Cinema #9 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | Regal LA Live, September 6
Documentaries and experimental works that reflect and reimagine our world.
(G – All Ages Admitted)
Mzia Leaves the Room
Mzia Sabanze is a 77-year-old Elevator Operator in Tbilisi, Georgia who hasn’t left her building in 19 years. Split between freedom and obligation, she finally leaves the building and reconnects with the past in an emotion awakening.
By Madeline Leary (USA)
10:58
Belly Button – Mezcal
In Oaxaca, mezcal is more than a drink—it’s a story, a ritual, and a bridge to indigenous heritage. This documentary follows master mezcaleros as they preserve ancient traditions, showing how each sip carries culture, memory, and home.
By Dan Goldberg (USA)
WORLD PREMIERE
06:07
Tides of Change
Tides of Change is an Emmy Winning short documentary that dives beneath the waves with an underwater photographer passionate about marine conservation. Through stunning visuals and intimate encounters, it reveals the ocean’s beauty, the impact of human pollution, and the urgent need to protect marine life.
By Justin Wheelon (USA)
LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
02:23
Polemos
An artistic exploration of Ukraine’s centuries-long struggle for freedom. Across generations, warriors driven by the desire for liberty risk everything, even their lives. The film portrays this enduring fight through the metaphor of a chess game, showing warriors who confront death yet defy fate.
By Evgen Brooks (Ukraine)
12:00
Tennis, Oranges
A robotic vacuum suffering from burnout quits its job at a hospital and sets out to find community and a greater purpose on a quiet street where two lonely rabbits are stuck in perpetual loops.
By Sean Pecknold (USA)
10:55
Popcorn
After his divorce, a wasted man drowns in alcohol, erasing memories of his past. One day, he mindlessly watches TV, only to realize the story on-screen is his own failed marriage. As the memories flood back, he knocks over his popcorn. Desperately, he tries to pick up the scattered pieces—of the popcorn, of his past, of himself.
By Fangjian Li (USA)
LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
05:46
How Long Until Now?
A young woman drifts between reality and imagination as her daily routines blur with surreal visions. When her mind grows overwhelmingly restless, she must confront her urge to escape and learn to stay present in her life.
By Sonya Akulshina (Finland)
CALIFORNIA PREMIERE
15:42
Fuel
An introspective, avant-garde short delving into Wayne’s journey- a recovering bulimic navigating the minefield of triggers while returning home for Thanksgiving.
By Marc Cleary (USA)
12:22
Out of the Fire
A firefighter is haunted by the silent burden of an unresolved tragedy, denial extinguishing his passions and relationships. Now he must finally confront the one rescue he’s always avoided – his own. Based on the filmmaker’s experience.
By Maximilian Curnow (UK)
WORLD PREMIERE
13:46
Total runtime: 1:29:59
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