AWFF 2023 Film Lineup*
Wednesday, October 11th
Doors open: 6:30pm | Film screening: 7-10pm
Zero Tolerance
2 min., Shaya Mulachy, USA, 2019 “Throwback”
A micro-short. She’s had enough of sexual harassment, and this time she’s really going to do something about it.
Mama has a Mustache
Sally Rubin, USA, 2022
Life in a Family
4 min., Gabby Neilson, USA, 2023 *Local NAU Grad
This experimental self portrait style film shows the childhood of filmmaker Gabrielle Neilson through the eyes of her grandfather’s home movies.
Fluffy Home Girls
15 min., Elvia Susana Rubalcava, USA, 2023
Alex is forced to face her body issues in front of her “model type” girlfriends on a vacay to New York City. A serendipitous encounter helps her find inspiration and acceptance to enjoy and love the body she is in.
The Ghost Rainforest
10 min., John Davies, USA, 2023
Told through the eyes of Indigenous activist Narubia Werreria, The Ghost Rainforest follows a group of five Indigenous leaders and activists from the Amazon rainforest making an emotionally charged journey to the last remnant of a lost ecosystem — a desperately rare temperate rainforest habitat on the west coast of Scotland.
The Weenies
14 min., Garance Chagnon-Grégoire, Canada, 2023
Philomène and Carolanne are the anti-capitalist feminist punk-rock group « The Weenies ». After a fiery argument both their friendship and their highly (un)anticipated gig are put at risk.
—Intermission —
Maddie’s Cards
11 min., Janelle Faith Smith, USA, 2023
A woman struggles to play a game of cards with her friend when they are interrupted by her partner.
Rhythm to the Pocket
7 min., Maria Tran, USA, 2023 *Local Subject
Sabina Sandoval, a Native-American drummer who suffers a back injury, ending her 35-year career. Unable to play, she discovers hand drumming and creates the non-profit program “Free to Be Me Kool Kid Drummers.” With a team of volunteers, they visit prisons, convalescent homes, and schools, using the power of drumming to inspire self-discovery and healing. Through Sabina’s journey, the film celebrates the transformative nature of music, the strength of community, and the unyielding spirit that emerges from life’s unexpected beat
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma)
17 min., Sean Wang, USA, 2023
Nǎi Nai is my grandma. Wài Pó is also my grandma. Together, they are a grandma super team that dances, stretches, and farts their sorrows away.
TransGenerations
10 min., New Zealand, 2023
In the face of rising anti-trans hate, trans actress and singer Brady Peeti embarks on a journey of discovery to chart the future by learning lessons from the past. In this eight part series Brady spends time with trans New Zealanders, ranging in age from their 70’s to their 20’s, to uncover how each generation built something beautiful and valuable for the next.
Thursday, October 12th**
Doors open: 6:30pm | Film screening: 7-10pm
Femme Rage
3 min., Sarah Toborga & Aïma Paule, USA, 2023
Femme Rage is a rally cry to all QTBIPOC Femmes, across the gender spectrum, to unleash their rage about living, surviving, and thriving within a cishetero-capitalist-white supremacist-patriarchy.
Fade to Blue
6 min., Ember Crowley, USA, 2023, *Local NAU Grad
Follow the story of Jason Libby, a Trans man who found his home through the world of Drag where he transforms into the remarkable “Jay Blue.”
Untangling
3 min., Meredith Vuchnich, Canada, 2023
As a mom tries to untangle her young daughter’s hair, the world changes around them.
The Black Pomegranate
15 min., Ali Zare Ghanatnowi, Iran / France, 2023
It is the story of a young Iranian girl (Ghazaleh), who was recently killed in the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement in Iran by a direct bullet from regime agents. She filmed the moment of her death and is the narrator of her death…
Long Line of Ladies
22 min., Shaandiin Tome & Rayka Zehtabchi , USA, 2022
A girl and her community prepare for her Ihuk, the once-dormant coming of age ceremony of the Karuk tribe of Northern California.
—Intermission —
All I Need
15 min., Emma Shae, USA, 2023, *Local NAU student
Siblings Wesley and Dionne reconnect five years after tragedy at their uncle and soon-to-be aunt’s engagement party.
SHRED
12min., Giovanni Trujillo, USA, 2023
A group of queer Latinx skaters struggle with crippling mental health and societal expectations in Southern California. In their local skate community, they find cathartic release, chosen family and mastery of empowerment.
Body Prison
6 min., Cameron Kit, USA, 2023
A young woman living in a body-positive matriarchal space cooperative is sentenced to try a vicious new punishment on a correctional satellite.
I Can’t Keep Quiet
30 min., Eurie Chung, USA, 2023
An intimate portrait of one woman’s quest for healing that reverberated around the globe through her song “Quiet,” an anthem for the women’s movement. Five years later, we take a deeper look into the song’s impact on MILCK’s journey of reclamation: reclaiming trust in herself, her sense of belonging, and her sisterhood with the song’s co-creator, AG. As we follow MILCK’s path of activism and artistry, we get a window into how she’s awakened by the stillness of quarantine and the reckoning of our country’s racial justice movement. Her acknowledgement and accountability for her blindspots give her and AG a renewed sense of freedom as they celebrate that it’s never too late to reclaim our voices.
Closing special performance: 9:45-10pm
*Our film lineup may change to accommodate visiting filmmakers. Everything else will remain unchanged.
**We have a surprise performance you won’t want to miss at the close of the fest Thursday, Oct 12th.