NYLA International Film Festival

2022 Films

Selections

(Following films will screen in Los Angeles)


“  Blood & Water  ” Dir. by Jonathan Stanley


Lead character Marco gets revenge for his cousins rape.



“  Ground Swell: Epic Stories of Monster Waves  ” Dir. by Paul Taublieb


An in-depth look at the 2020-2021 big wave season which is considered one of the greatest of all time. Showcasing some of the most famous big wave spots on the planet, including Nazare, Jaws, and Mavericks, while also telling the dramatic human stories behind the surfers who tackle these spots. Directed by Paul Taublieb, starring Makua Rothman, Kai Lenny, Shane Dorian, Matt Bromley, Nathan Florence and Keala Kennely.



“  HEaRD  ” Dir. by Danielle Savre


Samantha was left to carry the guilt and shame from an act that was out of her control. When she couldn’t find the words to speak, she reeled from the results of her choices — or lack thereof. Paralyzed by her trauma, Samantha reels at the thought of how to proceed. How does she move forward with this burden? And how big of a burden will it be? She is in agony as she tries to understand if speaking up would have made a difference, or if her voice was never meant to be HEARD.


“  Iron Farmer  ” Dir. by Wei-Jhih Chen


“Iron Farmer” is a modern fairy tale about how iron farmer, the leading role, live with friends and support each other. Through the interaction between iron farmer, monkey, children, and variety of robots, this animation arouses children’s awareness and understanding about empathy by the interaction between characters with whole different background.



“  Lend  ” Dir. by WeiDuo Feng


A mother suddenly met a stranger to borrow money from her,Should she lend it? How to prevent and respond? The end was unexpected......



“  Not The Only One by Sugi Dakks  ” Dir. by Marina Piche


This stunning music video encapsulates this feeling of being “caught between two worlds”, reflecting on a struggle to navigate between two competing spaces.

Through a cardboard construction world of his own making, Sugi Dakks attempts to blend into this artificial realm, while his Identity and self worth are starkly laid bare in black, white and a million painted shades of grey.



“  Pedacito de la Tierra  ” Dir. by Lina Lyte Plioplyte


The Pedacito de la Tierra (A Little Piece of Home) documentary series weaves together humanitarian, migrant & refugee, food, and sustainability issues from around the world. The series shares stories of hope, growth and community to raise awareness and support for the efforts of global humanitarian organization, Alight, and Burners Without Borders. Set in a temporary shelter in the U.S./Mexico border town of Nogales, Mexico, the film shares a touching, enlightening story of the power of togetherness in the face of strife and hardship. As a community of unsettled migrants seeking asylum in the United States, these individuals show the true essence of perseverance and faith in one another to create a better life in their temporary shelters. This tale of innovation and inspiration is told in an effort to initiate an avalanche of constructive thought, discourse, and action, and to leave a lasting social impact that increases public awareness and incites change in policy.




“  The Final Stand  ” Dir. by Vadim Shmelyov


October 1941. Fascist hordes rush to Moscow. As a result of the breakthrough of the defensive line on one of the direct highways, there were no regular units of the Red Army left and the invaders were able to move in freely. Soviet High command decides to close the gap with cadets from the Podolsk infantry and artillery schools, many of whom were about 18 years old. Their task is to hold out for five days until the reserves arrive.

The cadets held out for twelve… Аt a cost of their lives, they did not allow the enemy to reach Moscow, and thereby changed the course of war.

The film is about heroism, about love, about true friendship.

A large number of real military equipment of the 1940s was involved in the filming.


“  The Letter Not Sent  ” Dir. by Mandi Huang


Jiang Ying, a rebellious girl who is about to take her college entrance exam and has a indifferent relationship with her mother, accidentally finds a letter from her father who has been working far away from home with inconsistent handwriting and decides to go on a journey to find her father before the exam.



“  The Only Fan  ” Dir. by Marteverick Shears


The Only Fan is a Thriller that follows Alanna Pensack; a feminist Only Fan model who must survive the night once she's confronted at her home by a violent stalker.


“  The Call Us Sediciosos  ” Dir. by Iz Gutierrez


Starring Blanca Araceli from "Coco" (Disney / Pixar), Rafael Cobos Delgado ("Sin Frontera"), and Carolina Vargas ("Corazon Rebelde").

An ignored narrative of Mexican-Americans in U.S. history:
In 1915, Jovita Idár, a reporter, writer, and activist for women and Mexican-American civil rights, interviews a mother whose son has gone missing while at the hands of racist Rangers and vigilantes who have been targeting the Texas-Mexican community in the Lower Rio Grande Valley during a time known as “La Matanza” (The Massacre).

















“  Baby Boomer Rap  ” Dir. by Pam Price


'Baby Boomer Rap' is one of twelve original songs from the screenplay, "Baby Boomers Can Dance" by Pam Price. 'Baby Boomer's Rap' was written by Pam Price (Music an Lyrics) and sung by Stephen Price. It tells the story of a man trying to learn how to dance West Coast Swing and making the mistake of leaving out his "anchor step". He gets warned by the judge to do his footwork correctly and then his girlfriend starts dancing with another man. He is brokenhearted until he meets "Runaround Sue" who is the girl of his dreams. He is finally happy, ending the song with thought that he and his new girlfriend "will never part".



“  Gloria  ” Dir. by Meiru Lu


On the eve of the college entrance examination, Su Yu received her long-awaited notice of the audition for the girls group. If she chooses to participate in the audition, she will inevitably give up her studies. Su Yu dare not to tell her parents about this, but only her friend Lily. Will she gather the courage to face the future she choses?



“  Native Wisdom- The Peoples of Eastern Oregon

  ” Dir. by Tim Keenan Burgess & Lawrence Johnson


Indigenous scientists, artists and elders from several Oregon interior tribes, including the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Reservation, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde share observations of their changing environment, natural resource issues, and the beauty of tribes’ traditional arts, music and storytelling.



“  Prelude Of A Corpse  ” Dir. by Arin Inan Aslan


The cold, the fog and the haze pervades all around. We get the feeling of being besieged through an eternal winter and a never-ending war. Within this numb atmosphere in which all has frozen, one embarks on a journey to his/her past and future. Within this cyclical context that curves into itself like that of a snail shell, one has left a door open somewhere and must return to quietly close that door. The linear flow comprised of yesterday today and tomorrow alternates. The flow of the curing of the over-told past fractures; as one starts also remembering the future. Because healing; is never just a journey taken towards the past.



“  Redemption  ” Dir. by Seora Hong


Losing all reason to live, a man stands on the precipice of life and death.

A man who feels like he has lost all reason to live. As he stands on the precipice of life and death, he faces an unexpected situation that may just save his life.




“  Reyna  ” Dir. by Stella Franceskides


A short documentary in which Reyna a 47yr old Mexican Woman
tells the story of her abuse as a child by members of her family.
Reyna’s courages life stands as a beacon for the millions of untold #MeToo stories from working women across the world.  Along side Reyna’s moving testimony Stella's Franceskides has also filmed the explosive feminist movement that is demanding changes across Latin America.





“  Saviour Angels  ” Dir. by Irina Gedrovich


“Saviour Angel” is based on real events of 1950s. The main character is Zinaida Uvarova that works as a typist in Court. She has a son, her husband died at war. Zinaida falls in love with Alexey Levitskiy, a lawyer, who selflessly and fearlessly protects workers. Alexey's courage annoys many people. One of his enemy writes a denunciation on Levitsky. At that time is was enough for a person to get 10 years of labour camps.




“  Daycare  ” Dir. by Lydia Kubiniec


Three moms day drink, clean each other's houses and get real about mental health while the little ones are in daycare.



“  DECEMBER FADES "CRASH and BURN"

  ” Dir. by Theresa June-Tao &  Thuo Sam


Crash and Burn demonstrates the evolution of Lust and/or love. The irresistible curiosity into unexpected elevated emotion- all the highs and lows that lead to finding the inner strength to admitting the truth and/or walking away from the fantasy once believed.



“  Desperate Waters  ” Dir. by Jeffry Druce


Murder mystery on a sailboat with two men and one woman onboard. Sailing from LA to Hawaii.




“  Farewell, farewell, farewell  ” Dir. by Ricardo Castro


The autobiographical journey of Ricardo Castro and his family of 17, who built their home in a secret forest. Here, they lived a utopian dream until a tragedy shattered their perfect microcosm.



“  Gilead's Protocol  ” Dir. by Dvorit Shargal


Gilead Kahn was 15 and a half years old when he died of cancer on March 1, 2018. Gilead was a very promising soccer player and fought for his life for two years. Gilead experienced not only agony and pain but also many joyful moments during his illness. He also found his first love. The film "Gilead’s Protocol" is an enterprise of his parents, not intended as a memorial film, but as a film to help parents, children, relatives, and friends cope with such a difficult situation. It examines the treatment options, how to behave, what to do, the value of medical cannabis, and the contribution of complementary medicine. This is a sad but optimistic story.



“  Half-Cocked  ” Dir. by Aaron Barrocas


Two brilliant yet shortsighted scientists find themselves ill-prepared when the experiment of their lives goes horribly right.



“  Latteship  ” Dir. by Hsing-Fang Tsai &  Daishi Takishima


Latteship is a 3D animated short created by Flora Hsing-Fang Tsai and Daishi Takishima. The animation story follows Sigri and Kona, two otters who have opposite personalities. They must learn to accept each other to cooperate in order to run a small but popular coffee truck - Sigri Coffee. The story’s theme comes from an African proverb “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”




“  Progeny  ” Dir. by Justin Daering


This is a world exactly like ours, except that the wealthy elites are aliens, living and working among us, but with one key difference: they reproduce by implanting their offspring in a human host who raises the alien child as his own. When a blue-collar man is forcibly implanted with his alien boss's parasitic offspring, he asks his wife to help him remove the parasite -- a dangerous and forbidden act that puts their marriage -- and their lives -- at risk.




“  TALK  ” Dir. by Boulanger Romuald


In a Los Angeles radio station. The host of an emblematic night talk show (William Baldwin) gives advice to live callers.

One call will destroy his career, his family, his life ...




“  The Terms of Us  ” Dir. by Roberto Sanchez


Jose Garcia, a successful actor, has a chance encounter with a homeless woman who forces him to face his past.




“  What Didn’t Kill Me ”  Dir. by Jason Coulter


You're walking home and you see something you shouldn't have...what if that something sees you?




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Los Angeles Screenings

12th Annual