• ACTS OF DEFIANCE

From desperate rescues to feverish escapes to stalwart resistance, these films highlight the lengths some will go to in order to fight for themselves, their principles, and others.

Showtimes

Friday, June 27, 2025

Festival Theaters 5

Short Films

SHEEP

A young girl in Tehran, living with her mother, takes matters into her own hands to save sheep from being sacrificed during the traditional Eid-e-Ghorban ceremony, determined to protect the animals from an age-old ritual.

KISSES AND BULLETS

During the Iranian Women, Life, Freedom movement in 2022, Anahita in NYC and Yalda in Tehran each face their fears by going to a protest, and connect across the world through a photo that brings hope for a better tomorrow.

DANCING IN TOMORROWLAND

In this fantasia of a 1980s gay rights theme park documentary, activist Crusader (FKA Andrew Exler) fights to overturn Disneyland's ban on same-sex dancing.

THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT

A passenger train from Belgrade to Bar is stopped by paramilitary forces in an ethnic cleansing operation. As they haul off innocent civilians, only one man out of 500 passengers dares to stand up to them.

WHAT FREEDOM

When a major construction project outside a juvenile detention facility gives Kadeem a chance to escape, he is forced to confront his desire for freedom and grace against the harsh reality of his place in society.

ShortFest 2025