PRAYERS FOR SWEET WATERS
2021 Shorts Program | documentary short | 16 min World Premiere A submergence into the vivid realities of three Transgender sex workers living in Cape Town, South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.Directed by Elijah Ndoumbe
PURE
2021 Shorts Program | narrative short | 12 min New York Premiere On the eve of her cotillion ball, a young Black girl grapples with her identity and questions her purity.Directed by Natalie Jasmine Harris
THE QUEEN OF BASKETBALL
2021 Shorts Program | documentary short | 22 min She is one of the greatest living women’s basketball players, winning three national trophies, scoring the first basket in women’s Olympic basketball at the ‘76 Olympics, and getting draft …Directed by Ben Proudfoot
QUEEN OF GLORY
2021 World Cinema Narrative | narrative feature | 78 min Nana Mensah’s playful and charming debut feature follows the story of a brilliant daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, Sarah Obeng (played by the director herself), who is quitting her Ivy League PhD …Directed by Nana Mensah
RADICAL LOVE
2021 Shorts Program | documentary short | 20 min An exploration of the subversive political activism and deep connection of husband-and-wife legal team Michael and Eleanora Kennedy.Directed by William A. Kirkley
THE REAL CHARLIE CHAPLIN
2021 Documentary Competition | documentary feature | 114 min New York Premiere Award-winning filmmakers Peter Middleton and James Spinney’s (NOTES ON BLINDNESS) latest documentary is a fascinating take on one of cinema’s most iconic figures: Charlie Chaplin. In an innovati …Directed by Peter Middleton, James Spinney
THE RESCUE
2021 World Cinema Documentary | documentary feature | 114 min In the summer of 2018, the world stood watch as 12 young soccer teammates were trapped in a cave in northern Thailand. Flooded passageways left rescue crews at a loss, until they sought help from ca …Directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin
SECRET SCREENING
2021 Spotlight | narrative feature | 126 min This year HIFF will be presenting a special surprise screening of one of the biggest hits from this year’s Cannes Film Festival. And if this year’s surprise goes well, maybe we will make a habit …Directed by ???
SHORTS PROGRAM: 2021 DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM COMPETITION
2021 Short Film Programs | 97 min Featuring an array of powerful subjects, the Short Documentary Competition honors new and distinctive voices in documentary filmmaking. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize and qualify for cons …
SHORTS PROGRAM: 2021 NARRATIVE SHORT FILM COMPETITION
2021 Short Film Programs | 78 min Featuring exceptional technique and storytelling, the Short Narrative Competition honors the fresh perspectives of up-and-coming filmmakers. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize and qualify for …
SHORTS PROGRAM: 2021 NYWIFT WOMEN CALLING THE SHOTS
2021 Short Film Programs | 87 min We are very pleased to continue our partnership with New York Women in Film & Television for our eighteenth annual showcase of outstanding achievements by female filmmakers.
SHORTS PROGRAM: 2021 UNIVERSITY SHORT FILMS SHOWCASE
2021 Short Film Programs | 78 min Curated from hundreds of submissions, these prize-winning short films showcase the extraordinary talent and achievements of five exceptional student filmmakers.
SHORTS PROGRAM: 2021 VIEWS FROM LONG ISLAND SHOWCASE
2021 Short Film Programs | 86 min With the support of the Suffolk County Film Commission, this shorts program focuses on local filmmakers, the area’s unique landscapes, and the important social and political issues facing Long Isl …
SHORTS PROGRAM: THIS WILL BE OUR YEAR
2021 Short Film Programs | 90 min Spanning multiple generations and cultures, these thoughtful stories explore the universal desire to find one’s place in an ever-changing world.
Sidéral
2021 Shorts Program | narrative short | 15 min East Coast Premiere In Natal, a small community in the north of Brazil, the historic first launch of a Brazilian rocket is about to take place.Directed by Carlos Segundo
SNOWY
2021 Shorts Program | documentary short | 13 min Family pet turtle, Snowy, has lived an isolated life in the basement. What would it take for him to be happy?Directed by Kaitlyn Schwalje, Alex Wolf Lewis
SOME KIND OF INTIMACY
2021 Short Films | documentary short | 6 min A filmmaker attempts to communicate with the flock of sheep living on the ground where his parents are buried.Directed by Toby Bull
THE SOUL OF A FARMER
2021 Shorts Program | documentary short | 35 min Patty Gentry, a local farmer who grows vegetables on her three-acre Long Island farm for top chef clients, reveals the harsh realities behind the farm-to-table lifestyle.Directed by Roger Sherman
THE SOUVENIR PART II
2021 World Cinema Narrative | narrative feature | 108 min The much-awaited follow up to her mesmerizing 2019 masterpiece, Joanna Hogg’s THE SOUVENIR PART II follows Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) in the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship with Anthony …Directed by Joanna Hogg
SPENCER
2021 Opening, Closing, Centerpiece | narrative feature | 111 min East Coast Premiere SATURDAY CENTERPIECE It’s Christmastime at Sandringham, and while three days of festivities at the Queen’s pastoral estate promise warmth and merriment, the marriage of Prince Charles (Jack Fart …Directed by Pablo Larraín
STORM LAKE
2021 World Cinema Documentary | documentary feature | 86 min Dark clouds hang over the cornfields of Storm Lake, Iowa, which has seen its share of change in the 40 years since Big Agriculture came to town. Farmers blow their life savings on new equipment they …Directed by Jerry Risius, Beth Levison
SUMMER ANIMALS
2021 Shorts Program | narrative short | 22 min East Coast Premiere Living out of a motel, taking care of her younger siblings, and longing for freedom, 15-year-old Tommy makes a radical decision in an attempt to escape the sweltering Texas heat.Directed by Haley Elizabeth Anderson
TITANE
2021 World Cinema Narrative | narrative feature | 108 min Not for the faint of heart, Julia Ducournau’s (RAW) dazzling and sinister psychosexual thriller TITANE smashed over this year’s Cannes Film Festival like a tidal wave. With its plot shrouded …Directed by Julia Ducournau
TRUMPETS IN THE SKY
2021 Shorts Program | narrative short | 14 min US Premiere Boushra (Boushra Matar), one of the Syrian potato-picking girls in Lebanon, returns from a long day of work in the field only to learn that today her childhood will come to an end.Directed by Rakan Mayasi
UN DIABLE DANS LA POCHE
2021 Shorts Program | narrative short | 6 min A group of children are bribed into remaining silent after witnessing a crime, but the burden may be too heavy for the youngest to bear.Directed by Antoine Bonnet, Mathilde Loubes
