Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the First-Time Filmmaker Sessions Volume 11!
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
The Tooth Fairy
Director: Trey Lyford
Writer/Producer: Hanna Gaffney
Producers: Desmond Confoy, Darren Peterson, Steve Webb
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
Chuck lives by her own code, rarely killing, but leaving her attackers toothless and helpless as she barters teeth for supplies, scraping to survive one day at a time against an onslaught of hopelessness and the burden of her own humanity.
Audience Choice Winners
The Road to Oklahoma
Director/Writer/Producer: Dakota J. Dunn
Producers: Alexis A. Stacy,Trayton A. White, Stephen A. Mineer, Rachel Strawser, Kellie A. Stacy
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
The Road to Oklahoma follows the Jackson High School Fishing Team on their emotional journey to Nationals and World Finals. A powerful small-town story of grit, heart, and hope-the world's first feature documentary on high school fishing.
Anonymous
Director/Writer/Producer: Chinedu Uyanne
Country of Origin: Nigeria
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?
Love Garden
Director/Writer/Producer: Chinedu Uyanne
Country of Origin: Nigeria
Synopsis:
Chris tries to maintain a relationship with his crush, Love without letting her know he's dead.
Nothing In Personality
Director/Writer: Steve Leyva
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
A documentary film about nothing but footage of things that make a person’s life. A young man films short scenes in his home before moving out.
Righting Wrongs
Director/Writer: Ciaran Connolly
Writer: Martin McLarnon
Producer: Larry Cowan
Country of Origin: Ireland
Synopsis:
Two estranged brothers reconnect and discuss a traumatic event from their childhood. Their opposing views on how it should be dealt with lead to a heated stalemate.
SILVIO
Director/Writer: SAMIRA PARADISO
Country of Origin: Italy
Synopsis:
Silvio is an intimate and poetic portrait of a man whose life has been devoted to music and his beloved hometown of Anzio. Inspired by the real figure of Silvio Colantuono – pianist, and for over fifteen years, conductor and president of the “Banda Musicale Città di Anzio” – the film captures the quiet perseverance, deep attachment, and understated humor that define his character.
Void
Director/Writer/Producer: Eugene Issaev
Country of Origin: Kazakhstan
Synopsis:
A lonely man lives his day in silence and emptiness. Every gesture seems ordinary, yet carries a sense of the end. When words lose their meaning, only action remains.
Ashes
Director/Writer: Goga Osepashvili
Country of Origin: Georgia
Synopsis:
In a mountain home, an elderly woman lives in solitude. During a fierce blizzard, the power goes out, forcing her to rely on the fireplace for warmth. As her resources dwindle, she makes a series of difficult decisions to survive the cold. Ultimately, she is faced with a photograph of her son. The memories of her past seem to ignite with the flames.
BULOSAN: ON AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Director: Andres Luz
Writer: Carlos Sampayan Bulosan
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
A defense of American democracy against worldwide fascism & domestic racism on words by Carlos Bulosan as hybrid dramatic music video & documentary.
I’ll Come Back For You
Director/Writer/Producer: Tyson Jarvis, Atlas Ryder
Country of Origin: Australia
Synopsis:
Robbie glitches through fractured timelines, racing to stop his grandfather’s death. Along the way, he encounters a strange anomaly, a loyal dog that seems to appear across realities, a possible echo from another timeline. The closer he gets to saving the past, the more he risks losing his future.
The Hamster Racing Man
Director/Producer: Poppy Brown
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis:
Adam Amstar, an (electric) hamster racer from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, fulfils his dream of taking his hamsters to the town’s iconic Hippodrome — sharing the story of how his racing and mental health struggles became intertwined.
B Side
Director/Writer/Producer: Caleigh Le Grand
Writers: Michael Lipka, Adam Langton
Executive Producers: Laura Tremblay,Karen Scobie
Country of Origin: Canada
Synopsis:
B Side is a psychological thriller dipped in neon and smeared with menace. Set on a Toronto bridge in the dead of night, it follows Max, who encounters Dan mid-suicide attempt and offers to be the one to finish the job. What unfolds is a tense, intimate exchange between strangers — tangled in desperation, control, and the raw humanity of surrender. Against a moody, urban backdrop, the film is propelled by an original bubblegum synth-pop score from Davey Oberlin (All the Damn Vampires), marrying grit with sweetness in a way that reflects the contradictions at its core.
Eva's realism
Director/Writer/Producer: Alexandra Diaz
Country of Origin: Costa Rica
Synopsis:
Eva, a 30-year-old woman, arrives in a new country seeking a better future. Her life unfolds between daily routine, job searches, and interactions with strangers that seem to define her surroundings. In each scene, small everyday moments—from buying cigarettes to applying for a job—construct a reality where loneliness, adaptation, and resilience intertwine. Through video calls with her mother, Eva maintains a connection with her past while facing the challenges of being a migrant woman. In this story, the mundane becomes a reflection of a woman's internal struggle in search of stability, security, and belonging.
Oh My God, You Killed Him!
Director/Writer: Julia Ulbrich
Producer: Lizbeth Ponce Rincon
Country of Origin: Canada
Synopsis:
When Jackie, Alex, and Lily find themselves caught in a harrowing situation after a confrontation with Jackie's abusive ex-boyfriend takes a deadly turn, they desperately try to hide the body and eliminate any trace of his involvement. In a fight for survival and to keep their secret hidden, their friendship is pushed to the limit, revealing the fragile nature of how far they are willing to go for loyalty and the truth.
Home Sweet Home
Director/Writer: Myeong Hui Jang
Producer: Eun jeong Go
Country of Origin: Republic of Korea
Synopsis:
Seoyeon, a 17-year-old female student, has been gaslighted by her parents since childhood. In Seo-yeon's world, her parents are the only ones who are right, and if she has friends who share different concepts or thoughts, she has problems with interpersonal relationships to the point where she cannot get to know them deeply. One day, Seo-yeon makes a new friend, Ye-ji, and as she becomes closer to Ye-ji, Ye-ji realizes that Seo-yeon's family situation is not right. Seoyeon places her only trust in Yeji, and the two become absolute friends. But when Seo-yeon really needs help, Ye-ji disappears and she discovers that Ye-ji is an illusion. Seo-yeon cannot escape from her frustration and ends up making an extreme choice.
35mm later
Director/Writer/Producer: Raphael Bertrand Delgado
Producers: René Domínguez, Christian Espinosa
Country of Origin: Honduras
Synopsis:
Lázaro is a widowed photographer from the northern Honduran coast. Over 60 years old, he still dreams of one day making a living from his photography. For the moment, however, he subsists with his grandson thanks to his small salary as a cook and the remittances sent by his daughter from the United States. Relations with his 7-year-old grandson Brian are cold, not to say icy, as the latter lives like an intruder in a neglected house with a man he calls grandfather out of convention.
One day, in the early hours of the morning, Lázaro takes pictures of the sea with his old and beloved camera. The only object that seems to mark a demarcation between the sky and the sea is a boat sailing over the horizon.
The Road to Valhalla
Director/Writer/Producer: Thomas Salvage
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis:
Einar is a Viking warrior, but for how long? As he looks back on his past, his faith in Odin (the Viking king of the gods) begins to tear, leaving Einar to choose between the road to Valhalla or his desires.
The Last Message
Director/Writer: Sarah Hahusseau
Country of Origin: Belgium
Synopsis:
In the open air, a woman waits for one last sign. But in the shadows, something already awaits her. In an open and vulnerable space, The Last Message tells the story of the moment when waiting becomes dizzying and the invisible invites itself wordlessly.
The End
Director/Writer/Producer: Elsa Malin White
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis:
What happens after death; where do you go? What do you do? Life is there to be treasured and shouldn’t be taken for granted.
DUTY?
Director/Writer/Producer: Nikola Mijić
Director: Konstantin Quentin Gvero
Country of Origin: Serbia
Synopsis:
Toma sits outside the hospital, smoking a cigarette and waiting for news about the surgery of his younger brother, Miloš. As time drags on, memories resurface. Childhood, unspoken words, and missed chances to be there when his brother needed him most. Though the older one, Toma spent years in silence, walled off by exhaustion and anger, while Miloš withdrew into himself, misunderstood and left on his own.
Miloš grew up in silence and family chaos that pushed him further into loneliness. The feelings of abandonment and helplessness gradually turned into a destructive need to be noticed. Seeking belonging, he surrounded himself with the wrong people, immersed himself in virtual communities, and made dangerous choices. When he unexpectedly saw a girl from his past in the arms of another, it became the trigger. In the following moments, he made a decision that would change everything forever.
Wanting
Director/Writer: Luke S Heitmann
Producer: Jade Divine Reynolds
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
Struggling to confront his crush during the last party of the year, Eddie discovers Harleen the Gene who grants him three wishes to assist him in obtaining what he desires before the turn of the New Year.
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.