Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the First-Time Filmmaker Sessions Volume 8!

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!

Ephemeral

Director/Writer/Producer: Alan De Lima Cassiano
Country of Origin: Brazil

Synopsis:
A small and fragile creature moves through everyday environments that gradually reveal fantastical dimensions. Along its journey, each space transforms into a metaphor for impermanence, growth, and renewal. Without relying on words, the short film offers a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of existence and the cycle of life, inviting viewers to recognize the beauty found in the transformations that permeate both the natural world and the human experience.

BAD KIDS

Director/Writer/Producer: Alexandros Katsaros
Country of Origin: Greece

Synopsis:
BAD KIDS is an experimental short film composed of four interconnected chapters. Through symbolic imagery, poetic narration and suggestive landscapes, the film explores memory, fear, silence and our relationship with time. Each chapter functions as an autonomous visual thought while together forming a journey through the invisible voices that shape human identity.

Water Mirror

Director: Toni Resende
Country of Origin: Brazil, Portugal

Spilt

Director/Writer/Producer: Patrick O'Brien
Producers: Andy Conway, Sam Green, Garry Tomson
Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Synopsis:
A powerful and unflinching exploration short film of men’s mental health.

After a devastating breakup, a young man finds himself spiralling into a world of drugs, alcohol, and self-destruction as he struggles to cope with the loss of the person he loved most. As his life begins to unravel, he must confront his inner demons before he loses himself completely.

Americana Dream

Director: Mitchell Teitelbaum
Producer: Honey Grace Rodriguez
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis:
Two time Emmy Nominated show, American Dream and Aaward Winning TV Host Joanna Petriccione takes you back in time in American Dream. An episode where cars were art, engines were music to our ears and the cars rule the road,

Royal Palace of Madrid

Director: Mitch Teitelbaum
Producer: Honey Grace Rodriguez
Country of Origin: Spain, United States

Synopsis:
The Royal Palace of Madrid takes you on an inside tour in this magnificent historic palace and more.

Shadow self

Director: Melissa arsan

Synopsis:
Music video explaining what the shadow self is

MOTHER

Director/Writer: Khatuna Chagunava
Country of Origin: Georgia

Synopsis:
Bound by her mother's battle with Alzheimer's disease, a daughter is forced to abandon her personal life. Internal protest, anger, and the desperate struggle against reality slowly give way to inevitable acceptance.

Pink Car

Director/Writer/Producer: Ruxin Liang
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis:
Every evening after work, a young woman finds herself drawn to an elaborately decorated pink car parked outside her building. Its striking details and mysterious presence transform an ordinary daily encounter into a growing fascination. As she studies the car more closely, one question continues to linger: who is the elusive owner behind it?

Eat or Run

Director/Writer: Xinyang Wang
Writer: Changyao Huang
Producer: Tongyu Fu
Country of Origin: China

Synopsis:
Xu Zhengyi, 48, was once a theater actress but spent 27 years as a housewife, staking her entire identity on her husband and son. A late-night comment—"What if your husband leaves you?"—keeps her awake. In a dream, she is thrown out by her husband, moves in with her sister, and hands out flyers in an ostrich costume, still clinging to the dream of returning to the stage. Yet in this dream, her "perfect" son Mengchuan crosses boundaries with her 13-year-old niece Baola. The malice she once dismissed as "childish innocence" finally shatters her illusion. Waking to the TV still reporting the escaped ostrich, Xu sees for the first time: what has truly trapped her was never marriage, but herself.

No Formalities

Director/Writer: Anastasia Stroganova
Producers: Nicos Verdiev, Alexandra Ardelyan
Country of Origin: Russian Federation

Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Mila arrives at her grandmother's birthday party in the village and unexpectedly meets her father, whom she has not seen for eight years.

Angel Vs Demon

Submitted by: Moses Chowhan

Rise of the North: Manchesters Musical Revival

Director: Holly Joanne Thomson
Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Synopsis:
This documentary explores the cultural legacy of Manchester’s most influential bands, Oasis and The Stone Roses, and their lasting impact on British music and society. Set against the social and economic backdrop of 1980s and 1990s Manchester, it examines how both bands emerged from a period of change and helped define a generation through music rooted in working-class identity, youth culture, and creative expression. It also reflects on their ongoing influence today, showing how their sound continues to shape and inspire new generations of listeners and artists.

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.