Join us for this special free screening of the best short films of Albany FilmFest 2023. We’ll also be raffling off a 2023 Albany FilmFest tee or sweatshirt to a lucky winner!
Best in Show
Caleb Johnson, BELIEVE IN WONDER (Documentary, 13:58) The positive and compelling story of the Parker family, a talented African American couple who truly make a difference as they simultaneously grow a family through foster-adoption, grow their sci-fi publishing business, and unite an inter-generational Pacific Northwest community—all through the magic of books. Watch the trailer
Best Tiny Film
Laurel Eisenmann, 3 AM (Tiny Movie, 2:34) One night, a girl struggles to differentiate the parallel worlds of her dreams and reality as they begin to overlap.
Best Short Narrative
Emma Fridé, ENDLESS (LES SUSPENDUS) (Narrative, subtitles, 20 :38) Sybille promises her nephew that they'll see each other again in the future, when they'll know how to reverse death. FRANCE
Best Short Film Youth 6-12
Quinn Robson, BUNNY FILMS (Tiny Film, Youth 6-12, 1:44) Babybunny explores the world in four stop-motion shorts.
Bonus!
David Kennedy, COLD BREW (Narrative, 7:12) A young woman is imprisoned by her inner thoughts in a caffeine-fueled assessment of her co-dependent relationship. Watch the trailer
McCord Award, Social Justice & Racial Equity
John Richie, IRON SHARPENS IRON (Documentary, 28:03) (Documentary, 28:03) The story of Ironton, Louisiana’s fight on several fronts: for better levee protection, for recovery from the destruction wrought by Hurricane Ida, and against the development of the Plaquemines Liquids Terminal (PLT) atop the community’s ancestral burial grounds. Filmmaker John Richie says, “Ironton has had to fight its entire existence, every step of the way, for services and resources most of us take for granted. I think their story begs the question: If we cannot assume even common decency now for every community out there, how will we ever steer the ship back to a sustainable future for all of us?” Watch the trailer
Best Short Film Youth 13-17
Finn Sparlowe, OUTLOOK (Narrative, Youth 13-17, 5:00) A jaded private eye is taken out of his comfort zone.
Best Short Documentary
Sarah Howard, CLIMATE BLUEPRINT (Documentary25:00) Dominica, a small island in the Caribbean, faces the onslaught of climate change while still reeling from the impacts of colonialism, slavery, natural resource extraction, and environmental degradation. This film explores a community imagining what a resilient future could look like if everyone gets behind this transformation, and how Small Island Developing States can be a model and resource for the rest of the world on climate ambition and resilient design.