This summer, Katra Film Series streams its largest virtual event to date, featuring 30 shorts and 7 features from around the world over 5 nights (August 24th-28th). The festival seeks to provide a platform for deserving filmmakers to share their work with new audiences and connect with future collaborators during this time of limited socialization. Every block will be followed by a Zoom filmmaker talkback open to all audiences, and all viewers are invited to vote for the festival’s Audience Choice Award Winners who will receive prize packages worth a total of $7000 courtesy of Final Draft, JMR Rentals, Screenblade, 3636 Studio, International Screenwriters’ Association, and Meditative Writing. Audience members who are interested are invited to reserve space to attend a small socially distant celebration on Saturday August 29th at HiO Tribeca, where awards will be announced and presented to filmmakers amidst food, drinks, and red carpet photos and interviews!
Buy ALL ACCESS PASS HERE!
Schedule & Ticket links for individual nights are as follows:
DAY 1 – MONDAY, AUGUST 24th: Ticket and streaming link here
Day 1 Short Film Block 1 | Starts at 7pm EDT:
Detour (17 min) – Narrative – USA | Juefang Zhang A punishment of greed and a test of dignity happen in the middle of a highway. Website: http://www.zhangjuefang.com/detour | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juefangfilm/
The Tampon (11 min) – Narrative – USA | Erica Ortiz Following a night of heavy drinking, an art student comes face to face with the complexities of consent in her college sorority through her art. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetamponmovie/ | Website: https://www.the-tampon.com/ | IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10799512/
Kinky (8 min) – Narrative – USA | Tayana Brumaire Maybelline, a young Brooklyn teen goes out of her way to straighten her hair behind her mother’s back. Now, Maybelline must make the decision to remain straight or go back to her natural state in order to win back her mother’s respect. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tayanabrumaire/
Afterdeath (11 min) – Narrative – USA | Wylie Rush If you knew the love of your life could be brought back from death, would you risk everything for one more hour with them? https://www.facebook.com/Afterdeath-Film-106698597547605
Zarina (4 min) – Narrative – USA | Lexx Truss A woman endures frequent nightmares of her own death. Film Page: https://parapraxisfilms.com/film/zarina | Instagram Handles: @trusslexx (writer|director), @parapraxisfilms (production company), @lonnielenyea (lead actress) | Facebook: Lexx Truss (writer|director) | IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6990628/?ref_=ttmi_tt
Extra Innings (8 min) – Narrative – USA | John Gray A reporter interviews the manager of the Boston Red Sox in an attempt to uncover secrets from his past. IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10600452/
Day 1 Block 1 Filmmaker Talkback on Zoom @ 7:40pm EDT
Day 1 Short Film Block 2 | Starts at 8:15pm EDT
In Transit (22 min) – Narrative – USA | Harlan Bosmajian As Jay films the once in a lifetime Transit of Venus, he gets a call from his estranged father telling him that his grandmother in India is on her deathbed. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9867176/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1
Icarus Stops for Breakfast (12 min) – Narrative – USA | Abigail Zealey Bess Dark comedy – A Misfit couple on their first camping trip stop at a diner caught in a time trap where they encounter a magical owl. This is a place where anything can happen… Website: http://www.icarusstopsforbreakfast.com | Twitter: https://twitter.com/@IcarusBreakfast | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/icarusstopsforbreakfast | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icarusbreakfast/
Roughneck (14 min) – Narrative – USA | Andrew Hardaway ROUGHNECK is set in a dystopian future, where emotions are controlled via advanced technology. Website: www.roughneckfilm.com | Twitter & Instagram Handle: @roughneckfilm
State of Independence (5 min) – Documentary – USA | Erica Mann State of Independence is an intimate documentary short following DJ Ghanaian American Gabrielle Kwarteng. With the backdrop of Paris, London, and New York City the film is a personal look into her beginnings as a music curator and how she is defining her own life path through her art. Twitter: @TheNYCFilmChick | Instagram: erica_mann10
I AM GOD (8 min) – Narrative – UK | Madalina Mateciuc I AM GOD follows the journey of Ana, a teenager battling PTSD, desperate to gain control over her life. https://www.facebook.com/IamGodshortfilm/ | https://www.utopian-human-productions.com/
Day 1 Block 2 Filmmaker Talkback on Zoom @ 9:20pm EDT
DAY 2 – TUESDAY, AUGUST 25th: Ticket and streaming link here
Day 2 Short Film Block 1 | Starts at 6pm EDT
The Boy in the Bush (34 min) – Narrative – France | Vanessa Ly A man and a woman drive at night to an unknown destination. He is a judge, she is an actor. He recalls buried memories she is seeking, about a woman accused of killing her own child. As the night unravels she slowly takes on the persona of this woman, until they reach their final destination. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12453030/
Master Moley by Royal Invitation (34 min) – Narrative – UK | Leon Joosen The story of a young Mole and his adventure to pick a rose from the Queen’s Garden, not knowing that this simple act will change, not only his life, but the life of all Moles. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9395616/
Nowhere to Nun (13 min) – Narrative – USA | Austin Hsieh Inspired by a true story, two nuns go on the run when they discover they are about to be sent to a retirement home. https://www.austinhsieh.com/nowheretonun
Day 2 Block 1 Filmmaker Talkback on Zoom @ 7:20pm EDT
Day 2 Short Film Block 2 | Starts at 8pm EDT
We Are Herricks (13 min) – Documentary – USA | Ryan Ng A documentary that explores the race dynamics of a supposedly diverse high school. https://ryanngfilms.com/we-are-herricks
Winogrand in Austin (12 min) – Documentary – USA | David Lykes Keenan A legend of 20th century photography lived and taught, out of the limelight. In Austin, Texas for five years in the mid-1970s. This is both a tribute to and a remembrance of Garry Winogrand. https://www.instagram.com/dlk_photography/
Yarne (14 min) – Narrative – Nepal | Andrew Krakower Best-friend child monks receive donations for performing prayers, only to find their friendship tested over how they should spend it. https://www.facebook.com/yarnefilm/ | https://www.instagram.com/yarnefilm/ | https://yarnefilm.com/
HBDTM (9 min) – Narrative – USA | Moh Azima A couple in a well worn relationship decide to get away for his birthday weekend, renting a converted church in the countryside. Once he starts nosing around their rental he starts notice these “coincidences” and it turns out to be a little spookier than they imagined. As the tension ratchets up, so do the problems plaguing their relationship. INSTAGRAM: @mohazima TAGS: #hbdtmfilm WEBSITE: www.mohazima.com/hbdtm
On Air (17 min) – Narrative – Netherlands | Bastiaan Rook Brian, who got stuck in a rut, receives a call during his broadcast that doesn’t turn into a pleasant conversation. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6560644/
According to Camden (17 min) – Narrative – Canada | Rory de Grasse Camden was a restless teen struggling to figure out where he fit into his otherwise pleasant suburban family—but after passing suddenly at just 17, he lingers in a bitter afterlife, watching his family move on without him and desperately trying to protect the fragments of the life he’s left behind. Instagram handle: @accordingtocamden | Facebook handle: @atcthefilm
Day 2 Block 2 Filmmaker Talkback on Zoom @ 9:30pm EDT
DAY 3 – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26th: Ticket and streaming link here
Day 3 Short Film Block 1 | Starts at 6pm EDT
The Company You Keep (10 min) – Narrative – USA | Laura Fielder A painfully shy woman is pushed to the brink by a friendship she should have let go of long ago. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10165588/
Cross n’ Carry (30 min) – Narrative – Poland | Sonja Orlewicz The story of what Diana and Albert decided to do with their lives after break up, and how they responded to the advice given to them by Jesus and Buddha themselves.
Cul-de-Sac (12 min) – Narrative – USA | Cara Lawson After committing a heinous act, a young mother battling postpartum depression fights to maintain her sanity. Instagram @shivaanisharma
Fire in Water (13 min) – Narrative – USA | Julie Deffet, Esther Artner Now in their late 60’s, Sofia and Oliver’s relationship is given new life via a change of tides. http://www.deffetfilms.com/ | https://www.estherartner.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/judeffet/ | https://www.instagram.com/freedomtakesdiscipline/ | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9333564/?ref_=nm_flmg_prd_3
You Can Kiss Me (19 min) – Narrative – USA | Jan Jalenak Penelope’s search for the kind of love that’s missing in her life leads her to a motel room with another woman – only to be confronted by the realities of her marriage. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10822526/
Self Defense (11 min) – Narrative – USA | Zach Bradley Two sisters stuck in the woods with a flat tire must find a way to defend themselves from two men who approach them with nefarious intentions. Zach Instagram: @mr.zach.bradley | Zach IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9200578/?ref_=tt_ov_dr | Film IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8806336/?ref_=nm_knf_i1
Day 3 Block 1 Filmmaker Talkback on Zoom @ 7:40pm EDT
Day 3 Short Film Block 2 | Starts at 8:30pm EDT
The Bird Room (27 min) – Narrative – Belgium | Noemi d’Ursel Mourning of a beloved man / opens a window on her fantasies / In the castle she has always lived / she wanders between memory and dream.
Without Say (6 min) – Narrative – USA | Neha Gautam Asha longs for a real intimate connection , until one day she starts exchanging notes with Jasmine, a girl who shares a desk with her in another class. Asha strives to meet her multiple expectations while learning who she is.
Snakeheadz (8 min) – Narrative – USA | Ivy Rhodes Claire meets her father Doug at a tea shop and they both have big news. Director’s Social Media: @ivylordrhodes
Paper Boats (15 min) – Narrative – USA | Gonzalo Guajardo-Fajardo Why can’t Rahel bring herself to sign her artwork? The visit of her high school academic triggers memories of why she is haunted by her surname, yet would not consider changing it. https://paperboatsthemovie.com | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9815116/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt
Day 3 Block 2 Filmmaker Talkback on Zoom @ 9:30pm EDT
DAY 4 – THURSDAY, AUGUST 27th: Ticket & streaming link here
Day 4 Feature 1 “Lament” | Starts at 6pm EDT
Lament (1hr 45min) – Narrative – Brazil | Diego Lopes, Claudio Bitencourt At the limit of his emotional balance, Elder faces his demons and the consequences of his decisions amid the nightmare that his life becomes. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9000454/
Feature 1 Filmmaker Talkback on Zoom @ 7:45pm EDT
Day 4 Feature 2 “Under the Weight of Remorse” | Starts at 8pm EDT
Under the Weight of Remorse (1hr 50min) – Narrative – Brazil | Lília Moema Santana Four women meet in the hospital waiting room and even without knowing each other they discover coincidences in their stories and are linked through the same person completely changing their understanding of their lives. twitter: @liliamoema | facebook: Lilia Moema Santana | instagram: Lilia Moema | youtube: Lilia Moema Santana | linkedin: Lilia Moema Santana
Feature 2 Filmmaker Talkback on Zoom @ 9:50pm EDT
Day 4 Feature 3 “The Duckpond” | Starts at 10:15pm EDT
The Duckpond (1hr 36min) – Narrative – Sweden | Robert Andersson Fredrik’s peaceful life in an idyllic small town is turned upside down when his old childhood friend Patrik is released from prison. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10622950/
Feature 3 Filmmaker Talkback on Zoom @ 11:45pm EDT
DAY 5 – FRIDAY, AUGUST 28th: Ticket and streaming link here
Day 5 Feature 1 “No Really, It’s Fine” | Starts at 6pm EDT
No, Really, It’s Fine (48 min) – Narrative – USA | Becca Dobyns NRIF explores one woman’s suppression of self, manifested through three relationships in her life. https://www.noreallyitsfine.com
Feature 1 Filmmaker Talkback on Zoom @ 6:50pm EDT
Day 5 Feature 2 “Like Reply Share”| Starts at 7pm EDT
Like Reply Share (1hr 23min) – Narrative – USA | Josh Peterson Thrown together by chance amid the estrangements of modern virtual life, two outwardly dissimilar women form an unlikely friendship — until hidden wounds emerge to threaten their fragile bond. http://www.sweepshutter.com/projects/like-reply-share/ https://www.facebook.com/LikeReplyShare https://www.instagram.com/likereplyshare/ https://twitter.com/like_reply
Feature 2 Filmmaker Talkback on Zoom @ 8:25pm EDT
Day 5 Feature 3 “The Right To Rest” | Starts at 8:45pm EDT
The Right to Rest (1hr 43min) – Documentary – USA | Sarah Megyesy, Guillermo Roqués The Right to Rest is a feature-length documentary about Denver’s homeless rights movement which follows the trajectories of Denver Homeless Out Loud and Colorado Village Collaborative towards the construction of Beloved Community Village, Denver’s first tiny house village for people coming from homelessness. Instagram: @r2rfilm Facebook: @TheR2RFilm http://www.therighttorest.com
Feature 3 Filmmaker Talkback on Zoom @ 10:30pm EDT
AUGUST 29th — Socially Distant Awards Presentation Ceremony at HiO Tribeca. More details to follow!