New York Lift-Off 2026

Network Round Shorts

Monday 27th July – Sunday 2nd August 2026

Festival Programme
New York Lift-Off film festival logo

2. One More Photo

1. You First

Director, Writer//Georgia Reed-Stamm

Producers// Saskia Villaflor Curry, Lex Radziner

Country of Origin // United States

Synopsis //Longtime friends confront newfound feelings after their first day of sophomore year of high school.

2. New Neighbors Association Director, Writer// Carlos A. Hiciano Producer// Alfonso M Rodriguez Country of origin// United States Synopsis // A newfound HOA sprouts in an existing neighborhood haunting an unsuspecting family.

2. FOXBODY

2. New Neighbors Association

Director, Writer// Carlos A. Hiciano

Producer// Alfonso M Rodriguez

Country of origin// United States

Synopsis // A newfound HOA sprouts in an existing neighborhood haunting an unsuspecting family.

NWR Website Thumbnails (2)

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3. Before the Blade

Director, Writer// Kuan Cheng LIN

Producer// Yu Wei LIN

Country of Origin // Taiwan

 

Synopsis // A woman who is known as the best swordsman in the world accidentally kills the person who saved her one day, causing her to hesitate and slow down when drawing her sword. Under the influence of new and old hatreds, she needs to let go of the distracting thoughts in her mind in order to find peace in her heart.

4. Chronically Yours Director// Jacob Godbey Producer//Joe Borden Country of Origin // United States Synopsis // Chronically Yours follows Aubrey, a 27-year-old living with Multiple Sclerosis and how that affects her dating life.

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4. Chronically Yours

Director// Jacob Godbey

Producer//Joe Borden

Country of Origin // United States

Synopsis // Chronically Yours follows Aubrey, a 27-year-old living with Multiple Sclerosis and how that affects her dating life.

5. This Damnation Director, Writer // Russell De Rozario Writer// MARK WORRAL Producer // Ben Keenanc  Producer// BEN DILLION De Rozario Country of Origin // United Kingdom Synopsis // Based on a true story. Damien, a man in his 40s, is haunted by a traumatic childhood event—A violent IRA hostage situation, he can't shake, After years of searching he finally tracks down Brendan, one of the masked men responsible, masquerading as a priest. Driven by a mix of anger and a desperate need for closure, Damien arrives at Brendan's church, filled with unresolved pain. As the two confront their shared past, the tension escalates, revealing the complex web of guilt, remorse, and the possibility of forgiveness."

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5. This Damnation

Director, Writer // Russell De Rozario

Writer// Mark Worral

Producer// BEN DILLION De Rozario

Country of Origin // United Kingdom

Synopsis // Period drama set in London and Belfast in 1977

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6. LOOKSMAXXXING

Director // Lucas Wilhelm

Writers// Silja Højmark, Isak Friis

Producer//Mads Nellemann Johansen

Country of Origin // Denmark

Synopsis //A young man, Silas, becomes increasingly obsessed with online “looksmaxxing” culture, the belief that one can optimize their physical appearance to achieve success and validation. After a failed date exposes his insecurity and distorted worldview, his fixation spirals into compulsive and self-destructive behavior. Isolated in his apartment, Silas obsessively follows extreme online advice, pushing his body beyond its limits in a desperate attempt to become “perfect.” Ultimately, his pursuit of physical perfection leads to a violent and tragic breakdown, blurring the line between self-improvement and self-destruction.

NWR Website Thumbnails (7)

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7. Worm

Director, Writer// Jin Lee

Country of Origin // South Korea

Synopsis //The day ‘he’ killed ants with a cigarette, ants swarmed his dreams. After his story, I, his therapist, feel inexplicable unease. When I go to ‘you’ for advice, I remember: when we were young, you loved playing with worms.

8. Never sleep again Director, Writer //Anna Chocholi Writer// Reinier van Harten Country of Origin // Netherlands Synopsis//Nooit meer slapen -Never sleep again- is a story born of Reindier's experience of sleeplessness for days on end while on dexamethasone and radiation treatments. After days awake, the bed becomes impossibly vast, a landscape you can’t escape. Shadows start to crawl like mice inside the walls. as dreams bleed into reality, sleep feels both close and far.

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8. Never sleep again

Director, Writer //Anna Chocholi

Writer// Reinier van Harten

Country of Origin // Netherlands

Synopsis//Nooit meer slapen -Never sleep again- is a story born of Reindier’s experience of sleeplessness for days on end while on dexamethasone and radiation treatments.
After days awake, the bed becomes impossibly vast, a landscape you can’t escape. Shadows start to crawl like mice inside the walls. as dreams bleed into reality, sleep feels both close and far.

 

 

NWR Website Thumbnails (9)

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9. Press 1

Director, Writer // Danny Erb

Country of Origin // United States

 

10. Picture Girl Director// Simon Brown Writer//Mitzi Smishkewych Kosovske Producer // Wolodymyr Smishkewych Country of Origin // Ireland Synopsis// Sadie, an autistic nonverbal teenager, develops a crush on her new neighbour, and expresses her deep feelings for her through a stream of portraits. When Sadie’s secret blows out into the open, this unexpectedly brings the girls closer in a connection neither of them could have foreseen.

2. CHAIN

10. Picture Girl

Director// Simon Brown

Writer//Mitzi Smishkewych Kosovske

Producer // Wolodymyr Smishkewych

Country of Origin // Ireland

Synopsis// Sadie, an autistic nonverbal teenager, develops a crush on her new neighbour, and expresses her deep feelings for her through a stream of portraits. When Sadie’s secret blows out into the open, this unexpectedly brings the girls closer in a connection neither of them could have foreseen.

11. This Dangerous Yet Beautiful World Director, Writer // Maxwell Smith Country of Origin // United States Synopsis // A naive explorer leaves the safety of his walled off society to traverse the unmapped regions of the fantastical world he calls home.

2. CHAIN

11. This Dangerous Yet Beautiful World

Director, Writer // Maxwell Smith

Country of Origin // United States

Synopsis // A naive explorer leaves the safety of his walled off society to traverse the unmapped regions of the fantastical world he calls home.

2. CHAIN

12. DOPAMIN100

Director, Writer // Paul Merten

Producer// Nicolas Dalmer

Country of Origin // Germany

Synopsis // The protagonist is scrolling through social media posts chasing a dopamin high. When he reaches the absolute peak of dopamine release he gets overwhelmed by the absurd nature and frequency of posts next each other. In the end the character has the option to continue or break the cycle.

NWR Website Thumbnails (13)

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11. Reach for the Stars

Director// Philippe Chornet

Producer // Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema Concordia University

Country of Origin // Canada

Synopsis // As a first-year Film and Animation student at Concordia University, I produced Reach for the Stars as my first-year film over the span of roughly three months. Reach for the Stars is a story about an entity that decides to climb a ladder with a star at the end of it. This star represents our protagonist’s dreams and hopes calling out to them, and with enough determination and hard work the being reaches the end of the ladder and successfully catches it. This story is supposed to allude to life and the journey of achieving one’s goals.

 
12. False Lucidity Director, Writer, Producer // Joshua Dewoody Country of Origin // United States Synopsis // When a troubled young woman begins experiencing increasingly vivid dreams that blur the line between reality and illusion, she finds herself trapped in a world where memories, guilt, and fear take on a life of their own. As disturbing visions invade her waking hours, she struggles to distinguish what is real from what exists only within her fractured mind. As she dives deeper the boundaries of reality continue to collapse. As her grip on the truth slips away, she must confront the darkest parts of herself before the illusion consumes her completely. In a battle between perception and reality, the greatest threat may not be what she sees—but what he refuses to see. False Lucidity is a haunting psychological thriller that explores identity, memory, and the terrifying consequences of believing a lie that feels real.

2. CHAIN

12. False Lucidity

Director, Writer, Producer // Joshua Dewoody

Country of Origin // United States

Synopsis // When a troubled young woman begins experiencing increasingly vivid dreams that blur the line between reality and illusion, she finds herself trapped in a world where memories, guilt, and fear take on a life of their own. As disturbing visions invade her waking hours, she struggles to distinguish what is real from what exists only within her fractured mind.
As she dives deeper the boundaries of reality continue to collapse. As her grip on the truth slips away, she must confront the darkest parts of herself before the illusion consumes her completely. In a battle between perception and reality, the greatest threat may not be what she sees—but what he refuses to see.
False Lucidity is a haunting psychological thriller that explores identity, memory, and the terrifying consequences of believing a lie that feels real.

13. From the Sound to the Sea Director// Olivia Jackson Writer, Producer// JJ Zink Writer// Hannah Wawersick Producers//Ally Bernabe, Albert Koenig Country of Origin // United States Synopsis // From Sound to the Sea explores the struggle to preserve one of America’s most fragile coastal ecosystems. Home to a rare herd of ~150 wild horses, Corolla is at a tipping point: environmental diversity versus unchecked development. The documentary reveals a community wrestling with its identity and the responsibilities of stewardship.

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13. From the Sound to the Sea

Director// Olivia Jackson

Writer, Producer// JJ Zink

Writer// Hannah Wawersick

Producers//Ally Bernabe, Albert Koenig

Country of Origin // United States

Synopsis // From Sound to the Sea explores the struggle to preserve one of
America’s most fragile coastal ecosystems. Home to a rare herd of ~150 wild horses, Corolla is at a tipping point: environmental diversity versus unchecked development. The documentary reveals a community wrestling with its identity and the responsibilities of stewardship.

14. The Second Melody Director, Writerr // Quang Minh Châu Huỳnh Producer// Minh Công Trịnh Country of Origin // Vietnam Synopsis // Quang, 25, returns home to share dinner with Kiki. The emotional distance between them is evident — they seem to exist in two separate worlds. While Kiki is absorbed in her own recording, Quang eats alone in silence. The evening ends with Quang falling asleep, while Kiki remains awake, overwhelmed by complex emotions.

2. CHAIN

14. The Second Melody

Director, Writerr // Quang Minh Châu Huỳnh

Producer// Minh Công Trịnh

Country of Origin // Vietnam

Synopsis // Quang, 25, returns home to share dinner with Kiki. The emotional distance between them is evident — they seem to exist in two separate worlds. While Kiki is absorbed in her own recording, Quang eats alone in silence. The evening ends with Quang falling asleep, while Kiki remains awake, overwhelmed by complex emotions.

13. Michael Valentine Diary Of A Hitman Episode 601 Director,Writer, Producer// Reicko A Smith Country of Origin // United States Synopsis // Told in the perspective of the eponymous Michael Valentine, the story charts his transition from naïve Christian boy to a vicious contract killer hired by the largest crime families in the Metropolitan area and on the East Coast and, finally, a man consumed by an obsession with sex, blood and money. Forced to be man of the house and after accepting the offer to become a contract killer, Michael becomes enmeshed in a relentless cat and mouse game of power where the rules are constantly changed and where the players are forced to gamble no matter what the personal cost. Packed with action, cloak-and-dagger suspense and sexual intrigue, Michael Valentine: Diary of a Hitman is a rollercoaster ride into a labyrinthine world soaked in crime and violence and a glimpse into the lives of people either bound by or freed from the devastating bondage of such a place.

2. CHAIN

13. Michael Valentine Diary Of A Hitman Episode 601

Director,Writer, Producer// Reicko A Smith

Country of Origin // United States

Synopsis // Told in the perspective of the eponymous Michael Valentine, the story charts his transition from naïve Christian boy to a vicious contract killer hired by the largest crime families in the Metropolitan area and on the East Coast and, finally, a man consumed by an obsession with sex, blood and money. Forced to be man of the house and after accepting the offer to become a contract killer, Michael becomes enmeshed in a relentless cat and mouse game of power where the rules are constantly changed and where the players are forced to gamble no matter what the personal cost. Packed with action, cloak-and-dagger suspense and sexual intrigue, Michael Valentine: Diary of a Hitman is a rollercoaster ride into a labyrinthine world soaked in crime and violence and a glimpse into the lives of people either bound by or freed from the devastating bondage of such a place.

 

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14. SINFONIA

Director, Writer, Producer// Hadriel Joshua YAO

Producer// Narcisse Konan N’Guessan

Country of Origin // Côte d’Ivoire

Synopsis // When the sacred artifact of SINFONIA is stolen, harmony collapses and chaos takes hold. The music, once the source of life and radiance, suddenly shatters. To save a world in agony, the leader reaches out to a long-time friend: a symphonic quest to restore balance and breathe life back into the hand-drawn world.

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