Narrative Short Competition presented by You42
Narrative Short Program 2
Exceptional storytelling that captivates, surprises, and excites.
Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.
Program Includes:
Wumni, a reclusive young Nigerian immigrant, becomes convinced that a mysterious object approaching Earth's orbit holds the key to her loneliness. Determined to decode the alien signal, she enlists the help of Jenny, a stranger and owner of a music shop. Adapted from the short comic by award-winning graphic novelist and screenwriter, Ezra Claytan Daniels, We Are Not Alone is a lo-fi sci-fi tale that delves into themes of connection, expectation, and false promises. Shot on salvaged Ektachrome stock, this live-action film utilizes experimental animation techniques, including laser etching directly onto film, to immerse viewers in a world buzzing with texture.
Hannah returns home to face her dysfunctional and emotionally repressed family after her attempted suicide only to find her family avoiding any mention of the incident. Tensions escalate when Hannah's ex-boyfriend, Johnny, unexpectedly appears, adding fuel to the emotional fire. Amidst the chaos, the family's comedic quirks and idiosyncrasies collide with their underlying emotions. Hannah's journey towards healing intertwines with the humorous clashes and unique bonds within the family, weaving the delicate balance between laughter and pain in the face of adversity.
Madeleine is forced to quit her position at the neighborhood grocery store. Except that her job is her whole life; her colleagues, her only family. The quinquagenarian spends her last days of work fighting to save what is near and dear to her heart…
One day, Alice, a neurotic Kindergarten teacher, discovers tiny mushrooms growing on her skin. Her doctor is unhelpful and while her elderly neighbour tries to support her, Alice is unwilling to accept her advice. As the fungi spread across her skin, Alice’s self-hatred grows, and her life becomes increasingly miserable. She would do anything to get rid of the infection. The mushrooms turn Alice into a monster. But since when is that a bad thing?
A telemarketer with a severe anger problem accidentally calls into a radio show. He wins a radio contest and enters a standoff with the unhinged host.
Mia, an isolated law student in New York, is compulsively drawn to self-harm and pain. Mia has entangled a classmate — Simone, a friend, who’s also more than a friend — in her experiments in pain. But when Simone breaks things off, Mia’s back on her own. When her first night home alone proves too difficult, Mia heads out to a local bar. There she meets Josie — a young, native New Yorker, who feels warm, at ease, and in control. But she might be in over her head with Mia… As the night progresses, both women must decide if they’ll allow the connection to take them each somewhere new.
Filmmaker Kailee McGee’s world turns sideways with a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis. She’s in the middle of treatment but just beginning to reevaluate reality, love, and identity while being sick. Kailee loses track of where her cancer journey ends and her life begins. As the voice inside her head toggles between existential crisis and self-actualization, Kailee resorts to the only way she knows how to heal: figure out a way to watch a version of her journey unfold on a screen.
Wumni, a reclusive young Nigerian immigrant, becomes convinced that a mysterious object approaching Earth's orbit holds the key to her loneliness. Determined to decode the alien signal, she enlists the help of Jenny, a stranger and owner of a music shop. Adapted from the short comic by award-winning graphic novelist and screenwriter, Ezra Claytan Daniels, We Are Not Alone is a lo-fi sci-fi tale that delves into themes of connection, expectation, and false promises. Shot on salvaged Ektachrome stock, this live-action film utilizes experimental animation techniques, including laser etching directly onto film, to immerse viewers in a world buzzing with texture.
Hannah returns home to face her dysfunctional and emotionally repressed family after her attempted suicide only to find her family avoiding any mention of the incident. Tensions escalate when Hannah's ex-boyfriend, Johnny, unexpectedly appears, adding fuel to the emotional fire. Amidst the chaos, the family's comedic quirks and idiosyncrasies collide with their underlying emotions. Hannah's journey towards healing intertwines with the humorous clashes and unique bonds within the family, weaving the delicate balance between laughter and pain in the face of adversity.
Madeleine is forced to quit her position at the neighborhood grocery store. Except that her job is her whole life; her colleagues, her only family. The quinquagenarian spends her last days of work fighting to save what is near and dear to her heart…
One day, Alice, a neurotic Kindergarten teacher, discovers tiny mushrooms growing on her skin. Her doctor is unhelpful and while her elderly neighbour tries to support her, Alice is unwilling to accept her advice. As the fungi spread across her skin, Alice’s self-hatred grows, and her life becomes increasingly miserable. She would do anything to get rid of the infection. The mushrooms turn Alice into a monster. But since when is that a bad thing?
A telemarketer with a severe anger problem accidentally calls into a radio show. He wins a radio contest and enters a standoff with the unhinged host.
Mia, an isolated law student in New York, is compulsively drawn to self-harm and pain. Mia has entangled a classmate — Simone, a friend, who’s also more than a friend — in her experiments in pain. But when Simone breaks things off, Mia’s back on her own. When her first night home alone proves too difficult, Mia heads out to a local bar. There she meets Josie — a young, native New Yorker, who feels warm, at ease, and in control. But she might be in over her head with Mia… As the night progresses, both women must decide if they’ll allow the connection to take them each somewhere new.
Filmmaker Kailee McGee’s world turns sideways with a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis. She’s in the middle of treatment but just beginning to reevaluate reality, love, and identity while being sick. Kailee loses track of where her cancer journey ends and her life begins. As the voice inside her head toggles between existential crisis and self-actualization, Kailee resorts to the only way she knows how to heal: figure out a way to watch a version of her journey unfold on a screen.