Austin Film Festival, which runs October 23-30, has just announced its full lineup for this year’s edition, and among the many intriguing features on tap are the following five slices of fear fare in the Dark Matter Features block, along with a retrospective screening of SE7EN.
DARK MATTER FEATURES (HORROR/THRILLER):
A MOTHER’S LOVE
World Premiere
(USA, 90 MIN)
Writer/Director: Patrick Q. Roberts
Cast: Emily Hall, Nathan Owens, Abi Van Andel, Kara Hayward
Strange occurrences haunt a new mother struggling with postpartum after the discovery of a dead body hidden inside the walls of the house she and her husband are remodeling into their dream home leads down a path of dark secrets.
ANSWR
(USA, 98 MIN)
Writer/Director: Stephen Kay
Cast: Moises Arias, Rain Spencer, Lilli Kay, Siddiq Saunderson
Tech “wunderkind,” Colton Ray, escapes the pain of mourning the loss of his father by taking a gig at a remote Icelandic weather station. When he accepts a side hustle, as part of an alignment group for a next-gen chatbot, Colton develops a dangerous relationship with his “new best friend.”
KIND
(Netherlands, 83 MIN)
Writer: Johan Paul de Vrijer
Director: Jan Verdijk
Cast: Vincent van der Valk, Noortje Herlaar, Tamar van den Dop
Desperate to save their unborn daughter from fatal complications, an expectant couple turns to a mysterious midwife.
SACRIFICIOS
(Mexico, 92 MIN)
Writer: Mauricio Chernovetzky, Alexander Iosjpe
Director: Mauricio Chernovetzky
Cast: Jorge A. Jimenez, Siddhartha Tonalli, Frida Astrid, Costanza Andrade After suffering a traumatic loss, Juan attempts to find solace in the vastness of the sea. There a miraculous event promises to reverse everything…but at what cost?
SPITE
World Premiere
(USA, 86 MIN)
Writer/Director: Carolynn Cecilia
Cast: Masha Cima, Eileen Weisinger, Maxwell Scott, Shannon Hamm
Johanna, a struggling social worker, returns to her late mother’s home where bruises, nightmares, and a hostile presence blur reality. As she spirals into isolation, she must confront the abuse of her childhood and reclaim agency—or remain trapped in the cycle forever.
Following is the full official press announcement.
Austin, TX (September 30, 2025) – AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing writers’ and filmmakers’ contributions to film, television, and new media, has announced its entire 2025 film and conference programs, taking place Thursday, October 23 – Thursday, October 30. This year’s Festival will showcase 183 films from 32 countries. Badges are currently on sale, and individual tickets will be announced soon. The full schedule can be found on the AFF website here: https://2025austinfilmfestival.sched.com/.
The 32nd edition of AFF will open with Christy, from co-writer/director David Michôd, which is based on remarkable true events of legendary world champion boxer Christy Martin, played by Sydney Sweeney.
AFF’s 2025 lineup features a diverse mix of films with exciting new world premieres including the dark comedy Forelock starring David Krumholtz and Caleb Alexander Smith; drama Nobody Wants To Be Here, Nobody Wants To Leave; and two music documentaries, Charley Crockett: $10 Cowboy and Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul.
Texas premieres include the star-studded A Private Life starring Jodie Foster; Dead Man’s Wire starring Bill Skarsgård, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino; Is This Thing On? directed by Bradley Cooper and starring Will Arnett; La Grazia written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino; Rental Family starring Brendan Fraser, and more. In addition, the festival will host two retrospective screenings including the 4K restoration of A Knight’s Tale, presented by Director/Writer/Producer Brian Helgeland as well as Se7en, presented by Writer Andrew Kevin Walker.
The announcement also reveals the first wave of talent slated to attend the festival. Highlights include Director/Co-Writer David Michôd, Co-Writer Mirrah Foulkes and film subject Christy Martin (Christy); Writer Austin Kolodney (Dead Man’s Wire); Elizabeth Olsen (Eternity); Director Joe Carnahan and cast Zachary Levi, Floriana Lima (Not Without Hope); Mira Sorvino, Michael
Mosley, Rob Morgan, Marshawn Lynch (Signing Tony Raymond); Writer/Director Rian Johnson (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery and 2025 Bill Wittliff Award recipient); and more. Stay tuned for more attending talent to be announced soon.
AFF also announced the full schedule for the Writers Conference happening concurrently with the Film Festival, October 23-26. Highly anticipated panels include On The Naked Gun with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, The Art of Time Travel with Rian Johnson and Christopher McQuarrie, On Sorry, Baby: A Conversation with Eva Victor, Live From New York: It’s Saturday Night Live with former head writer Tim Herlihy, and On Writing A Great First Act with Michael Arndt. The full conference schedule can be found here:
https://austinfilmfestival.com/blog/2025-writers-conference-announcement/
2025 Austin Film Festival full lineup below:
OPENING NIGHT FILM:
CHRISTY
Writer: David Michôd, Mirrah Foulkes
Director: David Michôd
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Merritt Wever, Ben Foster, Katy O’Brian
Christy Martin never imagined life beyond her small-town roots in West Virginia—until she discovered a knack for knocking people out. Fueled by grit, raw determination, and an unshakable desire to win, she charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim. But while Christy flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it—confronting family, identity, and a relationship that just might become life-or-death. Based on remarkable true events, Christy Martin’s story is one of resilience, courage, and the fight to reclaim one’s life.
In Attendance: Director/Co-Writer David Michôd, Co-Writer Mirrah Foulkes, & subject of film Christy Martin
CENTERPIECE FILM:
ETERNITY
(USA, 114 MIN)
Writer: Patrick Cunnane, David Freyne
Director: David Freyne
Cast: Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner
In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with (Miles Teller) and her first love (Callum Turner), who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive. In Attendance: Elizabeth Olsen
MARQUEES:
THE BOY FROM ST. CROIX
World Premiere
(USA, 105 MIN)
Director: Scott Duncan
After keeping the world at arm’s length for decades, basketball legend Tim Duncan reveals himself in an intimate portrait directed by his brother Scott, reflecting on the game, his career, and his enduring connection to his native island of St. Croix.
CHARLIEBIRD
(USA, 98 MIN)
Writer: Samantha Smart
Director: Libby Ewing
Cast: Samantha Smart, Gabriela Ochoa Perez, Maria Peyramaure
Al (Samantha Smart) works as a music therapist at a children’s hospital, taking things day by day and trying to make ends meet. Charlie (Gabriela Ochoa Perez) comes into her life as a patient, an ever immovable and unmotivated teenager.
DEAD MAN’S WIRE
(USA, 104 MIN)
Writer: Austin Kolodney
Director: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, Al Pacino The morning of February 8, 1977, Anthony G. “Tony” Kiritsis, 44, entered the office of Richard O. Hall, president of the Meridian Mortgage Company, and took him hostage with a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun wired with a “dead man’s wire” from the trigger to the Hall’s head. This is the true story of the stand-off that took the world by storm as Tony demanded $5 million, no charges or prosecution, and a personal apology from the Halls for cheating him out of what he was “owed”.
In Attendance: Writer Austin Kolodney
FORELOCK
World Premiere
(USA, 96 MIN)
Writer/Director: Caleb Alexander Smith
Cast: David Krumholtz, Caleb Alexander Smith, Emily Swallow, Jason Wiles A naive fitness enthusiast moves to LA with dreams of becoming a trainer, but collides with a crooked Hollywood Boulevard impersonator in a tragicomic romp through the shadows of the American Dream.
In Attendance: David Krumholtz, Caleb Alexander Smith
HAMNET
(USA, 125 MIN)
Writer: Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell
Director: Chloé Zhao
Cast: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Zac Wishart
From Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.
HEDDA
(USA, 107 MIN)
Writer/Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Tessa Thompson, Nina Hoss, Imogen Poots
Nia DaCosta’s Hedda stars Tessa Thompson as a woman caught between past love and present despair in a charged, modern take on Ibsen’s classic.
IS THIS THING ON?
(USA, 117 MIN)
Writer: Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, Mark Chappell
Director: Bradley Cooper
Cast: Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day, Bradley Cooper
As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex (Will Arnett) faces middle age and an impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess (Laura Dern) confronts the sacrifices she made for their family—forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form.
THE INQUISITOR
(USA, 98 MIN)
Director: Angela Lynn Tucker
In 1972, Barbara Jordan became the first Southern Black woman to join Congress. THE INQUISITOR chronicles Representative Jordan’s meteoric rise offering a blueprint for uniting a divided America through a turbulent political era.
JAY KELLY
(USA, UK, Italy, 132 MIN)
Writer: Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer
Director: Noah Baumbach
Cast: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern
From Academy Award® nominee Noah Baumbach, Jay Kelly follows famous movie actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) and his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler) as they embark on a whirlwind and unexpectedly profound journey through Europe. Along the way, both men are forced to confront the choices they’ve made, the relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they’ll leave behind.
LA GRAZIA
(Italy, 133 MIN)
Writer/Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Cast: Toni Servillo, Anna Ferzetti, Orlando Cinque
Mariano De Santis is the President of the Italian Republic. No connection to any real-life presidents; he is entirely a product of the author’s imagination. A widower and a Catholic, he has a daughter, Dorotea, a legal scholar like himself. As his term draws to a close, amid uneventful days, two final duties arise: deciding on two delicate petitions for a presidential pardon. True moral dilemmas, which become tangled, in ways that seem impossible to unravel, with his private life. Driven by doubt, he will have to decide. And, with a deep sense of responsibility, that is exactly what this remarkable Italian President will do.
LEADS
(USA, 102 MIN)
Writer: Bryan Poyser, Heather Kafka, Justin Arnold
Director: Bryan Poyser
Cast: Heather Kafka, Justin Arnold, Macon Blair
An acting professor has her life upended when her charming but volatile baby brother joins her acting class, setting off a battle of wills between them for the hearts and minds of her eager students that could bring them all to the brink of success or debilitating ruin.
THE LONG SHOT
(USA, 95 MIN)
Writer: Drew Mackintosh
Director: Austin Nichols
Cast: Ryan Hansen, Adrianne Palicki, Dulce Sloan, Temple Baker, Justin Chatwin, Bill Wise, Chris St. Mary, Bobo Hoang, Joe Hursley
Set in Austin, Texas, The Long Shot is a shaggy, easy-going comedy that blends humor with a healthy dose of heart. The film follows Ray Mueller, a lovable slacker who lives and works at the city’s historic municipal golf course.
NO OTHER CHOICE
(South Korea, 139 MIN)
Writer: Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, Lee Ja-hye
Director: Park Chan-wook
Cast: Lee Byung Hun, Son Yejin, Park Hee Soon, Lee Sung Min, Yeom Hye Ran, Cha Seung Won
From director Park Chan-wook and based on Donald E. Westlake’s novel The Ax, the story follows Man-su on his desperate hunt for a new job after his abrupt layoff from the paper company he served for 25 years.
NOT WITHOUT HOPE
World Premiere
(USA, Malta, 120 MIN)
Writer: E. Nicholas Mariani, Joe Carnahan, Nick Schuyler
Director: Joe Carnahan
Cast: Zachary Levi, Josh Duhamel, Quentin Plair
Based on The New York Times Best Seller of the same name, tells the harrowing true story of a tragic 2009 fishing trip taken by four friends — including NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith — who are stranded at sea 70 miles off the coast of Clearwater, Florida after their boat capsizes. With the storm of the century fast approaching, the four friends are left to battle hypothermia, dehydration and the unrelenting elements in a fight for survival.
In Attendance: Director Joe Carnahan, Zachary Levi, Floriana Lima, Marshall Cooper, Terrence Terrell, Quentin Plair
NUREMBERG
(USA, 148 MIN)
Writer/Director: James Vanderbilt
Cast: Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon
The Allies, led by the unyielding chief prosecutor, Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon), have the task of ensuring the Nazi regime answers for the unveiled horrors of the Holocaust while a US Army psychiatrist (Rami Malek) is locked in a dramatic psychological duel with former Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe).
A PRIVATE LIFE
(France, 105 MIN)
Writer: Anne Berest, Rebecca Zlotowski, Gaëlle Macé
Director: Rebecca Zlotowski
Cast: Jodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira
A Private Life is a frisky, feminine, film noir about psychoanalysis and many other things… Renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner (Jodie Foster in a kinetic performance) is deeply troubled by the sudden death of one of her patients. Convinced that it was murder, she decides to investigate.
RENTAL FAMILY
(USA, Japan, 110 MIN)
Writer: Hikari, Stephen Blahut
Director: Hikari
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Gorman, Akira Emoto Set in modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
(Norway, France, Denmark, Germany, 133 MIN)
Writer: Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt
Director: Joachim Trier
Cast: Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Elle Fanning An acting professor has her life upended when her charming but volatile baby brother joins her acting class, setting off a battle of wills between them for the hearts and minds of her eager students that could bring them all to the brink of success or debilitating ruin.
TRAIN DREAMS
(USA, 148 MIN)
Writer: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
Director: Clint Bentley
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Clifton Collins Jr., Felicity Jones
Based on Denis Johnson’s beloved novella,Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changingAmerica of the early 20th Century.
In Attendance: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
(USA, 144 MIN)
Writer/Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close
Benoit Blanc returns for his most dangerous case yet.
In Attendance: Rian Johnson
RETROSPECTIVES:
A KNIGHT’S TALE (2001)
(USA, 130 MIN)
Writer/Director: Brian Helgeland
Cast: Heath Ledger, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, Paul Bettany
After serving a number of years as a squire, an earnest young commoner poses as a knight and establishes himself in the jousting tournaments of Europe. He and the princess fall in love, but she is unaware of his deceit and common roots. The false knight is estranged from the princess once his true roots are revealed. He struggles to amend their relationship. In Attendance: Brian Helgeland
SE7EN (1995)
(USA, 132 MIN)
Writer: Andrew Kevin Walker
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
In Attendance: Andrew Kevin Walker
NARRATIVE FEATURES:
A MAN WALKS DOWN THE STREET
World Premiere
(ISRAEL, 91 MIN)
Writer/Director: Yuval Hadadi
Cast: Angel Bonanni, Uri Banai, Gili Blum, Yotam Rotshtain
Raanan, a middle aged man, returns home after 30 years abroad. A chance encounter with an elderly man unlocks troubled memories, and a brief affair with a much younger man, sends him spiraling through generational rifts, and forces him to confront his internalized homophobia and emotional wounds of his past.
AMERICAN BABY
(USA, 85 MIN)
Writer: Tanya Leonova, Ellen Rodnianski
Director: Ellen Rodnianski
Cast: Abigail Pniowsky, Elisha Henig, Claire Capek, Janel Koloski
American Baby follows Oli as she navigates the repercussions of being very young and very pregnant in small town Texas. As she seeks out the suddenly absent teenage father-to-be of her child, Oli confronts the growing isolation from her community.
ETHAN BLOOM
(USA, 95 MIN)
Writer: Maylen Dominguez
Director: Herschel Faber
Cast: Joshua Malina, Rachelle Lefevre, Carlos Ponce, Hank Greenspan
Ethan Bloom paints a raw and authentic portrait of adolescence, exploring the struggles of an awkward teenager navigating the loss of his mother, his search for faith, and the pressures of his father’s expectations—all while grappling with first love and the complexities of growing up.
HELLO OUT THERE
(USA, 90 MIN)
Writer/Director: Otis Blum
Cast: Chloe Bennet, Phil Dunster, Jennifer Beals
Minnie, a journalist, and Rex, her cousin and punk rock guitarist recently out of rehab, embark on a road trip to investigate Area 51 and uncover the truth about extraterrestrials. However, their journey unveils a deeper, personal motive.
IT COMES IN WAVES
(Canada, 104 MIN)
Writer: Sammy Mohamed
Director: Fitch Jean
Cast: Adrian Walters, Nendia Lewars, Olunike Adeliyi
A young Rwandan-Canadian man struggles to raise his younger sister while their mother battles addiction, forcing him to confront generational trauma that threatens to tear apart the only family he has left.
MILES AWAY
World Premiere
(USA, 81 MIN)
Writer/Director: Jackie Quinones
Cast: Jackie Quinones, Luis Guzman, Andre Royo, Jessica Pacheco
Jess, a socially awkward driver with Hollywood dreams, navigates eccentric passengers and relentless family chaos, only to realize she’s become the spectator of her own unraveling life.
NOBODY WANTS TO BE HERE, NOBODY WANTS TO LEAVE
World Premiere
(USA, 110 MIN)
Writer: Caleb Samples
Director: Cash Robinson
Cast: Tine Joustra, Mabel Thomas, Brian Childers, Jeff Huth
At a rundown roadside lodge, a cynical caretaker and a desperate stripper collide with the wreckage of their pasts, discovering in each other the possibility of truth, mercy, and a fleeting sense of home.
RHYTHM IS A DANCER
World Premiere
(USA, 93 MIN)
Writer/Director: Lauren Caster
Cast: Lauren Caster, Tate Donovan, Amy Aquino, Marianne Muellerleile Born to Susan (Amy Aquino), a lesbian who opted for insemination, Ro grapples with the complexities of her unconventional family dynamic and soon forms a bond at her new job with three spirited octogenarians, who help her reconnect with her family, her roots and herself.
SIGNING TONY RAYMOND
World Premiere
(USA, 111 MIN)
Writer/Director: Glen Owen
Cast: Michael Mosley, Mira Sorvino, Rob Morgan, Marshawn Lynch
A young college football coach is sent to rural Alabama to try and sign the nation’s top high school defensive end and soon finds himself trying to outflank rival recruiters, fight off grifting townsfolk and win over the player’s wildly dysfunctional family.
In Attendance: Mira Sorvino, Michael Mosley, Rob Morgan, Marshawn Lynch
TUESDAY’S FLU
World Premiere
(USA, 101 MIN)
Writer: Brian Parri, Stephen Perri
Director: Daniel Roebuck
Cast: Ross Marquand, Jackie Earle Haley, Jon Gries, Daniel RoebuckDrowning in debt to a ruthless bookie and blackmailed by his ex-wife, a recovering gambler sees one last chance to break free—but pulling it off means risking everything to win back his son
YOU’RE DATING A NARCISSIST!
World Premiere
(USA, 91 MIN)
Writer: Ann Marie Allison, Jenna Milly
Director: Ann Marie Allison
Cast: Marisa Tomei, Sherry Cola, Ciara Bravo, Marco Pigossi
An outspoken psychologist rushes to Los Angeles with her best friend to stop her lovesick daughter’s wedding, fearing the groom is a narcissist.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES:
BITE TO BITE
World Premiere
(USA, 78 MIN)
Director: Kelly Lipscomb
Cast: Dennis Cameron, Lloyd MacInnes, Robbie Schallert, Scott Marshall The fascinating story of one giant Bluefin Tuna on an unlikely journey around the world with two fishermen from Nova Scotia to the legendary Tsukiji Seafood Market in Japan and the underbelly of a lucrative but controversial global sushi industry.
CHARLEY CROCKETT: $10 COWBOY
World Premiere
(USA, 75 MIN)
Director: Patrick Heaphy
Cast: Charley Crockett
$10 Cowboy takes viewers on-the-road and front row for Charley Crockett’s record kick off tour at home in Texas. Director Patrick Heaphy’s intimate on-the-fly interviews capture Charley’s vision of his brand of Texas, his view of the music industry, and what it means to be a Texan.
GREGG ALLMAN: THE MUSIC OF MY SOUL
World Premiere
(USA, 100 MIN)
Director: James Keach
This soaring music documentary traces Gregg Allman’s journey from a childhood scarred by his father’s murder to the heights of Southern rock and late-life sobriety, exploring grief, addiction, love, and the racially charged American South through his transcendent music. Tender and unsparing, featuring electrifying performances and archival recordings, the film reveals how Gregg’s unforgettable blend of rock, country and blues mirrored the music and struggles of his soul.
LOOT: A STORY OF CRIME AND REDEMPTION
(Canada, 87 MIN)
Director: Don Millar
A daring look at the underbelly of the global art market, LOOT exposes the criminal network that used child soldiers to violently raid Cambodian temples then delivered blood antiquities to the homes of billionaires and elite western museums.
SEARCHING FOR SATYRUS
(Türkiye, 102 MIN)
Writer/Director: Rena Effendi
Cast: Rena Effendi, Elmira Abbasova, Dmitrii Morgun, Pavlik Kazaryan
On a quest to find a rare butterfly named after her late father, a Soviet entomologist, a photographer journeys into the borderlands of two warring nations—where the fragile insect becomes an unexpected guide into her father’s past.
SECONDS AWAY
(USA, Belgium, 84 MIN)
Director: Benjamin Keegan
Cast: Peter Callahan, Kathy McHugh, Donn Cabral
A runner chasing Olympic dreams. A coach facing cancer. A story about mentorship, resilience, and showing up for each other.
STRONGER THAN YOU THINK
(USA, 100 MIN)
Writer: Glen Owen
Director: Melissa Forman, Janice Molinari
Cast: Ali Truwit, Mitch Truwit, Jamie Barone
22-year-old Ali Truwit loses her leg in a shark attack and in the year that follows, struggles to reclaim her identity and find purpose by setting an unthinkable goal – making the U.S. Paralympic Team.
THE SKY WAS ON FIRE: BALLET AND WAR IN UKRAINE
(USA, 106 MIN)
Writer: Joan Finn Adkison, Michael Germano, Michelle Provenzano
Director: Jonathan Maricle, Joan Finn Adkison
Cast: Oleh Tokar, Khrystyna Shyshpor, Krystyna Shyshkarova, Olha Tokar This film tells the story of Russia’s attempt to erase Ukrainian culture — and of the ballerinas, dancers, and cultural stewards who face an impossible choice: to flee, to stay and preserve their art, or to pick up arms and fight.
VOICES: THE DANNY GANS STORY
(USA, 102 MIN)
Writer/Director: Andrew Davies Gans
Voices follows filmmaker Andrew Davies Gans as he retraces the improbable rise of his father, Danny Gans — a complete unknown who became a Las Vegas legend. What begins as a son’s search for answers becomes a haunting meditation on the voices that shape us, and the choice to carry them, or give voice to something new.
ZZASLOW K-427
(USA, 79 MIN)
Writer: Robert Ham, Adam Zaslow
Director: Robert Ham
Cast: Juan Josue Colón Estrada, Adam Zaslow, John Starks, John Feal
Zzaslow K-427 is a feature documentary that tells the extraordinary story of the longest-serving bomb-sniffing dog in U.S. Army history, a black Labrador retriever whose courage saved countless lives in combat and whose quiet presence brought healing far.
COMEDY VANGUARD FEATURES:
CRYSTAL CROSS
World Premiere
(USA, 88 MIN)
Writer/Director: Richie James Follin
Cast: Rubyrose Hill, Richie James Follin, Lukas Haas, Luke Baines, Missi Pyle, Samantha Robinson
A quirky Christian singer and a suicidal dad drive cross-country, forging an unlikely bond through bad decisions, bizarre roadside attractions, and an all-original soundtrack. “Crystal Cross” is a hilarious, bittersweet road trip about two lost souls finding comfort (but not salvation) in each other’s messes.
(DON’T KNOW) HOW TO BE
(Mexico, 85 MIN)
Writer: Tato Alexander
Director: Salvador Espinosa
Cast: Tato Alexander, Memo Villegas, Arcelia Ramírez, Gerardo Trejoluna When Majo and Cris join his boomer parents for a birthday dinner, a night meant for celebration unravels into a comic battleground of clashing values, family pressures, and generational identity crises, where everyone must face that nowadays no one really knows “how to be.”
DREAMING OF LIONS
(Brazil, Portugal, Spain, 88 MIN)
Writer/Director: Paolo Marinou-Blanco
Cast: Denise Fraga, João Nunes Monteiro, Joana Ribeiro, Victoria Guerra Dreaming of Lions is an absurdist tragicomedy about euthanasia and assisted suicide. Gilda and Amadeu meet at an underground organization that helps the terminally ill kill themselves painlessly. When they discover it’s a scam, they escape to Spain to finalize their plans.
LET’S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF
(USA, 87 MIN)
Writer/Director: Elizabeth Guest
Cast: Elizabeth Guest, Ed Begley Jr., Nicholas Guest, Rachelle Carson-Begley, Craig Bullock Love addict Lydia thinks she is finally ready to settle down but when her boyfriend Tim surprises her with a Christmas-in-New York proposal, she panics and goes home for the holidays where she must discover who she really is with the help of her four (yes, four!) parents.
MODERN WOMEN
(UK, 69 MIN)
Writer/Director: Hugo Santa Cruz
Cast: Shirley Both, Ian Reddington, Domino Soko, Alexandra Smith
The lives of six women suffering the consequences of the London Housing Crisis converge during the course of one day.
THEATRE PEOPLE
World Premiere
(USA, 80 MIN)
Writer/Director: Michael B. Breen
Cast: Hayley Huntley, Christopher Matias Aguila, James Urbaniak, Madeline Wise Two no-name actors aren’t having the Broadway careers they dreamed of. The only thing that keeps them going are the small roles they’ve consistently booked in New York’s off-broadway theatre scene. But when they both fail to land good roles for the upcoming season, the future looks bleak. With no alternative, the actors decide they’re going to do the only thing that will get them back in the game: they’re going to become playwrights and write a new play with the biggest, longest, most dramatic scenes possible. And, most importantly, they’ll cast themselves.
YESTERDAY ISLAND
(Australia, 88 MIN)
Writer/Director: Sam Voutas
Cast: Ivan Aristeguieta, Florence Noble, Francis Greenslade, Genevieve Neve A midnight phone call from a friend asking for a favor leads a failed writer to be trapped on a surreal subantarctic island, with darkly comedic consequences.
DARK MATTER FEATURES (HORROR/THRILLER):
A MOTHER’S LOVE
World Premiere
(USA, 90 MIN)
Writer/Director: Patrick Q. Roberts
Cast: Emily Hall, Nathan Owens, Abi Van Andel, Kara Hayward
Strange occurrences haunt a new mother struggling with postpartum after the discovery of a dead body hidden inside the walls of the house she and her husband are remodeling into their dream home leads down a path of dark secrets.
ANSWR
(USA, 98 MIN)
Writer/Director: Stephen Kay
Cast: Moises Arias, Rain Spencer, Lilli Kay, Siddiq Saunderson
Tech “wunderkind,” Colton Ray, escapes the pain of mourning the loss of his father by taking a gig at a remote Icelandic weather station. When he accepts a side hustle, as part of an alignment group for a next-gen chatbot, Colton develops a dangerous relationship with his “new best friend.”
KIND
(Netherlands, 83 MIN)
Writer: Johan Paul de Vrijer
Director: Jan Verdijk
Cast: Vincent van der Valk, Noortje Herlaar, Tamar van den Dop
Desperate to save their unborn daughter from fatal complications, an expectant couple turns to a mysterious midwife.
SACRIFICIOS
(Mexico, 92 MIN)
Writer: Mauricio Chernovetzky, Alexander Iosjpe
Director: Mauricio Chernovetzky
Cast: Jorge A. Jimenez, Siddhartha Tonalli, Frida Astrid, Costanza Andrade After suffering a traumatic loss, Juan attempts to find solace in the vastness of the sea. There a miraculous event promises to reverse everything…but at what cost?
SPITE
World Premiere
(USA, 86 MIN)
Writer/Director: Carolynn Cecilia
Cast: Masha Cima, Eileen Weisinger, Maxwell Scott, Shannon Hamm
Johanna, a struggling social worker, returns to her late mother’s home where bruises, nightmares, and a hostile presence blur reality. As she spirals into isolation, she must confront the abuse of her childhood and reclaim agency—or remain trapped in the cycle forever.
TEXAS INDEPENDENT FEATURES:
DO NO HARM
(USA, 83 MIN)
Writer/Director: Chris Hartwell
Cast: Harry Shum Jr., Rosaline Elbay, Ronny Chieng, Jimmy Gonzales
When a simple mistake turns into a fatal error, a burned out nurse becomes trapped by the system, dangerous expectations, and the corrosive lies we tell to survive.
PICKLEHEADS
World Premiere
(USA, 77 MIN)
Writer: Jared Bonner
Director: Josh Flanagan
Cast: Kristine Froseth, Jared Bonner, Harvey Guillen, John O’Hurley
A disgraced ping pong star is dragged back into the limelight by a documentary crew, hoping to capture his redemption tale in a plucky, new sport — pickleball.
SELL OUT
World Premiere
(USA, 90 MIN)
Writer/Director: Nicholas Jude Holden, Joshua Ashy Holden
Cast: Nick Holden, Stephanie Hunt, Olivia Applegate, Adrianne Palicki, Temple Baker, Gabriel Luna, Jimmy Gonzalez, Bill Wise
A neurotic novelist can’t tell if his biggest problem is the blank page, his Southern family —or his best friend’s off-the-rails political campaign.
VALENTINA
(USA, 78 MIN)
Writer: Noelle Forougi, Tatti Ribeiro
Director: Tatti Ribeiro
Cast: Keyla Monterroso Mejia
A series of bureaucratic mishaps plagues Valentina as she tries to tackle a simple to-do list at the El Paso-Juarez border.
