Ahab Was Here: Reflections on Moby Dick (Bulgaria) by Todor "Tosh" Lichev

“Ahab Was Here: Reflections on Moby Dick” rips away the drapes of theatrical pretense to expose the glorious mess of creation as a Bulgarian theater company tackle the white whale of literature—Melville's Moby Dick. Through intimate portraits of the director, writer, costume designer, musician, prop master, and lead actor, the documentary reveals the emotional journey of artistic creation: from doubt and frustration to breakthrough and transcendence. Structured as a series of chapters that spiral like Ahab's maddening hunt itself, this documentary explores the theme of creative legacy as each artist contributes their unique vision to the production. It celebrates the lunacy of those who abandon sensible careers for the invisible labor of theater, pouring their souls into applause that fades and moments that disappear, all for the chance that something of their essence might echo in the darkness after they're gone.

Running time: 00:45:36

Endocast: A Non-Linear Memoir  (United States) by Efrem Hawk

"An endocast is the internal cast of a hollow object, often referring to the cranial vault in the study of brain development in humans and other organisms. Endocasts can be artificially made for examining the properties of a hollow, inaccessible space, or they may occur naturally through fossilization." (wiki)

A video memoir made up of personal cellphone videos and photos, photographs, postcards, letters, handy cam footage, and other ephemera of the artist. Stream of consciousness dialog is read by Gwyneth AI from Speechify. Music composed by the artist. 

Disclaimer: Contains themes of Blood, Birth, Violence, Relationship Abuse, and Suicide.

Running time: 00:18:52

Scarred (Canada) by Zeddy Chevron

Scarred is an experimental short about medical trauma. Surgery isn't just a miracle-- it's also torture. Do we dare to stare back at the horror of the medical gaze? Or do we keep blaming the disabled body as the eternal freak? The violence is deep, yet the record is so easy to hide. The patient must be deeply grateful to be torn apart with such expertise.

Running time: 00:03:16

Dragonfly (China) by Siyang Liu

Great-grandson Zhou Zihang has only two memories of his great-grandmother - her funeral and a contact. Unable to remember season and weather, he only remembers the persimmons that were handed to him and the unexplained crying

Running time: 00:19:27

Kissing Ralph (United States) by Daniel Lewinstein

Kissing Ralph follows an anxious young man struggling to participate in social rituals.

Running time: 00:40:00

Hairy Dreams (Canada) by Lina Cruz

Hairy Dreams evokes the interior world of a lonesome yet carefree character. Through words and movement, this is a visual abstract tale, taking place in a white cave-like space made of paper. Within this sort of origami igloo, a surrealist puzzle of images portrays the everyday routine of a diligent being. Through various incongruent actions, the character assembles and disassembles repeatedly its interior translucent world. In this quest for an interior castle, time is always present, haunting yet of precious companionship. The daily routine eventually leads to the ultimate goal: the need to be fed in order to keep the dream flowing. Towards the end of the cycle, in a sort of "oneiric" and liberating flight, the character swiftly disappears into the paper walls of its imaginary castle.

Running time: 00:08:57