMPH, 15min., Poland Directed by Francisco Bassignana A young Ukrainian girl live in Poland as immigrant. she received several calls from her mother but she doesn’t want to answer because she think that something bad is going on.
What They Say About Carmen, 2min., Portugal Directed by Eve Ferretti, Pedro Mota Teixeira “What They Say About Carmen” brings to light the story of a 10-year-old girl who was born without arms, narrated by a voice that uses a “borrowed” discourse, typical of those who “say that…” This narrative, coming from someone who never knew Carmen, adopts a memorial tone that contrasts with the animated image, revealing the true essence of the protagonist. This confrontation between the visual narrative and the verbal discourse invites us to dive deeper into Carmen’s life.
Interview with Priscilla Zanni Bertran (CAST & BREW)
Cast & Brew, 10min., Spain/USA Directed by Priscilla Zanni Bertran Cast & Brew is a comedy about an AD trying to manage a film set where coffee has been delayed, and the lead actor, Bruce, refuses to do any takes without his coffee first. Chaos erupts when Craft Services informs the AD and Producer about a worldwide collapse in the coffee supply chain.
Interview with Filmmaker Mikey T. Campbell (BEG YUH A CALL)
A showcase of the best new films from around the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Feature Film: IRABŪ of the Kudaka Island, Okinawa Best Short Film: Beg Yuh A Call Best Micro-Short: Cloistergeist Best Direction: Cast & Brew Best Student Film: Mariposa Best Story: What They Say About Carmen
IRABŪ of the Kudaka Island, Okinawa, 102min., Japan Directed by Kazuo Okada Kudaka Island in Okinawa is home to just over 200 people and holds a sacred cultural legacy centered on the grand IZAIHŌ festival, celebrated once every 12 years for more than six centuries. The island is renowned for its traditional production of IRABŪ, smoked Erabu sea kraits, revered as a divine gift from the gods and once presented at banquets for distinguished guests of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Cloistergeist, 3min., France Directed by Paige Hering A monk’s quiet monastery life is upended by a playful ghost, and just when he’s about to exorcise the spirit, he discovers the ghost has a secret soft side.
Cast & Brew, 10min., Spain/USA Directed by Priscilla Zanni Bertran Cast & Brew is a comedy about an AD trying to manage a film set where coffee has been delayed, and the lead actor, Bruce, refuses to do any takes without his coffee first. Chaos erupts when Craft Services informs the AD and Producer about a worldwide collapse in the coffee supply chain. On the meantime, Bruce demands his detailed coffee order while the director pushes for rehearsals. The scene inside the film happens in a Western field where Bruce proposes to his girlfriend, Sara. He is grabbing her in his arms and as soon as she accepts his proposal, he lets her fall to the ground claiming he lacks the muscle strength without his coffee. The Producer then reveals the truth about the coffee crisis, leading to Bruce quitting the film. This sparks a huge chaotic montage ensues with crazy physical altercations.
What They Say About Carmen, 2min., Portugal Directed by Eve Ferretti, Pedro Mota Teixeira “What They Say About Carmen” brings to light the story of a 10-year-old girl who was born without arms, narrated by a voice that uses a “borrowed” discourse, typical of those who “say that…” This narrative, coming from someone who never knew Carmen, adopts a memorial tone that contrasts with the animated image, revealing the true essence of the protagonist. This confrontation between the visual narrative and the verbal discourse invites us to dive deeper into Carmen’s life.
Chicago FEEDBACK Film Festival 