Drama
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- DRAMA SHORT FILMS
Drama short films are serious presentations or stories with settings or life situations that portray realistic characters in conflict with either themselves, others, or forces of nature. A dramatic film shows us human beings at their best, their worst, and everything in-between.
Scout is delighted to share the official selection for this category.
A New Dawn by Josh Riemer
(United States)
Produced By Josh Riemer
Produced By Josh Riemer
Quarantined in his home, a man grapples with his guilt.
Age Category: 18 and Under
Barnacle Face by Jean David Le Goullon
(Australia)
Produced By Alex Linder, Kaitlyn McMurtry, and Robbie Miles
Produced By Alex Linder, Kaitlyn McMurtry, and Robbie Miles
His friends are early, the bathroom isn’t clean and Karl has something under his skin…
Age Category: 19-24
Behind the Bathroom Door by Lisa Krestianinova
(United States)
NOMINEE
This short film is a cut from life, a glance behind the curtain on what's like to be an assigned female at birth person in high school. It does this through the raw point of view of a bathroom stall. Seven girls and one transgender guy are all interconnected by this seemingly not interesting place.
Age Category: 18 and Under
Benevolent by Jared Marino, and Sabrina Soto
(Canada)
Produced by Jared Marino, Liam Hoban Thrush, Rhiannon Murray-Leung, Alyssa Bruno, and Scott Edward Morris
NOMINEE
When two post-grad best-friends reunite, bitter truths emerge threatening to tear their friendship apart.
Age Category: 19-24
Boy on the Moon by Sam Friedman, and Jake Lubin
(United States)
Produced By Sam Friedman, and Jake Lubin
Produced By Sam Friedman, and Jake Lubin
After a long night of partying and a narrow escape from a risky encounter, Ollie and Demsky come to terms with a tragedy from their past.
Age Category: 18 and Under
CASTRO by Socratis I Zavitsanos, and Diamantis I Zavitsanos
(Greece)
An old sage with a troubled past attempts to extract the badness from within himself.
Age Category: 19-24
Cherry Bomb by Carolyn Knapp
(United States)
Produced By Kendall Huff, and Liv Coron
Produced By Kendall Huff, and Liv Coron
NOMINEE
This queer coming of age short film depicts the feeling of having to prove your own sexuality after coming out in high school. When seventeen year old Georgie ditches her younger sister Violet for a party in an attempt to save her relationship, we find that Violet won't give up on a fun night with Georgie that easily.
Age Category: 19 to 24
Chicken by Josh Leong
(United States)
Produced by Denyvi Rose, Catherine Nguyen, Nadera Herbert-Bey, and Josh Leong
NOMINEE
In a Bronx juvenile prison, a 16-year old boy faced with losing custody of his child must discover what it takes to be a father through the raising of a chicken.
Age Category: 19-24
Crush by Hunter R. Adams
(United States)
Produced by Hunter R. Adams, and Dylan Thomas
A transgender teen becomes reacquainted with his childhood best friend.
Age Category: 19-24
Denial by George Larman
(United Kingdom)
Produced By George Larman
Produced By George Larman
Living alone, an elderly lady's frustration grows as she lives in an endless cycle of loneliness which turns to anger, shutting off her last chance of hope.
Age Category: 19-24
Dirty Dirty by Vesyee, and Yee Teng
(Malaysia)
Produced By Vesyee
Produced By Vesyee
NOMINEE
A mother wants to protect her daughter from a superstitious danger.
Age Category: 19 to 24
Distance Between by Isa Phillips, and Dena Roland
(United States)
Produced By T.S.
Produced By T.S.
Based on the social observations of a young girl, living in the United States during the year 2020.
Age Category: Middle School - 10 Years Old
Distant Encounters by Cole Anthony Maute
(United States)
Produced by Cole Anthony Maute, Arora McCargar, and Maddie Keith
For 20 years Max has been crazed with building a machine that can locate the UFOs he saw abduct his father. When his concerned brother Jack takes extreme measures to end Max’s obsession, Max realizes his pursuit to find his father may not have been what he thought it was.
Age Category: 19-24
For Kate by Claire Imler, and Amadea Tanner
(United States)
Produced By Jessica Stossel
Produced By Jessica Stossel
Living in a dysfunctional home, Kate finds comfort in playing piano with her caring neighbor, Alan. However, when she needs him most, he is taken away from her.
Age Category: 19-24
Forget Me Knot by Polly Coombes
(United Kingdom)
NOMINEE
A captivating short film about dementia and the struggles of being a young caretaker.
Age Category: 19-24
Goodbye again by Pau Verdalet
(Mexico)
Produced By Pau Verdalet
Produced By Pau Verdalet
Helen lives with her son Bruno, but Bruno doesn't behave like a normal kid. She will have to overcome the mourning crisis to withstand reality.
Age Category: 19-24
Hunter by Michelle Tang
(United States)
NOMINEE
A lonely nine year old boy wants to save his mom from his abusive father, but he feels powerless in the middle of all the fighting until...
Age Category: 18 and Under
It's Not What It Looks Like by Marina Malysh
(Russian Federation)
Produced By Marina Malysh
Produced By Marina Malysh
NOMINEE
A boy is locked between the real and imaginary worlds. But where does one end and the other one begin? Or is it not what it looks like?
Age Category: 18 and Under
Killing Myself by Jillian Junco
(United States)
Produced by Lianne Becker and Collin Meath
EVE, a Filipino-American teenage girl, writes a suicide note and leaves the house to get cigarettes for one last smoke. That is, until she meets DAWN, who pulls her into a fun ride—while EVE's mother discovers her suicide note, EVE rediscovers life.
Age Category: 19-24
Lavender: A Lesbian Love Story by Jordana Valerie Allen-Shim
(Canada)
Produced by Stephanie Chiasson, Maia Nguyen, and Heather Woods
By accepting a lavender marriage proposal, Joy risks her secret relationship, forcing her to choose between appeasing her family and true love.
Age Category: 19-24
Leonidas and the Fish by Alexander Machlouzarides-Shalit, and Isaac Fisher
(Cyprus)
Produced By Alexander Machlouzarides-Shalit, and Natalia Der Partogh
Produced By Alexander Machlouzarides-Shalit, and Natalia Der Partogh
A Cypriot boy's perception of life changes when he catches a big fish.
Age Category: 19-24
Lioness by Molly E. Smith and Sara Oliva
(United States)
Barricaded in a motel room, a mother's determination and primal instincts kick in to protect her child's innocence.
Age Category: 19-24
Lockdown 28 by VESYEE
(Malaysia)
Produced By VESYEE
Produced By VESYEE
A young boy, who’s hopping to get out from his house that has been “lockdown” for 14 days by the Malaysian government during the COVID-19 Movement Control Order.
Age Category: 19-24
Locked Down by Claire Imler, Jessica Stossel, and Larissa Salazar
(United States)
NOMINEE
Amidst the stay-at-home order, a young woman must make a desperate phone call for help.
Age Category: 19-24
Love In Plane Sight by Matej Rimanić
(Slovenia)
Produced by Luka Jurinčič
A Boy sees a neighboring Girl and instantly falls in love. He invites her on a date through a paper plane invite, but gets rejected so he uses his charm to get a second chance.
Age Category: 19-24
Merry Go Round by Ella Fields
(United States)
Produced by Manni Rose Burach, Legyaan Thapa
NOMINEE
With the knowledge that the clock is ticking away, Pepper and June explore how love can exist within distance, memory, and a non-linear perception of time.
Age Category: 18 and Under
Mother's Smile Father's Laugh by Avery Marin Cather
(United States)
NOMINEE
After her parents die, Ladybug begins collecting household items to cope with their absence. She befriends a Maggot, and has to learn to be indepedent for the both of them. When collecting turns into hoarding, she is pushed to the limit, but upon having some important realisations is able to move forward.
Age Category: 18 and Under
Nour by Chadha Hichri
(Tunisia)
Produced By Chadha Hichri
Produced By Chadha Hichri
Nour is a dreamer, a girl whose life is controlled by her mother. with that concern, she chooses to create a perfect world in her imagination and to hide in it. One day a horrible event that happens in her country shakes up her life.
Age Category: 19-24
Our Old Den by Max Kirk
(United Kingdom)
Produced By Jenny Wall, and Samantha Gruskin
Produced By Jenny Wall, and Samantha Gruskin
Three friends on the brink of adulthood reunite in the place they grew up together. Returning for the last day of summer, they revisit old haunts, where fragments of their past play out around them.
Age Category: 19-24
Outgrowing My Shoes by Grace Conley, and Kaya Trefz
(United States)
Produced By Grace Conley, and Kaya Trefz
Produced By Grace Conley, and Kaya Trefz
A series of vignettes that explore the coming of age story of a young woman from Philadelphia.
Age Category: 18 and Under
Pathei Mathos by Vitória Vasconcellos
(Brazil, United States)
Produced by Vitória Vasconcellos, Erik He, Billy Gould, Hannah Kreiswirth, Vasilisa Beloken
NOMINEE
Increasingly disturbing flashbacks haunt a grieving girl who struggles to navigate her own pain in a desperate attempt to free herself from the trauma that has taken over her life.
Age Category: 19-24
Poachers by Elias Ginsberg, and Tiffany Lin
(United States)
Produced by Samantha Sadoff
During the summer before they must leave for college, two lifelong best friends come across a unique business opportunity: illegally harvesting and selling succulents from the California coast.
Age Category: 19-24
Positiv by Arne Berner, and Hanno Karl Mertin
(Germany)
Produced By Hanno Karl Mertin
Produced By Hanno Karl Mertin
When a young woman is faced with an unwanted pregnancy, she has to decide to keep the child or not.
Age Category: 19-24
Rebound by Alexander Casimir, Mato Standing Soldier
(United States)
Produced by John Laverman
NOMINEE
A young man finds himself playing a pickup game of basketball with what appears to be a runaway slave...
Age Category: 19-24
Room of a Dying Bird by Ahmed Samir
(Egypt)
Produced By Ahmed Samir, and Nahla Mohamed
Produced By Ahmed Samir, and Nahla Mohamed
NOMINEE
After stopping chemotherapy, Dahlia struggles to tell her children about her decision and her inevitable fate. She brings Youssef, an old friend, to convince her children that she is resuming her sessions. Youssef's unpredictable ways of treatment spark an intimate friendship with Dahlia that changes his perspective on life.
Age Category: 19 to 24
Summer and June by David J Redman, and Andrea Pavlovic
(Canada)
Produced By Andrea Pavlovic, Madison Graves, David J Redman, and Matt Tipold
Produced By Andrea Pavlovic, Madison Graves, David J Redman, and Matt Tipold
The final day of summer forces two best friends to grapple with the unknown future of their relationship while trying to stay in the present moment.
Age Category: 19-24
Sunflowers by Nguyen Ho
(United States)
Produced by Christa Beth Campbell, and Heidi Chong
Sunflowers follow Himawari Saito, a young Japanese-American girl struggling in the aftermath of a tragic accident that tears her family apart. She’s desperately trying to find the sunlight in what seems to be an endless storm. The story explores the intricacies of mental health specifically, in the context of an Asian-American household and highlights the consequences we face when neglecting our mental health and the mental health of those around us, especially the ones we love and care for.
Age Category: 19-24
The Art of Quiet by Paula Ner Dormiendo
(Canada)
Produced by Asad Chaudhry
Weeks following the loss of her best friend, a reluctant young girl Andy is confronted with her regretful past and painful grief when she reunites with her friends, Rocky and Lilli for the first time since the funeral.
Age Category: 19-24
The Bride Has A Doll In Her Hands by Ali Sabokbar
(Islamic Republic of Iran)
Produced by Rasol Shahsavari
13-year-old Zeinab is forced by her family to married by a 44-year-old man and becomes pregnant.
Age Category: 19-24
The Catfish Club by Jack Sharkey, Qi Lin, Evan Pedley, Xach Hill, Henri Trigo, Leif Clayton
(United Kingdom)
NOMINEE
3 mysterious figures compete in a high-stakes heist in this 1920's drama; it's anyone's game at The Catfish Club.
A film made by 16-19yr old first-time filmmakers as part of the BFI Film Academy delivered by Signal Film and Media.
Age Category: 18 and Under
The Color In Grief by Antreise Lacey
(United States)
Produced By Antreise Lacey, Raven Cordice, and Frances Shirley
Produced By Antreise Lacey, Raven Cordice, and Frances Shirley
Amiree Knight is a 20 year old African-American woman. During her therapy session with Dr. Melody Sims, Amiree must come to terms with why she is there.
Age Category: 19-24
The Holding Room by Samuel J Punto, Charys Schuler
(Germany)
A murderer has been caught, but questions about his identity remain. Detective Mike Hamartia can't stop thinking about the case, and enlists his friends Detective Frank Sutter and Dr. Sarah Birch to help him tie up loose ends.
Age Category: 18 and Under
The Least I Can Do by Seán Treacy
(Ireland)
When naive teen David witnesses his best friend inappropriately engage with a girl at a party, he falls into a moralistic crisis as he reconsiders the values of his friends while also confronting the overwhelming guilt of his inaction.
Age Category: 18 and Under
The Next One by Dominik György, and Pavlína Vítková
(Czech Republic)
Produced By Dominik György
Produced By Dominik György
NOMINEE
The place is Czechoslovakia, the year 1989. When she enters an abortion clinic, a lost, troubled young girl realizes that she has forgotten to bring socks, without which her gynecologist and nurses will not perform the procedure. In 1957 There was a law on the legalization of induced abortions in Czechoslovakia. Contraception was unavailable. There were abortion or so-called ethics commissions.
Age Category: 19 to 24
The Peanut Heist by Adam Zheng
(United States)
A whimsical comedic twist on the generic heist film, in which a little boy embarks on a mission to steal peanuts from the pantry.
Age Category: 18 and Under
The Sound by Patrick Stagg
(United States)
Produced by Brittany Melby
A man isolated in his small country side house becomes tormented by a strange noise.
Age Category: 19-24
To The One I Miss by Hee Won Lee
(Republic of Korea)
Produced By Min Hye Kim
Produced By Min Hye Kim
NOMINEE
Art student Arin cannot forget her dead friend Junho and concentrate on the dance competition. Arin wants closure and opens an album containing memories with Jun-ho, who has been locked up in a drawer.
Age Category: 18 and Under
Trepidation by Dev Stafford, and Lindita Kulla
(United States)
TRIGGER WARNING: this film includes graphic visual references to topics such as gun violence, violence, and anxiety.
TRIGGER WARNING: this film includes graphic visual references to topics such as gun violence, violence, and anxiety.
NOMINEE
"Trepidation" follows a young girl as her paranoia and anxiety become overwhelming, constantly in fear of having to experience a mass shooting firsthand.
Age Category: 19 to 24