Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the First-Time Filmmaker Sessions Volume 12!

The festival platformed hundreds of films, each project worthy of recognition and celebration. We want to extend a giant thank you to everyone who took part and a special congratulations to all the incredible talent that went into making these projects.

First-Time Filmmaker Sessions is designed to be the entry into the Lift-Off Global Network. A platform for the avant-garde, FT Sessions isn't about selecting the 'best' or most 'commercial' projects; it is about providing a screening opportunity for everyone, connecting these new and emerging voices with new audiences. An option we hope highlights and educates each month!

The Distance Between Us

Director/Writer/Producer: Bastián Urra
Producer: Jesús Chirino
Country of Origin: Spain

Synopsis:
Marcos, a lonely computer scientist who works in an office, is secretly in love with Alicia, a coworker who's dating his boss. On her birthday, he plans a surprise for her, but ends up discovering something mysterious that would change the course of his life.

New World

Director/Writer/Producer: Arthur Oudin
Country of Origin: France

Synopsis:

Gabriel Turner is a soldier who was wounded in a battle with a criminal organization called X-Binary. He lives with his daughter, Mollie, in a house in the countryside.
A few days after the battle, his commander summons him to the army base and informs him that the location of X-Binary’s laboratories has been found.
After the meeting, Gabriel returns home, where he receives a call from Tiffany. She informs him of the commander's death and asks him to return to the base immediately, but he is kidnapped en route.

The Fallen Twin

Director/Writer/Producer: Lungelo Quinton Sithole
Country of Origin: South Africa

Synopsis:
The Fallen Twin is about Two twins Lungelo & Lungisani. The young twin called Lungelo attempted to murder his twin Lungani by pushing him don’t the waterfall then Lungani survives and come back for revenge.

Makati - The Silent Pockets of a Township Boy

Director/Writer/Producer: Zama kaMafikeni Msibi
Country of Origin: South Africa

Synopsis:
This gripping documentary chronicles Makati's remarkable journey, from the daring attack on Osizweni Police Station to explosive moments at Newcastle Court and Glencore railway station in Dundee. It delves into the heart-pounding events surrounding an explosion at the Game Centre in Newcastle and a series of covert operations in Durban during 1985-1986.
As South Africa finally embraced freedom, Makati found himself at the center of a different battle—the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). He sought amnesty, and the documentary explores his application number, AM5617/97, revealing a complex and emotional struggle for reconciliation and forgiveness.

Kindling Burns Love Fast

Director/Writer/Producer: Joshua Jones
Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Synopsis:

A couple moves in together, onto a narrow boat in London and they are forced to overcome the psychological chaos that surrounds them. Will their love survive as the sinking cracks of their relationship hit breaking point? We have a full Cinnematic DCP version with 5.1 Dolby Sound if Selected.

Whale

Director/Writer: Farhad Baghshomal Azar
Country of Origin: Islamic Republic of Iran

Synopsis:
"The Whale" tells the story of a teenage street vendor who roams around a cinema every day, selling chewing gum.
He is deeply passionate about cinema and occasionally watches some films, until an unexpected incident brings the police into the story.

Dog Days

Director/Writer/Producer: Leo Stuart Allan
Country of Origin: New Zealand

Synopsis:
In the aftermath of the apocalypse, a man is trying to find a charging cable for his camera.

ECHO OF 22

Director/Writer/Producer: Leander Decarlo Palmer
Writer: Mike Batiste
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis:
ECHO OF 22 is about bringing awareness regarding approximately 22 veterans that commit suicide daily. This project also discusses the stigma regarding veterans with PTSD.

Love Languages.. and Other Illusions

Director/Writer/Producer: Blake J Askew
Country of Origin: Germany

Synopsis:
Ben and Christian are in a long term relationship and the nine years together reach a head in an intense confrontation that unearths resentments, pain , unfulfilled and unspoken expectations and ultimately a crossroads. A film about the complex nature of relationships when there is no one right or wrong person responsible.

A marriage

Director/Writer/Producer: Lucas Joel Albornoz
Country of Origin: Chile

Synopsis:
Elisa and Vicente are a married couple going through a silent crisis. When she insists on attending their daughter’s graduation and he refuses, the tension they’ve been holding back erupts into an argument that reveals a far more heartbreaking truth.

Bad Apples

Director/Writer: Craig Montalbano
Director/Writer/Producer: Sean Hall
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis:

A masked man who goes around kidnapping. But who is this masked man and why is he doing this.

THE GHOST PHOTOGRAPHER

Director: 정수 김
Country of Origin: South Korea

Synopsis:

Every night, unsettling noises echo from the bathroom of a man living alone. When he finally calls a “ghost photographer” to uncover the truth, the lens reveals something far darker than a haunting.

The Cage

Director/Writer/Producer: Alihosein Abbaszadeh
Country of Origin: Islamic Republic of Iran

Synopsis:

The Cage is a poetic and contemplative stop-motion film about humanity, freedom, and the invisible boundaries of the mind.
Without dialogue, it follows a human figure awakening in a desolate ruin — a cage built not only from concrete, but from memories and oblivion.
Through movement, sound, and light, the film transforms these elements into metaphors of awakening and liberation.
“The Cage” is an inner journey from darkness to light, from isolation to self-awareness.

System of Coordinates

Director/Writer/Producer: Andrey Bazarov
Country of Origin: Russian Federation

Synopsis:

A noir melodrama about a professional killer who is tired of his monotonous life and decides to give up his criminal past in order to find true love.

SCOTT

Director/Writer/Producer: Clive Simeon Horn
Country of Origin: Canada

Synopsis:

What does it mean to live a life with the present knowledge of death? SCOTT is a powerful documentary about an extraordinary man grappling with the realities of ALS, an incurable paralytic disease. Follow Scott Myers, philosopher, author, and innovator, in his battles, joys and in his quest to explain,
"what is everything, what is life, and how can we live it?"

The Lift-Off Season Awards is an annual event that celebrates the very best of indie film. Following each Lift-Off film festival, films that have excelled in their respective category are short listed for a Season Awards Nomination.  At the end of the year, once all the 12 city-based festival have taken place, the shortlisted nominated films are reviewed again by the jury and Official Nominations are designated.  Click here for more information about the Lift-Off Season Awards.