Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival 2024
Network Round Shorts

Monday 2nd September - Sunday 8th September

1. Uncommon Ground
Director/Writer: Faith Sparrow-Crawford
Producers: Mik Narciso, Makenna Jow, Phil Planta, Nightingale
Country of Origin: Canada
Synopsis: Set in the Coast Salish region of the Pacific Northwest, 150 years in the future, the true history of North America has been swept under
the rug, the stories of Indigenous peoples have been silenced, and religion and culture are criminalized. Indigenous people, like Tawni and her aunt, were driven out of the cities, living on the land where they fight to keep their culture and histories alive against all odds.

2. Here With You
Director/Producer: Lauren Adler
Writer/Producer: Tyler Vincent
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:Here With You, is a romantic thriller which follows Forest and Sadie in the remote woods of upstate New York. As they indulge in the excessive nature of their deepest desires, the two quickly learn that when it comes to love, they only have one person in mind.

3. The Burden of Care
Director/Writer/Producer:Sam T Ripley
Producers: Kim Gillingham, Erich Treml
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:  An aging man’s understanding of his world is challenged when a strangely remorseful gunman breaks into his apartment and threatens his life.

4. Barakah
Director/Writer/Producer: Biniyam Abreha
Producer: Bemnet Yemsgen
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:  Faced with a dire request from a mysterious woman, a distraught young man embarks on a transformative journey that unearths mystical forces that reach into a long forgotten past.

5. For the Love of Peacocks
Director/Writer/Producer: Estelle Halabi
Producers: Dani Martin, Reid McGowan
Country of Origin: Australia
Synopsis:  Sibling comedy of fractured relationship in need of repair. Deceased mother leaves her inheritance to her peacocks which will ensure the siblings have to work together to get the money.

6. LOCKED UP
Director/Writer/Producer: Etienne Guichard
Producer: Johanna Lagarde
Country of Origin: France
Synopsis:  A car stuck in a traffic jam. Inside, Samuel, 8 years old, plays with his plastic robots while his father gets impatient. Suddenly, an angry biker appears, weaving between the cars. He wants to pass, at any cost…

7. Descendants
Director/Writer: Evan Shi
Producer: Han de Chen
Country of Origin: China
Synopsis:  This documentary explores the tea-making process and traditional culture of the Blang people in Yunnan. Three generations have continued their feeling for tea, the Bulang four-stringed zither，fire pit, and their rich cultural heritage.

8. LUKi and the Lights
Director/Writer: Toby Cochran
Writers: Sascha Groen, Janna Brouwer-Schouten, Anjo Snijders
Producer: Adrian Ochoa
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: LUKi, a charming and upbeat robot known for living life to the fullest, confronts a life-altering ALS diagnosis.

Through the lens of LUKi's unwavering resilience, the story of his battle against ALS transforms into a testament to the human (and robotic) spirit's ability to find light even in the darkest of times. With every choice he makes, every smile he shares, and every second he cherishes, LUKi paints a vivid portrait of what it means to truly live, even as the sands of time slip through his grasp.

9. Bleach Bone
Director/Writer: John Nilles
Writer/Producer: Josh Wagner
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: 
Nine years after murdering his friend in cold blood, Dwain returns to dig up the remains. There, in a bleak field, he reckons with Jay's ghost and struggles to comprehend his own motives.

10. It's Nice! (When People Take The Time To Say Goodbye)
Director:Nicky Alloway
Writer: Alice Condon
Producer:Gareth Rees Rowlands
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis: Three siblings return to their hometown for the funeral of their beloved Uncle Bernard. While paying their respects, they have one simple aim - to get through the day without any mention of their estranged mother and her betrayal of the family.

11. Going Home
Director/Writer/Producer: Alessandra Carlino
Producer: Tricia Mulgrew
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:  Going Home is a story of transformation and courage, of personal challenges and strength.
It is the story of the resiliency of the human spirit told through the lens of our homelessness crisis.

12. NO FANTASY
Director/Writer: Pedro Murad
Director: Daniel Herz
Producer: Jéssika Menkel
Country of Origin: Brazil
Synopsis:  A large metropolis's old and decaying downtown area is set to be completely incinerated. As the local population gets ready to evacuate by government mandate, an aging prostitute decides to stay and vanish within the flames. She receives an unexpected visit from a former client.

13. My Little Cutie
Director/Producer: Mia Tikellis
Writer/Producer: Juliette Martin
Country of Origin: Australia
Synopsis: Lifelong best friends Mila and Jo try to rekindle their relationship, but Jo has a plan to get more than just her friend back.

14. The Crossing
Director/Writer: Christopher Matista
Producer: Zach Woznicki
United States
Synopsis: In an apocalyptic wasteland, two strangers meet at a deadly impasse and must bargain for their lives in order to survive.

15. Echoes in the Dark
Director/Writer/Producer: Connie Jo Sechrist
Producer: Kristen Brancaccio
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: The film follows Sarah, a woman who is struggling to come to terms with the recent loss of her fiancé Josh. As she battles with grief, her mind becomes plagued by twisted and distorted memories from her past, causing her mental health to deteriorate rapidly. Feeling as though the darkness of her mind has taken control of her, Sarah must confront the demons within and find a way to survive before the darkness consumes her completely.

16. Marbles
Director/Writer: Kyle Hatley
Producer: Jaclyn Larson
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: When a grief-stricken man with strange abilities opens up to his bereavement group about the death of his sister, he discovers that his curse becomes a gift to his fellow mourners.

17. under the influence[r]
Director/Writer/Producers: Alberto Accettulli
Producers: Ludovico Avogadro, Fabrizio Accettulli, Robert Roszbeck, Giovanni Labadessa
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: Two Gen Z men strive for social media fame, attempting a risky and unlawful stunt to go viral. The film is a sharp portrayal of modern society's imbalance, highlighting the stark contrast between the digital facade we curate and the reality we live in, questioning what we truly value.