When Jazzy learns that Syriah is moving away, she confronts the heartbreaks of growing up and the realities of the adult world. A spiritual successor to their previous film, The Unknown Country, Maltz's collaboration with producer Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux results in an emotionally resonant coming-of-age drama that deeply immerses the audience in the lives of these two young girls.

Project type: Fiction Feature
Writer/Director/Producer: Morrisa Maltz
Writer/Producer/Cast: Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux
Producer/Cast: Miranda Bailey
Producer: Natalie Whalen, Elliott Whitton, John Way, Vanara Taing, Tommy Heitkamp

Donate Now | Learn More

When Sophia’s non-English-speaking father-in-law Ping vanishes in the U.S., she and her husband Daniel embark on a cross-country road trip with their newborn son. As they search for Ping, they must confront a labor trafficking scheme, the cracks in their marriage, and an uncertain future.

Writer/Director: Elaine Wong
Producer: Yuky Shen, Lareina Wong, Xiaojia Zhu
Director of Photography : Wenting Deng Fisher

Donate Now | Learn More

Jimmy in Saigon explores the mysterious life and death of James Austin McDowell, a Vietnam veteran who died at age 24 in 1972 as a civilian in Saigon. Painting an elegiac portrait, director Peter McDowell uncovers family secrets surrounding Jim’s drug use and sexuality, getting to know his brother who died when Peter was only 5 years old.

Project type: Nonfiction Feature
Director/Producer: Peter McDowell
Producer: Lucia Palmarini
Producer: Peter Schulman
Composer/Producer: John McDowell
Executive Producer: Dan Savage, George Guerra, Corey Tong

Donate Now | Learn More

Three kids from the hood find an alien spaceship and take it on a joyride. Now they must decide to help the world that never cared about them, or escape into the unknown.

Project type: Fiction Short
Director: Raymond Carr

Donate Now | Learn More

This #metoo / #timesup feature about an aspiring rock star fights a mental breakdown along the road to stardom while pursued by a dysfunctional romantic. Drawn together and torn apart through humor, heartache and hope, the two grapple with the healing power of friendship and the damage wrought by demons of childhood.

Project type: Fiction Feature
Writer/Director/Producer: Sherrie Richman
Writer: Christopher Kawika Brown

Donate Now | Learn More

Just Futures is a documentary that challenges conventional economic narratives, showcasing existing real-world solutions that are redefining prosperity, equity and sustainability – proving that a better future isn’t just possible, it’s already unfolding.

Director/Producer/Writer: Peter Hutchison
Director/Producers/Editor: Lucas Sabean
Co-Producer: Andrew Wanliss-Orlebar

Donate Now | Learn More

Ava fights to maintain her own family, career and health while safeguarding her younger brother, Darryl, during his prolonged manic episode.

Project type: Fiction Short
Writer/Director: Sharona D’Ornellas
Producer: Catrina Del Re
Director of Photography: Nicholas Bupp

Donate Now | Learn More

After her brother goes missing, an 8-year-old girl obsessed with detective shows dons the persona of Kid Midnight and embarks on a gritty mission to find him. Armed with a toy gun and a fierce sense of justice, she stumbles into a dangerous world far beyond her years, leading to a shocking conclusion that exposes the devastating reality of gun violence in American homes.

Writer/Director: Mychal Sargent
Producer: Colette Minter, Isabella Monzo

Donate Now | Learn More

A modern-day story of resilience, perseverance, and determination, King Djeferson follows the story of Djeferson Mendes, who grew up in extreme poverty in Praça Onze, the beating heart of the city of Samba, and 35 years later was crowned King Momo of Rio’s famously spectacular Carnival of 2023.

Project type: Nonfiction Feature
Director/Producer: Kelly Richardson

Donate Now | Learn More

In the late 1930s, up-and-coming Italian American singer Giovanni DiTommaso is offered the record deal of a lifetime, but only if he Americanizes his name. Surrounded by his loving and opinionated family, sparks fly as Giovanni must choose between his dream and his Italian identity. After all, it’s just a name…right?

Director/Writer/Producer: Tom Cassese

Donate Now | Learn More

Without power for six months following Hurricane Maria, and dependent upon importing materials from overseas for their public elementary school students, a small mountain community in Puerto Rico begins to transition towards autonomy by transforming an abandoned building next to the school into a solar-powered factory where they will build the items they once imported.

Project type: Nonfiction Feature
Director: Gabriel Coss
Producer: Emma Crow-Willard

Donate Now | Learn More

When Alex revisits her hometown for the first time after moving abroad, she heads to a party alone in an effort to reconnect with old lovers and friends. What she finds there, however, is that she’s started fading away.

Writer/Director: Chris Pilouni
Producer: Martin Boross, Alex Jiang
Director of Photography: Director of Photography

Donate Now | Learn More

Six women emerge from the shadows of the California cannabis industry to go legal. As farmers, entrepreneurs and activists, these modern-day superheroes battle government bureaucracy, corporate interests and risk financial ruin in order to fight for the industry they helped create and for the survival of their community.

Project type: Nonfiction Feature
Director/Producer/Writer: Chris J. Russo
Consulting Producers: Sarah Olson, Stephen Israel
Producer: Michael J. Katz
Executive Producer: Shauna Harden
Cinematographer/Producer: Christian Bruno
Editor/Writer: Tamara Maloney

Donate Now | Learn More

After 60 years of marriage Amir (87) and Lara (78) both of the Druze faith, get divorced following a foolish argument. According to Druze belief, they are forbidden to see or speak to one another until the day they die. Lara moves across the street with her son and family to start her life anew, while Amir stays at home to cope with his solitude.

Project type: Fiction Feature
Co-Director and Writer: Yaron Yarkoni
Producer: Baher Agrabiya
Co-Director and Writer: Liat Dahan Yarkoni
Co-Writer: Hamed Sharoof

Donate Now | Learn More

In a ballroom called Paradise, in the aftermath of World War II, a beguiling Hawaiian singer dances with a returned American soldier and debates the dignity of the American dream. But when his dance tickets run out, she is left with a harsh choice – for when the dancing stops, this man will die.

Project type: Fiction Short
Writer/Director: Brayden Yoder
Producer: Ciara Leinaʻala Lacy

Donate Now | Learn More

The Last Whaling Station is a feature length documentary film that follows the journey of Iranian artist and activist, Anahita Babaei, and American filmmaker Micah Garen, as they try to end whaling in Iceland.

Project type: Nonfiction Feature
Directors/Producers: Micah Garen and Anahtia Babaei

Learn More

After making a suicide pact, Sunday and Gigi go on their last road trip together, leaving behind their failed careers and relationships. Sunday’s grip on reality slowly unravels, as her decision to renege on the pact haunts her every move.

Project type: Fiction Feature
Writer/Director/Actress: Spade Robinson
Producer/Director of Photography: Ayana Baraka
Production Design: Vanessa Plazo Lazo
Costume Design: Whitney Kyles
Composer: Sherri Chung
Executive Producer: Angela Edmond

Donate Now | Learn More

Much has been made about the Jewish tendency to obsess over everything – especially food. In this film, prominent Jews from around the world kvetch and kibbitz over whether a potato pancake or a triangular cookie is the more perfect Jewish delight, using a satirical debate to do it. With anti-semitism on the rise, this film makes us chuckle and reminds us of everything we love about being Jewish.

Project type: Nonfiction Feature
Director/Executive Producer: Amy Krause
Editor/Post Production Producer: David Beerman
Animator/Graphic Designer: Marilyn Zornado

Donate Now | Learn More

Bettina, a recent LA transplant and struggling actress-turned-babysitter, must chauffeur precocious preteen Wynn, to a sleepover in Laurel Canyon. There’s just one problem — she barely knows how to drive a car.

Project type: Fiction Short
Writer/Producer/Actor: Bettina Bresnan
Director:Tyler Cunningham

Producer:Tallulah Dirnfeld, Brittany Suzanne Kelly, Jackson Rickun

Assistant Director: Emily Cohn

Learn More

He was the most infamous troublemaker, heartbreaker and hitmaker of his generation. Known as one of the greatest singers and songwriters in country music history and as the “Original Elvis” for his flashy style and obsessive fandom. From his meteoric climb to the top of the charts, to his spectacular fall from stardom, discover the truly extraordinary story of Lefty Frizzell.

Director/Producer: M. Douglas Silverstein
Producer: Kat Corbett

Donate Now | Learn More