Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the First-Time Filmmaker Sessions Volume 10!
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!
Jury's Overall Winner
Island of the self
Director/Writer/Producer: Omolbanin Jaybash
Producer: Iranian Youth Cinema Association
Country of Origin: Islamic Republic of Iran
Synopsis:
Narges, a young woman on Hormuz Island, sells colorful handmade masks and has become a living mask for her rich culture. When a tourist photographer asks her to remove her mask, this simple request becomes a profound conflict between tradition and modernity, personal privacy and fear of the outside gaze.
Season Award #16 Shortlist
Audience Choice Winners
Stalker Gone Viral
Director: Opalynne Brown
Writer/Producer: Zachary Ballard
Co-Producers: Jonah LaVelle, Josh DeMie
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
"Stalker Gone Viral" follows Sarah Price, a social media influencer trying to find love, and Aaron Grant, a Twitch Streamer obsessed with the dark and mysterious. The two meet and go on a date. They don't hit it off, but soon after Sarah begins posting videos of him following and stalking her. Aaron has his own story to tell. Through various platforms we see many perspectives online unfold. The pair get caught up in a violent altercation during one of Sarah's livestreams, which ends in an attempt on her life. Sarah's video goes viral as she is rushed to the hospital, and Aaron is left with all the blame.
5 years later, Aaron is still trying to pick up the pieces of his life. Until he runs back into Sarah.
Joy Is In The Journey
Director: Sean Kennedy
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
“Joy is in the Journey” is a 2,600 mile trek of self-discovery from the Mexican border in California to the Canadian border in Washington state to examine the correlation between the challenges and successes hikers face on the trail with that of their everyday lives. Is life truly about the final destination or is there something more profound to be found along the way?
Moment of Time - The Musical
Director/Writer/Producer: Konstantin Vigotckii
Country of Origin: Serbia
Synopsis:
The musical / pop-rock opera “Moment of Time” about the paradoxes of time and space by “Raccoon the Last” project. Open your stream of consciousness and feelings to fully immerse yourself in the action.
The man wakes up in a sunny meadow, does not remember how he got there or what his name is. He goes into the forest and meets various forest dwellers, plunging with them into the secrets of the interaction of time and space. The entire plot is told through a variety of digital animation and 23 songs.
Vengeance Of The Vikings
Director/Producer: Kemal Öğünlü
Director/Writer/Producer: Yağız Epik
Country of Origin: Turkey
Synopsis:
Alaster, son of King Edward of Wessex, is secretly taken away from his homeland during a bloody uprising for the throne. Still a child, unaware of the legacy he carries, he sets out on a journey that fate leads to Scandinavia. There, among the Vikings, he takes the name “Einar,” meaning lone warrior, and steps into a new life. Years later, now a hardened warrior, Einar returns to his birthplace. Forced to confront the dark face of his past and the ruthless rule of his cousin Beorhtric, Einar embarks with his loyal companions on a dangerous journey of vengeance that will lead him to an epic reckoning.
Empty
Director/Writer: Botond Polecsák, Ágoston Szabó
Country of Origin: Hungary
Synopsis:
A short film about a poets last poem.
Chaste Eyes
Director: Felipe Pitombo Ferreira
Country of Origin: Brazil
Synopsis:
The short film is inspired by the poem "Olhos Castos" (Chaste Eyes) by the poet Leodegária de Jesus from Goiás and revolves around relationships with our inner child and how it affects all other relationships. The narrative tells the story of the characters Isabel and Jorge, from childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood, showing how their inner child affects their relationships. At the same time, it shows the need to recover the perspective of this child for the adult.
ALL IN
Director/Writer: Maurice Kiema
Producers: Joshua Wango, Elijah Muriithi, Erick Njeru
Country of Origin: Kenya
Synopsis:
When a small-time local gangster takes on a seemingly simple job to earn quick cash, he unwittingly sets off a chain of violence and betrayal that draws in dangerous players, pushing him into a deadly game far beyond his control.
Existence is a Glitch in the Digital Reality System
Director: ROBIN SHAHID
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
In a universe where nothing is as it seems, reality itself is nothing more than a complex simulation—a manufactured illusion within a vast, digital reality system. Existence, as we perceive it, is not intentional but an anomaly, a glitch disrupting the programmed order of the system. Every thought, every moment, every experience is merely a fragment of coded illusion, leaving humanity to question the depth of its consciousness.
My Brain My World
Director/Writer: Jordan Winn
Director: Georgie Harriet-King
Producer: Malcolm Jason Kelly Baker
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis:
It's about the journey of a young boy who is misunderstood and terrified of the whole world . All he wants is to be understood
and Accepted. He will go through many challenges and horrible people along the way, but he doesn't stop fighting until there's not fight left
Life
Director/Writer/Producer: Harry Waldman
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
A day of life.
MERCY
Director/Writer: Román Rojkin
Writer: Abril Estefanía Turdó
Producers: Celina Viola, Nayeli Ramallo Vallí
Country of Origin: Argentina
Synopsis:
Two prosecutors are investigating a series of homicides. The deaths are based on imitating a killer who was convicted several years ago. To catch the copycat, the prosecutors will have to interrogate the imprisoned man to help them understand his method. But the thing is, the convicted man and one of the prosecutors share a criminal record, and this will pose a challenge to the investigation.
The Shadow of Hate
Director/Writer: Campbell Row
Producer: University of Tennessee Knoxville School Of Art
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
The story is about an up-and-coming serial killer named James Chapman. He is a young college kid who lives with his older, stuck-up brother, Owen. Owen was treated the best out of the family in their younger lives, so James holds a hatred for Owen even now. James's hatred for his brother and family fuels his passion to kill innocent people. We see in the story that James cannot murder his own brother, so he takes it out on other people. The mental aspects of killing someone are shown throughout the different soundtracks and close-up camera angles.
The night I left behind
Director/Writer: Luciano Besares Barra
Writer: Katalina Urrutia Lopez
Producers: Ignacio Cornejo, Bastián Osorio
Country of Origin: Chile
Synopsis:
One night, Kike arrives at his father's house at the Capitol, from Pichilemu and cannot find him. With an address where he might be, together with Mauro and Israel, two young men in a car he meets that night, they set out on a journey through the suburbs of Santiago de Chie
Stree Lingering
Director: Shatakshi Singh
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis:
Stree Lingering emerged from a personal yet widely relatable concern: how everyday women are often unseen or misrepresented in society. Drawing from lived experiences of body dysmorphia, shame, and internalized self-doubt, Shatakshi sought to create a film that honors women in their raw, unfiltered presence, beyond societal expectations.
Seller's Market
Director: Jack Boyce
Writer: Zach Perkins
Producer: Mike Scannell
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
A last day in the life of a veteran, Fox , who isn't on his meds. Fox is being targeted not for any information he has but for his house.
Lift-Off Season Awards #16
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.