The Match(NaN)

Norman(en)

A teenager pretends to be dying from cancer as a way to cope with the realities of his daily existence and his father's terminal illness.

Seeking Justice(en)

After his wife is assaulted, a husband enlists the services of a vigilante group to help him settle the score.

Queen of Katwe(en)

A young girl overcomes her disadvantaged upbringing in the slums of Uganda to become a Chess master.

Stoker(en)

After India’s father dies suddenly, her uncle Charlie, whom she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her emotionally unstable mother. Soon after his arrival, she begins to suspect that this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives. But instead of feeling outrage or horror, the friendless girl becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

Hands of Stone(en)

The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.

Blue Chips(en)

Pete Bell, a college basketball coach is under a lot of pressure. His team isn't winning and he cannot attract new players. The stars of the future are secretly being paid by boosters. This practice is forbidden in the college game, but Pete is desperate and has pressures from all around.

Eleanor the Great(en)

94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.

Out in the Open(es)

A boy escaped from home, listening, crouched in the depths of his hiding place, the cries of the men who seek him. When the game passes, what remains before him is an infinite and arid plain that he must cross if he wants to get away definitively from what has made him flee. His steps will intersect with those of a pastor and, from that moment, nothing will be the same for either of them.

Cardboard Boxer(en)

Gentle and broken, a homeless man fights others on video for money but soon finds comfort in an unlikely friend and the lost diary of a young girl.

Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius(en)

The story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.

The Miracle of Marcelino(es)

Left on the doorstep of a monastery as an infant, Marcelino was raised by the monks. He was well-cared for but lonely and missed having a mother. One day he found a special friend in the forbidden attic, hanging on a cross. A friend that would repay Marcelino's kindness by granting him one heart-felt wish.

Sundays(es)

17-year-old Ainara is a student at a Catholic secondary school, and is about to take her final year exams and choose her future university course. To everyone’s surprise, this brilliant young girl announces to her family that she wants to take part in an induction period at a convent in order to embrace the religious life. Nobody was expecting this. While her father seems to be won over by his daughter’s aspirations, for Maite, Ainara’s aunt, this unexpected vocation is the manifestation of a deeper problem.

Tuesdays with Morrie(en)

A journalist finds himself questioning his own life when his best friend, a dying man, offers him some very powerful wisdom and advice for coping in relationships, careers and society.

The Visit(en)

Carla Zachanassian had a child by Serge Miller as a teenager. When Serge refused to marry her, she was driven out of town. By her own wit and cunning, she has returned as a multi-millionaire for a visit. The town lays out the red carpet expecting big things from Carla, only to learn that her sole purpose is to see Serge Miller killed...

Brian's Song(en)

Based on the real-life relationship between teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers and the bond established when Piccolo discovers that he is dying.

Life of a King(en)

The true story of one man's mission to give inner city kids of Washington DC something he never had - a future. After being incarcerated for eighteen years, Eugene Brown established the Big Chair Chess Club to get kids off the streets and working towards lives they never believed they were capable of. This is his inspirational story.

Home Run(en)

A pro ball player with a substance abuse problem is forced into rehab in his hometown, finding new hope when he gets honest about his checkered past, and takes on coaching duties for a misfit Little League team

Adopt a Highway(en)

Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn’t recognize – including trying to learn how to use the internet – he finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster behind the fast food restaurant where he works as a dishwasher. Unsure of what to do, and caught between impulses of kindness and panic, Russ soon realizes this could be his chance at redemption.

ma ma(es)

After finding a lump in one of her breasts, Magda goes to visit her doctor who gives her bad news: she needs a mastectomy, preceded by severe chemo treatments. While she ponders this ill fortune at a soccer game where her son Dani participates, she attracts the attention of talent scout Arturo, who is looking for talented young players to enroll them in the junior leagues.

Vanya on 42nd Street(en)

An uninterrupted rehearsal of Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' plays out by a company of actors. The setting: their run-down theater with an unusable stage and crumbling ceiling. The play is shown act by act with the briefest of breaks to move props or for refreshments. The lack of costumes, real props and scenery is soon forgotten.

King's Gambit(en)

A surrealist retelling of Caine and Abel in a black void, where a game of chess is taking place. A boxer uses a punching bag while watching from afar.

Searching for Bobby Fischer(en)

A seven-year-old chess prodigy refuses to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.

Chasing Ghosts(en)

Lucas Simons, an 11-year-old filmmaker, is obsessed with death after the loss of his brother. When Lucas accidentally captures a mysterious presence in one of his films, he inadvertently becomes a YouTube phenomenon, and must learn to live life in the spotlight while also learning how to once again start living life to its fullest.

Sleuth(en)

Locked in a high-tech English manor, bound in a deadly duel of wits, Andrew Wyke and Milo Tindle come together as English gentlemen to discuss the matter of Wyke's wife: the woman both are sleeping with.

I'll Follow You Down(en)

After the disappearance of a young scientist on a business trip, his son and wife struggle to cope, only to make a bizarre discovery years later - one that may bring him home.

The Forever Game(en)

Chess is Henry's obsession. Unfortunately, his determination in winning, plus his never-ending battle against mental health, causes Henry's life to unravel.

Everything in Its Right Place(tr)

Salih (35), taking his son Mert (5), returns to father’s home, upon his funeral - in where he gets stuck within memories, family criticism and responsibility to his son. He justifies himself by blaming his father with whom he had a fall out but also faces the truths of becoming him and that his father loved him indeed.

Horse(en)

At a local chess tournament, estranged brothers Edward and Oliver Abbott reunite after many years apart, harbouring ill will and eagerness to win.

Le Bain(fr)

In this intimate, experimental drama, a young woman is prey to the denial of the grief of her mother, a painting restorer. Jade runs herself a bath. Here begins a journey between paint and water during which Jade vacillates between dream and daily reality. Water will immerse us in its internal conflicts between conscious, subconscious and unconscious.

Ole(nb)

Coping with his father's death, Ole takes himself into a vivid daydreaming moment, where he can finally forgive his father.

Luto(es)

Damian, grieving his girlfriend's death, travels through Mexico seeking solace. Along the way, he connects with strangers and witnesses their coping rituals, finding a path through his own memories and regrets.

Mom's Secret(nl)

After the sudden death of her mother, 13-year-old Yara struggles to find her place in a world that no longer feels familiar. Hoping for comfort, she returns with her father to the campsite where their family once spent every summer. But things have changed — their beloved caravan has been sold, and her father seems unwilling to face the grief they share. One night, Yara hears mysterious music coming from the direction of her old caravan. Together with her best friend Deon, she sets out to uncover its source. What begins as a haunting mystery slowly transforms into a tender journey of memory, love, and acceptance.

Sword in 21st Century(cn)

Casting a sword with one's bare hands may sound like a crazy idea to many in the high-tech, digital 21st Century, but not to Fung, a stock broker, who welcomes the assigned task that bears special meaning. When Fung is bequeathed a tattered notebook by his father Lang on his deathbed, his life is turned upside down. Tasked with a heavy undertaking, Fung has to think and look out of the box before rolling up his sleeves to forge the sword. Through the tedious process of annealing and tempering, grinding and cutting, he begins to contemplate the meaning of casting a sword, and of the elusive father and son relationship.

Uasheshkun(fr)

A father tries to save the soul of his daughter, lost in darkness.

Death of Logic(en)

On a voyage into the dark, we follow a man portraying an intens dialogue with the subconscious. A vignette into the process of looking inward, evaporates the ego and listens to what wants to be heard, on the road to letting go. A requiem for the death of the self.

Le altre vite(it)

Thanks to a new technology, a state center makes it possible to interact with a deceased person. Diego oversees the encounters betwen the dead and the living.

Avance et tu verras(fr)

The sun rises over the dark, misty forest. It's springtime. Nature is lush. A man in his fifties walks warily along a hiking trail cut through tall ferns. He's not walking alone; something invisible is connected to him.

Cieli Rossi(it)

Memento of Mori(en)

A man haunted seeks inspiration for his first painting.

Cheesy Mourning(en)

Created as part of a 48-hour film challenge, this tender and lightly comedic short follows recently widowed Dad Eli as he navigates the chaos of a single morning with his spirited 11-year-old daughter, Naomi. What begins as a struggle over burnt grilled cheese turns into a quiet, heartfelt moment of connection, love, and resilience. Naomi’s wisdom, humor, and old-soul insight help her father navigate grief, reminding us that even in loss, love—and laughter—can still find a way. A story about family, imperfection, and the small moments that make life meaningful. "This film made as part of 48 Hours California and the Sacramento International Film Festival ©2025." #ShortFilm #48HourFilmChallenge #Family #Grief #ComedyDrama #FatherDaughter #Heartfelt #MinimalistFilm #BurntGrilledCheese #LoveAndLoss #EmotionalShort #CheesyMourning