Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the First-Time Filmmaker Sessions Volume 5!

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 SPACE BESIDES ME

Director/Writer/Producer: Lubega Rajab
Director: Cwintyado Captain Roy
Writer: Nailar Manje
Producers: ASADI MUKASA, LUBADDE MUSA
Country of Origin: Uganda

Synopsis:
When ETHAN, a gentle German expatriate, falls in love with LYNN, an African woman bound by tradition and a fiercely proud father, their devotion is tested by cultural rejection and unrelenting sacrifice. Defying her father’s command, Lynn chooses love and is cast out. When a sudden illness strikes—an aggressive cerebral hemorrhage—Ethan gives up everything he owns to save her, standing alone in hospital corridors where love, faith, and fear collide. Against all odds, hope seems to win. Lynn survives. They marry. Life appears tender, ordinary, and whole.

FJ Aventures : Costa Rica

Director/Writer/Producer: Frédéric St-Germain
Director/Producer: Johanne Proulx
Country of Origin: Canada

Synopsis:
A cinematic travel documentary following a couple as they reconnect with what truly matters through a journey across Costa Rica — from remote jungle canals to volcanic landscapes and ocean horizons.

Blending immersive visuals, natural sound, and intimate moments, the film explores presence, simplicity, and the quiet transformation that travel can bring.

Infinite patience

Director: Mario De Vicente Madrid
Writer/Producer: Marino GArcia
Country of Origin: Spain

Synopsis:
Isabel, married to Arturo and mother of two, is noticing the blossoming happiness that bloomed when she first married him and flourished after the birth of her children. But as time passes, her husband becomes increasingly oppressive and belligerent, not only towards her but also towards the children. Isabel endures this situation with suffering, but she musters patience and keeps to herself the pain and the effects of the violence Arturo is now using against her. She prevents anyone from finding out about all of this and, above all, tries to shield her children from witnessing the harshest scenes of their marriage. When, later, those around her discover that she is experiencing real problems and has been mistreated—because significant signs are evident—they urge her to report the situation and seek protection. But she refuses time and again, trying to salvage their relationship, hoping that one day she will win back her husband's love. It is her father who exerts the most influence on her, making her see that she shouldn't endure so much, for her own good and the children's.

The Third Dimension of the Virtual World of Viruses

Director/Writer/Producer: Zoran Trutin
Country of Origin: Serbia

Synopsis:
"The Third Dimension of the Virtual World of Viruses" is an experimental documentary essay exploring the evolution of digital code as a new form of biological existence. Through the lens of infodemics and virtual architecture, the film maps a space where viruses—whether biological or digital—cease to be mere threats and become the building blocks of a new, hybrid reality. The author guides us through 48 minutes of visual meditation on a future where the boundary between human DNA and digital record is permanently blurred, giving rise to a third dimension of existence.

WENLOCK ROAD

Director/Writer: George Heron
Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Synopsis:
1970s tyneside, a young boy bullied at school and living a tough life with strict parents dares to dream of a brighter future and a life beyond the lanes of Simonside.

What Tried To Kill me

Director/Writer/Producer: Asija Wiltz
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis:
It didn’t kill her but it changed everything.
What Tried to Kill Me is a gripping story of survival, trauma, and transformation, following one woman’s fight to reclaim her life after facing the unthinkable.

The Last Of Us: Family Blood Ties

Director/Writer/Producer: Gavin Gavidia
Director/Writer: Lohgan Gavidia
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis:
A The Last of Us fan film about a survivor patrol mission that turns deadly when a group searching for missing people is forced to fight infected, testing loyalty and survival.

Luxury to Legend

Director/Writer/Producer: Mitchell Teitelbaum
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis:
This is an episode from American Dream TV - edited by Mayfair Films. B

Eklypsis

Director/Writer/Producer: Derrick Álvarez
Country of Origin: Spain

Synopsis:
Unusual events start to take over the world.

I’ll Remember You Once Again

Director: Alex Moon
Writer: Alena Sheuchyk
Country of Origin: Spain

Synopsis:
What happens to love when memory disappears?

“I’ll Remember You Once Again” is a poetic AI-generated short film dedicated to those living with dementia — and to the invisible moments they still carry inside.

Old Friends

Director: Vasyl Karapchuk
Director: Bohdan Suhaka
Writer: Roehampton University (Training Script)
Producer: Paul Grant
Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Synopsis:
A man begins work at a corporate office while quietly plotting revenge against the CEO he believes is tied to a painful past. Their tense encounter unfolds under the weight of misjudged history and hidden intentions, leading to tragic consequences.

CROSSROADS

Director/Producer: Alex Baptista
Writer/Producer: Adam Beal
Producers: Liam Nguyen-Markus,Janin Palahicky
Country of Origin: Canada

Synopsis:
Joan, a young alcoholic in remission, fights against liver failure and imminent death, but a mysterious person can make all his problems go away... for a price!

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.