Shorts Program: A Look at Health

This is a featured presentation of our A Look at Health program area.

Good Thanks, You?
Director and Writer: Molly Manning Walker
Narrative Short, 2020 [UK] English, 13 minutes
In the aftermath of an attack, Amy is left voiceless, trapped in a whirlwind of incompetence. She must find a way to confront what has happened, in order to save what matters most to her.

Hysterical Girl
Director and Writer: Kate Novack
Documentary Short, 2020 [USA] English, 13 minutes
Sigmund Freud produced only one major case history of a female patient, a 17-year-old girl whose parents brought her to therapy after she accused a family friend of sexual assault. Intercutting Freud’s published text with a scripted version told from the patient’s point of view, Hysterical Girl revisits this landmark case.

Freaks (Tarados) {International Premiere}
Director and Writer: Inés Fernández
Narrative Short, 2020 [Spain] Spanish, 18 minutes
Bea has been discharged from a psych ward but she is not fully recovered yet. She was overmedicated due to a budget cut on staff. Following her psychiatrist’s advice, she decides to testify against the director of the center, but she must pass a psychological evaluation before going to trial. Bea exhibits a bizarre and uncontrollable behaviour in stressful situations: she can’t help answering questions with the lyrics of a song.

Immaculate (Inmaculada) {New York Premiere}
Director and Writer: Stephanie Sandoval
Narrative Short, [Chile, USA] Spanish, 17 minutes
Alejandra is a shy late bloomer who lives in the safe bubble created by her mother and her Catholic school in Santiago, Chile. Alejandra’s mother has signed her up to play the role of the Virgin Mary in the school’s celebration of the Annunciation, but when the day arrives, Ale will have no choice but to face womanhood.

Bye Bye, Body
Director and Writer: Charlotte Benbeniste
Narrative Short, 2019 [USA] English, 10 minutes
When Nina fails to meet her goal in the final week of weight loss camp, she makes a deal with the devil that takes her on an unexpected adventure, through which she learns to see her body anew.

Blood and Glory
Director and Writer: Satinder Kaur
Narrative Short, 2020 [USA] English, 12 minutes
Blood and Glory is a drama about the friendship between two homeless veterans living on the streets of LA. Jackie is a dreamer and a hustler who is trying to get her life back on track. She also takes care of her battle buddy Rosa, who suffers from debilitating PTSD. The day that Jackie finally gets a job interview, she wakes up with a super heavy period. Without money for pads or tampons, Jackie has to figure out how to get through the day without letting her blood stain her clothes or her dignity.

A Mother
Director and Writer: Natasha Ngaiza
Narrative Short, 2019 [USA] English, 16 minutes
After receiving pills for an abortion, a mother of two learns about the disappearance of a little Black girl. As she contemplates her decision and tends to her family’s needs, local protests around the disappearance and its racist implications send her on a journey to find the girl and herself.