Birthrite
Director: Ross Partridge
Country: USA; Running Time: 100 minutes
When a pregnant woman is bequeathed at home by an estranged aunt, she and her girlfriend leave the city behind to begin a new chapter. But when a karmic debt threatens the life of their unborn child, they soon discover their place in the cursed history of the town.
Chaperone
Director: Zoë Eisenberg
Country: USA; Running Time: 102 minutes
Misha Miyamoto, 29, lives alone in the house her grandmother left her, has held the same job since high school, and likes her life as is: simple. Unfortunately, her satisfaction disappoints everyone around her. Her boss can’t fathom why she won’t take a promotion, her lack of ambition dissuades potential love interests, and her parents push her to sell her estate since she has no interest in starting a family. These pressures leave Misha isolated and sick of justifying her choices. When an earnest 18-year-old mistakes Misha for a fellow student, she finds solace in his lack of expectation and begins a relationship with him. However, as their relationship grows, so does Misha’s reckless behavior.
Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point
Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point
Director: Tyler Taormina
Country: USA; Running Time: 106 minutes
On Christmas Eve, a family gathers for what could be the last holiday in their ancestral home. As the night wears on and generational tensions arise, one of the teenagers sneaks out with her friends to claim the wintry suburb for her own.
Cold Wallet
Director: Cutter Hodierne
Country: USA; Running Time: 84 minutes
After losing everything in a cryptocurrency scam, a ragtag team of vigilante Redditors attempt to kidnap the kingpin who screwed them over. But when the home invasion takes a turn for the worst, they become victims in a sadistic game.
Grassland
Directors: Sam Friedman, Will Bermudez
Country: USA; Running Time: 88 minutes
Grassland explores the failures of the criminal justice system from a unique angle by following Sofia, a single mother whose illegal marijuana business becomes jeopardized when her 9-year-old son Leo befriends the new neighbors: a white boy and his police officer grandfather.
La Cocina
Director: Alonso Ruizpalacios
Country: Mexico, USA; Running Time: 139 minutes
In the heart of a bustling Times Square kitchen, dreams and desperation collide as the back-of-house staff each chase the elusive American dream. It’s a high-stakes drama that explores the intersection of the personal ambition and systemic exploitation of undocumented immigrant workers within the pressure-cooker environment of a Times Square restaurant.
