Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival 2025

5. Futuro
Directors: Lisa Mazzei, Leonardo Fiori
Producers: Eclettica,Lyzard Film
Country of Origin: Italy

Synopsis: "Futuro" is immersed in a sterile space, with a sky that turns on and off in the background, where the marching silhouettes of characters stand out. The band, Manitoba, steps into the role of rock storytellers, as each character is tied to a track that bears their name on the album. Decontextualized and stripped of their stories, the characters are placed in an artificial and fictional setting, resembling a kind of sterile vintage group photo. The video evokes the video art of Bill Viola, where slowed time verges on stillness, and resembles an expressive version of the march from The Path.

6. #BetweenYouAndMe
Director/Writer: Peter Bjørklund Andersen
Writer: Albert Scott
Producer: Ida Birk Hansen
Country of Origin: Denmark

Synopsis: The young and popular high school student Lukas, has his life turned upside down when a sex video of him and a girl from school is shown at a morning assembly. The whole school instinctively believes that Lukas is behind it, but he insists he is innocent. When the video starts to spread on Facebook Messenger, he is forced to go back through Messenger's cobwebs, to prove his innocence. But is it even possible to track and remove something once it has been shared?

8. Out of Tune
Director: Audrey Levy
Country of Origin: France

Synopsis: Désaccordé is an animated short film that transports the viewer to an enchanting Paris of 1910, where Maurice Ravel’s music comes to life through visual and poetic transformations. In this magical universe, characters, settings, and everyday elements transform to narrate a segment of the composer’s Piano Concerto. Désaccordé explores the question: "What would music look like if it were revealed in images?" Visual and auditory harmony blend in a world where poetry and magic meet, paying tribute to Ravel’s musical universe.

9. Peixinho (Little Fish)
Director: Kaushiik Subramaniam
Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Synopsis: In a remote coastal village in Mozambique, where the ocean is both a lifeline and a force of nature, one young man dares to rewrite the narrative of his community. Peixinho is an inspiring tale of resilience and transformation, following the journey of a local hero as he bridges generations and redefines what it means to live in harmony with the sea.

Peixinho dives deep into the heart of tradition and progress. Witness how one man's mission to teach children to swim and be safer in the water ripples through the community, saving lives and sparking hope. As he unravels the secrets of the ocean through his research, he also challenges outdated fishing practices, guiding the older generation toward sustainable solutions that honor the sea's fragile balance.

11. Run from Rain
Director/Producer: Jess DiPierro Obert
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis: Two years ago 16-year-old Macul Nelson lost both of his parents due to gang violence and had to flee Port Lafiteau on the outskirts of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince to the Central Plateau where he now resides with his former neighbor and stand-in grandmother. As the eldest of four siblings, this short film follows Macul as he works through the trauma of violence and the growing power of gangs in Haiti. Despite friends and the pull of gangs recruitment of young men across the country, Macul finds a home and support system at a Summits Education school in the small commune of Marerouge at a time when more than 300,000 children have no access to school and 1 million people are displaced by gangs in the country.

15. Not Alone
Director: Bradley Lanphear
Writers: Bradley Lanphear, Corbin Schweitzer
Producers: Corbin Schweitzer, Bradley Lanphear
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis: "Not Alone" tells the story of Jim, a young Latino veteran battling the heavy toll of survivor’s guilt, depression, and alcoholism, who is introduced to Bob, a Vietnam War veteran who’s walked a similar path. In a shared journey of silent suffering and unspoken understanding, Bob guides him to CampV, a veteran support center, where Jim begins to rediscover camaraderie and the strength to reconnect with his family. Through the eyes of these two veterans—each from a different generation but bonded by their shared trauma—"Not Alone" explores the unrelenting weight of PTSD, the importance of community, and the path to healing.

16. Friendsgiving
Director & Writer: Kaitlyn Healy
Producers: Kaitlyn Healy, Julia Jayne, Lana Dvorak
Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis: When Charles runs into his charming new coworker Lorali on the streets of L.A., he spontaneously invites her to his annual Friendsgiving—a cherished tradition with his four closest friends. But as the evening unfolds, buried tensions and clashing personalities threaten to derail the celebration. With emotions rising and loyalties tested, Charles finds himself in the middle, forced to confront the challenge of keeping a group of strong-willed individuals united—and whether it’s even possible to hold on to the idea of “found family” when everyone’s pulling in different directions.