Directed by Adam Reid. 'Sheltered Life' was born from the thoughts, experiences and imagination of 9 inner city street kids who write and star in this revolutionary film about their life inside 'The Phoenix', a shelter for homeless youth. Shakara is a social worker who is breaking the rules by counseling in a shelter where her brother, D'Zee, lives. When she warns him that the shelter is closing down in an effor to get his attention, she unknowingly begins a chain of events that threatens to put D'Zee back where he came from - a life of survival by any means necessary. Award winning director Adam Reid co-founded the Phoenix Film Mentorship Program so that at risk inner city youth could express their ideas and stories on film.

Directed by Cintia Cabib. For generations of Washingtonians, a ride on Glen Echo Park’s Dentzel carousel is a treasured memory. Since 1921, visitors of all ages have been drawn to the magic of this enduring gem. Their recollections evoke the carousel’s many roles over time: from an amusement park ride, to a symbol for the civil rights movement, to an endangered work of art.

Directed by Michael Attardi. Santa looses his magical pocket watch when he has a near miss with a 757 jet airplane. The watch falls into a chimney then lands in a Christmas tree. The power of the watch brings to life a Christmas village located under the tree. On the other side of the tree (The Dark Side an action figure named Sir Evil unwraps himself. The evil villian wants to capture these plastic villagers so he can mold them in his Suzie back set (Another gift hidden behind the tree) His motivation? 'Because all accessories are sold separately!' Troy, the village hero, saves the town as well as Christmas. Troy also find the missing piece of his collectors set, Noelle. This is a musical romantic comedy.

Directed by Arnault Labaronne. A cell phone is the only eyewitness to a terrible drama... Far from friends and family, Caroline is held captive and must survive thanks only to her video phone. An unprecedented film told entirely through her incoming and outgoing calls...

Directed by Michael Gaylin. Deep in an Abbu Ghraib-like prison, the war raging just outside, three detainees wait to be questioned. One is surely a dangerous terrorist. But which one? In this powerful political satire of hubris, war and the tragic consequences of miscommunication, director Michael Gaylin creates a Kubrikian nightmare, a pitch-black comedy, where the fate of the detainees, the American soldiers and the war itself rests on the negligible talents of an inept translator, and a simple slip of the tongue may lead to a heartbreaking conclusion for all concerned.

Directed by Camilo Coba Riofrío. Sneak Preview of “San Rafael de Pomasqui” boarding school, 1957. The kid’s everyday activities are disturbed by the disappearance of some students and staff members, coinciding with the arrival of a new student, Oswald. In the face of danger the school’s head master Virgilio and the rest of priests in charge of the teaching and handling of the school are forced to take desperate measures to ensure the safety of the kids, forgetting they’re ethics and bending the thin line between right and wrong. Can this little boy be responsible for all the killings or is there a killer on the loose?

Directed by Alecia Orsini. This pressurized short features Russ Winters who faces a series of losses and disappointments that have been building up since before he was even born. Will the accumulated weight of all this pressure cause Russ to... combust?

Directed by Ashraf Meer. A woman finds serenity running in the forest. She is challenged by her younger self. In taking the dare, she finds herself at the origin of her motivation.

Directed by Joshua Cohen. A docu-fiction comedy, musical, drama about one day, one night in a mass transit in Santiago, Chile. A young 15 year old girl who drives a bus clandestinely at night in an utterly crazy and chaotic system.

Directed by Gary Beeber. Take a ride with Kamikaze, New York City's most legendary bike messenger and world class character. Be part of the action and learn the street wisdom he's gleaned about work, women and the meaning of life from his 25 years on NYC's streets.

Directed by Keith Carter. Captain Amazing-Lad is the hilarious misadventures of one man's quest to combine domestic bliss with the world of super-heroics..

Directed by Anny Slater. Barney, The White House Scottish Terrier 'talks' with his Secret Service security guard about life in the White House.

Directed by Gregg Cannizaro. Hangin' in Hedo... don't get tooled.

Directed by Octavio Warnock-Graham. Set in Maumee, Ohio, an idyllic Midwestern suburb with manicured lawns and historic homes, Silences follows the filmmaker's journey to understand his mother, Harriet Warnock, and her refusal to discuss the circumstances of his birth. 'Harriet never talked about it.'- Eric Warnock'It doesn't really matter.'-Clark Warnock'We always had our suspicions.'- Roger Warnock'Harriet never told me you were black because you're not black.'-Grandma Warnock. With a silent mother and no family members with first hand knowledge, Octavio travels to San Francisco with only a name and a phone number to find that one person who can complete his search for answers, his biological father...

Directted by Justin Guerrieri. On the same day that Roger Lange [ROBERT PICARDO], a depressed, middle-aged accountant, celebrates his 49th birthday, astronauts discover a strange boy who has crash-landed on the moon in a homemade spacecraft. This mysterious boy claims to know Roger, and so Roger is put in the uncomfortable position of leading the investigation into this other-worldly phenomenon. As he reluctantly pursues the answers, Roger discovers that Rocketboy holds secrets of his past that he may not be ready to face, reminding him of his forgotten dreams of space adventure.

Directed by Susan Bell. In 1847 in the Deep South, a lowly gravedigger, Fredrick, struggles to provide for his family. At the urging of his wife Elizabeth, Fredrick steals a recently buried corspe to sell to the local medical college for anatomy study. Setting off in his horse-drawn wagon on a journey through the dark woods, Fredrick quickly realizes that the dead man has other plans. Terrorized by supernatural happenings, Fredrick is at the mercy of an angry ghost as it reveals its chilling story. And the nightmare won't stop until retribution is found.

Directed by Jeremy Kagan. The ACLU Freedom Files, a new television series by the American Civil Liberties Union and Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films, explores policies and practices that threaten the rights of all Americans. These programs go beyond the headlines to tell the stories of real ACLU clients and the attorneys who represent their cases. The In 'Dissent,' you'll hear from average Americans who were exercising their right to free speech, only to be harassed or arrested: protesters at the Democratic and Republican national conventions who were relegated to 'free speech' zones; Muslim hip-hop poet Amir Sulaiman, who spoke his mind on television, only to find the FBI on his doorstep; and many others. 'Dissent' also features Lewis Black from Comedy Central's The Daily Show.

Directed by Jim Connell. Midnight in an empty rail station, and two strangers await the last train out of Boston. One, a retired politico with an endless supply of crude jokes, anecdotes and campaign war stories. The other, a college student with a high IQ and healthy skepticism. Live footage of a police standoff plays on the station TV, prompting a lively dialogue. Three increasingly strange and incredible stories are exchanged that begin to connect and intersect in unexpected ways, ultimately leading to a revelation that will prove both shocking and deadly.

Directed by Jacob Chase. Two sisters, Lucy and Andrea, desperately race through the forest from an unknown assailant. After finding a deserted and deteriorating trailer home, and urgently seeking refuge inside, Andrea discovers that Lucy didn't fasten the door shut and their horrific pursuer lurks just outside. Andrea musters courage enough for both her and Lucy and sets a trap in the rotting floor of the trailer. Silence eats away at them as they prepare for the inevitable. While the two girls must face their deepest fears, they ultimately realize that nothing can break the power and love of family.

Directed by Matthew Brown. This Chaplinesque short begins with a random accident and seemingly ends on a note of black-on-black ignorance, until both mimes realize their lives do not have to end over a perceived act of disrespect.