SHORT FILMS

Synopsis: Grace (ALEXANDRA RENZO), a solo female backpacker, unwittingly survives an apocalyptic event while in the wilderness. She resolves to live out the rest of her days in peace until she encounters Aaron (GRIFFIN NEWMAN), a fellow survivor with a very different take on the end of the world. 

Bio: Virginia Root is a writer and director from South Jersey living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One time, as a kid, she was so determined to beat a neighbor boy in a foot race that she ran straight into a parked car. She lost a front tooth and won the race.

More recently, she won the 2024 George R.R. Martin Screenwriting Competition with her sci-fi pilot, DESERTERS; received a grant from the non-profit New Mexico Writers; and became a Stowe Story Lab fellow in the New Mexico New Voices program. In 2025, Virginia won a Silver Telly Award for a spot she wrote and directed for the New Mexico Summer Food Program.

Synopsis: A suspicious husband meets with a private detective to discuss his predicament.

Bio: Avery Valdes, writer/director from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Synopsis: Two restless souls, searching for meaning and contentment, reconnect after years apart. Their familiarity quickly falls back into place, making them question the paths they have separately chosen.

Bio: Jackie Luchini - Jackie Luchini is a New Mexican producer and director. She joined the New Mexico film and television industry in 2024 and loves stories that explore the depths of the human experience. IG: @jackieluchini

Julia Storch - Julia Storch is a New Mexican screenwriter, director, and producer. IG: @julia_storchie

Hannah Sutter - Hannah Sutter is a director and filmmaker. She's spent 10 years in the New Mexico film and television industry in Location Management at IATSE Local 480. IG: @hannah_the_filmmaker

Synopsis: DREAM KILLER explores the intersection of the self and recovery from trauma and addiction by finding ways to reconsider past lived experiences through self-care, desires for escape and contemplating one’s mortality. 

Bio: Sonya Berry (b. 1986, Bristol, RI) is a studio artist, based in Southern New Mexico. Her video and site-specific installations explore the intersection of the self and recovery, while contemplating rebuilding and reflection on one's life. She graduated from Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA in Visual Arts and a BFA in Painting from Pratt Institute. Her art has been exhibited in group and solo shows in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Arizona, and New Mexico. Sonya is currently planning and building an Artist Residency in the Southwest Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico in Luna County.  

Email: sberry227@gmail.com IG: @sonyaberryart YT: @sonyaberry

Synopsis: Harriet has found all the little joys of living in her bunker - she has her plants, her holograms, and her periscope to see what's left of the world. When two strangers break into her bunker, she must decide what to protect.

Bio: Lex Lotito is an actor, writer, and director based between Los Angeles and Albuquerque. Lex initially pursued athletics, earning a softball scholarship to Penn State before shifting focus to the arts. After returning to acting in Santa Barbara, they began exploring filmmaking at 22 and have since trained in Meisner technique, as well as improv at The Groundlings and Second City. Lex now co-runs Liminal 77 Films, an award winning production company focused on intimate, character-driven stories. Their work centers emotional depth and the complexities of the human condition.

Synopsis: In a surreal purgatory waiting room, a tormented woman named Florence grapples with her elusive past, conversing with a haunting 18th-century plague doctor and navigating failed attempts to find closure with celestial desk attendants. As a phone rings in the shadows, she uncovers painful truths about her controlling mother, leading to a bittersweet farewell that reveals the complexities of love, loss, and the desire for redemption.

Bio: Rylee Norman is a writer, director, and producer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She holds an MA in Film Studies from Queen Mary University of London. Her work explores themes of generational trauma, family dynamics, and the emotional legacies passed between generations. Her directing credits include A Family Matter (2026), The Waiting Room (2024), and Here and Back (2023). In addition to directing, she has worked as a director of photography on Be Good, Stay Safe (2023) and The Handy (2025). In 2025, she founded Negative Dirt Productions, a production company dedicated to creating independent films, hosting community screenings, and providing free educational classes that expand access to filmmaking resources.

Synopsis: From Director Sam Fleig and Writer-Producer Lien Maatta comes ROAD HEAD. When Eddie (Macauley Raine) tries to get his driver's license to fulfill a lifelong dream and impress his girlfriend Margo (Jayla Franklin-Sullivan), the trials and tribulations of getting behind the wheel lead him to seek the tutelage of Alex (Bryce Dylan), his slightly-older, usually-high, co-worker. 

Bio: SAM FLEIG is a producer/director of such films as Road Head (2026) and Shambles (2025). He is a co-founder of RATAMACUE, a film production company based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. More on Ratamacue.com and @samfleig on Instagram. Contact via ratamacuefilm@gmail.com

Synopsis: Rockland, Maine. August 2023.

Bio: Stepan Casey is a documentary and narrative filmmaker.  Whether working with human subjects or otherwise, Stepan enjoys capturing physical and emotional environments and revealing their resonance through sound and picture editing.

Synopsis: Jonesy is having a pretty bad day.

Bio: Tom O’Hara is an Albuquerque born and based writer, director, and 480 prop assistant who loves movies so much he’s willing to put himself through the pain and anguish of film making. Inspired by the desolate urban west his work merges humor, drama, and crime. His experience in the property department helps him see the small details that often get overlooked but can have a deeper connection to the overall film. He aspires to create more emotional character driven dramas shown in a lighter more comedic way.