SouthSide Film Institute

Film Schedule – Thursday

day

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

5:20pm to 6:50pm
Charter Arts
Touchstone

7:20pm to 9pm
Charter Arts
Touchstone

9:20pm to 10:55pm
Charter Arts
Touchstone

VENUE: CHARTER ARTS | 321 E. 3RD ST.

Time: 5:20pm

Between Men directed by Ares Ceylan

2020 | 20 minutes | Narrative Short

Two men joined by their grief: Rolf has lost his son, Çem has lost his friend. Rolf sees the handover of the belongings as a chance to learn more about his son. What started with awkward politeness turns into an evening full of revelations.

AIDS DIVA: The Legend of Connie Norman directed by Dante Alencastre

2021 | 62 minutes | Documentary Feature

As the self-appointed “AIDS DIVA” and ACT UP/LA spokesperson in early 90’s Los Angeles, Connie Norman stood proudly in her multiple, fluid and evolving LGBTQ identities. Both beloved and confronting, Connie’s soulful and salty rantings and intersectional politics were heard widely through her newspaper column and pioneering radio and cable TV talk shows. Serving as a bridge in both gender and politics, Connie’s piercing and compassionate voice urges us again into action, to fully engage with our lives and our world.

VENUE: TOUCHSTONE | 321 E. 4TH ST.

Documentary Block 2 | 5:20pm

Dress A Cow directed by Dawn Luebbe

2021 | 10 minutes | Documentary Short

A meditation on cows…in costumes.

Lydia Emily’s Last Mural directed by Christoph Green

2021 | 21 minutes | Documentary Short

Lydia Emily, an LA-based mural artist who is living with progressive Multiple Sclerosis, paints her last mural in downtown LA.

Lower Grand directed by Jeff Dorer

2020 | 10 minutes | Documentary Short

The secret life of a street known from movies, television shows and commercials.

Miss Alma Thomas: A Life in Color directed by Cheri Gaulke

2021 | 20 minutes | Documentary Short

Alma W. Thomas, a Black woman artist, broke color barriers on and off the canvas, yet did not receive national attention until she was 80, six years before she passed.

Dance With Me directed by Gabriel Diamond

2020 | 5 minutes | Documentary Short

Imagine putting on a blindfold on a busy street corner and inviting strangers to dance with you. That’s what Gabriel Diamond did in Berkeley in 2018. Two years later he finally got the courage to revisit the footage and create this touching short documentary about the potential of strangers to meet in unique ways using the power of dance and trust.

Video Visit directed by Malika Zouhali – Worrall

2021 | 23 minutes | Documentary Short

Each week, scores of people visit the Brooklyn Public Library to see their incarcerated loved ones via a free video call. “Video Visit” tells the story of two mothers and their sons, and the librarians who negotiate daily with the Department of Corrections(and a growing for-profit prison telecoms industry) in an effort to keep the families connected.

Dieorama directed by Kevin Staake

2019 | 10 minutes | Documentary Short

By day, she visits morgues, observes autopsies, and studies pictures of crime scenes. By night, she turns nightmarish imaginings into precise, red-splattered miniatures.

Cupids directed by Zoey Martinson

2021 | 10 minutes | Narrative Short

What is the most important thing on the last day of school before summer break? If you’re Mia, Natalie, and Jabari you frantically search for a date for Ms. Cheryl, the most beloved bus driver of all time! This love letter to New York’s essential workers captures the whimsy of a child’s imagination as they try to save Ms. Cheryl from a lonely summer void of school children, destined to a life on the sofa surrounded by cats.

Frank & Emmet directed by Carlos F. Puertolas

2021 | 12 minutes | Narrative Short

“Frank & Emmet” tells the story of two life-long friends and show business partners who, after weeks of drifting apart, sit together to have a much-needed conversation. Their friendly dialogue takes a turn when they address head-on the one thing they’ve never talked about: one of them is a puppet.

CYMK (Colors You May Know) directed by David Chai

2021 | 3 minutes | Animated Short

Inspired by the division of 2020; here’s a friendly reminder to please love one another and celebrate our differences.

Sunshine directed by Martha Goddard

2021 | 10 minutes | Narrative Short

A distraught woman has a chance encounter at a cafe which changes her life.

An Irish Goodbye directed by Tom Berkeley and Ross White

2021 | 23 minutes | Narrative Short

Set against the backdrop of a working farm in rural Northern Ireland, ‘An Irish Goodbye’ is a black comedy following the reunion of estranged brothers Turlough and Lorcan following the untimely death of their mother.

Roy directed by Ross White

2021 | 15 minutes | Narrative Short

Trapped in a lonely existence, reclusive widower Roy passes the days by cold-calling strangers from the phone book, looking for brief moments of companionship. But when he accidentally calls adult hotline worker Cara, an unlikely friendship is born that will help them both rediscover the joy of life.

Don’t Be Scared directed by Richard O’Connor

2021 | 2 minutes | Animated Short

A family of birds looks for safety in a storm.

VENUE: CHARTER ARTS | 321 E. 3RD ST.

LGBTQ+ Block Time: 7:20pm

The Liberator directed by Patrick Fritz

2021 | 18 minutes | Narrative Short

A Black, Gay, Holocaust researcher, Emmett, struggles to convince his boyfriend’s grandfather Sam, A Dachau liberator, to reveal his untold story of gay pink triangle survivors.

All Those Sensations in My Belly directed by Marko Djeska

2020 | 13 minutes | Animated Short

While transitioning from male to female gender, Matia struggles with finding a genuine intimate relationship with a heterosexual man.

In Nature directed by Marcel Barelli

2021 | 5 minutes | Animated Short

In nature, a couple is a male and female. Well, not always! A couple is also a female and a female. Or a male and a male. You may not know it, but homosexuality isn’t just a human story.

Loving directed by Matt Hamilton

2020 | 8 minutes | Documentary Short

Loving portrays the history of romantic love between men in hundreds of moving and tender vernacular photographs taken between the years 1850 and 1950. This visual narrative of astonishing sensitivity brings to light an until-now-unpublished collection of hundreds of snapshots, portraits, and group photos taken in the most varied of contexts, both private and public.

The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night directed by Fawzia Mirza

2021 | 11 minutes | Narrative Short

All cards are on the table when a queer Pakistani Muslim woman brings her Puerto Rican partner home for the first time on the family’s annual game night.

Take Me to Prom directed by Andrew Moir

2019 | 21 minutes | Documentary Short

Featuring the high school prom stories of queer people ages 17 to 88, ‘Take Me To Prom’ captures 70 years of LGBTQ social progress through this adolescent milestone.

F^¢K ‘€M R!GHT [email protected]¢K directed by Harris Doran

2021 | 12 minutes | Narrative Short

A queer Black aspiring Baltimore rapper must outwit his vengeful day-job boss in order to avoid getting fired after accidentally eating an edible.


Tank Fairy directed by Erich Rettstadt

2021 | 10 minutes | Narrative Short

In Taiwan, “song wa si de” are workers who routinely supply gas tanks to street vendors and old residential buildings. The magical Tank Fairy delivers her tanks unlike any other – with sass, stilettos and a healthy helping of glitter. Tank Fairy is a musical extravaganza that encourages us all to embrace our authentic selves.

VENUE: TOUCHSTONE | 321 E. 4TH ST.

Comedy Block | Time: 7:20pm

My New Boyfriend directed by Anthony DiMieri

2021 | 3 minutes | Narrative Short

A jaded young woman in New York City puts the dating scene behind her as she enters into a romantic relationship with the 12-foot skeleton from Home Depot.

The Best Orchestra in the World directed by Henning Backhaus

2020 | 14 minutes | Narrative Short

Ingbert, the sock, applies for a position as double bass player at the Vienna State Orchestra. Bad idea.

A Cartoon of a Cat Sleeping directed by Randall Christopher

2022 | 7 minute | Animated Short

A 7-minute comedy which unfolds entirely in one shot with no edits, cuts, or camera movements. As the story gets more and more chaotic, one big question looms: Will the cat ever wake up?

In The Event of My Death directed by Brian Scott Steele

2021 | 21 minutes | Narrative Short

Jeremy. Just. DIED. So, in the event of his death, he leaves behind a series of clever clues and witty video messages for his best friend and bandmate Same, and his brash sister Mandy, which sends them on an adventure through their shared past.

Writer On The Storm directed by Zack Wilcox, Tony Susi

2021 | 4 minutes | Narrative Short

Arthouse film rendering of what it is to be a Screenwriter, the film encapsulates the feeling of the manifestation of the First Draft of a screenplay and is dashed to bits by the delivery of first notes.

F^¢K ‘€M R!GHT [email protected]¢K directed by Harris Doran

2021 | 12 minutes | Narrative Short

A queer Black aspiring Baltimore rapper must outwit his vengeful day-job boss in order to avoid getting fired after accidentally eating an edible.

Local Middle Schooler directed by Sanjna Bharadwaj

2020 | 11 minutes | Animated Short

A girl with magic eyelashes is exploited for them by her school, her community, and eventually the government. She battles the weight of the world with the weight of being a middle schooler.

Tank Fairy directed by Erich Rettstadt

2021 | 10 minutes | Narrative Short

In Taiwan, “song wa si de” are workers who routinely supply gas tanks to street vendors and old residential buildings. The magical Tank Fairy delivers her tanks unlike any other – with sass, stilettos and a healthy helping of glitter. Tank Fairy is a musical extravaganza that encourages us all to embrace our authentic selves.

This Feels Right directed by Jonathan Thomas Coleman

2021 | 9 minutes | Narrative Short

A bickering couple get lost on a dead-end road and stumble into a horrifying time loop that will change their lives forever. A comedy.

VENUE: CHARTER ARTS | 321 E. 3RD ST.

Time: 9:20pm

Sirens directed by Rita Baghdadi

2022 | 78 minutes | Documentary Feature

On the outskirts of Beirut, Lilas and Shery, co-founders and guitarists of the Middle East’s first all-female metal band, wrestle with friendship, sexuality, and destruction in their pursuit of becoming thrash metal rock stars.

VENUE: TOUCHSTONE | 321 E. 4TH ST.

Animation Block 1 Time: 9:20pm

Gruf and Me directed by Dovi Keich

2021 | 9 minutes | Animated Short

Gruf is a graffiti character that comes to life in animation. When he falls in love with the street artist who created him, Gruf desperately tries to find her in the shabby streets of Tel Aviv and discovers that inter-dimensional love is not easy.


One Last Wish directed by Galia Osmo

2021 | 10 minutes | Animated Short

The Fisherman and the Fish folk tale comes to life, in a bittersweet animation.

CYMK (Colors You May Know) directed by David Chai

2021 | 3 minutes | Animated Short

Inspired by the division of 2020; here’s a friendly reminder to please love one another and celebrate our differences.

Hanami directed by Lisa Maeda

2021 | 4 minutes | Animated Short

A young girl trapped in Japanese-American internment finds solace in painting flowers.

On/Off directed by Nicolás P. Villarreal

2021 | 7 minutes | Animated Short

Endless distractions threaten to destroy creativity.

Roberto directed by Carmen Córdoba González

2020 | 9 minutes | Animated Short

15 years have passed and Roberto is still in love with his neighbor, but she prefers to hide ashamed of her body. With his art and an old clothesline as the only ways of communication, Roberto has a plan to push his beloved to face her monsters at once.

Wings directed by Jill Yapsuga

2021 | 2 minutes | Animated Short

Set within the exhilarating and daring world of wing walking, “Wings” explores the power of possibility and the lasting impact one can have on others.

There Are Bunnies On Fire in the Forest directed by JLee MacKenzie

2020 | 4 minutes | Animated Short

A young girl gets in big trouble for kissing her friend on the cheek at school during the pandemic.

In Nature directed by Marcel Barelli

2021 | 5 minutes | Animated Short

In nature, a couple is a male and female. Well, not always! A couple is also a female and a female. Or a male and a male. You may not know it, but homosexuality isn’t just a human story.

Local Middle Schooler directed by Sanjna Bharadwaj

2020 | 11 minutes | Animated Short

A girl with magic eyelashes is exploited for them by her school, her community, and eventually the government. She battles the weight of the world with the weight of being a middle schooler.


The Amazing Adventures of Awesome directed by Allison Brownmoore

2020 | 6 minutes | Animated Short

A hand-illustrated animated film about a young autistic girl at the heart of a quiet revolution.

7 LB 8 OZ directed by Yoo Lee

2021 | 7 minutes | Animated Short

When a young mother moves into a Jersey City neighborhood full of long-time residents, her preconceptions are challenged by the neighbors who show her the value of community.

Let’s Go Through Customs! directed by David Pierce

2021 | 3 minutes | Animated Short

Let’s go through customs and see our dedicated agents at work keeping harmful party favors from crossing the border. Pick your microgenre and find out if these travelers have nothing to declare.

Don’t Be Scared directed by Richard O’Connor

2021 | 2 minutes | Animated Short

A family of birds looks for safety in a storm.

Homebird directed by Ewa Smyk

2021 | 10 minutes | Animated Short

Struggling to make it in a big city, a young artist finds herself retreating into the rose-tinted memories of the village she left behind.

Night of the Living Dread directed by Ida Melum

2021 | 11 minutes | Animated Short

When a power cut ruins Ruby’s bedtime routine, she finds herself haunted by some unwanted guests. The only way for Ruby to get a peaceful night of sleep is to confront her visitors.