• LIFE OF THE PARTY

Wild nights and poignant moments abound in these stories devoted to the memorable times we gather to celebrate.

Showtimes

Saturday, June 28, 2025

Festival Theaters 1

Short Films

UNHOLY

Noa, living with a complex gastrointestinal disorder, attends her family's Passover Seder for the first time since getting a feeding tube. Surrounded by food she can’t eat, she faces malfunctioning devices and well-meaning relatives who don’t know when to stop.

RAGE

Eric, living in a juvenile center, hopes to rebuild his relationship with his mother before turning 18. When she misses a visit, he runs away to her home—only to discover she has moved on with a new family.

LEARNING HOW TO DRIVE

Bettina, a recent Los Angeles transplant and struggling actress-turned-babysitter, must chauffeur precocious preteen Wynn to a birthday party in Laurel Canyon. There's just one problem: she barely knows how to drive a car.

MADAWA

In order to win over a young woman he likes before she moves away, a young man tries MDMA for the first time.

WHITE TRASH

Pilvi, a single mother, is invited to a “white trash” costume party hosted by her affluent friends. She feels out of place, and as the evening unfolds, her past choices and societal judgments come to the forefront.

MYSELF WHEN I AM REAL

Set in the year 2000, a single mother and her teenage daughter struggle to make friends and find belonging at a Filipino Christmas party in suburban Wisconsin.

ShortFest 2025