Texas High School Shorts at Atom Theater at Austin Convention Center
Our story begins right after two teenagers have had sex together for the first time. We witness their internal struggles in reacting to such an important event within their lives. While we see the woman come to the realization that she loves the boy, the boy comes to the realization that he is not ready for a relationship.
Two damaged people with similarly crippling backgrounds decide to escape their labored minds by clicking their way back into the dating world. Searching for the comfort of another they finally are able to escape their past as they stumble through an awkward, yet electrifying first date that may stimulate a future worth experiencing.
Krystle Starr, a journalist, cosplayer, and volunteer shares her nerd culture with her students at My Possibilities and encourages people to be themselves and pursue their dreams at the conventions she attends. Her connection between her job helping educate special needs students who have aged out of high school to her cosplay world opens new doors to those in her class and even provides a direct connection to famed Marvel Comic writer Stan Lee. Her advice is accompanied by fellow cosplayers Calen Hoffman and James Enelow.
The story follows a group of aspiring filmmakers who set out to create the best bank robbery short film as possible, taking the advice of our lead, Mia: a new student, who seems to have an underlying motive besides just helping this crew. Easily influenced by Mia's attractiveness, the director acts as Mia's pawn in her pursuit to actually rob the bank in secret and pin the blame on the group by framing them for the murder one of the tellers.
A teenage girl must figure out a way to keep a secret from her devout family.
A young adult struggles with the loss of his family. He sees no way to deal with the tragedy of being an orphan, other than boxing. The gym allows him to live in a back closet, and the young boxer beings training every day. He trains so hard in hopes to overcome his struggle, beginning to win against every opponent he faces. However, he becomes numb to the routine, and boxing no longer can be a distraction. The young boxer loses hope and gives himself one month to find one good reason to continue living. That is, until encountering a lady who frequently attends his matches.
A married couple is eating their daily morning meal. They begin to argue about a vacation, but it soon becomes about much more than that. They say they will change, but the next day, they are back to the same place they started: eating breakfast, together, in silence.
A young girl's world is overturned when she learns she is destined to restore color to a desolate world. She must find courage within herself to rebel against an oppressive society.
Darcy's avatar attempts to promote her quinceañera, which is occurring in the real world. All the avatars assume it is occurring on the R3AL W0RLD innernet server, because in this retrofuturist photorealistic role-playing game reality, the vast majority of people's time is spent online in the innernet. Social media, superficiality, narcissism, alternate online personas, tons of fun!!
A young kestrel wants nothing more than to fly, but a wing injury holds her back. She finally decides to take matters in her own talons, attempting to use leaves to her advantage. Although it works, her struggles are brought to the attention of a stalking cat, who brings her to a kind old man who makes her a prosthetic to help her take flight.
A young girl has some family issues like no other. With intrusive parents and pressure to be perfect she is pushed over the edge. When called down for what appears to be a normal family meeting is soon revealed to be harsh and feral, a perfect reflection of the family's taxidermy shop. After what seems like endless criticism and punishment, Angel reveals her true, animalistic self. Like mother, like daughter, it's all just family matters.
Inge Stanton thought she would never return to her hometown. The very thought of doing so made her shudder. Why? Because Inge grew up as a Jewish girl in Nazi Germany, a place filled with danger and uncertainty for her and her entire family. Now, it is July 2016 and Inge has decided to go back to the place that tried to kill her, but she is not alone— her children and grandchildren are by her side. Walking through Nuremberg, seeing the concentration camp Buchenwald, visiting her hometown's destroyed Jewish cemetery, and retracing the footsteps of her childhood, Inge brings her family and her audience on a journey through time, making witnesses out of all of us.
"Jawn Otis's Wall" is about an 8 year old boy named Jawn Otis, who is abused by his single mother. Jawn escapes his home and gives us a glimpse into his daily routine to show us the true meaning of innocence.
When a girl gets sick, some special hand sanitizer does the trick.
A man damned to Limbo, an empty office building in which he must work for all of eternity. However, he soon finds out that purgatory is a torturous place that drives him to insanity.
Newcomers is a documentary about refugee students at Anderson High School who come from various background and face many challenges upon living here.
"One" is a literal translation to discover, and most importantly deconstruct, the fabric of identity. As environmental influences are expunged, an innate hunger to retrieve what once was there overwhelms us. However, when that too is taken away, we are forced to face our true self and wonder if it's there at all.
A little girl finds herself on a train to discover new places.
Four adventurers journey into an unforgiving thieves' den.
Real hair is contrasted with glitter and confetti in order to portray female body hair, which has always existed with a stigma, in a new way.
Olivia is a senior in high school who has always had family issues and insecurities. When she gets stood up, she takes the opportunity to take advantage of a freshman, Will, in an attempt to subdue her insecurities. This film shows how quickly someone is able to change another's life.
Faust is a young boy facing his deepest fears. After finding a dreamcatcher hidden away in a strange box, he has to come to terms with a creature of unimaginable evil.