Screening Room
The Maddening Disconnect of Phone Therapy in “Happy to Help You,” featuring Amy Sedaris
Jeremy Beiler’s short film follows a mental-health volunteer’s unravelling after a caller gets under his skin.
A Woman Wonders if She’s Human in “I’m Not a Robot”
In Victoria Warmerdam’s short film, a series of failed CAPTCHA tests plunges a woman into a strange new reality.
A Relationship and a Nation in Turmoil in “Bogotá Story”
Esteban Pedraza’s short film examines the strain a young woman endures when she has to choose between her dreams and her family.
A Life-or-Death Decision Among Friends, in “Hamster”
A tragic accident turns a lighthearted gathering into a moral quandary for a young Iranian couple.
A Father-Daughter Swearing Lesson in “The F-Word”
In Alex Cannon’s comedic short, starring Chris Gethard, a dad struggles to give an age-appropriate explanation of the expletive.
Flirtation and Confrontation in “Sparring Partner”
In J. J. Kandel’s short film, the lunch-break banter of a flirtatious pair of co-workers, played by Cecily Strong and KeiLyn Durrel Jones, gives way to uncomfortable revelations.
A Family Reunion with High Jinks and Catharsis in “Cousins”
In Karina Dandashi’s short film, a night out shortens the distance between two cousins.
Richard Kind on Making a Short Film About Making a Short Film
Max Cohn and Ellie Sachs’s short film, “Proof of Concept,” offers a humorous meta-riff on the movie business and a tour of the Upper West Side.
Coming of Age While Confronting Arab Stereotypes, in “Simo”
An Egyptian teen-ager, living in the suburbs of Montreal with his brother and father, confronts the sting of racism at home, in the writer and director Aziz Zoromba’s film “Simo.”
Grief and Comedy Come Together in “Knight of Fortune”
In Lasse Lyskjær Noer’s short film, two widowers lean on each other for emotional support.