• ANIMAL INSTINCTS

From loyal companions to wild disruptors and everything in between, fauna take center stage in these charming, curious, and sometimes unruly shorts.

Showtimes

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Festival Theaters 1

11:30 AM Reserve Now

Short Films

PEDIGREE

Samuel Kim and his daughter, Squid, are a pair of hustling street vendors who hatch a scam to pay rent: buy second hand puppies and sell them as purebreds for big bucks.

MATILDA AND THE BRAVE ESCAPE

After being raised on a farm, Matilda decides to make a brave and daring escape in order to save herself and her piglets. The farmers, however, have a different plan for Matilda and set out to bring her back.

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH BIRDS?

A trailblazing young birder sets out to answer the age-old question: what's the deal with birds? When a strange bird offers her answers, things begin to take flight.

MELANOCHAITA

On an ordinary day in the heart of the busy national zoo, visitors wander, captivated by exotic creatures, unaware that somewhere in the garden, an empty cage is about to change their lives forever.

CHRISTOPHER & THE BUG

A grouchy old owl learns a big lesson about friendship when a small bug moves into his house.

TAPEWORM ALEXIS & THE OPERA DIVA

The legendary tapeworm diet of the world’s most famous opera diva is told in tragicomic fashion—from the perspective of Alexis, the tapeworm living inside her.

MA MAO

Pet owners know how they care for pets, but how do pets care for their owners? Join Mao as he secretly helps his owner, Chloe, throughout an eventful day in New York City.

WANDERING HORSE

A wandering horse inspires a wandering mind through the extraterrestrial beauty of New Mexico.

THE ETERNITY OF GRIEF

A dog is thrust on a journey through all five stages of grief when his beloved mother leaves the house indefinitely.

ShortFest 2025