Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the 2026 Lift-Off Sessions Volume 4!

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.

Lift-Off Sessions is designed to be the entry into the Lift-Off Global Network. A platform for the avant-garde, 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!

Orishas in celebration

Director/Writer: Fernanda Almeida
Producers: Carolina Maíra Morais, Ajoyemi Osunleye
Country of Origin: Brazil

Blood mandate

Director/Writer:Nasser Ashraf Azzeh
Producer: Ashraf Abdullhadi Azzeh
Country of Origin: Jordan

Synopsis:
Forced into a relentless pursuit by a grim decree, a lone fighter must cut through a web of enemies to satisfy a Blood Mandate that haunts his family's name. Amidst brutal confrontations and shifting alliances, the line between justice and revenge begins to blur. Witness a visceral tale of survival where every drop of blood spilled brings him closer to a truth that will change him forever.

Stella

Director/Writer/Producer: RICARDO Santos Silva
Country of Origin: Spain

Synopsis:
A young film director, who has just won an award for his debut feature, decides to visit his former film school professor that same night—a woman with whom he may have had a romance years ago.

ENGA - Episode 01

Director/Writer: HILDEBRANDO RIBEIRO
Producer: RIBEIRO RIBEIRO
Country of Origin: Brazil

Synopsis:
Al Pacino Freitas Almeida is an eighteen-year-old law student and a convinced atheist. One quiet morning in Brasília, a mysterious and elegant stranger appears at his door claiming to be Lucifer. What begins as a philosophical confrontation between belief and skepticism soon becomes something far more disturbing when the impossible reveals itself before Al’s eyes.

Elise's Blanket

Director/Writer/Producer: Neville Hiatt
Country of Origin: Australia

Synopsis:
Elise’s Blanket originated as a children’s picture book in 2016 celebrating the connection between an uncle and his niece. The story was further developed with assistance from the Writability program, after winning a disability scholarship from Writers Victoria in 2018. Still yet to be published as a picture book turning it into a short film felt like a wonderful opportunity to share the joyful story with the world. Elise’s Blanket doesn’t mention Unka’s missing arm in the words of the story. It was important for Neville to show Unka’s family don’t treat him any differently than if he wasn’t an amputee. It instead shows how he is able to travel the world taking photos one handed.

Spaghetti

Director/Writer: Adrian Miranda
Country of Origin: Italy, United States

Synopsis:
An Italian man living in America spirals into an existential crisis after committing the ultimate culinary sin: he broke spaghetti in half. During a therapy session, he tries to understand whether he’s losing his mind… or if he’s been “possessed by America.

RICHARD PALMER, WHERE ARE YOU

Director/Writer: Zubeda Portia Cele
Producer: Fifi Moatshe
Country of Origin: South Africa

Synopsis:
A group of friends are attending a wedding in a small town near Cape Town. The wedding coincides with the opening of a play titled Richard Palmer, Where Are You. A horror stage play based on true events.
Fascinated by the poster advertising the play, one of the Friends calls out Richard Palmer’s name, awakening his deadly spirit.

The Curious Case of the Murder that Wasn't!

Director/Writer: Jason D. Morris
Writer: Carly Street
Producers: Troy L. Foreman,Mark Francisco
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis:
Jessica Fletcher (Murder She Wrote), Mark Sloan (Diagnosis Murder), and Columbo (Columbo) walk into a wake.

There's no punchline just the most diabolical murder to solve, matching wits with the master of deduction - Sherlock Holmes!!

Datura (about green blindness)

Director/Writer/Producer: Laura Soledad Ferradas
Director: Rodrigo Nahuel Lopez
Country of Origin: Argentina

Synopsis:
"Datura ..." is a video performance that critically and reflectively examines our relationship with the urban plant environment. The piece aims to provoke viewers about "plant blindness," a tendency to ignore the presence and value of plants in our daily lives.

Anthropocenic venus

Director/Writer/Producer: Laura Ferradas
Director: Rodrigo Nahuel Lopez
Country of Origin: Argentina

Synopsis:
This short film arises from the creative, playful and philosophical proposal of co-creating and recording an artistic performance on the question of time and about the gaze of the Venus of Willendorf as a material icon of the total feminine in time towards our present day. global. If Willendorf's paleolithic Venus figurine was incarnated in a real body today, what would happen?

Ballad of Boobi Jean

Director/Writer/Producer: Mona Shahab
Director/Producer: Desdemona Dallas
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis:
Boobi Jean inherits an old hotel & a life of leisure in a deserted resort town—but all she wants is out.

Beyond the Bell

Director/Producer: Jonathan Balsamo
Director/Producer: Tony Lilly
Writers: Ana Campos-Dominguez, Julian Waddell Grageda, Estefanya Paz
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis:
Tells the story of a high school television production program that refused to stay within the walls of a classroom. What started as a course has become a student-led media enterprise—creating real content for real clients while preparing young creatives for careers in film, broadcast, and business. Through mentorship and vision, the program proves that education doesn’t end when the bell rings—it begins there.

dude. where is my lighter?

Director/Writer: Zane Boban-Bennett
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis:
A young man wanders the streets of Shawnee, Oklahoma, searching for the thing that will bring him peace.

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.