Luto

Damian, grieving his girlfriend's death, travels through Mexico seeking solace. Along the way, he connects with strangers and witnesses their coping rituals, finding a path through his own memories and regrets.

Imagination

Dr. Reineger, a famous neuro-psychologist, has become convinced that a twin girl named Anna has a rare form of Autism called Asperger's Syndrome, rendering her unable to cope with reality. As for her blind sister, Sarah, the doctor cannot say for sure why her imaginary visions map so close to Anna's. At home, unable to face reality, their father leaves the family. To escape the pain, the girls sink deeper and deeper into their imagination. When a major earthquake takes their mother's life, Reineger gets more involved with helping the now-orphaned twins, while struggling with his realization that the girls seem to be capable of prophetic visions. The girls escape the doctor's institution and a subsequent search finds no trace of them. Have they transcended the physical realm? A mixture of live action, stop motion animation and other techniques makes this film a fantastic journey into the realm of imagination.

The Long Run

When two oddball strangers leave their lives behind to chase their Hollywood dreams, they discover that what they lack in talent, they make up for with determination and a shared delusion, leading to an unexpected friendship that will make them question the realities of chasing a dream.

Mother's Day

Jordon (Michael Charles Wagner) reconnects with mother Wendy (Lisa Ludwig), in the midst of a mental health crisis, over the course of an afternoon in Travis Carlson’s innovative, award-winning Western New York-lensed feature.

Angel

Musician Merrilee Rush reminisces on her life in search of meaning and legacy in Adin Bayer's directorial feature length debut.

Abdelinho

In love with Brazil and Maria, a soap opera heroin harassed by a corrupt contractor, Abdelinho suffers parallel ordeal in Morocco by pressure of Amr Taleb, a dogmatic, moralistic priest, enforcing religious purity on the community

Halcones

Voorbijgangers

A film about the dark side of existence as an individual in everyday society. A portrait of a number of people in confrontational situations. People who struggle with themselves and with life.

Willa

David goes to find his fiancée, Willa. She has left him at a train station with a group of stranded passengers. He finds her at a local honky-tonk club and in his attempt to bring her back he learns the horrifying truth about why they cannot stay at the station.

Standout: The Ben Kjar Story

Standout tells the powerful story of Ben Kjar, born with Crouzon Syndrome, a rare craniofacial disorder. From birth, doctors warn that his life will be overshadowed by limitations. Ben yearns for an ordinary life free from the harsh scrutiny he faces daily. However, each experience of adversity, including relentless bullying and a series of painful surgeries, ignites a fire within him. Wrestling becomes his proving ground, a place where he learns to transform his facial difference into a source of power. Determined to succeed, he pushes himself relentlessly, breaking through physical, social, and even romantic barriers that once seemed insurmountable. But as unexpected challenges arise and ridicule resurfaces, Ben finds himself at a defining crossroads: fade into the background of a “normal” life, or fully embrace his unique path and boldly stand out.

Race/America

Race/America follows Robb Holland, one of the few Black professional race car drivers in the United States, as he fights for the GT America Championship behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang. After decades of breaking barriers in a sport known for its lack of diversity, Robb builds his own team—Rotek Racing—bringing together a dynamic, multicultural crew that reflects the change he wants to see in motorsports. This high-octane documentary takes you beyond the track and into the heart of a season-long battle, offering unprecedented access to one of the most diverse teams in the paddock. Race/America is a story of speed, grit, and the drive to make history.

Namas Dei: The Tucker J. James Story

A clueless wannabe movie star moves to LA and goes viral for all the wrong reasons, only to evolve into a slightly less terrible version of himself. #blessed

A Malevolent World

A full improv feature film that explores the awful realism of a zombie apocalypse in Northern England.

Drift

From the music of Canadian composer Howard Shore, Belgian filmmakers Anthony Nti and Chingiz Karibekov craft a story of a boy picked up from school by (presumably) his brother, who sees he’s sitting out from gym class after picking a fight. The elder brother leads his sibling to a house—empty apart from a poster of Muhammad Ali. They set up a small area to exercise and the young boy is pushed to his limits, as he is perpetually asked to hit boxing gloves harder and harder. This short film is part of the 2x25 Project of Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards. The project commissioned 25 composers to compose a short piece of music, after which 25 filmmakers made short films that are the ultimate symbioses of music and cinematography, fitting completely within the DNA of the festival. The result: 25 exceptional films where the music inspired the form, narrative and texture.

Shards

After their father's suicide attempt, siblings Maja and Maximilian meet up to clean their father's house before his discharge from the hospital.

Moro

From the music of UK composer Nainita Desai, Filipino filmmaker Brillante Mendoza crafts a story about a widowed mother who tries to reconcile two brothers feuding over a piece of disputed land in Mindanao. This short film is part of the 2x25 Project of Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards. The project commissioned 25 composers to compose a short piece of music, after which 25 filmmakers made short films that are the ultimate symbioses of music and cinematography, fitting completely within the DNA of the festival. The result: 25 exceptional films where the music inspired the form, narrative and texture.

Out of Jungle

From the music of Filipino composer Teresa Barrozo, Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke crafts a story that conveys the architectonics of modernization and its effect on those individuals and communities who are forced to navigate shifting landscapes and social norms and expectations. This short film is part of the 2x25 Project of Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards. The project commissioned 25 composers to compose a short piece of music, after which 25 filmmakers made short films that are the ultimate symbioses of music and cinematography, fitting completely within the DNA of the festival. The result: 25 exceptional films where the music inspired the form, narrative and texture.

The Cigarette

From the music of Polish composer Abel Korzeniowski, Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen crafts a story that imagines spending the burning time of a cigarette between the sheets, interlocking smiles and touches with your loved one. This short film is part of the 2x25 Project of Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards. The project commissioned 25 composers to compose a short piece of music, after which 25 filmmakers made short films that are the ultimate symbioses of music and cinematography, fitting completely within the DNA of the festival. The result: 25 exceptional films where the music inspired the form, narrative and texture.

Marriage Iranian Style

Shirin leads a peaceful life in Iranian good middle-class, until the day her uncle Saeed asks her father to hire her in his travel agency. She finally decides to work. Her destiny changes, as she meets a young and attractive American, who goes to the agency to buy a plane ticket for Shiraz, the city of roses and poets.

The Song of Names

A man searches for his childhood best friend, a Polish violin prodigy orphaned in the Holocaust, who vanished decades before on the night of his first public performance.

The Visit

Carla Zachanassian had a child by Serge Miller as a teenager. When Serge refused to marry her, she was driven out of town. By her own wit and cunning, she has returned as a multi-millionaire for a visit. The town lays out the red carpet expecting big things from Carla, only to learn that her sole purpose is to see Serge Miller killed...

The Pumpkin Eater

Jo, the mother of seven children, divorces her second husband in order to marry Jake, a successful but promiscuous screenwriter. Though they are physically and emotionally compatible, they are slowly torn apart.

Bastard Out of Carolina

A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.

Hellion

When motocross and heavy metal obsessed, 13-year-old Jacob's delinquent behavior forces CPS to place his little brother Wes with his aunt, Jacob and his emotionally absent father must finally take responsibility for their actions and each other in order to bring Wes home.

El Chicano

A pair of twin brothers from East L.A. choose to live their lives differently and end up on opposite sides of the law.

I'm Not Here

A man struggles with the tragic memories of his past to make sense of his present, but soon realizes that time isn't the enemy he thinks it is.

TalhotBlond

Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.

What Maisie Knew

In New York City, a young girl is caught in the middle of her parents' bitter custody battle.

Starving in Suburbia

When seventeen-year-old Hannah stumbles upon a website about Thinspiration--an online community devoted to anorexia as a life choice--she becomes an obsessive follower of the site founder, ButterflyAna. By the time Hannah's family realizes what is happening and get Hannah the help she needs, the disease has fully taken hold and Hannah is refusing to eat. Will this family be able to exorcise the demon of anorexia from their lives?

Home Run

A pro ball player with a substance abuse problem is forced into rehab in his hometown, finding new hope when he gets honest about his checkered past, and takes on coaching duties for a misfit Little League team

The Kindness of Strangers

Clara and her two sons escape from her abusive husband with little more than their car and plan to start over in New York. After the car towed away, the family meets Alice, who gets them into an emergency shelter. While stealing food at a Russian restaurant called ‘Winter Palace’, Clara meets Marc, who has been given the chance to help the old eatery regain its former glory. The ‘Winter Palace’ soon becomes a place of unexpected encounters between people who are all undergoing some sort of crisis and whom fate has now brought together.

A Question of Faith

When Tragedy Strikes three Families, their Destiny forces them on a coverging path and mercy as the challenges of their fate could also resurrect their beliefs

The River

Tom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from foreclosing on their farm. While Mae stays at home to care for their children and tend to the crops, Tom finds work as a scab at a steel mill to preserve his family's property.

Burning Sands

Deep into Hell Week, a favored pledgee is torn between honoring his code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing.

The Hummingbird Project

A pair of high-frequency traders go up against their old boss in an effort to make millions in a fiber-optic cable deal.

The Girl in the Book

The story of a young writer's transformation when her past invades her present.

Hands of Stone

The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.

Won't Back Down

Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposites sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for their children. The two women refuse to let any obstacles stand in their way as they battle a bureaucracy that's hopelessly mired in traditional thinking, and they seek to re-energize a faculty that has lost its passion for teaching.

Alex of Venice

After her stay-at-home husband leaves her, a workaholic lawyer finds that she is not completely up to the tasks of caring for her young son, ailing father and household all by herself.

The Experiment

20 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.