WELCOME TO THE 2021 GRIZZDANCE FILM FESTIVAL!

Can We Start Over?
Directed by: I Nyoman Adi Wiraguna

Elena and Carl were having dinner to reminisce their anniversary. While it may have seemed perfect, everything feels surreal when it rains. 

Kashti
Directed by: Hritik Sanghavi

“Kashti” is a short romantic drama about young love, school life and destiny’s little turns. 

Together
Directed by: Leon Guallart Diaz

An exploration of the dynamics of a romantic relationship.

The Last Celebration
Directed by: Adrian Ramos

The patron Saint Festivities is the most important celebration of the year. Esther knows it and has a great hope to attend. Esteban, her husband thinks the opposite. 

Flooding Back
Directed by: Karen Rothdeutsch

A comparison between how “I” interacted with the space of the family pool in the past and what I am left with now.

Since You Left
Directed by: Amll Askr

The film is a human inner case that was filmed through a young girl’s vision of a difficult situation, which is her brother’s migration outside the country.

Epiphany 
Directed by: Natia Chikvaidze

As they zoom in and out, we embark on a journey from microscopic impressions to macroscopic feelings as huge as… the most grossly misshapen of superlative realities. This world of psyche and emotion, with rules that are both strict and organic.

Keep on Shining
Directed by: Arma Lux

He is locked up in the dark, tied to a chair, alone, waiting for death. What will save him, however, will be the unexpected discovery of the presence of another person at his side … 

Comfortable Silences
Directed by: Amoli Birewar

A phone call between a mother & her daughter deepens their understanding of the nature of their relationship.

Smart USB
Directed by: Ivan Kalmeta

During his daily dose of scrolling through social media, the protagonist comes upon an ad for an interesting gadget. Without thinking too much about it, he decides to buy the gadget which as it turns out can do the impossible.

Shaden
Directed by: Shaden Lathrop

A young boy and his dog travel back to his hometown to do work for his Grandma.

Kaleidoscope
Directed by: Grace Conley

An experimental short that explores color, body image, and the lengths we go to please.

Rural to Urban
Directed by: Jiao Lu

An experimental glass animation that focuses on exploring personal existence and where the inner emotions and spirits are pinned in contemporary society. 

Tour Jeté
Directed by: Ellie Walsh

Tour Jeté is an animated live-action film, using Baton Twirling to express a journey between two characters. 

Turtles
Directed by: Boris Loning

A man finds out that something’s in his soup, so he’s going to confront the person who’s responsible for that… 

 Where Theater Began
Directed by: Katie Colwell

10 Oakland University theater students travel to Hydra, Greece to rehearse and perform the Greek play, Orestes.

Filming Against the Grain
Directed by: Michaela Dorflinger, Emily Koenig, & Shannon Geoffrey

College senior, Mady DeJausserand faces filming her thesis while battling the imminent struggle of having to soon part ways with her best friends.

Small Town Syndrome
Directed by: Max Folino

A short, personal essay film on life in a small town on Lake Michigan.

Contradict
Directed by: Raya Ellsberry

A short animation about the contradictions of men and women in sports.

Servants
Directed by: Christopher Mojek

A young assistant struggles with the demands of her abusive boss.

Cherry
Directed by: JC Carroll

A lonely cherry can only watch as his former lover is in the arms of another.

Real Woman
Directed by: JC Carroll

A sexual assault survivor tells her story to her family for the first time since the event occurred almost 30 years ago.

Bread + Wine
Directed by: Joe Molloy

A man with one task struggles to remain focused to complete it.

In The Light
Directed by: Shannon Geoffrey

A short hybrid documentary that follows three people of faith as they reflect on their personal struggles throughout the year of 2020. They discover their own understanding of what God’s message may be during times of adversity.

2020
Directed by: Shannon Geoffrey

2020 is a hybrid documentary short that recreates major moments of the year in a poetic form. 

Corrupt
Directed by: Tommie Green

A corrupt police officer learns a lesson about police brutality. 

Where’s My Father’s House?
Directed by: Pedro Furquim

Luisa discovers that her mother will not be able to see her dance at the presentation for Father’s Day that will take place at her school. Therefore, she decides to run away from home to see her absent father and personally invite him to the presentation.

Time to live
Directed by: Justin Choi

In the vein of movies by Wong Kar-wai, Barry Jenkins, and Terrence Malick, “Time to Live” portrays loss in a film driven by emotional storytelling rather than typical narrative.

Let Me Know When You’re Home
Directed by: Aitana Serrallet

Walking the street at night it is not always easy for a woman on her own.

What Are We Waiting For?
Directed by: Márton Csukás

The 16 year old Hanna cannot leave her home because of her weak immune system, thus has to live in a basement, sealed from the outside world. She has to make a crucial decision regarding her future.

The Green Leaf
Directed by: Javonte Rice

A young boy faces challenges with bullying. He makes a decision whether or not to end it all.

Bluebird
Directed by: Laura Thiebaux

Locked up in revenge following Project Bluebird, Inae and Malo will discover each other, bond and seek to free themselves from the walls that surround them by using imagination.

Distorted – A Schizophrenia Story
Directed by: Arinjay Shekhar

‘Distorted’ is a short film based on ‘schizophrenia’, a mental illness that acts as a slow death sentence for many. The protagonist is suffering from schizophrenia and ends up in a messy situation due to no fault of his own.

Made By You
Directed by: TSOI Ting Chi

Through a mother’s flashbacks, this film tells the story of a secondary student losing his life to drug abuse.

Reasons
Directed by: Alice Faria

The film retract a lonely man of an advanced age; he exposes to the public his existential doubts, asking himself the reasons for human life. 

The Michigan Arctic Grayling
Directed by: Grace Bright

The native arctic grayling disappeared from Michigan waters by 1936. This is the story of what it will take to bring them back. 

Old and Wise
Directed by: Lucie Affronti

Summer 2020. In Southern France, three rescue dogs aged 15 are coping with their unusual dog life at their shelter.

Homegrown Glory
Directed by: Celia Lochkos

This is a short documentary highlighting an ongoing tradition that was created by a close group of friends.

Grandson of the Morud Family
Directed by: Youssef Abanoub

Al-Bey Murad wished for more than a century to gather his family on the roof of a house in the madina elaraby ( old city ) to take a souvenir photo…

Spicy Rum
Directed by: Yasha Jhunjhunwala

An ex-cop and a bartender discuss a newspaper article about a lady who was brutally murdered.

The Gift of Years
Directed by: Josiah Dunjey

An Australian WW2 veteran recalls his experiences in battle while attending a dinner party for his grandson who is leaving for Afghanistan.

Gum
Directed by: Louis De Sousa

Five strangers take a co-car together. On the highway, one of them gets sick and asks to stop. The others would like to help, but circumstances make them not slow down.

Boomerang
Directed by: Sanjai Chandrasekaran

Based on true case study on repetitive compulsive syndrome.

Youssef
Directed by: Hussam Gamal

After being captured by the police (Youssef) finds himself accused of murdering (Laila), and as the interrogation heats up he starts recalling similar scenes from his childhood.

In the (not so) Still of the Night
Directed by: Bobe Wu

Andy, your average teenager, is having trouble sleeping…

Trepidation
Directed by: Dev Stafford

“Trepidation” follows a young girl as her paranoia and anxiety become overwhelming. She is constantly in fear of having to experience a mass shooting firsthand.

A Road to Nowhere
Directed by: Kylie Vazquez

What if someone could hack your phone and take you somewhere else?

A Day with Payne
Directed by: Alex Colocousis

Two thugs spend a day with the world’s most dangerous man…Payne.

Behind Paranoia
Directed by: Aashr Khiani

Behind paranoia is a deep dive into the direct effects of declining mental health. The entirety of the film takes place in the mind of our PPD diagnosed protagonist- offering a first hand and unique perspective to the illness that is paranoia personality disorder. 

Banarasi
Directed by: Pragyan Chaturvedi

Shiv, a young man from the town of Buxar has sophisticated relations with his father. His father sends him to Banaras on a certain weekend and Shiv leaves his heart in that city. 

Frame Fumble
Directed by: Alexander Griffin

What if the video frame fought back? FRAME FUMBLE is a new and innovative slapstick/vintage comedy short film that explores the misadventures of a stressed computer worker and his troubles with the aspect ratio.

Outgrowing My Shoes
Directed by: Grace Conley

A series of vignettes that explore the coming of age story of a young woman from Philadelphia.

Kyu’s Daydream
Directed by: Remy Yin

Ditched and alone in a library, Kyu fights with the clutches of boredom, finding an unlikely friendship in his action-packed game of make-believe. 

Noisy Melody
Directed by: Pavel Pogudin

A film about the joint life of nature and garbage.

Tape Tailor
Directed by: Lee Porter

A stop-motion short about a tape doll making a dress for herself.

Quarantined
Directed by: Holly Rumble

Two brothers navigate this more trivial component of life in a pandemic; trying to occupy all their newfound time in some rather unconventional ways, the boys face a number of relatable blunders along the way.

Phantom
Directed by: Gabi Bania

“Phantom” is an adaptation of the Polish poem by Adam Mickiewicz under the same title. It is a touching story about an unhappy love stronger than death.

Pieces
Directed by: Julissa Padilla

A young boy, interested in historic relics, visits a museum unaware that the displays have more than meets the eye.

Mask Out
Directed by: Cecilia Cortes

Upon entering the forest, Mila stumbles upon a hole that contains three masks and a note that says: Your decision, who to be?

Curiosity
Directed by: Fanny Schlör

A stop-motion animated short movie about a puppet monkey wandering about the workshop she found herself to come alive in, only to realise she is a creation of that very place…

Channel 13
Directed by: Samiera Aman

On a stormy night, Gray watches a gangster movie, when his movie night takes an unexpected turn. 

Afloat
Directed by: Urmi Banerjee

‘Afloat’ is a short animated film on Domestic Abuse based on the poem ‘A Smile to Remember’ by Charles Bukowski. This is a story about courage, a story about staying afloat.

Under the Shadow
Directed by: Sumaya Barakat

A little plant living under a big shadow that keeps her away from being in touch with the world.

Sophie and Jacob
Directed by: Max Shoham

Inspired by the true story of family, and finding home, no matter the circumstance. Sometimes home cannot be a place, and becomes simply a memory, a mindset.

Wishes
Directed by: Saroosh Ali

It’s a story of a guy named Ali who gets some wishes before he passes to another stage of life. It’s a short sci-fi film that shows the dark but achievable reality of the futuristic world.

Cellular Senescence
Directed by: Nitya Ayyagari

Cellular senescence is a biological process that occurs as we age–this video explores the main concepts behind this phenomenon and uncovers how targeting senescent cells can potentially help us improve our quality of life.

Farewell Future
Directed by: Louis-Paul Caron

The planet earth suffers and we keep dreaming of flying cars. Isn’t it time to say goodbye to this future and imagine a new one?

The Moonster
Directed by: Agnieszka Zaręba

The boy and the girl have never known fear, they set off on a journey to find him. When it is too late to turn back, they experience the worst of all nightmares.

Voyage
Directed by: 沈亭玫 Ting-Mei Shen

A little boy is about to leave his home island and the spirit that has been taking care of him. He needs to start a voyage to the big moon across the sea, but feels a bit scared about the journey ahead of him.

Shadows
Directed by: Ellen Mowat

A cave-child must use her wits to protect herself from a saber-toothed tiger.

Retina
Directed by: Victor Rosalino

Retina is a reflection about the creation of the image in our mind. Incumbent by a large study on gestalt and semiotics this movie is a challenge to the imagination and interpretation of those who see it.