Shorts Block: Narrative

A showcase of some of the most exciting and thought-provoking short films from around the world featuring stories from established filmmakers and new emerging talent.

HERITAGE DAY
Florida Premiere | Directed by Lara Everly
USA | 11 minutes | 2023

Rachel Bloom stars in this touching film centering on a little girl who dresses up like her estranged grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, on “Heritage Day” at school, and soon after becomes increasingly obsessed with this dark part of her family history.

HEVEL
World Premiere | Directed by David Grace
USA | 13 minutes | 2023

When a devout Jewish woman begins her Friday night Shabbat service, a demonic presence will do whatever it takes to have her break with biblical tradition.

THE LAST COWBOY IN SALFORD
International Premiere | Directed by Jakob Lancaster
UK | 15 minutes | 2023

From the Executive Producers of Trainspotting and Call Me By Your Name, this British dark comedy follows a Jewish teenager who is convinced he is a real modern-day cowboy in Manchester.

MERV
Southeast US Premiere | Directed by Sam Roebling
USA | 21 minutes | 2023

Following his latest romantic humiliation, Simon is unexpectedly summoned to his grandmother’s house to meet her new boyfriend, Merv. The man he encounters there upends his understanding of love, loss, and Chinese takeout. Starring Hollywood legends Renée Taylor and Hal Linden.

NEW LIVES
Southeast US Premiere | Directed by Joey Schweitzer
USA | 19 minutes | 2023

An emotional portrait of a Holocaust survivor navigating the trauma of her past with the pressures of assimilation, in 1950s Brooklyn.

SEVAP/MITZVAH
Southeast US Premiere | Directed by Sabina Vajrača
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 20 minutes | 2023

Based on true events in Nazi-occupied Bosnia during WWII, a Muslim woman risks her life to save a Jewish friend and her family.